Many Sunnis wrongly think that the origin
of the Shia community was after Imam
Hussain’s martyrdom. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. Although Shi’as
united themselves after the Kerbala tragedy,
they were founded by the Prophet himself.
The originator of the word “Shia” as meaning “the followers of Ali,” was the Prophet PBUH himself.
We never follow any individual without authoritative arguments in his favor. You said that it was after Uthman that the word “Shia” came to be used referring to the
followers of Ali. In fact, even in the Prophet’s day, several noted companions were called Shias. Hafiz Abu Hatim Razi, in his Az-Zainat, which he compiled
for clarifying the meanings of certain words and phrases current among scholars, says that the first new word that came into general acceptance in Islam in
the days of the Prophet was “Shia.” The word was applied to four prominent companions: Abu Dharr Ghifari, Salman Farsi, Miqdad bin Aswad Kindi, and
Ammar Yasir. Many more hadith were quoted in support of the same point. Now it is for you to consider how it was possible that during the time of the
Prophet four of his chief companions were called Shia. If the Prophet thought it was innovation, why didn’t he forbid the people to use it? The fact is that
people had heard from the Prophet himself that the followers (Shias) of Ali were the inhabitants of Heaven. They were proud of it and openly called themselves Shias.