1. Events that preceded the

Battle of the Camel The murder of 'Uthm2n (A) was a cause of many other difficulties, and it cast its shadow over the turbulent events that followed it. Many factors contributed to the murder of 'Uthmzn (&), including: prosperity and its impact on society; changes in the nature of society during his reign; the fact that 'Uthmin (&) came after 'Umar (&); the departure of the senior Companions from ,. Madinah; tribalism; the cessation of conquest; ignorant displays of piety; personal ambitions on the p m of some people; the conspiracy of those who were full of hate; careful preparation of a list of accusations against 'Uthmin (&); various ways and means that were used to stir up the people; and the role of Abdullah ibn Saba' in the turmoil. These causes and reasons have been discussed in detail in my book Tayseer al-Kareem al-Manncin j? Seerat 'Uthmrin ibn xff;n.17 The people loved 'Uthmh (&) very much because of his good conduct, his closeness to the Messenger of Allab (g), the badiths that praised him, and the fact that he married two of the Prophet's daughters (which is why he was called bun-~oora~n)." He was one of the senior Companions who were given the glad tidings of paradise. He was subjected to injustice during his lifetime by some of the thugs; be could have put an end to them, but he refrained for fear of being the fust one to shed the blood of the Ummah of Muhammad (g).

His policy in dealing with the turmoil was based on forbearance, deliberation and justice. He prevented the The Battles uf the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) from fighting the rebels and chose to protect the Muslims by giving his own life. Hence his killing was the cause of a great deal more turmoil, and his murder cast a shadow on the subsequent turbulent events. His killing had a great impact on the Muslims. The Muslim society fractured as a result of this major event, and the people became divided. What may increase his status and prove his innocence of everything that was attributed to him is the attitude of the other Companions towards his murder.

They were all agreed that he was innocent and that those who shed his blood should he punished, but they differed as to how that was to he achieved. This will he discussed below, but fimt we want to shed some light on the role of Abdullah ihn Saba' in the turmoil in general: 1.1. Impact of the Saba'is in causing turmoil 1.1.1. The Saba'is - fact or fiction? The reality of Abdullah ibn Saba' The early scholars were unanimous in agreeing that the Saba'is existed; there were no exceptions among them. A few modem scholars, most of whom are Shias, disagreed with that.

They claimed that the Saba'is were a product of the imagination of Sayf ibn 'Umar at-Tameerni. Some of the scholars of biography criticised Sayf in the field of hadith narration, but the scholars regard him as acceptable in the field of historical reports. Moreover, Ibn 'As& narrated many reports that mention Ahdullah ibn Saba', and these reports do not include Sayf ibu 'Umar as one of the narrators. Al-Albini rnled that some of these reports were sound in terms of their chains of narration." These are in addition to the many reports narrated from Ibn Saba' in the Shia books of sects, biographies and hadith, in which there is no mention of this Sayf ibn 'Umar at all. 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib Creating doubts about the existence of Abdullah ibn Saba' began with two purposes: on the one hand, to deny the role of the Jewish element in planting the seeds of turmoil among the Muslims, and on the other hand, to point the finger of accusation against the Companions. The rogue elements attempted to tarnish the bnght image of the Companions in the minds of Muslims, by claiming that the Companions caused the turmoil.

Some contemporary writers, all of whom were Riiiifidi Shias, followed in their footsteps and denied the existence of Abdullah ibn Saba' for their own purposes. These failed attempts were aimed at proving that their madh-hab had nothing to do with its real founder, contrq to the facts on which all earlier scholars, including the Shia, were agreed. It is worth pointing out that those so-called Sunnis who denied the existence of Abdnllah ibn Saba' were among those who were influenced by, or studied under, the Orientalists. What level of shamelessness and ignorance have these people reached? His biography filled books of history and Muslim sects, his deeds were transmitted by narrators and his story was known throughout the Muslim world. The historians, scholars of hadith and authors of books on sects and groups, biography, literature and genealogy who discussed the Saba'is were all unanimously agreed that tbe Abdullah ibn Saba' who appears in accounts of the turmoil was a real historical character.

The reports of Ibn Saba's role in the turmoil are not limited to Tareekh at-Tabari and are not based only on the reports of Sayf ibn 'Umar at-Tameemi contained therein; there are widespread reports in the nmations of earlier scholars and throughout the books that record the events of Islamic history and discuss the views of different sects during that period. However, the advantage that Imam at-Tabari had over others is that he had more abundant material and more details. Hence shedding doubts on these events without any evidence, on the grounds that Abdullah ibn Saba' is only mentioned The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration in reports via Sayf ibn 'Umar, even after it has been proved that he is mentioned in sound reports that do not include Sayf ibn 'Umar in their chains of narration, as we have mentioned above, only leads to rejecting all these reports and labelling those narrators and scholars as foolish people who are distorting the historical facts. Since when does an academic methodology based on pure rational thinking form a basis for rejection, as opposed to texts and corroborating reports? Is this methodology based on overlooking and ignoring all the sources, both earlier and later, which prove that Ibn Saba' was a real person?20 Ibn Saba' is mentioned in many hooks of Ahl as-Sunnah, including the following: The Saba'is are mentioned by A'sha ~amad2n'' (d. 83 AH). He lampooned al-MukhGr ibn Abi 'Ubayd ath-Tbaqafi and his supporters from Kufah, after he fled with the nobles of the bibes of Kufah to Basra, by saying: "I bear witness that you are Saba'is, and I am aware of you, 0 guardians of di~belief."~~ There is a report from ash-Sha'bi (d. 103 AH/721 CE) saying that the first one who told lies was Abdnllah ibn ~ a b a ' . ~ ~ Ibn ~ a b e e b ' ~ (d. 245 AW860 CE) mentioned Ibn Saba' and regarded him as one of the children of the Ethiopian women.25 Abn '&im Khushaysh ibn &ram (d. 253 AH) narrated a report about 'Ali (&>) burning some of the companions of Ibn Saba', in his book al- ~sti~rirnah.'~ ~l-~%hid&'~ (d. 255 AH) is regarded as one of the first to refer to Abdullah ibn ~ a b a ' , ~ ~ hut his repoa is not the fist, as Dr.

Jaw2d 'Ali thinks." The story of 'Alj ibn Abi T2ib (&) burning a group of heretics is mentioned in sound reports that are narrated in the books of haditl~.~' There is nothing s m g e about using the word 'heretic' with regard to Abdullah ihn Saba' and his group. Ibn Taymiyah said: 'The Rsfifidi ideas started with the heretic Abdnllah ibn Saha'."31 Adh-Dhahabi said: "Ahdullah ibn Saba' was one of the extreme 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib heretics; he was misguided and misled others."3z Ihn Hajar said: "Abdullah ibn Saba' was one of the extreme heretics ... he had followers who were called Saba'is, who believed in the divinity of 'Ali ihn Abi Tgib (&). 'Ali burned them with fire during his caliphate."33 Ihn Saba' is also mentioned in the books of hadith criticism. Ibn Ebb211 (d. 354 AH) said: "Al-Kalbi, Muhammad ibn as-SCib d - Ikhbiri, was a Saba'i, one of the followers of Ahdullah ibn Saba', one of those who said that 'Ali did not die and that he will come hack to this world before the Hour begins. If they saw a cloud, they would say: 'The Amir al-Mu'mineen (meaning 'Ali) is in it.'"34 The books of genealogy also confirm that the Saba'i group is named after Abdullah ibn Saba', and that they are a group of extreme Rifidis. Ahdullah ihn Saba' was originally from Yemen, a Jew who became a Muslim outwardly.

Sayf ihn 'Umar was not the only source for reports about Abdullah ibn Saba'. In his Tareekh, Ihn 'As% nmated reports which have no connection to Sayf, which confirm the existence of l[bn ~ a h a ' ? ~ Shaykh d-Islam Ihn Taymiyah (d. 728 AH) stated that the origins of the Rzdi sect lay with the hypocrites and heretics, and that it was the invention of the heretic Ibn Saba', who exaggerated about 'Ali (&), claiming that he should have been caliph, that he was appointed by a clear text, and that he was infallible.36 ~ s h - ~ h i t i h i ~ ~ (d. 790 AH) pointed out that the innovation of the Saba'is was one that had to do with belief in the existence of another god besides Allah (g), and this was an innovation that differed from others?' In al-Khutat by al-Maqreezi (d. 845 AH), it says that Ahdullah ibn Saba' appeared at the time of 'Ali (&), saying that 'Ali (4) was the rightfully appointed successor39 and would return, and promoting belief in the transmigration of ~ o u l s . ~ The Shia sources which mention Ihn Saba' include the following: The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration Al-Kashshi narrated that Muhammad ihn Qawlawiyyah said: "Sa'd ihn Ahdullah told me: Ya'qoob ihn Yazeed and Muhammad ihn 'Eesa told me, from 'Ali ihn Mahziyiir, from Faddaah ihn Ayyooh al-Azdi, that AbZn ihn 'Uthmfin said: I heard Ahu Abdnllah say: 'May Allah (&) curse Ahdullah ihn Saha', for he claimed that ('Ali) was divine, hut by Allah, ('Ali) was an obedient slave. Woe to the one who tells lies about us. If people say of us things that we do not say about ourselves, we disavow ourselves of them before ~llah."'~' The chain of narration of this report is sound.42 In al-Khijhl, al-Qummi narrated the same report, hut in connection with a different chain of narration. The author of Raw@ al-Janncit mentioned Ibn Saha' in a quotation from Imam as-Sidiq, who cursed Ibn Saba' and accused him of lying, fabricating, broadcasting secrets and mi~interpretin~.~~ In his hook, Dr. Sulaymh al-'Awdah mentioned a number of texts with which the Shia hooks are filled, and their reports from Ahdullah ihn Saba', which are more akin to recorded documents that condemn anyone among the later Shia who tries to deny the existence of Ahdnllah ihn Saha' or shed doubt on the reports that refer to him on the basis of paucity or weakness of the reports.& Ibn Saba' was an actual historical figure, concerning whom there is no confusion in either the Snnni or Shia sources, earlier or later.

This is also the view of most of the Mentalists such as Julius ~alhausen?~ Van ~ n l t o n , ~ ~ Levi de la ~ i d a , ~ ~ ~oldziher?' Ronald ~ i c h o l s o n , ~ ~ and Dwight ~ o n a l d s o n . ~ ~ For a few Mentalists such as Caetani and Bernard ~ewis," Ibn Saba' remains a doubtful figure or no more than a myth; Fred Lander remains ~ncertain.~' However, we should remember that we do not rely on these authors with regard to our history. The one who studies these sources, ancient and modem, Snnni and Shia, will he certain that Ahdullah ibn Saha' really existed and 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib that his existence is supported by the historical reports. The books of 'aqeedah, hadith, biography, genealogy, literature and language also mention him a great deal. This idea was accepted by modem scholars and researchers. It seems that the &st ones to shed doubt on the existence of Ibn Saba' were some of the Orientalists; then this doubt was shared by the majority of modem Shia, and some of them denied his existence altogether. Among modem Arab researchers, there were some who admired the ideas of the Orientalists and were influenced by the books of the modem Shia.

Nevertheless, none of them has anything to support the suspicions and denials except doubt itself, which is based on whims and desires, speculations and assumptions.53 Whoever wishes to find out more about the Sunni, Orientalist and Shia references which mention Ibu Saba' may refer to Tahqeeq Mawiqif as-Sahibah fil-Fitnah by Dr. Muhammad Amhazon and 'Abdullah ibn Saba' wa Atharuhu j5 AhdZth al-Fimah fi Sadr al-Islam by Dr. Sulaymh ibn Hamad al-'Awdah. 1.1.2. The role of Abdullah ibn Saba' in stining up fitnah In the last years of 'Uthmin's caliphate, signs of trouble in the Muslim society began to loom on the horizon, due to the changes that we have listed previously. Some of the Jews seized this opportnnity to stir up trouble, by using the tactic of taqiyyah and pretending to be Muslim. Among them was Abdullah ibn Saba', who is also known as Ibn as-Sawda'.

We should not exaggerate his role in the fitnah, as some have but we should not cast doubts on it either, or discount the role that he played. His role was only one of several factors, but it was the most prominent and the most dangerous. The atmosphere of turmoil paved the way for him, but there were other factors that helped him too. All that Ibn Saba' did was to spread views and beliefs that he fabricated himself. They reflected his The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration hateful nature, and he propagated them for his own purposes, namely to introduce new ideas into the Muslim society in order to destroy its unity and stir up unrest. He planted seeds of division among the people, and that was one of several factors that led to the murder of the caliph 'Uth&(&) and the division of the Ummah into factions and parties.55 To summarize what he did, he began quoting correct ideas, but then he leapt to wrong conclusions that found acceptance among the simple-minded, the extremists and those who were swayed by whims and desires.

He followed convoluted ways whereby he deceived those who gathered around him. He started quoting Quran and misinterpreting it in accordance with his false claims, like when he said: "It is strange that people believe that 'Eesa is coming back, hut they do not accept that Muhammad is coming hack, when Allah (g) says, (Verily, He Who has given you [O Muhammad] the Quran [i.e. ordered you to act on its laws and to preach it to others] will surely, bring you hack to Ma'dd [place of retum1,fr (Qur2an 28: 85) and Muhammad is more deserving of coming back than ' ~ e s a . " ~ ~ He. also resorted to false analogy in trying to claim that 'Ali (&) was the rightful heir appointed by the Prophet (g) to succeed him, he said: "There were one thousand prophets, and each prophet had a rightfully appointed heir, and 'Ali was the rightfully appointed heir of Muhammad." Then he said: "Muhammad was the seal of the prophets, and 'Ali was the seal of the heirs."57 When these ideas had become entrenched in the hearts of his followers, he moved on to his ultimate aim, which was to make the people rebel against the caliph 'Uthm2n (A). That happened to coincide with the whims and desires of some of the people when he said to them: "Who does more wrong than the one who did not fulfil the final wishes of the Messenger of Allah (g), who pushed aside 'Ali, the rightfully appointed successor of the Messenger of Allah 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib (g), and took control of the Ummah?' After that, he told them: " 'Uthm2n took it unlawfully; here is the rightfully appointed successor of the Messenger of Allah (@J. Get up and do something about it. Start by criticising your governors, and pretend that you are enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, so that people will be inclined towards you, and call them to this matter."58 He sent out his agents, and he wrote to people in the regions, who were corrupted by his ideas; they wrote to him and propagated their views in secret, pretending to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.

They started writing to people in the regions, mentioning the faults of their govemors, and they corresponded with their counterparts in other regions, telling them what they were doing. They spread their false propaganda all over, aiming for something other than what they appeared to he seeking; they even sent letters to Madinah. The people in the regions said: 'We are free of what others are suffering kom," but the people of Madinah received letters from all over and said: "We are better off than the rest of the people."59 From this, we can see the methods followed by Ibn Saba'. He wanted to give the impression that there was a rift between two of the senior Companions by showing that one of them, 'Ali (A), had been deprived of his rights, whereas the other, 'Uthm2n (&), was a usurper. Next, he tried to stir up the people against their govemors, especially in Kufah, in the name of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil; as a result, they started to revolt against their governors for the slightest reasons. He focused on the Bedouin in this campaign, because he found in them suitable material for carrying out his plan.

He gained the support of the religious people among them by using the idea of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. He gained the support of those who had worldly ambitions by means of false rnmours against 'Uthmh (&), such as the claim that he was biased in favour of his relatives and was spending money The Battles of the Camel and Siffeeeen and the issue of arbitration from the public treasnry of the Muslims on them, that he had allocated grazing land for himself only, and other accusations and criticisms by means of which Ibn Saba' managed to rally the thugs against 'Uthmiin (&). Then he started inciting his followers to send letters relaying temble news about their cities to people in other provinces, so that people in all regions would think that the situation everywhere had gotten so had that it could not get any worse. Those who benefited from this situation were the Saba'is, because when the people believed their propaganda, they would be able to light the spark of fitnah in the Muslim society.60 'Uthmiin (&) realised that there were plots in other provinces, and that the Ummab was facing a bad time. He said: "By AUah, the millstone (of fitnah) will soon start tuming, and it will be better for 'Uthmk if he dies and does not set it in m~tion."~' The place where Ibn Saba' found his niche was in Egypt. He started organizing his campaign agajnst 'Uthmiin (&) there, urging the people to go to Madinah and stir up unrest on the premise that 'Uthmk (&) had become caliph unlawfully by snatching it from 'Ali (&), who was the true heir of the Messenger of Allah (@)F2 He deceived them by means of letters that he claimed to have received from the senior Companions, inciting the people against 'Uthmk (&)F3 However, when the Bedouin came to Madinah and met with the Companions, they denied writing the letters that had been attributed to them, and the Bedouins did not receive any encouragement from them.

They found that 'Uthmk (&) paid attention to the rights of others, and he debated with them concerning the accusations against him. He refuted their lies and explained that his deeds were based on sincere intentions, until one of these Bedouin, MSllik ibn al-Ashtar an-Nakha'i, said: "Perhaps it is a plot that has been drawn up against him and 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib Adh-Dhahabi is of the view that Abdullah ibn Saba' started the fitnah in Egypt, where he planted the seeds of grudges and criticism against the governors first, then against the ruler '~thmiln?~ Ibn Saba' was not alone; his agents were at work among the network of conspirators, using their craftiness and trickery to recruit the Bedouin, the religious people among them and others. Ibn Katheer narrated that among the causes of the incitement against ' U t M (&) was the emergence of Ibn Saba', who went to Egypt and spread rnmonrs among the people that he fabricated himself, by which many people in Egypt were deceived.66 The famous historians and scholars of both the earlier and later generations of this Urnmah are agreed that Ibn Saba' appeared among the Muslims with ideas, plans and plots aimed at diverting the Muslims from their faith and from obeying their ruler, and spreading division and disputes among them. The thugs rallied around him, leading to the formation of the Saba'i group, which was one of the factors in the fitnah that ended with the murder of the caliph 'Uthmk ibn 'Affb (&). It seems that the Saba'i plots were very well organized. They were very skilled in directing their 'missionaries' and spreading their ideas, because they had the means of propaganda to influence the thugs and dregs of society.

They were also active in forming branches in Basra, Kufah and Egypt, exploiting tribal sentiments and exploiting the wealmesses of the Bedouin, slaves and freed slaves, based on knowledge of what they wanted to hear.67 1.2. Different views among the Companions concerning the way to carry out retaliation against the murderers of 'Uthmsn (&) The difference that emerged between Amir al-Mu'mineen, on the one hand, and Ta&ah, ai-Zubayr and 'kisbah on the other, and Tke Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration after that between 'Ali and Mu'iwiyah, was not because these people rejected the caliphate and leadership of Arnir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (A), or that they denied that he was entitled to be the caliph and ruler in charge of the Muslims. That was something upon which they all agreed Ibn Hazm said: "Mu'2wiyah never denied 'Ali's virtue or his entitlement to the caliphate. But in his opinion, he believed that priority should be given to settling the issue of retaliation with regard to the murderers of 'Uthmin (A) over the issue of allegiance, and he thought that he himself was most entitled to seek retaliation for the blood of ' ~ t h m % n . " ~ ~ Ibn Taymiyah said: "Mu'iwiyah did not claim to be the caliph, and allegiance was not sworn to him as caliph when he fought 'Ali (&). He did not fight on the basis that he was a caliph or on the basis that he deserved that position.

Mu'iwiyah's party affiimed that 'Ali (&) was the caliph, and Mu'iwiyah would confirm to anyone who asked him that 'Ali (&) was the caliph. Neither Mu'2wiyah nor his companions thought of initiating fighting against 'Ali and his companions, and they did not do that."69 Ibn Taymiyah also said: "Each of the two groups confirmed that Mu'iwiyah was not as qualified as 'Ali with regard to being caliph, and that he could not be caliph when it was possible to appoint 'Ali to that position. 'Ali's superiority, seniority, knowledge, religious commitment, courage and all his virtues were obvious and well known to him, as was also the case with regard to his fellow caliphs Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmin (may Allah be pleased with them all)."70 The difference of opinion did not result from rejection of 'Ali's caliphate; the difference was only concerning the issue of bringing the murderers of 'Uthmsn (4) to justice. Even then, their difference of opinion was not about this issue itself; rather it was about the way in which to bring them to justice. Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib 'Ali (&) agreed with Mue?iwiyah in principle that the killers of 'Uthm2n (&) must be brought to justice, but his view was that the issue of bringing them to justice should be set aside until things settled down and unity was achieved.'l Al-Nawawi said: "It should be noted that the reason for these battles was that the issues were not clear. Because they were so unclear, they held different views, and three groups emerged: - a group whose view was that one party was in the right, and that those who differed with them were transgressors; they thought that they had to support this party and fight the transgressors, according to what they believed, and that it was not permissible for the one who reached that conclusion to withhold help and support from the leader who was in the right by fighting the transgressors, according to this belief; - a group that held the opposite view; they thought that the other party was in the right, so it became obligatory for them to support that party and fight those who transgressed against them; - a third party that was undecided about the issue and confused about it aud did not reach any conclusion as to which party was more in the right; they kept away from both and believed that this staying away was what they were required to do with regard to this situation, because it was not permissible for them to help anyone in fighting other Muslims unless it was clear to them that they deserved to be fought, and that if they concluded that one of the two parties was closer to the right, it would not be permissible for them to withhold their support in fighting the transgre~sors."~~ The Banles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration 1.3.

Az-Zubayr, Talhah and ' ~ i s h a h and their supporters set out for Basra to set things straight Ta&ah and ai-Znbayr went to Makkah and met with 'kishah (may Allah be pleased with them all). Their anival in Makkah came in the month of Rabee' a l - h i r 36 AH, approximately four months after the murder of 'Uthmh (L&)?~ In Makkah, negotiations began with 'L'ishah (I&) about going out on a campaign in pursuit of the murderers. There was heavy psychological pressure on those who felt that they had done nothing to stop the murder of the wronged caliph. They blamed themselves for letting him down, even though 'Uthmin (&) was the one who forbade anyone who wanted to defend him from doing so, because he wanted to offer himself as a sacrifice for the sake of Allah (&). They thought that there was no way to expiate this sin except by going out to seek vengeance. 'L'ishah (I&,) said: " 'Uthmh was slain wrongfully, and by Allah, I shall certainly seek vengeance for his blood."74 Talhah said: "There were some shortcomings on my part with regard to ' U t h d , and there is no way I can ever repent except to shed my own blood in vengeance for his blood."75 And ai-Zubayr said: "Let us inspire the people so that we may seek vengeance for his blood, lest it be forgotten, because forgetting it will lead to the weakening of the authority of Allah (B) among us forever.

If we do not deter people from doing this again, there will be no leader except that people of that kind will kill him."76 This intense pressure on nerves and souls was sufficient to stir people up and motivate them to go out on the campaign. When they went, they realised that they were going out to face unknown turmoils, and each one of them left his home not expecting to return to it. The children bade farewell weeping, and the day when these people left Makkah for Basra was known as the day of wailing, a day that was unprecedented with regard to weeping for 1slam.7~ 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib A number of factors in Makkah made them think seriously of striving to achieve their goal. One was the fact that the Umayyads had fled from Madinah and settled in Makkah. In addition, Abdullah ibn ' h i r - the governor of Basra at the time of 'Uthmin - was in Makkah urging the people to go out and offering them material help. Ya'la ibn Umayyah, who had left Yemen to help the caliph 'Uthmin, had learned upon his arrival in Makkah that the caliph had been killed.

He had with him considerable amounts of money, weapons and mounts, all of which be offered as help in pursuing the murderers of 'Uthmb (&). This was sufficient to encourage those who were looking for a way to pursue the murderers. They had the means to gather a force to pursue the murderers of 'Uthmk (&), but where would they begin? A discussion took place among them as to which direction they should take. Some of them, led by 'kishah ($&), said that Madinah was where they should go. Another view w a ~ that they should head towards Syria, so that they could rally there against the murderers of 'Uthmb (&).

After a lengthy discussion, they settled on Basra. There were too many of the rebels in Madinah, and they would not be able to confront them and fight them because they were fewer in number, and Syria was already under control because Mu'2wiyah was there. Hence going to Basra was most appropriate at that point, because it was the least strong of the cities; from there they hoped to be able to achieve their aims." Their plan and mission were clear before they set out, during their march and when they reached Basra: the intent was to seek vengeance for the murder of 'Uthmb (&), to set things straight, to .. inform the people of what the murderers had done and to enjoin good and forbid Their demand was to cany out one of the hadd punishments of Allah If the murderers of 'Uthm2n (&) were not punished, then every leader would be vulnerable to murder by people of that nature." As for the way in which they envisaged doing The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue ofarbitration that, they intended to enter Basra and then Kufah, seeking help from its people and others against the killers of 'Uthmzn (&). Then they would call upon the people of other cities to join them, so that they could comer the murderers of 'Uthmin (&) who were present in the army of 'Ali and seize them with the minimum possible casnaltie~.~~ The campaign to Basra and the anger that stirred the Companions were not as straightforward as they may have appeared to people. Their purpose was not simply to avenge the murder of 'Uthmk (&>), as if he were just an ordinary person who had been killed, even though this also would involve a transgression of one of the sacred limits of Allah (&) that dictated getting angry and sending armies to seek revenge. This was much more serious because of the position and character of 'Uthmin (&,I, his status as caliph, and the way in which he was killed.

It was the assassination of a Shariah figure, the caliph, whom the Muslims regarded as the deputy of the Lawgiver in his role of protecting the religion and ruling worldly affairs in accordance with Shariza3 Hence unlawful transgression against him constituted transgressing against the Lawgiver and weakening His authority, as well as disturbing law and order for the ~ u s l i m s . ~ ~ 'kishah, Ta&ah and az-Zubayr, along with the people who accompanied them, were striving to create a groundswell of Islamic public opinion to confront this Saba'i gang who had murdered 'Uthmzn (&) and had since gained significant power. They meant to do this by making the Muslims aware of what these Saba'i thugs, who came from different regions and tribes, and the Bedouins and slaves who supported them, had done. Among the group of Companions that held the same view as 'i'ishah (I&), it became clear that the criminals and Saba'is had a presence in 'Ali's army. They believed that this was why it was difficult for 'Ali (&) to confront them, because he feared for the people of Madinah. 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib Hence they had to try to explain the situation to the Muslims and gamer support for the party that was demanding implementation of the hadd punishments, so that this could be accomplished with the minimal loss of innocent lives. That was undoubtedly a goal which 'Ali (&) was striving to achieve, too; in fact, the reports that we have seen about the discussion among az-Zubayr and Tabah and 'Ali refer to that.

Their plan, and their intention of informing the people of what was happening and explaining matters to them, proves that they were fully aware of the situation. They recognised that the Saba'is had deceived the masses, and they understood how they had planted their ideas in a way which would continue to weaken the Ummah to such an extent that it would not know any peace. Hence there was no alternative but to confront the Saba'i plan in the field of ideas, so as to cancel out their actions. This can clearly be seen in the sound reportsa5 in which 'A'ishah (I&) speaks of the aims of this campaign. At-Tabari narrated that ' ~ t h k 2 n ihn Hunayf, who was 'Ali's governor in Basra, sent word to 'pishah (I&) when she arrived in Basra, asking her why she had come. She s2d: "By Allah, a woman in my position should not go out on a campaign without having a clear reason and making it clear to her children (meaning the Muslims).

The thugs of various cities and tribes have invaded the sanctuary of the Messenger of Allah (g) and have committed a great deal of wrongdoing there, and they have offered refuge to the wrongdoers. Therefore they deserve the curse of Allah (B) and of His Messenger, as they killed the leader of the Muslims for no reason. They shed blood unlawfully, stole h a r h wealth and violated the sanctity of the sacred land and the sacred month. They transgressed against honour and killed troops. They settled in the place of people who did not want them to settle among them; they caused a great deal of harm but did not bring any benefit. I have come out among the Muslims to inform them of what these people have done, and of the pain and suffering of the people we have left behind, The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration and to tell them (the Muslims) what they should do in order to help set things straight." Then she recited the verse: (There is no good in most of their secret talks save [in] him who orders Sadaqah [charity in Allah's Cause], or Ma 'roof [Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained], or conciliation between manhind) (Quran 4: 114).

Thus people joined for the purpose of setting things straight for those whom Allah (&) and the Messenger of Allah (g) enjoined that, young and old, male and female. "This is what we are trying to achieve, to enjoin you to do what is right and forbid you from doing evil, and we urge you to change it."86 Ibn Hihhh narrated that 'kishah (%) wrote to Ahu Moosa al-Ash'ari, 'Ali's governor in Kufah, saying: "You know about the murder of 'Uthm2n, and I have come out to set things right among the people. Tell the people in your city to stay in their houses so that we can achieve what they like of setting the Muslims' affairs straight."87 'ALi sent al-Qa'qP ihn 'Amr to 'kishah and the people with her to ask them why she had come. Al-Qa'qP entered upon her, greeted her with s a l b and said: "0 my mother, what caused you to leave your home and come to this city?" She said: "0 my son, it is to set the people's affairs straight."88 After the end of the battle on the day of the Camel, 'Ali came to 'A'ishah (may Allah he pleased with them both) and said to her: "May Allah forgive you." She said: "And you too. I only wanted to set things straight."89 Thus we learn that she only went out on this campaign to set things straight among the people, and this is the refutation of those among the R$fi@ Shia who slandered 'kishah (a) and said that she left her house after Allah (B) had commanded he; to stay in it, in the verse (And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance) (Quran 33: 33). The scholarly consensus is that travelling for the purpose of doing a righteous deed does not contradict the idea of staying in one's 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib house and not going out.

This is what 'kishah, the Mother of the Believers ($;), thought when she went out to set things straight among the Muslims, accompanied by her mahram and the son of her sister, AbduUab ibn a z - ~ u b a ~ r . ~ ~ Ibn Taymiyah said, refuting the Rsifidis concerning this issue: "She (I&) did not display herself as in the times of ignorance. The . i command to stay in their houses does not mean that women should never go out for some purpose that is enjoined, such as going out for hajj and 'umrah, or going out with her husband when he travels. This verse was revealed during the lifetime of the Prophet (@J, and the Messenger of Allah (g) took his wives with him on his journeys after that, as he took 'A'ishah (@) and others with him during his farewell pilgrimage. He sent 'kishah with her brother 'AbdurR-, who seated her behind him on his mount, and he took her to start her 'nmrah from at-Tan'eem. The farewell pilgrimage took place less than three months before the death of the Prophet (g), after this verse was revealed. Hence the wives of the Prophet (g) performed hajj after he died as they had done with him, during the caliphate of 'Umar (&) and others, and 'Umar would appoint 'Uthmgn or ' ~ b d u r - ~ h g n ibn 'Awf in charge of their caravan.

If the joumey is for a legitimate purpose, then it is permissible. 'A'ishab believed that this joumey was in the best interests of the Muslims, and that was her opinion."91 Ibn al-'Arabi said: "As for her going out to the Battle of the Camel, she did not set out to fight, but the people pinned their hopes on her and complained to her about how bad the turmoil and confusion had become. They hoped by her blessing to set things straight and that the people would show respect for her and comply when she took a stance among them. She also thought that herself, so she set out in compliance with the words of AUah (&): @here is no good in most of their secret talks save [in] him who orders Sadaqah The Battles of the Camel and Siffeem and the issue of arbitration [charity in Allah's Cause], or Ma'roof [Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained], or conciliation between mankind) (Quran 4: 114). The command to reconcile between people and set things straight is addressed to all people, male or female, free or slave."92 The following are a number of important issues having to do with her going out: 1.3.1. Was 'kishah forced to go out?

Al-Ya'qoobi claimed that ai-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwim forced 'kishah to go out.93 This was the view of the author of al-Amlinah w a s - ~ i ~ 2 s a h ~ ~ and Ibn ~ b i l - ~ a d e e d ; ~ ' it was also the opinion of ad- ~ a ~ n o o r i . 9 ~ The report narrated by adh-Dhahahi indicated that the one who forced her was Abdullah ibn a z - ~ u b a y r , ~ ~ the son of her sister Asma'. This report was relied on and quoted by many researchers, such as Muhammad Sayyid a l - ~ a k e e l , ~ ~ who claimed that ai-Zubayr and Tabah encouraged 'kishah to go out; this claim was also made by Zzhiyah adoo or ah^^ and others, but it is not correct. 'A'ishah began to demand vengeance for the slaying of 'Uthmzn (&) from the moment she learned of his murder, long befor6 azZubayr and Tabah and other senior Companions reached Makkah. It is narrated that when she set off to return to Makkah, Abdullah ibn ' h r al-Hadrami came to her and said: "Why are you coming hack, 0 Mother of the Believers?" She said: "I am coming back because 'Uthmiin has been killed unlawfully, and the affairs of the Muslims cannot be sound if these thugs continue to cause trouble. Seek vengeance for the blood of 'Uthmin and thus support Islam." Abdullah was the first one to respond.100 Taaah and z-Zubayr had not yet left Madinah, they did not leave until four months after the murder of 'tJthm2n."' 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib 1.3.2. Was she in conti-01 of those who were with her?

Among those who went out on the campaign with her (I$+) were a number of the 'A'ishah was not a woman who was in control and able to make people do what she wanted, as Brockelmann claims.'03 At-Tabari's reports confinn that the rest of the Mothers of the Believers supported her, as did those who were with her in the effort to put things straight; indeed, a considerable number of the people of Basra supported her, too.'" These supporters, whose numbers were not small, were not insignificant people; Talhah and az-Zubayr described them as the best and most wise of the people of ~ a s r a , " ~ and 'A'ishah described them as the righteous.'06 The fact that this number of righteous people supported her cause could only be the result of strong belief in the cause, confidence that something could be achieved by this campaign, and certainty that its purpose was sound. Amir al-Mn'mineen 'Ali (&) h e w that, and he refuted the claim made by some people that those who went out with 'A'ishah were a group of fools, thugs and hooligans.'07 After the Battle of the Camel, Amir al-Mu'mineen stood among those of 'pishah's party who had been slain, praying for mercy for them and recounting their virtues.lo8 We shall see below that it was not an d y campaign in which 'A'ishah controlled and directed immature people; rather it was a campaign in which some of the senior Companions took 1.3.3. Attitude of the wives of the Prophet (s) towards those who sought vengeance for the murder of 'Uthrnk The wives of the Prophet (g) had gone for hajj that year to get away from the turmoil. After news reached the people in Makkah that 'Uthmk (&) . . had been murdered, they stayed on in Makkah. They The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration had lefl the holy city, but they went and back and followed news of the situation, waiting to see what people would do. When allegiance was sworn to 'Ali (&), a number of the Companions left Madinah, not wanting to stay there because of the presence of troublemakers from other regions.

Many of the Companions and the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them all) gathered in Makkah.' lo The other Mothers of the Believers agreed with 'A'ishah about going to Madinah to seek justice. When '.&'ishah, and the Companions who were with her, decided to go to Basra instead, the others changed their minds and said: "We will not go anywhere except Madinah."'" So the idea of seeking vengeance for 'Uthm2n was not something on which the Mothers of the Believers differed, but they disagreed when the plan changed from Madinah to Basra. The Mother of the Believers Hafsah hint 'Umar (I&>) agreed with 'A'ishah about going to Basra, hut her brother ~bduiiah insisted that she should not go; this was not based on her personal con~iction."~ She sent her apologies to 'kishah, saying: "Ahdullah has prevented me from going on the campaign.""3 The commonly known reports indicate that the Mother of the Believers Umm Salamah (&) did not share the view of 'A'ishah with regard to going out oncampaign to Basra; rather she shared 'Ali's view."4 The sound reports indicate that she sent her son 'Umar ihn Abi Salamah to 'Ali with the message: "By Allah, he is dearer to me than my own self; he will go out with you to fight alongside yon." He went out with 'Ali (&) and remained with him.'15 This is a report which, upon examination, does not mean that by sending her son she had a different opinion tfrom the other Mothers of the Believers with regard to setting things straight among the Muslims. 'kishah herself, along with those who were with her, did not think that this campaign meant that they were going against 'Ali 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib (&) or rebelling against his caliphate, as we have seen and as events will confirm to us. We also find nothing in the sound reports to indicate that Umm Salamah went against the consensus of the Mothers of the Believers with regard to the importance of setting things straight.l16 The Mothers of the Believers knew that this campaign to set things straight among the Muslims came under the category of a communal obligation, and the guideline concerning such obligations is that it is not expected of all Muslims to carry out that duty; it is expected only of those who are qualified to cany it out. 'kishah (&)was fully qualified to carry out that duty because of her status, age; knowledge and ability.

She (I&) was the most knowledgeable of the Mothers of the Believers &garding Islam and Shasia, according to Muslim consen~us."~ Moreover, she took a keen interest in current events and was highly educated and cultured. Her education had begun when she was growing up in the house of Abu Bakr (&), who had a vast knowledge of Arabic history and lineages; then she had lived in the house of the Messenger of Allah (g), from which had emerged the principles on which the Muslim state was based. Furthermore, she was the daughter of the first caliph of the Muslims. The scholars confirmed this high status of 'kishah. 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said: "I was acquainted with 'A'ishah, and I have never seen anyone at all who was more knowledgeable of any verse that was revealed, any obligatory duty, any sunnah, anyone who was more wen-versed in poetry or narrated more poetry; anyone who was more knowledgeable of Arabic history and lineage and so foah, or anyone who had more knowledge of judiciary matters or medicine than her.""' Ash-Sha'hi used to mention her and express his admiration for her understanding and knowledge, then he would say: "No wonder, when she learned from the Prophet (gJ!" 'Ata' used to say: " 'A'ishah was the most knowledgeable of people and the most The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration wise."119 Al-Abafibn Qays, the chief of Banu Tameem and one of the most eloquent of the Arabs, used to say: "I heard the speeches of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmh, 'Ali and the caliphs who came after them, and I never heard words from the mouth of any person that were more powerful and more beautiful than those of 'A'ishah (I&,)." Mu'2wiyah used to say something similar.120 The Mothers of the Believers bade farewell to 'A'ishah when she left for Basra, and this is indicative of their support and encouragement for her in what she was doing.121 1.3.4. 'pishah's passing by the oasis of al-~aw'ab"~ It is proven with sound chains of narration that 'i'ishah (I&) . i passed by the oasis of al-Haw'ab.

It was narrated from Yahya ibn Sa'eed al-Qanh, from Ism2'eel ibn Abi Khi!id, from Qays ibn Hiizim that the Messenger of Allah (g) said to his wives: "How will one of you be when the dogs of al-Haw'ab bark at her?"123 It was also narrated via Shu'bah from Ism2'eel that when 'A'ishah came to al-Haw'ab, she heard the barking of dogs, and she said: "I think I should go back, because the Messenger of Allah (g) said: 'Which one of yon will the dogs of al-Haw'ab bark at?"' Az-Znbayr said to her: "Are you going back? Perhaps Allah (s) will put people's affairs straight by means of you."124 This version was narrated by Ya'la ibn 'Ubayd from Ismii'eel, and was recorded by a l - ~ & i m . ' ~ ~ Al-Alb2ni said: "Its chain of narration is very sound." He also said: "It was classed as such by senior imams of hadith such as Ibn Hibbh, adh-Dhahabi, Ibn Katheer and E n ~ a j a r . " ' ~ ~ These are sound reports in which there is nothing misleading or false, because the Companions would not stoop to that level, contray to what is claimed in false reports,'27 as we shall see below. The one who studies these reports, which have been classified as sound by the scholars, will not find anything in them to suggest that 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib 'kishah (I&,) should or should not have done the things that she did. Rather what may be understood from them is that the Prophet (&) was wondering which one of his wives would pass by the oasis of 2Haw'ab.

The reports that contain the word 'beware', indicating that the Prophet (g) wamed against going there, were not classified as sound by the scholars; in fact, they were classified as weak. One example is the report which says, "Beware lest you he there, 0 Humayra." lZ8 Hence the correct view, which we follow, is that the fact that 'kishah (&) passed by the water of al-Haw'ab did not have the negative effect which was suggested by the fabricated reports. It did not have any far-reaching effect on ' ~ i s h a h (I&) herself to the point that she started seriously of turning hick and giving up the cause for which she had set out, namely to set matters straight among the Muslims and correct their mistakes. The matter did not go beyond a passing thought on her part, in which the possibility of turning back merely crossed her mind. This is how she expressed it when she said: "I thought about going back, but it was only an idea that did not last for long." Then her mission became clear again, after az-Zubayr reminded her of what Allah (&) might bring about at her hands in terms of setting things straight among the ~ u s l i m s . ' ~ ~ The issue of the oasis of al-Haw'ab, and the hadiths in which al-Haw'ab is mentioned, were and still are fertile ground for the Shia and others, which they use to criticise the Mother of the Believers 'kishah (I&).

They criticised her for going out and campaigning to seek vengeance for the murder of 'Uthm2u (&), and they even went so far as to deny that her decision was based on valid ijtihiid on her part; they claimed that she went against the instrnctions of the Messenger (g) not to go to the oasis of al-Haw'ab. The historical sources mentioned this story, and it is mentioned by at-Tabari in a lengthy report that was narrated by Ismi'eel ihn Moosa al-Fa&, of The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration whom Ibn 'Adiyy said: "They (the scholars) criticised him for being an extremist and a Shia."I3O Al-Faziti narrated this report from 'Ali ibn 'Lbis al-Azraq, who is weak according to Ibn Hajar and an- ~asi'i.'~' He also narrated this report from al-Khac$ib al-Hajri, who is unknown.'32 This unknown al-Hajri narrated from another unknown narrator, whose name was Safwgn ibn Qubay'ah alAIpna~i.'~~ Finally, an even more unknown character is al-'Azni, the alleged owner of the camel. He was not the owner of the camel; rather its owner was Ya'la ibn ~ m a ~ ~ a h . ' ~ ~ In the text of this report, the reader may detect a clear whiff of Shia and RZfidi influence at the end of the report, where it is claimed that 'Ali (&) thought himself more entitled to the caliphate than Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmb (may Allah be pleased with them all). On the contrary, the reports that are proven to be sound indicate something completely different135 Based on the above, it becomes clear to us that this report is not 50und.l~~ There are other reports concerning this matter, all of which are false in both chain of narration and text. The message and aim of these reports is to cast aspersions on the senior Companions (may AUah be pleased with them) and to prove that the goal of this campaign was to achieve worldly, personal gains such as wealth, leadership and so on; that the ends justified the means; and that in trying to achieve that, they would not refrain from creating war and turmoil among the Muslims.

These reports focus on two great Companions, Talhah and az- ~ u b a ~ r . ' ~ ~ The fabricators of these reports also wanted to confum that these two Companions and the members of the army who were with them dared to violate the sacred limits of Allah (g). The reports allege that Tabah and az-Zubayr swore in the strongest terms to the Mother of the Believers that this was not the water of al-Haw'ab; furthennore, they brought seventy people - and according to another report, fifty people - to testify that what they said was true. 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib This action, according to the R%di Shia al-Mas'oodi, was the first false witness given in ~ s l a r n . ~ ~ ~ These reports tried to show that Taltph, z-Zubayr and 'i'ishah were not in harmony and were not united on one goal. They tried to show that 'A'ishah (I&) sided with Talhah (a) .. and that deep down in her heart, she was lkping that he would become caliph because he was from the tribe of Taym just like her. These reports also suggest that there was intense competition and rivalry between Talhah and az-Zubayr, and that they were both eager to become the leader.

One cannot ignore the fact that these reports are not free of severe weakness. In some of them, the chain of narration is interrnpted, and in some, there are narrators about whom nothing is known; in some cases both serious faults are present.139 Many writers and historians were influenced by these reports, relied on them and played a part in propagating them, but they have no basis. These writers include al-'Aqqid in 'Abqaiiyut 'Ali, Taha Hussein in 'Ali wa ~ a l z u h u ' ~ ~ and other contemporary writers. 1.3.5. Their actions in Basra When Talhah, az-Zuhayr, 'i'ishah and the people with them arrived in Basra, they stopped beside al-~hura~bah.'~~ From there, they sent word to the prominent figures and nobles of the tribes, seeking their help against the killers of 'Uthmh (&). Many of the Muslims in Basra and elsewhere wanted to bring the murderers of 'Uthmin (&) to justice, but some of them thought that this was the job of the caliph alone, and that going out on campaign for this purpose without his instructions was wrong. Many of the people of Basra, regardless of their different tribal backgrounds, joined them because these were Companions whom the Prophet (@) had testified were guaranteed paradise; they were members of the consultative committee; they were accompanied by the Mother of the Believers 'kishah (I&), the beloved of the Messenger of Allah (s) and the ..

The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration most knowledgeable of all women; their quest was undoubtedly legitimate; and no Companion denounced it. Az-Zubayr sent a message to al-Abaf ibn Qays al-Sa'di atTameemi, asking for his support in seeking vengeance for the murder of 'Uthmiin (&). Al-&naf was one of the leaders of Tameem, a man whose word carried weight. He said, describing the seriousness of the situation: "There came to me the most serious decision I was ever faced with, and I said: 'If I let these people down when they have the Mother of the Believers and the two disciples of the Messenger of Allah (g) with them, it will be something very serious indeed.'"'" However, he decided to keep out of it, and he took with him six thousand men who obeyed him, but many others disobeyed him with regard to this matter and joined Talhah, az-Zubayr and the Mother of the ~e1ievers. I~~ Az-Zuhri stated that most of the people of Basra followed them.'44 Ta&ah, az-Zubayr, 'kishah and their followers were joined by new supporters of the cause for which they had come out. Ibn Hunayf tried to calm things down and sort things out as much as he could, but the matter was beyond his control, so much so that one of them said concerning Basra: "Some of the people of Syria have descended among us."145 Even Mu'iwiyah, later on, tried to take over Basra with the help of its people.146 Some unreliable sources say that 'Uthmk ibn Hunayf allowed Hukaym ibn Jablah to fight, but this is not proven, and the sound sources do not confirm that.'" 1.3.6.

The slaying of Hukaym ibn Jablah and the thugs who were with him After 'kishah had addressed the people of Basra, Hukaym ibn Jablah came and started fighting. The companions of 'kishah, Talhah and az-Zubayr brandished their spears at them, but they did not engage in combat. They were hoping that the other side would 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib stop, but Hukaym and his gang continued fighting and did not stop. Tawah and z-Zubayr refrained from fighting except to defend themselves, while Hukaym was urging his horse on and charging at them.148 Despite that, 'kishah (%) was very keen to avoid all-out 7~ fighting, so she ordered her companions to move to the right in order to avoid the fighters. They remained like that until night fell.14y The next morning, Hukaym ibn Jablah, making noise and with his spear in his hand, made his way to where 'pishah (&) and hex companioi~s were. Whenever he passed a man or woman who criticised him for slandering 'L'ishah(%J, he killed him or her.''' At that point, the people of the tribe of 'Ahdul-Qays became angry and said to Hukaym: "You did what you did yesterday, and you have repeated it today.

By Allah (&), we will not let you off until we bring you to justice." Then they went back and left him, and Hukaym ibn Jablah continued on his way with those who had taken part in the murder of 'Uthmgn (&), accompanied by the thugs of different tribal backgrounds. They realised that they could no longer stay in Basra, so they all rallied behind him and engaged the army of 'pishah (%), and fierce fighting took place.151 The caller of 'A'ishah (&) continued calling out and urging them to stop fighting, but they in~isted.''~ 'kishah (I$&) continued to say: "Do not fight anyone but those who are fighting you." Hukaym did not pay any attention to the caller; he continued to instigate the fighting. At this point, the nature of these people who were fighting became clear to az-Zubayr and Tab&, they realised that they would not refrain from committing any crime, and that their aim was to provoke the fighting. They said: "Praise be to Allah, who has brought together for us the people of Basra who took part in the murder of 'Uthmk (&) so that we may wreak revenge on them. 0 Allah, do not leave any of them alive. Help us to bring them to justice today, and cause them all The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration to die." They strove hard in fighting and called out: "Whoever was not one of the killers of 'Uthrn2n (&), let him stop fighting us, for we are only seeking the killers of 'Uthmiin, and we will not initiate fighting with anyone else." They fought fiercely,153 and none of the killers of 'Uthmk (&) among the people of Basra escaped, except for one. The caller of az-Zubayr and Talhah called out: ''If you know any one from your tribes who took part in murdering 'Uthm2n (&) in Madinah, then bring him to A group of these ignorant thugs - as 'kishah said - had come to her house at dawn to kill her.

They got as far as the door of her room with the help of a guide, but Allah (a) protected her by means of a group of Muslims who had surrounded her house. The Muslims prevailed over them, then they paraded them about and executed them.155 Az-Zubayr, Tabah and those who were with them managed to gain control of Basra, hut they needed food and supplies because several weeks had gone by, and no one had offered them hospitality. The army of az-Zubayr went to the governor's palace and then to the public treasury to get provisions for the army; 'Uthmin ibn Hunayf was released and went to join 'Ali Thus Tamah, az-Zubayr and the Mother of the Believers gained control of Basra and killed a large number of those who had taken part in the attack on Madinah, some seventy men, including the most prominent leader of the rebels of Basra, Hukaym ibn Jablah, who had been very keen to fight and start the war.''' 1.3.7. The letters of 'kishah (%) .~ to other regions 'kishah (I&,) was keen to explain what had really happened during the fight with the people of Basra, so she wrote to the people of Syria, Kufah and al-Yamhah, and the people of Madinah also, telling them what they had done and how things had ended up. 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib Among the things that she wrote to the people of Syria was: "We only set out to put an end to the turmoil and to establish the rule of the Book of Allah (&). Once we achieve that, our campaign will be over.

The best of the people of Basra and their prominent figures pledged their support for us, and their evil ones and thugs opposed us and confronted us with weapons. Among the things they said was: 'We will take the Mother of the Believers as a hostage, as she is the one who is enjoining them and urging them to adhere to the truth.' The Muslims gave them oppomity (to reconsider) time after time, then when there was no excuse left for them, the murderers of 'Uthmin (&) were fought. None of them escaped except for Hurqoo~ ihn Zuhayr, and Allah (%) will bring him to justice. We urge you by Allah (B) that you should cany out the same mission as us, so that we and you may meet Allah (&) having done what is expected of 1.3.8. Difference of opinion between 'UthmSn ibn Hunayf and the army of 'kishah, az-Zubayr and Tabah At-Tabari narrated from Abu Makhnaf from Yoosuf ihn Yazeed that Sahl ihn Sa'd said: "When they caught 'Uthmh ihn Hunayf, they sent A h k ihn 'Uthmh ibn 'Mh to 'A'ishah to consult her as to what should be done with him, and she said: 'Kill him.' A woman said to her: 'We adjure you by Allah, 0 Mother of the Believers, concerning 'Uthm2n (ibn Hunayf) and the fact that he was a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (s).' She said: 'Bring A h k back.' So they brought him back, and she said: 'Detain him, and do not kill him.' He said: 'If I had known that you were caLling me back for this reason, I would not have come back.' Majzshi' ibn Mas'ood said to them: 'Beat him and pluck out the hair of his beard.' So they gave him forty lashes and plucked out the hair of his beard The Battles ojthe Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration and his head, and his eyebrows and eyelashes, and they detained him."159 But the chain of narration of this repoa includes Abu Makhnaf, who is an extremist, hate-filled, Riifidi Shia. This report was not proven by any sound chain of narration that can be relied on.

The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are far above doing such an abhorrent action. What may he understood from the report of Sayf is that the thugs were the ones who did that, and that Talhah and az-Zubayr regarded it as abhorrent and unacceptable. They sent news of that to 'kishah (%), who said: "Release him, and let him go wherever he wants."'60 This report contradicts the details mentioned by Abu Makhnaf because it does not mention the command to kill him or detain him, or the command to pluck out his facial hair. This report, which is the sound one, was favoured by an-Nuwayri and Ibn ~atheer.'~' Adh-Dhahabi stated that Majiishi' ibn Mas'ood was killed before he entered the house of 'Uthmk ihn ~ u n a ~ f . ' ~ ~ Even if we assume that Majishi' ibn Mas'ood was not killed, he was not in a position of leadership to issue such in~tructions.'~~ 1.4. Arnir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali ibn Abi Tglib sets out for Kufah The Companions in Madinah did not approve of 'Ali's leaving Madinah.

That became clear when 'Ali (&) decided to march to Syria, to visit its people and see what Mu'iiwiyah was thinking and doing.164 He thought that at that stage, Madinah no longer possessed the advantages that other cities possessed, and he said: "Manpower and wealth are in Iraq." 165 When Ahu Ayyoob al-Anski (&) found out about this idea, he said to the caliph: "0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, stay in this land, because it is the shield that can give protection, the place to which the Messenger of Allah (@) migrated. In it is his grave and his minbar, and it is the heart of lslm. If the &abs show obedience 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib to you, you will be fine like the caliphs who came before you; if some people cause trouble to you, then send their enemies against them. If you are forced to leave, then you may leave, after exhausting all possible means of staying." The caliph followed the advice of Abu Ayyoob and decided to stay in Madinah and send governors to the provinces. 166 A number of political developments then took place that forced the caliph to leave Madinah, and he decided to head for Kufah so that he could be close to the people of While he was preparing to leave, news reached him that 'A'ishah, Talhah and azZubayr had set out for ~asra.'~' He asked the people of Madinah to mobilise and support him, but he encountered reluctance on the part of some of the people of Madinah because of the presence of the troublemakers in 'Ali's army and the way in which they were dealt with. Many of the people of Madinah thought that the turmoil was still going on, and that they should wait until things became clearer. They said: "No, by Allah (g), we do not know what to do.

This matter is not clear to us, so we are going to stay where we are until the matter becomes clear to us." At-Tabari narrated that 'Ali (&) set out with his army for the purpose of confronting the people of Syria, and some of the people of Kufah and Basra went out with hi, a group of seven hundred lightly mned men.169 There is a great deal of evidence that many of the people of Madinah were reluctant to respond to 'Ali's call to go out on a campaign, such as the speeches of the caliph in which he complained about this reluctance.'70 Many of the Companions withdrew after the murder of 'Uthmih (&), as is apparent. Some of the men who had been present at Badr stayed in their houses after the murder of 'Uthmih (&) and never left until they went to their grave^."^ Abu Humayd as-S2'idi al-Ansiki, who had been present at Badr, expressed his sorrow at the murder of the caliph 'Uthmih (&) and The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration said: "0 Allah, I promise You that I will not smile until I meet YOU."'^^ They thought that leaving Madinah at that time would lead to getting embroiled in the turmoil, the bad consequences of which, they feared,'73 would cancel out what they had achieved in the past of righteous deeds and jihad with the Messenger of Allah What is mentioned above does not mean that none of the Companions joined the caliph's campaign; there were some who joined him, but they were few. Ash-Sha'bi said: "None of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (s) were present at the Battle of the Camel except for 'Ali, 'Ammi%, Talhah and az-Zubayr; if they prove that there was a fifth, then I am a liar." 175 According to another report: "Whoever tells you that more than four of those who were present at Badr were present at the Battle of the Camel, do not believe him. 'Ali and 'Ammir were on one side, and T a a h and azZubayr were on the other."'76 According to another report: "No one joined 'Ali when he marched to Basra apart from six of the people of Badr; there was no ~eventh.""~ This is what is meant by the report mentioned above, which referred only to those Companions who bad been at Badr. Whatever the case, those of the An& who took part in the turmoil were few. lbn Sireen and ash-Sba'bi said: "When the tnrmoil occurred in Madinah, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (B) were more than ten thousand, but those who got involved were no more than twenty men. The battle between 'Ali and T a a h and az-Zubayr and the battle of Siffeen were called fitnah."178 From the above, it is clear that the number of Companions who went out with the caliph 'Ali to Basra were very few, and we cannot be certain that they took part in the Battle of the Camel; even though this battle was so fierce and so many events took place during it, the sources do not mention the Companions who took part in it or say that any of them were martyred or ~ 0 u n d e d . l ~ ~ One of the reports 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib says: "Some seven hundred lightly armed men of Kufah and Basra went out with him."180 These reports seem to be more in line with how things were developing at that time and more in harmony with the course of events and with the attitude of the people of Madinah, which varied between keeping away completely and reluctance to take part in any events.lal 1.4.1.

Advice of Abdullah ibn SalSm to Amir al-M'mineen 'Ali (&) Ahdullah ibn S d b , the companion of the Messenger of Allah (g), tried to make Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) change his mind and not go out. He came to him when he had made preparations to march &d expressed his fear for him. He told him not to go to Iraq, saying: "I am afraid that you may be struck by the sword." He also told him that if he left the minbar of the Messenger of Allah (g), he would never see it again. 'Ali (&) knew these things from the Messenger of Allah (e), -, and he said: "By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (s) told me about that." The people of Basra and Kufah who were with 'Ali (&) had reached such a level of audacity that they said to him, "Let us kill him." Killing Muslims who stood in their way or who could pose a danger to their lives with their words and deeds had become something very easy, and they did not see anything wrong with it. But 'Ali told them not to do that, saying: "AbduUah ibn S a l k is a righteous man."182 What they said, and their aggressive attitude, was indicative of their lack of piety and their lack of respect towards the noble Companions, which the Messenger of Allah (@) -> had enjoined upon the people who came after him. 1.4.2. Advice of al-Hasan ibn 'Ali to his father Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (4) left Madinah, and when he reached ar-~abdhah,'~~ he and those who were with him camped The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue ofarbitration there.

A number of Muslims, approximately two hundred, came to him.lm4 In ar-Rabdhah, his son al-Hasan came to him, weeping and not hiding his sorrow and dismay at what had befallen the Muslims of division and dissent. Al-Hasan said: "I told yon, but you did not listen to me, and next you will be killed when you are alone with no one to support you." 'Ali (&) said: "You are still nagging like a little girl.'85 What is it that you told me to do and I did not listen to you?, He said: "I told you on the day that 'Uthmin (4) was besieged to leave Madinah, so that if he was killed, you would not be there. Then I told you on the day that he was killed not to accept the oath of allegiance until the delegations from different regions and Arab tribes had each sworn their allegiance. Then I told you, when these two men did what they did, to stay at home until things settled down, so if any evildoing took place, it would be at the hands of people other than you, but you did not listen to me in any of that." 'Ali (&) said: "0 my son, as for you telling me to leave Madinah when 'UthmZn (&) was surrounded, by Allah, we were surrounded as be was surrounded. As for your telling me not to accept the oath of allegiance until the allegiance of the regions came, this matter was something to be decided by the people of Madinah, and we did not want this decision to be made by others. As for what you said when Talhah and az-Zubayr set out, that was demeaning to the people of Islam.

By Allah, I have continued to be saddened and aggrieved since I was appointed, feeling helpless and not able to achieve anything I should achieve. As for your saying that I should stay home, what about my duties? Who do you want me to be? Do you want me to be l i e the hyena that is surrounded, that is helpless and just yelping? If I do not pay attention to my duties concerning this issue, who will take care of that? Stop wonying about it, 0 my son."'86 'Ali's attitude concerning this matter was clear, and no one could deter him from what he had decided to do.

He (&) sent word 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib from ar-Rabdhah, urging the people of Kufah to mobilise and calling upon them to support him. The two envoys were Muhammad ibn Abi Bala q-Siddeeq and Muhammad ibn Ja'far, but tbey did not succeed in their mission because Abu Moosa al-Asb'ari, 'Ali's governor in Kufah, discouraged the people and told them not to go out and fight in the turmoil. He told them what he had beard from the Messenger of Allah (g), warning against taking part in fitnah.la7 After that, 'Ali (&) sent Hsshim ibn 'Utbah ibn Abi Waqqis, but he also failed in his mission because of the influence of Abu Moosa on the people.'88 1.4.3. Request of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) from the oasis of Dhu Q2r for support from the people of ~ u f a h " ~ 'Ali (&,) and his army moved towards Dhu Q% and camped there, eight days after leaving Madinah, with approximately nine hundred men. Ig0 At that time, he sent Abdullah ibn 'AbbL to Kufah, but they did not respond to him. Next he sent 'Ammar ibn Yisir and al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, and he dismissed Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari, replacing him with Qardhah - ibn ~a'b."' Al-Qa'qB played a major role in convincing the people of Kufah to join 'Ali.

He addressed them and said: "I am an adviser to you, and I care sincerely about you. I want you to follow true guidance, and I shall tell yon something that is true ... There should be no alternative but to have a leadership to organise the people's affairs, deter wrongdoers and support those who are wronged. This is 'Ali (&) who has been appointed to a position of leadership, and his message to the people is fair and just. He is only calling people to that which is best and to set affairs straight, so join him and be in the forefront of support."'92 Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali had a clear effect on the people. He stood up and addressed them, saying: "0 people, respond to the call of your leader.

Join your brothers, because no doubt there will be many The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration people who will support him in this matter. By Allah, it is better that this matter of leadership be taken care of by people of reason and wisdom, both in the shortand long-term. Respond to our call, and help us with regard to this crisis that we and you are going Many of the people of Kufah responded, and between six and seven thousand went out with 'Ammir and al-Hasan. They were joined by two thousand men from Basra, from the tribe of 'AbdulQays. Then other tribes came to him until his m y , when the battle began, was approximately twelve thousand strong.'94 When the people of Kufah met Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali at Dhn Qir, he said to them: "0 people of Kufah, you confronted the Persians and their kings, you destroyed their armies and inherited what they left behind, and you grew stronger against your enemies. I am calling you to join us in order to deal with our brothers in Basra.

Ifthey turn back, that is what we want, but if they persist, we will try to deal with them on the basis of kindness, and we will avoid confrontation unless they wrong us first. We will never leave anything that could lead to putting things straight and achieving something good, but we will prefer it over that which could lead to evil, if Allah wills, and there is no strength except with Allah (3g)."195 1.4.4. Difference of opinion should not affect the love between people This applies to the situation of the Companions during this turmoil. Even though they had differences of opinion, none of them developed any resentment against his brother. Let us read this story about an incident that took place in Kufah: Bukhari narrated that Abu W2il said: "Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari, Abu Mas'ood and 'Uqbah ibn 'Amr al-An$& entered upon 'Amrnir when 'Ali (&) sent him to the people of Kufah to urge them to join 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib him. They said: 'We have never seen anything from yon that we dislike since yon became Muslim like your hastening to take sides in this matter.' 'Amm% said: 'And I have never seen anything from you that I dislike since you became Muslim like your reluctance in this matter (supporting 'Ali)."' According to another report: Abu Mas'ood, who was well off, said: "0 slave, bring me two suits and give one to Ahu Moosa and one to 'Ammk." He said: "Wear it when you go to the Friday prayer."196 Here we see Abu Mas'ood and 'Ammk, each thinking that the other is wrong.

Despite that, Abu Mas'ood gave 'Arnmk a suit to wear for the Friday prayer because he was wearing travel clothes and battle dress, and Ahu Mas'ood did not want him to have to attend the Friday prayer wearing those clothes. This conduct is indicative of deep friendship, even though they each regarded the other's attitude towards the humoil as wrong. 'Ammk thought that Ahu Moosa and Abu Mas'ood's reluctance to support 'Ali was wrong, and Abu Moosa and Ahu Mas'ood thought that 'Ammir's haste to support Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) was wrong. Each of them had an argument of which he was convinced. Those who were reluctant to support the caliph thought that it was right to refrain from taking part in fighting in the event of fitnah, adhering to those hadiths concerning this, which warned against taking up arms against fellow Muslims. 'Amm2 had the same point of view as 'Ali (&) with regard to fighting those who transgress the limits or commit outrages, and he adhered to the words of Allah (%): -@hen fight you [all] against the one that rebels) (Quran 49: 9).

He interpreted the warning against fighting as applying to those who were transgressing against their brothers. Neither party wanted to kill the other, and both sides would try to iind any reason to prevent fighting before it took place. When fighting did occur, it occurred even though both parties were reluctant to fight.197 The Baffles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration 1.4.5. Questions on the road 1.4.5.a. The questions asked by Abu Rifcah ibn RX' ibn Mslik al'Ajl2n al-An@ri when 'Ali wanted to leave ar-Rabdhah Abu Rifi'ah said: "0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, what do you want? Where are you taking us?" 'Ali (*) said: "What we want is to set things straight; if they accept that from us and respond, all well and good." Abu RiE'ah said: "What if they do not respond?" 'Ali (&) said: "We will leave them with the reason they have in their mind (their own justification for their conduct) and acknowledge their right to differ, and we will be patient." Abu RiE'ah said: 'What if they are not content with that?" 'Ali (4) said: "We will leave them alone as long as they leave us alone." Abu Rifi'ah said: "What if they do not leave us alone?" 'Ali said: 'We will defend ourselves against them." Ahu RiE'ah said: "Then yes (I will join you)." He listened to that series of questions and answers, and his mind was put at rest, so he said: "I shall impress you with my deeds as you have pleased me with your words."198 1.4.5.b.

The people of Kufah, including al-A'war ibn B a d n al-Manqari, asked questions of 'Ali (&) When the people of Kufah came to Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) in Dhu Qik, some of them asked him the reason why he had come; among those who asked these questions was al-A'war ibn Bank al-Manqari. 'Ali (&) said to him: "I am coming to put things in order and extinguish the fire of enmity, in the hope that Allah (s) will bring this Umrnah together by means of us and prevent fighting. If they respond to me, all well and good." Al-A'war said: "What if they do not respond to us?" 'Ali (&) said: "We will leave them alone as long as they leave us alone." Al-A'war said: "What if they do not leave us alone?" 'Ali (&) said: "We will defend ourselves 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib against them." Al-A'war said: "Do they have the same rights and duties as us?, He said: ' ' ~ e s . " ' ~ ~ 1.4.5.c. Abu S a l h a h ad-Da'lini, one of those who asked questions of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) Abu Salhah said: "Do you think these people have valid grounds for their demand of vengeance for 'Uthmin, if they are seeking Allah thereby?' 'Ali said: "Yes." Abu Salsmah said: "Is there any valid reason for you to delay that (the seeking vengeance)?" 'Ali (&) , ., said: "Yes. If there is something that cannot be done, then the ruling concerning it should be based on precautions and what is in the people's best interests." Abu Salhah said: "What is our situation and theirs if we end up fighting tomorrow?" 'Ali (&) said: "I hope that no one who is sincere towards Allah among us or them will be killed except that Allah will admit him to paradise."200 1.4.5.d.

M2lik ibn Habeeb asked questions of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali ibn Abi TSlib (&>) M2lik said: "What will you do if yon meet these people (in battle)?"Ali (4) said: "It has become clear to us and to them that what is best is to refrain from that. If they give us allegiance, all well and good, but if they and we insist on fighting, then there is nothing we can do about it." M2lik said: "If we start fighting, what is the situation of those among us who are slain?" 'Ali said: "Whoever is sincere towards Allah will benefit from that, and it may he his ~alvation."~~' The aim of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) was to set things straight and put an end to the fitnah. Fighting was not something that he was considering; if it happened, it would be because he could not help it. With regard to whoever was killed on either side, his ultimate fate would depend on his intention, regardless of whether he fought The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration on 'Ali's side or against him. Thus Amir al-Mu'mineen continned that the Muslims who went out for this purpose, after the martyrdom of 'Uthmh (&), were seeking to set things straight and put an end to turmoil, and their decision was based on sincerity. Their reward would be commensurate with the sincerity of their intentions and the purity of their hearts.202 1.5.

Attempts at reconciliation Before 'Ali (&) moved towards Basra with his army, he stayed in Dhu Q2r for a few days. He tried, with all the powers and means at his disposal, to put an end to this division and turmoil by peaceful means and to spare the Muslims the evils of fighting and armed confrontation. The same is also tme of Talhah and az-Zuhayr. A number of the Companions and senior Tgbi'oon who had refrained from getting involved also took part in the attempts to bring about reconciliation, including: 1.5.1. 'ImrSn ibn Hu~ayn (&) He sent word to the people discouraging both parties (from engaging in fighting). Then he sent word to Banu 'Adiyy, a large group of whom had joined az-Zubayr.

His envoy came and said to them in their mosque: "I have been sent to you by 'Imrh ibn Husayn, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (g) to advise you; he swears by Allah, besides Whom there is no other god, that he would rather be an Abyssinian slave with a cut-off nose, tending goats at the top of a mountain until death comes to him, then to shoot an arrow against either of these two parties, whether it misses or hits its target. So refrain from fighting, may my father and mother he sacrificed for you." The people said: "Leave us alone, for we will never abandon the wife of the Messenger of Allah (s) for anything."203 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib 1.5.2. Ka'b ibn Soor He was one of the senior Tihi'oon. He did his utmost and pushed himself beyond his limits, playing a role that many men would be unable to play. He persisted in striving to bring about reconciliation until the thing that he was trying to prevent happened. He died as a victim of his efforts, slain as he stood between the two armies calling each to put down their weapons and refer to the Book of Allah (&) for judgement.'04 1.5.3.

Al-Qa'q2 ibn 'Amr at-Tameemi Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) sent al-Qa'qi? ibn 'Amr atTameemi (&) on a mission of reconciliation to Tmah and azZubayr, instructing him: "Meet with these two men, call them to brotherhood and unity and warn them of the seriousness of differences and division." So al-Qa'q2 went to Basra, and he started with 'A'ishah (r&). He said to her: 'What has brought you to Basra, 0 my mother?" She said to him: "0 my son, (we have come) for the purpose of setting things straight among the people." Al-Qa'qi? asked her to send word to Talhah and az-Zubayr asking them to come, and he spoke to them in her presence. *:+ The discussion between al-Qa'q2' and Talbh and az-Zubayr When they came, he asked them why they had come, and they said the same as 'A'ishah (a) bad said: "(We have come) for the purpose of setting things straight among the people." He said to them: "Tell me, in what way are you going to set things straight? For by Allah, if we agree with you, then we will join you in your efforts; and if we disagree with you, we will not join you." They said: "The murderers of 'Uthmsn (&) must be executed; if they are left alone and are not punished in accordance with the Quran, this will he The Battles of the Camel and S$jeen, and the issue of arbitration forsaking the Quran and disregarding its rulings. If the prescribed punishment is canied out on them, this will be keeping the Quran alive." Al-Qa'q? said: "In Basra, there were six hundred of the murderers of 'Uthmh, and you killed them all except one man, namely Harqoos ibn Zuhayr as-Sa'di. When he fled from you, he sought protection with his people of Banu Sa'd. When you wanted to seize him from them and kill him, his people prevented you from doing that; six thousand men got angry for his sake and deserted you and stood against you as one.

If you leave Harqoo~ alone and do not kill him, you will be abandoning your principles and what you are calling others to and demanding 'Ali to do. But if you fight Banu Sa'd because of Harqoos, and they overwhelm and defeat you, then you will have come to the opposite of what you are trying to achieve; you will have made them stronger, and you will be greatly harmed. By going after Harqoos, yon are angering Rabee'ah and Mudar in this land, as they have come together to fight you and defeat you in support of Banu Sa'd. This is what happened with 'Ali and the murderers of 'Uthmh who are in his army." *:* The solution according to al-Qa'q3 He advocated deliberation and calming things down first, then carrying out the prescribed punishment. The Mother of the Believers and those who were with her were influenced by the logical argument of al-Qa'q?. She said to him: "So what do you suggest, 0 Qa'q??" He said: "I say that the best thing is to calm things down.

It is essential to give it time until the murderers of 'Uthmin are brought to justice. Then when the division is ended, and the Ummah is united behind Amir al-Mn'mineen, he will be free to deal with the killers of 'Uthmh. If you give your allegiance to 'Ali and support him, this will be a good sign and a blessing, and 'Ali will be able to avenge 'Uthm2n. But if you refuse and continue to be stubborn and insist on fighting, this will be a bad sign and will lead to the diminishing of 'Ali ibn Abi T6lib Muslim power. So be on the side of caution, and be the means of good as you have always been; do not expose us to ruin, because that will affect you too, and Allah (g) may bring about our doom and yours. By Allah, I say this and call you to it, and I am wonied lest we do not reach any agreement before Allah ($) brings destruction upon this Ummah, which has lost a great deal and been stricken by calamity.

What has befallen it is very serious; it is not like one man killing another, or a group killing a man, or even a tribe killing a tribe." They were convinced by the sincere and persuasive words of al-Qa'ql and agreed to his call for reconciliation. They said to him: "You have spoken well. Go back, and if 'Ali comes and tells us the same as you have said, the matter will be settled inshallah." So alQa'ql went back to 'Ali in Dhu Q2r, having succeeded in his mission, and told 'Ali about what had happened. 'Ali was pleased with that, and the people were about to reach a peaceful conclusion, regardless of who approved or disapproved.z05 *:+ Good signs of a deal between the two parties When al-Qa'q2 went back and told 'Ali what bad happened, 'Ali (&) sent two envoyszn6 to 'kishah and Talhah and the people who were with them, to verify what al-Qa'q2 ihn 'A& had said. They came to 'Ali (&) and told him that they were stiU agreeing with what al-Qa'q2 had said. So 'Ali set out and came to a halt near them, and the members of various tribes on each side met with one another, Mudar with Mudar, Rabee'ah with Rabee'ah, Yemenis with Yemenis.

None of them had any doubt that a peace deal was imminent. They camped close to one another and went out to meet one another, and they did not talk about anything except the peace Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ah (&) decided to move on, and he announced his important decision: "I will leave tomorrow, so leave and go back (meaning to Basra). No one should come with us tomorrow who contributed to the murder of 'Uthmh in any way."2n8 The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration 1.6. The outbreak of fighting 1.6.1. The role of the Saba'is in the outbreak of fighting In the camp of 'Ali (&), there were some of those evildoers and rebels who had killed 'Uthmzn (&). There were those who were not known by name, those who were known but were protected by their tribes, those concerning whom there was no evidence about their role in the murder of 'Uthmin, and those who bad hypocrisy in their hearts but were not able to show it openly.209 The followers of Ibn Saba' were eager to fan the flames of fitnah so that they could avoid justice.210 When the people had settled down in their camps, 'Ali came out, as did Talhah and az-Zubayr.

They met and spoke about that which they differed on, and they did not see anything better than reconciling and giving up war when they saw that things were becoming clearer. They parted on that note. 'Ali (4) returned to his camp, and Talhah and az-Zubayr returned to theirs. Talhah and azZubayr sent word to the commanders of their m y , and 'Ali sent word to the commanders of his army, apart from those who bad besieged 'Uthmin (&). The people went to sleep intending to reconcile and avoid trouble, and they did not doubt that there would be a peace deal. Tbey were close to one another, ~ o i n ~ out to meet one another, and not - - talking about or planning anythmg but reconciliation.

Those who had been behind the turmoil spent their worst night ever because they felt that the end was looming for them. They spent the entire night in discussion, and one of them said: "As for Tabah and az-Zubayr, we know where they stand, but as for 'Ali, we did not know where he stands until today. That was when he told the people to move on the next day, hut none of those who had helped in the murder of 'Uthmk 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib in any way were to move with them. And, by Allah, the people's view concerning us is the same; if they reconcile, then their agreement will be to shed our blood."211 Ibn as-Sawda' Abdnllah ibn Saba', who was the leader, spoke and said: "0 people, your opportunity will be when the people (from both camps) are mixing; show kindness to them, and when the people meet tomorrow, start the fight and do not give them any time to think. The ones whom you are with will have no option but to defend themselves. Allah will distract 'Ali and Talhah and az-Zubayr, and those with them will be distracted from that which you hate.

So think about it and then r r 2 1 2 disperse without making the people suspicious about you. So they agreed to start the fight secretly. The next morning, they came when it was still dark and their neighbours were unaware of what they were doing. Those from Mudar went to their counterparts from Mudar, those from Rabee'ah went to their counterparts from Rabee'ah, those from Yemen went to their counterparts among their fellow Yemenis. They attacked them, and the people of Basra staaed fighting back, each group fighting those who attacked them. Az-Zubayr, Tamah and some prominent figures from Egypt came out and sent word to the right flank, who were from Rabee'ah, led by 'Abdur-Ralpnk ibn al-Hikith ibn Hishim, and the left flank, who were led by 'Abdur-Rahmsn ibn 'AGb ibn Usayd, while they remained steadfast in the core.

They said: 'What is this?" They said: "The people of Kufah attacked us this night ... We knew that 'Ali would not give up until he shed blood and transgressed the sacred limits, and that he is not going to agree with us." Then they retreated with the people of Basra, and the people of Basra shot arrows at those who attacked them until they pushed them back to their camp.213 'Ali (&) and the people of Kufah heard the noise. The Saba'is had planted a man close to 'Ali (a) so that he could tell him The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration what they wanted him to hear. When he said: "What's going on?," that man said: "We have been taken by surprise. Some of them attacked us at night, and we pushed them back." 'Ali (&) said to his . ., commander on the right flank: "Stay on the right flank," and he said to his commander on the left flank: "Stay on the left flank." The Saba'is continued their efforts to keep the battle raging.z14 Despite the way the battle began, the two sides did not rush to fight until they found out what happened. 'Ali (&) and those who were with him all agreed not to start fighting until the other side started, so as to establish that they were the wrongdoers.

Even if they engaged in fighting, they agreed that they would not kill anyone who was running away and would not finish off anyone who was wounded. But the Saba'is were trying hard to instigate. the fighting.'15 On the other hand, Talhah, who was on his mount with the people rushing around him, called out: "0 people, can you listen?" But they continued to rush and did not listen to him. He did not say any more than: "Woe to you, moths to the flame, and greed is killing them!"z16 Were there any moths other than those Saba'is, and was there any greed other than among them? Rather the attempts to bring about reconciliation continued until the last moment of the battle. From this discussion, the impact of Ibn Saba', and his helpers the Saba'is, on the battle becomes clear. We can also see clearly, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the keenness of the Companions (&) to reconcile and unite.

This is the truth which is confirmed by the texts and of which one may feel certain.217 Before discussing the stages of the battle, we should point out that the impact of the Saba'is in the Battle of the Camel is something that all scholars agree upon, whether they called them the evildoers, thugs of the two parties, the murderers of 'Uthmiin (&), the fools or hooligans, or they referred to them clearly as ~aba'is.~" The following are some texts that confirm this: 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib (a) It says in Akhbtir al-Bayah, by 'Umar ibn Shubbah, that those to whom the murder of 'Uthmh (&) was attributed were afraid that . . the two parties might reconcile and agree to kill them, so they started the fight between them and there happened what happened.219 (b) Imam at-Tahhawi said: "The fitnah of the camel broke out against the wishes of both 'Ali and Talhah, rather it was stirred up by the wrongdoers against the wishes of the aforementi~ned."~~~ (c) Al-Bgqillhi said: "A deal was reached, and they parted when both groups were content with the deal, but the killers of 'Uthmin (&) were afraid that they would be caught and brought to justice. So they got together and discussed the matter, and they different concerning it; then they agreed to split into two groups and start the fight at dawn in both camps, when they were scattered throughout the camps. The group in 'Ali's camp would shout out: 'Talhah and azZubayr have betrayed us!', and the group in the camp of Talhah and az-Zubayr would shout out: "Ali has betrayed us!' They succeeded in theu plan, and fighting broke out. Each of the two parties was limiting itself to defending itself and hying not to let the bloodshed go beyond that. This is the correct approach on the part of both parties, showing restraint for the sake of Allah (&) as fighting broke out and they had to defend themselves. This is what happened according to the sound reports, and this is what we believe."221 (d) A-Q2di 'AbdulLJabb2r narrated the views of the scholars, which is that 'Ali, Talhah, az-Zubayr and 'A'ishah reached a peace deal and agreed to avoid war and to defer dealing with the issue (of 'Uthmh's murderers).

Those of the enemies of 'Uthmh (&) who were in the camp did not Wte that, and they were afraid that the Muslims would focus their efforts on dealing with them, so they planned to disrupt that, as is well known, and that was achieved.22z (e) Al-Qi& Abu Bakr ibn alLCArabi said: "'Ali came to Basra, and the two groups came together to talk, but the people of whims and desires fie Battles of the Camel and Siffee~ and the issue of arbitration did not leave them alone; they hastened to shed blood, and war broke out. There were a large number of thugs who decided to start the fight so that the murderers of 'Uthmh (&) would not be brought to justice. One person in the army could spoil its plans, so what if there were one thousand?"z23 (f) Ibn Hazm said: 'The evidence for that is that the two armies drew close together and no fighting broke out, but when night came, the murderers of 'Uthmh (&) realised that any agreement reached by the two parties would be against them. They attacked the camp of T a a h and az-Zubayr at night, wielding the sword against them. The people had to defend themselves, so they pushed them back until they reached the camp of 'Ali (&). Then 'Ali's people had to defend themselves, each group no doubt thinking that the other had initiated the fighting.

There was a great deal of confusion, but no one went beyond defending himself. The evildoers and killers of 'Uthrnh (&) persisted in their attempts to make the fighting continue, and each group thought that it was doing the right thing in defending itself. T a a h was hit by a stray arrow while he was standing, not knowing what was happening. The arrow sbuck a wound in his lower leg, which he had received at Uhud while defending the Messenger of Allah (@). He left the battlefield and died soon after (&). AzZubayr (&) left while the battle raged; he was killed after he had withdrawn from the battle, in Wadi al-Sib$', which is less than a day's march from Basra.

That is what happened."zz4 Adh-Dhahabi said: "The Battle of the Camel was stirred up by the foolish among the two He also said: "The two groups had reconciled, and neither 'Ali nor intended to fight; rather their intention was to bring about unity. But the thugs of the two parties traded arrows, and fighting broke out and engulfed everyone."226 In the book Duwal al-Islam it says: "Fighting broke out because of the thugs, and 'Ali, Tabah and az-Zubayr were no longer in control."zz7 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib Dr. Sulayman ibn Hamad d-'Awdah said: "We may say that the report of aflahari, which speaks of the Saba'i role in the Battle of the Camel, is referring to the same people who are described as thugs in other reports. Even if these thuggish groups, which are referred to in other reports, did not have a direct connection to the Saba'is or share the same aims and goals, it is possible that these thuggish groups became the element that Ihn Saba' and his helpers took advantage of, which is usually the case in some demagogic movements that may be taken advantage of by some evildoers."228 We should not forget that the atmosphere of turmoil played a major role in these events. There can be no doubt that at times of chaos, people may not be able to see things that others can see very clearly. They may have their own justification for doing things while others can clearly see the reality of what they are doing, without any effort.

The darkness of turmoil is sufficient to prevent a person from thinking carefully and seeing clearly.229 For example, we may note that d-Alpaf ibn Qays, who is one of those who lived through the events of this battle, went out with the aim of joining 'Ali ibn Abi Taib (&), but he was met by Abn Bakrah, who said: "0 a n a f , go back, for I heard the Prophet (g) say: 'If two Muslims face one another with swords, then the slayer and the slain will be in hell.' I said - or it was said: '0 Messenger of Allah, as for the slayer @IS case is clear), but what about the one who was slain?' He said: 'He wanted to kill his companion."'230 Fighting alongside 'Ali (&) was right and correct, and whoever was killed fighting alongside him is a martyr and will have two rewards. However, Abu Bakrah (&) was quoting a hadith that was mentioned in a different context to'that in which 'ALi (&) was fighting those who were transgressing. This was his own understanding, hut it was not appropriate in 'Ali's case. From this report, we understand that 'Ali (&) faced many obstacles when he The Battles o f the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration fought others, including fatwas like these, which reflect piety more than the correct fatwa issued for the correct situation.231 Al-Ahnaf refused to join 'ALi (&), so he was not present with either side in the Battle of the Fnrthermore, az-Zubayr (a), who was one of the main figures in the battle, explains to us more about the reality of the matter: "This is the fitnah that we were told about." His freed slave said to him: "Are you calling it fitnah when you are fighting in it?" Az-Zubayr said: '.Woe to you! Sometimes we see clearly, and sometimes we do not see clearly. There was no matter in which I was uncertain where 1 stood except this matter, for I do not know whether I should go ahead or give up."233 Talhah also referred to that when he said: "We used to be one against others, but now we are like two mountains of iron, each seeking out the other."234 On the other hand, the companions of 'Ali (&) also confirmed that there wav fitnah.

'Ammir (&) said in Kufah, ,. regarding 'kishah's coming out on the campaign: "By Allah, she is the wife of your Prophet in this world and in the hereafter but Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, is testing you by means of her."235 1.6.2. The first round of the Battle of the Camel The Saba'is intensified their efforts to stir up fighting, attacking the other side and inciting each side against the other. A tough battle broke out, which was the Battle of the Camel. It is called that because the Mother of the Believers 'kishah (I$$+) was in the midst of the army of Basra during the second round, riding a camel that had been given to her in Makkah by Ya'la ibn Umayyah, who had brought it from Yemen. She set out on this camel from Makkah to Basra, then she rode it during the battle. The battle took place on Friday, 16 Jumiida ath-Thiiniyah 36 AH, in an area called az-Ziibooqah, near Basra.

'Ali was upset about 'A6i ibn Abi Trilb what happened, and his caller called out: "Stop fighting, 0 people!" But no one listened; everyone was busy fighting his opponent.236 There were two rounds in the Battle of the Camel; in the first round, the two commanders of the army of Basra were Talhah and azZnbayr, and this round lasted from dawn until just before 'Ali (&) called out to his army, as T a a h and az-Zubayr called out to theirs: "Do not kill anyone who wants to flee, do not finish off anyone who is wounded, and do not chase anyone who is leaving the battlefield and giving up the fight."238 Az-Zuhayr (&) asked his son AbduUah to pay off his debts and said: "No one is killed today except the wrongdoer or one who is wronged, and I think that I will be killed wrongfully; what I am most wonied about is my At that point, a man came to az-Zubayr and offered to kill 'Ali (&) by infiltrating his army and then killing him. Az-Zubayr objected strongly to that and said: "No, no believer should kill a believer, for faith protects a believer from killing."240 Az-Zubayr had no desire to kill 'Ali or anyone else who was innocent of the murder of 'Uthmin (&). Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali called azZubayr (&) and spoke to him kindly and gently. It was said that he reminded him of a hadith that he had heard from the Messenger of Allah (g), who had told az-Zubayr: "You are going to fight him ('Ali) & l a ~ f n l l ~ . " ' ~ ~ This hadith has no sound chain of narration, though.%' Some reports explain that the reason why az-Zuhayr left just before the battle was because he realised that 'Ammkibn Ykir (&) was on the other side. Even though he did not narrate from the Messenger of AUah (B) the hadith: " 'Ammik will be killed by the group that is in the he may have heard it from other Companions, because it was very well known.244 Some reports give as the reason for his leaving his doubt as to whether his stance towards this turmoil (fitnah, as he called it) was correct.245 According The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue o f arbitration to another report that suggests his reason for leaving, Ibn 'Abbh (&) reminded him of his blood ties with 'Ali (&) by saying: "How would Satiyyah hint 'Abdul-MutJalib feel if you fought 'Ali ibn Abi T a b ibn 'Abdul-Mumib with your Whatever the reasons, az-Zubayr left the battlefield and was met by Ibn Jarmooz, who killed him, Z47 as we shall see in detail below.

Az-Zubayr (&) was aware of his goal, which was to set things straight, but wben he saw that fighting bad broken out instead of peace, he left and did not fight. The words of Ibn 'Abbis, "Will you fight 'Ali ibn Abi T Z b with your sword?", imply an unspoken question: 'or have you come to set things straight and bring unity?'"8 As a result of this conversation, az-Zubayr left the battlefield and departed. Perhaps numerous, interconnected factors played a role in his decision to abandon the battlefield. As for Talhah ibn 'Ubaydull2h (&), az-Zubayr's second-iucommand of the army of Basra, he was wounded at the beginning of the battle when be was struck by a stray arrow. It is not h o w n who shot it, but it was a direct hit and caused him to bleed heavily. His soldiers said to h i : "0 Abu Muhammad, you are wounded.

Go in among their houses so that you can be treated." Talhah said to his slave: "Carry me, and look for a suitable place for me." He entered Basra and was placed in a house there to be treated, but his wound continued to Meed until he died in that house. Then he was buried in Basra (&).249 As for the report indicating that ai-Zubayr and Talhah (may AUah be pleased with them) urged the people to cany on fighting, and that ai-Zubayr only left the battlefield wben he saw that tbe people of Basra were going to be defeated, this report is not sound.z50 It is contradicted by that which is proven of the dignity and sound character of the Companions (&). It is also contrary to the sound reports stating that the army of the Camel only went out to set things 'Ali ibn Abi T6lib straight and bring about reconciliation. How could this alleged action of az-Zubayr (&) be in harmony with the aim for which he left Makkah and went to Basra, namely to set things straight among the people? In fact, the attitude of az-Zubayr (&) was one of keenness to set things straight up to the very last moment. A l - H h , via Abu Harb ibn Abil-Aswad ad-Du'ali, narrated that az-Zubayr (&) strove to bring about reconciliation between the sides, but when the battle began and chaos prevailed, az-Zubayr left the battlefie~d,'~' as did T a a h .

He had come to set things straight, not to shed blood. With regard to the killing of T a a h (&), that occurred at the beginning of the battle, as was clearly stated by al-Ahnaf ibn ~a~s.*'' Az-Zubayr departed the battlefield, and Tabah died (may Allah be pleased with them both). With the fall of the slain and wounded, the first round of the Battle of the Camel ended, and the army of 'Ali (4) had prevailed. 'Ali (4) had been following the progress of the battle and saw the slain and wounded on both sides; he was distressed and saddened by that. He went to his son al-Hasan and embraced him. 'Ali (4) began weeping and saying to him: "0 my son, would that your father had died twenty years before this day." Al-Hasan said: "0 my father, I warned yon about this." 'Ali (&) said: "I did not think that it would go this far.

What good is life after this? What good can be hoped for after this?"253 1.6.3. The second round of the Battle of the Camel News reached the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (!&,I of the fighting that had taken place. She came out on her camel, surrounded by the Azdi tribes and accompanied by Ka'h ibn Soor, to whom she had given a mushaf to use to call the people to stop fighting. The Mother of the Believers advanced. She hoped that people would listen to her because of her status in their hearts, and that she would be able to stop them fighting one another and stop the fitnah that had The Battles offhe Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration begun to spread.254 Ka'b held up the mushaf and went before the army of Basra, calling to the army of 'Ali (&I, saying: "0 people, I am Ka'h ibn Soor, the judge of Basra; I call you to the Book of Allah, to act upon it and bring about reconciliation on that basis." The Saba'is, who were in the forefront of the army of 'Ali (&), were afraid that Ka'b's effort would succeed, so they targeted him with their arrows as one man, and he died with the mu~haf in his hand.255 The arrows of the Saba'is also struck the camel and of 'kishah (I&,), and she started calling out: "0 my sons, Allah, Allah, rememder Allah and the Day of Reckoning, and refrain from fighting!" The Saba'is did not respond to her; they continued striking the army of Basra.

'Ali (&) was in the rear, ordering his troops to refrain from fighting and not to attack the Basrans, but the Saba'is in the forefront of his army did not respond to him; they persisted in advancing, attacking and fighting. When 'kishah saw that they were not responding to her call and saw Ka'b ibn Soor killed in front of her, she said: "0 people, curse the killers of 'Uthmh and their supporters." 'kishah (%) began to pray against the murderers of ' U t h i n (&) and to curse them, and the people of Basra raised their voices in supplication against the murderers of 'Uthmin (&) and their supporters, and they cursed them. 'Ali (&) heard the supplication coming in loud voices from the army of Basra and asked: "What is this?" They said: "It is 'A'ishah (t&J praying against the murderers of 'Uthmk (&) and the people praying with her." 'Ali (&) said: "Pray with me against the murderers of 'Uthmgn (&) and their supporters, and curse them." So the army of 'Ali (&) raised their voices, cursing the murderers of 'Uthmk (&) and praying against them.z57 'Ali (&) said: "0 Allah, curse the killers of 'Uthmk in the plains and in the mountains."258 The fighting intensified and spread. The people fought with spears until the spears then they unsheathed their swords 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib and fought until the swords broke, and finally they fought at close quaaers.260 The Saba'is directed their efforts towards hamstringing the camel and killing 'A'ishah (I$&), the Mother of the Believers, so the m y of Basramshed to protect ' ~ i s h a h (%) and her camel. They fought to defend the camel, and they killed anyone who grabbed its reins. The battle raging in front of the camel was so fierce and violent that the howdah began to resemble a hedgehog because of all the arrows that bad been shot at itz6' Many Muslims from the tribes of alAzd and Banu Dabbah and young men of Quraysh were killed around the camel, after displaying unparalleled bravery and courage.262 'A'ishah (&) was very upset and frustrated.

She had not wanted any fight&, but fighting broke out despite her wishes, and she ended up in the midst of the chaos, calling out for it to stop, but to no avail. Everyone who took hold of the camel's reins was killed, then Muhammad ibn Tabah (as-Sajjiid) came and took hold of the reins, and he said to his mother the Mother of the Believers: "0 my mother, what do you want me to do?" She said: "Be like the better of the two sons of Adam," meaning that he should refrain from fighting. He sheathed his sword, after having unsheathed it, and he was killed, may Allah have mercy on him.263 Also killed was 'Abdur-R&mh ibn 'Itib ibn Usayd, who tried to kill al-Ashtar even if it meant that he died too. He wrestled him, and they both fell to the ground. 'Abdur-Rahmh ibn 'Itiib said to those who were around him: "Kill me and ~ g l i k , " ' ~ ~ because of his hatred for him due to the prominent role he had played in inciting the people against 'Uthrnin (&). But the people did not know alAsbtar as 'Milk', and his time had not yet come.

If 'Abdur-R&mh had said 'al-Ashtar', many swords would have stnrck a l - ~ s h t a r . ~ ~ ~ As for Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, he fought in an unparalleled fashion, throwing himself among the swords. He was taken from among the slain with forty-odd wounds, the most severe and last of The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue o f arbitration which was inflicted by al-Ashtar. Due to the latter's hatred for Ibn azZubayr, he did not sit on his horse when he hit him; rather he stood up in the stimps and struck Ibn az-Zubayr on the head, thinking that he had killed him.266 A large number of people were also killed from the tribes of Banu 'Adiyy, Banu Dabbah and al-Azd. Banu Dabbah showed a great deal of courage and sacrifice for the Mother of the Believers. Amir al-Mu'rnineen 'Ali (&), by virtue of the wisdom, strength and militaq skill with which he had been blessed, realised that as long as the camel remained on the battlefield, the fighting would continue and a large number of people would be killed. The people of the camel would not be defeated or give up fighting as long as the Mother of the Believers remained on the battlefield.

Her staying on the battlefield also posed a danger to her life; the howdah in which she was sitting was bristling with arrowslike ahedgehog.267 'Ali (&) ordered some of his troops, including Maammad ibn Abi Bakr, the brother of the Mother of the Believers, and Abdullah ibn Badeel, to hamstring the camel and take 'Ai\'ishah (I&,) out of the howdah and to the ground; in other words, they wereto sbike the camel's feet with their ~words.2~' Her brother Muhammad and Abdullah ibn Badeel carried her howdah and placed it in front of 'Ali (&), who ordered that she be taken into the house of Abdullah ibn ~ a d e e l . 2 ~ ~ 'Ali's intuition proved to be correct; as soon as Mother of the Believers left the battlefield, the motive that was making the people of Basra eager to fight to the death disappeared, and they turned and fled. If he had not taken this step, the battle would have continued until the entire army of Basra, which was defending the camel, had been destroyed or the army of 'Ali (&) had been defeated. When the rout began, 'Ali (&) or his caller shouted out to his army, telling them not to pursue anyone who was running away, not 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib to finish off anyone who was wounded, and not to take any booty except for equipment or weapons that had been brought to the battlefield or the camp only; they were not to take anything more than that. He also forbade them to enter the houses. Not only that; 'Ali (&) also said to the people of Basra who had fought him that if any of them found any of his property with one of 'Ali's companions, he had the right to take it back. A man found a group from 'Alis army cooking some meat in a pot that belonged to him.

He took the pot from them and threw away the meat that was in it, out of spite?70 1.6.4. The number of people killed This intense battle led to a large number of people being killed, but there are differing reports as to the actual numbers. Al-Mas'oodi - . said that these differences were due to the bias of the narrators."' Qatgdah stated that the number of people killed at the Battle of the Camel was twenty thou~and."~ It seems that this is greatly exaggerated, because the number of the two armies put together was close to this or less. The RZ& Shia Abu Makhnaf exaggerated greatly because of his bias, and he did wrong when he thought that he was doing right. He said that the twenty thousand were from among the people of ~asra."~ Sayf stated that the number was ten thousand, half from among the companions of 'Ali (&) and half from among the companions of 'kishah (%). According to another report, he said: "It was said that the number was ffteen thousand: five thousand from among the people of Kufah and ten thousand from among the people of Basra; half of them were killed during the first battle and half during the second But these two reports are weak because of the intemptions in their chains of narration and other faults; they are also grossly overstated.

'Umar ibn Shaybah mentioned, with his chain of narration, that the number of slain was more than six thousand, but this report is also weak in its chain of The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration narration.z75 Al-Ya'qoobi exaggerated fuaher and gave a higher figure; he put the number of slain at thirty-two thousand.276 This figure is highly inflated, the reasons for this overstatement include the following: (a) The desire of the enemies of the Companions, namely the Saba'is and their followers, to deepen the dispute and division among the members of the Ummah who are united by the love of the Companions and who are following their example, after that of the Messenger of Allah (g). (b) The contribution of some poets and ignorant people from numerous tribes to inflating and magnifying the number, so as to match the poetry that they attributed to some of their leaders and knights. In addition to that, the storytellers wanted to attract people's attention with the exciting events of which they spoke. (c) The building of confidence for the followers of the thugs and Saba'is in order to prove the success of their plans and arrangements.277 As for the true number of people slain in the Battle of the Camel, it is probably very small, for the following reasons: *:* The short duration of the fight. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated with a sound chain of narrationz78 that the combat started in the afternoon and that by the time the sun set, no one who had been defending the camel was still there. *:* The defensive nature of the fighting, since each side was merely defending itself and doing no more than that. * The hue number of those slain at the Battle of the Camel is regarded as very low in comparison to the number of Muslim martyrs at the Battle of Yannook (3,000) and the 'Ali ibn Abi TZlib Battle of Qiidisiyyah (8,500), and those were battles that went on for a number of days. This is also taking into account the ferocity and intensity of those other battles, which were decisive battles in the history of nations. *:* Khaleefah ibn Khayyiit narrated a list of those among the slain of the Battle of the Camel whose names were known; there were approximately one hundred names.279 If we assume that the total number was double that, this would mean that the number of people slain at the Battle of the Camel was no more than two hundred.

This is what Dr. Khaid ihn Muhammad al-Ghayth suggests is most likely, in his dissertation Istishhcid 'Uthmcin wa Waq'at at-Jamal fi Marwiyit Sayf ibn 'Urnar fi Tareekh at-Tabari - Dirisah Naqdiyyah (The martyrdom of 'Uthmin and the Battle of the Camel in the reports of Sayf ibn 'Umar in Tareekh at-Tabari - A critical 1.6.5. Is it hue that MarwSn ibn al-Hakam killed Talhah ibn 'Ubaydull2h? Many reports indicate that the killer of Talhah ibn 'Ubaydull3h (&) was Marwin ibn al-~akam?~' However, if one studies these reports, it becomes clear that Marw2n ibn al-Hakam is innocent of this accusation for the following reasons: (a) Ibn Katheer said: "It was said that the one who shot this arrow was Marwin ibn al-Hakam, and it was said that the one who shot this arrow was someone else. In my view, the latter is more likely, even though the former is a well-known view. And Allah (%) knows best.''2a2 01) Ibn al-'Arabi said: "They said that Marwin killed Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullih, hut how can anyone know that except the One The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration Who knows the unseen?

It was not narrated by anyone trustworthy."z83 (c) Mubibb ad-Deen al-Khateeb said: "This report about T a a h and Marwin is a mystery; no one knows where it came from."284 (d) The reason given for Marwh's desire to kill Talhah (&) - that M m h accused Talhah of helping in the murder of 'Uthmh (&) - is invalid. There is no proof by any sound chain of narration that any of the Companions helped in the murder of 'Uthmh (&). (e) At the Battle of the Camel, MarwZn and T a a h were both on the same side, which was the side of those who were calling for putting things right among the people.285 (f) Mu'Zwiyah (&) appointed Manvh in charge of Madinah and Makkah. 1f it were true that Marwh had done this, Mu'Zwiyah would not have put him in charge of the Muslims in the places that are most sacred before Allah (B). (g) There is a report from MmZn ibn al-Hakarn in sahih al- ~ u k h i i r i . ~ ~ ~ Bukhari is known for being very thorough and careful in accepting reports; if it were true that M m h killed Tabah (&), that would have been sufficient reason to reject his reports and question his character.287 1.6.6. The call of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) after the battle As soon as the battle started to die down, the caller of 'Ali (&) cried out: "Do not finish off anyone who is wounded, do not pursue anyone who is fleeing, do not enter any house. Whoever lays down his weapon is safe, and whoever locks his door is safe." His army had no right to any booty except what had been brought onto Xli ibn Abi Tilib the battlefield of weapons and mounts, and nothing beyond that.

The caller of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) informed those who had fought him of the people of Basra that if one of them found any of his property with 'Ali's troops, he could take it back.'" Some people thought that the army of 'Ali (&) was going to distribute the female captives among themselves, so they spoke about that and spread that notion among the people. 'Ali (&) soon surprised them when he announced: "You have no right to any female captive, and the estates are to be divided according to the laws of Allah (s). Any woman whose husband has been killed must observe 'iddah of four months and ten days." They objected to that, asking: "0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, is their blood permissible for us and not their women?" 'Ali (&) said: "This is the right approach when fighting people of the qiblah (fellow Muslims)." Then he said: "Bring your mows and draw lots concerning 'kishah ($), for she is the one who was leading these people!" They were shbcked and said: "We ask Allah for forgiveness." It had now become clear to them that what they were saying and thinking was very wrong. In order to please them, though, 'Ali (&) gave each of them five hundred from the public 1.6.7. Checking on the slain and praying for mercy for them After the battle ended, 'Ali (4) went out with a group of his companions to check on the slain. He saw Muhammad ibn Tabah (as-Sajjsd) and said: "Znna Lillihi wa inna ilayhi r6ji'oon (Verily, to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return).

By Allah, he was a - righteous young man." Then he sat down sorrowfully and prayed for forgiveness and mercy for the slain, and he spoke highly of them.290 After that, he went back to his house and saw his wife and two daughters weeping for 'Uthmh (&) and his relatives and for azThe Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration Zubayr, Tabah and others among their Qurayshi relatives. It was narrated that he said to them: "I hope we will be among those of whom AUah (&) says: $And We shall remove from their breasts any deep feeling of bitterness [that they may have]. [So they will be like] brothers facing each other on thrones.) (Quran 15: 47)." Then be said: "Who are they if not us? Who are they if not us?" And he kept repeating it until the narrator wished that he would fall silent.291 1.6.8. The allegiance of the people of Basra Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) was very keen to unite the . . people, to respect the people under his authority and to treat them honourably. This treatment had a far reaching effect by convincing the people of Basra to swear allegiance to Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (A). In the evening following the Battle of the Camel, he put the captives in a special place.

When he prayed the dawn prayer, he asked for Moosa ibn Ta&ah ibn 'Ubaydulliih. He brought him close, welcomed him and seated him next to him, and asked him how he and his brothers were. Then he told him: "We did not seize your land because we want to take it away from you; we seized it lest the people plunder it." He gave him the harvest of the land and said: "0 son of my brother, if you have any need, come to us." He did the same with his brother 'Irnr2n ibn Tabab, and the two brothers swore allegiance to him. When the other captives saw that, they entered upon 'Ali (&) to swear allegiance to him, and he accepted their allegiance. He accepted allegiance from each tribe, one by one.z9z He also asked about Marwb ibn al-Hakam, saying: "There is compassion for him because of blood ties; in addition to that, he is one of the noble young men of Quraysh." Marwin sent word to alHasan, al-Husayn and Ibn 'AbbL asking them to speak to 'Ali on his behalf. 'Ali said: "He is safe.

Let him go wherever he wants." Because of this generous and noble treatment, Marwin did not want Xli ibn Abi Ttlib to leave until he had sworn allegiance to 'Ali (&).293 Marwh (&) praised the actions of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&), telling his son al-Hasan: "I have never seen anyone more generous in victory than your father. As soon as we began to flee on the day of the Camel, his caller called out: 'Do not finish off anyone who is wounded, do not pursue anyone who is fleeing."'294 Thus the people of Basra swore allegiance to Amir alMu'mineen 'Ali (&). He appointed his nephew Abdullah ibn 'Abbis (&) as their governor and Ziyid ibn Abeebi in charge of the land tax. 'Ali (&) wanted to stay there longer, but he hastened to leave because of M2ik (&Ashtar). Al-Ashtar had been hoping to become governor of Basra; when he found out that Ibn 'Abbis had been appointed to the post, he became angry and left with his people. 'Ali (&) was afraid that he might cause trouble, so he went quickly .. with the remainder of his army and caught up with him.

'Ali (&) reprimanded for leaving, but be pretended that he had not heard anything else about him.z95 1.6.9. The hadith of Abu Bakrah from the Messenger of Allah (g): "If two Muslims face one another with swords, then the slayer and the slain will be in hell 7,296 Al-Qurtubi said: "Our scholars said that this hadith, the hadith of Abu Bakrah, is not speaking about the Companions of the Prophet (g) because Allah (&) says: 4If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye [all] against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah, but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair [and just]. The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and The Battles of the Camel and Sgeen, and the issue of arbitration reconciliation between your two [contending] brothers: And fear Allah that ye may receive Mercy$ (Quran 49: 9-10). "Allah (a) enjoined fighting the group that is in the wrong. If the Muslims fail to fight the group that is in the wrong, then one of the obligations enjoined by Allah (B) will have been abandoned. This proves that the words of the Prophet (@), 'The slayer and the slain will be in hell,' are not about the Companions of the Prophet (g), because they only fought because of a misunderstanding." AlQnrpbi also said: "If what is required of Muslims, in the case of any difference between two groups of Muslims, is t o m away from it and stay in their houses and break their swords, then no hadd punishments would be carried out and no falsehood would be confronted.

Then the hypocrites and evildoers would find it easy to violate all sacred limits, confiscate the Muslims' wealth, take their women captive and shed their blood, because they would gang up against them, and the Muslims would refrain from confronting them by saying: 'This is fitnah. We are forbiddento fight in this case; we are instructed to be passive and run away from it. ,,,297 Al-Nawawi said: "With regard to the slayer and the slain being in hell, this applies to cases where there is no (Shariah) justification, when they are fighting for tribal reasons and the like. Moreover, what is meant by hell is that they deserve it and may he punished therein or may be pardoned by Allah (&). This 1s the correct view. One may judge or evaluate any incident of fighting between Muslims on this basis, but it should be noted that the blood that was shed among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) is not included in this waming. According to the view of Ah1 as-Sunnah, which is the correct view, we should think positively of them and refrain from debating about the disputes among them.

We should understand their fighting on the basis that they had what they thought was a valid reason for it. They did not intend to commit 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib sin or to seek worldly gains; rather each group believed that it was in the right and that its opposite number was transgressing, so it was obliged to fight it and bring it back to compliance with the command of Allah (B). Some of them were right, and some of them were wrong, hut they are to be excused for their misjudgement; if the one who makes a mistake has based his decision on what he thinks is a valid reason, there is no sin on him. The view of Ah1 as-Sunnah is that 'Ali (&) was the one who was in the right in this conflict. The issues were so ambiguous that some of the Companions were uncertain, so they stayed away from both groups and did not fight; they were not certain who was in the right, so they refrained from helping them."z98 1.6.10. The date of the Battle of the Camel The historians differed conceming the date of the Battle of the Camel, and there are numerous opinions, including the following: (a) Khaleefah ibn Khayyi? narrated via Qatidah that the two groups met on a Thursday halfway through the month of Jumida a l - h r a h in 36 AH, and that the hattle took place on ~ r i d a ~ .

' ~ ~ (b) 'Umar ibn Shabbah narrated that the battle took place in the middle of Jumida al-&ah in 36 (c) At-Tabari narrated via al-Wiqidi that the battle took place on Thursday, 10 Jumida al-&ah 36 AH?" (d) Al-Mas'oodi stated that the battle took place on Thursday, 10 Jumiida al-Oola. The most correct opinion is that narrated by Khaleefah ibn Khayyit via Qatiidah, as the chain of narration of this report is the soundest conceming this matter. ihe Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue ofarbitration 1.6.11. "Shouldn't we leave them alone when they are Muslim women?" Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) came to the house where the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (I&,) was staying, and he asked for permission to enter. He greeted hei'with s a l h , and she welcomed him. The women in the house of Banu Khalaf were weeping for those who had been killed, including Abdullah and 'Uthmh, the sons of Khalaf. Abdullah had been killed fighting on 'kishah's side, and 'Uthmh had been kiUed fighting on 'Ali's side.

When 'Ali (&) entered, Safiyyah, the wife of Abdullah, Umm Talhah, said to him: "May Allah make your children orphans as you have made my children orphans!" 'Ali (&) did not respond. When he left, she repeated her words, and he again kept quiet. A man said to him: "0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, are you going to keep quiet when this woman is saying what you can hear?" 'Ali (&) said: 'Woe to you. We were . . commanded to leave women alone when they were polytheists, so shouldn't we leave them alone when they are ~ u s l i m s ? " ~ ~ ~ 1.6.12. Abu Bakrah ath-Thaqafi's request to not be appointed as governor of Basra 'Abdur-R&mk ibn Abi Bakrah ath-Thaqafi came to Amir alMu'mineen 'Ali (&) and swore allegiance to him.

'Ali asked about his father, saying: "Where is the one who is sick?" 'Abdur-Ramh said: "By Allah, he is indeed sick, 0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, but he is very keen to please you." 'Ali (&) said: "Walk in front of me." He went and visited him, and he offered him the position of governor of Basra, but Abu Bakrah refused and said: "How about a man from among your relatives whom the people trust?" He suggested Ibn 'Abbh, so 'Ali appointed Ibn 'AbbL as governor of Basra, and he appointed Ziyid ibn Abeehi to be in charge of the land tax and the public treasury; then he ordered Ibn 'AbbL to listen to ~ i ~ 2 d . 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib 1.6.13. The attitude of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) towards those who reviled 'pishah (I&,) ~~ A man said: "0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, there are two men at the door who are reviling 'pishah." 'Ali ordered al-Qa'qi? ibn 'Amr to flog each of them with one hundred lashes and to strip them of their clothes, and al-Qa'qi? did that.3M 1.6.14. 'AmmC ibn Yssir's defence of the Mother of the Believers 'pishah ($+) It was narrated that Muhammad ihn 'Urayh said: "A man stood up and mentioned 'A'ishah 1%) in 'Ali's presence. 'Ammgr came and said: 'Who is this man who is reviling the wife of our Prophet? Shut up, you ugly, obnoxious and blameworthy man!"'305 According to another report, he said: "Get lost, you ugly man!

Are you insulting the beloved of the Messenger of Allah ( B ) ? " ~ ~ According to another repoa: "Mention was made of 'A'ishah (&) in the presence of 'Ali (&), and he sajd: 'She is the wife of the Messenger of Allah (g). ,r,307 1.7. Between 'kishah the Mother of the Believers and Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali ibn Abi T2lib 'A3ishah the Mother of the Believers (I$&) is as-Siddeeqah, the daughter of as-Siddeeq Abu Bakr Abdullah ihn 'Uthmiin, Her mother was Umm Roomiin hint 'Uwaymir al-Kinihiyyah, and she was born four or five years after the Prophet's mission began. The Prophet (g) married her when she was six years old and consummated the marriage with her when she was nine years old, in the month of Shaww2 1 AH (or it was said in 2 AH). She was declared innocent from above the seven heavens. She was the dearest of the Prophet's The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration wives to him and the only virgin that he married.

She was the most knowledgeable of all the women of the Ummah, all of the most prominent among the Companions would consult her if they were uncertain about any religious matter. The Prophet (g) died when she was eighteen years old, and she (%) died on the night before 17 Ramadan in 58 AH. Abu ~ u r a ~ r & ( & ) led the funeral prayer for her, and she was buried in Baqee' Cemetery - may Allah be pleased with her and make her pleased.3o8 Her virtues are many and well known, and there are sound hadiths describing virtnes that were unique to her among all the Mothers of the Believers, including the following: 1.7.1. The angel brought her image to the Prophet (g) on a cloth of fine silk309 before her mamage to him The two shaykhs, Bukhari and Muslim, narrated that 'A'ishah said that the Messenger of Allah (g) said: "I was shown in my dreams for three nights that an angel brought you to me wrapped in a cloth of silk, saying, 'This is your wife.' I uncovered your face and saw that it was you, and I said: 'If this is from Allah, then He will bring it to pass. ,,,310 1.7.2. The most beloved of the wives of the Prophet (B) He stated his love for her clearly when he was asked about the dearest of people to him. Bnkhari narrated, with his chain of narration going back to 'Amr ibn al-'AS, that the Prophet (g) sent him at the head of the army of Dhit as-~aI%il.~~' He said: "I came to him and said: 'Who among the people is dearest to you?

He (@J said: "pishah.' I said: 'Who among men?' He (g) said: 'Her father.'"312 Al-Hz& - a&-Dhahabi said: "This is a proven report in spite of the 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib Rsfidis. The Prophet (g) never loved anyone except those who were good, and he said: 'If I were to have taken a close friend @haleel) from among this Ummah, I would have taken Ahu Bakr as a close friend, but the brotherhood of Islam is better.' So he loved the best man among his Ummah and the best woman among his Ummah. Whoever hates the two who were beloved to the Messenger of Allah (g) deserves to he hated by AUah (&) and His Messenger (g). The Prophet's love for 'kishah is well hown and widely reported."313 1.7.3. The Prophet (8) received revelation when he was under her blanket with her, but never with his other wives Bukhari narrated, with his chain of narration going hack to H i s h h ibn 'Urwah, that the people would try to take their gifts to the Prophet ( a ) when it was 'kishah's day. 'A'ishah (I$&) said: "My co-wives went to Umm Salamah and said: '0 Umm Salamah, by Allah, the people try to bring their gifts when it is 'A'ishah's day, and we want some of this goodness as 'A'ishah wants it.

Tell the Messenger of Allah (@) ~. to instmct the people to bring their gifts to him wherever he is and wherever he goes.' Umm Salamah mentioned that to the Prophet ( a ) , and she (later) said: 'He turned away from me. When he turned back to me, I mentioned it to him again, and he turned away from me. The third time I said it to him, he said: "0 Umm Salamah, do not annoy me with regard to 'kishah, for by Allah, the revelation never comes down to me when I am under the blanket of any of you except her.""'314 Adh-Dhahahi said: "This response indicates that the superiority of 'A'ishah to the other Mothers of the Believers was something that was divinely ordained and was not just because he loved her; rather this was one of the reasons he loved her."315 The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration 1.7.4. Jibreel (m) sent his greeting of saliim to her with the Prophet (g) Bukhari narrated, with his chain of narration going back to 'A'ishah (I$&,), that the Messenger of Allah (g) said to her one day: "0 'L'ishah, this is Jihreel sending greetings of s a l h to you." She said: "And upon him be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. You see what I cannot see," referring to the Messenger of Allah (@J3I6 1.7.5. The Prophet (B) went to her first when the verse instructing him to give his wives the choice was revealed That was also accompanied by the instruction to consult her parents about the matter, because he knew that they would not tell her to leave him.

She chose Allah (&) and His Messenger (@J and the home of the hereafter, and the rest of his wives followed her example. Bukhari and Muslim narrated, with their chain of narration going back to 'A'ishah (I&), that she said: "When the Messenger of AUah (g) was commanded to give his wives the choice, he started with me, and he said: 'I am going to tell yon something, but you do not have to rush until you consult your parents.' He knew that my parents would never tell me to leave him. Then he said: 'Allah, may He be glorified and praised, said: 40 Prophet [Muhammad]! Say to your wives: 'If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, then come! I will make a provision for you and set you free in a handsome manner [divorce]. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger, and the Home of the hereafter, then verily, AUah has prepared for Al-Muhsinit [good-doers] amongst you an enormous reward.'b (Quran 33: 28-29)' I said: 'Do I need to consult my parents about this?

I desire Allah and His Messenger and the Home of the hereafter.' Then the other wives of the Messenger of Allah (S) did the same as I had 'Ali ibn Abi T6lib 1.7.6. The revelation of verses of the Book of Allah because of her These include verses that speak about her in particular and others that are for the Ummah as a whole. Those that are about her in particular, which speak of her virtue and high status, are the verses in which Allah (&) testifies that she is innocent of the accusations and slanders against her. He (B) says: eerily, those who brought forth the slander [against 'A'ishah the wife of the Prophet] are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you.

Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment.) (Quran 24: 11) 4Bad statements are for bad people [or bad women for bad men] and bad people for bad statements [or bad men for bad women]. Good statements are for good people [or good women for good men] and good people for good statements [or good men for good women]: such [good people] are innocent of [every] bad statement which they say; for them is forgiveness, and Rizqun Karim [generous provision, i.e. paradisel.8 (Quran 24: 26) Ibn d-Qayyim said: "One of her virtues is that Allah (s) declared her innocent of that which the people of the slander accused her of, and He (&) sent down concerning her innocence revelation that will be recited in the mosques (in the prayer niches that face Makkah) and prayers of the Muslims until the Day of Resurrection. He testified that she is one of the good, and He promised her - forgiveness and a generous provision (referring to paradise). He (&) stated that the lies that were told about her were good for her, and that . what was said about her was not bad for her and did not undermine her position; rather Allah ($g) raised her in status thereby, and her T%e Battles of the Camel and SiSfeen, and the issue of arbitration goodness and innocence became well-known among all the inhabitants of heaven and earth. What a great virtue this is! Think about this honour that stemmed from her extreme modesty and humbleness when she said: 'I thought of myself as too insignificant for Allah to speak about me in revelation that would be recited, but I was hoping that the Messenger of Allah a) would see a dream in which Allah would prove my innocence."'318 This is the Siddeeqah of this Ummah, the Mother of the Believers, the beloved of the Messenger of Allah (gJ.

She knew that she was innocent and had been wronged, and that those who were accusing her were wrongdoers and fabricators. Their accusations also hurt her parents and the Messenger of Allah (@J3I9 Ibn Katheer said: "When the people of the slander spoke against her on the basis of fabrications and lies, Allah (s) got angry and sent down, to prove her innocence, ten verses of Quran that will be recited until the end of time. The scholars are unanimously agreed that whoever slanders her after she has been proven innocent is a disbeliever."320 With regard to that which was revealed because of her but for the Ummah in general, it is the verse that permits dry-eaah ablution to be performed when no pure water is available. This was a mercy and made things easy for the entire Ummah. Bukhari narrated, with his chain of narration going back to 'kishah (&), that she borrowed a necklace from Asma' and lost it, so the ~ e s s e n ~ e r of Allah (gJ sent some of his Companions out to look for it. The time for prayer came, and they prayed without wudoo'.

When they came to the Prophet (@), they complained to him about that, and the verse of dqeaah ablution was revealed. Usayd ibn Hudayr said: "May Allah reward you with good, for by Allah nothing happened to yon that you dislike but Allah caused it to bring good to you and to the ~ u s l i m s . " ~ ~ ' 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlih 1.7.7. When the Messenger of AUah (g) was ill, he wanted to be cared for in 'kishah's house He (g) died leaning on her chest, on the day of her turn. AUah (g) caused his saliva to be mixed with hers during his last moments in this world and his first moments in the hereafter, and he was buried in her Bukhari narrated, with his chain of narration going back to 'A'ishah, that when the Messenger of Allah (g) was ill, he used to go around to his wives and say: "Where will I be tomorrow?" because he looked forward to being in 'kishah's house. She said: "When it was my day, he settled down there."323 Muslim narrated that she said: "The Messenger of Allah (@) used to check and ask: 'Where will I be today?

Where will I be tomorrow?', hoping that the turn of 'kishah was close. When it was my day, Allah (B) took his soul when he was between my neck and my chest."3ze. His wives gave him permission to go wherever he wanted, and he remained in 'A'ishah's house until he died there. 'A'ishah said: "He died on the day that was my day, in my house. Allah took his soul when his head was between my neck and my chest and his saliva was mixed with mine." Then she said: " 'Abdur-R@mh ibn Abi Bakr came in, with a stick used as a natural toothbrush. The Messenger of Allah looked at it, and I said to him: 'Give me this toothbrush, 0 'Abdur-R@mh.' He gave it to me and I cut it, then I chewed it and gave it to the Messenger of AUah (g), who brushed his teeth with it while he was leaning on my chest." Another report adds: "So Allah mixed my saliva with his on his last day in this world and his fust day in the hereafter."325 1.7.8.

He (g) told her that she was one of the people of paradise Al-H&m narrated, with his chain of narration going back to 'kishah (&), that she said: "I said: '0 Messenger of Allah, who will .- The Battles of the Camel and &fee& and the issue of arbitration be your wives in paradise?' He said: 'You will be one of them."' She said: "I thought that the reason was that be did not marry any other virgin except me."326 Bnkhari narrated with his chain of narration going back to al-Qbim ibn Muhammad that when 'kishah fell sick, Ibn 'AbbL came to her and said: "0 Mother of the Believers, you are going to meet those who went ahead of you, the Messenger of Allah (g) and Abu ~ a k r . " ~ ' ~ This is indicative of the great virtue of 'A'ishah (I$&) because he confirmed to her that she would enter paradise; hk would not have said that on the basis of his own thoughts, so he must have heard it from the 1.7.9. The superiority of ' ~ i s h a h (I&,) over other women is like the superiority of thareed 329 over other kinds of food Bukhari and Muslim narrated, with their chain of narration going back to Abdullah ibn 'Abdur-Rahmiin, that he heard Anas ibn Maik (4) say: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (gJ say: 'The superiority of 'A'ishah over other women is like the superiority of thareed over other kinds of food."'330 Al-Nawawi said: "The scholars said: it means that thareed is better than broth, and thareed with meat is better than broth without thareed, and the thareed that has no meat is better than broth. What is meant by better is that it is more nutritious, more filling, easier to digest, more enjoyable and easier to eat, a person may eat his fill of it quickly, and so on. It is better than all kinds of broth and all kinds of food. The superiority of 'A'ishah over other women is great, as great as the superiority of thareed over other kinds of food.

This does not clearly state that she is better than Maryam and Asiy&, it could be that what is meant is that she is superior to the women of this ~ m m a h . " ~ ~ ' 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib These are a few of the hadiths which point to the virtue, status and seniority of 'A'ishah (I&) and to the high esteem in which she is held in Islam. Despite that, 'kishah, the Mother of the Believers, has been subjected to slander, criticism, lies and fabrications by the R2fi& Shia and those who were influenced by their fabricated reports. They also discussed sound reports and sound hadiths, but they misinterpreted them and understood them in a way that differed from the actual meanings. This is what was done by the author of the book Thumma Zhtadaytu, who did not come up with anything new; he simply followed in the footsteps of his predecessors among the R%& Shia. He slandered the Mother of the Believers by misinterpreting the words of 'Ammk "By Allah, she is the wife of your Prophet in this world and in the hereafter but Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, is testing you by means of her, so that He may know whether you will obey Him or her."332 There is nothing in these words of 'Arnm2r that could be understood as undermining 'kishah (I&); in fact, it mentions her greatest virtue, which is that . i she is the wife of our Prophet (g) in this world and in the hereafter.

What virtue could he greater than that? The aim of every believer is to please Allah (s) and attain paradise, and 'kishah (t&) attained that, according to the testimony of 'Amm2r (&). He held a different view than hers with regard to that turmoil, b"t he testified that she would he in the highest degrees of paradise, in the company of the Messenger of Allah Thus the sound hadith, which can he attributed to the Prophet (B), according to what al-H%im narrated in al-Mustadi-uk from 'kishah (&), says that the Prophet (g) - , said to her: "Would it not not please you to he my wife in this world and in the hereafter?" She said: "Yes, by Allah." He said: "You are indeed my wife in this world and in the hereafter."334 This hadith points to one of the greatest virtues of '.&'ishah (I$+). Hence Bukhari narrated the previous report from 'Amm2r under the heading of "The virtues of 'i'ishah (@)."335 .~ The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration As for his words in the last part of the report, "...but Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, is testing you by means of her, so that He may know whether you will obey Him or her," this is not undermining the position of the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (%) at all, for the following reasons: (a) 'Ammir's words represent his own opinion; 'A'ishah (I$+) held a different opinion and thought that what she was doing was right. Each of them was a noble Companion and possessed a high level of religious commitment and knowledge, so the view of one of them was not binding upon the other.336 (b) All that may be understood from the words of 'Ammi% is that she was going against the command of Allah in that particular case, but not everyone who takes a contrary stance is blameworthy unless proof is shown to them and they realise that they are wrong. Otherwise, they may be excused if they did not deliberately go against the command of Allah, because they may have been unaware, or their actions may have been based on misinterpretation, so they are not to be blamed for that.

(c) 'Ammi% (@) did not intend thereby to criticise or undermine 'A'ishah; his intention was to point out her mistaken stance out of sincerity towards the Ummah. Nevertheless, he recognised her status and According to some versions of this report from 'Ammir (&), he heard a man reviling 'A'ishah (@), and he said: "Shut up, you ugly, hateful man! By Allah, she is the wife of your Prophet in this world and in the hereafter, but Allah is testing yon by means of her, so that He may know whether yon will obey Him or her."338 The Rzfidi Shia say that the Prophet (g) once stood up to deliver a speech, and he pointed towards '2ishah's house and said: 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib "Here is fitnah, from where the horns of the Satan emerge." This i s a slander against 'ii'ishah (&), as they claim that the Messenger (s) meant that fitnah would emerge from her house. These are misleading words, which turn the facts upside down and confuse those among the common people who have no knowledge. They explained what the narrator said, "Then he pointed (towards 'kishah's house)," as meaning that he was pointing towards 'ii'ishah's house and that she would be the cause of turmoil. But the hadith does not indicate that in any way whatsoever, and this phrase cannot he interpreted as meaning that by anyone who has the slightest knowledge of what words mean.

The narrator said he pointed 'towards 'kishah's house'; he didnot say 'at 'L'ishah's house'. The difference between the two expressions is quite clear. The report in question was narrated by Bukhari in K i t 2 Fard al-Khums 339 and was also narrated in the books of Sunnah, the two Saheehs of Bukhari and Muslim and elsewhere, with a number of chains of narration and in more than one version. The text states the land referred to, which refutes the claim of the RZ& Shia, and there is no need to refute the argument in any other way. The following are some of the versions of the hadith via many chains of narration from Ihn 'Umar (&): It was narrated from Layth from N Z ' from Ihn 'Umar (&) .. that he heard the Messenger of Allah (@J say, when he was facing towards the east: "Verily fitnah is there, where the horn of the Satan will emerge."340 It was narrated that 'Ubaydullah ibn 'Umar said: NZ' narrated to me from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of AUah (g) stood at Haf~ah's door and pointed towards the east and said: "Fitnah will appear from where the horn of the Satan is."341 He said it two or three times. It was narrated from Silim ibn Ahdullah from his father that the Messenger of Allah (a) said, while facing towards the east: l%e Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue uf arbitration "Verily fitnah is there, verily fitnah is there, verily fitnah is there, where the horn of the Satan will appear."34z In these reports, the direction referred to is clearly specified; it is the east.

This explains what is meant by the pointing that is referred to by the Rifidi ~ b i a . ~ ~ ~ In some other versions of the hadith, the country referred is specified. It was narrated from N Z ' that Ibn 'Umar said: "The Prophet (g) said: '0 Allah, bless us in our Syria; 0 Allah, hless us in our Yemen.' They said: '0 Messenger of Allah, and in our ~ a j d . ' ~ ~ ~ I think he said the third time: 'There are earthquakes and fitnah there, and in it the horn of the Satan will appear."'345 It was narrated from S%m ibn Ahdullah ibn 'Umar that he said: "0 people of Iraq, bow much you ask about minor sins, and how many major sins you commit! I heard my father, Ahdullah ibn 'Umar, say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (@J say: 'Turmoil will come from there,' and he pointed towards the east, where the horn of the Satan will appear."346 According to some reports, the names of some of the tribes who live in that land are mentioned, and the situation of their people is described. It was narrated that Abu Mas'ood said: "The Messenger of Allah (g) pointed with his hand towards Yemen and said: 'Faith is there, and harshness and hardheartedness are among the uncouth owners of camels, where the horns of the Satan rise, Rahee'ah and M ~ d a r . " ' ~ ~ ~ This report definitively indicates that what the Prophet (g) meant when he said "fitnah is there" was the eastern lands, as the reports clearly state.

In some of the reports, the people of that land are described and some tribes are mentioned by name, which clearly demonstrates the falseness of the claims made by the Rifidi Shia that what he was pointing at was 'A'ishah's house. This is an invalid opinion and a worthless point of view; no one came up with this understanding or spoke of it except the Rifidi ~hia."' 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib 1.7.10. Comparative virtues of 'kishah, Khadeejah and Fgtirnah (may Allah be pleased with them all) Ibn Taymiyah said: "The best women of this Ummah are Khadeejah, ' ~ i s h a h and Fstimah, but as to which of these three is better than the others, there is some dispute."349 Ibn Taymiyah was asked about which of the two Mothers of the Believers was better, Khadeejah or 'A'ishah. He replied: "In terms of seniority, influence at the beginning of Islam and support of the religion, Khadeejah is superior, and neither 'A'ishah nor any of the other Mothers of the Believers share that virtne with her. As for 'A'ishah's influence later on, her devotion to Islam and conveying it to the U.mmah and her attainment of knowledge, neither Khadeejah nor any of the others share that virtue with her, which distinguishes her from others."350 Ibn Hajar said: "It was said that there was consensus on the superiority of Fitimah, and that the difference of opinion remained with regard to whether 'A'ishah or Khadeejah was more virtuous."351 Commenting on the hadith of Abu Hurayrah about the angel Jibreel (as) coming to the Prophet (g) and telling him to convey s a l b to Khadeejah from her Lord, Ibn Hajar said that asSuhayli said: "Abu Bakr ibn Diwood quoted this story as evidence that Khadeejah is superior to 'A'ishah, because Jibreel sent greetings to ' ~ i s h a h from himself, but to Khadeejah he conveyed greetings from her Lord. Ibn al-'Arabi claimed that there was no disputing that Khadeejah was superior to 'A'ishah.

He narrated that this argument was an old issue, and that it was more likely that Khadeejah was superior because of this (the s a l h being conveyed to her from her Lord) and because of what is mentioned above."352 From studying the texts that were nanated concerning the virtnes of each one of them (may Allah be pleased with them), we find that they point to the superiority of Khadeejah and Fimah, then 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them all) because the Prophet The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration (g) said: "Khadeejah was given precedence over the women of my ~ m m a h , " ~ ' ~ and, "The best of the women of paradise are Khadeejah, FS@ah, Maryam and A ~ i ~ a h . " ~ ' ~ Ibn Hajar said: "This is a clear statement that cannot be interpreted in any other way."355 The Prophet (g) also said: "The best of the women of this world are Maryam hint 'Imrk, Khadeejah hint Khuwaylid, Fgtirnah hint Muhammad and Asiyah the wife of ~haraoh."~'~ This states that Khadeejah (I&,) is the best of the women of this Ummah. Moreover, the wording of the reports about the superiority of Ficimah, in which the Prophet (g) -, said: "0 Ficimah, does it not please you to be the leader of the believing women or the leader of the women of this ~ m m a h ? " ~ ' ~ - or, according to another version: "the leader of the women of the people of paradise"358 -is a clear statement in which there is no ambiguity, and it cannot be interpreted in any other way. It is the statement that she is the best of the women of this Ummah and the leader of the women of the people of paradise. Fitimah shared with her mother in this superiority, for she and her mother are the best of the women of the people of paradise, and she and her mother are the best of the women of this Ummah.

This is what the texts say.359 With regard to what is narrated about the superiority of 'kishah (I$&) in the hadith, "The superiority of 'A'ishah over other women is like the superiority of thareed over all other kinds of food," this wording does not imply absolute superiority. Ibn Hajar 360 said: "This does not imply that 'A'ishah (!&) is superior to all others, because the virtue of thareed, in comp&son to other foods, is that it is easy to cook and easy to digest, and it was the best of their food at that time. None of these attributes necessarily implies superiority in every way. It may be inferior to other types of food in other ways."361 So the hadith indicates that 'kishah (&) is superior to all the women of this Ummah except Khadeejah and Fitimah, because of the evidence to that effect, which puts a limit on 'A'ishah's 'Ali ibn Abi Ta^lib With regard to the hadith of 'Amr ibn al-'AS, in which he asked the Prophet (g): "Who among women his dearest to you?", and he ( g ) said ' k i ~ h a h . ~ ~ ~ Ibn S b b k suggested that this was a question that was about his wives only, and he wrote this heading in his sahih: "Quoting a report and misinterpretation of one who does not have proper understanding of the science of hadith." Under this heading, he quoted the hadith of 'Amr as follows: "I said: '0 Messenger of Allah, who among the people is dearest to you?' He said: "kishah.' I said: 'I do not mean women; rather I mean men.' He said: 'Abu Bakr' or 'her father."' Then Ibn Hibbk said: "I am going to quote the report indicating that the question was about his wives and not about women in general, such as F2timah and others." He narrated, with his chain of narration from Anas, that the latter said: "The Messenger of Allah ( g ) was asked: 'Who is the dearest of people to you? He said: "kishah.' It was said to him: 'We are not asking about your family.' He said: 'Her father.'364 Thus it is clear that 'kishah (I&) comes after Khadeejah and F2timah in virtue, so all the reports ihat indicate her superiority in general are to he understood in light of the reports about Khadeejah and Fgtimah, which limit that superiority. No doubt 'kishah (&) had many virtues, such as her howledge, which were exclusively hers and which she did not share with Khadeejah and F%timah, but the fact that a virtue is proven does not necessarily mean that she was superior in every aspect."365 Whatever the case, the superiority of one of them over another does not undermine the lesser one; rather this is the greatest evidence of the high status of these three women, Filmah, Khadeejah and 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them), as the difference of opinion is not about the fact that these women are the best of the women of this Ummah.

What harm does it do to the Mother of the Believers 'kishah if she is the third of the women of this Ummah in The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration virtue? Is this a call to respect and honour her, or to undermine and slander her, as the Rsfidi Shia do?366 +:* Did 'kishah, the Mother of the Believers (a), .. regard it as permissible to fight the Muslims at the Battle of the Camel? We have seen above that she did not set out to do that, and she did not want to fight. Az-Zuhri narrated that she said after the Battle of the Camel: "I wanted my status to prevent people from fighting, and I did not think that there would be any fighting among the people. If I had known that, I would never have adopted this stance."367 The view that 'A'ishah (%) regarded fighting the Muslims as permissible is false and cannot stand up to the sound reports showing that 'A'ishah (@J) only went out in order to set things straight, as we have seen. 6 fact, this opinion stems from the reports which were fahricated by the R%i@ Shia, which distorted the history of early Islam and described what took place between 'Ali and Tabah, az-Zubayr and 'pishah as civil war. Some researchers were influenced by these reports to the extent that one of them said that 'kishah was taken prisoner, and they present the issue as a civil was that was previously planned for.

This is a view which is to be expected from researchers who took their information concerning this matter only from fabricated reports and sources that cannot he trusted, including the books al-lmcimah was-S jdsah, al-Aghini, Murooj adh-Dhahab and Tareekh al-Ya 'qoobi, and even Tareekh alTamaddun al-lslami by Georgy ~ a ~ d i n . ~ ~ ' 0:. Can this hadith be true: "You will fight 'Ali, and you will be in the wrong"? It is not to be found in any of the reliable books of knowledge, and it has no known chain of narrators; it is more likely to be found among the fabricated hadiths than among the sound ones. In fact, it is 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib a blatant lie because 'A'ishah did not fight, and she did not go out to fight; she went out with the aim of setting things straight among the people. She did not fight, and she did not enjoin fighting. This is what has been stated by more than one of those who have knowledge of reports.369 .:* Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) wanted to send '2ishah (@) back home honoured and respected Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) prepared everything that ' ~ i s h a h needed of mounts, provisions and so on, and he sent with her those who had survived of the people who had come out with her, except for those who wanted to stay.

He chose forty well-known women of Basra to accompany her, and he said: "Get ready, 0 Muhammad (ibn al-Hanafiyyah) to ttake her there." On the day of her departure, 'Ali (&) came and stood. The people came, and she came out to the people; they bade farewell to her, and she bade farewell to them. She said: "0 my sons, we got angry with one another because some of us thought that action should he taken more quickly. None of you should use recent events as a reason for transgressing against others. By Allah, there was nothing between me and 'Ali in the past except what there may be between a woman and her in-laws. For me, despite this misunderstanding, he is one of the best." 'Ali (&) said: "0 people, she has spoken the tmth, and by Allah, she has been sincere.

There is nothing between me and her except that (meaning that which there may be between a woman and her in-laws). She is the wife of your Prophet (8) in this world and the hereafter." She departed on a Saturday at the beginning of the month of Rajah in 36 AH. 'Ali (&) walked with her for many miles, and he sent his sons to walk with her for a day.370 By this noble treatment on the part of Amir almineen en 'Ali (&), we see that he was following the advice of the Prophet of this Ummah (g) when he had said to him: 'There is going to be some issue between you and 11 0 The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration 'A'ishah." 'Ali (&) had asked: "Me, 0 Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Yes." 'Ali said: "Me?" He said: "Yes." 'Ali said: "Then I must he the most doomed of all, 0 Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (B) said: "No, but if that happens, send her hack to her safe place."371 Those people were mistaken who said that 'kishah went out on a campaign to Basra because she had a grndge aga&st 'Ali (&) due to his stance towards her when the hypocrites accused her of immorality during the incident of the slander. At that time, the Prophet a) had consulted him with regard to leaving her, and 'Ali (4) had said: "0 Messenger of Allah, Allah has not made things restricted for you, and there are many women other than her. If you ask the slave woman, she will tell you the truth."372 'Ali (&) said these words to show more care to the Prophet (B), because he saw the wonies and distress that he was suffering due to what was being said. 'Ali (&) was a man of strong protective jealousy, so he thought that if the Prophet (g) separated from 'kishah (&), the anxiety that he was feeling because of her would be eased n k l her innocence was established, at which time he could take her back. his may have been a case of choosing the lesser of two evils so as to ward off the greater.373 Al-Nawawi said: " 'Ali thought that this was in the Prophet's best interests, because he saw how distressed he was.

He tried to offer ,,374 ' the best advice, as he wanted to put his mind at rest. ALi (&) did not say anything bad about 'kishah (a) that would give the slightest indication that he doubted her morals. Even though he said to the Prophet (g): -, "Allah has not made things restricted for he followed that by advising him: "If you ask the slave woman, she will tell you the truth."376 He recommended that he investigate before separating from her; in other words, he retracted his first advice to separate from her and suggested that instead of that, 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib I 1 1 he could ask the slave woman and find out the The Messenger of Allah (g) asked the slave woman, who was very close to 'pishah, and she confirmed that she did not know anything but good about her (I&$. On the same day, the Messenger of Allah went out to the people to ask for support against Abdullah ibn Ubayy, saying: "0 Muslims, who will support me against a man who has offended me with regard to my family? By Allah, I know nothing but good about my family."378 Therefore 'Ali's advice was in 'pishah's best interest, as the Prophet (g) became more convinced of what he already believed about his wife's innocence.379 'Ali's attitude concerning the slander incident was not something that made 'pishah (I$,+) angry with him or made her cany a grudge that led her to falsely accuse him of murdering 'Uthmh (&) and go out inciting huge numbers of Muslims against him, as claimed by many researchers who based their claims on the reports fabricated by the R%& Shia. *:* Their regret for what they had done Ibn Taymiyah said: "That was the case for all the Companions who got involved; they regretted the fighting in which they had engaged. Tabah, az-Zubayr, 'Ali and others all regretted it.

On the day of the Camel, none of them intended to fight, but fighting broke out against their wishes."380 (a) It was narrated that when 'Ali (&) looked and saw that men had drawn their swords and started to fight, he said: "Would that I had died twenty years before this."381 @) Na'eem ibn Hamm2d narrated, with his chain of narration going back to al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, that he said to Sulaymh ibn Sard: "I saw 'Ali, when the fighting grew intense, staying close to me and saying: '0 Hasan, would that I had died twenty years before this."'382 The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration (c) It was narrated that al-Hasan ibn 'Ali said: "Amir alMu'mineen 'Ali wanted one thing, hut matters spun out of control, and he could not do anything about it."383 (d) It was narrated from Sulaymh ibn Sad, from al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, that he heard 'Ali say, when he saw the swords that the people were wielding: "0 Hasan, would that I had died twenty or forty years before this."384 (e) With regard to 'A'ishah, it was narrated that she used to say, when remembering the Battle of the Camel: "Would that I had stayed away like my co-wives. It would have been dearer to me to give birth to many children from the Messenger of Allah (g), all of them like 'Abdur-R&mh ihn al-Hikith ihn ~ i s G m or Abdullah ibn a z - ~ u b a ~ r . " ~ ~ (f) When she recited the verse in which Allah (&) says, 4And stay in your houses,# (Quran 33: 33) she would weep until her headcover became (g) 'kishah 1%) said: "Would that I had had twenty children from the ~essenger of Allah (g%), all of them like 'AbdurR&%u ibn al-Hikith ibn Hishh, and I had been bereft of them, and that I did not do what I did on the day of the (h) Ibn Taymiyah said: " '.&'ishah did not fight, and she did not go out to fight; she went out with the aim of settings things straight among the Muslims. She thought that her going out was in the Muslims' best interests, then later on it became clear that not going out would have been better. When she remembered going out, she would weep until her headcover became wet. This is how the majority of the earliest Muslims were; they regretted the fighting in which they had become involved.

Talhah, az-Zubayr, 'Ali and 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib others regretted it. On the day of the Camel, the people had no intention of fighting, but fighting broke out against their (i) Adh-Dhahabi said: "No doubt 'kishah completely regretted going out to Basra and being present on the day of the Camel, and she did not think that the matter would reach the point it did."389 1.8. The life and martyrdom of az-Zubayr ibn al-'AwwSm (4) His full name was Abu Abdullah az-Zubayr ibn Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn 'AbdulL'Uzza ibn Qusayy ibn Kilib a1-Qurashi al- ~ s a d i . ~ ~ ' He shared a common ancestor with the Prophet (g) in Qusayy, and he was the disciple of the Messenger of Allah (g) and the son of his paternal aunt. His mother was Safiyyah bint '~bdulMuttalib. . . He was one of the ten whom the Prophet (g) testified would be in paradise and one of the members of the consultative committee.391 He became M u s h when he was a young man, at the age of sixteen,392 and he was tortured because of that. It was narrated that ai-Zubayr's paternal uncle used to roll him up in a mat and hang it up, then he would light a fire underneath so that the smoke would reach him.

His uncle would tell him to go back to disbelief, but azZubayr would say: "I will never go back to disbelief."393 He never missed any campaign that was led by the Messenger of Allah ($g).394 1.8.1. The first one to unsheathe his sword for the sake of Allah (&) It was narrated that Sa'eed ibn al-Mnsayyab said: "The first one to unsheathe his sword for the sake of Allah was ai-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwh. While a*-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwgm was taking a nap, he The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration heard someone shouting that the Messenger of Allah (g) had been killed, so he came out of his house unsheathing and brandishing his sword. He was met head-on by the Messenger of Allah (g), who said: 'What is the matter, 0 Zuhayr?' He said: 'I heard that you had been killed.' The Prophet (g) said: 'What were you going to do?' He said: 'By AUah, I was going to take revenge on all the people of Makkah.' The Prophet (g) prayed for good for him." Sa'eed said: "I am certain that the Prophet's prayer for him will not he overlooked by (@)."395 1.8.2. His migration to Abyssinia When the persecution of the Messenger of Allah (gJ and his Companions by Quraysh grew intense, he suggested to them that they should migrate to Abyssinia, where they could live under the care of the Negus, the just king. They stayed with him in the best land and under the best care, and they remained there safe and secure until an Abyssinian man came to fight the Negus for his kingdom.

The Muslims grieved deeply; they were afraid that this new man would prevail and would not recognise the virtue and status of the pure Companions (may Allah he pleased with them). The Companions wanted to find out about the conflict that was taking place between the Negus and that man on the other side of the ~ i l e . ~ ~ ~ Umm Salamah (e) said: "The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (g) said: 'Who~will go out to see the battle and bring hack news?' AzZubayr ibn al-'Awwh said, 'I will.' They said, 'You?', because he was the youngest of the peopie. They inflated a waterskin for him, and he put it under his chest; then he swam across until he reached that point of the Nile where the people had met (in battle). He continued until he reached them. Meanwhile we prayed to Allah (g) to give the Negus victory over his enemy and to establish him in his own country. By Allah, we were doing that, waiting for what might happen, when az-Zubayr came running, waving his garment and 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib 11 5 saying: 'Be of good cheer.

The Negus has prevailed, and Allah has destroyed his enemies and established him in his land."'397 After azZubayr returned from Abyssinia to Makkah, he stayed under the care of the Beloved Messenger of AUah (g), learning from him the principles, commands and prohibitions of Islam. When the Messenger of Allah migrated to Madinah, az-Zubayr was among those who migrated there. 1.8.3. At the Battle of Badr Az-Znbayr (4) was a courageous horseman and fearless hero. He did not stay behind from any militaq campaign; he was present on every campaign and at every battle. He possessed extraordinary courage, rare heroism, utter sincerity and devotion to making the word of truth reign supreme.398 Az-Zubayr (&) sacrificed a great deal for the sake of Allah (.%) and dedicated his life and his wealth to AUah (&), so Allah (%) honoured him and raised his status in this world and in the hereafter. It was narrated that 'Urwah said: "On the day of Badr, az-Zubayr was wearing a yellow turban, and Jibreel came down in the form of a z - ~ u b a ~ r .

" ~ ~ ~ What a great virtne, which cannot be rivalled by all the adornments of this world. It was narrated that az-Zubayr said: "On the day of Badr, I met 'Ubaydah ibn Sa'eed ibn d-'As, who was so heavily armed that nothing could be seen except his eyes. He was known by the kunyah Abn Dh2t d-Kursh. He said: 'I am Abu Dhgt d-Knrsh.' I charged at him and stabbed him in the eye. I put my foot on him, then I pulled my spear out, and I had to use great force in order to pull it out, because both ends were bent. The Messenger of AUah (&) asked for the spear, and I gave it to him." When the Messenger of Allah (g) died, az-Zubayr took the spear back; then Abn Bakr (&) asked for it, and he gave it to him.

When Abu Balcr died, 'Umar (&) asked for The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration it, and he gave it to him. When 'Uthmh (&) was killed, it remained with the family of 'Ali, (&) then ~bdullah ibn az-Zubayr asked for it, and it was with him when he was killed.400 This report shows us the precision of az-Zubayr in hitting the target. He was able to aim his spear at the eye of Abu Dhit al-Kursh, even though that space was very narrow and his attention was divided between attacking and defending himself. Killing that man was very unlikely because he had protected his body with so much armour, but az-Zubayr managed to hit him in the eye, and that was the end of him. The wound was very deep, which is indicative of azZubayr's physical strength, in addition to his precision and skill in hitting the target.401 On the day of Badr, there were two knights with the Messenger of Allah (g): az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwh on the cavalry of the right flank and al-Miqdid ibn al-Aswad on the cavalry of the left.40z 1.8.4. At the battle of Uhud Az-Zubayr (&) said: "On the day of mud, the Prophet (g) mentioned both of his parents to me." (In other words, he said: 'May my father and mother be sacrificed for yo~').403 This indicates that he was skilful in fighting and strong during that battle.

He (&) displayed great steadfastness, resolve and love of martyrdom for the sake of Allah (&). He described for us what Abu Dujkah al-An& did during that battle. When the two armies met and the fighting grew intense, the Messenger of Allah (&) began to encourage his Companions and boost their morale. He picked up a sword and said: "Who will take this from me?" They stretched out their hands, each man among them, including az-Zubayr, saying, "Me!" He said: 'Who will take it and give it its due?' The people withdrew their hands, but Sim& ibn Kharashah Abu Dujhah said: "What is its due, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "That you should strike the enemy 'Ali ibn Abi Triib 11 7 with it until is bent." He said: "1 will take it and give it its due." He gave it to him, and he was a courageous man who walked with pride in battle. When the Messenger of Allah (gJ saw him walking with pride among the ranks, he said: "This is a way of walking that Allah hates except in this situation."404 Az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwim described what Abu Dujhah did on the day of Uhud, saying: "I felt upset when I asked the Messenger of Allah (&) for the sword and he withheld it from me, giving it to Abu Dujhah and not me. I decided that, by Allah, I would watch what Abu Dujhah did.

I followed him, and he took out a red headband of his and wrapped it around his head. The An@ said: 'Abu Dujhah has taken out the headband of death (meaning that he wants to fight to the death).' He killed every person that he engaged in combat. Among the polytheists, there was a man who would not leave any wounded person without finishing him off. The two of them began to draw close to one another, and I prayed to Allah (&) to bring them together. They met, and each dealt a blow to the other. The polytheist struck Abu Dujbah, who protected himself with his shield; the polytheist's sword got stuck in the shield, and Ahu Dujinah struck him and killed him.

Then I saw him holding his sword over the head of Hind bint 'Utbah, hut he moved his sword away from her, and I said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best."'405 Ibn Ishiq said: "Abu Duj2nah said: 'I saw someone urging the people on, so I charged at him and wielded my sword at him, and he screamed. Then I realised that it was a woman, and I respected the sword of the Messenger of Allah too much to strike a woman with it.m,406 It was narrated from Hishh, from his father, that 'A'ishah said: "0 son of my sister, your forefathers - meaning az-Zubayr and Abu Bakr - were among dThose who answered [the Call ofl Allah and the Messenger [Muhammad] after being wounded) (Quran 3: 172)." The Banles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration When the polytheists left mud, and there befell the Prophet (g) and his Companions what befell them, the Prophet (?&) was worried lest the polytheists come hack. He said: "Who will go out and follow the tracks of these people, so that they may know that we still have power?" Ahu Bakr, az-Zuhayr and seventy others volunteered. They went out and followed the tracks of the polytheists, who left when they heard about them. Allah (&) said: (So they returned with grace and bounty from Allah. No harm touched them,) (Quran 3: 174) and they did not meet any enemy.407 When Hamzah ihn 'Abdul-Muualih (&) was martyred at mud, Umm az-Zuhayr Safiyyah bint 'Ahdul-Muctalib came to look at her brother.

He had been nlutilated by the polytheists; they had cut off his nose, opened his belly and cut off his ears and genitals. The Messenger of Allah (gg) said to her son az-Zubayr ihn al-'Awwim: "Go and find her, and send her hack, lest she see what has happened to her brother." Az-Znhayr said to her: "0 my mother, the Messenger of Allah (@) is telling you to go hack." She said: "Why? We have heard that my brother has been mutilated, hut that was for the sake of Allah, so we are content with what has happened, and we will seek reward and be patient inshallah." When az-Zuhayr (&) came to the Messenger of Allah (g) and told him that, he said: "Let her go." So she went and looked at Hamzah. She offered the funeral prayer for him and said, "Verily to Allah we belong, and to Him is our return." She also prayed for forgiveness for him.4os According to another report from 'Urwah, he said: "My father az-Zubayr told me that when the battle of m u d took place, a woman came walking. When she was about to reach the place where the slain were, the Prophet (g) did not want her to see them, so he said 'The woman, the woman!"' Az-Zubayr said: ''I thought she was my mother Safiyyah, so I went out and rushed towards her. I caught up with her before she reached the slain, hut she shoved me in the chest, 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib 11 9 and she was a strong woman.

She said, 'Get out of my way, may you perish!' I said: 'The Messenger of Allah (g) is insisting that you (should not see the dead).' She stopped and took out two pieces of cloth, saying: 'These are two pieces of cloth that I have brought for my brother Hamzah.' Beside him there was a man of the An$& who had been killed, and the same had been done to him as had been done to Hamzah. We did not think it was right to shroud Hamzah in two pieces of cloth when the An$% did not have any shroud, so we said: 'One cloth for Hamzah, and one for the An$%.' We measured them, and we found that one piece was larger than the other, so we cast lots between them, and we shrouded each one in the cloth that was picked for him."409 1.8.5. During the Battle of the Trench: "Each Prophet has a disciple, and my disciple is az-Zubayr" The Messenger of Allah (B) said on the day of the Trench: "Who will bring me news of Bann Qurayaah?" Az-Zubayr (&) said: "I will." So he went on a horse and brought news of them. The Prophet (g) said that a second time, and az-Zubayr said again: "I will." The same thing happened a third time, and the Prophet (g) said: "Each Prophet has a disciple, and my disciple is a z - ~ u b a y r . " ~ ~ ~ What is meant by his words "my disciple is az-Zubayr" is "the closest to me of my companions and supporters". The same Arabic word (haw2ri) is used to refer to the disciples or companions of 'Eesa (s), those who were his inner circle and supporters.

The helper or disciple is one who offers support and is a close companion. This hadith refers to this great virtue by which az-Zubayr (&) was distinguished. Hence when Abdullah ibn 'Umar (&) heard a man saying: "I am the son of the disciple," he said: "If you are one of the sons of az-Zubayr, that is correct; otherwise it is not."411 The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration In 'Umdat al-Qirifi Sharh sahih al-Bukhiri by al-'Ayni, it says: "Jf you say: all of the Companions are supporters of the Messenger of Allah ( g ) and close to him, so why is az-Zubayr singled out for this title?, we would say: He said this on the day of the Trench, when the Prophet (g) asked: 'Who will bring me news of the people?' and az-Zubayr said, 'I will.' That happened three times, and undoubtedly on that occasion he offered more support than anyone else."412 On the day of the Trench, the Messenger of Allah ( g ) said to him: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you." It was narrated that Ahdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: "On the day of the Trench, 'Umar ibn Abi Salamah and I were put in charge of the women. I looked and saw az-Zubayr on his horse, going through the area of Banu Quraydhah - two or three times. When I went back, I said: '0 my father, I saw you going a few times.' He sad: 'Did you see me, 0 my son? I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (@) said: "Who will go to Banu Qurayeah and bring me news of them?", so I went out, and when I came back, the Messenger of Allah (g) mentioned me and his parents in the same sentence, saying: "May my father and mother he sacrificed for yon.""'413 This hadith clearly indicates the virtue of az-Znbayr (&), because the words spoken by the Messenger of Allah (s), in which he expressed his appreciation for his actions and the high esteem in which he held him, are only said to a person whom one respects and for whom one would sacrifice oneself or the dearest of one's family.414 At the Battle of the Trench, az-Znhayr earned an immortal badge of honour which will last until the end of time: "Each prophet had a disciple, and my disciple is a z - ~ u h a ~ r .

" ~ ~ ~ The Prophet (g) described azZuhayr as a disciple, which has a profound and farreaching meaning. The one who studies this meaning will understand all the ramifications of this word disciple (hawriri), and its secrets and 'Ali ibn Abi TElib depths. Those who are in greatest need of paying such attention to these meanings are the scholars, the callers to Islam and the educators. Islamic dawah requires the preparation of helpers and disciples who will present a living example, because a practical example is more powerful and effective in spreading principles and ideas. It is an embodiment and practical implementation of those ideas that can easily be seen and followed, because true disciples follow the Sunnah of the Messenger (g) and obey his commands."" As it says in the hadith: "There is no prophet whom Allah sent to any nation before me who didn't have from among his nation helpers and companions who followed his way and obeyed his commands.""' It is the nature of things that the dawah win go through trials and tribulations and be tested by means of both friends and enemies. The Messenger (g) was keen to guide the Muslims with regard to these variables and developments, so he said: 'Then there will come after them generations who say what they do not do and do what they do not What is the mission of the disciple?

Setting a good example of applied faith, sincerity and sacrifice are among the most prominent attributes of the disciples; thus they are a true example of the heirs of the Prophets. They strive to spread the truth and goodness, to guide the Ummah and to lead it out of its backwardness. They sacrifice everything precious for the sake of Allah, in order to bring back the vitality and radiance of Islam at a time when those with little ambition do not care about anything but their personal interests419 Az-Zubayr ibn al-'Aww%m (&) is a brilliant example of the embodiment of these principles. He grew up in the lap of dawah, under the care of the Prophet (g), and received a proper education that enabled him to carry its burdens from an early age. Az-Zubayr's attitude at the Battle of the Trench shows us his character and his upbringing in the qualities of courage, support and love of the The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration Messenger s). History shows us that he was a man of difficult missions, imbued with qualities of courage and bravery, so he was given the mission of finding out enemy secrets.

What happened to azZubayr indicates that it is prescribed to divide tasks and categorize the people of dawah according to their sincerity, spirit of sacrifice, talents and Az-Zubayr (4) took part in all the campaigns of the Messenger (g) and carried out honourable exploits. At the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them), he was one of the pillars of the state during the major conquests. 1.8.6. At the Battle of Yarmook It was narrated from 'Urwah that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (g) said to ai-Zubayr (&) on the day of Yarmook: "Why don't you charge, and we will charge with you?' He said: "If1 charge, you will let me down." They said: "We will not do that." So he charged at the enemy, penetrating their ranks and passing through them, but there was no one with him. He came hack, and they took hold of his reins and struck him twice on his shoulder, and one of them struck a wound that he had received on the day of Badr. 'Unvah said: "I used to put my fingers in those scars when I was small, playing with them." 'Urwah also said: "AbduUah ihn aiZubayr was with him that day, and he was ten yean old. He put him on a horse and entrusted him to a man to look after him."42' AdhDhahabi said in asSiyar, commenting: "This battle was alYamhah, inshallah, because at that time Abdullah was ten years old."422 Ibn Katheer said that the battle was Yarmook, hut there is no reason why it could not have happened on both occasions.

Ibn Katheer said: "Among those who were present at Yannook was az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwh, who was the best of the Companions there; he was a brave and courageous knight. A number of heroes 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib rallied around him on that day and said: 'Why don't you attack, and we will attack with you?' He said: 'You will not be steadfast.' They said: 'Yes, we will.' So he attacked, and they attacked, but they stopped when they were met by the Byzantine ranks. He went ahead and penetrated the Byzantine ranks until he came out the other side and returned to his companions. Then they came to him again, and the same happened as had happened the first time. On that day, he received two wounds between his shoulders, and according to another report, he was injured."423 Ibn Katheer said on another occasion: "He went out with the people to Syria as a fighter of jihad; he was present at Yarmook, and they were honoured by his presence. He performed brilliant acts of courage on that day, penetrating the Byzantine ranks twice from front to back."424 1.8.7.

The conquest of Egypt When 'Amr ibn al-'As went to conquer Egypt, he did not have sufficient forces, so he wrote to 'Umar ibn al-Kha@b (4) asking for support and reinforcements. 'Umar was worried about the small number of 'Amr's forces, so he sent az-Zubayr ibn al-'Aww2m with twelve thousand men. It was also said that 'Umar sent f o u thousand, led by the great Companions az-Zubayr, al-Miqd2d ibn al-Aswad, 'Ubidah ibn as-Shit and Maslamah ibn Makhlad. (Other narrators said that Khsjah ibn Hudh2fah was the fourth.) He wrote to 'Amr: "I have sent to you four thousand men, each thousand of whom is led by a man who is equal to a thousand." Az-Zubayr was the leader of those men.425 When az-Zubayr reached 'Amr, he found him besieging the fortress of Babylon. Az-Zuhayr quickly mounted his horse and went around the trench surrounding the fottress, then he spread his men out around the trench. The siege lasted for seven months, then azZubayr was told that there was a plague inside it.

He said: "We have The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration come to stab and plague them."426 Conquest was slow for 'Amr ibn al-'.&, so az-Zubayr said: "I will offer myself for the sake of Allah, hoping that Allah may grant victory thereby to the Muslims." He set up a ladder against the wall of the fortress, on the side of the marketplace of al-Hank, then he climbed up. He told them that when they heard his takbeer, they should all respond. It was not long before az-Zubayr was at the top of the fortress, shouting takbeer and wielding his sword. The people began to climb up the ladder until ' A m told them not to, for fear that the ladder might break. When the Byzantines saw that the Arabs had captured the fortress, they withdrew. The fortress of Babylon opened its gates to the Muslims, thus ending a decisive battle in the conquest of Egypt.

The rare courage of az-Zubayr was the direct cause of the Muslims' victov over ~ u q a w ~ i s . ~ ~ " 1.8.8. The protective jealousy of az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwgrn (4) It was narrated that Asma' hint Abi Bakr as-Siddeeq (%) said: "When I got married to az-Zubayr, he owned nothing in this world apart from a camel for carrying water and a horse. I used to feed his horse, bring water, prepare his saddle and make dough, but I was not good at b ~ g . Some women of the An& who were my neighbours used to bake my bread for me, and they were good women. I used to bring the dates from some land which the Messenger of Allah (@J had given to az-Zubayr, carrying them on my head. The land was two-thirds of a farsakh (approximately three miles) away.

One day, I was corning with the dates on my head, and I met the Messenger of Allah (@) - , with a group of the An&. He called me and made his camel kneel down so that I could ride behind him. But I felt too shy to go with the men, and I remembered az-Zubayr and how jealous he was, for he was the most jealous of men. The Messenger of Allah (g) realised that I felt too shy, so he went on his way. I came to azXli ibn Abi Tcilib Zubayr and told him, 'I met the Messenger of Allah (&) while I was cawing the dates on my head, and there was a group of his companions with him. He made his camel kneel down so that I could ride on it, but I felt too shy, because I remembered yourjealousy.' He said, 'By Allah, your having to carry the dates is harder for me than your riding with him.' Later on, Abu Bakr sent a servant who took care of the horse, and it was as if I had been set free from slavery."4z8 1.8.9.

Az-Zubayr named his sons after martyred Companions Due to of az-Zubayr's deep love of martyrdom, he named his sons after martyred Companions. H i s h h ibn 'Uwah narrated that his father said: "Az-Zubayr said: Talhah named his sons after Prophets when he learned that there would be no Prophet after Muhammad (e,), But I named my children after martyrs, in the hope that they will attain martyrdom: Abdullah after Abdullah ibn J&sh, al-Mundhir after d-Mundhir ibn 'Amr, 'Urwah after 'Urwah ibn Mas'ood, Hamzah after Hamzah, Ja'far after Ja'far ibn Abi Muscab after Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, 'Ubaydah after 'Ubaydah ibn alHzth, Khzlid after Kh%d ibn Sa'eed and 'Amr after 'Amr ibn Sa'eed ibn d-'AS, who was killed at ann nook."^^^ 1.8.10. Az-Zubayr concealing acts of worship Az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwh (&) said: "If anyone can conceal any of these righte~us deeds, let him do so."430 1.8.11. Poetry of Hass2n ibn Thsbit in praise of az-Zubayr Az-Zubayr passed by a gathering of the Companions of the Mes ,enger of Allah (e) where Hassh was reciting his poetry to thern, but they were not listening attentively to him. Az-Zubayr sat The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration down with them, then he said: "Why do I see you not listening attentively to the poetry of Ibn al-Furay'ah? The Messenger of Allah (@) used to listen attentively to him, reward him generously and not get distracted from him." Then Hassiin spoke in verse, praising azZubayr in many lines in which he described his great commitment to Islam, his adherence to the way of the Messenger of Allah (eJ and his sacrifice and service for ~ s l a r n . ~ ~ ~ 1.8.12.

Generosity of az-Zubayr ibn alL'Aww5m It was narrated that 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said: "Seven of the Companions appointed az-Zubayr to be the guardian of their children after they died, including 'Uthmiin, Ibn Mas'ood and 'AbdnrR&mi?n. He would spend on the heirs from his own wealth and protect their wealth."432 This is an excellent example of generosity and sincerity that embodies noble ideals that will have a strong impression on the heart of every man of dignity. A person may show generosity time after time and then tire of it, but for this generous man to be in charge of spending on the heirs of many of the Companions and protecting their wealth is a unique example in real life and an indication of the sublime attitude that the Companions attained, may Allah be pleased with them.433 1.8.13. The time has come to depart ... and the Prophet's testimony of entering paradise Az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwh (&) left the Battle of the Camel during the first round, for reasons that we have explained above. When he left the battlefield, he was repeating these lines of poetry: Giving up on things that I fear may have bad consequences, for the sake of Allah, is better in both worldly and religious terms. 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib It was also said that he spoke the following lines of verse: I know, and I hope that I will benefit from what I know, that life is very close to death.434 After he left, he was followed by 'Amr ibn Jurmooz, FadGIah ibn Hgbis and Nafee', along with a group of the evildoers of Banu Tameem.

It was said that when they caught up with him, they ganged up on him and killed him; it was also said that the one who caught up with him was 'Amr ibn Jurmooz. ' A m said to him: "I need something from you." He said: "Come closer." The freed slave of azZubayr, whose name was 'Aytah said: "He has a weapon!" He said: "Even so." So he came to him and started talking to him, and it was time for prayer, so az-Zubayr said to him: "Let's pray." He said: "Let's pray." Az-Zubayr (+$) went fornard to lead them both in prayer, and 'Am ibn Jurmooz stabbed him and killed him. It was also said that 'Amr caught up with him while he was taking a nap in a valley that was known as Wadi as-Sibi', and he attacked and killed him there. This is the most well-known version, and the poetry of his wife '&&ah hint Zayd ibn 'Amribn Nufayl testifies to that. She was the last of his wives; before him, she was married to 'Umar ibn alKhaggb, who left her a widow when he was killed. Before 'Umar, she was married to Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddeeq, who was also killed and left her a widow.

When ai-Zubayr was killed, she eulogised him in beautiful verse.435 When 'Am ibn Jurmooz killed ai-Zubayr (&), he cut off his head and brought it to 'Ali (&), thinking that this would bring him closer to him. He asked for permission to enter, and 'Ali (&) said: "Give the killer of Safiyyah's son (meaning az-Zubayr) the tidings of heU." Then 'Ali said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (g) say: 'Each prophet had a disciple, and my disciple is a z - ~ u b a ~ r . " ' ~ ~ ~ When 'Ali (&) saw the sword of az-Znbayr, he said: "How often this sword defended the Messenger of Allah (g) and brought cheer The Banles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration to him."437 According to another report, Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (4) refused to let Ibn Jurmooz enter upon him, and he said: "Give the killer of Safiyyah's son the tidings of It was said that 'Amr ibn Jurmooz killed himself during 'Ali's reign; it was also said that he lived until Muscab ibn az-Znbayr became governor of Iraq. He hid from him, and it was said to Mus'ab: "'Amr ibn Jurmooz is here and is in hiding. Do you want to capture him?" He said: "Let him show himself, for he is safe. By Allah, I am not going to kill him in retaliation for az-Zubayr, because he is too insignificant for me to make him equal to a z - ~ u b a ~ r .

" ~ ~ ~ The Prophet (g) -, foretold that az-Zubayr would die as a martyr. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (g) was once atop Mount U?~ud when the mountain shook. The Messenger of Allah (g) said: "Be still, for there is no one on you but a Prophet, a Siddeeq and a martyr." On top of the mountain were the Prophet @), Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmk, 'Ali, Talhah and azZubayr (may Allah be pleased with them).440 ~ n - ~ a w a w i said: '"This hadith represents one of the miracles of the Messenger of AUah (gs), for he foretold that these people would be martyrs, and all of them, except the I'rophet (g) and Abu Bakr, died as martyrs. 'Umar, 'Uthmin, 'Ali, Tabah and az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them) were all killed unlawfully and died as martyrs. The deaths of the first three are well known. Az-Zubayr was killed in Wadi asSib?, near Basra, as he was leaving the battlefield, not wanting to fight.

Talhah also withdrew from the battle because he did not want to fight, but an arrow shuck him and killed him. It is proven that whoever is killed unlawfully is a martyr."441 Ash-Sha'bi said: "I met five hundred or more of the Companions who said: "Ali, 'Uthmih, Talhah and az-Zubayr are in paradise."' Adh-Dhahabi said: "I say: Because they are among the ten about whom it was testified that they would be in paradise; they were present at Badr, they were among the people who swore allegiance in the Pledge.of Radwh; and they were 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib among the foremost to embrace slam,^' of whom Allah said that He is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. All four were killed and were granted martyrdom, so we love them and we hate the four who killed these four."443 1.8.14. Az-Zubayr's eagerness that his debts should be paid off when he died It was narrated that Abdullah ibn ai-Zubayr said: "On the day of the Camel, az-Zubayr left instrnctions that I was to pay off his debts. He said: 'If you have any difficulty in doing so, then seek help from my Master.' By Allah, I did not understand what he meant until I said: '0 my father, who is your Master?' He said: 'AUah is my Master; I never had any difficulty paying a debt but I would say, "0 Master of az-Zubayr, pay it off on his behalf," and He paid it off.' The debt that he owed was that a man would come to him and give him some wealth as a trust, but ai-Zubayr would say: 'No; rather it is a loan, for I fear that it may be lost.' When he was killed, he did not leave behind any dinars or dirhams, but he had a piece of land. I sold it and paid off his debts.

The sons of az-Zubayr said: 'Share out our inheritance.' I said: 'By Allah, I will not share it out among you until I announce for four years during the hajj season: If anyone has a debt owed by az-Zubayr, let him come to us so that we may pay it off."' He made this announcement eveq year during the hajj season, then when four years had passed, he shared it out among them. Az-Zubayr had four wives, and each wife got 1,200,000. The total sum of his wealth was 50,200,000.~ The repott of Bukhari is to be understood as refemng to the total of his wealth at the time of his death, which is different from the surplus that was left four years later.445 There was a great deal of blessing in his estate,446 and Allah (@) blessed his land after he died; his debt was paid off, and his wealth increased a great deal. From this story we learn a number of lessons: The Battles of the Camel and Sifleen, and the issue of arbitration (a) Az-Zubayr said to his son: "0 my son, if you have any difficulty in doing so (paying off the debts), then seek help from my Master." This is an example of his deeply-rooted certainty and strong faith that resulted from sincere bust in Allah (&) and turning to Him to meet his needs and relieve his distress. The true believer firmly believes that everything is in the hands of Allah (&). If he finds himself in hardship and distress, the first thing that crosses his mind is Allah (g) and how He dominates and controls everything.

Those created beings who may have some connection to his situation are also in the hands of Allah (s); their hearts are in His hand, and He directs them as He wills. So the believer turns to Allah (&) before anyone else and asks Him (;gV;j) to meet his needs and relieve his distress. Then he follows the principle of cause and effect that Allah (B) has made a means of reaching the desired results, while believing that they are no more than means and that the One Who does and decrees things is Allah (s). He (&) is able to cause the means to have no impact, so that they do not lead to the usual results.447 (b) Was ai-Zubayr (&) a wealthy man? From the text above, we see that ai-Zubayr (&) was not one of the wealthy who were known for their wealth. Instead, he felt a sense of hardship and was concerned about the trusts and debts that he owed; he was afraid that his land and property would not be sufficient to pay off all that he owed.

This text also shows us that Abdullah ibn ai-Zubayr, like his father, was expecting that the debts would be more than the wealth and land. When his father asked him: "Do you think that what we owe will leave anything of our wealth?" Abdullah could not answer him. If he was expecting anything other than what his father was expecting, he would have given him an answer to put his mind at rest at this critical moment, to tell him that the matter was different from what he thought and was expecting; however, he went along with his father in his Xli ibn Abi Tilib expectations. When az-Zubayr suggested seeking help from his Master, Abdullah asked: "Who is your Master?', expecting him to mention some individual whom he could ask for help. No one can claim that AbduUah was not aware of his father's wealth or did not know about his property, because at that time Abdullah was thirty-five years old, and a man that old is a great help to his father and knows all about his situation and his wealth, especially if he is the oldest son. Az-Zubayr's question to his son: "Do you think that what we owe will leave anything of our wealth?", indicates that AbduUah was aware of his father's situation and finances.

Indeed, az-Zubayr stated that the matter of paying off the debts was not easy, as he said: "Allah is my Master; I never had any difficulty paying a debt but I would say, '0 Master of az-Zubayr, pay it off on his behalf,' and He paid it off."448 Another sign that az-Zubayr was not regarded as one of the rich and wealthy, and that what he expected with regard to the amount of his debts in comparison to his wealth was correct, is the fact that Hakeem ibn Hiziim (&), the paternal cousin of azZubayr, met Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr and said to him: "I do not think that you will be able to pay off all these debts. If you are unable to pay any of them, come to me for help."449 A fourth point is that Abdullah ibn Ja'far, who was owed four hundred thousand by az-Zubayr, came to Abdullah ibn azZubayr and said: "If you wish, I will leave it for you." Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said: "No." Abdullah ibn Ja'far said: "Then if yon wish, you may leave it and pay later than others."450 This is testimony that two of the senior Companions expected that the property of az-Znbayr would not be enough to pay off all the debts that he owed, and that they regarded him as one who needed help. Moreover, those two were close to az-Zubayr and The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration aware of his situation. One of them was Hakeem ibn @z%m, azZubayr's paternal cousin, the other was his maternal cousin, because the mother of az-Zubayr was Safiyyah hint 'AbdulMuttalib, .. the paternal aunt of the Messenger (g), and he used to deal with him, giving and taking, borrowing and entrusting. These four points constitute evidence about which there is no doubt that az-Zubayr (&) was not a wealthy man.451 There were many rumours about the wealth of az-Zuhayr (4) and how rich he was, and there was a great deal of talk about his slaves and horses. In some sources, it says that he had a thousand slaves and that the thousand slaves used to pay him land tax every day, but that none of this wealth entered his house because he used to give it all in The famous Orientalist Will Durant put the figure at ten thousand, saying: "Az-Znbayr owned ten thousand slaves, and he added one thousand horses."453 Of course, this smart Orientalist omitted the part that says that he gave the land tax of his slaves in charity.454 This report cannot stand up to the report of al-Bukhari, in which it says: "When az-Zubayr was killed, he did not leave behind any dinar or dirham, but there was some land which included al-Ghiibah, eleven houses in Madinah, two houses in Basra, a house in Kufah and a house in ~ ~ ~ ~ t .

" ~ ~ ~ The report is clear and states that he did not have anything except those properties, in the context of talking about the distress caused by debt and difficulties in seeking to pay it off. If there were a thousand slaves, they would have been mentioned and their value estimated; wasn't one slave worth at least two thousand dirhams?456 In that case, the value of the slaves alone would have covered almost the entire debt, and that is if we assume that there were only one thousand. If we go along with the wild exaggeration of Will Durant, which suggests that there 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib were ten thousand slaves, this would mean rejecting al-Bukhari's report completely, because ten thousand slaves and one thousand horses, even if their price was low, would have been enough to pay off his debts and drown his heirs in a sea of wealth. Az-Zubayr would not have needed to say to his son, "One of my greatest womes is my debt"; or to ask him, "Do you think that what we owe will leave anything of our wealth?"; or to instruct him, "If you have any difficulty in doing so (paying off the debts), then seek help from my aster."^^^ Discussing the biographies of az-Zubayr, Tabah, 'Amr ibn al- 'AS, Ahu Moosa al-Ash'ari and the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them all) is in harmony with the aim of this book, which is to present the life and times of Amir alMu'mineen 'Ali ihn Ahi Taib (&). These individuals are regarded as focal points in his life and times, and their biographies have been distorted in history books and literary works that speak of internal conflict and turmoil. It is essential to highlight their biographies, character and attitudes so that the reader will come away with correct knowledge and will not be influenced by weak reports or false stories that were fabricated by the RZdi Shia historians to distort the image of these noble characters.

Talking about the biography of az-Zubayr and other senior Companions who contributed to the events that took place during the lifetime of 'Ali (&)is in harmony with the author's aims and what he wants to convey in his study of the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. 1.9. Biography and martyrdom of Tabah ibn 'Ubaydullah (&) 'Ubaydullah's full name was Ahu Muhammad Talhah ibn Abdullah ibn 'Uthmk ibn 'Amr ibn Ka'b ibn Sa'd ibn Taym bin Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ihn Chilib al-Qurashi a t - ~ a ~ m i . ~ ~ ' He The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration shares a common ancestor with the Prophet 1%) in Murrah ibn Ka'b and with Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq in Taym ibn MUTT&; the number of ~. grandfathers they share is the same?59 His mother was as-Sa'bah bint al-Ha+ami, a woman from Yemen; she was the sister of al-'Ala' ibn a l - ~ a & a m i ? ~ ~ She became Muslim and was a Companion of the Prophet (g); she also had the honour of migrating?61 Talhah (&) was one of the ten given the glad tidings of paradise, one of the fust eight people to become Muslim, one of the five people who became Muslim at the hands of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (&) and one of the six members of the consultative committee.462 1.9.1. His conversion to Islam, persecution and migration Tabah ibn 'Ubaydullah said: "I was at the marketplace in Bu~ra, when a monk in his cell said: 'Ask the people of this gathering whether there is among them any of the people of the sanctuary.' Tabah said: 'Yes, me.' He said: 'Has m a d appeared yet?' I said: 'Who is Ahmad? He said: 'The son of Ahdullah ibn 'AbdulMnttalib. This is the month in which he will appear, and he is the last of the prophets. He will appear in the sanctuary and will migrate to (a place where there are) palm trees, lava fields and wet and salty land.

Beware lest others believe in him before you.' I was moved by what he said, so I left quickly and came to Makkah. I asked: 'Is there any news?' They said: 'Yes, Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Ameen is claiming to be a prophet, and Ibn Abi Q&%ah (Ahu Bakr) has become his follower.' I went out and entered upon Ahu Bakr and said: 'Have you become a follower of this man?' He said: 'Yes. Go to him, enter upon him and follow him, for he is calling to the truth and to goodness."' Tamah told Abu Bakr what the monk had said, and Abu Bakr took h i to the Messenger of Allah (g). Talhah became Muslim and told the Messenger of Allah (&) about what the monk had said, and the Messenger of AUah (%j was happy with that. 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib When Abu Bakr and Tabah ibn 'Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) became Muslim, Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid ibn al-'Adawiyyah took them and tied them up with one rope, and Banu Taym did not protect them. Nawfal was called 'the Lion of Quraysh'; hence Abu Bakr and Talhah were called 'the pair tied together'?63 Tallph was persecuted for the sake of Allah (&) and was severely tortured by the polytheists and by his nearest kinsmen, but he (&) persisted, patiently bearing the torture and persecution nntil Allah (&) granted permission to migrate.

When the Messenger of Allah (B) set out to migrate to Madinah, he was met by Talhah, who was coming from Syria with a caravan. He gave the Messenger of Allah a) and Abn Bakr some Syrian garments, then went on to Makkah where he finished up his trade. After that, he left with the family of Abu Bakr (&) and brought them to Madinah. T a a h (&.) was one of the earliest of those who migrated.464 When he came & Madinah, the Messenger of Allah (s) established brotherhood between him and Abu Ayyoob a l - ~ n $ & i ~ ~ ~ (or it was said Ka'b ibn M2lik alAn&$ when he established bonds of brotherhood between the Muh2jiroon and ~ n ~ 2 r ? ~ ~ 1.9.2. At the Battle of Badr The Messenger of Allah (g) was expecting a caravan to come to Quraysh from Syria, so he (g) sent Talhah with Sa'eed ibn Zayd, instructing them to find out where the caravan of Qnraysh was and to bring him the news. They set out and reached al-Hawra', where they stayed nntil they saw the caravan pass by and take the coastal route, then they went back to Madinah with this news.

The Messenger of Allah (@) had set out with the Muslims on the campaign of Badr, so they hastened to join the m y . They did not get there in time for the battle, but the Messenger of Allah (g) allocated to them a share of the booty and a reward likethat of those who had The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration 1.9.3. At the Battle of Uhud During this battle, Talhah performed a deed that made him deserve paradise. It was narrated that Jibir said: "On the day of Uhud, when the people fled, the Messenger of Allah (g) was on his own in some part of the battlefield with twelve men, including Talhah, and the polytheists caught up with him. The Prophet (g) said: 'Who will confront these people?' Talhah said: 'I will.' He told him: 'Stay where you are.' One of the Ansir said: 'I will,' and he fought until he was killed. Then the Prophet (g) turned and saw the polytheists and said: 'Who will confront these people?' T a a h said: 'I will.' He told him: 'Stay where you are.' One of the An$& said: 'I will,' and he fought until he was killed.

It continuedlike that until only Tabah was left with the Prophet of AUah (B). He said: 'Who will confront these people?' Talhah said: 'I will.' Talhah fought like the eleven before him, until his fingers were cut off, then be said: 'That's enough for me.' The Messenger of Allah (g) said: 'If you had said, "In the name of Allah", the angels would have taken you up while the people were looking on.' Then Allah (&) drove back the polytheists."468 According to Ahmad, the Prophet (g) said to him: "If you had said 'In the name of Allah', you would have seen a house built for you in paradise while you were still alive in this ~ o f l d . " ~ ~ ~ It was narrated that Qays ibn Hkim said: "I saw the paralysed hand of Tabah, with which he had protected the Prophet (g) on the day of LJ?md."470 During that battle, he received thirty-nine or mfive wounds, and his fingers - the index finger and the one next to it -were paralysed.471 Abu Diwood at-Tay2isi narrated that 'A'ishah (&) said: "When Abu Bakr remembered the day of Uhud, he would say: 'That day was all for ~ a b a h . " ' ~ ~ ' It was narrated that 'kishah and Umm lshiq, the two daughters of T a a h , said: "Our father received twenty-four wounds on the day of Uhud, among which was a square cut on his head. His sciatic nerve was damaged and his 'Ali ibn Abi T6lib fingers paralysed, the rest of the wounds were on his body. He fell unconscious, and the Messenger of Allah (g) moved him backwards.

Every time one of the polytheists drew near, Talhah fought to defend the Prophet (g), until his back was against the mountain."473 The Prophet (g) said: 'Talhah did a deed that made paradise his due, when he did for the Messenger of Allah what he did."474 1.9.4. A martyr walking on the face of the earth It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (&) that the Messenger of AUah (B) was once atop the mountain of m u d when it began shaking. The Messenger of Allah (g) said: "Be still, for there is no one on you but a Prophet, a Siddeeq and a martyr." On it were the Prophet (g), Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthm2n, 'Ali, Talhah, az-Zubayr and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqiv (may Allah be pleased with them After Talhah learned that he had been named as a martyr, that news of glad tidings from the Beloved (B), he continued seeking his martyrdom where it is usuaLly sought. Thus he was present at every battle with the Prophet (a) except for ~ a d r ; ~ ~ ~ as we have seen, he missed that because he had been sent on a mission by the Messenger of Allah (g). The Prophet (g) said concerning him: "Whoever would like to see a martyr walking on the face of the earth, let him look at Talhah ibn baydu dull ah."^^^ 1.9.5. (Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.) (Qw'an 33: 23) It was narrated from Moosa and 'Eesa, the sons of Talhah, from their father, that a Bedouin came and asked the Messenger of AUah (e) about who those "who have fulfilled their obligations"478 were.

They did not usually ask him such questions, out of respect and awe. The Bedouin asked him, and the Prophet (@) turned away from The Battles of the Camel and Szffeen, and the issue of arbitration him; he asked him again, and he turned away from him again. Ta&ah said: "Then I came in from the door of the mosque, and I was wearing a green garment. When the Messenger of Allah (B) saw me, he said: 'Where is the one who was asking about the one who fulfils his obligation? The Bedouin said: 'It was me, 0 Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'This is one of those who have fulfilled their obligation.'"479 1.9.6. Ta&ah's defence of his brothers and his thinking positively of them It was narrated that Maik ibn Abi 'Amir said: "A man came to Tabah and said: 'What do yon think about this Yemeni (Abn Hurayrah)?

Is he more knowledgeable of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah than you? We hear things from him that we do not hear from you.' He said: 'As to whether he heard things from the Messenger of Allah (g) that we did not hear, there is no doubt about that. I will explain to you: we were people with families, and we only came to the Messenger of AUah in the morning and in the evening. But Abu Hurayrah was a poor man with no wealth. He was the doorkeeper of the Messenger of Allah (g), so I do not doubt that he heard what we did not hear. Do you think that anyone who has anything good in him could fabricate things that the Messenger of AUah (a) did not say?"480 1.9.7.

Spending for the sake of Allah (s) It was narrated that Qubaysah ibn J2bu said: "I accompanied Talhah, and I have never seen anyone who could give more generously without being asked than him."481 It was narrated from Moosa from his father Talhah than when he received his share of wealth from Hadramawt, seven hundred thousand, he was restless all night and said: "What punishment could a man expect from his Lord when he spent all night with this money in his house?" His wife said: 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib "How about some of your close friends? In the morning, call for some bowls and share it out." He said to her: "May Allah have mercy on you. Yon are a guided daughter of a guided one." (She was Urnm Kulthoom, the daughter of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq.) The next morning, he called for some bowls and shared it out among the Muhijireen and An!&, and he sent a bowl of it to 'Ali (&). Then T a a h ' s wife said to him: "0 Abu Muhammad, don't we have a share of this wealth?" He said: "Where have you been all day? You can keep what is left." She said: "There was a bundle in which there was approximately one thousand dirhams."482 It was narrated that Talhah's wife Su'da hint 'Awf alMuniyyah said: "I entered upon Talhah one day when he was looking tired. I said: 'What is the matter with you?

Are you upset with your wife (meaning herself) at all?' He said: 'No, by Allah, what a good wife for a Muslim you are. I have money that is making me depressed.' I said: 'What is bothering you? Share it among your people.' He said: '0 slave, call my people for me,' and he shared it out among them. I asked the storekeeper: 'How much did he give?' He said: 'Four hundred thousand."'483 It was narrated from al-Hasan al-Basri that Tabah ibn 'Ubaydullah sold some land of his for seven hundred thousand, and he could not sleep all night because of fear of that wealth, until he distributed it the next morning.484 It was narrated that 'Ali ibn Zayd said: "A Bedouin came to Talhah to ask him for something, approaching him on the basis of his ties of kinship. T a a h said: 'No one asked me on the basis of ties of kinship before you. I have some land for which 'Uthmin offered me three hundred thousand; go and take it, or if you wish, I can sell it to 'Uthmk and give you the money.' He said: '(I will take) the money,' so he gave it to him.

He (&) did not leave anyone among Banu Taym poor; he would give him what he needed and pay off his debts. me Battles of the Camcl and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration He used to send ten thousand every year to 'kishah (%), the Mother of the ~ e l i e v e r s . " ~ ~ ~ ~ e was Talhah the good, who gave in abundance, T a a h the generous.486 The Messenger of Allah (@) called him 'the generous' because of his generous giving and spending on good causes. Abu Abdullah al-H%m narrated, with his chain of narration going back to Moosa ibn T a a h , that on the day of Dhu ~ a r a d , ~ ~ ~ T a a h slaughtered a camel and dug a well to provide them with food and water, and the Prophet (g) said: "0 Tmah the generous."488 1.9.8. Unique and beautiful sayings of Tabah Among his sayings was: "The least shame for a man is his staying at home."489 It was also narrated that he said: "Clothing shows the blessings of Allah (s), and kind treatment of a servant suppresses enemies."490 T a a h (&) . ., had deep insight into people's natures and qualities. He never consulted a miserly man when he wanted to uphold ties of kinship with people, and he never consulted a coward with regard to matters of war.491 1.9.9. Martyrdom of Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah (&) On the day of the Battle of the Camel, after 'Ali (&) met and talked to him, T a a h (a) withdrew and stood in one of the lines.

A stray arrow hit him on the knee; it was also suggested that it hit him on his neck, but the former is better known. The arrow hit the side of his horse as well as his leg, and the horse reared and nearly threw him off. He started calling: "Come to me, slaves of Allah." A freed slave of his caught up with him and rode behind him; he took him to Basra, and T a a h (&) died in a house there. It was also suggested that he died in the battle and that when 'Ali (&) walked among the slain, he saw him and began to wipe the dust from his face,492 saying: "It is hard for me, 0 Abu Muhammad, to see you lying slain in these 'Ali ibn Abi Tcilib valleys." According to this version, 'Ali (&) also said: '"To Allah I complain of my sorrow and sadness;" he prayed for mercy for him and said: "Would that I had died twenty years before this."493 Undoubtedly Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah (4) is one of the people of paradise. Al-Tirmidhi narrated, with his chain of narration going back to 'Abdur-Ralpnin ibn 'Awf, that he said: "The Messenger of Allah (g) said: 'Abu Bakr will be in paradise, 'Umar will be in paradise, 'Uthmin will be in paradise, 'Ali will be in paradise, Ta&ah and Sa'd will be in paradise, Sa'eed will be in paradise, Abu 'Ubaydah will be in paradise, az-Zubayr and 'AbdurR*m& ibn 'Awf will be in paradise."' Then he said: "This hadith was narrated from 'Abdur-R*mh ibn Humayd from his father from Sa'eed ibn Zayd from the Prophet ( s ) . " ~ ~ ~ This hadith clearly speaks of the virtue of Tabah (&), as the Prophet (B) testified that he would be one of the people of paradise.

What a sublime testimony this is, for it tells of his being blessed in this world and in the hereafter.495 1.9.10. Allah (&) preserved his body after he died Allah (&) preserved the body of Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah (&) after he died. His grave was opened more than thirty years later so that they could move him to another place, and no part of him had changed except for a few hairs on one side of his beard. It was narrated that al-Muthanna ibn Sa'eed said: "A man came to 'A'ishah bint Talhah and said: 'I saw Talhah in a dream, and he said: "Tell 'kishah to move me from this place, for the moisture or water is bothering me."' So she rode with her entourage, and they erected a tent over his grave and exhumed him. No part of him had changed except for a few hairs on one side of his beard, or on his head. And that was thirty-some years (after his death)."496 May Allah be pleased with Talhah and all the Companions.

The Baffles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration 1.9.11. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqss prayed against those who impugned 'Uthm2n 'Ali, T a a h and az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them all) It was narrated from Sa'eed ibn al-Musiyib that a man used to impugn Talhah, az-Znbayr, 'Uthmh and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). Sa'd told him to stop, saying: "Do not impugn my brothers." The man refused to stop, so Sa'd stood up and prayed two raka'ahs, then he said: "0 AUah, if what he says displeases You, then show me a sign today and make an example of him." The man went out, and there was a camel driver going through crowds of people. A camel stumbled on a stone and fell on him, and he was crushed to death between the camel's chest and the ground. Sa'eed ibn alMusayyib said: "I saw the people following Sa'd and saying: 'Congratulations to yon, 0 Abu Ishiq, for your prayer was answered.'"497