The Biography of Hazrat Ali, “May Allah be pleased with him” (Part 23)
End of War
Malik Ashtar’s successful attacks had made Hazrat Ali happy and reassured but had caused Hazrat Muawiya more discomfort and distress. Amr bin As suggested to Mu’awiyah that in view of this situation, he should order the people to immediately raise the Holy Quran on their spears and say it in a loud voice: «هذا كتاب اللّه بیننا و بینكم» (This is a divine book; it will judge between us and you). Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, also gave the complete Qur’an to one of the youths of Kufa and said: “Stand between the two armies and call them according to the order of the Qur’an.” The author of the book, Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, states: Amr bin As’s initiative wasn’t merely to raise the Quran on bayonets; he learned from Ali because, before the battle of Basra, Ali had raised the Qur’ans.
The army of Sham placed the Qurans on their spears and shouted: “We accept the judgment of the Quran.” Some of them said: “O Muslims! Our war is for the sake of religion, so we must accept the ruling of the Quran and end the war.” Others remarked: “O Muslims! Be satisfied with the ruling of the Quran because if the people of Syria are destroyed in this war, how will you prevent the attacks of the Romans? And if the people of Iraq are destroyed, who will stop the eastern invaders?” The soldiers of Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, stopped fighting when they saw the Qur’an on the heads of the spears.
Upon seeing this scene, Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas said: “Until now, there was war and conflict, but now deception and trickery have begun.” Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, addressed his troops: “Don’t be disheartened; victory will be achieved soon.” However, the people were very tired, and they began to perceive war as harmful. For this reason, they seized the opportunity and became interested in peace, sheathing their swords. In fact, the general army and warriors, like Hazrat Ali and other experienced commanders, did not realize that conquest was near; thus, they regarded the demand of the people of Syria as a semblance of peace.
Members of Abdullah bin Saba’s faction, such as Mas’ar bin Fadaki Tamimi, Zayd bin Hussain Ta’i, and several other followers who later took the title of Khawarij, gathered around Hazrat Ali and urged him to prevent Ashtar from continuing the war. Some soldiers said to Hazrat Ali: “If you don’t stop Ashtar from continuing the war, we will surrender to the Syrians, or we will do to you what we did to Usman.” Hazrat Ali replied: “Listen to my commands and prohibitions. Act according to my guidance. If you obey me, fight; otherwise, leave and do as you wish.” They insisted that he call Ashtar back. Hazrat Ali sent Yazid bin Hani after Ashtar, but Ashtar refused to cease fighting and pressed on. Hazrat Ali was informed that Ashtar would not stop, leading some to accuse Hazrat Ali of instructing Ashtar to continue the fight. Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, asked: “Have we whispered to him? Did I not send for him?” They replied: “You must bring him back; otherwise, we will dismiss you from your emirate.” Meanwhile, Ashtar was nearly at a disadvantage, lacking warriors. Upon observing this dire situation and the risk of inciting turmoil, Hazrat Ali, immediately summoned Ashtar back. Ashtar reluctantly returned, saying: “We were almost at final victory.” Hazrat Ali asked: “Which is more pleasing to you: the continuation of the war or the death of the Amir ul Muminin as Usman was killed?”
When Hazrat Ali, may Allah bless him and grant him, conveyed this situation to Ashtar, Ashtar expressed deep regret, stating: “O people of Iraq! It wasn’t long before you would have prevailed, but unfortunately, you fell into the trap of deception.” However, the people opposed Ashtar, saying: “Go away, Ashtar! We fought with them for the sake of Allah and have ceased fighting for the sake of Allah,” and they threatened to attack him. Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) intervened to arrest them. Subsequently, Ash’ath bin Qays Kandi approached Hazrat Ali and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! The people are satisfied with the judgment of the Holy Quran, and the war has ended. Please allow me to go to Mu’awiya and learn about his plans.” Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) granted permission.
Ash’ath bin Qays went to Hazrat Mu’awiya after receiving permission from Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and asked him: “What was your purpose in placing the Qur’an on the spears?” Mu’awiya replied: “We and you must refer to Allah’s ruling. One person should be appointed on our behalf and one person on your behalf; they should pledge to judge according to the Holy Qur’an. Then both parties should accept their judgment.”
Ash’ath bin Qays returned to Hazrat Ali, may Allah bless him, and informed him of the discussion’s outcome. Those in Hazrat Ali’s camp all agreed with this opinion. When asked who they would choose for this task, Mu’awiya suggested Amr bin As. In the assembly of Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, this decision was accepted. Hazrat Ali desired to appoint Abdullah bin Abbas as his representative, but the scholars and leaders insisted: “We can only accept Abu Musa Ash’ari.” Ultimately, Abu Musa Ash’ari was selected, and they summoned him, although he did not participate in the war and was in Hijaz, to prepare for the negotiations. Amr bin As was ready to draft the resolution.
Resolution of Peace and Return from the Battlefield
Upon Amr bin As’s arrival, the following resolution was immediately drafted: “According to this resolution, on behalf of Ali bin Abi Talib and the people of Kufa, as well as on behalf of Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan and the people of Sham, one person will be appointed as the judge.
We invoke Allah Almighty and His ruling as the judge and enforcer, and we confess that we do not interfere with anything other than the ruling of Allah and His Book. We pledge to follow the instructions of the Quran and to avoid its prohibitions.
Both judges, Abu Musa (Abdullah bin Qays) Ash’ari and Amr bin As, shall judge according to whatever they find in the Book of Allah, and if they do not find anything in the Qur’an, they shall act according to the Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him.
After that, a confession and a pledge were taken from both judges to regard Allah as present and observing, to judge according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and not to involve the deceased Ummah in war, corruption, and division.
The judges were granted a six-month deadline, with Ramadan specified as the time for judgment. They could extend this deadline by mutual agreement. On Wednesday, the 13th of Safar, 37 AH, it was noted that Ali and Mu’awiyah would meet in the second half of Al-Jandal Mahal during the month of Ramadan. If they did not convene at this time, they would announce the result of the arbitration in “Azrah” the following year, which is connected to the Duma of Al-Jandal, located between Kufa and Damascus. Additionally, it was determined that whenever Abu Musa Ash’ari from Kufa and Amr bin As from Damascus traveled to Azrah to announce the result, they would be accompanied by four hundred delegates from each side. These eight hundred representatives would serve as guardians for all Muslims, and the judges would announce their decision in their presence.
After the aforementioned resolution was approved, Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Mu’awiya each secured a pledge from their soldiers that following the announcement of the judgment results, they would be granted immunity, and their lives and properties would be protected. The armies of both parties accepted this with pleasure.
The resolution was drafted in two copies, with signatures from Hazrat Ali’s representatives: Abdullah bin Abbas, Ash’ath bin Qays Kandi, Saeed bin Qays Hamedani, Raqqa bin Sammy Bajli, Abdullah bin Muhallajli, Hujr bin Udi Kandi, Abdullah bin Al-Tufail Amri, Uqbah bin Ziyad Hazrami Ansari, Yazid bin Hajjiyyah Taymi, and Malik bin Ka’b Hamedani as witnesses and guarantors. On Hazrat Mu’awiya’s side, the witnesses included ten individuals: Abu al-Awar, Amr bin Sufyan, Habib bin Muslimah, Zamal bin Amr Azri, Mukharaq bin Harith Zubaydi, Wael bin Alqamah Adwi, Alqamah bin Yazid Hadrami, Hamza bin Malik Hamedani, Abdur Rahman bin Khalid bin Walid Makhzoumi, Subia bin Yazid Hadrami Ansari, and Utbah bin Abi Sufyan, Muawiya’s brother, Yazid bin Harr Absi.
One copy was given to Abu Musa and the other to Amr bin As. Malik Ashtar was asked to sign as a guarantor for Hazrat Ali, but Ashtar categorically refused to sign the agreement. When Ash’ath bin Qays Kandi was tasked with reading the agreement’s text to the people, the first to object after Ashtar was Urwa bin Adiya from Bani Tamim, who exclaimed: “Do you judge men in the religion of Allah?” and he attacked Ash’ath with a sword.
Four days were spent drafting the agreement and debating it; the thirteenth day of Safar came to an end. Both armies returned to Damascus and Kufa from the battlefield of Safin. Hazrat Mu’awiya entered Damascus safely, but a new sedition loomed over Hazrat Ali, may Allah bless him.
