3. We will not fight you unless you fight us.49

Amir al-Mu'mineen granted them these rights as long as they did not fight the caliph or rebel against the main body of the Muslims; at the same time, they could maintain their own interpretation within the framework of Islamic belief. Initially, he did not regard them as being outside of Islam, so he granted them the right to be different without that leading to division or fighting.50 Amir al-Mu'mineen did not throw the Khaijites in jail or send spies against them or limit their freedom, but he was keen to establish proof and show the truth to them and to others who might be deceived by their views and pious appearance. He instructed the muezzin to let the pious worshippers come to him but not to admit anyone who had not memorised the Quran; thus the house was filled with people who had memorised the Quran. He called for a large mushaf and started tapping it with his hand, saying: "0 mushaf, tell the people." The people called out: "0 Amir al-Mu'mineen, how can you ask it? It is only ink and paper, but we can speak on the basis of what we understand from it." He said: "These companions of yours who rebelled, between them and me is the Book of Allah, and Allah says in His Book concerning a woman and her husband: (If you fear a breach between them twain [the man and his wife], appoint [two] arbitrators, one from his family and the other from her& (Quran 4: 35).

The Ummah of Muhammad is more important with regard to life and sanctity than a woman and her husband. Xli ibn Abi Tiilib "They got angry with me when I wrote, on a document between Mu'Swiyah and me, "Ali ibn Abi T a b ' [without adding the title 'Amir al-Mu'mineen']. But we were with the Messenger of Allah (g) when he made a peace deal with Quraysh at Hudaybiyah, and the Messenger of Allah (g) dictated, 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.' Suhayl ibn 'Amr said: 'Do not write, "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."' The Prophet (g) said: 'What should I write?' Suhayl said: 'Write: "In Your name, 0 AUah."' The Messenger of Allah (@J said: 'Write it,' so I wrote it. He said: 'Write: "This is what was agreed by Muhammad the Messenger of AUah."' Suhayl said: 'If I accepted that you were the Messenger of Allah, I would not have opposed you.' So he wrote: 'This is what was agreed by Muhammad ibn Abdullah with Quraysh.' And AUah ($) says: 4Indeed in the Messenger of Allah Muhammad] you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for [the Meeting with] AUah and the Last Dayb (Quran 33: 21).~' When the Kharijites became certain that Amir d-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) was determined to send Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari (4) as an arbitrator, they asked him to give up this idea. 'Ali (&) refused to do so.

He explained to them that this could be regarded as a betrayal and breaking of a covenant and promise, since a covenant had been drawn up with the people, and Allah (&) says: QAnd fulfil the Covenant of AUah [Bai'ah: pledge for Islam] when you have covenanted, and break not the oaths after you have c o n f i e d them - and indeed yon have appointed Allah your surety.% (Quran 16: 91). The KhanJites decided to split from Amir d-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) and appoint their own amir, or leader. They gathered in the house of Abdullah ibn Wahb ar-RLibi, who addressed them in an eloquent speech, reminding them of the insignificance of this world 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia and encouraging them to seek the hereafter and paradise. He urged them to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil; then he said: "Let us leave this town, whose people are wrongdoers, and go to the villages in the mountains or some of these towns, objecting to these unjust rules." Then Harqoos ibn Zuhayr stood up and said, after praising Allah (B): (The conveniences of this world are few, and soon one will depart from it, so its adornments or pleasures should not make you want to stay in it or distract you from seeking truth and opposing wrongdoing. 'Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him keep their duty unto Him], and those who are Muhsinoon [gooddoers]') (Quran 16: 128).

Hamzah ibn Sink dal-sadi said: "0 people, what yon say is right and you speak the truth, so appoint a man from among you to be in charge, for you need a leader and a banner to rally behind and refer to." They sent word to Zayd ibn Husn at-Ti'i, who was one of their prominent figures, and offered him the position of leader, but he refused. Then they offered it to Harqoos ibn Zuhayr, then to Hamzah ibn Sink, then to Sburayh ibn Abi Awfa d-'Abbsi; they all refused. They offered it to Abdullah ibn Wahb ar-Rkibi, and he accepted it, saying: "By Allah, I am not accepting it for worldly reasons, and I will never give it up for fear of death."5z They also gathered in the house of Zayd ibn Husn at-Ti'i asSanbeesi, who addressed them and urged them to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. He recited verses of Quran to them, including: (0 Diwood [David]! Verily, We have placed yon as a successor on the earth, so judge you between men in truth [and justice] and foUow not your desire - for it will mislead you from the path of AUah.

Verily, those who wander astray from the path of Allah [shall] have a severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.) (Quran 38: 26) 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib (And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the Kiifiroon [i.e. disbelievers - of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allah's Laws].) (Quran 5: 44) 4And whosoever does not judge by that which Allah has revealed, such are the @rilimoon [polytheists and wrongdoers - of a lesser degree] .) (Quran 5: 45) BAnd whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, [then] such [people] are the Fcisiqoon [the rebellious, i.e. disobedient (of a lesser degree)] to ~1lah. B (Quran 5: 47) Then he said: "I bear witness against our people who turn to the same qiblah as us, that they have followed their whims and desires and rejected the ruling of the Quran and done wrong in word and deed. Fighting them is the duty of the believers." A man named Abdullah ibn Shajarah as-Sulami wept, then he urged those who were with him to fight the people, saying: "Strike their faces and foreheads with the sword until the Most Gracious, Most Merciful is obeyed. If yon prevail and Allah is obeyed as you want, He will give you the reward of those who obey Him and follow 1.1% commands. If you fail, what is better than ending up with the pleasure of Allah and His paradise?' Ibn Katheer said, after mentioning what Satan inspired them to say, as cited above: "These kinds of people are among the strangest of the sons of Adam.

Glory be to the One Who created variety among people as He willed and decreed. How splendid are the words of one of the early generation concerning the Kharijites: They are the ones who are mentioned in the verses in which Allah ($1 says: $Say [ 0 Muhammad]: Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of [their] deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds. They are those who deny the Ayit [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.] of their Lord and the Meeting with Him [in the 'AIi's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia hereafter]. So their works are in vain, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them3 (Quran 18: 103-105)" What is meant is that those ignorant people, who were misguided in both word and deed, agreed to rebel and split from the Muslims, to march to certain towns in order to gain control of them against the inhabitants' wishes and then fortify themselves there, then to send word to their brethren, and others of their ilk in Basra who shared the same opinions and beliefs, to come and join them there.

Zayd ibn H u ~ n at-T2i said to them: "You cannot gain conk01 of the cities, because annies are stationed there and will keep you out. Make an agreement with your brethren to meet at the bridge over the River Jookhi. Do not leave Kufah in groups; go out individually so that no one will pay any attention to you." They wrote an open letter to those who were following their path in Basra and elsewhere and sent word to them telling them to meet them at the river so that they could be united against other people. Then they departed, sneaking out one by one, lest anyone realise and prevent them from leaving. They departed from among their fathers and mothers, uncles and aunts, leaving behind all their relatives.

In their ignorance and lack of knowledge, they believed that this would please the Lord of the heavens and earth. They did not realise that it was a serious mistake, an act of wrongdoing, and a major sin that would doom them to hell. They did not realise that it was something that had been made attractive to them by the accursed Satan, who had been cast out of heaven and who took our father Adam (m) and his progeny as enemies as long as their souls were still in their bodies. Some people realised what their children and brothers were up to, so they stopped them and rebuked them. Some of them turned back to righteousness and continued on that path, but others fled after that to join the Kharijites and thus were doomed until the Day of Resurrection.

The rest went to the specified place and were 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib joined by those &om B a a and elsewhere to whom they had written. They all met at Nahrawin and became powerful and strong.53 After the two arbitrators parted without reaching a deal, Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) wrote to the Kharijites who were gathered , .. in Nahrawin. He gave them the news and said: "...So come back to us, and let us march to fight the people of Syria." They refused to do that, saying: "Not until you testify that you committed an act of disbelief and repent," and 'Ali (&+) refused to do thaLS4 According to another report, they wrote to him saying: "You did not get angry for your Lord's sake; you got angry for your own sake. If you testify that you committed an act of disbelief and you turn to repentance, we will think about the issue between us; otherwise there is no deal between us, and Allah does not love the treacherous." When he read their letter, be despaired of them and thought that he should leave them alone and go with the people to Syria until he met them and fought them." The issue of the Kharijites regarding 'Ali (&) as a disbeliever and asking him to repent cannot be proven from these reports, but it is in accordance with Kharijite views regarding 'Ali and 'Uthmin as disbelievers and testing people with regard to that issue.'= 1.5. The battle of Nahrawsn, 38 AH 1.5.1.

The cause of the battle The conditions that Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) had stipulated for the Kharijites stated that they should not shed blood, terrorise people, or engage in banditry by attacking people on the roads. If they committed any of these transgressions, then he would declare war on them. Since the. Kharijites regarded those who disagreed with them as disbelievers, whose blood and wealth they thought were permissible for them, they started to shed the blood of 'Ali's attitude towards the Khnrijites and Shia people whose lives were protected in Shariah. There are numerous reports that speak of them committing h a r h actions.

One sound report was narrated by an eyewitness who had been one of the Kharijites and later left them. He said: "I accompanied the people of the river (the Kharijites), then I turned against them, but I concealed that for fear that they might kill me. While I was with a group of them, we came to a village, and between us and the village was a river. A man came rushing out of the village in fear, dragging his upper garment, and they said to him: 'Have we scared you?' He said: 'Yes.' They said: 'Don't be scared.' I said: 'By Allah, they know this man, but I do not know him.' They said: 'Are you the son of Khabb;b, the Companion of the Messenger of AUah (g)?' He said: 'Yes.' They said: 'Do you have a hadith you can tell us from your father from the Prophet (g)? He said: 'I heard him say that he heard the Prophet @) mention fitnah and say: "The one who is sitting at that time will be better than the one who is standing, and the one who is standing will be better than the one who is walking, and the one who is walking will be better than the one who is running.

If you live to see that time, then he the slave of Allah who is killed."' 'They seized him and his slave woman and took them with them. One of them passed by a fruit that had fallen from a tree, and he took it and put it in his mouth. Another of them said: 'It is fruit that belongs to dhimmis; how can you regard it as permissible?' So the first man took it out of his mouth. Then they passed by a pig, and one of them stmck it with his sword. Another of them said: 'It is a pig that belongs to a dhimmi; how can you regard it as permissible?' "Abdullah ibn Khabbib said: 'Shall I not tell you about what is more serious and h a r k than this?' They said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Killing me.' They took him to the river and strnck his neck, and I saw his blood flowing on the water like a shoelace thrown in the water, until it disappeared.57 Then they called for the slave woman, 'Ali ibn Abi Tcilib who was pregnant, and they slit her belly open.

I never accompanied any people whose company was more abhorrent to me than them, and when I found an opportunity, I fled."'58 This action spread fear among the people and showed the extent of their terror, as they slit open the belly of this woman and slaughtered Abdullah like a sheep. They did not stop there, though; they started threatening to kill people until some of their own number objected to what they were doing and said: "Woe to you! We did not leave 'Ali for this."59 Despite the evil atrocities committed by the Kharijites, Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) did not hasten to fight them. Instead, he sent word to them telhg them to hand over the killers so that the hadd punishment might be carried out on them. They responded with stubbornness and arrogance, saying: "All of us are killer^."^' He marched towards them in the month of Mnlpmam in 38 AH, with the m y that he had prepared to fight the people of ria.^' He camped on the western bank of the river of Nahrawin, and the Kharijites camped on the eastern bank, level with the city of ~ahraw%n.~' 1.5.2.

Amir al-Mu'rnineen 'Ali (&) encourages his army to fight Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) reaIised that these people were the Kharijites whom the Messenger of Allah (@) had pedickd would pass out of Islam. During their march towards them, he began to urge his companions to fight them. The hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (g) about the Khaijites had an effect on the Companions and the followers of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&). . . 'Ali (&) urged his army to start with these Kharijites, and he said: "0 people, I heard the Messenger of Allah (g) say: 'There will emerge some people from my Ummah who will recite the Quran, and your recitation $auld seem insignificant in comparison to theirs, your prayer would 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia seem insignificant in comparison to theirs, and your fasting would seem insignificant in comparison to theirs. They will recite the Quran, thinking that it is in their favour, when in fact it is against them, and their prayer will not go any further than their collarbones.

They will pass out of Islam as an arrow passes out of the prey.' If the army that encountered them knew what has been decreed for them on the lips of their Prophet (g), they would rely upon that action. The sign is that there is a man among them who has an upper arm but no forearm, and the end of his upper arm is like a nipple with white hairs. You will go to Mu'iwiyah and the people of Syria, and you will leave these people to look after your families and wealth. By Allah, I believe that these are the people in question, for they have shed forbidden blood and raided the flocks of the people. So march forth, in the name of Allah."63 'Ali (4) said on the day of Nahrawsn: "I have been commanded to fight the renegades, and these are the renegades."" The army was camped opposite the Kharijites, separated from them by the river of Nahrawh.

'Ali (&) ordered his army not to start the fighting until the Kharijites crossed the river towards the west. He sent his messengers, urging them by Allah to recant. He sent al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (&) to them, calling them for three days, but they refused.65 Messengers kept coming and going until they killed his messengers and crossed the river.66 The Kharijites went so far that aU hope of any reconciliation and avoiding bloodshed was lost. They stubbornly and arrogantly refused to come back to the trntb and insisted on fighting, so Amir alMu'mineen 'Ali (&) organised his army and prepared to fight6' He put Hajar ibn 'Adiyy in charge of the right flank, Shabath ibn Rab'i and Ma'qil ibn Qays ar-Ky@i in charge of the left flank; Abu Ayyoob al-An$%i in charge of the cavalry and Abu Qatiidah d-An&i in charge of the infantry. Qays ibn Sa'd ibn 'Ubidah was put in charge 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib of the people of Madinah, who numbered some seven hundred.

'Ali - . (&) ordered Abu Ayyoob al-AnsG to raise a banner of safety for the Kharijites and to say to them: "Whoever comes to this banner will be safe; whoever goes to Kufah or al-Mad2in will be safe. We are not after any of yon except those who killed our brothers." Many of their groups left, some four thousand in total. There were no more than one thousand men who remained with Abdullah ibn Wahb ar-R2sibi to wage war on 'Ali (4). Zayd ibn Husn at-T2i asSanbeesi was in charge of their right flank, Shurayh ibn Awfa was in charge of their left flank, Hamzah ibn Sink was in charge of their cavalry; and Harqoo~ ibn Zuhayr as-Sa'di was in charge of their infantry.

They stood to confront 'Ali (4) and his companions.68 1.5.3. The outbreak of fighting The Kharijites marched towards 'Ali (&). 'Ali (&,) sent his cavally ahead of his army, with the archers in front; the infantry marched behind the cavalry. He instructed his companions: "Do not fight until they start it." The Kharijites came, saying: "There is no d i n g except the ruling of Allah. Today is the day of departure to paradise." They charged at the cavalry whom 'Ali (&) had sent forth and scattered them, with some of 'Ali's cavalry moving to the right and some to the left.

Then the archers started shooting their mows and striking their faces. Some of the cavalry came back at them from the right and the left. The infantry started attacking them with spears and swords, smashing the Kharijites, who ended up trampled beneath the horses' feet. Their leaders, Abdullah ibn Wahb, Harqoo~ ibn Zuhayr, Shurayh ibn Awfa and Abdullah ibn Sakhbarah as-Sulami were killed.69 Abn Ayyoob said: "I stabbed one of the Kharijites with a spear, which came out through his back. I said to him: 'Receive the tidings of bell, 0 enemy of Allah!' He said: 'Yon will come to know which of us is more deserving of it."'70 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia Many of the Kharijites withdrew from the fighting because of something they heard from their leader Abdullah ibn Wahb ar-Rgsibi, which indicated that there was no certainty about their cause.

When 'Ali (&) struck one of the Kharijites with his sword, the Kharijite said: "How beautiful it is to depart to paradise." Abdullah ibn Wahb commented: "I do not know whether it is to paradise or to he11."~' A man from Banu Sa'd, whose name was F m a h ibn Nawfal alAshja'i, said: "I only joined them because I was impressed by that leader, but I could see that he was in doubt." So he withdrew with a number of his companions. Almost one thousand of them joined Abn Ayyoob d-An$&, and the people started sneaking away.72 The battle was short and decisive, taking a brief period of time on 9 Safar 38 AH."^ This swift battle resulted in the deaths of large numbers among the Kharijite ranks and the exact opposite in the m y of Amir d-Mu'mineen 'Ali (4). According to a report narrated by Muslim in his sahih, and from Zayd ibn Wahb, the number of 'Ali's companions who were killed was only According to another report with a reliable chain of narration, he said: "Of 'Ali's companions, twelve or thirteen were killed."75 According to a sound report, Abu ~ a j l a z ~ ~ said: "Only nine of the Muslims - meaning the army of 'Ali - were killed. If you wish, you may go to Abu ~arzah~'and ask him, for he was there."78 With regard to the number of Kharijites slain, the reports state that all of them were killed.79 Al-Mas'oodi stated that a small number, no more than ten, managed to escape, after a crushing defeat." 1.5.4. Dhul-Thadyah, or 'the deformed one', and the effect of his killing of the army of 'Ali (&) There are different reports about the identity of Dhul-Thadyah, some of these reports are weak in terms of their chains of narration, and others are strong.

In the hadiths of the Prophet (g), there are 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib descriptions of Dhul-Thadyah. Some reports say that he was black skinneds1 or, according to one report, an Abyssinian. They say that he had a deformed arm, meaning that it was incomplete and short; it extended only from the shoulder to the elbow, with the forearm missing. At the end of the elbow, there was something that looked like a nipple, with some white hairs on it. The upper am1 was not steady; it wobbled as if there was no bone in it.' With regard to this man's name, those who said that Dhul-Thadyah was Harqoo~ ihn Zuhayr as-Sa'di were mistaken.83 Harqoo~ was a well-known man who played a role in the Islamic conquests.

Later he rebelled against ' U t W n (&), and he fled following the lesser Battle of the Camel, in which az-Zuhayr and T a a h killed the murderers of ' U t h d (&) in Basra. Harqoo~ became one of the prominent leaders of the ~harijites,'~ but it was narrated in one report that his name was Harqoos and that his father was unknown. According to another report, his name was M%k, and they looked for him. When they found him, 'Ali (&) said: "Allrihu akbar. Is there anyone who can tell you who his father is?" The people started saying: "This is Milik, this is M%k." 'Ali (&) said: "Son of But no one knew. ..

According to a report classified as sound by at-Tabari, his name was Nz' Dhul-Thadyah, as narrated by Ibn Ahi Shayhah and Ahn Diwood; their chains of narration are the same, and what is narrated in the three sources is regarded as three reports with one chain of narrati~n.'~ 'Ali (&) , ., had spoken of the Kh~jites since the beginning of their innovation, and he frequently mentioned DhulThadyah, describing him and stating that he was a sign of these people. After the end of the decisive battle, 'Ali (&) instructed his companions to look for the body of 'the deformed one', because the presence of his body would be one of the signs that 'Ali (&) was in the right and following the truth. After searching for a while, 'Ali (&) and his companions came to a heap of bodies piled one on top of the other on the riverbank. He said: "Bring them out." They found 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia the deformed man underneath all of them, lying directly on the ground. 'Ali (A) said, "Allcihu akbar," then said: "Allah spoke the truth, and His Messenger conveyed it." He performed the prostration of thankfulness, and the people said Alliihu akbar and rejoiced when they saw him.87 1.5.5.

'Ali's treatment of the Kharijites Amir al-Mn'rnineen 'Ali (&) treated the Kharijites as Muslims, both before and after the battle. No sooner had the battle ended but he issued orders to his troops, saying: "Do not pursue anyone who is fleeing, do not finish off anyone who is wounded, and do not mutilate anyone who has been killed." Shaqeeq ibn Salamah, who was known as Abu WPil, one of the jurists of the Tibi'oon who was present with 'Ali during his battles, said: " 'Ali did not take any female prisoners either on the day of the Camel or on the day of ahr raw in."^^ After the battle of Nahrawh, he took the property of the slain to Kufah and said: "Whoever recognises anything, let him take it." The people started taking things until there was one pot left, then a man came and took its9 'Ali (&) did not divide anything among his troops except what the Kharijites had brought into battle with them: weapons and horses only. Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) did not regard the Kharijites as disbelievers. Before the battle, he tried to bring them back to the main body of Muslims, and many of them did come back. He exhorted them and reminded them of the seriousness of fighting.

Ibn Qudhah said: "He did this because his aim was to restrain them and fend off their evil, not to kill them. If it was possible to achieve this by talking, that should take precedence over fighting because of the harm that may be caused to both parties as a result of fighting. This indicates that the Kharijites were a group of Muslims, as was stated by many of the scholars."90 'Ali ibn Abi Tcilib Sa'd ibn Abi WaqqG (&) called them evildoers (fisiqoon). It was narrated that Mu$'& ibn ~ a ' d said: "I asked my father about this verse; are they the Harooriyyah (Kharijites)?: #Say [O Muhammad]: 'Shall We tell yon the greatest losers in respect of [their] deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.') (Quran 18: 103-104).

M y father said: 'No, they are the People of the Book, the Jews and the Christians. As for the Jews, they disbelieved in Muhammad (g); as for the Christians, they disbelieved in paradise and said, "There is no food or drink there." The verses that refer to the Harooriyyah are: B ~ n d He misleads thereby only those who are Al-Fzsiqoon [the rebellious, disobedient to Allah]. Those who break Allah's Covenant after ratifying it, and sever what Allah has ordered to be joined [as regards Allah's religion of Islamic Monotheism, and to practise its laws on the earth and also as regards keeping good relations with kith and kin], and do mischief on earth, it is they who are the losers.# (Quran 2: 26-27)."' According to a report narrated from Sa'd, when he was asked about them, he said: "They are people who turned away (from the path of Allah), and Allah turned their hearts away (from the right path)."91 'Ali (&) was asked whether they were disbelievers. He said: "They have fled from disbelief." He was asked: "Are they hypocrites?" He said: "The hypocrites only remember Allah a little." He was asked: "What are they?" He said: "They are people who transgressed against us, so we fought them." According to another report: "They are people who transgressed against us, therefore we prevailed over them." According to a third report: "They are people upon whom a fitnah came, and they became blind and deaf."'"~li (&) also offered this advice to his army and to the Muslim Ummah after him: "If they go against a just ruler, then fight them, but if they go against an unjust ruler, do not fight them, because they have a reas~n."'~ 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia It may be noted that 'Ali (4) regretted and was grieved by the fighting in the Battle of the Camel and Siffeen, while he expressed satisfaction and contentment about fighting the Kharijites. Ibn Taymiyah said: "The texts and scholarly consensus differentiate between the two cases.

He fought the Kharijites on the basis of a text from the Messenger of Allah (g) and was happy about that, and none of the Companions objected to that. As for his fighting on the' day of Siffeen, he showed a great deal of sorrow and regretted it."" 1.6. Rulings of Islamic law resulting from the battles of A& al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) managed, on the basis of his abundant knowledge and deep understanding, to set out some principles or rulings which form Shariah guidelines on fighting transgressors who rebel against legitimate authority. Sunni scholars and jurists based their rulings on the way he dealt with transgressors and rebels, and they derived dings and guidelines from his rightlyguided conduct in this area. The majority of scholars say that if it were not for the wars of 'Ali (&) against those who opposed him, we would not know the proper Shariah way of fighting transgressors and rebels from among the ~ u s l i m s . ~ ~ 'Ali (&)himself said: "What do you think (would happen) if I was not there?

Who would be able to manage the Muslims' affairs or treat them the way I am treating t h e r n ~ ~ ~ ~ l - ~ h n a f said to 'Ali: "0 'Ali, our people in Basra are claiming that if you prevail over them tomorrow, you will kill their men and take their women captive." He said: "That should not be feared from a man like me. Is it permissible to do that to anyone except the one who turns away and disbelieve^?"^^ Based on that, fighting fellow Muslims is different from fighting disbelievers and apostates in several ways: 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib