لطفا منتظر باشید ...
SERMON 123
To exhort his followers to fight (1)
Put the armoured man forward and keep the unarmoured one behind. Grit your teeth
because this will make the swords skip off the skull, and dodge on the sides of the spears
for it changes the direction of their blades. Close the eyes because it strengthens the
spirit and gives peace to the heart. Kill the voices because this will keep off
spiritlessness .
Do not let your banner bend down, nor leave it alone. Do not give it to anyone except
the brave and the defenders of honour among you because they alone endure the befalling of
troubles; they surround the banners and encircle them on both sides, their rear and their
front. They do not separate from them lest they give them over (to the enemy). They do not
go ahead of them lest they leave them alone. Everyone should deal with his adversary and
also help his comrade by his own life, and should not leave the adversary to his comrade
lest both his own adversary and his comrade join against him.
By Allah, even if you run away from the sword of today you would not remain safe from
the sword of the next world. You are the foremost among the Arabs and great figures.
Certainly in running away there is the wrath of Allah, unceasing disgrace and lasting
shame. And certainly a runner-away does not lengthen his life, nor does any thing come to
intervene between him and his day (of death). Who is there to go towards Allah like the
thirsty going to the water? Paradise lies under the edges of spears. Today the reputations
(about the valour of warriors) will be tested.
By Allah! I am more eager to meet them (in combat) than they are for (returning to)
their houses. O' my Allah! If they reject truth disperse their group, divide their words
(opinion) and destroy them on account of their sins.
They will not budge from their stand till the continuous striking of spears causes
piercings (of wounds) through which wind may pass, and the hitting of swords cuts through
the skull, cleaves bones and breaks forearms and legs, till they are attacked by
contingent after contingent and assaulted by detachments which are followed by reserves
for support, till their cities are continuously assailed by force after force, and till
the horses trample even the extreme ends of the lands, the tracks of their beast and their
meadows.
as-Sayyid ar-Radi says: "ad-daq" means trampling, e.g., "taduqqu'l-khuyulu
bihawafiriha ardahum" (the horses trample the ground with their hoofs).
"nawahini ardihim" means lands opposite each other, it is said, "manazilu
bani fulanin tatanaharu" meaning the 'houses of so-and-so are opposite each
other.'
(1). Amir al-mu'minin delivered this Sermon
on the occasion of the battle of Siffin. This battle was fought in the year 37 A.H.
between Amir al-mu'minin and the Governor of Syria (ash-Sham), Muawiyah, for the
so-called avenging for the killing of Caliph Uthman. But in reality it was nothing more
than Muawiyah who had been the Autonomous Governor of Syria from Caliph Umar's days not
wanting to lose that position by swearing allegiance to Amir al-mu'minin but wanting to
keep his authority intact by exploiting the killing of Caliph Uthman, for later events
proved that after securing the government he did not take any practical step to avenge
Uthman's blood, and never spoke, not even through omission, about the killers of Uthman.
Although from the first day Amir al-mu'minin realised that war was inevitable, it was
still necessary to exhaust all pleas. Therefore when on Monday the 12th Rajeb, 36 A.H. he
returned to Kufah after the battle of Jamal he sent Jarir ibn Abdallah al-Bajali with a
letter to Muawiyah at Damascus wherein he wrote that the muhajirun and the ansar
had sworn allegiance to him and that he too should first swear him allegiance and
thereafter place the case of Uthman's killing before him so that he could pass verdict
thereon according to the Qur'an and Sunnah. But Muawiyah detained Jarir on several
pretexts and after consulting Amr ibn al-As staged a revolt on the excuse of Uthman's
killing, and with the help of important persons of Syria convinced the ignorant people
that the liability for Uthman's life lay on Ali (p.b.u.h) and that he, with his conduct
had encouraged the besiegers and had given them protection. Meanwhile he hung the
blood-stained shirt of Uthman and the amputated fingers of his wife Na'ilah bint
al-Farafisah on the pulpit in the Central Mosque of Damascus around which seventy thousand
Syrians cried and swore the pledge to avenge Uthman's blood. When Muawiyah had roused
the feelings of the Syrians to such an extent that they were determined to lay down their
lives and be killed, he secured their allegiance on the cause of avenging Uthman's blood
and busied himself in equipping for the battle. Thereafter, he showed all this to Jarir
and then sent him back mortified.
When Amir al-mu'minin learnt of these matters through Jarir ibn Abdallah al-Bajali he
was forced to rise against Muawiyah, and ordered Malik ibn Habib al-Yarbui to mobilise
the forces in the valley of An-Nukhaylah. Consequently, people from the suburbs of Kufah
began arriving there in large numbers, till they exceeded eighty thousand. First of all,
Amir al-mu'minin sent a vanguard contingent, eight thousand strong, under Ziyad ibn
an-Nadr al-Harithi and another of four thousand strong under Shurayh ibn Hani al-Harithi
towards Syria. After the departure of this vanguard contingent he himself set out for
Syria at the head of the remaining army on Wednesday the 5th of Shawwal. When he was out
of the boundary of Kufah he offered zuhr (noon) prayer and after staying at Dayr Abi Musa,
Nahr (river) Nars, Qubbat Qubbin, Babil, Dayr Kab, Karbala', Sabat, Bahurasini, al-Anbar
and al-Jazirah arrived at ar-Riqqah. The people of this place were in favour of Uthman,
and at this very place Simak ibn Makhtamah al-Asadi was putting up with his eight hundred
men. These people had left Kufah to join Muawiyah after deserting Amir al-mu'minin; when
they had seen Amir al-mu'minin's force they had dismantled the bridge over the River
Euphrates so that Amir al-mu'minin's army should not cross over to the other side of the
River. But at the threatening of Malik ibn al-Harith al-Ashtar an-Nakhai they were
frightened, and after consultations among themselves they put the bridge together again
and Amir al-mu'minin passed over it with his army. When he alighted on the other side of
the River he saw that Ziyad and Shurayh were also putting up there along with their men
since both of them had adopted the land route. When, on reaching here, they found that
Muawiyah was advancing with his armies towards the Euphrates and thinking that they would
not be able to face him, they stopped there waiting for Amir al-mu'minin. When they had
given the reason for their stopping there, Amir al-mu'minin accepted their plea and sent
them forward. When they reached Sur ar-Rum they found that Abu al-Awar as-Sulami was
camping there with his army. Both of them informed Amir al-mu'minin of this, whereupon he
despatched Ma1ik ibn al-Harith al-Ashtar an-Nakhai in their wake as the Officer in
Command and cautioned him not to initiate the fighting but to try to counsel them and
apprise them of the correct position as far as possible. In this way, on reaching there
Malik al-Ashtar encamped a little distance away. Fighting could have commenced any moment,
but he did not interfere with the other side nor did he take any step by which fighting
could have been commenced. But Abu al-Awar suddenly attacked them at night, whereupon
they took their swords out of the sheaths and prepared to repulse them. Clashes between
the two sides went on for sometime but in the end, taking benefit of the darkness of night
Abu al-Awar fled away. Since fighting had already commenced, soon after the appearance of
dawn an Iraqi commander, Hashim ibn Utbah al-Mirqal az-Zuhri, took his position in the
battlefield. From the other side also a contingent came to face him, and the flames of
fighting rose high. At last Malik al-Ashtar challenged Abu al-Awar to fight him, but he
did not dare to face him, and towards the evening Malik al-Ashtar went onwards with his
men. The next day Amir al-mu'minin reached there with his force and set off for Siffin
with the vanguard contingent and other forces. Muawiyah had already reached there and had
set up his bases. He had also placed a guard on the Euphrates and had occupied it. On
reaching there Amir al-mu'minin sent him word to remove the guard from Euphrates, but he
refused, whereupon the Iraqis took out their swords and in a courageous attack captured
the Euphrates. When this stage was over Amir al-mu'minin sent Bashir ibn Amr al-Ansari,
Said ibn Qays al-Hamdani and Shabath ibn Ribi at-Tamimi to Muawiyah to apprise him of
the consequences of war and to make him agree to settlement and allegiance. But his reply
was that they could not by any means let Uthman's blood remain neglected, and that now
the sword alone would arbitrate between them. Consequently in the month of Dhi'l-hijjah 36
A.H. both the parties decided on war and warriors from each side came out into the field
to face their adversary. Those who entered the battlefield from Amir al-mu'minin's side
were: Hujr ibn Adi al-Kindi, Shabath ibn Ribi at-Tamimi, Khalid ibn al-Muammar, Ziyad
ibn an-Nadr al-Harithi, Ziyad ibn Khasafah at-Taymi, Said ibn Qays al-Hamdani, Qays ibn
Sad al-Ansari and Malik ibn al-Harith al-Ashtar an-Nakhai while from the Syrians there
were, Abd ar-Rahman ibn Khalid ibn Walid al-Makhzuni, Abu al-Awar as-Sulami, Habib ibn
Maslamah al-Fihri, Abdallah ibn Dhi'l-Kala al-Himyari, Ubaydallah ibn Umar ibn
al-Khattab, Shurahbil ibn Simt al-Kindi, and Hamzah ibn Malik al-Hamdani. When the month
of Dhi'l-hijjah came to end the fighting had to be stopped for Muharram, but from the
first of Safar fighting was resumed and both parties arrayed themselves opposite each
other, equipped with swords, spears and other weapons. On Amir al-mu'minin's side Malik
al-Ashtar was in command of the horsemen and Ammar ibn Yasir of the foot soldiers of
Kufah while Sahl ibn Hunayf al-Ansari was in command of the horsemen and Qays ibn Sad of
the foot soldiers of Basrah. The banner of the army was given to Hashim ibn Utbah. In the
army of the Syrians on the right hand contingent Ibn Dhi'l-Kala was in command, while on
the left hand contingent Habib ibn Maslamah, on horsemen Amr ibn al-As and on foot
soldiers ad-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri were in command.
On the first day Malik ibn al-Ashtar entered the battle-field with his men, and from
the other side Habib ibn Maslamah came out with his men to face him and from both sides a
fierce battle ensued. Throughout the day swords clashed with swords and spears with
spears.
Next day, Hashim ibn Utbah came out with Ali's army and from the other side Abu
al-Awar with his footmen came to face him. When the two armies approached near to each
other, horsemen fell upon horsemen and footmen upon footmen and continued attacking each
other. and they endured with great patience and steadfastness.
On the third day, Ammar ibn Yasir and Ziyad ibn an-Nadr came out with horsemen and
foot soldiers and from the other side Amr ibn al-As came forward with a big force. Ziyad
attacked the horsemen of the opposite side and Malik al-Ashtar attacked the foot soldiers
so furiously that the enemy's men lost ground and, failing to offer resistance, returned
to their camps.
On the fourth day Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah appeared on the battle-field with his men.
From the other side Ubaydallah ibn Umar came forward with the Syrian army and both the
armies had a serious encounter.
On the fifth day Abdallah ibn Abbas came forward and from the other side al-Walid ibn
Uqba ibn Abi Muayt came to face him. Abdallah ibn Abbas carried the assaults with
great steadfastness and courage and gave such a brave fight that the enemy left the field
in retreat.
On the sixth day Qays ibn Sad al-Ansari came forward with the army and to face him Ibn
Dhi'l-Kala came out with his contingent, and such a severe fighting ensued that at every
step bodies were seen falling and blood flowing like streams. At last the darkness of the
night separated the two armies.
On the seventh day Malik al-Ashtar came out and to face him, Habib ibn Maslamah came
forward with his men, and fighting raged till zuhr (noon).
On the eighth day Amir al-mu'minin himself came out with the army and made such an
assault that the entire battlefield quaked, and piercing through the ranks and warding off
shots of arrows and spears he came and stood between both the lines. Then he challenged
Muawiyah, whereupon the latter, along with Amr ibn al-As, came a bit closer. Then Amir
al-mu'minin said to him: "Come out and face me. Let whoever kills the other be the
ruler." Whereupon Amr ibn al-As said to Muawiyah: "Ali is right. Gather up a
little courage and face him. Muawiyah replied: "l am not prepared to waste my life
ar your taunting." Saying this he went back. When Amir al-mu'minin saw him retreating
he smiled and himself too returned. The daring with which Amir al-mu'minin led the attacks
in Siffin can only be called a miraculous feat. Thus, whenever he came out challenging in
the battlefield, the enemy lines were dispersed into utter disarray and confusion, and
even courageous combatants hesitated to appear against him. That is why on a few occasions
he came onto the battlefield in changed dress so that the enemy should not recognise him
and someone should be prepared to engage with him personally. Once Arar ibn Ad'ham came
from the other side to engage with al-Abbas ibn Rabiah al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib.
They remained engaged but neither could defeat the other, until al-Abbas chanced to see
that a link of his adversary's armour was loose. With a swift stroke he entangled the
point of his sword in it, and then with a quick jerk he cut through a few more links. Then
with true aim he gave such a blow that his sword went straight into his bosom. Seeing
this, people raised the call of takbir. Muawiyah was startled at this noise and on
coming to know that Arar ibn Ad'ham had been slain he was much disturbed and shouted if
there was anyone to take revenge for Arar ibn Ad'ham and kill al-Abbas, whereupon some
tired swordsmen of the tribe of Lakhm came out challenging al-Abbas. Al-Abbas said he
would come after taking his Chief's permission. Saying al-Abbas came to Amir al-mu'minin
to seek permission. Amir al-mu'minin detained him, put on al-Abbas's dress. and riding on
al-Abbas's horse entered the battlefield. Taking him to be al-Abbas, the Lakhms said:
"So you have got your Chief's permission." In reply Amir al-mu'minin recited the
following verse:
Permission (to fight) is given unto those upon whom war is made for they have been
oppressed, and verily, to help them, Allah is Most Potent. (Qur'an, 22:39)
Now one man came out from the other side shouting like an elephant, ran amok and
assaulted Amir al-mu'minin, but he avoided the blow and then gave such a clean cut with
his sword to the other's back that he was split into two. People thought the blow had gone
without avail, but when his horse jumped his two separate parts fell on the ground. After
him another man came out but he too was finished in the twinkling of an eye. Then Amir
al-mu'minin challenged others but from the strokes of his sword the enemy came to know
that it was Amir al-mu'minin in the dress of al-Abbas and so none dared come to face him.
On the ninth day the right wing was under the command of Abdullah ibn Budayl and the
left wing under that of Abdullah ibn al-Abbas. In the centre was Amir al-mu'minin
himself. On the other side Habib ibn Maslamah commanded the Syrian army. When both the
lines had come face to face with each other, the valiant soldiers drew out their swords
and pounced upon one another like ferocious lions, and fighting raged on all sides. The
banner of the right wing Amir al-mu'minin's army was revolving in the hands of Banu
Hamdan. Whenever anyone of them fell, martyred, someone else would pick up the banner.
First of all Kurayb ibn Shurayh raised the banner, on his fall Shurahbil ibn Shurayh took
it up, then Marthad ibn Shurayh, then Hubayrah ibn Shurayh then Yarim ibn Shurayh, then
Sumayr ibn Shurayh and after the killing of all these six brothers the banner was taken up
by Sufyan, then Abd, then Kurayb, the three sons of Zayd, who all fell martyred. After
that the banner was lifted by two brothers (sons) of Bashir namely Umayr and al-Harith
and when they too fell martyred, Wahb ibn Kurayb took up the banner. On this day the
enemy's greater attention was on the right wing and its assaults were so fierce that the
men lost ground and began to retreat from the battlefield. Only three hundred men remained
with the Officer in Command Abdullah ibn Budayl. On seeing this Amir al-mu'minin asked
Malik al-Ashtar to call them back and challenge them as to where they were fleeing.
"If the days of life are over they cannot avoid death by running away." Now the
defeat of the right wing could not be without effect on the left wing, so Amir al-mu'minin
turned to the left wing and advanced forward, forcing through the enemy lines, whereupon a
slave of Banu Umayyah named Ahmar said to him, "Allah may make me die if I fail to
slay you today." On hearing this Amir al-mu'minin's slave Kaysan leapt over him but
was killed by him. When Amir al-mu'minin saw this he caught him by the skirt of his armour
and, picking him up, threw him down so forcefully that all his joints were smashed,
whereupon Imam Hasan (p.b.u.h.) and Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah came forward and despatched
him to Hell. Meanwhile, after having been called to Malik al-Ashtar and his having made
them feel ashamed, the retreaters came back and again assaulted so steadfastly that
pushing back the enemy they reached the place where Abdullah ibn Budayl was surrounded by
the enemy. When he saw his own men he picked up courage and leapt towards Muawiyah's tent
with drawn sword. Malik al-Ashtar tried to stop him but he couldn't, and, killing seven
Syrians, he reached the tent of Muawiyah. When Muawiyah noticed him close by he ordered
him to be stoned, as a result of which he was overpowered and the Syrians crowded over him
and killed him. When Malik al-Ashtar saw this he proceeded forward with the combatants of
Banu Hamdan and Banu Madh'hij for an attack on Muawiyah, and began dispersing the
contingent on guard around him. When, out of the five circles of his guards only one
remained to be dispersed, Muawiyah put his foot in the stirrup of his horse in order to
run away, but on someone's encouragement again stopped. On another side of the battlefield
a tumult was raging from one end to the other by the swords of Ammar ibn Yasir and Hashim
ibn Utbah. From whatever side Ammar passed, the companions (of the Holy Prophet) flocked
around him and then made such a joint assault that destruction spread throughout the enemy
lines. When Muawiyah saw them advancing he threw his fresh forces towards them. But he
continued displaying the excellence of his bravery under the storm of swords and spears.
At last Abu al-Adiyah al-Juhani hit him with a spear from which he could not balance
himself and then Ibn Hawiy (Jawn as-Saksiki) came forward and slew him. Ammar ibn Yasir's
death caused tumult in Muawiyah's ranks because about him they had heard the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) having said: " Ammar will be killed at the hands of a rebellious party."
Thus before he fell as martyr Dhu'l-Kala had said to Amr ibn al-As: "I see Ammar
on Ali's side; are we that rebellious party?" Amr ibn al-As had assured him that
eventually Ammar would join them, but when he killed fighting on Ali's side the
rebellious party stood exposed and no scope was left for any other interpretation.
Nevertheless Muawiyah started telling the Syrians that: "We did not kill Ammar, but
Ali did it because he brought him to the battlefield." When Amir al-mu'minin heard
this cunning sentence he remarked: "In that case the Holy Prophet (PBUH) killed
Hamzah as he had brought him to the battlefield of Uhud." Hashim ibn Utbah also fell
in this conflict. He was killed by al-Harith ibn Mundhir at-Tanukhi. After him the banner
of the contingent was taken over by his son Abdullah.
When such fearless warriors were gone Amir al-mu'minin said to the warriors from the
tribes of Hamdan and Rabiah: "To me you are like armour and spear. Get up and teach
these rebels a lesson. " Consequently, twelve thousand combatants of the tribes of
Rabiah and Hamdan stood up, swords in hand. The banner was taken up by Hudayn ibn
al-Mundhir. Entering the lines of the enemy, they used their swords in such a way that
heads began to drop, bodies fell in huge heaps and on every side streams of blood flowed.
And the assaults of these swordsmen knew no stopping till the day began to end with all
its devastation and the gloom of eve set in, ushering in that fearful night which is known
in history as the night of al-Harir, wherein the clashing of weapons, the hoofs of horses
and the hue and cry of the Syrians created such notice that even voices reaching the ears
could not be heard. On Amir al-mu'minin's side, his wrong-crushing slogans raised waves of
courage and valour, and on the enemy's side they shook the hearts in their bosoms. The
battle was at its zenith. The quivers of the bowmen had become empty. The stalks of the
spears had been broken. Hand to hand fighting went on with swords only and dead bodies
collected in heaps, till by morning the number of killed had exceeded thirty thousand.
On the tenth day Amir al-mu'minin's men showed the same morale. On the right wing Malik
al-Ashtar held the command and on the left wing Abdullah ibn al-Abbas.
Assaults went on like the assaults of new soldiers. Signs of defeat appeared on the
Syrians, and they were about to leave the battlefield and run away, when five hundred
Qur'ans were raised on spears changing the entire face of the battle. Moving swords
stopped, the weapon of deceit was successful, and the way was clear for wrong to hold its
sway.
In this battle forty-five thousand Syrians were killed while twenty-five thousand
Iraqis fell as martyrs. (Kitab Siffin by Nasr ibn Muzahim al-Minqari [d. 212 A.H.]
and at-Tarikh at-Tabari, vol. 1, pp. 3256-3349).
.Forward to Sermon 124.Back to Sermon 122.
