102. THE AGGRESSIVE ATTACKS OF THE SYRIANS
After the ignominy of Basra, Muawiya 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) didn’t 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 Muawiya sent Noman ibne Bashir with 2,000 troops to attack Ain al Tamar. There Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) had an arms depot. Malik ibne Kaab Arhabi was incharge of this depot. Under him 1,000 troops always used to be there. When Malik heard of Noman’s move, he had only 100 men with him.and the rest had taken permission and had gone to Koofa. He wrote to Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (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 to Harit Hamadani to proclaim, in Koofa that all people must urgently assemble at Rahba. The next morning the Imam (a.s) went to Rahba 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 Koofa! 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 ibne Hatim, finding the Imam (a.s)disturbed, said, “Ya Ameer al Momineen (a.s)! In my tribe of Bani 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 don’t 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 Nakhila and invite others to participate as well”
Therefore he went and talked to the people and in addition to Bani Tay he raised another 1,000 men.Adi ibne Tay was about to start with his contingent when a message came from Malik ibne Kaab 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 Koofa and he took the precaution of sending Abd Allah ibne Hauza Azdi to Qarza Ibne Kaab and Makhnaf ibne Salim and sought help from them. Qarza said that he was stationed for collection of the tribute and the men under him were not suitable for battle.But Makhnaf ibne Salim sent 50 men under the command of his son, Abd ar Rehman. When around the time of Asr prayer the group reached near Ain 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 Noman 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 Muawiya sent 6,000 troops with Sufian ibne Auf Ghamidi to attack Anbar and Madaen. He ordered him to destroy the army cantonments of the Imam (a.s). Sufian first went to Hait. The governor of Hait, Kumail ibne ziyad Naqyi heard that at Qarqisa some troops of the Syrians had assembled and had plans to attack Hait. He therefore left the city to meet the invaders, although he was instructed not to leave the place. The result was that when Sufian’s contingent reached Hait, there was none in the city to defend it. He proceeded to Anbar without any resistance at Hait. At 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. Sufian wanted to gather intelligenc 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 ibne Hissan 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, 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.
When Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) knew about theevents, he wrote an angry note to Kumail ibne 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 Nakhila, they said,“Ya Ameer al Momineen! You may go back! We are sufficient to deal with the enemy.”
When their insistence increased, he went back to Koofa and under the command of Saeed ibne Qais a contingent of 8,000 troops went in hot pursuit of the Syrians. When this army reached Haanat via Euphrates, Saeed sent Haani ibne Khatab Hamadani to reconnoiter for the enemy troops. He went till the limits of Qansareen but Sufian’s contingent had gone far ahead and there was no sense in further pursuit.
When Saeed ibne Qais returned to Koofa, the Imam (a.s) gave a sermon about the importance of Jehad and exhorted those who were reluctant to battle with the enemy. On this Jandab ibne Afeef Azdi stood up and said,“Ya Ameer al Momineen! I can speak on my behalf and on behalf of my nephew, Abd ar Rehman ibne Abd Allah! 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 Hait and Anbar in such a way that they shouldn’t have courage to make incursions into the Iraqi borders in the future. After the return of Saeed, the Imam (a.s) kept quiet for some time. And again he gave a sermon to the people of Koofa,“O People! You are much more in numbers than the Ansaar of Madina! They gave shelter and protection to the Prophet (s.a) and the Mohajirs. They bore hardships but didn’t stop supporting Islam and the Muslims, till the Standard of Islam started flying all over Arabia! “At this a mischievous, tall person stood up and said, “You are neither Mohammed (s.a) nor are we the Ansaar! 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 Mohammed (s.a) and you Ansaar! I gave the example that you too tread the path of the Ansaar and create in yourself the spirit that they had and protect the Realm of Islam from the depradations of the enemy!”
At this another person stood up and said,“Today Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) must have felt the need of the people of Nahrwan whom we killed with our own hands!”
Now voices were raised from different directions and there was a sort of pandemonium. One person said,“If Malik eAshtar was here today, these persons wouldn’t have dared to behave in this manner!”
The Imam (a.s) said,“Pity on you! Malik e 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 Saeed Ibne Qais and Hajr ibne 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.”
Saeed ibne Qais said,“Ya Ameer al Momineen!. For this campaign none other than Mauqil ibne Qais 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 Mauqil was called and entrusted the command of the campaign.
During the same year Muawiya sent Abd Allah ibne Mas-ada Fazari with 1,700 troops towards Teema. He ordered him to keep advancing towards Makka and Madina and collect Zaakat and Sadaqa 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 ibne Najba Fazari with 2,000 troops to fight with them. When Masa-ada reached Teema, 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 till Zuhr. Musayyab, who was also from the same tribe, attacked Masa-ada 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 Masa-ada as Zakat and Sadaqa were taken away by the nomads. When three days since passed Masa-ada locked himself into the fort, it was decided to set fire to the fort. Therefore fire-wood was put near the door and the fire was lighted. Ibne Masa-ada 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 to his troops that he had intelligence that a bigger contingent of men was coming from Syria. His men assembled at one place. Ibne Masa-ada got an opportunity and escaped in the night with his men towards Syria. When news spread about his escape Abd ar Rehman ibne Shabib said that they must chase and capture Masa-ada. But Musayyab didn’t agree to that suggestion. At this Abd ar Rehman said,“You have sold yourself to the enemy against Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s)and your attitude is certainly indicative of hypocricy!”
In the same year, 39 H, Muawiya sent Zohak ibne Qais Fahri towards Heera 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 Salabiya. He attacked one caravan of Hajis and looted them. Then passing through Waqasa and Sharaf he proceeded towards Qatqatana. There he killed Umro ibne Umais and Ibne Masood and their companions. When Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) got news of these atrocities, he asked his men to pursue him. But the men didn’t 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 hajr ibne Adi went in pursuit of the enemy and reached Samada. Here Hajr met the father of, Rabab, the consort of Syed al Shohada, Amara al Qais ibne 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 Tadmir, they found the camps of Zohak. When they came across each other, the swords were drawn and the fighting started. In this battle Zohak lost 19 men and two men were martyred from the army of the Imam (a.s). In the darkness of the night Zohak ran away with his men. Hajr went back with his men to Koofa.
The same year Muawiya sent Yazid ibne Shajra to Makka during the Haj period. To act as the emir for the Haj and chase away the functionaries appointed by Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) and take Bai-at from the people for Muawiya. He started with 3,000 men for Makka. When the functionary at Makka, Fatam ibne 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 Shaiba ibne Othman Abdri, everyone else took his word lightly. When Fatam ibne Abbas saw that the people of Makka were not concerned, he wanted to go out to the hills and take shelter and inform Ameer al Momineen (a.s) to seek help from him. Abu Saeed Khudri, on learning that Fatam was thinkingof leaving Makka, opposed his 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 Makka. Fatam agreed with this suggestion and wrote to the Imam (a.s) for help. Hazrat Ameer al Momineen (a.s) sent one contingent of men on 1, Zilhijja in which Abul Tufail and Riyan ibne Zamra were there. Yazeed ibne Shajra reached Makka.two days prior to the day of Tarwia with his army. He asked Abu Sayeed Khudri to tell Fatam to stop leading the prayers and acting as the Emir of Haj and that he too would demit his office. Then they should give the people choice to select the successors. Fatam ibne Abbas showed some reluctance. But realizing his own helplessness, he agreed to quit. Other people suggested the name of Shaiba ibne Othman for leading the prayers and emirate of Haj. He was thus selected for the position. When the Haj was over, Ibne Shajra went towards Syria. In that time the contingent sent by the Imam (a.s) reached Makka. When they learned that the Syrian army had left, Mauqal ibne Qais took the lead of the contingent in his hands and went in pursuit of them. and after crossing the Valley Al Qara, they came face to face with it. The Syrians tried to escape but Mauqal’s. men took captive some of the Syrians and returned to Koofa.
When Yazeed ibne Shajra reached Syria, Muawiya learned about some of his men becoming captive. He sent Harat ibne Namr Tanukhi towards Jazira, 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 Jazira and captured 7 men of Bani Taghlab. When these persons reached the court of Muawiya, some men of Bani Taghlab who had left the camp of the Imam (a.s) and joined Muawiaya, came to him and pleaded for the release of their tribesmen. But Muawiya didn’t agree. At this the Bani Thaglab were unhappy with him and left his side. Muawiya wrote to Hazrat Ali (a.s) that Mauqil had made some men from Yazid ibne Shajra’s army captive. He suggested they could be exchanged with the men from Bani Thaglab who were with him. Hazrat (a.s) agreed to this suggestion and the exchange was effected.
The same year Muawiya sent Abd ar Rehman ibne Qabat to plunder the habitations of the area of Jazira. When the governor of Jazira, Shabib ibne Aamir, learned about this, informed Kumail ibne Ziyad, who was the governor of Hait, and sought help from him.He took 600 men with him and went towards the area of Jazira. The enemy troops under Abd ar Rehman ibne Qabat and Ma-aan ibne Yazid salami came across him. Kumail 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 wasn’t able to bear the onslaught and his men fled the scene. He ordered that the fleeing men needn’t be pursued nor the injured be killed. After defeating the Syrians, he informed Ameer al Momineen (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 ibne Aamir arrived with his contingent from Nasibain, he found that Kumail had defeated the enemy. He congratulated Kumail and proceeded in pursuit of the enemy force. He crossed the river Euphrates and reached till Balbek. When Muawiya knew about this, he sent a contingent under Habib ibne Maslima , but it couldn’t get near the contingent of Shabib. Now, instead of pursuing the enemy, Shabib attacked Riqa, a settlement of the supporters of Muawiya. 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 didn’t abstain from contending with the enemy.”
Ref: Tariq e Kamil, Vol 3, Page 191.
In the same year Muawiya sent Zohair ibne Makhool Amiri to the town of Samawa, which was under the Imam (a.s), for collecting the Zakat and Sadaqa. When the Imam (a.s) knew about this, he sent Jafar ibne Abd Allah Ashji,Arwa ibne Ashba Kalabi and Jalas Ibne Omair kalabi to collect Sadaqat from the trbes of Bani kalab and Bani Wael. When these persons reached there, they had a confrontation with the men of Muawiya. Jafar ibne Abd Allah was killed. Ibne Ashba was given a horse by Zohair and he escaped. He became a suspect in the eyes of the Imam (a.s) He reprimanded the person. Ibne Ashba moved over to the camp of Muawiya. Jalas too escaped. On the way he exchanged his expensive cloak with the cloak of a shepherd to avoid identification. Thus he reached Koofa with difficulty.
During those days , Muawiya sent Muslim ibne Uqba Mari to Domat al Jandal. The people there owed their allegiance neither to Hazrat Ali (a.s) nor to Muawiya. When the Imam (a.s) learned about the movements of Muslim, he sent Malik ibne KaabHamadani with a patrol of troops. When they came face to face, there was fight that went on for the complete day. In the end Uqba ran away. After he went, Malik asked the people there to owe their allegiance to the Imam (a.s). They didn’t agree and said that unless there is total concesus 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 Koofa, 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.
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Author: MUFTI JAFFER HUSSAIN
