The Biography of Hazrat Ali “May Allah be Pleased with him” (Part 31)
The Dossier of the Agreement of Wisdom serves as a significant political and diplomatic document in the early history of Islam and can be effectively utilized in resolving disputes between Islamic countries. It is essential for the leaders of these nations to feel responsible for such conflicts.
Muslim nations should compel the parties involved to cease war and strife and obligate them to accept the judgment of Islamic law. Employing the method of wisdom to resolve the conflicts among Islamic nations prevents the intervention of foreign forces in Islamic lands; this way, foreign powers cannot claim that one of the conflicting parties has requested their assistance. If the ground is prepared for foreign intervention, they will exploit this opportunity to conspire against Muslims, exacerbating the conflict and offering solutions that primarily serve their interests, leaving Muslims to face the adverse consequences of these proposals. Assuming peace is achieved with the help of foreign powers, it is likely to be more harmful than the quarrel and sedition in which they were originally involved, as witnessed today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An examination of the provisions of the resolution shows that it has been recorded in history books with some slight variations; however, what is certain is that the resolution does not address the issue of the caliphate, as this matter was no longer considered relevant. The allegiance of the companions who were involved and contracted to resolve the conflict is noteworthy, even though most of the companions withdrew from the sedition and did not support Imam Ali (MAPH) during the conflicts, and there were perhaps instances of disagreement as well. It remains unproven that any companion, including Mu’awiyah, objected to the competence of Imam Ali (MAPH). Therefore, the issue of the caliphate was not mentioned at all in the resolution; instead, it emphasized what was crucial and necessary for Muslims at that time: peace and security.
This is further confirmed by the postponement of the meeting between the two judges, who were allocated a time frame of six months to a year (according to various narrations) and were granted the discretion to extend this period as needed. This allowed for a prolonged resolution and aimed to calm the situation. The resolution emphasizes that the judges should strive to uphold the rules of the Book and the Sunnah, which undoubtedly advocate solidarity and the avoidance of disputes. Allah says in the Qur’an: وَ اَطِیعُوا اللّه وَ رَسُوْلَه وَ لَا تَنَازَعُوْا فَتَفْشَلُوْا وَ تَذْهَبَ رِیحُكُمْ، وَ اصْبِرُوْا اِنَّ اللّه مَعَ الصَّبِرِینَ [انفال: 46]” Translation: “Obey Allah and His Messenger, and avoid strife, for by doing so, you will become weak and your glory will be lost. Be patient, for Allah is with the patient.”
The Holy Prophet of Islam also remarked: “Whoever distances himself from the congregation (of Muslims) by one obligation and dies in that state, his death is analogous to the death of an ignorant person.” Hence, the primary goal of appointing a judge was to establish peace and extinguish the fire of sedition. This objective was somewhat achieved, as there was no widespread military confrontation between the people of Kufa and Syria following the Battle of Safin. This conclusion reflects what the judges aimed for during that period.
The consensus was to disengage from conflict and preserve Muslim lives; however, the appointment and removal of leaders were not discussed, as this matter pertained to the elders among the companions, who understood that the council’s remaining members were Imam Ali and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas. One of those present at the council meeting was Abdullah ibn Umar, and it is evident that Hazrat Sa’ad and Abdullah distanced themselves from the sedition and did not desire the caliphate. They were repeatedly invited to attend the meeting but did not respond positively. Consequently, had the issue of dismissal arisen, Sa’d and Abdullah would not have accepted the caliphate, nor would any of the companions consider themselves superior to Ali, just as Imam Ali himself did not claim precedence over the previous caliphs.
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