Part Two: Role of Mu‘awiyah in the history of Islam
Mu‘awiyah in the time of the Prophet
Truly these two, Mu‘awiyah and ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, never turn to goodness and honesty.
The Prophet
Mu‘awiyah did not for a moment stay away from the leaders of infidelity at the point of the clash between paganism and Islam. Even on the day when he saw his father apparently embracing Islam, he addressed him with reproach¬ing verses saying:
“Oh Sakhr! Do not accept Islam since you will bring us disgrace,
After the death of the dear ones who were torn to pieces in the battle of Badr,
Both my uncles and my mother’s uncle, who was the third of those, killed;
And Hanzalah, my good brother, were those who turned our dawn’s sleep into wakefulness.
Do not even for a moment incline to Islam, since it will burden us with disgrace.
I swear to the camels, which go dancing on the way of Mecca,
That death is easier than the reproach of enemies,
Who may say, Abu Sufyan, son of Harb, turned away for fear of the idol al-‘Uzza.”
After the capture of Mecca, among those who embraced Islam, Mu‘awiyah appeared to turn to this religion, and he received his share of the spoils of the battle of Hunayn, given to the newly converted to incline them more to Islam, a share which consisted of a hundred camels and a large sum of silver.
It was in the last years of the Prophet’s life that he generously appointed Mu‘awiyah as one of his numerous scribes.
One day the Prophet sent Ibn ‘Abbas to fetch Mu‘awiyah to write a letter and carry out an order for him. Ibn ‘Abbas found him at his meal, so he returned and reported it to the Prophet. Once again Ibn ‘Abbas was asked to go to fetch Mu‘awiyah. After he found him still at his meal, and Mu‘awiyah refused to come. This incident occurred for the third time, and when Ibn ‘Abbas was unable to fetch him to carry out the Prophet, the Prophet cursed Mu‘awiyah with these words:“May God never satisfy his belly!”
Later on Mu‘awiyah stated:“The Prophet’s curse was fulfilled in my case”
, for, he partook of several meals a day, and an enormous quantity of food
and still he felt hungry, so that his gluttony had become proverbial, and the people said of a gluttonous person:“It seems as if Mu‘awiyah is in his belly!”
Irrespective of the position of scribe which was not so significant owing to the multiplicity of the Prophet’s scribes, Mu‘awiyah was not regarded as an important personality even though he was the son of the former chief of the Quraysh and top person of Mecca, since the position of Abu Sufyan as a chief no longer existed with the overthrow of the domination of the Quraysh. There were also other reasons for this indifference: firstly he did not possess such qualities as chastity and knowledge which inspire true respect. Secondly, now he was not financially so rich as to dazzle the shallow-minded with his wealth.
One day female Emigrant consulted the Prophet about her marriage with Mu‘awiyah or one of the two other Muslims. The Prophet said:“Mu‘awiyah is an indigent man who has no wealth.”
The future black deeds of Mu‘awiyah could not be hidden from the discerning and divinely penetrating eyes of the Prophet of Islam. Therefore on various occasions he warned the Muslims about Mu‘awiyah and his associates. We see many examples of this in historical incidents, such as the following:
One day when the Prophet was leaving Medina in a journey, he heard two people singing, and each one repeated the following line after the other:
“The bones of our friends are still exposed,
The war has prevented their burial and concealment,
The Prophet said: ‘find out who they are!’
They said: ‘They are Mu‘awiyah and ‘Amr ibn al-‘As!’
The Prophet raised his arms in prayer and said:
‘O God! Throw these two in mischief
And scorch them in the fire.’ “
In another tradition it is said that in the battle of Tabuk the Prophet noticed these two were walking while talking together. The Prophet turned to his friends and said: “Whenever you see these two together, separate them, for they never get together for any good purpose.”
In a third narration it is stated that the Prophet saw these two together and looked sharply at them. This encounter was repeated on the second and third days, and on each occasion he stared at them for several moments. On the third occasion he said to his friends:“Whenever you see Mu‘awiyah and ‘Amr ibn al-‘As together, you should keep them apart since their getting together is for no good purpose.”
One day Abu Sufyan was riding a horse and his two sons, Yazid and Mu‘awiyah accompanied him on foot, one of them holding the bridle and the other driving the horse from behind. When the Prophet saw this scene, he said:“O God, let your damnation descend on this rider and his guide and driver, and deny them your blessing.”
Many such words have remained from the Prophet which can be found in the books of history and tradition, all of which give a true picture of the personality of Mu‘awiyah from the viewpoint of the Prophet, and the true opinion of Islam about them.
Mu‘awiyah in the time of the caliphs
We quote the words of the Prophet even if Mu‘awiyah be displeased.
‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit
After the Prophet’s death when Abu Bakr became caliph, at first Abu Sufyan showed opposition to him; for, he was loath to see as a ruler, a member of the lowest of the Quraysh tribes, whereas there existed members of the higher Quraysh tribes such as Banu Hashim and Banu Umayyah, both of them of the branch of ‘Abd Manaf and each other’s cousins, who had received no share of such high positions despite their merit.
Therefore, for the first time he came to Imam ‘Ali and said:“O Abu al-Hasan! Offer your hand so that I may show allegiance to you!”
He was willing to do anything to attain his purpose, and declared:“I see a mist in the space, which cannot be cleared by anything except by blood.”
The conspirators of as-Saqifah were fully aware of the character of Abu Sufyan and his power. So they made an effort to keep him quiet and satisfied. ‘Umar said to Abu Bakr:“Let him keep the alms he has collected in the Prophet’s time so that we may be free from his evil.”
This was done and Abu Sufyan showed allegiance to Abu Bakr and accepted their rule; for, on the one hand he had no hope of becoming a ruler since no one would submit to him, and on the other hand Imam ‘Ali would not and could not support him. Therefore, he chose the third alternative, namely to collaborate with the authorities of the time. Thus Abu Sufyan joined the party of the administrators of as-Saqifah, and he and his household were placed in their rank.
As a reward for Abu Sufyan’s silence and collaboration, Abu Bakr appointed Yazid, Abu Sufyan’s son, as commander of a large army of Islamic warriors for the conquest of the ash-Sham region. This event occurred in the year 13 of the Hijrah, and Mu‘awiyah took part in this campaign under his brother’s command. After the conquest of ash-Sham, by the order of Abu Bakr, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan was granted the governorship of Damascus as well as the command of the army there.
During ‘Umar’s caliphate when Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan was stricken with plague, he nominated his brother Mu‘awiyah as the ruler of ash-Sham and commander of the army in his own place, and ‘Umar, the second caliph, accepted the nomination, and entrusted those positions to Mu‘awiyah
It was thence that the foundation of the rule and caliphate of the Umayyads was laid.
During the rule of Mu‘awiyah over ash-Sham, ‘Umar made a visit to that province on his way to Egypt. On entering Damascus, Mu‘awiyah went out with a magnificent retinue and received him with a ceremonious welcoming. When ‘Umar noticed all that pomp and ostentation of Mu‘awiyah, he exclaimed:“This man is an Arab Kasra!”
When Mu‘awiyah approached him, ‘Umar asked:“Is all this magnificent retinue yours?”
Mu‘awiyah answered:“Yes, O commander of the faithful!”
‘Umar said:“I am told that the needy turn to your court and stand at your door for long hours!”
Mu‘awiyah said:“Yes, what you have heard is true.”
‘Umar asked:“Why do you act in this way?”
Mu‘awiyah answered:“You see, we are living in a land where there are many enemy spies (Romans) and it is necessary to frighten them with our pomp and glory.”
The time of ‘Umar passed, and ‘Uthman became caliph, and on his assumption of power he granted Mu‘awiyah the rule over the whole region of ash-Sham of that day
in addition to the governorship of Damascus, and allowed him perfect liberty to act as he wished. Mu‘awiyah, too, continued his habitual selfish conduct and created a wholly aristocratic and pagan system, and nothing could hinder him from carrying out his evil fancies or desires.
Among the examples of these selfish acts are the incidents which occurred between him and ‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit Khazraji, a noble companion of the Prophet. ‘Ubadah was one of the twelve men of Medina who took part in the allegiance of ‘Aqabah, and who were given the honorable title of“Sheriffs”
. They were the first group of Muslims of Medina. ‘Ubadah was one of the few who compiled the Qur’an in the time of the Prophet.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab had sent this learned companion to ash-Sham during the rule of Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan to teach people the Holy Qur’an. He stayed in the town of Hims until Yazid’s death, and then with the assumption of power by Mu‘awiyah, he joined the Islamic army which was fighting at the Roman frontiers. Muslim, the great Sunni scholar and a famous traditionist, and author of the book“Sahih”
, narrates that Mu‘awiyah and ‘Ubadah had both taken part in one of the Islamic wars in which they were victorious and seized some spoils, including silver vessels, which were by the order of Mu‘awiyah offered for sale so that the price of them would be divided among the fighters. The people crowded to buy these silver vessels, and each vessel was sold at double its weight in silver. When ‘Ubadah heard this matter, he rose and exclaimed:“I have heard the Prophet forbidding the exchange of gold for gold and silver for silver except on an equal basis, and thus anyone who takes in excess of this amount, will have committed usury.”
On hearing this verdict, the people who had paid more claimed back the extra sum. When Mu‘awiyah heard of this matter, in great vexation he said:“How is it that people quote verdicts from the Prophet, whereas we who have been his close companions have never heard him utter such words?”
‘Ubadah rose and repeated his former words and added:“We will quote the words of the Prophet even if Mu‘awiyah be displeased.”
According to another narration, he had said:“Despite Mu‘awiyah, I don’t care even if he does not admit me one night in his army!”
According to Ahmad ibn Hanbal and an-Nisa’i, ‘Ubadah had said:“I swear to God that it does not matter at all if I do not spend one night in a land where Mu‘awiyah lives!”
In Usd al-ghabah and Siyar al-a‘lam an-nubala’ which give an account of ‘Ubadah, it is stated that he criticized some acts of Mu‘awiyah and declared them to be contrary to the explicit injunctions of Islam, and then added:“I will not stay in the same land with you.”
Then he left ash-Sham for Medina. ‘Umar who was still caliph, asked him why had come to Medina. ‘Ubadah narrated the improper acts of Mu‘awiyah for him. ‘Umar said:“Go back to your former place. May God bring shame on that land in which you and others like you do not live! He can never have domination over you.”
adh-Dhahabi adds in Siyar al-a‘lam: One day ‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit was in the mosque with Mu‘awiyah. The Muezzin called for prayer, and then a preacher climbed the pulpit and in his sermon he praised Mu‘awiyah. ‘Ubadah rose and threw a handful of dust at the preacher’s mouth. Mu‘awiyah became very angry. ‘Ubadah turned to him and said:“You were not with us on the day in the land of ‘Aqabah.
Before the emigration when we made a pact with the Prophet to uphold the truth wherever we were. We have promised not to fear any reproacher wherever we are. Then Prophet said: Whenever you see a person praising another to his face, throw dust at him.”
Another day Mu‘awiyah spoke in the sermon he was giving about escaping from plague. ‘Ubadah interrupted him by saying:“Your mother, Hind, was wiser than you!”
Mu‘awiyah ended his sermon and performed the prayer. Then he returned to his palace and sent for ‘Ubadah. Several of the Ansar of ash-Sham accompanied ‘Ubadah, but government officials refused to admit them, so ‘Ubadah alone was taken to Mu‘awiyah’s presence. Mu‘awiyah said to him:“Have you no fear of God, and do you not feel respectful in the presence of your Imam?”
‘Ubadah answered:“Do you not know that in the night of ‘Aqabah I made a pact with the Prophet not to fear any reproach in the way of God.”
Later that day Mu‘awiyah went to the mosque for the afternoon prayers, and then on the pulpit he addressed the people, saying:“I quoted a tradition for you earlier today. Then I realized that what ‘Ubadah had said was true. Follow him, for, he is wiser than me!”
These events which show a greater degree of mildness, occurred during ‘Umar’s rule, who, owing to his coarseness, did not allow anyone to go to excess.
Mu‘awiyah and ‘Uthman
They brought wine for us and Mu‘awiyah kept on drinking it heedlessly.
‘Abd Allah ibn Buraydah - a companion of the Prophet
Mu‘awiyah’s position in the time of ‘Uthman was different from his state in the time of the first two caliphs. In ‘Uthman’s time he was given a free hand which enabled him to loosen all the ties of law and morality, and his power and wealth had made him wholly oblivious of all Islamic and human matters, and dragged him to the point of winebibbing.
Ibn ‘Asakir and adh-Dhahabi, two greater historians, narrate: One day ‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit was walking along one of the streets of Damascus. He noticed a caravan of camels carrying loads. He asked:“What is the load? Is it olive oil?”
Someone said:“No, it is wine; they take it to Mu‘awiyah who has ordered them.”
‘Ubadah at once found a knife and ripped open all the skins of wine. Abu Hurayrah lived in ash-Sham at this time. During the Prophet’s time he was not considered of any account, but after him, owing to the favour shown to him by the caliphate, he was greatly respected. So Mu‘awiyah sent someone to him with this message:“Why don’t you check your brother in his deeds? He goes to the market every morning and hinders tributaries from their transactions, and sits in the mosque at doing nothing but blemishing our honour and prestige.”
At Mu‘awiyah’s request Abu Hurayrah went to ‘Ubadah and said to him:“What is your business with Mu‘awiyah? Leave him alone and do not molest him.”
‘Ubadah said:“Abu Hurayrah! You were not with us on the day we made a pact with the Prophet of God to obey his orders to the effect to do our best in enjoining good and forbidding evil, and have no fear of any reproach, for the sake of Allah.”
Abu Hurayrah had no answer to give but to remain silent. So Mu‘awiyah wrote to ‘Uthman:“ ‘Ubadah has ruined and corrupted ash-Sham and its inhabitants. Summon him and either prevent him from such deeds, or allow me to hand over ash-Sham to him.”
‘Uthman wrote in answer:“Expel ‘Ubadah from the city and send him back to his house in Medina.”
Historians write:“When ‘Ubadah returned to Medina, he went to see ‘Uthman. ‘Uthman was sitting in his house and on looking up, he saw ‘Ubadah in front of him. So he said: “What is your business with us? Why do you interfere in our affairs?”
‘Ubadah arose from amidst the people said:“I heard the Prophet state: After me such people govern you who accustom you to forbidden things and pollution’s with their actions, and at the same time they will criticize the good deeds with which you are familiar. Therefore it is not right to obey the rebellious. Take care not to be diverted from the way of your God.”
According to Ibn ‘Asakir, ‘Ubadah continued by saying:“I swear in the Name of Him in Whose Capable Hand lies the life of ‘Ubadah, that Mu‘awiyah belongs to this group of people. ‘Uthman said nothing in answer and did not protest at all.”
The story of Mu‘awiyah’s excess in drinking and his involvement’s and attitude towards the remaining friends of the Prophet is not the only incident related to him and ‘Ubadah. Historians have written that ‘Abd ar-Rahman, son of Sahl ibn Zayd al-Ansari, had during ‘Uthman’s time, gone to ash-Sham and Damascus to take part in the frontier’s holy war, and as we know, at this time Mu‘awiyah was governor of ash-Sham.
One day on passing in the street he noticed several skins of wine being carried. He had a spear in his hand and rushed upon them and ripped them open. The servants who were in charge of the skins fell upon him. When the matter was reported to Mu‘awiyah he told his men to leave him alone since he had gone crazy. Mu‘awiyah’s remark was reported to ‘Abd ar-Rahman who said:“By God! I have not gone crazy, but the Prophet had ordered us never to bring wine into our houses, and I swear that if I stay in this land and notice Mu‘awiyah doing what the Prophet has forbidden, I will either rip his belly or lose my life for it.”
Ahmad ibn Hanbal writes in his book of Musnad quoting ‘Abd Allah ibn Buraydah, narrating: I went to see Mu‘awiyah with my father. He told us to sit down on the floor covered with carpets and ordered to bring us food. We partook of it. Then they brought wine. He drank some then offered my father a cupful. My father refused it, saying:“Since the day the Prophet has forbidden wine, I have abstained from it.”
Other stories, too, have been told about Mu‘awiyah’s excesses in drinking wine, and Ibn ‘Asakir
mentions them in his history books. Those who are interested can refer to that reliable source.
Abu Dharr facing Mu‘awiyah
The blue sky has never thrown its shadow over anyone more honest than Abu Dharr!
The Prophet
In ‘Uthman’s time, Mu‘awiyah had some violent encounters with Abu Dharr, the well-known companion of the Prophet and the great upright Muslim, an account of which is too lengthy, so we will describe them briefly here.
Historians say: Abu Dharr, that devout Muslim and true believer of Islam, believed in God even in pagan times, and was wholly averse towards the worship of idols.
When he heard the news of the rise of a prophet in Mecca, he traveled to that city, and was the fourth or fifth person to embrace Islam.
The day after embracing Islam he went to the mosque of al-Haram and loudly declared his faith amidst Qurayshi infidels. They rushed upon him from every side and beat him so badly that his whole body was covered with blood, and as a result he fell down unconscious. Had not al-‘Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle come to his aid, he might have died under the cruel assaults of the Quraysh. An hour later, he rose with a stiff and injured body and went to a corner to wash his wounds and rest his battered body.
Next day he went to the mosque again and loudly exclaimed:“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.”
For, he was never afraid of anything in the way of truth. Once more the people rushed upon him and beat him almost to death, leaving him unconscious again.
The following day he emigrated from Mecca to his tribe by the order of the Prophet to invite them to Islam, and stay with them until they were converted. Abu Dharr returned to his tribe of Ghifar, and made many efforts to convert them to Islam. Many years passed until he heard the news of the Prophet’s arrival in Medina and his rise to power and glory. So he set off from his home to stay with his beloved Prophet and feel at peace in his association with him. His emigration to Medina took place after the battle of al-Khandaq. Thenceforth he never left the Prophet’s side, and benefited greatly from his infinite store of knowledge and spirituality, and showed great loyalty and self-sacrifice, and engaged in so many religious acts of devotion and reflection that he became one of the dearest friends of the Prophet.
He has been praised greatly in many genuine traditions by the Prophet. Such as the following:
1-”The blue sky has never thrown its shadow over anyone more honest than Abu Dharr.”
2-In the battle of Tabuk, when his old and weak camel could not keep pace with others Abu Dharr was left behind. He had to abandon the camel. Then he carried his load on his own back and proceeded to march towards the Prophet’s army. The hot desert and scorching sands made this march very difficult, but his true faith made it easy to bear all the hardships. He made a great effort until he finally reached the army. When the Prophet noticed the lonely figure of him approaching the warriors of Islam, he said:“May God bless Abu Dharr; he walks alone, dies alone and will be resurrected alone.”
From the time ‘Uthman became caliph until the days he made innovations for the enhancing the influence of his kith and kin, several years passed. Therefore at the beginning of his caliphate when he followed the ways of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, the Quraysh chiefs were satisfied with him. But when some of the Umayyads began to influence him, and other Quraysh leaders such as Talhah, az-Zubayr, ‘A’ishah, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As and their supporters were treated with indifference, displeasure and difference arose.
He offered an enormous gift to his son-in-law, Marwan, namely the taxes of a large region like Africa;
three hundred thousand drachmas to his cousin, al-Harith ibn al-Hakam; one hundred thousand drachmas to his supporter, Zayd ibn Thabit al-Ansari.
When Abu Dharr saw that Muslims’ public fund was being squandered and the Islamic government, as Abu Sufyan said, was changed into a pagan one, he felt it his duty to revive the forgotten injunctions of the Qur’an and deliver the Muslims from their negligence towards the Qur’an and Prophet’s household. It was owing to this feeling that Abu Dharr adopted this smashing verse of the Qur’an as his slogan:
“Those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend in Allah’s way, warn them of a painful chastisement.”
This verse was addressed to the Umayyads who regarded other people’s property and public funds as their own and easily made use of them. They gave them away, built palaces, and spent them extravagantly. Consequently the caliph’s administrators took umbrage at Abu Dharr’s words, and sharp altercations between Abu Dharr and ‘Uthman took place. ‘Uthman was aware that no compromise was possible with that true and God-fearing warrior of Islam, and Abu Dharr showed no mercy with the pagan customs, which were being revived under the cover of Islam, and he did not allow them a formal recognition. So ‘Uthman ordered him to go to ash-Sham and to the border where the Muslims were fighting the Romans, hoping that Abu Dharr would be involved with these wars, and leave the caliph’s organization alone.
But who was governing ash-Sham except the Mu‘awiyah a man of the Umayyads, and an heir of black paganism, and a hypocrite in the garb of Islam? Therefore in ash-Sham, too, Abu Dharr could not abandon his duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil. As we have already stated, Mu‘awiyah acted as a great pillar of paganism which with the aid of ‘Uthman, was now governing the wide realm of Islam. Consequently there occurred clashes since Abu Dharr reminded Mu‘awiyah of his deeds which lacked the hue of Islam and were nothing but infidelity and selfishness, and forbade him from engaging in them.
One day Mu‘awiyah sent him three hundred dinars. When Abu Dharr saw Mu‘awiyah’s messenger and the gold dinars, he said:“If this money is my annual salary from the public fund of which you deprived me last year, I will accept it, but if it is meant to be a gift, I have no need of it.”
When Mu‘awiyah began the construction of his palace, a big palace of green stones which was unrivaled in the world at that time and was a symbol of paganism and sensuality in the land of Islam, Abu Dharr protested loudly to Mu‘awiyah:“If you are building this palace with public funds and God’s property, your action is treachery, since such funds should be spent on the amelioration of the conditions of the Muslims and Islam and they do not belong to any particular person. But if it is built out of your own wealth, then it would be a sign of extravagance; for, how many things does a single person need for his daily life?”
Mu‘awiyah had nothing to say, and Abu Dharr as usual emerged victorious in this argument with his power of reasoning. Abu Dharr had often said to him:“I swear to God, you have committed such acts the examples of which we do not remember in our Islamic customs, and know nothing like them. By God! Such deeds are mentioned neither in the Book of God, nor in the ways and traditions of His prophet. I am witnessing the right being suppressed and the wrong coming into surface. Truth is negated, and the incompetent and unabstemious are exalted, and a noble and pious person like Imam ‘Ali is forced to retire to his house.”
The people gathered round this old man who was full of love for God and sympathy for people, to hear the sincere words which he uttered in defense of Unity, truth and Islam. But unfortunately the pestilential organization of Mu‘awiyah would not tolerate him, and his soldiers shouted:“O people! No one should associate with Abu Dharr!”
He was one of the few true Muslims who still lived in that land, and as Islam could not tolerate paganism, paganism, too, could not tolerate Islam.
A historian writes: One night Mu‘awiyah sent Abu Dharr one thousand dinars, and he in turn immediately divided that money among the needy people since Islamic training and ascetic spirit had no liking for collecting worldly treasures. In the morning when Mu‘awiyah came for prayer, he summoned the previous night’s messenger and told him to go to Abu Dharr and say to him:“Save me from Mu‘awiyah’s punishment. The money, which I brought to you, was a mistake. Please give it back to me to deliver it to its original place, and be thus immune from Mu‘awiyah’s punishment.”
When the messenger delivered his message, Abu Dharr said to him:“My son, tell Mu‘awiyah that Abu Dharr says: I swear to God that at this dawn not a single dinar remains with me. Give me three days’ respite to take the money back from the needy.”
Mu‘awiyah realized that Abu Dharr is not merely a man of talk, but engages in action at the first opportunity, and thus he proves his words. So Mu‘awiyah felt apprehensive of him, and an old man like Abu Dharr with his Islamic belief and deeds posed a threat to him making his backspin shiver with fear. At this time he took refuge with his master, ‘Uthman, and wrote to him:“If you have authority over ash-Sham and its people, summon Abu Dharr since he fills people’s minds with rancor.”
According to al-Baladhuri, ‘Uthman wrote to Mu‘awiyah in answer:“Make Abu Dharr mount a rough and uneasy ride and send him back to Medina.”
Consequently they made him ride an unruly camel and proceed non-stop to Medina. It was a long and exhausting journey in a dry and sandy desert, led by cruel and inhuman guards.
al-Ya‘qubi gives further details and says: ‘Uthman wrote to Mu‘awiyah:“Put him on a saddleless camel and send him to us.”
‘Uthman’s strict order was carried out about this man of God, and as a result when he reached Medina he had lost much of the flesh of his legs.
al-Mas‘udi says: They made him mount a camel, which had only a dry niece of wood on its back, and he was guarded by five coarse men of as-Saqalabah
who forced him to move swiftly. This went on until they reached Medina. His thighs were badly sore and showed raw flesh. In short, during those few days he had suffered so much that he was almost on the point of death.
But this brave and valiant man was not so weak as to be vanquished by such treatments, nor had he forgotten his duties towards the Qur’an and the Prophet’s household as to come to terms with ‘Uthman. He was like a steadfast mountain that could not be moved by any event. Consequently the moment he reached Medina, he cried out vigorously and rose once more to fight the ‘Uthmanic paganism. He said protestingly:“They appoint children as administrators and arrange fiefs and feuds for themselves. They raise and exalt the offsprings of the men freed after the capture of Mecca and bestow on them rank and dignity.”
It was the reward and lot of this godly man to be exiled to ar-Rabadhah, a very dry and waterless desert in which Abu Dharr had stayed before Islam and which he disliked immensely.
Thenceforth the rest of Abu Dharr’s life was spent in ar-Rabadhah, that terribly dry and lifeless desert. It was in the same place, too, that he lost his wife and children, and he himself died of hunger and illness. Only one of his daughters stayed alive to live.
According to historians, Abu Dharr spent one year in ash-Sham where he had been exiled in the year 29 of the Hijrah. In the year 30 Mu‘awiyah complained of him to ‘Uthman, following which he was summoned to Medina in the sorry conditions described before. Then in the same year he was exiled to ar-Rabadhah, where he died in the year 31 or 32 of the Hijrah.
A fable in the history of Islam
Many things have been said about the reason for Abu Dharr’s exile which I feel disgusted to mention.
at-Tabari
What we have described in the proceeding pages concerning Abu Dharr’s life, and his exiles from Medina to ash-Sham, from ash-Sham to Medina and from Medina to ar-Rabadhah, was only a brief account derived from the reliable researches of historians. But what has been narrated about this subject by at-Tabari and his followers, namely Ibn al-Athir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Khaldun and Abu al-Fida’ are a series of lies and forgeries all of which were originally fabricated by Sayf ibn ‘Umar, the great Kufi interpolator and forger of history. at-Tabari and succeeding historians have adopted the historical events of those years from the fables invented in the imagination of Sayf and have thus filled their books and history of Islam with these lies and fables.
at-Tabari writes in his history: In this year, namely the year 30 of the Hijrah, the incident of Abu Dharr has taken place, namely his expulsion from ash-Sham to Medina by Mu‘awiyah. Narrators have said much about this hideous exile which I have no inclination to quote.
But those who offer an excuse for Mu‘awiyah in this incident, have quoted a story narrated by Sayf from Yazid al-Faq‘asi. He says:“When Ibn as-Sawda’ arrived in ash-Sham, he met Abu Dharr and said to him: Abu Dharr, are you not surprised at Mu‘awiyah who says: ‘Wealth belongs to God’, whereas everything belongs to God? Then he adds: Mu‘awiyah intends to swallow the whole of the public funds and revenue, and deprive the Muslims of it.”
Here at-Tabari is quoting the story of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, the fabulous hero of the history of Islam, with the title of Ibn as-Sawda’, and we have shown in the book of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, two volumes of which have been published, that it is full of lies and fables, and interested readers can refer to them.
All the historians who have succeeded at-Tabari have more or less followed his example in quoting the said story. For example, Ibn al-Athir, the great historian of the 7th century, writes in his history book: ‘In that year (30th of the Hijrah) the incident of Abu Dharr’s exile from ash-Sham to Medina by Mu‘awiyah took place. Many things have been said about the motive and cause of this matter including Mu‘awiyah’s abuses and threats to Abu Dharr and his expulsion on a bare camel, his exile to Medina in that tragic state, which should be left, unsaid. If it is true, it would be fitting to offer an excuse for ‘Uthman about this matter such as the claim that a ruler and imam can chastise his subject and so on, and not make use of such incidents as a basis of irony and criticism towards ‘Uthman. These narrations contain matters, which I do not like to quote. But Mu‘awiyah’s apologists have offered some excuses in this connection. They write...”
Then he narrates the story of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, the imaginary and untrue hero of the stories of Sayf ibn ‘Umar from at-Tabari, and this is exactly what Ibn Kathir, Ibn Khaldun and others have done. But when we refer to at-Tabari’s words, we see that he does not disregard the numerous calamities, which have befallen Abu Dharr owing to their being false and forged, but he merely does not like to quote them, since he does not wish to blemish such Prophet’s companions as ‘Uthman and Mu‘awiyah.
Then he speaks of apologists and excuse-makers and fills his great book with their false and fabulous reports, such reports which he himself calls“fibs”
. Thus he closes the door of truth seeking upon future investigators, and throws the chaste visage of such a great man as Abu Dharr into the depth of obscurity.
The conduct of Ibn al-Athir, the great historian of the middle centuries of the history of Islam, is similar. He, too, collaborates with at-Tabari in this great crime and truth-destroying history, and after referring to a number of issues, despite the fact that the sources do not weaken his statements, he avoids going into details, since he thinks that such matters should not be described fully for, such a description would be detrimental to the powerful Umayyads and caliphs.
But to-day we neither intend to cavil anyone, nor to find baseless excuses for him. We are only trying to find the truth of historical events for the sake of doing service to the sacred field of knowledge. We will not, of course, forgive these great scholars for their connivance at the facts of the history of Islam; for, their purpose has been nothing but to please the powerful and the ruling caliphs by their works.
* * *
As we saw, at-Tabari quotes the story of Abu Dharr from Sayf, and other historians have either borrowed it directly from Sayf or through at-Tabari. This story is part of the fable of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, which is fabricated by Sayf ibn ‘Umar. We have dealt with it in the second volume of this book in connection with the fable of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’ and its origin and source. Here we add that the story of Abu Dharr and most of the fables of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’ have been quoted solely by Sayf from a person named Yazid al-Faq‘asi.
Now we should see who this Yazid al-Faq‘asi is and what his narration is to discover the identity of this man, we have referred to all the available sources about personalities, traditions, history, biography, genealogy and Islamic and Arab literature, and have not found the slightest trace of his name or mention of him, except in the narrations quoted from Sayf by at-Tabari and adh-Dhahabi. Such narrations are no more than six in number, five of which are seen in at-Tabari, and one in adh-Dhahabi’s“History of Islam”
.
In these narrations Sayf has quoted the story of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’ from Yazid al-Faq‘asi, and one of them is related to the story of Abu Dharr. In this one Sayf has lowered Abu Dharr, that great companion and secret-keeper of the Prophet, to a point where he, under the influence of an unknown Jew, namely
‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, engages in riot and uprising against Mu‘awiyah and other Umayyad rulers, and thus causes mischief in an Islamic environment. This narration concludes that in all these riots the Umayyads, namely ‘Uthman, Mu‘awiyah and others have not been guilty at all and that their son-in-law been a perfectly virtuous man!
After a long and careful investigation about the source of the story of Abu Dharr and ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, we came to the conclusion that all these fables are borrowed from Sayf ibn ‘Umar by all writers of history, and Sayf, the forger and fabricator of events, in order to give validity to a story and narration, invents a narrator named Yazid al-Faq‘asi, and this fictitious narrator is artificially related to the house of al-Faq‘asi which is a branch of the Asad tribe.
But in none of these narrations does Sayf mention him, as if he considered him to be fatherless!
In fact the real father of this narrator and all those fabricated companions and narrators who are the heroes of Sayf’s stories, and the father of ‘Abd Allah ibn Saba’, the greatest hero of his fables, is Sayf ibn ‘Umar at-Tamimi himself who is the first producer of all these lies, and no one else has been his partner.
Unfortunately most great writers of history such as at-Tabari, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn ‘Asakir, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Ibn Hajar and many others have filled their books with the fabrications of that great liar and atheistic forger named Sayf ibn ‘Umar. Consequently the views of most Mus¬lims about the friends of the Prophet are based to day on those fables, and they tend to know Islam through them.
Will they allow us after twelve centuries to pull these fables out of the traditions and history of Islam and throw them away in order to open the way for a true understanding of Islam for all people?
The Quranic memorizers and interpreters of Kufah in ash-Sham
Mu‘awiyah was deeply averse to the stay of the Prophet’s great companions in ash-Sham.
The clashes of Mu‘awiyah were not confined to such men as Abu Dharr. This ungodly man Mu‘awiyah, who was the heir of paganism with all its peculiarities came into conflict with anyone who had even slightly discovered the truth of Islam. Consequently he quarreled violently with the Kufah memorizers and interpreters of the Qur’an, who had been exiled to Sham.
al-Baladhuri, the great historian, writes in his reliable book of Ansab al-ashraf: When ‘Uthman dismissed al-Walid from the governorship of Kufah and replaced him by Sa‘id ibn al-‘As, he ordered the latter to treat the people of that city leniently and try not to confront them as al-Walid had done. So Sa‘id kept the company of the dignitaries and Quranic interpreters of the city and they got together every night, and discussed various matters.
One day in this gathering the talk led to the subject of Sawad and al-Jabal
. Those present preferred the flourishing state and greenness of Sawad to Jabal, and claimed that in the fields and gardens of Sawad all kinds of crops could be found, in addition to date palms. The city’s chief of police said:“I wish these lands belonged to the Emir so that you could own better fields and gardens.”
Malik al-Ashtar answered:“If your wish is for the Emir, wish him to obtain better fields and gardens than ours. Do not wish him to obtain property. Let us keep ours!”
That man said:“What harm does that wish do to you that has angered you? By God, if he decided and wanted it, he could take possession of all these fields and gardens!”
al-Ashtar answered:“I swear to God that even if he decides to take possession of them, he is not capable of it.”
Sa‘id ibn al-‘As became angry at these words and said to those present:“The fields and gardens of Sawad under any circumstances belong to the Quraysh.”
(Meaning the Umayyads and such tribes as Taym and ‘Adi who were in Mecca, and not to the Ansar who were originally from Yemen, to which group Malik al-Ashtar and most inhabitants of Kufah belonged.)
al-Ashtar answered sharply:“Do you wish to make for yourself and your relatives a fief of the fruits of our wars and what God has granted us? I swear to God that if anyone covets the lands and fields of that region, we will pound him so heavily as to be a lesson to him.”
Then al-Ashtar rushed upon the chief of the police, but he was checked by those present. Sa‘id ibn al-‘As wrote an account of this incident to ‘Uthman and stated:“So long as al-Ashtar and his friends, who are called the Qaris of Kufah and are nothing but ignorant and stupid people, remain in this city, I cannot keep control of anything.”
‘Uthman wrote back:“Send them to ash-Sham.’ Thus these Kufah Qaris, namely these Quranic interpreters who had quarreled with Sa‘id, left Kufah and settled in Damascus in ash-Sham. Mu‘awiyah with his particular cunningness Considered it necessary at first to show a welcome to these exiled Qaris, and thus he treated them kindly and respectfully. But this treatment could not last long, since al-Ashtar and his friends were valiant, honest and devout individuals who could not sincerely associate with such a cunning, hypocritical and ungodly man as Mu‘awiyah.
At last what was expected to happen, took place and a violent altercation occurred between Mu‘awiyah and al-Ashtar, and a severe quarrel ensued. al-Ashtar was seized and imprisoned for quite a long time. After he was set free, conditions assumed a different form. Now al-Ashtar and his friends, who stayed away from the ruler of ash-Sham, chose to associate with the people of the streets and markets of Damascus. Mu‘awiyah reported this matter to ‘Uthman and stated: “You have sent to me such individuals who have corrupted their own city and caused a riot there. I am not secure from the danger of there corrupting my entourage and the people of Damascus, too, and teach them things, which they had not known so far. Thus the people of ash-Sham will be as corrupt as the Kufans and will lose their mental health and equilibrium.”
‘Uthman thought of a way, namely to send al-Ashtar and his friends to a remote and insignificant town where they could not do much harm. So he ordered to deport them to the town of Hims, and this order was carried out.
al-Mada’ini, the famous historian of the early centuries of Islam, narrates that they had some gatherings with Mu‘awiyah in ash-Sham where they had heated arguments with each other. For instance, one day Mu‘awiyah said to them:“All the Qurayshis know that Abu Sufyan was the noblest and most exalted member of them, with the exception of the Prophet who was chosen by God and respected by all. If Abu Sufyan had been the father of everyone, all of them would have been great, docile and forbearing men.”
Sa‘sa‘ah ibn Sawhan retorted at once:“You are lying Mu‘awiyah! Human beings are produced by someone (meaning Adam) who had definitely been better than Abu Sufyan, by a man whom God created with His own hand and by His own power, and into whom He breathed His own spirit, and ordered the angels to prostrate themselves before him. Nevertheless among his offsprings there appeared good and wicked ones, intelligent and stupid ones, and they were not all the same in character.”
As we saw, Mu‘awiyah was displeased with the stay in ash-Sham of the Prophet’s true friends and companions and of such individuals as Abu Dharr and ‘Ubadah. Similarly he had no desire that the interpreters and followers of the Qur’an and honest and devout persons should reside in that city. This matter vexed him so much that these individuals would divulge to the people certain truths, which had been hidden from them, and inform them of divine injunctions, in which case Mu‘awiyah could no longer carry on his selfish life in the manner of the tyrants of the time, like Caesars and Kasras.
Mu‘awiyah after ‘Uthman
God forbid that I should lake the perverse as my aids.
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib
As we have already seen
owing to the greed and crimes of the relatives of ‘Uthman who had the ruling power behind them, riots and rebellions spread over big Islamic cities, and dissatisfied Muslims placed ‘Uthman in straitened circumstances in Medina. This third caliph wrote to Mu‘awiyah in the same way that he had written to other governors, asking for help. He said in his letter:“The people of Medina have resorted to infidelity and disobedience and have violated their allegiance. Let the warriors of ash-Sham mount any kind of animal, and dispatch them to my aid.”
Mu‘awiyah received the letter. He was well aware of the chaotic conditions, and was probably waiting for the death of ‘Uthman and his removal as a powerful rival, in order to get one step nearer to the seat of caliphate. Therefore, despite all his debt to ‘Uthman, he showed no haste in sending help, and accounted for his negligence by declaring:“I have no wish to oppose all the friends and companions of the Prophet.”
What a deception and cunning¬ness he displayed!
When he took so long in giving a positive response to the caliph’s letter, ‘Uthman wrote to the people of ash-Sham themselves, asking them to leave their city and hasten to his aid.
al-Baladhuri writes: When ‘Uthman wrote to Mu‘awiyah asking for his help, Mu‘awiyah sent Yazid ibn Asad al-Qasri with a group of soldiers towards Medina, but ordered that on-their arrival at Dhu Khushub
they should set up a camp there and proceed no further.
With such an order, the commander and his army proceeded towards Medina, and when they reached the zone of Dhu Khushub, they halted and lingered there so long until ‘Uthman was killed in the hands of the people. When all the riot and tumult subsided, Mu‘awiyah recalled Yazid ibn Asad, and the army returned to ash-Sham without having taken a positive step.
al-Baladhuri, the reliable historian of the third century of Hijrah, believes that Mu‘awiyah’s action was not without a plan and motive. He wished that ‘Uthman would be killed during the events so that he could claim the caliphate as ‘Uthman’s cousin.
But, as we know, events took a different course; the people gathered round Imam ‘Ali and chose him as caliph. When public allegiance was shown to Imam ‘Ali, Mu‘awiyah regretted his own negligence towards ‘Uthman; for, he saw that the caliphate was now out of his reach. Therefore, he thought of a new plan and a fresh trick. He secretly wrote to Talhah and az-Zubayr and tried to rouse their desire for the position of caliph.
These two were sensual men who loved money, and had tasted the sweetness of being wealthy in ‘Uthman’s time. Therefore they easily accepted Mu‘awiyah’s wicked offer.
His plan was to persuade those two, who pos¬sessed much influence and credit in those days, to fight with the Imam, using the pretext of claiming vengeance for the blood of ‘Uthman as an innocent caliph. Talhah and az-Zubayr were deceived by Mu‘awiyah’s trick and started the battle of al-Jamal, and, as we have already seen,
Talhah was killed at the beginning of the battle, and az-Zubayr, who had retired from fighting, was unchivalrously killed by a man of the Tamim tribe.
Thus two of the greatest rivals of Mu‘awiyah for the caliphate departed from the scene, since the death of rivals from each front would bring Mu‘awiyah one step nearer to his assumption of that position.
After Imam ‘Ali became caliph, he sent a messenger by name of Jarir to Mu‘awiyah to get allegiance. Mu‘awiyah said to Jarir:“Tell your friend I am willing to submit to him and show allegiance on two conditions: Firstly to make ash-Sham and Egypt my fief and let tributes of these lands be mine, and secondly not to impose on me the allegiance to anyone after his own death!”
These declarations clearly showed Mu‘awiyah’s intense desire for the caliphate. He knew well that he could not compete with Imam ‘Ali since he lacked all the virtues and merits by which Imam ‘Ali was known, and of which he was aware, and did not yet dare to rise in rebellion against the new caliph. He thought it more expedients to let others such as ‘A’ishah, Talhah and az-Zubayr pave the way for him. Therefore he considered it wiser to come to terms with the Imam, and by gaining the governorship of Egypt (Muslim part of Africa) he could add another extensive province to his dominion, so that after the death of the Imam he could more easily secure the position of the caliphate.
Jarir responded:“You may write to him whatever you like, and I shall write my report.”
Mu‘awiyah wrote his proposals to the Imam, and the Imam sent the following answer to Jarir:“Mu‘awiyah seems definitely resolved not to vow allegiance to me, and to do as he likes. He intends to detain and delay you so long as to secure the control of public opinion on his arrival. When I was in Medina, al-Mughayrah ibn-Shu‘bah suggested that I should let Mu‘awiyah remain in ash-Sham. I rejected this suggestion since I had no wish to let God see me desiring the aid of such perverse and wicked men as Mu‘awiyah. If he agrees to show allegiance to me, all is well, otherwise you may return soon.”
Ibn Kathir, the historian of the 8th century, writes in his history book of al-Bidayah wa an-nihayah: ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt wrote a letter to Mu‘awiyah reproaching him severely for writing to Imam ‘Ali and demanding the governorship of ash-Sham and Egypt, and included the following poetical lines in his letter:
“Mu‘awiyah! Do not lose ash-Sham, for it is your land,
Take care not to let enemies enter it who are as dangerous as vipers.
‘Ali is waiting to see what you answer;
Take a war as souvenir for him that whitens the black hair of the young.
Defend your ash-Sham with swords and spears.
Otherwise give way to submission in which lies security for him who desires no war.
O son of Harb! That letters which you wrote out of cupidity,
Will bring you many great calamities.
In that letter you have demanded things which you can never secure.
Even if you secure what you have asked, it won’t last more than one night.
You will wait so long for the fulfillment of your desire,
That you will eventually secure what is going to destroy you.
Therefore, do not heap up so many fancies in your head.
You can never deceive a man like ‘Ali with your cunning!
You have tested him sufficiently in the past
And seen that he built up what you demolished.
If his clutches penetrate you even once,
He will skin you. You who skinned others.”
Siffin, the battlefield of right and wrong
In Mu‘awiyah’s army five hundred Qur’ans were placed on spearheads.
al-Mas‘udi
We saw how Mu‘awiyah, despite all his indebtedness to ‘Uthman cunningly abstained from helping him, and delayed help to ‘Uthman so long that dissatisfied Muslims finally killed ‘Uthman. Maybe he intended thereby to remove a great obstacle in the way of his own aspirations to become the caliph. But following ‘Uthman’s assassination, and Contrary to Mu‘awiyah’s expectations, Imam ‘Ali was chosen as caliph by the people and it was him who took charge of the affairs and with his usual determination demanded allegiance and submission from him.
But Mu‘awiyah had made an evil and ruinous plan. He wished to fight the Imam under the pretext of the innocence of ‘Uthman and claiming revenge for his blood, an excuse, which had been brought up first in the battle of al-Jamal.
He hoped that in this way he would fulfill the great desire of his own and the will of his father Abu Sufyan, and seize control of the whole wide realm of Islam. Consequently he hung the bloody garment of ‘Uthman by the pulpit of the mosque of Damascus, and commissioned a number of white-bearded and affectedly meek old men to gather round it and weep. Then in his sermon he declared ‘Uthman to be an innocent guardian of the people who was killed unjustly and those who had murdered him must suffer vengeance for his blood. The people of ash-Sham were easily deceived by this scene making. Was it not true that they had been made to embrace Islam by his brother, Yazid, and had been governed by Mu‘awiyah for twenty years? Therefore their simple-mindedness and their conduct which had been shaped by the Umayyads as well as their being accustomed to a life under them, had prepared them to accept the ideas and plans of Mu‘awiyah. Therefore, all the people of ash-Sham showed allegiance and obedience to him.
The ash-Shamis wanted to fight the Imam and were led to mistakenly believe that the assassins of ‘Uthman were enjoying his protection. So they decided to seize the culprits and kill them in revenge for ‘Uthman’s blood. Allegiance was made with Mu‘awiyah and the people of ash-Sham prepared themselves to accompany him in a war against Imam ‘Ali. The two armies faced each other at Siffin in the lunar month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal (Rabi‘ I) in the year 36 of the Hijrah.
The two armies remained in the wide plain of Siffin on the bank of the river Euphrates long. Imam ‘Ali was in the habit of not making the first move in any of the wars, since this was the way of Islam and its counsel. He was always ready to defend. During the beginning days Mu‘awiyah ordered his army to take control of the way to the river and blocked the way of access to water for Imam ‘Ali’s army. Although ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, the cunning counselor of Mu‘awiyah, had advised him against it, arguing that Imam ‘Ali would never let his army remain thirsty, Mu‘awiyah did not abstain from that wicked move. But al-Ashtar, the brave commander of ‘Ali’s army, with his unceasing efforts captured the route of access to water from Mu‘awiyah army, and then the Imam in a manner fitting his noble and generous position as a religious leader, sent the following message to Mu‘awiyah:
“We do not retaliate your mean action by a wrong deed. You and we are on an equal footing in the access to water. You may use and benefit from it, since water is for everybody’s use.”
The trickery of Mu‘awiyah
Place the Qur’ans on spearheads.
Mu‘awiyah
This was the first encounter of the two armies. A relative calmness reigned over the battlefield for a long time, since Imam ‘Ali was doing his utmost not to impose his views by means of force and war. But the ash-Shamis spoke of nothing but avenging“‘Uthman’s blood”
.
In the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, some minor clashes took place between the two armies without producing any decisive result, and owing to the commencement of the month of Muharram (in which fighting is forbidden) both sides desisted from combat. But after the end of Muharram, the fight was resumed. During this time Mu‘awiyah tried hard to gain the Imam’s writ granting him the governorship of ash-Sham and thus put an end to the war. But the Imam could not at any cost accept the co-operation of such a man as Mu‘awiyah.
In a fierce clash and owing to the valor and steadfastness of the army of the Imam, the right wing of his forces succeeded in advancing as far as the tent of Mu‘awiyah, while the left wing retreated before the onslaught of the army of ash-Sham. It was then that the Imam himself entered the field and organized the retreating wing. Then he invited Mu‘awiyah to a man-to-man combat so that with the death of one of the two an end would be put to the differences between the two sides, and all the bloodshed which was undesirable in his opinion, would cease. But Mu‘awiyah refused the challenge for fear of his life, since he felt sure that he could not escape the powerful clutches of the Imam.
Fighting continued into the night, and by dawn the final defeat of ash-Sham’s army became evident. Malik al-Ashtar, the valiant man of Kufah, on the right wing and the Imam himself in the center made severe onslaughts on the enemy. The columns of the Kufah army had also penetrated deeply into the ash-Sham’s front. Mu‘awiyah was preparing to flee, for his defeat was close at hand, and this great pillar of paganism and infidelity was about to topple over, and the rule of ‘Ali was to be established over the whole realm of Islam. Suddenly ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, the cunning adviser of Mu‘awiyah, thought of a devilish plan, and by his suggestion and Mu‘awiyah’s order the soldiers of ash-Sham placed copies of the Qur’an on their spearheads and shouted the slogan“We will submit to the verdict of the Qur’an.”
Five hundred copies of the Qur’an went up on spearheads.
Those men of the Imam’s army who had not really understood Islam were deceived by this great trick, and with the exception of steadfast warriors, no one could escape from its effect, especially on the hirelings of Mu‘awiyah and hypocrites of the Kufah army such as al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays were meanwhile doing their worst to create mischief and sedition.
Despite the advises of the Imam and some wise men of his army to the effect that this act of Mu‘awiyah was nothing but trickery and deceitfulness and despite the fact that they had been called to follow the Qur’an, they had shown no inclination, and the simple-minded rebels of Imam’s army headed by al-Ash‘ath refused to accept reason. As we have said, there was also some treason at work and Mu‘awiyah’s agents were trying in every possible way to prevent unity and unanimity.
At this time on the one hand Malik al-Ashtar had smashed the army of Mu‘awiyah and was on the point of ending the battle in favour of the army of Iraq, and on the other hand al-Ash‘ath and his supporters were putting a great pressure on the Imam to order al-Ashtar to return. The Imam ordered Malik to return, but Malik said:“Tell the Imam this not a suitable moment to recall me from the front. I am relying on God to grant me a speedy victory.”
The messenger returned and reported Malik’s answer. At the same moment a terrible dust rose and the shouts of the warriors filled the whole space, displaying the victory of the Iraqi army and defeat of ash-Sham’s forces. Those who had surrounded the Imam cried out:“Have you ordered al-Ashtar to fan up the flame of war?”
The Imam said:“Woe upon you! Did I send my messenger with a secret message? Did I not give him instruction in a loud voice within your hearing?”
They said:“Send another message to al-Ashtar to return, otherwise we will leave you!”
The Imam sent the message telling al-Ashtar to return since a riot and sedition had started. al-Ashtar asked:“Why? Do they make this riot only because the enemies have placed their Qur’ans on spearheads?”
The messenger said:“Yes!”
al-Ashtar said:“By God! I fear that this matter will produce a division amongst us. It is an action suggested by the son of Nabighah
in order to produce a deadlock for us. Don’t you see that God has granted us victory? Would it be right for me to withdraw from the battle at such a moment?”
The messenger said:“Do you wish to get victory in the battlefield while they kill the Imam or surrender him to the enemy? They have said to the Imam: ‘Either make al-Ashtar return, or we will kill you with our swords in the same way that we killed ‘Uthman, or we hand you over to your enemy as a captive.’ “
al-Ashtar said: “By God! I don’t desire such a victory,”
and withdrew at once from the battlefield and went to the Imam’s presence, and then turned to those who had surrounded the Imam and said sharply to them:“O base weaklings! At a time when you have gained victory over the enemy, and have caught him who has trampled upon the Book of God and the Prophet’s tradition, you tremble at his trickery, and surrender to his cunning invitation to the Qur’an? At least be wise enough to give me one hour’s respite to end this war.”
They said:“No!”
He said:“All right give me time at least for one gallop of a horse!”
They replied:“Then we will become your accomplice in sin!”
al-Ashtar said:“Tell me, were you in the right in those days when you were fighting and your good men like ‘Ammar ibn Yasir got killed, or are you in the right now that your wicked ones are left and your desire peace? If you are in the right now, then your good men who were killed and whose chastity you cannot deny, are your burning in the fire of hell.”
They answered:“al-Ashtar! Leave us alone, for, we won’t follow you. Keep away from us!”
al-Ashtar said:“I swear to God that you have been deceived. We regarded your prayer as a sign of your love for God and your submission to Him. Now it is quite evident that you fear death and wish to flee, and are eager to stay in this world! After today you will never find honour and dignity. Stay away in the same way that the tyrants have gone away!”
The rioters, who were unable to find an answer, began to abuse him and whipped his horse. The dispute became more violent and al-Ashtar used sharp words. Then Imam ordered him to be quiet. They became silent. al-Ashtar turned to the Imam and said:“Give me to leave to attack them and vanquish all of them!”
Those present protested, and Imam ‘Ali at last agreed to arbitration in accordance with the verdict of the Qur’an.
al-Ashtar said:“If he agrees to this, I, too, am satisfied.”
The clamor rose from every side:“the commander of the faithful has agreed! He has agreed!”
Imam had retreated in deeper ponder remained silent, not uttering a word.
Abu Musa and ‘Amr ibn al-‘As
You are like a dog which on being attacked, breathes hard with its tongue hanging out, and in being left alone, it does the same thing.
Abu Musa addressing ‘Amr ibn al-‘As
You are like a donkey laden with books.
‘Amr ibn al-‘As addressing Abu Musa
As we saw, the Imam was eventually compelled to accept the view of the rebels of his army who demanded arbitration. The matter led to the choice of arbitrators. The people of ash-Sham chose ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, and al-Ash‘ath and his Kufan supporters, who after this event formed the party of Khawarij (namely outsiders, leaving ‘Ali’s side as a successor to the caliphate), declared that Abu Musa was their nominee. The Imam said:“I do not think Abu Musa is the right man for such an important task.”
al-Ash‘ath and his supporters said:“We choose no one but him, since it was he who warned us against this war from the beginning.”
The Imam said:“I could not be pleased with him and his judgment. He stayed away from me and forbade the people from aiding me. Then he fled from me until I granted him grace. I nominate Ibn ‘Abbas for this affair.”
They said:“By God! Ibn ‘Abbas is not different from you. We accept none from the army of Iraq unless his family ties with you and Mu‘awiyah is on an equal footing.”
The Imam said:“In that case I nominate Malik al-Ashtar.”
al-Ash‘ath said:“It was none but Malik who set fire to the land under our feet. Is it not true that we are under al-Ashtar’s verdict?”
The Imam said:“What is his verdict?”
They said:“His verdict is that we and the army of ash-Sham give each other so many blows of the sword until what you desire and what he wishes to be fulfilled.”
The Imam said:“But you see, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As will deceive Abu Musa.”
They said:“We will be satisfied with Abu Musa’s arbitration.”
Then Imam said:“Is he your only choice?”
They said:“Yes.”
The Imam said:“Then do what you wish.”
They sent after Abu Musa, and when he arrived, al-Ashtar suggested to Imam ‘Ali:“O Imam, let me go with him.”
This suggestion was presented to the Kufans, but again they showed obstinacy and rejected it. Then they wrote a letter of agreement making God a witness over the two arbitrators to deliver a judgment only in accordance with the Qur’an the Prophet’s tradition. Then they added that if they judge contrary to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s tradition, the Muslims would not heed to it.
With the signing of this agreement, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, the cunning adviser of Mu‘awiyah was chosen for arbitration by the people of ash-Sham, and the thick head and faithless Abu Musa by the Iraqis.
In the first meeting of the two arbitrators of Dumat al-Jandal, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As tried to show a deep respect to Abu Musa and cunningly gave him priority over himself. He said to him:“You have been the Prophet’s companion a long time before me, and you are older than me.”
After sitting down for discussion, Abu Musa said to him:“O ‘Amr! Are you not in favour of the good of the Ummah and satisfaction of God?”
‘Amr ibn al-‘As asked:“What is the good of the ummah?”
Abu Musa said:“Let us give the caliphate to ‘Abd Allah bin ‘Umar
who has taken no part at all in these wars.”
‘Amr said:“Why have you forgotten Mu‘awiyah?”
Abu Musa said:“What business has Mu‘awiyah with the caliphate? He has no merit for it at all.”
The discussion lasted long, and neither of them reached any agreement. At last Abu Musa said:“In my opinion we should reject both ‘Ali and Mu‘awiyah, and let a council of Muslims choose anyone they like as caliph.”
‘Amr ibn al-‘As said:“This is exactly what I had in mind, and I approve of it. This is the kind of verdict which contains the good of the people.”
In the morning of next day they appeared before the people, and Abu Musa said to ‘Amr:“Climb the pulpit and announce the verdict.”
‘Amr ibn al-‘As, in accordance with his pre-arranged plan, said:“I shall never allow myself priority over you. You are superior to me, and excel me in both the matters of age and wisdom.”
So Abu Musa rose and climbed the pulpit and after offering his praises to God, he announced:
“O people! We have thought of the way of bringing back the unity and friendship of the Islamic ummah, and we have found no better way than denouncing both ‘Ali and Mu‘awiyah, so that we may leave the choice of the caliph to the Muslims’ council, that they may choose anyone they choose. I hereby announce the deposition of both ‘Ali and Mu‘awiyah, and you can start your task of appointing as your ruler anyone you elect.”
Saying this he descended from the pulpit, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As was next to climb the pulpit. After praising God, he said:“You heard what this man said. He deposed ‘Ali and I do the same, and replace him by Mu‘awiyah, since he is the friend of ‘Uthman, and avenger of his blood, and the most deserving and meritorious person to succeed him.”
Abu Musa, who was greatly enraged at this cunning and perfidy of ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, shouted:“Why have you acted in this way? May God never help you! You have resorted to treachery. In your sin you are like a dog which in being attacked, lets its tongue hang out and breathes hard, and if it is left alone, it does the same thing.”
‘Amr ibn al-‘As retorted at once: ‘and you are like a donkey laden with books.”
The arbitrators and their companions separated abusing each other while they had achieved nothing by their arbitration, except placing Mu‘awiyah in the same rank as Imam ‘Ali, whereas until that moment he could claim no title but an unruly and rebellious governor, and now his name was mentioned as a nominee for the position of a ruler over the realm of Islam.
In the battle of Siffin the number of men killed were forty- five thousands of the army of ash-Sham, and twenty-five thousands of the army of Iraq.
ash-Shami plunderers
After his return to ash-Sham, Mu‘awiyah dispatched some plunderers to ‘Ali’s dominion to kill and plunder.
In the year 37 of the Hijrah, Mu‘awiyah and his remaining army returned to ash-Sham, but he prepared a new plan for the destruction of the righteous army of Imam ‘Ali. From time to time he sent small military units to various regions under rule of Imam ‘Ali, to kill, burn, plunder, take captives, and destroy everything that flourished!
Those who were given these criminal missions included such persons as an-Nu‘man bin Bashir, Sufyan ibn ‘Awf, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mus‘adah, ad-Dahhak ibn Qays and Busr ibn Abi Artat, who carried out the order of Mu‘awiyah in the flourishing lands of Islam, namely Iraq, Hejaz and Yemen, and brought souvenirs of death, destruction, fear and panic for innocent Muslims.
Here we will narrate the tragic story of these bloodshed’s, massacres and inhumane acts and give a description of these hirelings.
A) an-Nu‘man ibn Bashir
Mu‘awiyah sent an-Nu‘man ibn Bashir with one thousand men to ‘Ayn at-Tamr and they destroyed the city.
He was one of the Ansar and of the al-Khazraj tribe who was born six or eight years before the Prophet’s decease. In the riots and rebellions of ‘Uthman’s time, which had started because of ‘Uthman’s wrong deeds, he was a supporter of ‘Uthman. After ‘Uthman’s death he joined Mu‘awiyah, and after him he co-operated with his son, Yazid. His conduct was wholly contrary to the conduct of almost all his tribe, since the Ansar helped both Imam ‘Ali and Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba during their caliphates and exhibited every kind of loyalty and self-sacrifice.
an-Nu‘man ibn Bashir is the man who brought the bloody shirt of ‘Uthman from Medina to ash-Sham, and, as we saw Mu‘awiyah hung it by the pulpit of Damascus in order to rouse the simple-minded people of ash-Sham against the Alawite Islamic front and Imam ‘Ali. During the rule of Mu‘awiyah he was governor of Kufah and then governor of the city of Hims. After Mu‘awiyah, ibn Yazid, the third Umayyad caliph, chose to support ‘Abd Allah ibn az-Zubayr, and so the Umayyad forces killed an-Nu‘man at Maraj Rahit in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 64 of the Hijrah.
In the year 39 oft he Hijrah Mu‘awiyah sent an-Nu‘man with a thousand men to ‘Ayn at-Tamr
a town where a garrison of the Imam existed consisting of a hundred men. an-Nu‘man made a violent raid, but the brave defenders of the city took arms and fought bravely against the ash-Shami plunderers. During the engagement fifty men of the surrounding lands came to their aid. The Umayyad raiders took them for a big reinforcement so they fled during the night towards the frontiers of ash-Sham.
B) Sufyan ibn ‘Awf
Kill anyone who confronts you, and destroy everything in your way.
Mu‘awiyah
It is fitting if a Muslim dies with this sorrow, and there is no reproach for him.
Imam ‘Ali
The second such plunder and pillage by the army of ash-Sham was carried out by Sufyan ibn ‘Awf, son of the ‘Awf ibn al-Mughaffal al-Azdi al-Ghamidi.
He accompanied Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah in the wars and conquests of ash-Sham. Later on Mu‘awiyah gave him the command of an army in the holy war with the Romans. He died at last in Roman land in the year 51 or 52 of the Hijrah. Sufyan was also given other commissions by Mu‘awiyah, one of which was the raid upon the Islamic land of Iraq, which took place in the year 34 of the Hijrah.
Some of the instructions given to him by Mu‘awiyah on Sufyan’s departure from ash-Sham were:“In your military travel whenever you meet someone who differs from you in your views and is not of the Umayyad house, kill him at once, and destroy any inhabited district by which you pass and plunder their property; for, plunder is not unlike massacre from the viewpoint of demolition, and it is in some cases even more heart-rending.
at-Tabari and Ibn al-Athir describe this plunder as follows: Mu‘awiyah sent Sufyan in command of an army of six thousand on a military mission, and gave him the following instruction for fighting and plunder: You will first go to the flourishing region of Hit
and raid it and then proceed to the two cities of Anbar and Madain and attack them.
Sufyan departed and reached Hit and found no one there to plunder. So he continued his advance till he reached the city of Anbar, where a small garrison of a hundred soldiers protected that city. During clashes a number of them were killed. The raiders plundered the city and returned to Mu‘awiyah with a great deal of property.
Abu al-Faraj, the great historian and literary man, writes in his book of al-Aghani the following story of the raids of Sufyan: The al-Ghamidi fellow raided the city of Anbar and savagely killed its governor and a large number of its men and women. The event was reported to the Imam, and he said in a sermon: “You disobeyed my words and orders. This al-Ghamidi man has raided the city of Anbar and has cruelly killed many men and women. By God, I am told that he has assaulted Muslim women as well as the followers of divine books and has forcefully pulled off their adornments from their hands and feet, and then the raiders have returned to their city, their hands full of plundered property, and without suffering the slightest wound or injury. If a valiant Muslim man dies of regret and sorrow for these un-Islamic and inhuman acts, it would be fitting and he cannot be blamed.”
C) ‘Abd Allah ibn Mus‘adah
Mu‘awiyah has ordered to kill every one of the primitive tribes between here and’ Mecca who refuses to pay you tithe.
at-Tabari
‘Abd Allah ibn Mus‘adah, son of the Hakamah ibn Malik ibn Badr al-Fazari was another commander sent by Mu‘awiyah for sabotage and destruction in Iraq in the Imam’s realm. ‘Abd Allah was at first a follower of the Imam, but he went to Damascus after some time to join Mu‘awiyah, and changed his conduct so much that he became one of the staunchest enemies of Imam ‘Ali. He lived long, so that in the time of Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah he took part in the event of al-Harrah when the army of ash-Sham attacked Medina, a combat which was full of cruelty, violation, insult and disgrace, and another black stain on the wicked character of Yazid and Umayyad caliphs.
Later on ‘Abd Allah fought in the ash-Shami front with ‘Abd Allah ibn az-Zubayr, and was badly wounded. Historians have said nothing of this man’s life after the above event.
Mu‘awiyah sent ‘Abd Allah ibn Mus‘adah with 1700 soldiers to the Imam’s realm, ordering him to collect tithe by force from every inhabited place on his route, and kill anyone who refused payment. By Mu‘awiyah’s order he passed through Medina, Mecca and the land of Hejaz.
D) ad-Dahhak ibn Qays
They plundered the pilgrims on the way to Mecca.
ad-Dahhak ibn Qays was of the Quraysh and one of Mu‘awiyah’s commanders. He was born seven years before the decease of the Prophet. He fought hard in the wars of Mu‘awiyah and suffered many difficulties. He was for a long time chief of the police in Damascus. Later in the year 53 of the Hijrah he became governor of Kufah for four years, and was then given, for the second time, the position of chief of the police of Damascus. In the time of Mu‘awiyah’s death he was in charge of his burial affairs, and informed Yazid who had gone hunting, of his father’s death. But after the death of Mu‘awiyah ibn Yazid, the third Umayyad caliph, he showed allegiance to ‘Abd Allah ibn az-Zubayr and fought with Marwan ibn-Hakam, the Umayyad caliph, at Maraj Rahit, and it was in the same region and battle that he was killed in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the year 64 of the; Hijrah.
at-Tabari writes: Mu‘awiyah sent ad-Dahhak towards Iraq with three thousand men, ordering him to pass through the lower region of Waqisah and plunder all the Arabs who inhabited this region and were followers of the Imam. ad-Dahhak obeyed the order and went to the region of ath-Tha‘labiyah and plundered the tribes that lived there. Then he proceeded towards Kufah and raided the region of al-Qutqutanah, and came across ‘Amr ibn ‘Umays ibn Mas‘ud who was on a pilgrimage trip and without paying attention to any sanctity he pillaged him and the caravan which was visiting the House of God, and prevented them from continuing their sacred journey.
In ath-Thaqafi’s book of“Plunders”
(al-Gharat), the story of ad-Dahhak is narrated as follows: ad-Dahhak proceeded to Iraq, plundering every place and killing of people, until he reached the region of ath-Tha‘labiyah where he plundered the pilgrims who were going to Mecca, and then went on till he came across ‘Amr ibn ‘Umays, nephew of ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, a well-known companion of the Prophet, who was with the caravan going to Mecca, and killed him and a group of his fellow pilgrims.
E) Busr ibn Abi Artat
Mu‘awiyah ordered them to roam the Islamic realm and kill everyone who supported ‘Ali.
Busr ibn Abi Artat was one of the Quraysh and one of the most bloodthirsty commanders that Mu‘awiyah dispatched to Iraq and Hejaz. He was a most stubborn supporter of Mu‘awiyah and one of his army commanders in the battle of Siffin. During the battle Mu‘awiyah ordered him to combat with ‘Ali in a man-to-man fight, and said:“I heard that you long for such a duel. So you can challenge him now, and if God grants you victory, this world and hereafter will be yours.”
Mu‘awiyah continued encouraging him to this combat. But we know that such a duel with the Imam was a very difficult task, and no brave warrior came out safety from such a combat. Therefore, Busr with all his daring and boldness and his pagan Arab fanaticism, did not venture into the arena, until one day during the battle he saw himself face to face with the Imam. He rushed upon Imam ‘Ali, but before he could deal a blow with his sword, the Imam gave him a heavy stroke, which knocked him down from his saddle. This shameless man, seeing his life in the clutches of such a valiant and strong lion as the Imam, resorted to a very disgraceful and unmanly act, by pushing aside his garment to exhibit his private parts. The noble Imam turned away his face and left him to himself.
As we know, in the same battle a similar incident occurred in the case of ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, when the Imam turned away from and abstained from killing a man who has lowered himself to this extent in order to save his life.
These two incidents have produced a sharp reaction in Arab literature, and some poets have composed verses about them. One of these is al-Harith ibn an-Nadr as-Sahmi who says:
“Do you send a warrior horseman to the field on every day of the war
Whose private parts are displayed amidst the dust of the battlefield?
It is then that ‘Ali does not bring down his spear upon on him
And Mu‘awiyah laughs at that man in secret.
Yesterday ‘Amr’s private pails were shown
And this meanness will forever be tied on his head like a headgear.
Today, too, Busrs’ private pails were displayed like ‘Amr’s.
Tell ‘Amr ibn al-‘As and Busr to look carefully at their way,
Lest they once more face the formidable lion!
You must be praisers and worshippers of your private parts;
For by God, it was your private parts that saved your lives!
Surely, if it were not for them, you would not have been saved!
This incident must check you from returning to the scene of war.”
Malik al-Ashtar, the valiant warrior of the battlefield, too, has composed the following lines about this matter:
“Does every day of the combat the leg of one of your great men lift itself
To exhibit his private parts in the dust of the field?
The hard blow of the spear-owner who has been treated unjustly
Results in revealing your private parts!
Whose private parts? ‘Amr’s and Busr’s, May their backs be broken!”
Historians differ about the point whether Busr has had any association with the Prophet or not. And if so, has he heard from him any tradition or not? They think that after the Prophet he showed no constancy in his faith and became an apostate. When Imam ‘Ali heard of his criminal acts and carnage’s in the Islamic lands of Iraq and Hejaz, and learned that he had not even abstained from killing small children, he cursed him, and said:“O God! Take back his faith from him, and seize his intellect from him before his death!”
The Imam’s prayer was fulfilled, and Busr lost his mind before death and he was usually in delirium and would cry out:“Sword! Sword!”
and then searched for it. They handed him a wooden sword and placed a balloon-like skin in front of him, and he dealt it so many blows until he became weary and exhausted. He lived for sometime in this misery and pain until he died in the time of Mu‘awiyah.
at-Tabari writes: In the year 40 of the Hijrah, Mu‘awiyah sent Busr ibn Abi Artat with an army to the lands ruled over by the Imam. They proceeded from ash-Sham to Medina. The raid of this bloodthirsty man terribly frightened the defenseless people of that city and the remaining Ansar who had for many long years defended Islam and had spared no life and property of theirs to that end. As a result of this raid many houses of Medina were demolished and many people became homeless.
Then he left Medina and went towards Yemen. There he came across the baggage of ‘Ubayd Allah bin al-‘Abbas, governor of that land, which was accompanied by two of his children. That savage man beheaded these little children with his own hands. This was not, of course, his only crime. He had killed many supporters of Imam ‘Ali only because they loved and respected their exalted Imam.
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ath-Thaqafi, the Islamic historian, writes in his book of“al-Gharat”
(plunders): Mu‘awiyah sent Busr with three thousand ash-Shami soldiers to Iraq, ordering him to proceed to Medina, disperse the people, and frighten everyone that he met, and plunder those who had some property and did not submit to Mu‘awiyah’s rule.
Busr carried out the evil order of Mu‘awiyah, and when his army reached any inhabited place, they seized the people’s camels and quadrupeds to ride or take away. During the whole route between ash-Sham and Medina, every inhabited spot suffered the same unfortunate fate. On their arrival at Medina, they entered the city, and Busr delivered an oration to the people, abusing and threatening them.
The story of Busr is narrated as follows in the book of“Tahdhib at-tahdhib”
: Mu‘awiyah sent Busr towards Yemen and Hejaz in the year 40 of the Hijrah, ordering him to kill anyone who obeyed the Imam. By the order of Mu‘awiyah this tyrannical man committed many inhuman and criminal acts in Mecca and Medina, the birthplace of Islam.
Ibn ‘Asakir writes: He came across many people and killed anyone who had shown submission to the Imam. For instance, he massacred the tribe of Banu Ka‘b who lived at a place between Mecca and Medina, and then threw their bodies into a well.
al-Mas‘udi writes in his reliable book of“Muruj adh-dhahab”
: In Medina and on the way between Medina and Mecca there lived many people of the Khuza‘ah and other tribes, who were killed by him. Then he went to al-Jarf
and killed many of its Arab inhabitants named“Abna’”
and he left alive no one who was a supporter of Imam ‘Ali.
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, the well-known historian and literary man, reports in his book of al-Aghani: After the question of arbitration, Mu‘awiyah sent Busr to the Imam’s realm when Imam ‘Ali was still alive. He had ordered Busr to roam about that realm and kill every Shi‘ah and companion of the Imam that he came across, and then plunder their property, and even spare no women had children.
Busr, this bloodthirsty and devilish commander, proceeded by the order of Mu‘awiyah towards Medina, and on reaching there he killed many of the Imam’s friends and supporters and destroyed many houses. Then he proceeded to Mecca where he killed some children of Abu Lahab, and then to as-Sirat where he killed some followers of the Imam. From there he went to Najran where he killed ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Madan al-Harithi and his son who were of the house of al-‘Abbas. Then he went to Yemen, the governor of which was appointed by the Imam, and named ‘Ubayd Allah son of al-‘Abbas, who was at that time not present in Yemen, or, as some historians says, he had fled on hearing of the arrival of Busr. When Busr saw that ‘Ubayd Allah was not within his reach, he seized his two small sons and killed them with his own hands. Then he returned with his army to ash-Sham.
Historians says: A woman said to Busr:“Man! You have killed so many people. Why do you kill these two little children? By God, neither in pagan times nor after Islam any one has killed children as you do. O son of Artat! I swear to God that a government, which lays its foundation with the massacre of children and old men, and severs the ties of kinship and abstains from pity and kindness, is a very bad government.”
It is said that the bereaved mother of these two children had suffered so much pain at the calamity of their loss, that she had gone crazy, and she listened only to words in which they talked of her dear sons, and she sang out these heart-rending lines here and there in public gatherings:
“Oh, who has heard the story of my two dear sons,
Who were like two precious pearls out of shells?
Oh, who knows the story of my two sons?
Who were my heart and my hearing?
Now I have been robbed of my heart!
Oh, who has heard of the state of my two sons,
Who were the narrows of my bones,
And now the bones are without marrow?
Who is aware of my lost and perplexed heart?
That heart is distressed for the loss
Of the two children who were helpless in the absence of their father.
They told me of it, but I believed them not.
They spoke of the injustice inflicted on me!
They told me that Busr cut the throats
Of my two sons with his sharp swords!
Alas! Is such a great injustice possible?”
We read the following passage in the two books of al-Isti‘ab and Usd al-ghabah: Busr ibn Abi Artat, in one of his savage raids, attacked the Hamdan tribe, killed their men and took their women captive. They were the first group of Muslim women who were taken captive in Islam and put up for sale in the market.
We read also in the book of al-Gharat: A group of people of Ma’rib came across Busr and his soldiers on a caravan route. This inhuman creature killed them all except one man who fled from his bloody clutches and returned to his tribe, reporting this great calamity in one brief sentence:“I have brought you the news of death and massacre of our old and young men.”
Jariyah ibn Qudamah
a man of the Alawite front
Do not fight a person who does not fight you, and do not oppress the Jews and Christians who have made a pact with the Muslims.
Imam ‘Ali
Now we should see what Imam ‘Ali did against these unmanly raids and bloody assaults of Busr, the commander of Mu‘awiyah’s army. As usual he stood up against wrong and injustice and asked the people’s aid to remove these agents of tyranny and oppression. The Kufans as usual received his order coldly, as if they had no wish to defend their realm, which was exposed to destruction; as if the dust of death was scattered over their city. The painful outcries of Imam ‘Ali echoed in the mosque and city of Kufah, but it could not awaken the motionless and dead spirits of the Kufans.
Some time passed until one of the remaining heirs of Islam’s warriors, named Jariyah ibn Qudamah, rose and responded positively to the call of the Imam. According to al-Ya‘qubi, the Imam issued the following order on dispatching him on this mission:“Never fight a person who does not fight you. Never kill a wounded person. Even if you and your men are forced to go on foot, never seize people’s horses forcefully. In inhabited places and springs never take the lead over the owners of water, and consume only their extra supply of water, even then, with their approval. Never abuse or reproach a Muslim, since in such a case it would be necessary for others to admonish you. Never oppress the followers of divine books who have made pacts with the Muslims.”
Another part of this order states:“Do not shed anyone’s blood except where you are ordered by God, in the same way that your duty is to protect people’s blood for the sake of God.”
In the book of al-Gharat we read the following about the defensive battles of Jariyah: Jariyah left Kufah and at first he went to Basra, and from there he went towards Hejaz, and advanced until he reached Yemen. At this time Busr learnt of the move made by Jariyah. So he changed his route and went to al-Yamamah. Jariyah increased his speed and did not stand long at any town or the amp they set up. He was in pursuit of Busr everywhere, while Busr cont¬inued to flee in different directions, until he crossed over the border of the Imam’s realm. When the people saw him in flight, they attacked him from every side, since they had been much oppressed by him. The number of those killed in Busr’s savage raids was estimated at thirty thousand. He even threw number into the fire and burnt them. An Arab poet describes these painful and savage events in his poem, a part of which we will quote for you:
“As far as he could lead his army,
He caused as much massacre and indecency as he could.”
Two opposite policies
Do not shed the least blood in the land unjustly.
Order of Imam ‘Ali
Do not spare the lives of even women and children.
Order of Mu‘awiyah
Mu‘awiyah also sent other sabotage and plundering groups to the realm of Imam ‘Ali, the stories of which we have not narrated here. Those who are interested can refer to elaborate texts of history.
But his armies always avoided facing the soldiers of the Imam and fighting them. They only raided those parts, which were remote, or were weak in garrison and military equipment. Whenever an army was sent from Kufah to face them, they fled, since they were only sabotage groups and bloodthirsty plunderers in the true sense of the word.
Among the destructive groups which came into conflict with the army of the Imam, was an army sent by Mu‘awiyah to Mesopotamia. The commander, who had been appointed by the Imam for those parts, asked Kumayl ibn Ziyad, the governor of the city of Hit, for reinforcement. Kumayl hastened to his aid with six hundred warriors. They engaged in fighting, but the ash-Shamis as usual decided to flee leaving many of their dead behind.
Kumayl ordered not to kill the wounded, and not to pursue the fugitives. In this conflict only two of Kumayl’s soldiers were killed. In another encounter, one of Imam ‘Ali’s commanders chased a group of Mu‘awiyah’s saboteurs and plunderers, but they fled, and he pursued them across the Euphrates and scattered his army in various parts of ash-Sham to engage in plunder, and advanced as far as ar-Riqqah, and left no horses, arms and quadrupeds for the supporters of ‘Uthman. Mu‘awiyah sent a troop to confront him, but they were unable to catch him since he had returned safely to his headquarters at Nisibis.
This commander on his return to his own quarter, wrote a letter to the Imam and reported his activities.
His report shows that he did not consider any of his acts to be unlawful, since he regarded them as a slight vengeance for the violent and inhuman deeds of Mu‘awiyah’s plundering troops. He may even have expected some big reward or word of encouragement. But the Imam did not only refuse to praise him, but also reproached him for having acted contrary to his order instructing him to abstain from such acts, while it was permissible to seize the enemy’s property only in case of a war and the enemy’s use of arms. Such spoils, too, were to be confined to the clothes, weapons, mounts and military equipment of the enemy.
Thus we see that in those periods two opposite policies were adopted in the world of Islam.
A) Policy of Imam ‘Ali
“Fight with warmongers only. Do not usurp people’s quadrupeds, even if you be compelled to go on foot. Do not consume the waters of springs and wells in various inhabited places unless their people agree; even then consume what remains above their demand, and never to excess. Do not abuse a Muslim, and do not oppress allies, even if they are not Muslims. You can shed a person’s blood only according to what is right and lawful. You cannot seize the property of enemy fighters except what they have brought with them for fighting, such as horses and weapons.”
B) Policy of Mu‘awiyah
“Kill anyone who does not hold your opinion or belief. Destroy all the inhabited places and plunder their property. Forcefully seize the property of everyone who is rich and does not obey us. Do not abstain from molesting people. Kill ‘Ali’s supporters, and even spare no woman or child.”
An Analysis of the above policies
Of the above two policies, obviously the policy which orders the plunder of property must vanquish the policy which enjoins a respect for people’s property; for, naturally it seems easier to win a war in which no recognition of laws and regulations are observed. Because they would resort to every mean act to gain victory. But for those binds by the laws of Islam, who recognize virtue and humanness there exists limitations. This is not, of course, a true victory, but an apparent and transient victory which the first group obtain in attaining their goal because they abstain from no action however wrong it may be, whereas the second group are bound by humane laws which forbid certain actions.
The army of the Imam showed negligence towards the limitations which existed in the Islamic Alawite front, and did not respond positively to the divine and right-seeking call of the Imam, since in the war which was ahead of them they had no expectation but death. If they became victorious, they were not allowed to seize the property of the conquered, and they could not kill freely; or take women and children captive. In that case why should they fight? They had no material profits to expect, whereas they were faced with a constant threat of death. Therefore without a divine motive or a human virtue it would be useless to go to war.
But the people of ash-Sham could give a quick and positive answer to the call of Mu‘awiyah, since in the forthcoming war all their animal instincts would be satisfied. They could kill freely; they could seize as captive and slave anyone they wished; and they could obtain much profit by plundering people’s property. In that case, why should they not obey Mu‘awiyah’s order, and carry out his wishes? This was true especially as the people of ash-Sham were totally ignorant of an Islamic education, and next to the emperor of Rome they were ruled by a man like Mu‘awiyah!
Naturally if on the basis of an impossible supposition the Imam could give up his way of seeking right and truth, and, God forbid, if he could, in the way of Mu‘awiyah forget God and Islam, and if he could, in the way of Mu‘awiyah, give an absolutely free hand to his army, then all the wicked and cunning plots and fraudulent conduct of Mu‘awiyah would have become null and void.
But the Imam was not a man to adopt such a way. He said to the people of Kufah:“I swear to God, I am aware of everything that can reform you, but I see my own depravity in the bad action of the wicked.”
Indeed the Imam could buy the people off with money. He could by means of dissimulation and disregard of divine injunctions, win over the powerful elders of the tribes. He was in a position to meet the wishes of the people, and thereby organize a huge army, but he saw in all these acts his own depravity and corruption of his own faith and his hereafter. He never con¬taminated himself with such deeds since he had tasted virtue and piety with all its depth and strength.
Mu‘awiyah waged a war against the Imam in the name of ‘Uthman and under the pretext of avenging his blood. But had these remote Muslim settlements throughout Iraq and Hejaz or even Yemen been guilty of taking part in ‘Uthman’s assassination? Were tens of thousands of those people guilty who had been killed by the ash-Shami plunderers in revenge for the blood of ‘Uthman who was one victim anyhow? Were the captive Muslim women, and murdered small children guilty of shedding ‘Uthman’s blood? No, never!
But Mu‘awiyah, in accordance with his father’s will and for the sake of satisfying his ambitions, was seeking domination as a ruler. He wished to govern the whole wide realm of Islam, and he regarded the employment of every possible means legitimate for the attainment of his objective. He did not shun any wickedness and meanness in this course. In fact the claim for avenging ‘Uthman’s blood was only a cover to attain that goal. That was a small picture of Mu‘awiyah’s evil role during Imam ‘Ali’s rule.
Mu‘awiyah in the time of
Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba
I did not fight you for religion’s sake but only to govern you.
Mu‘awiyah
When Imam ‘Ali was martyred with the sword of Ibn Muljam, one of the wickedest men of all ages and eras, and for the second time in their history the Muslims chose a ruler for themselves through a free allegiance and Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba succeeded his father as caliph, he wrote a letter to Mu‘awiyah asking for his allegiance; for, on the one hand he was a rightful Imam, and on the other hand he was freely elected as a ruler by the people with their open allegiance. But Mu‘awiyah, as we know him, would not submit to the right, and as he had always been accustomed to reject the right and the truth, now he refused to obey the Imam’s demand, and proceeded towards Iraq with a large army to fight the Imam.
Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba, too, left Kufah with his army to confront that guardian of paganism and infidelity, and as a preliminary step he dispatched his cousin, ‘Ubayd Allah ibn al-‘Abbas with twelve thousand of the finest warriors of Iraq and Kufah, and let Qays ibn Sa‘id ibn ‘Ubadah, his loyal, valiant and devout companion, to accompany him. ‘Ubayd Allah was ordered not to disregard the views of ibn Sa‘id and to benefit from them in all matters. The two armies camped facing each other for several days during which some small clashes took place. But Mu‘awiyah preferred to resort to cunning rather than to the sword. Therefore he pulled a trick which caused some disruption in the Imam’s army.
One night Mu‘awiyah’s envoy secretly visited ‘Ubayd Allah, delivering this message of Mu‘awiyah:“al-Hasan has sent me a letter for peace. If now, before it is too late, you obey us, you will gain high position and command, but if you hesitate and come to us after the question of peace is settled, you cannot obtain any position as others may do, and nothing will be left for you but inferiority and obedience. If you come to us now, you will be paid one million drachmas, half of which you will receive now, and the other half on the entry of our army to Kufah.”
‘Ubayd Allah was caught in the webs of Mu‘awiyah’s trickery which was so attractive. He thought: If the reasoning of Mu‘awiyah is correct, now that the Imam is seeking peace, I have only two alternatives:“Either I obtain money, position and respect if I join Mu‘awiyah, or I may lose my life and suffer the dangers of the war if I maintain this position and show resistance. In that case, why should I lose my life or bear the hardship of war?”
In this way the materialistic attitude and inner temptation of ‘Ubayd Allah had their effect, and during the night he fled to the Umayyad front with his family and a group of his army, and left the main army without a commander.
Another strategy which Mu‘awiyah adopted during those days was to send secret envoys to ‘Amr ibn-Harith, al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays, al-Hajjar ibn Abjar and Shabath ibn Rub‘i. These men were influential chiefs of the tribes but they lacked loyalty and personality and cherished rancor towards the Prophet’s household.
The spy of Mu‘awiyah delivered the message of Mu‘awiyah as follows:“If you kill al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, you will receive one hundred thousand drachmas in cash as well as the command of one of the armies of ash-Sham and governorship of a city, and possess one of my daughters as reward!”
This secret plot was reported to Imam al-Hasan, and so thenceforth he wore a chain mail under his garment, to be secure against the sudden attacks of these unmanly creatures. He even went to prayer dressed in the same manner without removing the chain mail. It was a proper idea and precaution since on one occasion one of those self-sold men shot an arrow at the Imam while he was in prayer, but as he had his chain mail on, no injury was caused and he was saved from death.
al-Ya‘qubi writes: Mu‘awiyah secretly sent a group amidst the army of the Imam to propagate this idea among the soldiers that Gheyss ibn-Sa’ed, too, who had taken the command of the army after ‘Ubayd Allah, had made a peace agreement with Mu‘awiyah and had reached terms with him. On the other hand he sent another group amidst Qays’s army to spread the rumor that Imam al-Hasan had made peace with Mu‘awiyah. His purpose was to disrupt the solidarity and discipline of both armies and cause dispersion between all their units.
Another plot of Mu‘awiyah was to send an official group to the Imam consisting of al-Mughayrah ibn Shu‘bah, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amir and ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Hakam. They visited Imam al-Hasan in the city of Madain, which was the headquarters of his military columns. They talked for some time in the Imam’s tent, and then emerged pretending to be glad and satisfied and said loudly within the hearing of other people:“God has preserved people’s blood through the son of the Prophet and has quelled riot and mischief by establishing peace.”
When the soldiers heard this, they became full of anxiety especially as a large number of the Imam’s army consisted of the Khawarij (outsiders) who thought of war only, and had joined the Imam only because he was going to fight Mu‘awiyah. They felt no special devotion and sanctity towards the Imam, and did not unquestionably regard him as a leader. It seemed that the soldiers allowed no doubt about the words of such men as al-Mughayrah who, in addition to their own wickedness and black record, represented a tyrannical and mischievous man as Mu‘awiyah. Thus they were roused to such a great protest that they rushed to the commanders’ tent and plundered everything which was there.
The Imam aiming to deliver himself from un-Islamic rioters mounted a horse and proceeded towards the center of the city of Madain and the governor’s building. In the darkness of Sabat, a place near Madain, a villainous creature named Jarrah ibn Sanan al-Asadi who was of the Khawarij, lay an ambush in order to make an attempt on the life of the Imam and kill him. As the Imam was passing by, this man jumped and rushed upon the Imam and delivered a severe blow with his dagger causing a mortal injury. But the people, who were around, prevented the man from making any more move, and killed him on the spot. As the Imam was badly wounded, he was carried to the governor’s palace in Madain and was treated. He was very weak owing to the loss of much blood, and it took him long time to recuperate. Meanwhile his army, which was left without a commander and without a plan of action and also owing to their lack of steadfastness, soon dispersed in various directions.
at-Tabari describes these events as follows: After the people showed allegiance to the Imam, they accompanied him to fight against Mu‘awiyah. He departed Kufah towards Madain where he set up his camp. As he was trying to mobilize an army there, a voice among the army declared:“Listen! Qays ibn Sa‘id is killed! Run away everybody!”
Much confusion followed and opportunist rioters plundered the Imam’s tent, and the even forcefully pulled out the carpet on the Imam sat and pillaged it away.
According to another narration they even seized the anklet-rings of his slave-girls and plundered them.
at-Tabari adds: Not many days had passed since they had shown allegiance to the Imam when they made an attempt on his life and wounded him severely.
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, the well-known historian and a man of letters, writes: Mu‘awiyah sent an envoy to the Imam to ask for a truce pact, and in his letter he promised to stick certain conditions, namely that he would not molest anyone for their past actions, and also to leave alone the supporters of the Imam, and lastly to speak well of the Imam in future.
When owing to the cunning and unmanly plots of Mu‘awiyah on the one hand, and the perfidy of the Kufah people and their lack of devotion in the way of right on the other hand, the truce was concluded, Mu‘awiyah entered as a powerful Umayyad statesman to the city of Kufah, the capital of the Alawite caliphate, and delivered a public oration in which he said:
“I swear to God that I did not fight you because you pray and observe fast nor because you go on pilgrimage and pay tithes. These tasks are your own duties. But my only purpose was to rule and govern you! God has granted me my wish, whereas you are not pleased with it.”
Then he added shamelessly:“Remember that I will trample upon what al-Hasan has stipulated with me and I have concluded with him.”
Motives for peace
Mu‘awiyah would have taken me captive and them set me free, and this would have been a mark of disgrace on the brow of the Banu Hashim until the day of resurrection.
Imam al-Hasan
In the question of Imam al-Hasan’s peace, namely in his truce with Mu‘awiyah, many significant consequences can be observed which, similar to the uprising of Imam al-Husayn, have been effective in the survival of the foundation of religion and Islamic principles. For the sake of the brevity which we have observed throughout the discussions of this book, we will deal only with three reasons about the necessity of abandoning the combat, while a survey of all the aspects and reasons requires an independent book which is beyond the scope of this topic.
Here are the three reasons:
1-We have already seen how Mu‘awiyah was able, by means of relying on the bloody shirt of ‘Uthman and his skillful scene-making, to accuse the chaste and sacred person of Imam ‘Ali of the assassination of ‘Uthman, and mobilize a large number of the people of ash-Sham under the pretext of avenging the blood of the so-called innocent and martyred caliph, and bring them to the field of battle at Siffin. His lies, cunning and plots which formed the basis of all his acts, was enough to deceive the simple-minded people of almost the whole of the Islamic realm, or at least expose them to doubt and hesitation. Even the personality of such a man as ‘Ammar ibn Yasir who, was in those days regarded as the embodiment of the rightfulness of the Alawite front, and was many a times praised by the Prophet, had been unable to influence the people fully owing to their credulity and Mu‘awiyah’s cunning and trickery. Therefore another plan was required to bring Mu‘awiyah out of his deceptive shell and reveal his evil and wicked identity.
One of the main results of Imam al-Hasan’s truce was the above point. The oration of Mu‘awiyah, quoted above, was a clear evidence of his wicked thoughts and evil deeds. It showed that all the bloodshed’s and plunders carried out in the name of avenging ‘Uthman’s blood were in fact for the sake of his ambition and desire to rule, and for his material greed, and the story of claiming ‘Uthman’s blood was nothing but a lie and a plot.
This went on, and as it was gradually proved, those people who ran away from the justice and equality of the Alawite government and took refuge in ash-Sham, now heartily desired justice and every day in some corner or other they rose against the Umayyads under the leadership of a descendant of ‘Ali.
In fact Mu‘awiyah and his successors had during their rule committed so many crimes and evil deeds that even slothful and right-repelling people, too, began to feel that the Alawite government with all its justice and equality had been the only government, which could bring them true happiness.
2-Another important reason for the truce was the weakness of the people of Kufah and their mental and practical dispersion. As we saw, this spirit was so dominant among the men of the said army that a chaos reigned over an army of several thousands at the smallest incident and destroyed all order and discipline. Even the killing of the son of the Prophet and Imam and leader of the people, was received as a very simple matter, and if it had not been checked and had been carried out, all the plots of the guardians of paganism would have been accomplished.
In view of the above point, it is quite clear that Mu‘awiyah could, by buying off some of the army commanders, as we saw in the incident of arrow shooting, arrest of the Imam with the complicity of his own soldiers and after gaining complete victory claim that as a great favour he would grant pardon to the Imam and set him free. Thus this disgrace would have always remained for the Imams of the Prophet’s household and for the leaders of human and Islamic societies, to be considered as the freed captives of the symbols of infidelity and hypocrisy, and to be indebted for their lives to the Umayyads who were the descendants of their captive grandfathers who were freed by the Prophet on the capture of Mecca.
3-In the battle of Siffin, as we shall see, a large number of the Prophet’s companions accompanied Imam ‘Ali whose number was said to be more than two thousand, including seventy warriors of the battle of Badr who were the oldest friends of the Prophet, and 700 or 800 of those who had taken part in the ar-Ridwan allegiance whom God has p raised in the Holy Qur’an, and about 1400 men of the Emigrants and Ansar.
All these men had the honour of association with the Prophet, and were present in the time of the descent of the Holy Qur’an, and had felt authentic Islam in the person of the Prophet himself. Consequently they were intimately familiar with the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s tradition. After-wards, too, they had for many years been associated with Imam ‘Ali who was an incarnation of Islam and parallel with the Qur’an.
All these conditions enabled the said group to be acquainted with various aspects of Islam and propagate it properly whenever it was necessary and possible.
But Mu‘awiyah had only a few of the Emigrants and Ansar of polluted and evil nature with him
and with the aid of these wicked hirelings he was able later on to prepare the scheme of a new perverted Islam in harmony with his whim and fancies, since he had no liking for an authentic Islam and cherished in his heart nothing but envy and rancor towards it!
With the aid of Abu Hurayrah, Anas ibn Malik, al-Mughayrah ibn Shu‘bah, ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar and especially ‘A’ishah he succeeded in creating a major resource for the fabrication of traditions. Each of these wicked creatures was able during Mu‘awiyah’s rule to contaminate some aspect of the beautiful visage of genuine Islam. If it had not been for the persistent and devoted endeavors of the Imams of the Prophet’s household, the numerous traditions which were quoted from Abu Hurayrah and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar about various matters, might have transformed Islam altogether, and fulfilled the evil wishes and desires of the guardians of paganism and infidelity.
The first step to confront with Mu‘awiyah’s scheme (being the transform of genuine Islam) was the truce of Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba, since he was thus able to save from certain death a number of true Muslims and friends of the Prophet and of Imam ‘Ali, since it was this same devoted and steadfast group who were his true friends, and if he had persisted in his combat, all of them would have been killed either in the war, or at its conclusion they would have been annihilated by Mu‘awiyah in the name of avenging ‘Uthman’s blood. In that case Mu‘awiyah could in all tranquility of mind carry on his assault upon the heart of the truth of Islam, without meeting the smallest obstacle and check in this course.
These points show that the only way of preserving true Islam from the danger of alteration was a truce with Mu‘awiyah, and this was the way adopted by Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba and he went ahead with it.
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Author: Allamah Sayyid Murtadha Askari
