Abū-Mūsa announced the deposing of `Ali (a.s) and with this `Amr ibn al-`As announced the appointment of Mu`awiyah. The way they played with the norms set by the Qur’an and Shari`ah, is a part of the history. Those who could not defeat Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) in the battlefield, scored a point in stealth and treachery. They turned their faces from the truth and honesty and became an instrument to comply with Mu`awiyah’s demands.
The verdict of the referees was not a surprise for `Ali (a.s). He knew that the referees would do everything to protect the interests of Mu`awiyah. Although the Khawarij were forcing the Imam (a.s) to declare a war before the decision about the arbitration, he patiently awaited the outcome. The referees bypassed their terms of reference and, instead of limiting their work to the inquiry about the killing of `Uthman, they pronounced their verdict about the caliphate. Further, they neither referred to the Holy Qur’an nor the Traditions of the Prophet (a.s) for their deliberations and decisions. In these circumstances Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) had to decide to renew the fight with the Syrians. For the Imam (a.s), they were only two alternatives—either to bow down his head to the forces of evil or to attack Syria once again. His duty demanded that he should adopt the second alternative.
When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) decided to wage a war against the Syrians, he wanted to register the cooperation of the Khawarij who were themselves keen to settle scores with Syria. Therefore, he wrote to `Abdullah ibn Wahab and Yazid ibn Husayn, “The two persons whom we had accepted as the referees, acted against the norms of the Qur’an and were overwhelmed with their selfish motives. They neither made access to the norms of the Qur’an nor the Sunnah of the Prophet (a.s). Now our position is the same as was there before the arbitration. Therefore, you must cooperate with us and we shall make a joint and concerted move towards the enemy, until Allah decides between us and them; and Allah makes the best decisions!”
The Khawarij wrote in their reply that he was now preparing for the fight to satisfy his own psyche and not to please Allah. They added that if he
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confessed about his infidelity and expressed his penitence, they would then consider cooperation with him. They also threatened that if he did not express penitence, they would fight with him. When the Imam (a.s) saw that the Khawarij were adamant, he ignored them and started mobilizing his army. He addressed a sermon to the people of al-Kūfah:
“O People of al-Kūfah! Remember! One who does not take part in jihad will certainly be confronted with destruction and damnation! Rise and tighten your belts to fight with those who are the enemies of Allah and His Prophet (a.s). They want to extinguish the Radiance of Allah. They are unjust, wayward and deviants from the Right Path. They neither understand the Qur’an nor the Shari`ah! They are not qualified for the caliphate. By Allah! If they come to power, they will trample the Islamic norms and establish the Herculean and Khusrowite system! Rise and fight those enemies of the Faith! We have sought military help from al-Basrah as well. As soon as it arrives, we shall march towards Syria.”
The Imam (a.s) wrote to the governor of al-Basrah, Ibn `Abbas, that he was starting for war with the Syrians. He asked him to mobilize men and come expeditiously to al-Nukhaylah, their cantonment for the mobilization of troops. On receiving this message Ibn `Abbas and al-Ahnaf ibn Qays informed the people of al-Basrah about the Imam’s decision and asked them to get ready for departure. At this call, 1,500 men volunteered to join. When Ibn `Abbas saw this meager number of volunteers, he arranged a meeting of the people of al-Basrah and told them, “O people! I have advised you the command of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! He has ordered you to come for fighting with the enemy. I am disappointed that from this big city where sixty thousand warriors live, only 1,500 have volunteered to join! If you shirk participating in the war and keep sitting at home, you will repent your inaction! I have nominated Jariyah ibn Qudamah al-Sa’idi for the mobilization of troops. Gather under his flag.” With this exhortation a further one thousand and seven hundred persons reported. This small contingent of three thousand and two hundred men marched towards al-Kūfah.
When this contingent arrived, the elite of al-Kūfah came to the presence of the Imam (a.s). He told them that the cooperation extended by the people of al-Basrah was before them. You are my supporters and protectors. Every chief from you must persuade his tribe to come for fighting the jihad. Every able-bodied man must join. At this point Sa`id ibn Qays al-Hamdani, `Adi ibn
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Hatam, Ziyad ibn Khasfah, Hijr ibn `Adi and other chiefs said that they will extend the fullest cooperation in mobilizing men for the war. Therefore, at their instance, they could mobilize 65,000 men. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) wrote to Sa`d ibn Mas`ūd, the governor of al-Mada’in to raise troops Thus 70,000 men were mobilized under the standard of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s).
When all the preparations for war were over, some people said that it would be better to deal with the Khawarij first, before proceeding to Syria. The Imam (a.s) said it would be better to leave the Khawarij alone at the moment and proceed towards Syria. He said that if they got busy elsewhere, Mu`awiyah would get more time to strengthen himself further. The people said that he should do what he thought was the best. They again assured that they were with him. Sayfi ibn Fasil al-Shaybani said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! We are in your group and your strength! We are the friends of those who are your friends and the enemies of those who are your enemies! You will, Allah willing, find no dearth of friends and supporters and there would not be any diminution in our determination. “Muhriz ibn Shihab al-Tamimi said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! We are under you and your followers! For your succor we have become one! Whether you attack the Khawarij or the Syrians, we shall not hesitate to fight with your enemies! Battle with your enemies is a great jihad and will bring wondrous rewards!”
In this time, the mischief of the Khawarij had assumed serious proportions. They had become brigands and attacked all the travelers who passed their way. Whoever came across them on the way, they would ask him about the arbitration. If the person expressed his unhappiness about it, they would leave him. Otherwise, they would kill him. However, they left the non-Muslims unmolested saying that they were Dhimmis. They considered that beating a pig was a sin and killing a Muslim an act of piety. Al-Mubarrad writes in al-Kamil that Khawarij found a Christian and a Muslim on the way to Nahrawan. They killed the Muslim and left the Christian saying that the Prophet (a.s) has termed the Christians as Dhimmis and harming them is a sin and a transgression of the agreement made by the Prophet (a.s) with them. If someone wanted to save his life from them, the only way was to pretend that he was a Dhimmi or a polytheist. Wasil ibn `Ata called himself a polytheist and escaped from their harm. The story goes that Wasil and some of his companions came across a band of Khawarij. Wasil warned his men that they were faced with Khawarij and must maintain their silence and that he would speak on their behalf. Saying this he went near the Khawarij and said, “We are polytheists and want to seek your protection and to learn about the do’s
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and don’ts of the Qur’an and act according to them.” Wasil said that they believed him and started teaching about the norms of the Qur’an and they kept nodding their heads. When Wasil and his men agreed to what the Khawarij talked about, they said that now they were brothers and could go wherever they wanted to. Wasil said that Allah has observed:
وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ.
“And if one of the idolaters seeks protection from you, grant him protection till he hears the word of Allah, then make him attain his place of safety. (9/6)”
Therefore, you must guide us safely to our home.
The Khawarij looked at each other in surprise and said, “Their demand, in the light of the Qur’an is right. Therefore, we must take them until their homes.” They therefore guided Wasil’s group safely until their destination. Thus, he acceded to taqiyyah to save his and his companions’ lives.
Similarly, `Abdullah, the son of the Prophet’s companion Khabbab ibn al-Aratt came across the Khawarij with a copy of the Qur’an tied to his neck. They asked who he was. He said that he was the son of the Companion of the Prophet (a.s), Khabbab. They said that if he was frightened coming across them, he should chase away the fear. They said that they wanted to hear the traditions narrated by his father. `Abdullah said that his father had heard the Prophet (a.s) say:
“A mischief will rise when the hearts of men will be dead and the bodies inanimate; men will be mu’min in the evening and by the morning they will be infidels. Again by the evening they will become mu’min.”[1]
The Khawarij said that they wanted to hear the same tradition from him. They asked him, “Now tell us what do you say about `Ali (a.s) when he accepted the idea of the arbitration?” He replied, “He understands Allah more than you and is very careful in the matters of the Faith and has a perfect vision.”
They said, “You are a worshipper of personalities, and instead of deeds, you look for names. By Allah! We shall punish you for following the demands of your psyche! We shall kill you in such a manner that none else was ever killed that way.” Saying this, they tied him up with ropes. Then they took him and his pregnant wife near a date palm. One date fell down from that tree
[1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 172
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which one Khariji picked and put in his mouth. Others shouted, “Haram! Haram!” The person immediately threw away the date. Then a pig passed that way and one Khariji killed it. The other Khawarij said that what he did was mischief and until they convinced the owner of the pig, they were restless. When `Abdullah saw this attitude of the Khawarij he said, “When you exercise such great care in small matters, I have no fear of harm from you because I am a Muslim and have not committed any crime to deserve to be killed!” But they did not pay any heed to his words and throwing him to the ground killed him heartlessly. They slit the stomach of his pregnant wife and killed her too.
They also killed three women of Banū-al-ta’i and Ummu-Sinan al-Saydawiyyah. After these heartless murders, they wanted to buy the fruits of a date palm from a Christian. He said that he did not need any payment and they could take the fruits if they wanted. They said that they would not take a Dhimmi’s material without paying for it. The Christian said that he was surprised that they had killed a good person like Ibn Khabbab for no sin of his and do not want at the same time to even take the fruits of a tree without paying for it!
Seeing these acts of barbarity, it was not possible to leave them any more to their scruples. Further, Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) had the program of leaving al-Kūfah for Syria. With little protection there, the Khawarij could take advantage of the situation. It was possible that they occupy the capital and commit massacre of the innocents there. In the army of the Imam (a.s), the majority was of the men from al-Kūfah and their families would be vulnerable to attack in their absence. It was therefore thought necessary to deal with the Khawarij before proceeding to Syria. Therefore, the Imam (a.s) ordered his army to move towards Nahrawan. When the army started its journey, Musafir ibn `Afif al-Azdi said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! I know about the movement of the stars and this is not auspicious time to start the journey. There may be great harm in store for us!”
The Imam (a.s) said, “Can you tell me what is inside the belly of my horse?” He said, “I can calculate and say!” The Imam (a.s) said, “One who believes in what you say, will be denying the writ of the Holy Qur’an. The Holy Book says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ.
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“Surely Allah is He with Whom is the knowledge of the hour, and He sends down the rain and He knows what is in the wombs; and no one knows what he shall earn on the morrow; and no one knows in what land he shall die; surely Allah is Knowing, Aware. (31/34)”
Then the Prophet (a.s) chided the astrologer and told his troops that they should not give any cognizance to such words of superstition and trust on Allah.
When the army moved towards Nahrawan, they learned that the Khawarij had crossed the canal of Tabristan somewhere between Halwan and Baghdad. When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) knew about this, he said, “It cannot be! They are still on this side of the river and will be killed on the land of Rumaylah.” At that moment a trooper of the advance guard came running and said, “I have seen with my own eyes those men crossing the bridge.” The Imam (a.s) asked for his confirmation thrice and every time he swore that he had seen the Khawarij crossing the bridge to the other side. The Imam (a.s) then said:
“By Allah! They have not crossed the bridge! Their place of death is this side of the bridge! By Allah! Even ten of your men will not be killed and even ten of them (the Khawarij) will not survive.”[1]
On the one hand there were messages that the Khawarij had crossed over to the other side and here Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) was insisting they will meet their end only this side of the canal. With these exchanges, some people started getting doubts in their minds. One youth knit his brows and said, “If the Khawarij have already crossed the canal, I shall aim my spear at the chest of the Imam (a.s)! Now he has started predicting about the things to come!”
When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) saw this state of mind of the people, he spurred his horse and galloped fast towards the canal. When he reached near the bank, he found the Khawarij camped this side of the canal. In that time, the army too reached the spot. When they found the Khawarij on their side of the bank, they raised the slogan of “allahu-akbar”! The Imam (a.s) addressed his army:
“By Allah! Neither have I told a lie nor was a wrong message at all given to me!”[2]
[1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 174
[2] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 174
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The Imam (a.s) established his camp at a distance of three miles from the camp of the Khawarij. When the Khawarij saw the Imam’s army, they started raising slogans of “There is no referee but Allah”. They sent a word to the Imam (a.s) that he still had the time to repent, and then they would enter into his bay`ah. As a second alternative, he should demit his office of caliph to enable them to select an imam of their choice. The Imam (a.s) sent them word to hand over the killers of his men, otherwise his army would claim qisas for their blood. He also informed them that if they agreed to this offer, they would be left alone until the army returned from Syria. In that time, they could think over and decide to seek forgiveness for their past misbehavior. The Khawarij replied, “We have all killed your men. We all consider it legitimate to shed their and your blood!”
Instead of getting angry over this reply, Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) tried to make them see reason by sending Qays ibn Sa`d al-Ansari to ask them to shun mischief. He reached the camp of the Khawarij and told them, “O people! You are committing a grave sin. Unnecessarily you are calling us infidels. Beware of thoughtless killing of men! Join with us to do jihad against the enemy. “At this `Abdullah ibn Shajarah al-Salami said, “Now the curtains have been raised from our eyes! The darkness of vice has vanished! The radiance of the Truth is everywhere. We cannot cooperate with you now at any cost! “Qays said, “I plead with you in the name of Allah! Do not indulge in mischief and do not cause your own deaths!” After him Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari went to their camp and tried to stop them from doing mischief and said, “We do not understand what is the cause of your enmity for us? Why are you determined on fighting and battling?” If you are so fond of fighting, come, we shall together fight with our common enemy! “The Khawarij said, “If we side with you, you might once again impose on us the arbitration.”
Abū-Ayyūb said, “You must first look to the present and then you can bother about the future!” But the Khawarij remained adamant. All efforts at putting sense in them went futile. In the end Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) himself went to their camp. And said, “O people! For lack of vision and understanding, you have veered away from us. Because of your false emotions, you have gone astray from the Right Path. I want to warn you! You will be killed in this valley and the turnings of this valley! The Ummah will demean you and there will be comments against you from all sides. Your stand was certainly wrong. And your ire unreasonable. You might remember that I had warned you against accepting the arbitration and said that it was a trick. But you did not listen to my repeated appeals and stopped fighting. If I had accepted the
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arbitration, it was under pressure from you people. Even then, I did not accept it with closed eyes. I had taken a commitment from the referees that their verdict must be only in the light of the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s traditions. But they ruled against the Book and the Prophet’s Sunnah. Therefore, we have rejected their verdict.
The Khawarij said, “No doubt! We did accept the arbitration and because of that act, we rendered ourselves infidel. But we have repented. You too must express penitence for accepting the arbitration and thereby becoming an infidel. Then we shall enter your bay`ah and fight with the enemy.” The Imam (a.s) said, “After embracing the Faith with the Prophet (a.s), migrating from Makkah with him, taking part with him in the ghazawat that he fought do you want me to accept that I committed an act of infidelity? How is it possible?” At this juncture, Khuraj raised noises and said, “If you do not confess that you committed an act of infidelity, we do not want to talk any more with you!” The Imam (a.s) said, “By making senseless noises matters cannot be resolved! Let us decide in this manner. You send a representative to me to discuss the matter. If he convinced me, I shall agree that the act of accepting the arbitration was infidelity and I express repentance for that. But if I convince him, then you must shun the adamant attitude.”
In the beginning, the Khawarij were reluctant. But in the end, they relented. They appointed `Abdullah Kava as their mouthpiece. The Imam (a.s) told Ibn al-Kawwa, “On what matter you are upset that earlier you had very willingly owed your allegiance to me? You also fought with my opponents in the Battle of the Camel.” He said, “At that point the need for the arbitration had not arisen.” The Imam (a.s) said, “O Ibn al-Kawwa! Is my decision more correct or that of the Prophet (a.s)?” Ibn al-Kawwa said, “Certainly the Prophet’s decision!” Then the Imam (a.s) asked, You must have heard these words of Allah:
فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ.
“But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our near people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars. (3/61)”
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“Did Allah ask the Prophet (a.s) to do Mubahalah because he had any doubt about the Prophet (a.s) being truthful and those Christians the liars and He wanted to remove the doubt?” Ibn al-Kawwa said, “Neither Allah had any doubt nor His Prophet (a.s). It was just a protest against the Christians.” The Imam (a.s) said, “Then the arbitration too was a protest” Ibn al-Kawwa said, “Your agreeing to the appointment of the referees was a proof that you had a doubt whether you are on the right or not! Although the war was fought on the basis that you were on the right and the Syrians were wrong. Therefore, you had said in clear terms to Mu`awiyah, ‘If the Book of Allah decided in our favor, you follow us and if It decided in your favor we shall follow you. What other meaning could be attached to this that you yourself were doubtful whether you were right or not. When you yourself had a doubt, then we too are justified to doubt about you.”
The Imam (a.s), “This agreement was conditional that when an agreement is conditional, there is no question of our doubting the stand we had taken. Even the Prophet (a.s) had made such conditional agreements. Therefore, the Holy Qur’an says:
قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ هُوَ أَهْدَى مِنْهُمَا أَتَّبِعْهُ إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ.
“Say: Then bring some (other) book from Allah which is a better guide than both of them, (that) I may follow it, if you are truthful. (28/49)”
Ibn al-Kawwa said, “This is true. But by agreeing to the appointment of the referees, you had entrusted Allah’s work to others and thus you committed infidelity.” The Imam (a.s) said, “I had only appointed Abū-Mūsa as the referee.” Ibn al-Kawwa said, “Abū-Mūsa is an infidel!” The Imam asked, “Since when he is an infidel? When he was appointed a referee for the arbitration or when he gave his verdict?”
Ibn al-Kawwa said, “When he gave the verdict!” The Imam (a.s) said, “Then you have accepted that when he was appointed as a referee he was a Muslim and you had expected that he will give the verdict according of the Commands revealed by Allah. Therefore, it was right to appoint him as a referee.”
Ibn al-Kawwa said, “But when he gave the verdict he did become an infidel!” The Imam (a.s) said, “If the Prophet (a.s) sent a Muslim to some infidels to invite them to the Faith and, instead of preaching Islam, he started preaching them wrong things, will the Prophet (a.s) be responsible for the person’s act?”
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Ibn al-Kawwa said, “No!” The Imam (a.s) added, “Then! If Abū-Mūsa turned an infidel, why do you blame me? What justification you have to keep the swords over your shoulders and keep killing the Muslims? As far as the second referee, `Umar ibn al-`As is concerned, he was appointed by Mu`awiyah. How could I name him arbitrator? If `Umar ibn al-`As had his way, he would even kill me.”
Now Ibn al-Kawwa asked, “Then, how did you agree to one Muslim and the other infidel referee in the arbitration?” The Imam (a.s) said, “Allah has said the following permitting appointment of an arbitrator in the matters of dispute between man and wife:
وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ شِقَاقَ بَيْنِهِمَا فَابْعَثُوا حَكَمًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَحَكَمًا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا.
“And if you fear a breach between the two, then appoint judge from his people and a judge from her people. (4/35)”
If a Muslim marries a Jewish or Christian woman and differences arise between them, then it is natural that the man will have a Muslim referee from his family and the woman an infidel referee from her family! Then, from the Holy Qur’an, is it not proved that while one referee is a Muslim, the other can be an infidel?”
When the Khawarij saw that Ibn kava was not able to give satisfactory arguments, they sent word to him to terminate the discussion and go back. He therefore left the talks half way and went back to his people. Although Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) proved his point, there was no change in the adamant attitude of the Khawarij. Now there was no other alternative than fighting with them. The Imam (a.s) arranged his troops in proper formations The right flank was in the command of Hijr ibn `Adi and the left under Shabath ibn Ruby. The cavalry was under Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari and the footmen under Abū-Qutadah al-Ansari. The men from al-Madinah, who were 700 or 800 in number, were put under Qays ibn Sa`d al-Ansari. The Prophet (a.s) himself took position at the heart of the formation. The Khawarij too organized their rows.
When rows were arranging opposite rows, (a.s) gave a white banner to Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari and sent him with a contingent of two thousand men to go towards the Khawarij. He went ahead with his men and announced, “O people! Amir al-Mu’minin says that those of you who decide to come under this banner, or return to al-Kūfah or al-Mada’in, or leave company of that group, there is amnesty for them! “The effect this announcement had was that
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Farwah ibn Nawfal al-Ashja`i, who was among the elite of Khawarij, started telling to his tribesmen, “By Allah! I do not know with what justification we have decided to confront `Ali (a.s)? Neither we have any proof to justify this conflict, nor there any reasonable justification for fighting. We shall stay away from these people and can later on decide on our course of action!”
Saying this, he moved away from the Khawarij with his five hundred tribesmen and went to Bandnajin. Another group went towards al-Kūfah. A hundred persons came under the flag of Abū-Ayyūb joining the Imam’s army. This was a proof of the just stand of the Imam (a.s) and his spirit of forbearance and peace.
Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) talked to the rest of the Khawarij about the terrifying effects of war. But they were adamant on their stand. Now only the Khawarij had to make their initial strike for the battle to commence because the Imam (a.s) had instructed that his men should not be the first to start fighting. At last one Khariji came out and killed three men from the Imam’s army. The Imam (a.s) moved forward and attacked him. When the sword hit him, the man said, “How sweet is going to the Heaven!”
When `Abdullah ibn Wahab heard this, he said, “By Allah! I do not know if you are going to heaven or the Hell!” When one Khariji of Banū-Sa`d heard this he said, “I have come here at the temptation of `Abdullah ibn Wahab and even he does not know whether our stand is right or not and is not sure whether fighting for this cause we go to Heaven or the Hell?” Then along with the men from his tribe, he moved away from the ranks of the Khawarij. Instead of combating man-to-man, the Khawarij very soon started general fighting. Therefore, they broke the sheaths of their swords, put arrows in their bows, put up the spears and shouting the slogan, “No judgment except Allah’s” started a concerted attack. It was such a severe attack that the feet of the cavalry were uprooted.
They moved back a little and consolidated their positions once again. (a.s) told his men, “O youth! Move forward and fight like tigers!” Saying this he too stood up. Now, when the army attacked as a single unit under his command, there was blood everywhere. With this concerted attack, the rows of the enemy troops got uprooted. The Imam’s sword got twisted with the intensity of use. He had to straighten it putting on his knee. His army was moving forward killing the enemy troops until they surrounded the Khawarij from all sides. Now there was no way of escape for them. Four hundred Khawarij were severely wounded and not fit for fighting. Nine persons
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escaped and saved their lives. Out of them two went to Oman, two to Sajistan, two to Kirman two towards al-Jazirah, and one reached Taymūrin in Yemen. The rest of the Khawarij were killed. From the chiefs of the Khawarij, `Abdullah ibn Wahab was killed by Ziyad ibn Khasfah, Yazid ibn Husayn al-ta’i by Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari,, Hurqūs ibn Zuhayr by Jaysh ibn Rabi`ah al-Kinani, `Abdullah ibn Shajarah al-Salami by `Abdullah ibn Zahr al-Khawalani and Shurayh ibn Awfa was killed by Qays ibn Mu`awiyah. Only eight persons were killed from the army of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). They were Rawbah ibn Wabar al-Bujali, Sa`id ibn Khalid al-Subay`i, `Abdullah ibn Hammad al-Ajni, Fayyad ibn Khalil al-Azdi, Kaysūm ibn Salamah al-Juhani, `Ubayd ibn `Ubayd al-Khawalani, Jami` ibn Jath`am al-Kindi and Habib ibn `Asim al-Asadi.
When Amir al-Mu’minin’s men saw that most of the Khawarij were killed, they said, “Now! They have been obliterated from the face of the Earth!” The Imam (a.s) said:
“Not at all! They are still there in the backbones of men and the wombs of women. Whenever any group of them rises, it will be cut off until the last of them turn into thieves and brigands.”[1]
When the battle was over a search was made for a person, Dhul-Thadiyah, from the ranks of the Khawarij because Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) used to say before their rebellion:
“One group will veer away from the Faith in a manner the arrow goes piercing through the game. Their sign is that among them there will be a person with a maimed hand.”[2]
Some persons searched for him among the dead, but were unable to find his body. They returned to the Imam (a.s) and said, “We have searched all over and have failed to find the body of the person.” The Imam (a.s) said, “By Allah! His body is there among the dead!” Saying this he took Sulayman ibn Thumamah al-Hanafi and Rayyan ibn Sabrah to search for the body. When they reached the bank of the canal, about fifty bodies were lying in a ditch. When they removed some of the bodies, they found the body of Dhul-Thadiyah. The Imam (a.s) told his companions:
“Allah is the Greatest! I neither told a lie nor was false information given to me. If I had not the doubt that you will
[1] Nahj al-Balāghah
[2] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 175
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turn your faces from action, I would have informed you about those who fought invisibly with the Khawarij and the right on which we are, they recognize it. I would have also informed you of the blessings that Allah has promised through the Prophet (a.s).”[1]
While returning through the piles of dead Khawarij, the Imam (a.s) said, “Pity on you! One, who beguiled you, has harmed you!” People asked, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! Who has beguiled them? “The Imam (a.s) replied, “Satan and their own baser instinct! These two had spread the web of guile for them and gave them false hopes. It was etched on their minds that they would succeed in their nefarious designs.”
After success in this battle, the Imam (a.s) reminded his men about the astrologer’s forecast that the moment of their departure for the campaign was inauspicious. The Imam (a.s) said:
“If we had started at the moment the astrologer had recommended, the ignorant people would say that the victory has come because of the astrologer’s advice!”[2]
The attitude of the Khawarij was very surprising. In the battle of Siffin they put down their swords almost at the moment of victory and paved the way for the swords to kill them ultimately. They themselves insisted on the arbitration and they turned against it. They shattered the unity of people through mischief. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s), who was a paragon of virtue, closeness with him was termed infidelity by the Khawarij. They wanted him to break the agreement of the arbitration and fight with Mu`awiyah. If that was their intent, they should have fought in the battle of Siffin instead of supporting the idea of the arbitration initially and then turning against it immediately once an agreement was reached.
The intention of the Khawarij was only to oppose Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). They created mischief and rebellion against him and made all sorts of false accusations. The Imam (a.s) tried his best to reform them. He neither caused them any hardships nor did he stop the stipends to their families. But when they went out of control totally and started harming and killing innocent persons, action against them became necessary. Even in the battleground, the Imam (a.s) made a final effort to bring them back to the right path. But to no avail.
[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 4, Page 366
[2] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 173
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During this battle, and earlier, the Imam (a.s) had made several predictions that proved true. All these were matters about which he had received information from the Prophet (a.s). It was as if his eyes were piercing through the future and seeing the events that were to take place. Here some of his predictions are mentioned:
(1) The Imam (a.s) told Zar`ah ibn Burūj al-ta’i that he would be killed and told Rabi`ah ibn Shaddad al-Qasimi that his cadaver would be trampled under the hoofs of horses. Therefore, both these persons were killed during the battle and Rabi`ah’s was trampled under the horses feet. Qubaysah says that when he saw that Rabi`ah’s face and head was trampled under the hoofs of the horses he “remembered `Ali’s word when he (Qubaysah) said ‘What to say of Abul-Hasan’s virtues that whenever he said anything, that came out true!”
(2) About the Khawarij the Imam (a.s) said that they would die on a particular side of the canal and would not cross it to the other side. Therefore, they met their end on the side of the canal that is called Rumaylah.
(3) The Imam (a.s) informed that not more than 10 persons from his army would be killed in the battle and not even ten will survive from the army of the Khawarij. Therefore, eight persons died from his army and nine Khawarij escaped alive.
(4) The Imam (a.s) said about Dhul-Thadiyah that he will certainly be killed and his body was found lying in a heap of the dead enemies.
(5) The Imam (a.s) had said that the Khawarij were not totally finished and that they would raise their heads again. Therefore, after the battle of Nahrawan they continued their minor skirmishes and were killed by the army of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). They again rose during the Umayyad and Abbasid regimes and al-Muhallab ibn Safrah kept fighting with them for twelve years and creating rifts amongst their rank and file rendered them very weak. They scattered and went towards Oman and parts of Africa. They still are there in Muscat and Zanzibar.
(6) The Imam (a.s) predicted that they would keep raising their heads like brigands and dacoits. Ibn Abil-Hadid writes:
“This prediction of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) was proved right that the Khawarij will end up as brigands and highwaymen. Therefore, the movement of the Khawarij became weak and their youth were exterminated. Their condition deteriorated so much that their new generations became waylayers who used to commit evil acts and cause mischief.”[1]
After The Battle of Nahrawan, Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) had the plans of proceeding to Syria. He told his troops, “Allah has given you victory over the Khawarij. Now rise to proceed against the Syrians and achieve victory over that veritable enemy. Al-Ash`ath ibn Qays and some other men said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! Our arrows are finished and the swords blunt! Please go to al-Kūfah for some days that we have some rest and to sharpen our swords and make some more arrows. Once we are rested, recuperated and ready, we may proceed for the next campaign.” The Imam (a.s) opposed this suggestion and said, “Our destination was Syria and any more delay in going in that direction may not be advisable.”
The Imam (a.s) tried his best but the men did not agree. He was forced to return to al-Kūfah. Instead of entering the city, he camped at al-Nukhaylah and asked the troops too to stay there. He did not want them to get involved with the problems at their homes. They stayed at al-Nukhaylah for some days but then they started making some excuses and going to their homes. After some days, only limited number of persons were there in the camp. Now it was no use staying any more at al-Nukhaylah. Therefore, the Imam (a.s) had to close the camp and enter the city.
When the Imam (a.s) entered al-Kūfah, the Khawarij started their mischief again. Although a major number of them were eliminated during the battle of Nahrawan, they were not totally exterminated. Many contributing to their thinking were still there in al-Kūfah who did not participate in the battle because of some reason or the other. Now they started showing up. They put their heads together to cause problems in the administration of the realm. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) got engrossed in quelling the mischief of these people and others. This was another cause for some delay in going on the Syrian campaign.
Of these rebel groups, one was under Khirrit ibn Rashid who was the leader of the Khawarij from Banū-Najiyah and was a resident of al-Kūfah. He came one day to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) with 30 men and said, “By Allah! I shall
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neither obey any of your orders nor pray in the congregation behind you. From tomorrow I shall quit being with you!” The Imam (a.s) asked, “What makes you so angry?”
He said, “By agreeing for the arbitration you had made a clear violation of the Commandment of Islam.” The Imam (a.s) said, “You are saying this without giving a serious thought to the matter. If you are ready to listen, the matter can be explained to you”. He said, “Today I am going away. Tomorrow I shall return sometime and talk to you.” The Imam (a.s) said, “Do not get misguided by Satan and before taking any precipitate step come and take my advice. If you are not satisfied with my advice, the course of action will be free for you!” When he reached home, he told his men from Banū-Najiyah, “I have promised to meet `Ali (a.s) tomorrow. But I think I do not need to go to him. Whatever step we have to take, we must go ahead with it. We shall move away from here.” The Imam (a.s) waited for him the next day. When he did not turn up, he sent `Abdullah ibn Qayn to Khirrit’s house. He came back and told that Khirrit had left al-Kūfah with the men from his tribe.
When the Imam (a.s) heard this, he said, “They will be away from Allah’s Blessing like the people of Thamūd! When the spears will be pointed towards their chests and the swords on their heads, they will repent over what they did!” Ziyad ibn Khasfah said, “We should not be unhappy over their going away. But there is one fear that they might misguide those who are obedient so far and try to disturb the prevailing peace! If you permit I shall try to bring them back.” The Imam (a.s) said, “How do you know the direction in which they have gone? “He said, “This can be determined by asking people.”
The Imam (a.s) said, “My functionaries would certainly report about their movement. You go to Dairy Abi-Mūsa and await my instructions there.” Ziyad went to his house and gathered the men of his tribe, Banū-Bakr ibn Wa’il, and repeated the entire story to them and said, “You are the friends and supporters of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! Support me in this campaign that we stop the enemy from moving forward. And bring him back.” At his call, 130 men volunteered. Ziyad said that the number was sufficient for controlling the enemy. He took them and went to Dayr Abi-Mūsa and awaited instructions from Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s).
In the meantime one of the functionaries of the Imam (a.s), Qarazah ibn Ka`b al-Ansari informed him that the men of Banū-Najiyah were proceeding towards Nafar. On the way, they had killed a Muslim trader because of his expressing his allegiance and dedication for you. They also left a Dhimmi
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alone saying that there was no justification for killing him. When the Imam (a.s) received this intelligence, he sent a letter with a youth, `Abdullah ibn Wa`il, to Ziyad ibn Khasfah informing him that Khirrit and his men were headed towards Nafar and that they had killed one Muslim on the way.
The Imam (a.s) asked him to chase, apprehend and bring them back to al-Kūfah. If they resisted, he ordered him to fight them. `Abdullah ibn Wa`l must have gone a few steps when he returned and asked, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! Do you permit me to join the contingent of Ziyad to fight the Khawarij?” The Imam (a.s) looked at the youth and said, “Yes! You too can join his contingent! I hope that you will remain my helper in upholding the Truth and fighting the cruel people.” `Abdullah ibn Wa`l says:
“By Allah! The words with which he addressed me; I would not exchange them even with the red haired camels!”[1]
When `Abdullah reached Dayr Abi-Mūsa and gave the letter from the Imam (a.s) to Ziyad ibn Khasfah, Ziyad looking at the steed, the arms and the bold look of `Abdullah, said, “How nice it would be if you remain with me!” `Abdullah said, “So is my wish as well and I have taken permission from Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) for going with your contingent!” Therefore he joined Ziyad and the contingent started forthwith in pursuit of Banū-Najiyah enroute to Nafar. When the pursuers reached Nafar, they were told that Banū-Najiyah had left for al-Jarjariyyah. Ziyad continued the hot pursuit and caught up with them at Mudar, a place lying between al-Basrah and Wasit. He put his camp near where Khirrit had halted. Khirrit came to Ziyad’s camp and asked the reason for his coming there.
Ziyad said, “We are tired of the journey! After some rest we shall tell you of the reason for our journey!” Ziyad rested for sometime, gave water to the animals and then went to al-Khirrit and asked him, “Why have you left al-Kūfah?” He said, “I do not like the ways of `Ali (a.s)! I am not in favor of his emirate. Now I shall support those who want the caliphate to change hands through Shūra.”
Ziyad asked, “Can we get a person through selection who has precedence in Islam, is the best scholar of the Qur’an and the Sunnah and is nearest to the Prophet (a.s)?” Khirrit said, “This cannot be ensured!” Ziyad now said, “You have killed a Muslim on the way. What right you had to commit the murder?” Khirrit said, “I have not killed him. One of my companions might have killed
[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 4, Page 90
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him” Ziyad said, “Hand those killers over to us so that we claim the qisas from them.” Khirrit said, “I cannot do that!”
Ziyad said, “Then you are a party to the crime!” Now both arranged their men in proper formations and raising their lances stood in front of each other. Around midday, the fighting started. The spears started piercing the chests and the swords started hitting heads. When night fell, the Khawarij, leaving behind five of their dead ran away. From Ziyad’s contingent two persons, Saved and Wafid ibn Bakr, were martyred and some were injured. Ziyad himself was injured. He moved from there to al-Basrah. From there he wrote a letter to the Imam (a.s), “At Mudar we fought with the Khawarij. Five men of Khirrit were killed. He left behind his dead and escaped towards Ahwaz. His group has increased to 200 men. Some of our men have been injured and we have come to al-Basrah for their treatment. I shall await your further orders.”
The Imam (a.s) called Ziyad back and sent Ma`qil ibn Qays al-Riyahi with a contingent of two thousand men towards Ahwaz and wrote to Ibn `Abbas in al-Basrah to send two thousand men towards Ahwaz as a support for Ma`qil. When Ma`qil arrived at Ahwaz commanding the contingent, he stayed there waiting for the men to arrive from al-Basrah. Khirrit registered the cooperation of the infidels, brigands and the Arabs sympathetic to his cause and organized a sizable contingent. He proceeded towards the hills of Ramhurmuz.
Ma`qil thought that further waiting for reinforcements would be futile. He therefore went in pursuit of Khirrit. He might have covered a days journey when the men from al-Basrah arrived under the command of Khalid ibn Ma`din al-ta’i. Both the contingents combined and proceeded further. When they reached near the hills of Ramhurmuz, they noticed Khirrit camping there with his men. Ma`qil organized his men in rows. When the rows were arranged, both the armies attacked each other and severe fighting commenced. Ma`qil’s army made a severe display of swordsmanship.
When three hundred men of Khirrit’s contingent were killed, he went towards the coast of the sea where people of his tribe were inhabited. Here too he started instigating people against the Imam (a.s) and managed to mobilize a sizable contingent.
After defeating Khirrit, Ma`qil wrote to the Imam (a.s) that a large number of Khirrit’s men had been killed and he had escaped from the battlefield. The Imam (a.s) called a meeting of some important persons and discussed the matter with them. They advised that he should ask Ma`qil to pursue Khirrit
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and kill him or force him out of the boundaries of the realm. Otherwise, he will not abstain from mischief. Therefore, Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) wrote to Ma`qil that he must chase Khirrit until his group is totally routed. When Ma`qil got these orders he proceeded towards the coast of the sea.
When Khirrit learned of this pursuit, to increase the numbers, he asked the Khawarij with him that he has the same beliefs as they had and `Ali (a.s) had no authority to appoint Hukm. When his own Hukm deposed him, what right he had to be the emir? He also told the fans of `Uthman that he subscribed to their thinking that `Uthman was assassinated under oppression and that `Ali (a.s) was responsible for that. He told the Dhimmis that they should stop paying the tributes and spend the money on their own men. Thus, he flattered the population there and was able to gathered men around himself. When the newly converted Muslims saw the disparate group of Khirrit, they said that their previous Faith suited them better that at least they stuck together. When Khirrit learned that they were going back to Christianity he warned them that they had forfeited their right to life because of recanting from Islam. He told them that the only way to save themselves and their families was to join his army and fight along with him.
Ma`qil put his standard near the camps of Khirrit and established his own camp there. He announced that those who had joined Khirrit newly should stay away and they will have amnesty. The effect of this announcement was that excepting the men from Banū-Najiyah all others moved away. Among Banū-Najiyah there was a group of Christians, one group was of those who had accepted Islam because of some compulsions and were not truly Muslim, there was also a splinter group who had refused to pay the tribute. All these disparate groups stayed with Khirrit.
Khirrit organized his men in rows and so did Ma`qil. Ma`qil addressed his men briefly and his men attacked the opposite formation. Severe fighting took place. Al-Nu`man ibn Sahban al-Rasibi attacked Khirrit with his spear. Khirrit fell from the horse to the ground and started fighting with his sword. Al-Nu`man evaded his advance and hit him so hard with his sword that Khirrit fell down dead. There was total confusion in his army and one hundred and seventy men were killed. The others fled.
Ma`qil made men, women and children captive. Those who agreed to owe allegiance to the Imam (a.s), he took their bay`ah and released them. Those who had recanted from Islam he invited them to embrace the Faith once again. Barring one old man, Ramahas ibn Mansūr, all others came back to the
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fold of Islam. That old man was executed because he was an apostate (a person who recanted after embracing Islam). The number of persons taken captive after the battle was five hundred. When Ma`qil reached Ardshirkhurd with the captives, they started pleading with the governor there, Masqalah ibn Hubayrah al-Shaybani, to buy and free them. Masqalah sent word to Ma`qil through Dhuhal ibn al-Harith to sell the captives to him. Ma`qil sold the captives to Masqalah for five hundred thousand dirhams and said that the amount may be sent to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). Masqalah said that he would send some amount immediately and send the rest in installments. When Ma`qil returned to al-Kūfah and made a detailed report to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s), he appreciated him very much. For some time he waited for the ransom money to come from Masqalah. But when the delay was much, they started wondering how he will send such a big amount? He sent a message through Abū-Jarrah al-Hanafi to Masqalah to either remit the amount or come to al-Kūfah himself. Masqalah came to al-Kūfah and paid two hundred thousand dirhams. He was still in al-Kūfah where he called Dhuhal ibn al-Harith and told him that Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) was demanding for the balance and he was not in a position to pay that amount. Ibn al-Harith said that Masqalah could arrange the balance amount in a week’s time. Masqalah said that he would not like to burden others for the amount. Then he said, “If Mu`awiyah was there at this time, he would not have pressured me to pay up! Even if `Uthman was there he would have written off the demand! He used to give one hundred thousand dirhams of the tribute from Azerbaijan to al-Ash`ath ibn Qays!” Dhuhal said, “This is `Ali (a.s)! He will not leave even a dirham from the Muslim’s funds!” Hearing this, Masqalah left al-Kūfah unannounced in the night and went away to Mu`awiyah! The Imam (a.s) heard about this and said that if he had explained his problem, we would not have demanded immediate payment of the balance. His act of releasing the captives was noble but his escape was like that of a slave! Mu`awiyah received Masqalah with great fanfare and made him the emir of Tabristan. He sent a letter through a Christian, Halwan, to his brother, Na`im ibn Hubayrah, that if he came away to Damascus, Mu`awiyah had promised to give him an important assignment. Malik ibn Ka`b intercepted this letter and gave it to the Imam (a.s) and brought the Christian to his presence. As a punishment for his offence of perfidy his hand was chopped. The man died of that injury. His tribe, Banū-Taghlib learned about the killing of Halwan and they surrounded Masqalah and said that he was the cause of the death of the man. He should either bring him back to life or pay the blood money for his death. He paid the blood money and escaped from that trouble.
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In addition to Khirrit, there were other smaller groups of Khawarij that were creating trouble from time to time. But the Iraqi troops controlled them.
During Rabi` II, 38 A.H., Ashras ibn `Awf al-Shaybani raised the standard of rebellion at Daskarah and started for al-Anbar with a contingent of 200 men. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) sent 300 men under Abrash ibn Hassan to quell this rebellion. Ashras was killed and the remnant of his force scattered.
During Jumada I 38 H Hilal ibn Alfa and his brother Mujahid rebelled with a group of 200 men. The Imam (a.s) sent Ma`qil ibn Qays in their pursuit. They fought a battle at Masbudhan where Hilal and Mujahid were killed and thus the rebellion was crushed.
During Jumada II, 38 A.H. al-Ashhab ibn Bashshar rebelled along with 180 men. He first went to Masbudhan where Hilal ibn Alfa and his companions were killed. He offered the funeral prayer for the death and buried many of the dead in the battle. Then he moved out to create mischief and disturbance. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) sent Jariyah ibn Qudamah to teach him a lesson. He met the rebel in the environs of Jukhi at al-Jarjariyyah. Both the parties took out their swords and al-Ashhab, along with his companions, was killed.
During Rajab 38 H Sa`id ibn Qufl al-Tamimi raised the standard of rebellion at Bandanayjin and with 200 men created havoc at Zanjan. The emir of al-Mada’in, Sa`d ibn Mas`ūd fought with him and killed the rebels.
During Ramadan 38 H Abū-Maryam al-Tamimi rebelled in the town of al-Zawr. He had with him two hundred or four hundred men of whom were mostly non-Arab gallivants and only six Arabs were there. He established camp at a distance of five Farsakh from al-Kūfah and planned to plunder the city. When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) learned about this, he sent one person to ask acquaint him with the consequences of rebellion and to persuade him to enter into the bay`ah of the Imam (a.s) and come to al-Kūfah. But Abū-Maryam said that they were there to fight and not to owe their allegiance! When the envoy returned, the Imam (a.s) sent a contingent of seven hundred men under the command of Shurayh ibn Hani’. When the contingent had not even settled down the Khawarij made a preemptive attack. Five hundred men under Shurayh ran helter-skelter and he had only two hundred steadfast with him who took shelter in a settlement nearby. Out of the deserters some went to al-Kūfah and some rejoined their contingent. When the Imam (a.s) heard about the predicament of the contingent, he sent Jariyah ibn Qudamah to the Khawarij to frighten them and force them into obedience. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) too went behind Jariyah and explained to the rebels the consequences of
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rebellion. Even this had no effect on them and they refused to abide by the advice given to them. When it was impossible to bring them round, (a.s) asked his men to fight. Most of the Khawarij were killed in the fight. Only 50 survived who applied for amnesty. Among the amnesty seekers 40 were injured men who were brought to al-Kūfah and treated there. This was the most intrepid group of the Khawarij that was destroyed.
THE DEFEAT OF EGYPT
It has been mentioned while writing the profile of Qays ibn Sa`d that as long as he remained the governor of Egypt, the administration of the territory was properly run and the fans of `Uthman did not get the opportunity to raise their heads. When he was deposed and Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr took over, he was an inexperienced youth of twenty-eight years, and very early in his tenure he called the fans of `Uthman of Kharbata to owe their allegiance to the Imam (a.s) and live like law abiding citizens. Otherwise, he asked them to go in exile out of the realm. They neither agreed to owe their allegiance nor they left their place in exile and said that until the circumstances are improved they would not owe their allegiance to anyone. Not only this, they surreptitiously started intrigue and mischief. When they heard about the agreement of the arbitration, they started open rebellion and wanted to disturb the law and order of the province. When Muhammad saw their rebellious activities, he sent Yazid ibn al-Harith al-Kinani and Ibn Hambahan to ask them to stop their intrigue and mischief. But they killed both the persons. Then Muhammad sent Ibn Muzahim al-Kalbi and he too was killed by them. Mu`awiyah ibn Hudayj al-Kindi, who was quiet until now, found the atmosphere congenial, and started open intrigue demanding retaliation for the blood of `Uthman. The people of Kharbatah were already with him. Now he was able to register support from other areas as well. The law and order was affected because of these developments and it became difficult for Muhammad to contend with the situation.
When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) learned about the situation in Egypt, he observed that the territory could be handled either by Qays ibn Sa`d or Malik al-Ashtar. He wanted to keep Qays with him until the verdict of the arbitration was announced. And he had been nominated as the governor for Azerbaijan. His other choice was Malik al-Ashtar and he wrote to him, “I had made Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr the governor of Egypt. But people have started intrigue and rebellion against him. He is still young and has little experience in warfare. You appoint Shabib ibn `Amir al-Azdi as your deputy to the governorate of Nasibahin and immediately report to me.” Malik
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reached to the presence of the Imam (a.s) expeditiously. The Imam (a.s) briefed him about the situation in Egypt. He asked him to proceed to Egypt and handle the situation to the best of his ability and discretion.
When Mu`awiyah got the intelligence that Malik al-Ashtar was nominated the governor of Egypt, he got worried because he had promised the governorate to `Amr ibn al-`As and was under the impression that Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr could easily be defeated to effect the changeover. But handling Malik al-Ashtar would be a harder nut to crack. He thought of getting Malik killed before he reached Egypt. Therefore, he sent a message to Jayastar, chief of his tributary Qulzum:
“Malik al-Ashtar has been appointed the functionary for Egypt. If you remove him from the way, until you and I live, I shall not take any tribute from you!”[1]
The question about the implication of the Shari`ah here is not important. The question arises where the person respects and follows the norms of Shari`ah. Where power and pelf is the only objective, Shari`ah is secondary! Jayistar reached the Red Sea to comply with the orders of Mu`awiyah. When Malik al-Ashtar reached there on his way to Egypt, he welcomed him with much fanfare and after entertaining him served a beverage of honey that was laced with poison. He drank a little of that beverage when the poison had its lethal effect on him and he died shortly thereafter. When Mu`awiyah was informed of this, he went to the pulpit and said:
“`Ali (a.s) had two hands; one was severed in Siffin (meaning `Ammar ibn Yasir) and the other has been cut away today (meaning Malik al-Ashtar).”[2]
When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) got the news, he said “We are Allah and to Him do we return,” and added, “What to talk of Malik, he was an exemplary person in himself! May Allah bless him. He fulfilled his promise and reached the Presence of Allah! For us the biggest calamity was the demise of the Prophet (a.s) and thereafter we accustomed ourselves to forbearance at every step!”
Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr was unhappy over his being deposed from the governorate. When the Imam (a.s) learned of his feelings, he wrote to him, “I have not effected this change with any feeling that you were not performing
[1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 178
[2] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 178
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properly. I wanted to place you in an area where you will have less pressure. The person whom I had sent to replace you as the governor of Egypt was our friend, well-wisher and a great swordsman. May Allah be kind on him that he is no more! We were happy with him, and Allah too will be happy with him! You remain firm to meet the onslaught of the enemy! Allah will help you!”
Muhammad replied, “I value your satisfaction more than anything else! Whatever commands you give, I shall abide by them! I shall meet the enemy with all the energy at my disposal”
Mu`awiyah, after eliminating Malik al-Ashtar, had a conclave with his advisers `Amr ibn al-`As, Habib ibn Maslamah, Busr ibn Abi-Arta’ah, al-Dahhak ibn Qays, `Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid, Abul-A`war al-Salami and Shurahbil ibn Samt al-Kindi and told them, “You know for what reason I have called you today?” They said, “Only you must know what you have in your mind to communicate to us!” `Amr said, “Perhaps the purpose of calling a meeting today is to ask for our opinion about Egypt.” Mu`awiyah said, “Yes! I have called you for that purpose only!” `Amr said, “Our opinion is not hidden from any one! We think that if Egypt is annexed, it will enhance your prestige and our prestige as well and we will raise our standard higher!”
Mu`awiyah asked others of their opinion and everyone agreed with `Amr’s opinion. Mu`awiyah said, “We have our friends and supporters in Egypt. We shall strengthen our ties with them offering gifts and gratifications. We shall have to frighten our opponents out of their wits that they are left with no courage to face us. How nice it will be that we succeed in this campaign without fighting!” `Amr said, “Fight will be inevitable! There is no other route to success than that!”
After this discussion, Mu`awiyah wrote a letter to Maslamah ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari and Mu`awiyah ibn Hudayj al-Sakūni and sent it with his slave to Egypt. He appreciated their efforts in the letter and asked them to be more active. He tempted them with offers of giving them important positions in the governance of the Province. Maslamah ibn Mukhallad wrote back, on his and on behalf of Ibn Hudayj, that they would take this step to improve there Hereafter. They required neither position nor power. He exhorted Mu`awiyah to send his troops fast. The opponents’ morale was at very low ebb. He said that if the help arrived in time, Allah would help them to succeed! Mu`awiyah got this letter in Palestine. From there only he sent a contingent of 6,000 troops under the command of `Amr towards Egypt.
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When `Amr reached near Egypt the fans of `Uthman gathered around him. `Amr was carrying a letter from Mu`awiyah addressed to Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr, which he sent him. He had written in the letter, “You were one of those who besieged `Uthman. You will be punished for that! “`Amr himself wrote a letter to Muhammad, “The people of Egypt have turned against you! No one is willing to support you! Therefore, you must save your life and escape from Egypt!”
Muhammad sent both the letters to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and wrote to him, “`Amr ibn al-`As is camping outside the city with his contingent! I do not find any spirit of combat in my men. Therefore, please send reinforcements urgently so that we are able to fight with the enemy!” The Imam (a.s) wrote back to him, “Mobilize as many men as you can! Try to boost the morale of your men! I shall send reinforcements soon.”
Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr mobilized 4,000 troops and divided them into two groups. On one group, he appointed Kinanah Ibn Bashshar as the commander, and on the other he was himself in command. When Kinanah advanced to fight, `Amr started sending one patrol after another to fight. But Kinanah pushed back all the advances of `Amr’s men. Then `Amr thought that the contingent of 6,000 men was insufficient and he sought reinforcements from Mu`awiyah ibn Hudayj. Mu`awiyah brought his men and together with `Amr’s men they besieged Kinanah’s contingent.
When Kinanah saw that his contingent was surrounded, he alighted from his horse and his men too came to the ground. They jumped towards the enemies with swords in hands. But they were unable to break through the circle. When Muhammad saw this predicament of Kinanah, he rushed to his help with his contingent.
When Muhammad’s men saw the predicament of Kinanah’s troops, they started deserting. The men under siege were attacked and killed by the enemy. Now Muhammad had no way other than somehow escaping from there. Therefore, he fled and hid himself in a ruin. When Mu`awiyah ibn Hudayj learned that Muhammad had escaped, he himself went in his search. He saw some men at a place and asked them if they saw someone passing that way. On of them said that he had seen a person enter the ruin near there. Ibn Hudayj thought it must certainly be his quarry. Therefore, he peeped into the ruin and found that Muhammad was there. He asked him to come out, tied him up and took him along. When `Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi-Bakr, who was in the Syrian army learned about the arrest of his brother, he asked `Amr ibn al-
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`As to order Ibn Hudayj not to kill him. `Amr sent word to Ibn Hudayj to send Muhammad to him. Ibn Hudayj said that you people have killed my cousin Kinanah ibn Bishr and want to rescue Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr. He will not escape from my hands now. When Muhammad saw that death was hovering over his head, he asked his captor to give some water to quench his thirst. Ibn Hudayj refused to give him water and said that they had kept `Uthman thirsty for days before killing him.
He said, “May Allah not quench my thirst if I give you a drop of water! I shall kill you thirsty and Allah will quench your thirst with boiling water and pus in the Hell!” Muhammad said, “O son of a Jewess! This is neither in your control nor in the control of `Uthman! Allah will satiate his friends and will keep such persons as you are thirsty! By Allah! If I had a sword in my hand it would not be in your power to take me captive” Ibn Hudayj said, “Now you are under my captivity. I shall first kill you and then keep your body in the skin of an ass and burn you!”
Muhammad said, “If you do such a thing, it would not be strange. You have been treating the friends of Allah in this manner! I hope Allah will cool that fire on me the way He did for Prophet Ibrahim (a.s)! He will consign your friends Mu`awiyah and `Amr ibn al-`As to the Hellfire. He will increase the flames when they started to go down. At this Ibn Hudayj hit Muhammad with his sword that fell down to the ground unconscious. There was still some life in him when they put him inside the skin of a dead ass and burned him.
When Umm al-Mu’minin `A’ishah heard about the killing of her brother, she cried inconsolably. She used to curse his killers after every prayer until she died.
Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) had written to Muhammad that he was making arrangements to send reinforcements of troops. Therefore, when `Abdullah ibn al-Qayn and Ka`b ibn `Abdullah brought Muhammad’s message, he asked the people of al-Kūfah to go to Egypt and asked them to assemble at Jar`a, a place between al-Kūfah and al-Hirah, the next day. The next day Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) himself reached there and waited for the men the whole day. But the number of arrivals did not cross even a hundred. Disheartened, the Imam (a.s) returned. In the night he gathered the elites of al-Kūfah and said, “When I give you an order, you turn away your faces! I am now disgusted with your company. You have neither the national spirit nor that of the Faith! When Mu`awiyah calls for people, they come in hordes! But when I call you your tongues become dumb although you are intelligent people!” Ka`b ibn
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Malik al-Arhabi said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! I am ready to go on this expedition! “He told the people of al-Kūfah, “O people! Fear Allah! Say ‘labbayka’ at your Imam’s call and come out to fight the enemy!” When Ka`b expressed his willingness to go on the Campaign, the Imam (a.s) asked his slave, Sa`d, to make a general proclamation that the people should gather under the standard of Ka`b and reach out to support Muhammad expeditiously. But the men took a month to mobilize. When Ka`b started with a contingent of 2,000 men, the Imam (a.s) said that he had no hope that they would reach in time to help Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr.
Only two to four days after the contingent left for Egypt, when al-Hajjaj ibn Ghaziyah al-Ansari, who was in the army of Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr, came to al-Kūfah and brought the sad tiding that Egypt was captured and Muhammad was killed. `Abd al-Rahman ibn Shabib returned from Syria and said that the people were never so happy like when they learned that Egypt had been conquered and they heard of the killing of Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr. The Imam (a.s) said that he was much sadder than those people were happy over the killing of Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr. Seeing the Imam (a.s) sad, some people asked him, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! Why are you so sad over his killing?” The Imam (a.s) said:
“Why should not I be sad? I had brought him up and he was the brother of my sons! I am his father and he considered himself as my son.”[1]
Now there was not any need to send a contingent to Egypt. The Imam (a.s) sent `Abd al-Rahman ibn Shurayh to go and ask Ka`b ibn Malik to bring back his contingent.
Mu`awiyah wanted to keep his hold on Syria and to capture Egypt. On this basis he had promised to make `Amr ibn al-`As the governor of Egypt. He thought that if the people of Iraq and those of Egypt stood up together, Syria would become like something between the two stones of the grinder.
He though that Syria was not save until Egypt was annexed. Besides this, Egypt was a very fertile area and the tribute from there was much more than that from other provinces. Whether Mu`awiyah’s sights were on the tribute from Egypt or not, he wanted to deprive `Ali (a.s) of the revenue from there and weaken him economically. That would help him to subdue him in time.
[1] Sharh Nahj al-Balāghah by Ibn Abil-Hadīd, Vol 6, Page 302
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Although there were supporters of `Uthman in Egypt, they were only about 10,000 who were concentrated in Kharabta. Generally the Egyptians were against the supporters of `Uthman. Therefore, on the initiative of Muhammad ibn Hudhayfah the largest number of persons rose from here against `Uthman who had besieged him. In these circumstances, the fall of Egypt was the consequence of poor administration. Mu`awiyah had very cunningly made efforts to make the administration weak before attacking it. Therefore, Muhammad ibn Hudhayfah, who had become the emir of Egypt by removing `Abdullah ibn Abi-Sarh, was killed treacherously. Then he tried to win over Qays ibn Sa`d by offering gratifications. When he did not agree to his temptations, he wrote counterfeit letters and got him deposed from the governorate of Egypt. Then he used very mean methods to poison Malik al-Ashtar who was on his way to take charge of the governorate of Egypt.
Although Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr was young and inexperienced, he did everything possible to adopt strategies of warfare to meet the enemy. He sent half his force to meet the enemy outside and kept the other half with himself to join them at the proper time. But when his men left him alone, he had no other alternative than trying to save himself by hiding in some place. While the men of Muhammad are blamed for this defeat, the character of the people of al-Kūfah too is under a cloud. If they had responded on time, the result could have been different!
IBN `AMIR IN AL-BASRAH
When Mu`awiyah captured Egypt, he thought of attacking al-Basrah and annexing it. Therefore, he called `Abdullah ibn `Amir al-Hadrami and told him that the people of al-Basrah still have the wish to seek retaliation for the blood of `Uthman. They want someone to come forward and they would join him to fight with the killers of `Uthman. He said that he, `Abdullah ibn `Amir, was suitable for the purpose. Therefore, he asked him to go to al-Basrah and stay with Banū-Tamim. But he asked him to beware of the tribe of Rabi`ah because they were Turabiyyah or Shi`ah of Abū-Turab. Ibn `Amir readily agreed to this suggestion.
When Mu`awiyah found him willing, he wrote to `Amr ibn al-`As that he wanted to send `Abdullah ibn `Amir to al-Basrah so that he could revive the movement for the qisas. He sought `Amr’s opinion about the move. `Amr agreed with the suggestion and Mu`awiyah sent Ibn `Amir to al-Basrah.
When Ibn `Amir arrived at al-Basrah, as instructed, he stayed with Banū-Tamim. One group of people of al-Basrah too assembled who were of the same opinion. He addressed them, “You know that `Uthman was assassinated in oppression! The responsibility of this killing rests with `Ali (a.s). You people had cooperated in the matter of seeking retaliation for the blood of `Uthman. Allah will reward you for this act! Many important persons from your place were killed claiming for the qisas. Rise and take revenge on the killers. We shall always be ready to give help to you.” Al-Dahhak ibn `Abdullah told `Amir, “May Allah put you in trouble! You are again trying to ignite the mischief that had died down! This was the mischief that was raised by Talhah and al-Zubayr and instigated us against Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) although we had already owed our allegiance to him. We were all united people, but the two came here and created rifts in every household and made us fight with one other. We are paying for that mistake until now! You have come up again with the message of destruction. We are under the bay`ah of the Truthful Imam (a.s)! He has forgiven us our mistakes! He has even forgiven his mortal enemies! You want us to come out with swords and cut each others’ necks so that you get a position from Mu`awiyah! By Allah! One day of `Ali (a.s) is more valuable than a hundred years of Mu`awiyah and his family!”
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At this, `Abdullah ibn Khuzaym al-Salami said, “Keep quiet! You are not competent to interfere in these matters!” He turned to Ibn `Amir and said, “We are your supporters and friends! We shall be with you in the matter of the qisas!” al-Dahhak said, “You son of the Abyssinian woman! What are you and what is your status? By Allah! One whom you support is without any support! And the one, whom you oppose, need not have any fear!”
At this, both started using invectives against each other. `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Umayr al-Tamimi said, “We have not assembled here to fight with one other. We must have unity between us. My suggestion is first to listen to the letter sent by the emir of Syria. If it sounds useful, act on it!” Therefore the letter from Mu`awiyah was read to them. He wrote, “O people of al-Basrah! You have seen the style of functioning of `Uthman. He was a peace loving and gentle mannered person. He was a supporter for the weak and friend of the oppressed. Some cruel persons besieged him and killed him hungry and thirsty. We invite you to claim the qisas for his blood and take responsibility that the verdicts will be based on the Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet (a.s). We shall also pay half yearly pensions to the people of al-Basrah!”
When this letter was read, most of the gathering supported the suggestion. Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays kept quiet and said that he was not concerned with the matter. However, one person from the tribe of `Abd al-Qays, `Amr ibn Marhūm said, “O People! You remain firm on your previous bay`ah! Do not create rift in the society by breaking the bay`ah! If you break the bay`ah at the call of this person, then you will meet with calamity and destruction! “`Abbas ibn Sahar al-`Abdi, who was inimical to the Imam (a.s) against the opinion of his tribe of `Abd al-Qays, said, “We shall support him in our words and our deeds and will not leave anything aside in helping him!”
When Muthanna ibn Makhrabah al-`Abdi heard this, he told Ibn `Amir, “Do not be carried away by what Ibn Sahar has said! It is better you go back from where you have come! Otherwise, we shall send you back with our swords, spears and arrows! Should we recant from our support to the Prophet’s cousin and enter into the bay`ah of a rebel! By Allah! It shall never happen!” When Ibn `Amir heard the emotional outbursts of the opponents, he told Sabrah ibn Shayman al-Azdi, “O Sabrah! You too are of the same opinion as us and are a great personality of the Arab World and the chief of your tribe! Help me and promise me amnesty! “Sabrah said, “If you get up from Banū-Tamim and come over to me and stay at my home, we shall help you and provide you amnesty! “`Amir said, “I am supposed to stay where I have been ordered to stay!” When Sabrah heard this, he went away angrily!
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The governor of al-Basrah, `Abdullah ibn `Abbas was in al-Kūfah at that time to give his condolences on the demise of Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr and the governorate was in the hands of Ziyad ibn `Ubayd. On the arrival of Ibn `Amir, Ziyad was worried because Banū-Tamim, and others who wanted the qisas, were in favor of Ibn `Amir. He called Hazin ibn al-Mundhir and Malik ibn tasmah to the governor’s house and told them, “O people of the tribe of Bakr ibn Wa’il! You are counted amongst the supporters of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! I am concerned about the interference and mischief of the enemy. Until the instructions for action are received from Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s), give me protection.” Hazin ibn al-Mundhir said, “If you are asking for protection, I am ready to give it!” But Malik said, “I cannot tell anything without asking my men.” When Ziyad felt that Malik was trying to evade the issue of protection he sent word to Sabrah ibn Shayman al-Azdi to give him protection and protect the bayt al-mal. Therefore, overnight Ziyad shifted to his place and the bayt al-mal and the pulpit too were shifted there.
When the governor’s house was vacant after Ziyad shifted, Banū-Tamim and their cohorts wanted to keep Ibn `Amir there. Therefore, they proceeded towards the governor’s house with Ibn `Amir. When Banū-Azd saw this, they too came with their horses and said that we shall not allow an undesirable person to stay in the Dar al-Imarah. When insistence started from the other side, the situation worsened and al-Ahnaf ibn Qays intervened and told the companions of Ibn `Amir that they did not have more right than the others on the governor’s house nor it was right to force a person on them whom they consider undesirable. With the persuasion of al-Ahnaf, they went back to their homes.
Ziyad wrote to `Abdullah ibn `Abbas that Mu`awiyah had sent Ibn `Amir al-Hadrami who was staying with Banū-Tamim. He was instigating people to start claiming retaliation for the blood of `Uthman once again. Lot of people from al-Basrah have joined him. He wrote that he had taken shelter with Sabrah ibn Shayman al-Azdi and the bayt al-mal too was shifted to Banū-Azd. He wrote that the Shi`ah of `Ali (a.s) were visiting him and the Shi`ah of `Uthman were going to Ibn `Amir. The Dar al-Imarah was lying vacant. He asked `Abdullah ibn `Abbas to inform about the situation to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and communicate his instructions.
Ziyad remained hidden with Banū-Azd for one day. But they insisted that hiding like that would not serve any purpose. They forced him to lead the Friday Prayer and give the Sermon. Therefore, Ziyad led the Friday Congregation and giving the Sermon said, “If I had taken shelter with Banū-
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Tamim and Ibn `Amir had your support, I would not have been able to subdue Ibn `Amir! And now that I have your protection, Ibn `Amir cannot subdue me nor the son of the ‘Chewer of Human Liver’, Mu`awiyah, would be able to overwhelm Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s), the Muhajirūn and the Ansar. O people of Banū-Azd! I have witnessed your valor at the Battle of the Camel. You had demonstrated patience and bravery on that momentous day in support of the forces of evil. I am sure you will show the same fortitude and bravery in support of the Truth now!” At this point Shayman, the father of Sabrah, said, “O people of Banū-Azd! As a result of the Battle of the Camel, you got only insult and infamy! If I were present at that time, I would never have permitted you to fight. If you were against `Ali (a.s) then, wash the black mark on your reputation by siding wholeheartedly with him now! If Banū-Tamim bring their chief in the battlefield, you too must take your chief there and fight with them. If they seek reinforcements from Mu`awiyah, you too must seek reinforcements from `Ali (a.s)! If they seek for peace, you too should agree for peace!” Then his son Sabrah stood up and said, “We do not have any fear from `Ali (a.s), but we do not trust Mu`awiyah! Therefore, stand up with your arms and justify the shelter that you have given to Ziyad.”
The men of Banū-Azd said in one voice, “We are under your command! Whatever orders you give us, we shall follow without asking any questions!” Ziyad asked, “O Sabrah! Tell me, if you have any fear that you will not be able to fight with Banū-Tamim?” Sabrah said, “There is no question of any such fear! If they bring al-Ahnaf, we shall put forward Abū-Sabrah. If they bring Habbah, I shall fight with him. If they bring their youths, we do not have shortage of youths with us!” When Banū-Tamim saw that Banū-Azd were backing Ziyad and were ready to fight, they sent a message to them that they need not fight. Instead of that they would send Ibn `Amir and from the other side Ziyad should come and fight to decide who is the winner. Whoever of the two won, everyone should accept to obey him. Abū-Sabrah replied that this claim could be accepted when we had not given shelter to Ziyad. Now sending him out to fight and killing him are both the same.
When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) learned about the worsening situation in al-Basrah, he told Banū-Tamim of al-Kūfah to go to al-Basrah and convince the men of their tribe to abstain from mischief. But none of them agreed to go. The Imam (a.s) asked them what prevented them from going to meet the men of their own tribe. You give your brothers and your sons advice to do good. If they disagree, fight with them. Ayn ibn ²abyah al-Tamimi stood up and said that he was willing to do the task. He said either he will kill `Amir to finish
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the story or push him out of the environs of al-Basrah. The Imam (a.s) sent him to al-Basrah and wrote to Ziyad that he was sending `Ayn ibn ²abyah to convince the head-strong people of his tribe to disburse. If the Banū-Tamim remained stubborn, do jihad with them taking along your supporters. He asked Ziyad to keep them engaged until the army of Islam arrived. When Ibn ²abyah reached al-Basrah he first went to Banū-Azd and gave Amir al-Mu’minin’s letter to Ziyad and said that he hoped to bring back the conditions to normalcy. Then he assembled the Banū-Tamim and told them, “O people of my tribe! Why do you give your lives by joining the mischief mongers? By Allah! To crush you the contingent has already been mobilized! If you come to the straight path, the contingent may not come here. But if you remain adamant to create unrest, then remember your death and destruction is certain! “Ibn ²abyah tried to convince them the whole day and explained to them the serious consequences of recanting from the bay`ah. In the end, they said that they would listen to what he advised. But when he started to go back to his residence in the evening, ten persons followed him and killed him mercilessly.
Ziyad informed the Imam (a.s) of the sincere efforts of Ibn ²abyah and about his killing. The Imam (a.s) sent Jariyah Ibn Khadhmah al-Sa`idi along with fifty men of Banū-Tamim to al-Basrah with instructions that they should be cautious against the enemies lest they were attacked the way Ibn ²abyah was. On reaching al-Basrah, Jariyah first met Ziyad and then went to Banū-Azd and read the Imam’s letter which was addressed to the people of al-Basrah, “O people of al-Basrah! Because of your rebellious acts you did not deserve any concessions. But I have pardoned your criminals and did not punish those who laid down the arms. You had owed your allegiance to me willingly. If you remain on my bay`ah and make faithfulness your habit, I shall treat you according to the norms of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. But if you demonstrated lack of intelligence and adopt rebellious attitude, I will be forced to act severely. Then you will be faced with such a battle that you will forget the hardships of the Battle of the Camel. I am sure you will not pave the way for your destruction with your own hands.”
When this letter was read, Sabrah ibn Shayban stood up and said, “We shall listen to every word of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and act on it! We shall battle with those people, with whom he fights! The people with whom he makes peace, we too shall make peace with them! O Jariyah! If you can deal with the enemy using your men, it is well and good! Otherwise, we are ready to assist you in all ways.” After him the others too assured Jariyah of their
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cooperation. Now Jariyah went along with his men to Banū-Tamim and explained to them the pros and cons and tried to bring them to the right path. But none gave ear to him and started misbehaving. When Jariyah saw the situation, he sought help from Ziyad and Banū-Azd. Ziyad addressed Banū-Azd, “O Banū-Azd! Those who were friends yesterday are enemies today! And those who were enemies yesterday are friends now! Jariyah needs our help. Therefore, rise and help him against the enemy!” Therefore Banū-Azd armed themselves and Sharik ibn al-A`war, who was a Shi`ah of `Ali (a.s), and a friend of Jariyah, too joined the men. On the other side Ibn `Amir appointed `Abdullah ibn Khuzaym al-Salami as the chief of the horsemen. Both the parties brought their men to the battlefield. For some time there was fierce battle. In the end Ibn `Amir and his men fled and took shelter in the Palace of Zanbil around which there was a protective moat. Among these fugitives was `Abdullah ibn Khuzaym. When his mother, `Ajla, learned that her son has been besieged, she went running and shouted for her son. He looked at his mother from the top of the palace and asked her why she had come. She asked him to come down and go home with her. He refused to go with her. `Ajla, who was a black Abyssinian woman, removed the scarf from her head and said that if he did not come down she would become totally naked.
Ibn Khuzaym was thus forced to come down. And went away with his mother. After Ibn Khuzaym went, Jariyah and Ziyad laid siege of the palace. When no efforts to vacate it of the enemies succeeded, Jariyah set fire to the building and Ibn `Amir, along with his companions, was killed in that conflagration. Some were crushed under the crumbling walls and the others were killed trying to escape. Among those who were killed were `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Umayr al-Tamimi and Dharih ibn Badr.
Ziyad sent a letter with ²abyan ibn `Umayr to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). He wrote that they had achieved victory and the enemy was finished at the hands of Jariyah. The Imam (a.s) expressed satisfaction at the crushing of that rebellion and asked ²abyan where his house was located in al-Basrah? He told about the location of his house. The Imam (a.s) asked him to build a house on the out-skirts of al-Basrah and shift there. He added that al-Basrah will always be under fire and water and will submerge in a manner that except the minarets of the Mosque, nothing else will be visible! Therefore, al-Basrah was submerged twice. Once during the period of al-Qadir billah, the `Abbasid ruler, and the next time again when al-Qa’im bi-amrillah was ruling and the flood level was so high that only the minarets of the Mosque were above the water level!
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This act of Mu`awiyah was the result of his greed for power, arrogance and enmity for peace. In the end his designs were abjectly defeated. The same tribe of Banū-Azd on whom he was banking, supported Ziyad and proved an important weapon in the hands of Jariyah. They crushed the enemy in such a manner that they left no trace of them in al-Basrah. Mu`awiyah’s step was not without any purpose and planning. The reasons behind the move were:
(1) Mu`awiyah, after capturing Egypt, thought that the military strength of the Imam (a.s) had gone down in Iraq, otherwise he would have sent reinforcements from al-Kūfah to help Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr. He thought that when there was no force available at the center, how could there be sufficient numbers in al-Basrah to resist attack.
(2) `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, who was the relative of the Imam (a.s) and his staunch supporter, was then away in al-Kūfah. His deputy, Ziyad, was holding temporary charge and would not have jeopardized his life to fight back the attack. There was a strong likelihood that he would put down arms and surrender.
(3) Al-Basrah was already the theater of the Battle of the Camel recently and the people of that place had supported Talhah and al-Zubayr claiming retaliation for the blood of `Uthman. There was no scarcity of people in that city who still felt the need for the qisas. Even if they did not side with the attackers, they would not also help the defenders!
(4) Innumerable persons from al-Basrah were killed by `Ali (a.s) and his men. The survivors of those who were killed had the fire of revenge burning in their hearts. They would certainly support Mu`awiyah’s troops to fight the Imam’s troops.
(5) Al-Basrah was located in the neighborhood of Persia. If this place was conquered, it would serve as a launching pad for other conquests to follow!
THE AGGRESSIVE ATTACKS OF THE SYRIANS
After the ignominy of al-Basrah, Mu`awiyah realized that attacking the Iraqi cities and achieving success was difficult. However, making raids on suburbs and remote hamlets to frighten and terrorize the people was to his advantage. Therefore, he started attacking the border habitations and the army barracks and in no time the pleasant habitations were rendered into veritable ruins. There was a flood of the blood of innocents everywhere. The purpose of these nefarious activities was to spread disturbance and unrest in the realm.
The Imam (a.s) did not get any respite from handling these disturbances to give his attention to reform and development, as he would have wished to do. In 39 H Mu`awiyah sent al-Nu`man ibn Bashir with 2,000 troops to attack `Ayn al-Tamr. There Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) had an arms depot. Malik ibn Ka`b al-Arhabi was in charge of this depot. Under him 1,000 troops always used to be there. When Malik heard of al-Nu`man’s move, he had only 100 men with him and the rest had taken permission and had gone to al-Kūfah. He wrote to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) that a contingent of 2,000 Syrians was headed to attack him and the men present were not sufficient to meet the onslaught. He therefore requested for urgent reinforcement. The Imam (a.s) told al-Harith al-Hamdani to proclaim, in al-Kūfah that all people must urgently assemble at al-Rahbah. The next morning the Imam (a.s) went to al-Rahbah after the Morning Prayer. He found about 300 men assembled there.
When he saw the lack of interest in the people, he said, “O people of al-Kūfah! I had called you to rise to the help of your brothers! But when the troops of the Syrians hover over your heads, you shirk from fighting. `Adi ibn Hatam, finding the Imam (a.s) disturbed, said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! In my tribe of Banū-tay there are 1,000 strong fighters. If you order, I shall take them to teach a lesson to the enemy” The Imam (a.s) said, “I do not like that to face the enemy, people from only one tribe volunteer. This gives an impression that the other tribes are not interested in taking part in the campaigns. You go to al-Nukhaylah and invite others to participate as well” Therefore he went and talked to the people and in addition to Banū-tay he raised another 1,000 men. `Adi ibn tay was about to start with his contingent
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when a message came from Malik ibn Ka`b that they were able to force the enemy away and they were no more in need of the reinforcements. It happened that Malik thought it would take time to get help from al-Kūfah and he took the precaution of sending `Abdullah ibn Hawzah al-Azdi to Qarazah Ibn Ka`b and Mikhnaf ibn Salim and sought help from them. Qarazah said that he was stationed for collection of the tribute and the men under him were not suitable for battle, but Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym sent 50 men under the command of his son, `Abd al-Rahman. When around the time of `Asr Prayer the group reached near Ayn al Tamr, they found that Malik and his men were standing with their backs to the wall and, having broken the sheaths of their sword, they were ready to fight unto death. When al-Nu`man saw this small group he thought this must be the front guard and the larger contingent must be coming from behind. He immediately turned back his troops and ran away. Malik chased them and killed three of their men.
In the same 39 H Mu`awiyah sent 6,000 troops with Sufyan ibn `Awf al-Ghamidi to attack al-Anbar and al-Mada’in. He ordered him to destroy the army cantonments of the Imam (a.s). Sufyan first went to Hit. The governor of Hit, Kumayl ibn Ziyad al-Nakha`i heard that at Qarqisiyah some troops of the Syrians had assembled and had plans to attack Hit. He therefore left the city to meet the invaders, although he was instructed not to leave the place. The result was that when Sufyan’s contingent reached Hit, there was none in the city to defend it. He proceeded to al-Anbar without any resistance at Hit. At al-Anbar there was stationed a group of 500 men but when the Syrians arrived, there were only 200 present and the rest were not there. Sufyan wanted to gather intelligence about the number of troops there.
They caught hold of a few local youths and asked them. They said that presently there must be about 200 men there. When he knew that the number of defenders was very small, he became bold. He advanced with his contingent. From that side, Ashras ibn Hassan al-Bakri, who was the chief of the men, came out to fight with his small group. When the men saw the huge contingent, more than half of the 200 men fled. And the rest fought with the enemies from the street corners playing the game of hide and seek! When Ashras saw that it was difficult to save their lives through the tactics of hide and seek, he shouted his instructions, “Those who wish to give their lives in the way of Allah, and they should come out in the open and fight with the enemy!” At this call thirty men came out and fighting with great bravery they were martyred! Now there was none to stop the atrocities of the Syrians. They looted each and every house, snatched jewelry from the women and gathered whatever they could lay their hands on.
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When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) knew about the events, he wrote an angry note to Kumayl ibn Ziyad and warned him against leaving the city unprotected without the unit of the guards. H gave a sermon from the pulpit and invited the people to do Jihad and go in pursuit of the enemy. But there was hardly any response from the gathering. When he saw them quiet and in a mood of avoiding the battle, he stood up angrily and decided to go alone and pursue the enemy. Now the people felt ashamed and they went behind the Imam (a.s). When they reached the valley of al-Nukhaylah, they said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! You may go back! We are sufficient to deal with the enemy.” When their insistence increased, he went back to al-Kūfah and under the command of Sa`id ibn Qays a contingent of 8,000 troops went in hot pursuit of the Syrians. When this army reached `Anah via Euphrates, Sa`id sent Hani’ ibn al-Khattab al-Hamdani to reconnoiter for the enemy troops. He went until the limits of Qannisrin but Sufyan’s contingent had gone far ahead and there was no sense in further pursuit.
When Sa`id ibn Qays returned to al-Kūfah, the Imam (a.s) gave a sermon about the importance of jihad and exhorted those who were reluctant to battle with the enemy. On this Jundub ibn `Afif al-Azdi stood up and said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! I can speak on my behalf and on behalf of my nephew, `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Abdullah! Whatever command you give us, we shall abide by it implicitly!”
The Imam (a.s) said, “What I want cannot be done by only two persons!” The Imam (a.s) wanted to punish the people who played havoc at Hit and al-Anbar in such a way that they should not have courage to make incursions into the Iraqi borders in the future. After the return of Sa`id, the Imam (a.s) kept quiet for some time. And again he gave a sermon to the people of al-Kūfah, “O People! You are much more in numbers than the Ansar of al-Madinah! They gave shelter and protection to the Prophet (a.s) and the Muhajirūn. They bore hardships but did not stop supporting Islam and the Muslims, until the Standard of Islam started flying all over Arabia! “At this a mischievous, tall person stood up and said, “You are neither Muhammad (a.s) nor are we the Ansar! Please put on us weight that we might bear!”
The Imam (a.s) said, “Understand the talk, and then speak! When did I say that I am Muhammad (a.s) and you Ansar! I gave the example that you too tread the path of the Ansar and create in yourself the spirit that they had and protect the Realm of Islam from the depredations of the enemy!” At this another person stood up and said, “Today Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) must have felt the need of the people of Nahrawan whom we killed with our own hands!”
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Now voices were raised from different directions and there was a sort of pandemonium. One person said, “If Malik al-Ashtar was here today, these persons would not have dared to behave in this manner!” The Imam (a.s) said, “Pity on you! Malik al-Ashtar had right over you as any other Muslim has a right over another Muslim! My rights are far greater which you have to guard as a bounden duty!” In the end Sa`id Ibn Qays and Hijr ibn `Adi said, “Whatever commands you give us, we shall not disobey them in any manner even if we have to forego our lives and properties in abiding by them!” The Imam (a.s) said, “You stand up for the punishment of the enemy and crush him!” He then came down from the pulpit and went to Bayt al-Sharaf, his home. Some of his sincere companions too followed him. He continued discussion with them and said, “Who is the person in your opinion who is himself very active and can also enthuse the Iraqis to agree for warfare. We must mobilize the army under the command of such a person.”
Sa`id ibn Qays said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! For this campaign none other than Ma`qil ibn Qays al-Tamimi is better. He is your sincere friend and is a valorous warrior.” The Imam (a.s) said, “Yes! He is the right person for the job!” Then Ma`qil was called and entrusted the command of the campaign.
During the same year Mu`awiyah sent `Abdullah ibn Mas`adah al-Fazari with 1,700 troops towards Taymah. He ordered him to keep advancing towards Makkah and al-Madinah and collect zakat and sadaqah from the settlements that fall in his way. Those who refuse to pay must be immediately executed. Therefore, he started on his journey and the people of his tribe gathered under his flag. When the Imam (a.s) heard about this, he sent Musayyab ibn Najbah al-Fazari with 2,000 troops to fight with them. When Mas`adah reached Taymah, killing and looting the people on the way, the troops of the Imam (a.s) too reached there. Both the contingents took out their arms and the fight started. The fight went on from morning until midday. Musayyab, who was also from the same tribe, attacked Mas`adah lightly with the sword, and asked him quietly to escape. Therefore, he took a small troop of men and locked himself up in a small fort nearby.
The remaining contingent escaped towards Syria. The camels that had been collected by Mas`adah as zakat and sadaqah were taken away by the nomads. When three days since passed Mas`adah locked himself into the fort, it was decided to set fire to the fort. Therefore, firewood was put near the door and the fire was lighted. Ibn Mas`adah said, “O Musayyab! You are burning the persons from your own tribe!” Musayyab ordered the fire to be put out. After the fire was put out, he told his troops that he had intelligence that a bigger
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contingent of men was coming from Syria. His men assembled at one place. Ibn Mas`adah got an opportunity and escaped in the night with his men towards Syria. When news spread about his escape `Abd al-Rahman ibn Shabib said that they must chase and capture Mas`adah. But Musayyab did not agree to that suggestion. At this `Abd al-Rahman said, “You have sold yourself to the enemy against Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and your attitude is certainly indicative of hypocrisy!”
In the same year, 39 H, Mu`awiyah sent al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fahri towards al-Hirah and asked him to kill the nomads who had owed their allegiance to `Ali (a.s) and plunder their goods. Therefore, he went on destroying habitations on the way and reached Salabiyah. He attacked one caravan of Hajjis and looted them. Then passing through Waqasah and Sharaf he proceeded towards Qatqatanah. There he killed `Amr ibn `Umays and Ibn Mas`ūd and their companions. When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) got news of these atrocities, he asked his men to pursue him. But the men did not show any interest. The Imam (a.s) expressed anger at their attitude and tried to stir their conscience! In the end a contingent of 4,000 men under the command of Hijr ibn `Adi went in pursuit of the enemy and reached Samadah. Here Hijr met the father of Rabab—the consort of the Master of Martyrs—as well as `Imarah al Qays ibn `Adi and some men from his tribe went along to guide the contingent to the cisterns of water and the way. When they reached the environs of Tadmur, they found the camps of al-Dahhak. When they came across each other, the swords were drawn and the fighting started. In this battle, al-Dahhak lost 19 men and two men were martyred from the army of the Imam (a.s). In the darkness of the night al-Dahhak ran away with his men. Hijr went back with his men to al-Kūfah.
The same year Mu`awiyah sent Yazid ibn Shajarah to Makkah during the Hajj period. To act as the emir for the Hajj and chase away the functionaries appointed by Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and take bay`ah from the people for Mu`awiyah. He started with 3,000 men for Makkah. When the functionary at Makkah, Qathm ibn `Abbas heard about the arrival of this contingent, he went to the pulpit and informed the people that the army of Syria was coming to the Holy Land to cause bloodshed. You must take up arms and stop the enemy before he comes here. But except Shaybah ibn `Uthman al-`Abdari, everyone else took his word lightly. When Qathm ibn `Abbas saw that the people of Makkah were not concerned, he wanted to go out to the hills and take shelter and inform Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) to seek help from him. Abū-Sa`id al-Khidri, on learning that Qathm was thinking of leaving Makkah, opposed his
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plans and asked him to await the arrival of the Syrian forces. He advised that if it was felt possible to fight with them, they could fight. Otherwise they could then leave Makkah. Qathm agreed with this suggestion and wrote to the Imam (a.s) for help. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) sent one contingent of men on the first of Dhul-Hijjah in which Abul-tufayl and Rayyan ibn Samarah were there. Yazid ibn Shajarah reached Makkah two days prior to the Day of Tarwiyah with his army. He asked Abū-Sa`id al-Khidri to tell Qathm to stop leading the prayers and acting as the Emir of Hajj and that he too would demit his office. Then they should give the people choice to select the successors. Qathm ibn `Abbas showed some reluctance But realizing his own helplessness, he agreed to quit. Other people suggested the name of Shaybah ibn `Uthman for leading the prayers and emirate of Hajj. He was thus selected for the position. When the Hajj was over, Ibn Shajarah went towards Syria. In that time the contingent sent by the Imam (a.s) reached Makkah. When they learned that the Syrian army had left, Ma`qil ibn Qays took the lead of the contingent in his hands and went in pursuit of them and after crossing the Valley Al-Qira, they came face to face with it. The Syrians tried to escape but Ma`qil’s men took captive some of the Syrians and returned to al-Kūfah.
When Yazid ibn Shajarah reached Syria, Mu`awiyah learned about some of his men becoming captive. He sent al-Harth ibn Namr al-Tanūkhi towards al-Jazirah, where there were people who had owed their allegiance to the Imam (a.s), to capture some of them and bring as captives. He reached al-Jazirah and captured seven men of Banū-Taghlib. When these persons reached the court of Mu`awiyah, some men of Banū-Taghlib who had left the camp of the Imam (a.s) and joined Mu`awiyah, came to him and pleaded for the release of their tribesmen. But Mu`awiyah did not agree. At this, Banū-Taghlib were unhappy with him and left his side. Mu`awiyah wrote to `Ali (a.s) that Ma`qil had made some men from Yazid ibn Shajarah’s army captive. He suggested they could be exchanged with the men from Banū-Taghlib who were with him. (a.s) agreed to this suggestion and the exchange was affected.
The same year Mu`awiyah sent `Abd al-Rahman ibn Qabat to plunder the habitations of the area of al-Jazirah. When the governor of al-Jazirah, Shabib ibn `Amir, learned about this, informed Kumayl ibn Ziyad, who was the governor of Hit, and sought help from him. He took 600 men with him and went towards the area of al-Jazirah. The enemy troops under `Abd al-Rahman ibn Qabat and Ma`an ibn Yazid salami came across him. Kumayl fought with them with his small contingent and killed a good number of the enemy troops. From his side two men were martyred. Now the enemy was not able to bear
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the onslaught and his men fled the scene. He ordered that the fleeing men need not be pursued nor the injured be killed. After defeating the Syrians, he informed Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) of his success. The Imam (a.s) was very happy with his performance and the mistake that he had made of abandoning his post in the past was condoned.
When Shabib ibn `Amir arrived with his contingent from Nasibahin, he found that Kumayl had defeated the enemy. He congratulated Kumayl and proceeded in pursuit of the enemy force. He crossed the river Euphrates and reached until Ba`labak. When Mu`awiyah knew about this, he sent a contingent under Habib ibn Maslamah, but it could not get near the contingent of Shabib. Now, instead of pursuing the enemy, Shabib attacked al-Riqqah, a settlement of the supporters of Mu`awiyah. He confiscated their arms and horses and took away other livestock. When he returned, he wrote in detail to the Imam (a.s) about his campaign. The Imam (a.s) replied, “You have a right over the arms and the animals that the enemy uses during the battle. But you have no right to confiscate the livestock”. Then appreciating his valor the Imam said:
“May Allah be kind on Shabib. He went attacking for a long distance and did not abstain from contending with the enemy.”[1]
In the same year Mu`awiyah sent Zuhayr ibn Makhūl al-`Amiri to the town of al-Samawah, which was under the Imam (a.s), for collecting the zakat and sadaqah. When the Imam (a.s) knew about this, he sent Ja`far ibn `Abdullah al-Ashja`i, `Urwah ibn `Ushbah al-Kalbi and Jallas Ibn `Umayr al-Kalbi to collect taxes from the tribes of Banū-Kalab and Banū-Wa’il. When these persons reached there, they had a confrontation with the men of Mu`awiyah. Ja`far ibn `Abdullah was killed. Ibn `Ushbah was given a horse by Zuhayr and he escaped. He became a suspect in the eyes of the Imam (a.s) He reprimanded the person. Ibn `Ushbah moved over to the camp of Mu`awiyah. Jallas too escaped. On the way, he exchanged his expensive cloak with the cloak of a shepherd to avoid identification. Thus he reached al-Kūfah with difficulty.
During those days, Mu`awiyah sent Muslim ibn `Uqbah Mari to Dawmat al-Jandal. The people there owed their allegiance neither to `Ali (a.s) nor to Mu`awiyah. When the Imam (a.s) learned about the movements of Muslim, he sent Malik ibn Ka`b al-Hamdani with a patrol of troops. When they came face
[1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 191.
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to face, there was fight that went on for the complete day. In the end, `Uqbah ran away. After he went, Malik asked the people there to owe their allegiance to the Imam (a.s). They did not agree and said that unless there is total consensus they will not accept anyone as the caliph.
It can well be imagined from these events that while there were sincere friends of the Imam (a.s) in al-Kūfah, there was no shortage of hypocrites who had Khariji tendencies. They used to spread rumor and dissent and always tried to make the administration weak. On the one hand were these traitors and on the other were the machinations of the Syrians. The way he managed the affairs despite all the odds is a proof of his political and administrative acumen.
THE ATROCITIES OF BuSR BIN ARTA’AH
Yemen was under Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) but there was a sizeable number of fans of `Uthman as well. Although they had entered into the bay`ah of the Imam (a.s) their hearts were elsewhere! Their attitude with the governor of Yemen, `Ubaydullah ibn `Abbas too was inimical. When Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr was killed in Egypt, and the guerilla attacks on the Iraqi territory by the Syrians continued at regular intervals, the inimical element in Yemen too started their act. They started instigating people to claim the retaliation for the blood of `Uthman. When `Ubaydullah ibn `Abbas knew about this intrigue, he called some important persons and told them what he was hearing about them. They said what he had heard was right. They said that from the very beginning they thought that the killing of `Uthman was a calamity and that those who had killed him, and those who created the circumstances for the killing, must be punished.
When `Ubaydullah felt that the intrigue was rising in the province, he put those persons under house arrest. They sent messages to the army men who subscribed to their thinking to create a revolt in their ranks and remove the chief, Sa`id ibn Nimran. Therefore, they revolted and snatched away the command from him. The army was totally demoralized and splinter groups were formed. Since the martial strength was affected, the civilian unrest started raising its head. Those who were quiet until then started airing their views openly. And even those who did not subscribe to their views, joined with them to avoid paying the zakat and the tribute.
`Ubaydullah ibn `Abbas, Sa`id ibn Nimran and important Shi`ah met to decide the strategy to face the situation. They decided to inform about the situation to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) in detail and act on his advice. They thought that if they themselves started hostilities with the fans of `Uthman they did not know what will be the consequences. Therefore, the details were communicated to the Imam (a.s). When he read their report, folds appeared on his forehead. He wrote to `Ubaydullah and Sa`id, “Whatever has happened is because of your poor politics! Otherwise they were not important enough to be given any importance! Neither they are more in numbers nor do they have any power.
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You must talk and convince them to be the men of piety. If they come back to the Right Path, we shall thank Allah! If they want to fight, we shall be ready to fight as well!”
The Imam (a.s) simultaneously sent a letter to the fans of `Uthman of Yemen with a person from the tribe of Hamdan, “I have been informed of your rebellion and headstrong attitude! Abstain from rebellion and go back to the peace of your homes! If you hesitate in doing this, an army is coming to teach you a suitable lesson and crush you.” But those people remained adamant. When the courier found them reticent, he told them that the Imam (a.s) readied an army under Yazid ibn Qays al-Arhabi which is waiting for me to inform about your reaction. If you do not change your attitude, the troops will rush for Yemen. When they understood that this was not just a threat, they said that if `Ubaydullah and Sa`id were removed from there, midst they will become obedient to the Imam (a.s). This was their trick to save time. They would not have remained content only with the change of the functionaries. They had already sent a message to Mu`awiyah asking him to send out a contingent to deal with the Shi`ah of Yemen. They promised to cooperate with the army in its operations.
Mu`awiyah, who was carrying on his guerilla operations on various towns of Iraq, could not have kept quiet at this initiative of the Yemenis. He immediately called Busr ibn Arta’ah, who was a tyrant of much ferocity, and sent him with a contingent of 3,000 troops to proceed to Yemen via al-Madinah and Makkah. He had instructions that whichever place he passed through, he should force the people to owe allegiance to Mu`awiyah. Those of the Shi`ah of `Ali (a.s) who refuse his call must be executed forthwith and plunder their homes and hearths. Therefore, commanding the contingent he started for al-Madinah. On the way, wherever he came across a source of water, he confiscated the camels of the people who were there to water their animals. When he reached near al-Madinah terrorizing and looting the people enroute, the tribe of Banū-Khuza`ah welcomed him and slaughtered camels to feed his contingent. When he entered the environs of al-Madinah, Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari, the governor went out of the city awed by seeing the huge contingent of troops and escaped towards al-Kūfah. There was none there to resist him. Busr went straight to the mosque and threatened the people who assembled there. He frightened them so much that they thought that death would come to them any moment. Some people asked Huwaytib ibn `Abd al-`Uzza, in whose house Busr’s mother lived, to do something to save them. He told Busr, “These people are the companions of the Prophet (a.s). They are
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neither the killers of `Uthman nor did they have anything to do with the conspiracy of killing him! Leave them alone!” Busr did not agree. When they agreed to enter the bay`ah of Mu`awiyah, he allowed them to go home. But those on whom he had doubt that they would not owe allegiance to Mu`awiyah, he got their homes burned down. These were the homes of Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari, `Abdullah ibn Sa`d, Rafa`ah ibn Rafi` al-Azraqi and Zurarah ibn Harūn.
At the arrival of Busr, many people abandoned their homes and fled. Among them was Jabir ibn `Abdullah al-Ansari who left his home and took shelter elsewhere. When Busr did not see Jabir, he told a branch of Banū-Salamah that if they did not produce Jabir in front of him, the safety of their lives and property could not be guaranteed. When Jabir learned that the lives of the people of his tribe were in jeopardy, he went in the darkness of the night to Umm al-Mu’minin Ummu-Salamah and told her, “I have come to you to take your advice! What should I do in these circumstances? “She said, “For you there is no other alternative than owing allegiance to Mu`awiyah and saving the lives of your men and your own! Although this bay`ah is sheer deviation, I have also advised my son `Umar ibn Abi-Salamah and my son-in-law `Abdullah ibn Zum`ah to save themselves by entering into it” Therefore Jabir very unwillingly went to Busr and entered into the bay`ah of Mu`awiyah.
All the days that Busr was in al-Madinah the clouds of terror and fear were hovering over the place and people were forced to owe their allegiance to the tyrannical force of Busr! Busr spared their lives and said, “O people of al-Madinah! You did not deserve that even a single person here should be allowed to live because in front of your eyes `Uthman was killed and you did not do anything to help him. Although I am forgiving you in this world, I hope that you will be deprived of Allah’s Blessings in the Hereafter! I am appointing Abū-Hurayrah as the governor of al-Madinah on behalf of the government of Syria. Beware! Do not act against his orders!” Then he proceeded towards Makkah. When he reached near Makkah, spreading terror at all the places on the way, the governor of Makkah, Qathm ibn `Abbas quietly left the city. Most of the inhabitants of Makkah had left the place. Among these people was Abū-Mūsa al-Ash`ari as well. When Busr heard that even Abū-Mūsa had run away because of fear, he said that at least he should not have any fear! One who had deposed `Ali (a.s) despite being his own nominee, he cannot be killed! Busr threatened and frightened the people of Makkah and addressed them thus, “We thank Allah that He has given us control and authority! Our enemies have been shamed by Him! Look at Ibn
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Abi-Talib! He is sitting in an insignificant corner of Iraq! The areas of his own realm are shrinking for him! Allah has given retribution for his sins! His companions too are abandoning him! Today, the leader of the Muslims is Mu`awiyah who is the successor of `Uthman and the standard-bearer for claiming the qisas for his blood! There do bay`ah with him and do not put your lives in jeopardy by turning away from him!”
The people were already in fear and confusion. Seeing the bloodied swords they agreed to owe their allegiance to Mu`awiyah. After the bay`ah he appointed Shaybah ibn `Uthman as the governor of Makkah. Now Busr moved towards Ta’if.
When Busr went some distance, he sent one Qarashi to Nabbalah saying that there were many Shi`ah there and he must kill them one by one. The man went there and made them captive. They said that they were from his own place and tribe. They wanted some respite to send a person to Busr to request him for amnesty. If he gave us amnesty in writing, it would be fine. Otherwise, you will be free to kill us. The man gave permission and Munih al-Bahili went to Ta’if where Busr was waiting for the return of the Qarashi. Munih made the request for amnesty with Busr. Some important persons of Ta’if too supported him. He agreed to give amnesty because of their recommendation but was hesitant to write down his approval. When he thought that his man must have already killed all the other persons in al-Nabbalah, he wrote the order and gave to Munih. When he went to the house of the woman where he was staying, he found that she was not there. He did not want to delay his departure anymore and, instead of the saddle he put a sheet of cloth on the back of the camel and started for his place, al-Nabbalah. There the people were losing hope of his returning in time to save their lives. The Qarashi and his men had already brought the persons to the ground for the execution.
In fact, the sword was used on the neck of one person, but it had broken. They talked with one another that to make the swords work they must be swung around. When Munih reached al-Nabbalah after spending one day and one night on camel back, he saw the swords shining from a distance. He thought that some fighting was going on. He speeded up his camel and waved his white shawl to indicate that he was coming. The person on whose neck the sword was about to fall was Munih’s own brother. He rushed and gave the letter to the Qarashi and their lives were saved just in time.
(701)
Busr left al-Ta’if and went towards the habitations of Banū-Kinanah where two young sons of `Ubaydullah ibn `Abbas, Qathm and `Abd al-Rahman and their mother, Ummu-Hakim Hūriyyah bint Kurayz al-Kinaniyyah were living. Busr sent his men to bring the children for killing them. `Ubaydullah ibn `Abbas had left the children in the care of al-Kinani. When he saw that Busr wanted to kill them, his conscience would not allow him to see the children, who were in his care, getting killed before his eyes. He took out his sword and was ready to kill or to be killed. Busr said that they had nothing to do with neither him nor any need for them to kill him. He asked him to keep away and leave the children alone. He said that the duty of guardianship is more precious than his own life. Saying this he attacked the enemies and died fighting valiantly. Busr searched Qathm and `Abd al-Rahman and killed them with great barbarity. When the women of Banū-Kinanah heard this, they came out of their homes. One lady said, “Until this day men were seen executed. Even during the days of ignorance children were never executed! This tyrannical rule will not exist for long which is based on cruelty and barbarity! A rule in which there is no consideration even for small children and old persons!” Busr said, “By Allah! I wish to kill all these women with my sword!” The woman said, “Allah knows! If you do that the pain of our hearts would be relieved!” when Ummu-Hakim saw her children immersed in dust and their own blood, she was disconsolate with sorrow. She went round as if she was searching for her little children. During the days of Hajj thereafter she used to make the pilgrims cry with her couplets full of pathos!
When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) heard of the sad ending of those children, he was very sad and cursed Busr in these words:
“O Allah! Snatch away the Faith and wisdom from him!”[1]
And really it did happen like that! A time came when he lost his mental capacities. But even in this lunacy he used to utter the word, “Sword! Sword”. In the end, he was given a sword made out of wood and a sheepskin filled with air was placed in front of him to hit with his wooden sword! He used thus to quench his thirst for tyranny until he died.
Coming back to the narrative, Busr reached Najran killing and maiming people along the way. In Najran he killed `Abdullah ibn `Abd al-Mudan al-Harithi and his son Malik. After troubling and torturing the people of Najran, he went to Arhab and killed Abū-Karb who was an ardent Shi`ah of `Ali (a.s) and a chief of the tribe of Hamdan. Then Busr proceeded to San`a’, the capital
[1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 193
(702)
of Yemen. `Amr ibn Arakah al-Thaqafi, who was the deputy of `Ubaydullah ibn `Abbas in his absence, valiantly fought with the men of Busr with the remnants of his troops and was martyred in the process. Busr entered the city and ordered general massacre and killed hundreds of innocent persons. During this whirlwind tour Busr destroyed complete towns, looted materials and indulged in wholesale arson. Thirty thousand Muslims were the victims of his unparalleled barbarity.
Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) asked the people of al-Kūfah to give a befitting reply to the atrocities of Busr. But they exhibited their disinterest and avoided pursuing the enemy. After repeated proddings by the Imam (a.s), Abū-Buradah ibn `Awf al-Azdi said, “If you go commanding the troops, we are ready to go!” The Imam (a.s) said, “Your suggestion is not proper! It is not good that I leave the head quarters and keep chasing a marauder and brigand all over the realm!” Jariyah ibn Qudamah al-Sa`idi said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! I am ready to go in the pursuit of the enemy!” The Imam (a.s) said, “You take a contingent of two thousand troops from al-Basrah and chase him in Hijaz and then up to Yemen and give him punitive punishment!” Wahab ibn Mas`ūd al-Thaqafi said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! I shall take a contingent of two thousand men from al-Kūfah to teach a lesson to the enemy! “The Imam (a.s) gave him the permission as well. Both of them started on the campaign. After they went, the other persons felt that they did not respond to the call of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). Therefore, some important persons came to the presence of the Imam (a.s) and said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! We are really sorry that we tried to avoid fighting with the enemy! It is the result of our shortcomings and lethargy that the enemy could take courage in his hands to attack our territory. Order us! We shall prepare an army and chase the enemy and finish him!”
The Imam (a.s) said, “I have sent a person who will not return without chasing the enemy out of the borders of the realm! However, you must prepare for a result-oriented war instead of these chases! That will totally eliminate the repeated incursions by the enemy! Rise and prepare to fight with Mu`awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan and finish that mischief for all time! “Sa`id ibn Qays al-Hamdani said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! We are in your service and my tribe shall always be at your beck and call! We can fight with the enemy within our borders and away from our realm! We shall shatter the idols of ignorance and treachery!” The Imam (a.s) said, “May Allah bless you! What you have said is very correct!”
(703)
Then Ziyad ibn Khasfah too assured of his whole-hearted cooperation. Seeing the sangfroid of the people of al-Kūfah, the Imam (a.s) ordered Ma`qil ibn Qays to arrange for men and materials of war. Then he addressed in a general gathering of the people of al-Kūfah in this manner, “O People of al-Kūfah! I am mobilizing troops to fight with the Syrians. Those of you who want to do jihad in the way of Allah should report to join the contingent.” The people of al-Kūfah sharpened their swords and getting together other arms joined the army in large numbers. The number of troops rose to 40,000 men. On a contingent of 10,000 men the Imam (a.s) appointed his son Husayn (a.s). Another 10,000 troops were put under the command of Qays ibn Sa`d, and 10,000 under Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari. In this manner different contingents were under the command of different persons.
The Imam (a.s) wanted to move with this army on the campaign to Siffin after a week. But a Khariji, Ibn Muljim al-Muradi struck the head of the Imam (a.s) with such ferocity that he was martyred. With this great calamity the conditions in the realm became very uncertain. The rebellious ruler of Syria got the opportunity to play his treacherous tricks. The contingents got together so meticulously were disbursed over night. At the crucial time when arrangements had been made to crush the tyrannical enemy, the accursed Khariji turned everything upside down! On the other side Jariyah ibn Qudamah reached Yemen with his regiment. When the fans of `Uthman of Yemen knew of this, they went into the hills to hide themselves. But Jariyah’s men chased and surrounded them. Some of them were killed.
Jariyah inquired about Busr and he was told that he had gone towards the habitations of Banū-taym. Jariyah chased him. The tyrants are generally cowards. When he learned that the Iraqi army was in his pursuit, he went towards Yamamah. He ran away even from there, running from place to place to make the Iraqis miss his trail. People were aware of his cruelties. Wherever he went, people used to attack him and Banū-Tamim even looted some of his goods. Jariyah chased him until Haras and the tired contingent rested there for a month. Then they went to Makkah.
Jariyah asked the people of Makkah if they had owed their allegiance to Mu`awiyah. They said that they did the bay`ah but they did not have any other choice. Jariyah asked them to renew their bay`ah with the Imam (a.s). They asked, “Whose bay`ah? Amir al-Mu’minin is no more in the world!” He said, “You must owe your bay`ah to the person to whom the Companions of `Ali (a.s) have owed their allegiance.” Therefore the people of Makkah pledged their bay`ah to Imam al-Hasan (a.s) and Jariyah proceeded towards
(704)
al-Madinah. There Abū-Hurayrah had started to lead the congregations of prayers. When he heard of the arrival of Jariyah he went underground. When Jariyah heard about this, he said:
“By Allah! If Abū-Hurayrah was caught by me, I would have cut away his head!”[1]
Then he told the people of al-Madinah to owe their allegiance to Imam al-Hasan (a.s). All the people did the bay`ah and Jariyah proceeded towards al-Kūfah. Busr saved his life and reached Damascus and sought encomiums from Mu`awiyah for his dark deeds.
Mu`awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan wanted to extend his sway as far and wide as possible. For this purpose he was attacking the areas under Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) and used tyrants like al-Dahhak al-Fahri and Busr ibn Arta’ah for this nefarious purpose. The gangs of Syrians played havoc on the unarmed, innocent civilians for no fault of theirs. Although this nefarious activity was carried out under the excuse of claiming retaliation for the blood of `Uthman, the real purpose was to extend the tyrannical sway of Mu`awiyah. To achieve this, they rendered buildings into ruins, obliterated habitation after habitation from existence and the survivors had to fly to safer places.
The sanctity of Makkah and al-Madinah was compromised by spreading fear psychosis in those holy places. Although Makkah is the place where there is no justification for disturbing the peace or of causing death or injury to any person! The Prophet of Islam (a.s) by declaring general amnesty at the time of conquest of Makkah had forgiven the worst of offenders of peace and had said:
“One who has Faith in Allah and the Hereafter, for him it is not legitimate to shed blood and cut trees in Makkah!”[2]
Similarly, al-Madinah too is sacrosanct and spreading terror there and torturing the residents there are foul acts. Therefore, the Prophet (a.s) has said:
“One who frightens the people of al-Madinah as an act of cruelty; on him there will be the curse of Allah, His angels and the entire humankind! Allah will neither accept the mandatory prayers nor the optional of such a person!”[3]
[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 4, Page 107
[2] Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Vol 3, Page 167
[3] Wafā al-Wafā, Vol, Page 32
source : http://www.imfi.ir
