Conditions in Which Hazrat Ali (ra) Was Elected As the Khalifa

Whilst mentioning the conditions in which Hazrat Ali (ra) was elected as the Khalifa, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states:

“When Hazrat Uthman (ra) was martyred, seeing that the discord among Muslims was growing, the companions present in Medina went to Hazrat Ali (ra) and insisted that he ought to take the Bai‘at of the people. At the same time, some from among the rebels also went to Hazrat Ali (ra) and said that the Islamic government was close to being divided. They stated that he ought to take the Bai‘at of the people, so that the state of fear could be vanquished and peace could be restored. Thus, the people urged Hazrat Ali (ra) to take the Bai‘at and having refused on a number of occasions, he accepted this responsibility and began taking the Bai‘at of the people. At the time, some prominent Companions were outside of Medina. Some were forced to take the Bai‘at. In this regard, we find mention that Hakim bin Jabla and Malik Ashtar were sent along with a few men brandishing their swords in order to compel Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) to take the Bai‘at, i.e. they stood around them with their swords drawn and told them to accept Hazrat Ali (ra) or else they will be killed.