Shiism in Basra in the Early Muslim Centuries

Historical sources have often presented Basra as a Sunni city and prevalently inclied towards Uthman in the eanly Muslim centuries. The fact of the matter is, however, that Basra had only been partly Uthmanite and not wholly during those times. the use of the phrase Shiَite of Aَli in contrast to Shiَite of Uthman in the daily conversations of the Basri people at the time indicates the fact that shiَites had been influential in the theo-political life of the city since the beginning. Hence, the history of shiَism in Basra practically dates back to the birth of that city though the shiَites were considered as only one of the few religious minorities in Basra. Nevertheless, later in the fifth cemtury AH, the Shiَi thought expanded and spread in Basra to the extent that it became the dominant religious persuasion in the city.