Islam. 33also incensed when Uthman insisted that only one version of
the sacred text be used in the garrison towns, and suppressed
variants, which many of them preferred, but which differed in
minor details. Increasingly, the malcontents looked to Ali ibn
Abi Talib, the Prophet's cousin, who, it seems, had opposed the
policies of both Umar and Uthman, standing for "soldiers'
rights" against the power of the central authority.
In 656 the discontent culminated in outright mutiny. A
group of Arab soldiers from Fustat returned to Medina to
claim their due, and when fobbed off they besieged Uthman's
simple house, broke in, and assassinated him. The mutineers
acclaimed Ali as the new caliph.
T H E FIRST FITNAH
Ali seemed an obvious choice. He had grown up in the
Prophet's household and was imbued with the ideals pro-
moted by Muhammad. He was a good soldier and wrote in-
spiring letters to his officers, which are still classic Muslim
texts, preaching the necessity of justice and the importance of
dealing compassionately with the subject peoples. But despite
his intimacy with the Prophet, his rule was not universally ac-
cepted. Ali was supported by the ansar of Medina and those
Meccans who resented the rise of the Umayyads. He also en-
joyed the support of Muslims who still lived the traditional
nomadic life, especially in Iraq, whose garrison town Kufah
was an Alid stronghold. But the assassination of Uthman,
who, like Ali himself, had been Muhammad's son-in-law, and
had been one of the earliest converts to Islam, was a shocking
event which inspired a five-year civil war within the ummah,
which is known as the fitnah, the time of temptation.
After a brief delay, Muhammad's favourite wife Aisha, to-
gether with her kinsman Talhah and Zubayr, one of the
Prophet's Meccan companions, attacked Ali for not punishing