Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

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SERMON 36


Warning the people of Nahrawan (1) of their fate

I am warning you that you will be killed on the bend
of this canal and on the level of this low area while you will have no clear excuse before
Allah nor any open authority with you. You have come out of your houses and then divine
decree entangled you. I had advised you against this arbitration but you rejected my
advice like adversaries and opponents till I turned my ideas in the direction of your
wishes. You are a group whose heads are devoid of wit and intelligence. May you have no
father! (Allah's woe be to you!) I have not put you in any calamity nor wished you harm.
(1).
The cause of the battle of Nahrawan was that when after Arbitration Amir al-mu'minin was
returning to Kufah, the people who were foremost in pleading acceptance of Arbitration
began to say that appointment of anyone other than Allah as arbitrator is heresy, and
that, Allah forbid, by accepting the Arbitration Amir al-mu'minin turned heretic.
Consequently, by distorting the meaning of "There is no authority same with
Allah" they made simple Muslims share their views and separating from Amir
al-mu'minin encamped at Hanira' near Kufah. When Amir al-mu'minin learned of these
plottings he sent Sasaah ibn Suhan al-Abdi and Ziyad ibn an-Nadr al-Harithi in the
company of Ibn Abbas towards them and afterwards himself went to the place of their stay
and dispersed them after discussion.
When these people reached Kufah
they began to spread the news that Amir al-mu'minin had broken the agreement of
Arbitration and that he is again ready to fight against the Syrians. When Amir al-mu'minin
learned this he contradicted it whereupon these people stood up in rebellion and encamped
twelve miles from Baghdad in the low area of the canal called Nahrawan.
On the other side, after hearing
the verdict of Arbitration Amir al-mu'minin rose for fighting the army of Syria and wrote
to the Kharijites that the verdict passed by the two arbitrators in pursuance of their
heart's wishes instead of the Qur'an and sunnah was not acceptable to him, that he had
therefore decided to fight with them and they should support him for crushing the enemy.
But the Kharijites gave him this reply, "When you had agreed to Arbitration in our
view you had turned heretic. Now if you admit your heresy and offer repentance we will
think over this matter and decide what we should do." Amir al-mu'minin understood
from their reply that their disobedience and misguidance had become very serious. To
entertain any kind of hope from them now was futile. Consequently, ignoring them he
encamped in the valley of an-Nukhaylah with a view to marching towards Syria. When the
army had been arrayed he came to know that the men desired to deal with the people of
Nahrawan first, and to move towards Syria afterwards. Amir al-mu'minin, however, said that
they should be left as they were, that they themselves should first move towards Syria
while the people of Nahrawan could be dealt with afterwards. People said that they were
prepared to obey every order of his with all their might whether he moved this way or that
way. The army had not moved when news about the rebellion of Kharijites began to reach,
and it was learnt that they had butchered the governor of Nahrawan namely Abdullah ibn
Khabbab ibn al-Aratt and his slave maid with the child in her womb, and have killed three
women of Banu Tayyi and Umm Sinan as-Saydawiyyah. Amir al-mu'minin sent al-Harith ibn
Murrah al-Abdi for investigation but he too was killed by them. When their rebellion
reached this stage it was necessary to deal with them. Consequently, the army turned
towards Nahrawan. On reaching there Amir al-mu'minin sent them word that those who had
killed Abdullah ibn Khabbab ibn al-Aratt and innocent women should be handed over to him
for avenging blood. Those people replied that they had killed these persons jointly and
that they considered it lawful to shed the blood of all the people on his side. Even at
this Amir al-mu'minin did not take the initiative for the battle, but sent Abu Ayyub
al-Ansari with a message of peace. So he spoke to them aloud, "Whoever comes under
this banner or separates from that party and goes to Kufah or al-Mada'in would get amnesty
and he would not be questioned. As a result of this Farwah ibn Nawfal al-Ashja'i said that
he did not know why they were at war with Amir al-mu'minin. Saying this he separated along
with five hundred men. Similarly group after group began to separate and some of them
joined Amir al-mu'minin. Those who remained numbered four thousand, and according to
at-Tabari's account they numbered two thousand eight hundred. These people were not in any
way prepared to listen to the voice of truth, and were ready to kill or be killed. Amir
al-mu'minin had stopped his men to take the initiative but the Kharijites put arrows in
their bows and broke and threw away the sheathes of their swords. Even at this juncture
Amir al-mu'minin warned them of the dire consequences of war and this sermon is about that
warning and admonition. But they were so brimming with enthusiasm that they leapt on Amir
al-mu'minin's force all of a sudden. This onslaught was so severe that the foot men lost
ground but they soon fixed themselves firmly that the attack of arrows and spears could
not dislodge them from their position and they soon so cleared away the Kharijites that
except for nine persons who fled away to save their lives not a single person was left
alive. From Amir al-mu'minin's army only eight persons fell as martyrs. The battle took
place on the 9th Safar, 38 A.H.
.

Forward to Sermon 37.

Back to Sermon 35.

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