Fall of the Elite

Though Imam ‘Ali (as) ruled over the Muslim world for less than 5 years, his caliphate was marked with numerous challenges, civil wars and turmoil. One of the tragedies of this period was the constant decline, abandonment, and betrayal of some of the most elite and influential figures of the Muslim community from under the Imam’s government.

In this presentation, we will briefly cover the biographies of some dozen elite and influential figures from the early Muslim community and more importantly, the various ethical factors that ultimately led to their downfall and betrayal of the Imam (a).

1. Who were the elites of the Muslim community and what made you one?

2. How can we categorize the elites within the early Muslim community – who were the troublemakers, who were just laid back, who held formal positions of influence?

3. What were the salient characteristics of the elite in the words of the Imam (a) himself?

4. How did the likes of Talha and Zubayr – those who insisted the Imam (a) takes up the caliphate – turn away from him (a) in such a short span of time? What led Shab‘ath b. Rib‘i al-Tamimi to go from a loyal supporter of the Imam (a) to one of the leaders of the Khawarij movement? Was Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari a cunning man or simply naïve?