a truly momentous(1) one—namely, that Sa'd ibn Ubāda withdrew from his initial claim to leadership and acknowledged al-Siddīq’s authority. May Allah be pleased with them all.](2)

People consequently adopted divergent positions regarding Ali’s caliphate:

[Views Concerning Ali’s Caliphate]

One group said that Ali was an imam and Mu'āwiya was also an imam, and that it is permissible to appoint two imams [at one time](3) when it is impossible to unite under a single imam. This view is attributed to the Karrāmiyya and others.

Another group said that there was no imam with general authority at that time; rather, it was a time of civil strife. This was the view of a group of the Hadith scholars of Basra and others. Thus, when Imam Ahmad openly affirmed placing Ali fourth in the caliphate and said, “Whoever does not place Ali fourth in the caliphate is more misguided than his family’s donkey,” some members of this group objected. They said, “Ali’s caliphate was denied by some of whom it cannot be said that they were more misguided than their families’ donkeys,” meaning those Companions who held back from it.

Ahmad and others cited as evidence for Ali’s caliphate the hadith of Safīna, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“The Prophetic caliphate will last thirty years, after which it will become kingship.”

[And](4) this hadith was narrated by the compilers of the Sunan collections, such as Abū Dāwūd and others(5).

A third group said: Rather, Ali was the imam, and he was correct in fighting those who fought him. Likewise, those Companions who fought him, such as Talha and al-Zubayr, were all exercising independent judgment