Abu ‘Abdallah ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf was a Companion of the Prophet who served as ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib’s governor in Basra for about five months until right before the Battle of the Camel (36/656). It is during this brief governorship that he allegedly received a lengthy and ornate letter from ‘Ali which is recorded by al-Sharif al-Radi (d. 406/1016) in his Nahj al-Balagha. In the letter, ‘Ali upbraids his governor for attending a fancy banquet. When the letter is considered in light of the historical and intertextual evidence, it appears that it is probably a later invention. It seems very unlikely that ‘Ali would have written such a long and magniloquent letter about such a trivial matter during the tumultuous beginning of his Caliphate. At that time, he most likely would have been preoccupied with countering the various challengers to his rule. Moreover, it seems that the letter is in dialogue with a tradition about Ibn Hunayf which was circulated in the Umayyad court. Both the Umayyad tradition and the Nahj al-Balagha letter address the meaning of the title “the Commander of the Faithful,” and its significance. But while the tradition portrays the Commander as an exalted figure completely removed from his people, the letter emphasizes his obligation to be a role model for them by conducting himself with great modesty and piety. Understanding the literary and historical context of the letter to Ibn Hunayf helps shed light on some of the aims of the Nahj al-Balagha and the manner in which it was compiled. While it may not contain any verifiable historical information about ?Al?, it offers a clear image of the legacy of his character, and the noble ideals which he inspired in the hearts and minds of his later admirers.