[1] Mu‘āwiyah sent some men in the garb of pilgrims to Mecca in order to create sensation in the peaceful atmosphere of the place, by taking common men into their confidence, by a show of piety and God-fearing and then convincing them that ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib has instigated the people against ‘Uthmān and in the end succeeded in getting him killed. In this way, they were to hold him responsible for the killing of ‘Uthmān and to turn the people against him, and also to incline the people towards him (Mu‘āwiyah) by mentioning the greatness of his character, the sublimity of his manners and stories of his generosity. But when the men whom Amīr al-mu’minīn had put on the job gave him the information, he wrote this letter to Qutham ibn al-‘Abbās to keep an eye on their movements and to put a stop to their mischief-mongerings.