believed her presence in Medina would restrain the rebels from attack. When she learned about the accession of Ali on her way back to Medina, she immediately returned to Mecca and publicly blamed the assassination on him, saying that a mere fingertip of Uthman was better than the whole of Ali. Citing Tarikh al-Ya'qubi and Tarikh Abulfeda, the Shia Muhammad H. Tabatabai () similarly suggests that it was the succession of Ali that moved Aisha to action, rather than the assassination of Uthman. Some authors represent Aisha as an unwilling political victim in this saga, like one by al-Ya'qubi, and some say that she desired peace, while others emphasize her central role in mobilizing the rebel party against Ali, in favor of her close relatives, namely, Talha and Zubayr. This last group cites that Aisha gave speeches in Mecca and wrote letters to rally support against Ali. She did so ostensibly to seek justice for Uthman, although some question her motives, saying that she had earlier opposed Uthman. A representative view is that of Veccia Vaglieri, who writes that Aisha had been an opponent of Uthman. Even though she did not condone his assassination, Aisha could not bear to witness that Ali, whom she deeply hated, had benefited from the assassination. The opposition of Aisha as a Mother of the Faithful added credibility to the subsequent Meccan rebellion against Ali. Some reports by al-Baladhuri and al-Ya'qubi indicate that Aisha also attempted to persuade Umm Salama, another widow of Muhammad, to join her. According to al-Ya'qubi, she rejected the proposal and criticized Aisha for violating the Islamic rule of seclusion for the wives of Muhammad. Umm Salama then returned to Medina and gave her allegiance to Ali, as reported by al-Baladhuri and al-Tabari. Umayyads The Umayyads fled Medina after the assassination of Uthman, notable among them his secretary, Marwan. Most of them gathered in Mecca, though some made their way to Damascus. Mecca was thus in open rebellion against Ali, and the rebels found an ally in Uthman's governor of the city, Abd-Allah ibn Amir. The Umayyads joined Talha and Zubayr in their opposition to Ali, although their objectives were different. These may have believed that the caliphate was their right after Uthman, suggests Madelung. Indeed, some of the Umayyads later left the campaign as it became clear for them that Talha and Zubayr were eying the caliphate upon victory. These