To the people of Kufa at the time of his march from Medina to Basra

Addressed to the people of Kūfah at the time of his march from Medina to Baṣrah [1]

From the servant of Allāh, ‘Alī, the Commander of the faithful, to the people of Kūfah who are foremost among the supporters and chiefs of the Arabs.

Now, I am apprising you of what befell ‘Uthmān so (correctly) that its hearing may be like its seeing. People criticised him, and I was the only man from among the muhājirūn (immigrants) who asked him to seek to satisfy…

You should know that Medina has been vacated by its residents and they have abandoned it. It is boiling like a huge cooking pot and rebellion is fixed on its axis moving with full force. So, hasten towards your amīr…