لطفا منتظر باشید ...
POLICY OF REACTION
Owing to the distinguished men of the Quraish being
used to enjoying a whole array of privileges and
advantages, it was hard for them to accept Imam Ali's
(a.s.) policy of equality of rights as Allah enjoined.Al-Zubair bin Awam and Talha bin Ubaidullah disapproved
of this policy of Imam Ali (a.s.), as it deviated from
what so far had been customary.
Imam Ali (a.s.) asked them: ''That is it that you
so disapprove of in me that you seek other than me?"
They said: "you made our share of allowance the
same as the others; you made us equal to those who are
not like us regarding the booty bestowed upon us by Allah
through our swords and spears, and which we charged our
horses and men, upon which our mission was established,
and which we took by force from those who reluctantly
look at Islam."(135)
The Imam (a.s.) replied to them: "You complain
of such minor affairs, and neglect major things [done for
you]. Can you tell me of an instance of my depriving you
of your rights or of a single thing that was your due,
but I withheld it from you, or of a single case brought
before me for judgement but I failed to give a just
decision, or of a situation in which I gave an incorrect
decree?
"By Allah I never craved for the caliphate or
authority. All of you invited me to accept it, and when I
accepted, I looked into the Book of Allah and to what we
had been ordered to do, and I followed it, as well as the
traditions of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), and I
exemplified it. In following those I never needed your
opinion, nor the opinion of anybody else. Nor was there a
judgement which I knew not so as to need your
consultation or other Muslims. Had there been such a need
I would have turned not away from you or from the others."As to what you say about equal distribution of
wealth, I should say it is not my opinion which I follow,
nor is it a desire of mine to control. It is what I and
you found the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) doing. There,
too, I needed no help from you, since Allah had already
ordained its dividends. Therefore, neither you nor anyone
else are justified in blaming me for this. May Allah
guide our hearts and yours to the truth and grant us
patience. May Allah have mercy upon him who, when he sees
the truth, helps it to spread, who, when he sees
inequity, rejects it, and who rightly backs his
companion."(136)
In this way, concepts and starting points were
diverse. Imam Ali (a.s.) started from what Allah, the
Exalted, and His Messenger (s.a.w.) enjoin, whereas his
opponents start from what their own interests revealed to
them. So huge was the difference between aiming at
carrying out the teachings of the Message and caring for
the interests of the whole nation, and thc materialistic
position which sees only private interests.
Mu'awiyah's Attitude:
No sooner had the news spread of Imam Ali's acceptance
of the caliphate and of his undertaking the task of
leading the nation, than Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, filled
with fear, announced his opposition. Mu'awiyah had
received a letter from bin Al-As, telling him about the
situation in the capital of the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.):From Amr bin Al-As to Mu'wiyah bin Abi Sufyan. Do
whatever you want to, as Ali bin Abi Talib has peeled off
you whatever you have, like a branch peeled of its
bark."(137) At the same time Imam Ali (a.s.) wrote to Mu'awiyah
summoning him. But Mu'awiyah neither went to him nor
replied to his letter.(138)
Three months after Uthman's murder, and Imam Ali's
caliphate began, Mu'awiyah raised the claim of avenging
Uthman's blood to use as a pretext to rebel against his
Imam.He started with hanging Uthman's bloody shirt and a few
hairs of his beard, with dried blood on them in the
Damascus Mosque. He began to incite the people of Al-Sham
to rise and take Uthman's revenge from his murderers. He
sent an envoy to the Imam, who arrived in Madinah and
started wandering through its lanes, showing the people a
sealed letter with the words "From Mu'awiyah to
Ali". Such unbecoming behavior by the envoy provoked
thc people's surprise, revealing that the sender did not
bear any reeling of respect for the Imam.When Imam Ali (a.s.) opened the letter, he found it blank
with nothing written in it. He asked the envoy about the
matter. The envoy demanded to be spared if he told the
truth. Assured of his safety, he said: "I left
behind me people who say: We would not be contented
except by revenge." Imam Ali (a.s.) asked: "Whom from?"
The man replied: "The people say: From Ali's
neck. I have left 60,000 old men weeping under Uthman's
shirt, spread for them on thc pulpit of Damascus Mosque,
with the fingers of his wife, Na'ilah, hung on it."
Imam Ali (a.s.) said: "Do they want Uthman's
blood from me [Do they accuse me of his murder]? Allah
knows I am innocent of Uthman's blood..."(139)
He then ordered the envoy to leave, secured in his
passage. Afterwards, Imam Ali (a.s.) began gathering his
army to counter plans laid by Mu'awiyah in al-Sham.
Background of Avenging Uthman:
Before going any further, it is perhaps better to
establish whether the parties in AI-Sham and Basrah were
truthful in their demand of avenging thc third caliph.
This question, which imposes itself on both the writer
and the reader, can be answered by referring to the
attitudes of those parties during the period of the
revolt which led to the murder of Uthman.Mu'awiyah knew the details of what was happening against
the caliph in Madinah. The caliph, himself, was sieged by
the people and asked for Mu'awiyah's help who actually
did not help him, but sent an army instead, headed by
Yazid bin Asad al-Qasri, whom he ordered: "When you
reach Dhi Khushub--a region outside Madinah--stay there
and do not leave it. Do not say that the present see what
the absent cannot see. It is I who am present, and it is
you who are absent."(140) Al-Qasri stayed where Mu'awiyah had told him. When Uthman
was killed, Mu'awiyah summoned the army back to al-Sham.
This shows Mu'awiyah's attitude towards Uthman bin
Affan during the latter's rule. So, his brandishing of
the banner of avenging the murder of the caliph was but a
means merely to stir up the sympathy of the people and to
muster supporters. His real motive lay in his disapproval
of Imam Ali's (a.s.) reformative policy which injured the
interests of the social elite in one way or the other,
particularly the wealth, power and authority that
Mu'awiyah had gained during the reign of Uthman and his
own desire for the caliphate.
On the other hand, Imam Ali (a.s.) announced his
attitude toward the caliph's murder, saying:
"...By Allah, the murderers of Uthman would
not have escaped if Allah had not willed it, as when He
wills something, He will attain it."(141)
His attitude further set out his position through a
letter he sent to Mu'awiyah, in which he said:
"...You have said so much about the murderers
of Caliph Uthman. Join the people in what they did
[allegiance]. I, then, shall pass my judgement according
to the tenets of the Book of Allah. But what you want now
is but a trick..."(142)
The Imam’s Attitude During the Crisis
To give further insight, it is necessary to mention,
Imam Ali's (a.s.) attitude during the crisis to which the
Caliphate had been subjected ill Uthman's days.When the people revolted against Caliph Uthman, Imam Ali
(a.s.) tried to convince him of the necessity of reform
and there were discussions between them in this respect.
Imam Ali (a.s.), among other things, told him:
"...I beseech you in the name of Allah not to
let yourself be the murdered leader, because it is said
that in this nation a leader will be killed, opening the
door of bloodshed until the Day of Resurrection. He will
cast doubts on their affairs, mislead them into trial so
that they will not be able to distinguish between right
and wrong, and, blame each other for these calamities.
They will find themselves engulfed by sorrows and
sufferings. So, fairly an old and experienced man as you
are, do not become a pack animal to Marwan who drags you
to where he likes."(143)
Uthman then requested: " Ask these people to give
me time so that I may compensate them and undo the wrong
done to them."(144)
Thereupon Imam Ali (a.s.) said: "There can be
no postponement for what is going on here in Madinah. As
to the other places, the time for your orders to reach
there will be grace enough."(145)
The caliph said: "Yes, but get me three
day's...grace for what is here."
Imam Ali (a.s.) went out to the people and told them
about the Caliph's promise, and wrote an agreement
between them and the Caliph, and had it attested to by a
number of noteables of the Muhajirin and the Ansar.(146)
But, as the Caliph could not keep his word, the
situation deteriorated once again. It became even more
aggravated when Egyptian Mujahidin laid their hands on a
letter sent by Uthman to his agent in Egypt, ordering him
to punish the leaders of the Egyptian revolutionaries by
putting them to death, and to punish the discontented by
putting them behind bars.(147)
The Caliph was, therefore, besieged by both the
discontented and those who coveted the caliphate. They
even prevented drinking water from reaching him. Then he
sought the help of Imam Ali (a.s.), who hurried to his
rescue. Pushing Talha and the others aside, he brought
him water to drink.(148)The siege lasted for forty days. One day the people asked
Imam Ali (a.s.) to let them perform their prayers behind
him as their Imam. He refused. Talha took over the lead.These are some aspects of the attitude of Imam Ali (a.s.)
toward Uthman. Yet, his noble positions in defending the
Caliph did not mean that Imam Ali (a.s.) was pleased with
the Caliph's financial and administrative policies.(149)Rather, he thought that Uthman's murder would endanger
the nation, since it would result in tearing the Islamic
ranks into pieces by the enemies of the Muslims. Which
has actually happened!
THE BATTLE OF BASRA
Talha and Al-Zubair were at the head of those who
disapproved of Uthman's policy. In fact, they were also
at the head of the people who gave the oath of allegiance
to Imam Ali (a.s.) after the death of Uthman. Yet they
were not happy with the reformative movement led by Imam
Ali (a.s.) in Islamic life. They started preparations for
rebellion against the Imam (a.s.) and stirred the Muslims
against him. The result was a calamity that caused the
nation grave losses.
Imam Ali (a.s.) exerted great effort to avoid the
conflict. Nothing was spared in offering his advice to
them and he placed on their shoulders full responsibility
of the war if it broke out.He said to them:
"...you, Talha and you, Zubair, you know that
I did not want the people until they wanted me, and I did
not accept their allegiance till they forced me to, and
you were at the head of those who hurried to pledge
allegiance to me. You did not accept that by force, nor
for a present purpose. O Zubair, you, champion of the
Quraish; and you, Talha, the leader of the Muhajirin, it
would have been easier for you both to prevent it before
joining it than to avoid it after giving your allegiance.
It is Banu Uthman who may avenge him, whereas you are two
men of the Muhajirin, You have brought your mother Ummul
Mu'minin, A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet (s.a.w.) out
of her house, whereas Allah had commanded her not to
leave it."(150)
In Basra, Imam Ali (a.s.) continued to give his advice
to prevent bloodshed, He even sent envoys to the Nakithun
[those who broke their allegiance] inviting them to peace
and reconciliation.He also met Al-Zubair and reminded him of certain
incidents which had happened to them during the life of
the Prophet (s.a.w.), He asked him:
"What caused you to do this, O Zubair?"
"To avenge Uthman," replied Zubair.
Imam Ali (a.s.) said: "If you are to be fair
with yourself, it is you and your companions who killed
him. I beseech you, O Zubair, do you not remember the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) asking you: 'O Zubair, do you
love Ali?' and you replied: 'Why?’ He then said to
you: 'Verily you will not? Isn't he my cousin. injustly
go against him?’"
"O yes, this did happen," replied Zubair.
Imam Ali (a.s.) then said: "I beseech you to
remember the day when the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.)
returned from Banu Awf, and you were accompanying him,
and he was holding your hand. I received him and greeted
him. He smiled at me and I smiled at him. You said: 'Ali
bin Abi Talib never gives up his pride.' He (s.a.w.) said
to you: 'Slow down, Zubair! Ali is not proud. Verily you
will one day unfairly rise against him.'"
"O yes," replied Al-Zubair, "but I
forgot it. Now that you have reminded me, I would give it
up."(151)
Consequently, Zubair decided to retire from public
life. But his son, Abdullah, accused him of cowardice for
doing so.Thus, the situation exploded and war was waged between
the two camps.
His Humanistic Attitude:
Imam Ali (a.s.), nevertheless, kept his patience,
tolerance and high humane spirit. He, thus addressed his
army--after all his efforts to amend the situation were
unsuccessful when war broke out--asking them to adorn
themselves with the high morals which Allah, the Exalted,
commanded them to do while in war:
"O people, I adjure you by Allah that you may
not kill the one who turns his back on the battlefield;
you may not finish one wounded; you may not deem
captivity lawful; and you may not seize weapons nor
property."(152)
Through this, he announced the Islamic regulations to
be practiced against the rebels. Then he invoked his
Lord, the Most High, taking refuge in Him against the
trial caused by the Nakithun, declaring it to be rejected
by him before Allah, the Great and Most High.Raising his hands high in invocation, he said:
"O Allah! Talha and AI-Zubair have willingly
shaken hands with me. Then they openly waged war against
me. O Allah! Spare me their evil by whatever means or way
that You will.(153)
The fight ended with a crushing victory achieved by
the Imam's army. Imam Ali (a.s.) proclaimed a general
amnesty to all those who fought against him:
"...No injured one may be killed; no one
fleeing may be chased, and no deserter may be stabbed.
Whoever drops his weapon is safe, and whoever closes his
door is secure. No seizure of women and property may be
regarded lawful. Whatever utensils [the enemy] brought to
the war may be seized, but whatever else is for their
heirs. No slave leaving the camp may be pursued. Whatever
there is of animals and weapons is yours. You may not
have the mother of a child--the maid who gave birth to a
male or female. Heritage is to be according to the law of
Allah. Any woman whose husband is killed may wait for
four months and ten days, [before marrying again]."
Somebody asked him: "Their blood is lawful to us
but not their women [to marry]. How is that?"
Imam Ali (a.s.) replied: "That is the way with
the Muslims."(154)
But some of his soldiers wished to get more booty than
those defined by the Imam (a.s.). A man stood up and
said: "O Amir Al-Mu'minin, by Allah you did not
divide equitably, nor did you act justly among the
subjects!"
Imam Ali (a.s.) asked him: "Oh, how?"
The man replied: "Because you distributed what was
in the camp, but you left out the wealth, women and
children." Imam Ali (a.s.), then began to explain
the philosophy of his humane attitude:
"O brother of Bakr [tribe], you are a man of
weak thinking. Do you not know that we do not accuse the
young of the crime committed by the old? These people had
their properties before separation, and they married as
adults, and they were born in a natural way. So, you may
only have what there is in their camp. As to what is in
their houses is for the heritage of their children. If
anyone of them transgressed against us, we would take him
for his crime. But if he refrained, we would not burden
him with someone else's guilt.
"O brother of Bakr, I judged in this respect,
as the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) did in respect to the
people of Mecca. He distributed what was in the camp and
touched nothing else. I followed in his wake.
"O brother of Bakr, do you not know that what
is on the battlefield is lawful, but what is in the
distribution (emigration) land is not lawful except
according to a right."(155)
These are some of the unique humane acts following the
command of Allah and in accordance with His laws, which
Amir al-Mu'minin Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) applied in
dealing with his defeated opponents. In his attitude you
will find no trace of emotion, hastiness or vengeance. It
was this attitude from which Imam Ali (a.s.) embodied the
rules of Allah, and no one could embody the laws of Allah
among the people better than Imam Ali (a.s.).Imam Ali (a.s.) continued his humane measures in respect
to the Nakithun, at the same time showing the noblest and
the truest of feelings towards those deceived. He tried
his best to mend the crack and divisions by unifying the
ummah and preserving its dignity.
THE BATTLE OF SIFFIN
After victory in the Battle of Basra, Imam Ali(a.s.)
returned, with his army to Kufa to reinforce his troops,
and then to go on to Al-Sham to liquidate the opposition
led by Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan.
Imam Ali (a.s.) started his march with his army
heading for Al-Sham. But the enemy received news about
his move, and decided to meet the Islamic advance- on the
way. The two armies confronted one another near the
Euphrates River.Imam Ali (a.s.) resumed his efforts to set things right
through peaceful ways. He sent a three-member delegation
to Mu'awiyah asking him to fear Allah, preserve the unity
of the Muslim ranks and join the unanimity of the nation:
"Go to this man and call him to Allah, to
obedience and to unanimity. Probably Allah may guide him,
and the ranks of the nation may come together."(156)
The delegation met the head of the opposition and told
him about the intentions of the Imam (a.s.), presented
him the way of Allah and warned him against the
consequences of his misdeeds. But Mu'awiyah stuck to his
position, saying:"Go away, I have no reply except the
sword."(157)
Mu'awiyah's defiant position nevertheless did not
affect Imam Ali's (a.s.) tolerance and patience, nor did
it cause him to be hasty in starting an attack as he
wanted to prevent bloodshed and to preserve the lives of
the nation.
This humanistic attitude adhered to by the Imam (a.s.)
only increased the obstinacy of the opposition, and they
tried to block Imam Ali's (a.s.) army from getting access
to the waters of the river. They moved troops to
strategic positions along the banks of the river to stop
the Imam's army from reaching it.Although water was vital for the army, Imam Ali (a.s.)
did not lose his patience. He sent a message to Mu'awiyah
telling him: "We came here for something other
than water. Had we got to it before you, we would not
have forbidden it to you." Mu'awiyah's reply was: "By God, not even a drop
till you die of thirst!"(158)
This compelled Imam Ali (a.s.) to resort to force to
get water for his army, as the only alternative left
before him. Consequently, he moved a division of soldiers
to break the blockade and Mu'awiyah's army received a
crushing defeat. The river came under the control of the
Imam's army, yet, he allowed Mu'awiyah's army access to
the river whenever they liked. In doing so he incarnated
one of the fundamental moralities of Islam in this
respect.How great and noble a warrier Imam Ali (a.s.) was, and
what a big heart he had!
As the Imam (a.s.) was greatly concerned about
preventing the shedding of Muslim blood, guarding
dissension and avoiding disunity, he challenged Mu'awiyah
to fight him in single combat, where the winner would be
regarded as the leader of the nation: "O
Mu'awiyah! What should the people kill each other for?
Come, fight me and leave the people alone. The victor
will have the rule."(159)
Mu'awiyah, fearing defeat, resorted to start the
battle with all his forces. The tactics of Imam Ali
(a.s.) were not to lose his self-control, and trying to
keep the fight within the range of individual
combat.(160)But his attempts at limiting the conflict could not
repair the damage of Mu'awiyah, and full scale war broke
out that lasted two weeks.
Just when there appeared signs of victory in favor of
Imam Ali's side, the enemy, realizing that they were on
the verge of defeat, resorted to stave off their
inevitable tute and raised copies of the Holy Qur'an on
top of their spears and swords [denoting that they were
Muslims and ready to accept the judgement of the Qur'an].
This proved to be a deceitful trick to essentially change
the general trend of the battle, as the raising of the
Qur'an by Mu'awiyah's soldiers had an effective impact on
the Imam's camp and presently, many groups of his army
came to him demanding a halt to the fighting. There was
much gossip and thousands indicated they wanted an
amnesty.Imam Ali (a.s.) immediately knew it was a trick, and
tried to explain its purpose to the people, telling them
it was only meant to stop victory coming. But many were
fooled by the move and did not lend a responsive ear to
the Imam's repeated calls to come to their senses. Some
of them even used a threatening tone with the Imam
(a.s.).(161)
At last it was decided to send Ash'ath bin Qais to
Mu'awiyah to ask him what he meant by raising the Qur'an.
The enemy sent Mu'awiyah's demand for an arbitrated
settlement.This only brought about Act Two of the tragedy as one of
the mob chose Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari to represent the camp
of Imam Ali (a.s.), while Mu'awiyah chose bin Al-As, The
Imam (a.s.) did not accept the selection of Al-Ash'ari
for such an errand, as Al-Ash'ari had argued against Imam
Ali (a.s.) being a caliph after Uthman(162) --sharing the
opinion of some others who kept away from the Imam
(a.s.). Instead he used to en courage the people not to
support Imam Ali (a.s.), which had forced the Imam to
depose him from his post as governor of Kufa.(163)
Imam Ali (a.s.) preferred Abdullah bin Abbas to be the
representative of his camp in the arbitration, but was
pressed by the mob's insistence on their choice of Abu
Musa Al-Ash'ari. The Imam (a.s.) told them about his
weak-mindedness, in addition to his ideological trends
and attitude toward the Imam's government.
"You disobeyed me at the beginning [referring
to their demand to stop the fight and accept
arbitration], so, do not disobey me now. I do not see
that you should appoint Abu Musa to arbitrate. He is too
feebleminded to be able to face Amr and his tricks."(164)
However, they refused to listen.
The development of events suggest they did not happen
unintentionally. The raising of the Qur'an was no
coincidence and its timing meant there was coordination
between Mu'awiyah and his agents inside the Imam's army,
with whom he must have had close connections. No sooner
had the Qur'an been raised, than those agents in Imam
Ali's (a.s.) army responded by raising their voices
demanding a cease-fire, playing on people's tiredness of
fighting and desire for peace. Then they imposed
arbitration on him, as well as choosing their own
representative.It is impossible not to think that that rebellious
movement within the Imam's army, as described by the
historians, was a plot preplanned by Mu'awiyah.The result of the arbitration, needless to say, and as
Imam Ali (a.s.) had predicted, was in favor of Mu'awiyah,
with the resulting situation gradually moving to his
interest.
THE BATTLE OF NAHRAWAN
After the arbitration incident, Imam Ali (a.s.)
returned with his army to Kufa. There he, surprisingly,
heard that a group of his army, numbering some 4,000 had
announced their rebellion against him. They refused to
enter the town with him and went onto "Haroura"
where they took their positions.It may be noted that the majority of those who rose
against Imam Ali (a.s.) were the very same group which
forced him to accept arbitration in the Siffin
Battle.(165)This group justified its uprising against the Imam Ali
(a.s.) by saying: "No authority except
Allah's," and "We do not accept to have men
rule in the religion of Allah. Allah had sentenced
Mu'awiyah and his followers to death, unless they accept
our judgement against them. It had been a slip and a sin
on our part to accept the two arbitrators. We hereby
repented to our Lord and set back. You too, [O Ali], do
as we did, or else we shall repudiate you."(166)
Imam Ali (a.s.) explained to them that Islamic ethics
demand that when one gives one's word one should keep it.
He had given his word for a one-year truce as agreed
between the two camps. He said to them: "Woe to
you! Do you want me to break my word after having given
consent and pledge? Do you not know that Allah says:
'Fulfill the covenent of Allah when you have covenented,
and break not your oaths after the assertion of them, and
you have made Allah surety over you. Lo! Allah knows what
you do.'"(167)
The opposition, however, disregarded Imam Ali's (a.s.)
directions and stuck to their stance. The danger
aggravated even more when further discontented people
joined them. They started overtly accusing all those who
followed Imam Ali (a.s.), and indeed the Imam (a.s.)
himself, of polytheism, and deemed the shedding of their
blood as lawful.Imam Ali (a.s.) initially did not intend to encounter
them, so as to grant them a chance to consider seriously
what they were doing and possibly to come back to the
right path so that he could completely devote himself to
resuming the fight against the rebels in Al-Sham. The
arbitration had failed after the second meeting between
the arbitors, as Amr bin Al-As had tricked Abu Musa
Al-Ash'ari.
However, a real internal danger to the Imam's
government began to form. The dissenters started to kill
innocent people and threaten security. They even killed
the respected companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.),
Abdullah bin Khabab and ripped open his wife's stomach,
though she was pregnant and about to deliver her child.
They also killed women of the Tay tribe.On hearing these developments, Amir Al Mu'minin (a.s.)
sent Al-Harith bin Murra Al-Abdi to them on a
fact-finding mission, but they killed him, too.(168)Hearing this, the Imam (a.s.) returned from
Al-Anbar-where he was massing his troops for a second
combat with Mu'awiyah in Al-Sham. When he and his troops
neared their place, he again tried whatever he could to
amend the situation without shedding blood. To this end,
he requested them to hand over to him the killers of
Abdullah bin Khabab, Al-Harith Al-Abdi and others, in
which case he would leave them alone. They answered:
"We all killed them.'" Imam Ali (a.s.) then
sent the notable companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.),
Qais bin Sa'd, to advise them and warn them against their
foolish attitude. He asked them to give up the unlawful
belief that they had the right to shed the blood of
Muslims and accuse them of infidelity.(169)
The Imam (a.s.) continued his rational argument and
humane attitude. He sent to them Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,
who, after finishing his advice to them, raised his
voice, saying:"Whoever is not guilty of murder and joins this
banner will be safe. Whoever goes to Kufa, or to Mada'in,
will be safe. No one of you is wanted, except those who
killed our brothers ."(170)
This appeal largely succeeded and they began to leave,
until their numbers fell from twelve thousand to only
four thousand.But those who remained attacked the Imam's army. Imam Ali
(a.s.) had ordered his men not to start the fight unless
they were set upon. So, when the "Khawarij"
began the conflict, the army of Imam Ali (a.s.)
surrounded them and the banner of truth was victorious.
This was the Battle of Nahrawan, which exterminated
the movement of those whom the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.) had formerly described as
"al-Mariqun". According to Abu Sa'id al-Khidri:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) saying:
'There will rise from this nation a group who will dart
from the religion as an arrow darts from a bow."'(171)
