The Biography of Hazrat Ali, “May Allah be pleased With Him” (Part 25)
The Meeting of the Parties at the Place of Azrah
As the six-month deadline approached, Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) summoned Abdullah bin Abbas from Basra. He then appointed Shareih bin Hani to lead a group of 400 people, sending them to Azrah. With the agreement of Hazrat Abu Musa Ash’ari as the judge and Abdullah bin Abbas as the leader of the congregation, the group set out for their meeting.
He advised Shareih bin Hani that whenever he meets Amr bin As at the point of Azrah, he should tell him: “Don’t abandon truth and honesty, and remember the Day of Judgment.”
On the other hand, Hazrat Mu’awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) also sent Amr bin As with four hundred people to Azrah. Among those present were high-ranking and influential figures from Makkah and Medina, such as Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Zubair, Abdul Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham Makhzoumi, Abdul Rahman bin Abdighouth Zahri, Abu Jaham bin Huzaifah Adwi, and Mughira bin Shuba. According to one account, Saad bin Abi Waqqas was also present.
When Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to send Abu Musa Ash’ari from Kufa to Azrah, Harqus bin Zuhair, who belonged to the Khawarij, approached Hazrat Ali and said: “You have made a mistake by accepting the judgment and the judge. Now you have a chance to declare your refusal and move against the enemies; we will support you.” Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: “I cannot act against the agreement.” Harqus bin Zuhair was the same individual who was considered one of the key figures and a leader of the rioters during the martyrdom of Hazrat Usman (may Allah be pleased with him) and later became known as the head of the Khawarij group.
After Abu Musa Ash’ari arrived in Azrah, Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent daily letters and messages to Abu Musa to stay in contact with him. Similarly, Hazrat Muawiyah had daily communication with Amr bin As. The letters from Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) were written under the name of Abdullah bin Abbas, while those of Hazrat Muawiyah were written under the name of Amr bin As. The companions of Amr bin As adhered to strict discipline and obeyed him, while none of them thought to question what Amir Muawiyah had written. In stark contrast, the people sent by Hazrat Ali would gather around Abdullah bin Abbas each day to inquire about the contents of Hazrat Ali’s letters. As a result, nothing remained secret, and all matters were revealed immediately. Abdullah bin Abbas faced considerable pressure from this situation; if he tried to keep information hidden, people would become displeased with him, openly criticizing him for not sharing Hazrat Ali’s letters.
Finally, when prominent personalities, including Abdullah bin Umar, Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakr, Abdullah bin Zubair, Abd al-Rahman bin Harith, Abd al-Rahman bin Abdi Ghous Zahri, Abu Jaham bin Hudhaifa, and Mughira bin Shuba, among others, arrived at Azrah, a private assembly was initially held in which both Abu Musa Ash’ari and Amr bin As participated.
The Adventures of the Khawarij
It has already been stated that when Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sought to send a group of 400 individuals to Azrah, Harqus bin Zuhair Saadi advised him: “You do not approve of the judges’ decision. Instead, prepare to attack the enemy.” Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) responded clearly: “We cannot act against the agreement.” However, Hazrat Ali later decided to attack Sham again due to the changing circumstances. When the Khawarij learned of Hazrat Ali’s decision to attack Syria, two of their leaders, Harqus bin Zuhair and Zura’ah bin Burj Ta’i, went to Hazrat Ali and said: “You ignored our earlier advice, but now you wish to do as you like. You must admit your mistake. If you acknowledge it and repent, we are ready to join you.”
Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: “It was you who compelled me to accept the rulings. I had intended to solve this problem through war, so why do you blame me and ask me to repent?” The Khawarij leaders said: “We confess to our sin, which is why we repent; you too should acknowledge and repent, and then we will all engage in war against the people of Syria.” Hazrat Ali responded: “How can I repent when I do not recognize that I have sinned?” Zare bin Burj Ta’i stated: “If you refuse to do this, we will fight you for the sake of Allah and seek His pleasure and mercy.” Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) declared: “Perish! How unfortunate it would be for me to be killed by you!” The Khawarij leaders left, upset, chanting: “لا حكم الاّ للّه” (There is no judgment but Allah’s).
While Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was preparing to give a sermon in the mosque of Kufa, a voice was heard from the corner, echoing their chant: “لا حكم الاّ للّه” (“Sovereignty belongs only to Allah”). Hazrat Ali responded: “كلمة حقٍّ أرید بها الباطل” (It is a true statement that’s been misused). He added: “You misbehave with us. If we do not prevent you from coming to the mosques, we will grant you your full share of the spoils as long as you remain with us. We will not fight you until you initiate hostilities. We are now awaiting Allah’s ruling regarding you and will act accordingly.” After these words, Hazrat Ali returned home.
Following these events, the Khawarij convened in the house of Abdullah Bin Wahb Rasbi for a discussion. Harqus Bin Zuhair Saadi, Hamza Bin Saman, Zayd Bin Hosin Ta’i, Shareih Bin Ufi Ansi, and others suggested that they should leave Kufa and camp in the mountainous regions to establish an independent government separate from Hazrat Ali’s authority. Hamzah bin Sinan Asadi suggested that it was essential to appoint one among them as their emir and entrust leadership to him. A meeting was scheduled for the 10th of Shawwal at Shareih’s house, where the Khawarij chose Abdullah bin Wahb Rasbi as their Amir and pledged allegiance to him.
Abdullah bin Wahhab asserted: “Now we must go to a city where we can implement Allah’s rule since we are the people of truth.” Shareih proposed: “We should go to Mada’in; given the small forces stationed there, we can easily capture it and then summon our supporters from Basra. If we all move together, we may be pursued, so it’s prudent to depart in pairs or groups of up to ten.” They decided first to go to Nahrwan and send messages to their brothers in Basra. The other Khawarij agreed to Zayd bin Hussain’s suggestion.
Ultimately, the Khawarij left Kufa in several groups. Once they departed, they notified the Khawarij of Basra to meet them in Nahrwan. Upon learning that the Khawarij had headed toward Mada’in, Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) promptly sent a message to Saad bin Masoud bin Abi Ubaid Thaqfi, the governor of Madain, to keep an eye on the Khawarij and maintain control over them.
Saad bin Masoud appointed his nephew Mukhtar bin Abi Ubaid as his deputy and proceeded to confront the Khawarij. He encountered a group of Khawarij at the Karkh point, engaging them in battle from morning until evening. That night, the Khawarij crossed the Tigris River from Basra’s Khawarij district and met Saad bin Masoud’s forces at Karkh, where another battle erupted. Eventually, this group of Khawarij succeeded in crossing the Tigris River, rejoining their like-minded companions in Nahrwan. The Khawarij organized and consolidated their ranks in Nahrwan, issuing a fatwa of excommunication against Hazrat Ali and his followers, planning to eliminate all who considered Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to be correct. Their numbers increased daily, eventually reaching 25,000.
