Chapter 4

Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Uthman bin Affan ~ Name and Pedigree: His family lineage is Uthman bin Affan bin Abu Al-As bin Umayyah bin Abd Shams bin Abd Munaf bin Qusai bin Kilab bin Murrah bin Ka'b bin Luai bin Ghalib. His appellation was Abu Amr in the state of Ignorance. However, after confessing Islam, he married Ruqayyah the daughter of the Prophet ~ who gave birth to Abdullah, so his appellation changed to Abu Abdullah. The maternal grandmother of Uthman ~ was the full sister of Abdullah bin Abdul-Muttalib, the father of the Prophet ~- Thus Uthman ~ was the cousin of the Prophet ~ - Excellences: He was matchless in modesty. Zaid bin Thabit ~ reports the Prophet to have said, "When Uthman once passed by me, one angel told me: 'I feel ashamed in front of him for the people will assassinate him." The Prophet ~ said, "Angels show modesty to Uthman as he shows it to Allah and His Messenger." When someone mentioned Uthman's modesty to Hasan ~ ' he remarked: "When Uthman wants History of Islam to take a bath, he feels so much ashamed of taking off his clothes even after closing the doors that he is unable to stand erect." He migrated twice, to Abyssinia and Al-Madinah. He resembled the Prophet ~ in his physical appearance.

The Prophet ~ engaged the hand of his daughter Ruqayyah ~ to Uthman ~ before his attainment of Prophethood. When she died on the day of the battle of Badr, he married his second daughter Umm Kulthum ~ to him. He is, therefore, known as "The Man of two Lights". She also died in 9 AH. No man in the world other than Uthman ~ ever married two daughters of a Prophet. He knew more than anyone else about the rites of Hajj.

He was the fourth man to embrace Islam. He accepted Islam through the efforts of Abu Bakr ~- He was very wealthy among the Companions and most generous. He spent lavishly in the way of Allah. He could not take part in the battle of Badr due to the serious illness of Ruqayyah ~ and stayed behind in Al-Madinah with the permission of the Prophet ;'t. However, he was given his share from the spoils of war equal to the participants. The Prophet i't said, "Uthman should be included among the Companions of Badr." He had a remarkable position among the Companions for his excessive prayers.

He would sometimes stand in prayer the whole night and fasted for years. He had bought a piece of land adjacent to the Prophet's Mosque for the wives of the Prophet ;'t. Once famine broke out in Al-Madinah. Uthman ~ rose to the occasion and distributed food grains among the needy. The Muslims of Al-Madinah once were suffering due to the scarcity of water. A Jew had a well but he used to sell water at a very high rate.

He purchased the well from the Jew for thirty-five thousand dirhams and gave it for use by the Muslims at large. He never told a lie. From the day he came to the fold of Islam, he would set one slave free every week. He never took pride in his being wealthy and never took wine even in the state of Ignorance. He would narrate the Ahadith with special care and precision. He gave in the way of Allah six thousand camels and fifty horses for the expedition of Tabuk.

He was reckoned among the richest men of Makkah in the Age of Ignorance. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Physical Appearance: He was a man of medium stature and his face was pockmarked. He had a thick beard and he colored it with henna. His bones were wide, complexion reddish, hands long, hair curled, shoulders wide and he had beautiful teeth. Selection for Caliphate Umar Farug ~ had, after allotting three days, asked Miqdad ~ not to allow entry of anybody into the assembly of the nominated panel while it was in session except Abdullah bin Umar ~ to make the number of the members of the panel odd, which would make it seven. However, the Caliph had already ordained that Abdullah~ must not be elected as caliph.

In reply to a question he had explained that the burden of the caliphate was heavy enough to be carried by one person of the family and others must not be thrown into it to deprive him of many comforts of life. When Umar Faruq ~ was requested to nominate someone as caliph, he replied, "It would be valid for me if I nominate anyone as caliph following the way of Abu Bakr. However, if I were to nominate a caliph, he would be Abu Ubaidah bin AlJarrah, but he was departed before me; or he would be Salim, the slave of Abu Hudhaifah, but he too died before me." Saying this, he set up a panel composed of six members, which have already been mentioned. After the burial service was performed, Miqdad bin Al-Aswad ~ and Abu Talhah ~ appointed Suhaib ~ as acting Caliph and Imam for three days as per the will left by Umar ~- Afterwards, they along with their men contacted Ali, Uthman, Zubair, Sa'd, Abdur-Rahman bin Auf and Abdullah bin Umar Cc~, and assembled them in the house of Miswar bin Makhramah ~ or Aishah ~ and sat down at the door. Talhah ~ was still out of Al-Madinah. Meanwhile, Amr bin Al-As and Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ also came and sat down at the door.

When Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ came to know of this, he came and made them leave the place so that they could not say they were included in the consultative body. When all the members arrived, Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ got up and said, "Who among those History of Islam nominated for the caliphate withdraws his name so that he may be given power to appoint the most excellent and suitable among you as caliph?" All the persons present kept silent. After a while he announced, "I give up my candidacy and I am ready to perform the duty of appointing a caliph." All of them agreed to it and empowered him to appoint the Caliph. However, Ali~ kept silent. When AbdurRahman ~ asked him about his silence, he said, "I agree with the opinion of other members, but, you first must promise to make your decision without any favor and personal involvement and do it with an eye on the truth and for the welfare of the whole Ummah." Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ said, "I give my word that I will do it without showing any favor to anyone and without any personal involvement just for the sake of truth and for the welfare of the Ummah. But all of you should also promise to agree on the one who I choose for the post, and you will rise against one who disagrees with me." Having heard this, Ali ~ and all those present said with one voice, "We all will lend support to your choice and help you in its enforcement." With this promise on both sides, the session was over and the members went home and waited for three days for the final verdict.

During this period, Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ kept meeting men of sound judgement and discussing the issue · with them. He says that when he said to Uthman ~ in private, "In case I fail to pledge allegiance to you, whom will you offer me to do this." He replied, "You should pledge allegiance to Ali." Abdur-Rahman~ then put the same question to Ali~ when he was alone, and he took the name of Uthman ~- Abdur-Rahman ~ then asked Zubair ~ to give his decision, he said, "Pledge your allegiance to either Uthman or Ali." He then referred the issue to Sa'd ~ in private, he took the name of Uthman ~- When he took advice of other men of sound judgement, the majority appeared to be in favor of Uthman ~ - On the night before the day of announcing the decision the members of the panel again assembled in the same house. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ called Zubair and Sa'd ~ separately in private and said, "Most of the people appear to be in favor of Uthman and Ali." They too also favored the two. Abdur-Rahman then talked to Uthman and Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Ali separately. The night ended and after the Fajr prayer the mosque was crowded with people, all of them were eagerly awaiting the announcement of Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~- Before Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ could say anything, some persons other than the members of the panel began to speak in favor of this and that. Ammar ~ rose in favor of Ali~ while Ibn Abu Sarh and Abdullah bin Abu Rabi'ah thought Uthman ~ worthier than others.

In such a crucial development, Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ pressed Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ to make a hurried announcement lest some trouble might raise its head. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ got up and said addressing the audience, "I did all within my power to know the opinion of all the groups and classes of people and nobody is now to go against my decision. All the members of the consultative body and nominated panel have already conceded to my decision and I have spent all my power to arrive at this decision." Saying this he called Uthman ~ near him and asked him to declare his resolve to follow the path shown by Allah and His Messenger ~ and the Righteous Caliphs that passed away before him. Uthman ~ declared that he would try his level best to follow the commands of Allah and His Messenger ~ and follow the examples of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ and Umar Faruq ~- Following this, Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ himself first pledged his allegiance to Uthman ~ and others followed suit. At first Ali~ looked a little aggrieved at this sight and was about to move out of the mosque. But, he turned back in haste and moved towards the new Caliph passing through the rows and took Bai'ah at the hands of the Chief of the believers.

Talhah ~ was not present on the occasion and hence could not take part in the deliberations. When he called on Uthman ~ to pledge his allegiance, the latter told him that he was elected Caliph in his absence, for they could not wait any longer. Thus if he (Talhah) claimed the caliphate for himself, he (Uthman) was ready to give it up in his favor. Talhah ~ said, "I don't want to create any rift among the Muslims at this stage." Saying this he stretched his hand for taking Bai'ah at the hands of the new Caliph of Islam. At the end of the Bai'ah session, Uthman bin Affan ~ came to the pulpit and addressing the congregation asked them to follow the History of Islam good deeds. He also asked them to fear the evil effects of abundant wealth and stressed on keeping the Pleasure of Allah in view.

After his preliminary address, he issued an order in the name of the governors and officers mentioning the demise of Umar Farug~ and his own election as the Caliph of Islam. All of them were enjoined to work with honesty and in good faith. First Case in the Court of U thman ~ A few days before the martyrdom of Umar Farug~' Abu Lulu went to Hurmuzan with a dagger. He was the same man who had confessed Islam before the second Caliph of Islam and was settled in Al-Madinah. When Abu Lulu was talking to Hurmuzan, another inhabitant of Hirah, a Christian slave named Jafinah was also present. Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr ~ noticed those three sitting together and conversing with each other.

When Abu Lulu saw Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Bakr ~ approaching, he left the place in haste and his dagger fell down and he clearly witnessed it. However, he could not then notice the evil intention. But when Abu Lulu injured Urnar Farug ~ and was caught, Abdur-Rahman ~ recognized the dc1gger. He then related the whole event. When Ubaidullah bin Umar ~, the second son of Umar ~ heard all this, he lost control and attacked Hurmuzan. When Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ saw Hurmuzan being wounded and dying, he held Ubaidullah ~ - Since no caliph was there and Suhaib ~ was looking after the necessary affairs, Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ produced Ubaidullah ~ before him.

Suhaib ~ kept the accused captive until the installation of the Caliph. When Uthrnan bin Affan ~ was elected to the post of caliphate and preliminaries were accomplished, the case of Ubaidullah ~ was put up before him. The new Caliph held consultations with the Companions. Ali ~ gave his opinion that Ubaidullah ~ should be slain by way of Qisns (death punishment for murder). But Amr bin AlAs ~ opposed it tooth and nail. He argued that it was most improper to kill the son only a few days after the assassination of his father.

The people in general supported the viewpoint of Amr bin Al-As~- Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate The Caliph found himself in a fix. However, a subtle fact dawned upon him. The event belonged to neither his period of caliphate nor that of Umar 4fe,, for it had taken place before he took charge of the caliphate. Thus he adopted the good device of paying the blood money by declaring himself the guardian of Ubaidullah ~, the accused. He then ascended the pulpit and made an effective speech and left his audience happy and satisfied. Governors of the Provinces When Uthman bin Affan ~ was elected and installed as the Caliph of Islam, the following governors appointed by Umar Faruq ~ were looking after the affairs of the provinces and territories under the Muslim rule: Nafi' bin Abdul-Harith in Makkah, Sufyan bin Abdullah Thaqafi in Ta'if, Yala bin Umayyah in Yemen, Hudhaifah bin Mihsan in Oman, Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan in Damascus, Amr bin Al-As in Egypt, Umar bin Sa'd in Hims, Umar bin Utbah in Jordan, Abu Musa Ash'ari in Basrah, Mughirah bin Shu'bah in Kufah, Uthman bin Abul-As in Bahrain.

The first action taken by the new Caliph in connection with the governors was that he deposed Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ from the governorship of Kufah and called him back to Al-Madinah. He was replaced by Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~- When the people questioned the action, he replied, "I have not deposed Mughirah for any fault of his. T have rather done it as a part of the administration and an expediency and exactly according to the will left by Umar as he had personally mentioned this to me (Uthman)." Important events of Uthman's Caliphate The Conquest of Alexandria Other than the conquest of Alexandria (Iskandariyah), during the first year of the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~ nothing else major occurred. Heraclius had taken refuge in Constantinople (Istanbul) after his flight from Asia Minor and Syria following the fall of Bait-ulHistory of Islam Maqdis. Now he was worried about the safety of the rest of his territory after losing all hope of restoring the lost lands. In the wake of Amr bin Al-As' invasion of Egypt, Muqauqis, the king of Egypt had yielded Egypt and Alexandria to him after earning peace by paying the Jizyah.

Heraclius considered Egypt his own province and Muqauqis his subordinate. Shock and terror engulfed him on all sides with the result that he died surrounded by defeat and dejection during the caliphate of Umar Faruq ~- His son Qustuntin (Constantine) succeeded him and lost no time in mobilizing a huge army to restore Alexandria. However, Muqauqis prevented the Romans from making entry into Alexandria and thus kept his promise. When the Muslims came to know of the Roman invasion, they came quickly from Fustat (Cairo). The Romans then turned their attack to the Islamic cantonments giving up their campaign for Alexandria. Both the armies came upon each other and a severe battle broke out.

The commander of the Roman army was killed and a large number of Roman soldiers met the same fate. The rest barely reached Constantinople by boat. After the disastrous repulsion of the Roman forces, Amr bin Al-As~ made a survey of the losses suffered by the people of Alexandria and its suburbs and made up for all their losses, for he held himself responsible for saving the Dhimmi and compensating them for all reverses. Amr bin Al-As~ then lost no time in demolishing the ramparts around the city of Alexandria and then came back to his cantonment in Fustat. This was done to prevent the possibility of any Roman attack in future trying to turn Alexandria into a fortress. This event took place in 25 AH.

The Conquest of· Armenia The Roman invasion of Alexandria was, in fact, the result of the demise of Umar Faruq ~ and the same event led to the uprising in the Persian territories of Hamadan and Rey. They declared their freedom from Muslim rule. Uthman bin Affan ~ dispatched Abu Musa Ash'ari, Bara' bin Azib and Qarazah bin Ka'b $, to tackle the situation and they did their job appreciably well. Umar Faruq ~ had deposed and called back Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~- Uthman bin Affan ~ reinstalled him as Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate governor of Kufah. Abdullah bin Mas'ud ~ was then in charge of the public treasury. Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~, the governor of Kufah, borrowed some money from Abdullah bin Mas'ud ~, the treasurer.

After a few days Abdullah ~ demanded the borrowed money which Sa'd ~ could not pay. The matter took a turn for the worse and their relations became strained. When Uthman bin Affan ~ came to know of this unfortunate development, he deposed Sa'd ~ from the governorship of Kufah in 25 AH, and replaced him by Walid bin Uqbah bin Abu Mu'ait. Utbah bin Farqad ~ who was appointed by Sa'd ~ to look after the affairs of Azerbaijan was also deposed along with Sa'd ~- With his exit, the people of Azerbaijan raised their banner of revolt against the establishment. Walid bin Uqbah wasted no time in invading Azerbaijan and they were forced to earn peace on the old terms and agreed to pay Jizyah. Walid bin Uqbah, who was the governor of Jazirah during the caliphate of Umar Faruq ~ and at present the governor of Kufah, was the foster brother of Uthman bin Affan ~- Since Sa'd ~ was very pious and Allah-fearing, and Walid bin Uqbah was not equal to him in this trait, the people of Kufah were not at all happy with the departure of Sa'd and the arrival of Walid.

Mu'awiyah ~' the governor of Damascus had sent Habib bin Maslamah • to Armenia. He conquered a number of cities and forts and forced the Romans to pay the Jizyah. With this news the Caesar of Constantinople collected eighty thousand troops from Malit, Siwas, and Quniah and invaded Habib bin Maslamah •. Habib sent the account of these events to Mu'awiyah • and he gave the news to Uthman bin Affan ~- The Caliph wrote Walid bin Uqbah, the governor of Kufah to dispatch ten thousand reinforcements to Armenia who immediately carried out the order with a dispatch of eight thousand troops headed by Salman bin Rabi'ah to Armenia. Habib bin Maslamah and Salman bin Rabi'ah jointly won Armenia and reached up to the Caucasus Mountains. On the return of Habib bin Maslamah • to Mu'awiyah • in Damascus, the latter himself invaded the Roman territory.

The Roman fighters escaped leaving Antakiyah (Antioch) and their citadels behind. This event took place in25 AH. History of Islam Events and Changes in Egypt Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ known as Ibn Abu Sarh was the foster brother of Uthman bin Affan ~- During the lifetime of the Prophet ~ he had renounced Islam but later confessed it wholeheartedly. Uthman bin Affan ~ sent him to Egypt as a governor and head of the public treasury while Amr bin Al-As ~ was kept simply as a military officer. When relations among the military officers worsened, the Caliph deposed Amr bin Al-As~ and transferred the entire power of Egypt and Alexandria to Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ - Although Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ was renowned among the brave horsemen of Arabia but Amr bin Al-As ~ was far ahead in experience and popularity among the Egyptians who were shocked at the dismissal of Amr ~- Their anger and dissatisfaction resulted in their revolt against Abdullah bin Sa'd. Besides, when the Caesar of Constantinople heard of the deposition of Amr bin Al-As~ and the resulting uprisings in Egypt, he mobilized a huge army towards Alexandria under the command of a seasoned general.

The Greeks in the city joined the camp of the Roman army and Alexandria fell to the Romans after slight resistance. Amr bin Al-As ~ was again sent to Egypt as a governor who launched such a fierce attack at the Romans that they had to flee from Alexandria after sustaining heavy losses and a heavy toll on their soldiers. Amr bin Al-As ~ had conquered Egypt for the third time. Although he had vowed to raze the whole city to the ground after winning the battle, he forbade any such action. He rather built a mosque at the site where the massacre and plunder were called off. Nevertheless, when peace and normalcy returned to the region and the administration was running smooth, Amr bin Al-As ~ was once again deposed and replaced by Abdullah bin Sa'd ~- This time the decision of the Caliph made Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ feel uneasy and uncomfortable over his reinstallation in Egypt, for his efforts to uphold the deteriorating situation of the region the last time had met with utter failure.

However, he was now anxious to make amends for his past failures. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate The Conquest of Africa Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ sought permission from Uthman bin Affan ~ to invade Africa. Africa was then considered a country, it included the area stretching between Tripoli and Tangiers. Moreover, Africa was then considered the conglomeration of those countries, which make up the northern part of the African continent, Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis, and Morocco. Uthman bin Affan ~ allowed him to do what he wanted. He marched towards his destination at the head of an army of ten thousand.

He first brought the chiefs of Barqah to obey and they agreed to pay Jizyah. The Muslim commander then advanced towards Tripoli capturing the territories falling on the way. At this stage the Caliph dispatched from Al-Madinah fresh reinforcements to lend help to Abdullah's army. The reinforcements included distinguished men like Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Abbas, Abdullah bin Zubair, Amr bin Al-As, Husain bin Ali, and lbn Ja'far ;t. When the detachment reached Barqah via Egypt, Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ welcomed it. Now they jointly proceeded towards Tripoli.

The Romans tried to put up resistance but were repulsed. After the fall of Tripoli, the Muslim troops marched ahead. Gregory, the King of Africa was the vassal of Caesar. When he came to know of the march of the Muslim army, he mobilized one hundred and twenty thousand men and came face to face with the Muslim forces. Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ first invited Gregory to accept Islam. When Gregory flatly refused the invitation, he asked him to pay the Jizyah.

When he rejected that also, the Muslim army drew up ranks and a fierce battle broke out, which remained indecisive. Fresh Muslim reinforcements appeared on the scene and the Muslim army called out Allahu Akbar. Since the distance between Al-Madinah and the seat of battle was so far, news could not be received immediately, so Uthman bin Affan ~ sent a fresh detachment from Al-Madinah headed by Abdur-Rahman bin Zubair ~ . When Gregory inquired of the slogan shouting by the Muslims, he was told that a fresh detachment had arrived and joined the Muslim forces. Gregory grew very anxious. However, the battle was not decided that day and both the armies withdrew to their History of Islam camps.

The next day when the battle lines were again drawn Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ was found missing. When Abdullah bin Zubair ~ inquired about his absence, he was told that Gregory had proclaimed a reward of one hundred thousand dinars and the hand of his daughter to the man who would bring him the head of Abdullah bin Sa'd. For this reason Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ failed to come to battlefield for fear of being a marked man. Abdullah bin Zubair ~ went to his camp and asked Abdullah bin Sa' d to make a counter proclamation. He should offer a reward of one hundred thousand dinars from the booty, the hand of the daughter of Gregory and the conquered land to be governed by the man who would bring the head of Gregory. With such a proclamation from Abdullah bin Sa'd ~, Gregory found himself in great trouble.

Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ appeared on the battlefield. Both the armies fought gallantly but the battle remained inconclusive. When the night set in, consultations were held for adopting a new strategy. Abdullah bin Zubair ~ suggested that half of the troops should go to battlefield and the rest remain inside the camp. When the two armies exhausted by the daylong fighting leave the battlefield for camp, the fresh half of the Muslim army should attack the retreating Romans. The counsel received general acceptance.

The third day of the battle this strategy was put to practice. When the two armies separated in the afternoon, Abdullah bin Zubair ~ rushed out from the camp with the fresh detachment and charged the Romans. They could not withstand the attack and fled to their camp but could not save themselves because the Muslim force surrounded the camp and the Romans were either killed or captured. Gregory also fought against the Muslims and was put to the sword by Abdullah bin Zubair ~- [It is said that the enemy forces had besieged the Muslim army, noticing this unfavorable condition, Abdullah bin Zubair ~ took some brave Muslims with him and headed towards Gregory. The enemy took them as messengers from the Muslim army and let them go to the Gregory. They attacked and killed Gregory and raised his head on a spear.

This scene uprooted the enemy and caused its destruction.] Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate The next day, Muslim army moved ahead and reached Sabitalah, the headquarters of (northern) Africa which was also conquered in a couple of days, and an immense amount of spoils fell into the hands of the Muslims. The Muslims marched further and laid siege around the fort of Jam, which was very strong and fortified. However, they could not stand the Muslim onslaught and yielded on the condition of paying one million as Jizyah. Abdullah bin Zubair ~ set out to AlMadinah with the glad tidings of the African conquest and one-fifth of the spoils. Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ returned to Egypt from Africa after an absence of one year and three months. The Conquest of Cyprus and Rhodes Abdullah bin Nafi' became the governor of Egypt the same year, 27 AH, that Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ came back to Egypt from the other parts of northern Africa.

Constantine again rose to make military preparations for a fresh battle. In 28 AH, he dispatched a part of his navy towards Africa, which reached the African coast and demanded tribute for Caesar. But the Africans flatly refused to give any because Caesar had lent no help when they were under the Muslim attack and so they no longer held him as their ruler. This rude refusal led to fighting between the Africans and the Roman army, which resulted in the defeat of Africans. The Romans then advanced towards Alexandria. Abdullah bin Nafi' was ready to give them battle.

In the meantime Caesar himself set off to conquer Alexandria at the head of a fleet of six hundred boats. The Roman forces proceeded to Alexandria from both sides. A fierce fight took place, which ended with the destruction of the Romans. They escaped to Cyprus, which they used as their naval headquarters and an arsenal for their weapons. At the time of the death of Umar Faruq • Mu'awiyah ~ was the governor of Damascus and Jordan while Hims and Qinnasrin were governed by Umair bin Saeed Ansari. When he submitted his resignation after the demise of Umar Faruq ., Hims and Qinnasrin were consolidated with the province of Syria under Mu'awiyah •.

Palestine was also consolidated with Syria under Mu'awiyah ~ after the death of Abdur-Rahman bin Alqamah, the governor of Palestine. Mu'awiyah • gradually became the ruler of all the districts of Syria. History of Islam During the last days of the Faruqi caliphate, Mu'awiyah ~ had sought permission to invade Cyprus from the Syrian coast. However, Umar Farug ~ had some hesitation in giving permission for such a campaign and the matter remained undecided until Umar ~ passed away. Uthman bin Affan ~ permitted the naval attack on condition that nobody was forced to take part in the adventure. Inspired by the efforts of Mu'awiyah ~, a party agreed to invade Cyprus.

The party included Abu Dhar Ghifari, Abud-Darda', Shaddad bin Aus, Ubadah bin Samit and his wife Umm Haram bint Milhan :$,,. Abdullah bin Qais ~ was made the commander of the detachment, which left for Cyprus by boat. When Constantine escaped from Alexandria, he had taken refuge in Cyprus. An Islamic naval force chased him by boat from Egypt and reached Cyprus. And this fresh naval detachment from Syria also descended on the coast of Cyprus. When Umm Haram ~ mounted on a horse, it ran away with her and she fell down and died.

It happened exactly according to the prophecy of the Prophet ~ - Constantine could not withstand the attack and fled to Constantinople with great difficulties and succumbed to death. However, according to other sources, frustrated by his defeat after defeat some people killed him in his bathroom. Thus Cyprus easily fell to the Muslims. Mu'awiyah ~ also arrived in Cyprus with a detachment. After finishing his job in Cyprus he sailed to Rhodes. There was a fierce battle but the Romans yielded after strong resistance.

On this island there was a giant-like copper idol, one of its legs was on the coast of the island and another on a nearby islet off the coast. The strait between the two legs was so wide that ships would easily pass between them. Mu'awiyah ~ broke the idol into pieces and sent them with the troops going back to Alexandria where a Jew purchased them all. The conquests of Cyprus and Rhodes opened the door for Muslim campaigns against Constantinople and other countries of the region. These events took place at the encl of 28 AH or at the beginning of 29 AH. Administrative Changes in Persia In 27 AH, the people of Basrah sent a deputation to Al-Maclinah to lodge a complaint against the governor Abu Musa Ash'ari ~- Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Uthman bin Affan ~ , immediately replaced him with his cousin, Abdullah bin Amir bin Kurz bin Rabi'ah bin Habib bin Abd Shams, who was only 25 years old.

The Caliph not only installed him as the governor of Basrah but also as the commander of the army of Oman and Bahrain, which until then was under Uthman bin Abul-As Thaqafi. Ubaidullah bin Ma'mar, the governor of Khurasan was now transferred to Persia. The governorship of Khurasan was given to Umair bin Uthman bin Sa'd who managed the affairs with skill and strong hands and captured the territory up to Farghana. He, Umair bin Uthman was deposed from the governorship of Khurasan between 27 and 28 AH, and Ibn Ahmar was substituted for him. Abdur-Rahman bin Abs was made the governor of Kirman but was soon deposed making room for Asim bin Amr, while Imran bin Nufail was brought to govern Sajastan. Revolts of the Persians and the Islamic Conquests Si.nee administrative changes took place rather quickly the Persians took it as a sign of providence and so they indulged in hatching conspiracies against the administration.

They began to prepare for a fresh encounter with the Muslims. The centers of these uprisings and preparations were Istakhar and Jur. Ubaidullah bin Ma'mar, the governor of Persia invaded lstakhar in 27 AH, and was martyred in the encounter with the result the detachment under his command scattered and escaped. Hearing this, Abdullah bin Amir, the governor of Basrah marched forward with his army with Uthman bin Abul-As at the vanguard. Abdullah bin Amir turned towards lstakhar while Harim bin Haiyan laid siege around Jur. The Persians put up strong resistance but they ran away after a bloody battle and Istakhar fell to the Muslims.

Harim bin Haiyan's siege of Jur was protracted. During this period Haram fasted in the day and fought with the enemy too. He would broke his fast in the evening followed by prayers. Once he did not get bread after breaking the fast. He observed fast the next day in the same state. However, he did not get a meal that day either.

The whole week passed in successive fasts without food. When he grew too weak he said to his servant, "What has happened to you my son. You History of Islam fail to give me bread and I am keeping fast with water alone for a week." He replied, "My master; I bake bread for you daily without fail, it is quite amazing that you didn't get it." The next day the servant baked bread and lay in wait to see who was taking it away. He was shocked to notice that a dog came and took the bread and made off with it. He followed the dog and saw that it went towards the fortification of the city and it entered the city through a sewer. The servant came back and related the whole event to Harim bin Haiyan.

He too was amazed. Haram and a few adventurous persons went into the sewer, which led them inside the fortifications and they opened the gates after killing the watchmen. In this way the Muslim army made an easy entry into the city and conquered it. The uprisings both in Istakhar and Jur were heavily put down and the insurgents met their doom. HaUof 29 AH Uthman bin Affan ~ left Al-Madinah at the head of a party of the Muhajirin and Ansar to perform Hajj of the House of Allah. He ordered the tents to be pitched in Mina and collected the pilgrims for the feast.

However, the people disliked it for they thought it to be an act of Bid'ah (innovation) as it was not a practice during the time of the Prophet ;i, Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ and Umar Faruq ~- During this same journey, a woman was produced before the Caliph. She was a widow who was married for a second time and she gave birth to a child within six months of the second marriage. Uthman bin Affan ~ sentenced her to be stoned to death. When Ali ~ came to know of such a punishment, he called on the Caliph and said that Allah the Almighty says in the Qur' an: "And the bearing of him and the weaning of him is thirty (30) months." (46:15) · It tells us that the duration of pregnancy and suckling goes up to thirty months. And the pregnancy period mentioned at another place in the Qur' an is: "The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years." (2:233) Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Now if suckling period, i.e., two years or twenty-four months is deducted from thirty months the pregnancy period comes to barely six months. Thus she cannot be accused of committing adultery.

On hearing this, Uthman bin Affan ~ rushed someone to stop the punishment but she had already been stoned to death. Uthman bin Affan ~ expressed utmost sorrow over the incident and ordered recompense. The same year, the Caliph brought about the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque by 160 yards in length and 150 yards in width and constructed pillars of stone. Events of JO AH Walid bin Uqbah was the governor of Kufah. The poet, Abu Zubaidah who was a Christian and later converted to Islam, kept company with him, even though he had not abandoned drinking even after accepting Islam. The people accused Walid bin Uqbah too of drinking wine and the complaint was lodged with the Caliph.

The governor was called to Al-Madinah for an explanation. A group of the complainants also reached AI-Madinah. When Walid appeared before the Caliph, the latter shook hands with him, which they resented. When the case of drinking was looked into, there was no eyewitness against the accused. For this reason the Caliph showed hesitation in giving him punishment. The others felt the Caliph favored him.

At last, a witness got up and said, "Although I have not seen him drinking wine but I saw him vomiting wine." The Caliph, based on the testimony of this witness, ordered the accused to be whipped. Ali ~ was also present on the scene. Abdullah bin Ja'far bin Abu Talib began to whip Walid. When the number of strokes reached forty, Ali~ stopped it on the plea that even though Umar ~ had ordered to whip eighty times which is right but Abu Bakr~ whipped forty times for the same crime, which I prefer to follow. Following this, Walid bin Uqbah was deposed from the governorship of Kufah, and Saeed bin Al-As replaced him. [Other sources like Tabari furnish details that the persons who complained and provided witness, we~e not reliable enough, but this fact was not disclosed at that time.] History of Islam The Event of Abu Dhar Ghifari ~ During 30 AH, the incident of Abu Dhar Ghifari ~ took place. He was in Syria under Mu'awiyah ~- There arose a conflict between Abu Dhar Ghifari and Mu'awiyah ~ over the meaning of the Verse: "And those who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, announce unto them a painful torment." (9:34) Abu Dhar ~ was of the view that, according to this Verse, any deposit of money is unlawful and hence all the income should be duly spent in the way of Allah.

Mu'awiyah ~, on the other hand, argued that spending in the way of Allah refers to paying Zalait, and the amount over which zakah has been paid, could be kept in deposit without incurring any breach of Islamic code. Had unconditional deposit of money been sinful, the Quran would not have mentioned division of inheritance and shares thereof. When the people, particularly the younger section, came to know of the view advanced by Abu Dhar Ghifari ~' they made fun of him. When the matter took a serious turn, Mu'awiyah ~ informed the Caliph about it. He wrote the governor to send Abu Dhar ~ to Al-Madinah with due honor. In Al-Madinah, he also set about propagating the same view.

Since he was stern by nature, they began to avoid him, but the younger section of men would provoke him at times. In the meantime, Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ passed way. He was a wealthy person and one among the ten given glad tidings of Paradise during his lifetime. Someone reported to Abu Dhar Ghifari ~ that Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ had left behind riches in such a great quantity, so what did he have to say about it. He issued his familiar Fatwa (legal opinion) in the case. Thereupon, Ka'b Ahbar who had confessed Islam during the caliphate of Umar Farug ~ and who was an accomplished scholar of the Children of Israel, objected to it.

At this Abu Dhar ~ lifted his stick and fell on him saying, "O Jew! What do you have to do with these issues?" Ka'b Ahbar fled to the assembly of the Caliph but Abu Dhar ~ appeared there chasing him with his stick. The slaves of Uthman bin Affan ~ saved Ka'b Ahbar. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate When Abu Dhar's anger subsided, he called on Uthman bin Affan ~ and said, "I believe that the entire possession should be given in the way of Allah. The people of Syria opposed me and put me to trouble and now the people of Al-Madinah follow suit. Tell me what course should I adopt and where should I go?" Thereupon Uthman bin Affan ~ extended his suggestion, "You go and settle in a village outside AlMadinah." So, Abu Dhar ~ settled in Rabadhah, a village three days distance from Al-Madinah.

The Ring of the Prophet ~ The Prophet ~ had a ring which he used to seal his letters and orders. After the death of the Prophet ~, it was preserved with Aishah 1$, and then given to Abu Bakr Siddiq~ after he took over the caliphate. After the first Caliph, it was handed over to Umar Faruq ~ who entrusted it to his daughter and the Mother of the believers, Hafsah ~ to be given to one chosen as Caliph. Thus when Uthman bin Affan ~ was elected as Caliph, the ring was given to him. The same year, 30 AH, the ring fell into a well at Quba. All efforts to find the lost ring proved an exercise in futility.

From that day, Uthman bin Affan ~ had no peace in this life and remained surrounded by calamities of all kinds. He had another ring of the same shape and pattern made. The number of persons joining congregational prayers particularly for Jwnu 'ah (Friday) rose to such an extent that they could not even hear the Ad/11'/n. Thus, the Caliph issued an order to pronounce an Adhan from a raised spot prior to the Adha11 preceding the address. Thus two Adlu'in before the Jumu 'ah (Friday) prayer came into practice. The same year Uthman ~ extended advice to the Companions to sell their properties in Iraq and Syria and buy in Makkah, Al-Madinah and Ta'if.

Fall of Tabaristan Assuming governorship of Kufah, Saeed bin Al-As drew up an army which included men like Hasan bin Ali, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Zubair, and Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman ~- At the head of this army Saeed bin Al-As invaded Tabaristan and Jurjan and conquered these big cities and the entire territory. History of Islam Circulation of the Quran When Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman ~ reached Al-Madinah on route to Basrah, Kufah, Rey and Syria, he expressed amazement over the fact that the people of Iraq, Syria, Basrah and Kufah, and Persia had their own way of recitation of the Noble Quran which was quite different from each other. It was better that one and all were brought to the same way of recitation. Uthman bin Affan ~ convened a meeting of the distinguished Companions and placed the suggestion for their deliberations and decisions. All of them endorsed the opinion of Hudhaifah ~ - Uthman bin Affan ~ then had them bring the copy of the Quran with Hafsah ~, the Mother of the believers, which was compiled by Zaid bin Thabit ~ and other Companions during the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq~ and came to Umar Faruq ~ and then to his daughter, Hafsah ~ after his assassination. The Caliph deputed a number of qualified people to prepare a number of copies.

He then sent a copy of the Quran to each big city with the order that the Quran be copied accordingly and all the old copies be set on fire. When the fresh copy reached Kufah, the Companions expressed their joy over it, but Abdullah bin Mas'ud ~ remained firm on his own recitation. Events of 31 AH According to the fresh orders issued from the office of the caliphate, new governors were appointed to some territories. Harim bin Hassan Yashkuri, Harim bin Haiyan Al:Abdi, and Khirrit bin Rashid were appointed to the Persian territories. Ahnaf bin Qais was appointed to Marwain, Habib bin Qarrah Yarbu'i was appointed to Balkh, Khalid bin Zuhair was appointed to Harat, Umain bin Ahmad Yashkuri to Tus and Qais bin Hubairah was appointed to Nishapur. Some of the cities of Khurasan showed sign of uprisings.

Abdullah bin Amir~ resorted to military action and forced them all to obey. He then put down a revolt in Nishapur and then turned towards Harat followed by Balkh, Tabaristan, Kirman, Sajastan and some provinces of Persia which became his next targets. In the wake of this series af victories in Iraq and Persia, Abdullah bin Amir came to be known as a terror and people were filled with aweat the mention of his name. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Yezdgird killed The Persian Empire was destroyed during the caliphate of Umar Faruq ~- The rest of the cities and frontier provinces were conquered during the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~ -Nevertheless, Yezdgird, the Emperor of Persia was still running from place to place for safety. Sometimes he was in Rey and sometimes in Balkh, Marw, Isfahan, Istakhar, Turkistan and China and back again to Persia. A party of several thousand soldiers remained with him through thick and thin in the hope that one day their past glory and grandeur might be restored.

This was the reason why the Persian provinces, districts and cities would so often rise against the Muslim rule even though they were instantly put down by the Muslim forces. In 31 AH, Yezdgird reached the suburbs of Balkh at the head of a party from China and Turkistan and captured some cities for a short period. His misfortunes compelled him to flee and take refuge at the dwelling of a windmill owner. He was in deep sleep when the house owner, out of greed for his costly garments, killed him and threw his dead body into water after stripping him of his clothes, ornaments and weapons. This event took place in suburb of Marw on August 23,651 CE. Yezdgird passed four years of his life in luxury, sixteen years in affliction and vagrancy and the last ten years out of sixteen he passed as a fugitive.

The Persian troubles came to an end after Yezdgird was killed. In this year, Muhammad bin Abu Hudhaifah and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr who were with Abdullah bin Sa'd bin Abu Sarh, the governor of Egypt, showed their dissatisfaction and displeasure over the way the ruler was managing affairs. Their resentment grew to an extent that they came out in the open against Uthman bin Affan ~ for his alleged policy of favoring an unworthy man like Abdullah bin Sa'd even though he earned the displeasure of the Prophet~ during his lifetime. Events of 32 AH In Dhul-Hijjah 31 AH, when Abdullah bin Amir. left to perform Hajj, an Persian general Qarin saw a golden opportunity for him to restore some Persian provinces. He proceeded at the head of a forty History of Islam thousand strong army. Abdullah bin Hazim, a Muslim general, with only a few thousand soldiers under his command, showed such exemplary courage and valor that the Persians were defeated.

With a small party of three to four thousand soldiers, Abdullah bin Hazim advanced to face the forty thousand strong army of the Persians. Reaching near the enemy, the Muslim general ordered his soldiers to wrap their spears up with pieces of cloth and then soak them in oil or fat. When the army came closer to the battleground, he ordered his soldiers to set fire to the cloth wrapped spears while it was night and charge at the enemy with blazing fire. When the planning was translated into action, the Persian soldiers fled in shock and bewilderment at the sight of the flames. None of them had the courage and consciousness to face the Muslim soldiers. A large number of Persian soldiers were killed or captured.

Events of ll AH Saeed bin Al-As~ took charge of Kufah after the dismissal of Walid bin Uqbah, as the governor of the province. Saeed began to do what he could to win the hearts of the people of Kufah. Malik bin Harith Nakha'i (Malik bin Ashtar), Thabit bin Qais, Aswad bin Yazid, Alqamah bin Qais, Jundub bin Zuhair, Jundub bin Ka'b Azdi, Urwah bin Al-Ju'd, Amr bin Al-Hamiq Khuza'i, Sa'sa'ah and Zaid-the sons of Suhan, and Kumail bin Ziyad were regular visitors to the private assembly of Saeed bin Al-As ~- All of them indulged in fun and pleasantries. One day Saeed bin AlAs, the governor of Kufah uttered, "This territory is the garden of the Quraish." Hearing this, Malik bin Ashtar angrily remarked, "You call the territory the garden of your people, which we have conquered with our swords by the grace of Allah the Almighty?" Others too joined the issue, which gave rise to a furore and created an unruly scene. When AbdurRahman Asadi tried to silence them, they fell on him and gave him a severe beating with the result that he fell unconscious. In the wake of this unusual event Saeed bin Al-As~ put an end to the night assembly and set guards around to ban the entry of the regular visitors.

This action of the governor angered the people and they took to murmuring against the governor and the Caliph too. Very soon they were joined by men in the street. When opposition gained momentum, Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Saeed bin Al-As~ sent the whole account to the Caliph who wrote back that they should be sent to Syria to be looked after by Mu'awiyah ~- Mu'awiyah ~ showed them utmost courtesy, dined with them and fixed a daily allowance for them. He did this because the Caliph had directed him to tactfully put them right. After a couple of days, Mu'awiyah ~ politely asked them to recognize the leadership of the Quraish and do nothing to disturb the unity of the Muslims. But q_ne of the sons of Suhan gave a rude reply to what he said.

Mu'awiy,yh ~ reported the matter to the Caliph and showed his inability to bring them back to reason and uprightness. Uthman bin Affan ~ asked him to send them to Hims to the care of Abdur-Rahman bin Khalid. When they reached Hims Abdur-Rahman bin Khalid, the governor of Hims treated them rudely and didn't permit them to sit in his assembly. This rough and stern attitude and behavior of the governor affected them to the extent that they repented for their past actions. When the Caliph was informed of the development, he granted them permission to go back to Kufah if they so desired. Abdullah bin Saba Abdullah bin Saba, known as Ibn Sauda' was a Jew from San'a.

He accepted Islam during the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~ with the intention of taking advantage of the progress and prosperity of the Muslims. He settled in Al-Madinah to go deep into the internal affairs . and weaknesses of the Muslims to take advantage thereof. About the same time Hakim bin Jabalah, a man from Basrah made it a point to enlist with the Muslim troops and he plundered the Ohimmi whenever he had an opportunity. He would sometimes commit highway robbery with a band of criminals. When his evil activities went out of all proportions, the matter was reported to the Caliph. He wrote to the governor of Basrah to put Hakim bin Jabalah in detention and his order was duly implemented.

When Abdullah bin Saba heard about Hakim bin Jabalah, he set out from Al-Madinah, reached Basrah and stayed with Hakim bin Jabalah. There he established a very close and cordial relation with Hakim bin Jabalah and his friends. Afterwards, he set himself to creating doubts and mischievous thoughts in the minds of the people around him, after History of Islam very cleverly presenting himself as one who is a well-wisher of the Muslims and the family of the Prophet *· After gaining the confidence of many Muslims, he began to carry out his nefarious plan. He first raised the question that if Isa (Jesus) %:§1 could come back to this world, why not Muhammad *? In order to fortify his plea, he began to misinterpret the meaning of the Verse: "Verily, He Who has given you the Qur'iin, will surely bring you back to place of return." (28:85) He proposed thereby that the last Prophet ~ must come back to this world. Following this, he began to bring the people round to another point that every Prophet had a caliph (successor) and executor and that of Muhammad * was Ali 4,, and he was the last executor as Muhammad * was the last Prophet.

Encouraged by the favorable response from the gullible Muslims, he came out to openly propagate his evil intentions of doing away with the Caliph and replacing him by Ali 4,. When his mischievous propaganda was brought to the notice of the governor, Abdullah bin Amir ~, he called Abdullah bin Saba and inquired of him as to who he was, where did he come from and what was he here for. Abdullah bin Saba explained that he was interested in Islam and he turned to Islam because of some weaknesses in Judaism and had a desire to settle here as his subject. Abdullah bin Amir ~ told him that, on inquiry, he arrived at the conclusion that he was bent upon creating mischief and dissension in the ranks of the Muslims. Since the governor had brought his secret plan to light, Abdullah bin Saba left Basrah and came to another military base at Kufah after issuing secret instructions to his followers. In Kufah he found a section already working against the office of the caliphate and its governor.

Thus Abdullah bin Saba found this land more fertile and the atmosphere more favorable and encouraging for his evil plans. Abdullah bin Saba was antagonistic to Islam on one hand and was hostile to Uthman bin Affan ~ on the other. He was, therefore, restless to take his revenge on the Caliph. In Kufah, he first established himself as a pious and God-fearing man and was very soon held in high esteem. When Abdullah's mischievous activities Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate came to the notice of the governor, Saeed bin Al-As~, he called him and took him to task. Abdullah bin Saba became suspect even in the eyes of the sober and noble persons.

Finding the atmosphere unfavorable, he left Kufah and went to Syria. Like Basrah he left behind a strong lobby in Kufah who were ready to carry on his dirty business. Malik Ashtar and his friends and relatives were the main figures to lend support to his plan. At Damascus, in Syria, his nefarious plans could not make any headway and he had to leave the city after being there only a short time. His next target was Egypt where he moved very cautiously in the light of his past experiences. He made love for the Prophet's family and support of Ali ~ the main plank of his propaganda.

In order to expedite his plan in an organized way he set up a secret society. He easily gained ground in Egypt because the Egyptians and the Arabs living there already had complaints against Abdullah bin Sa'd ~, the governor of Egypt. Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ was also too preoccupied with the problems created by the African Berbers and the Caesar of Constantinople to pay attention to these internal affairs. Abdullah bin Saba communicated with his friends in Basrah and Kufah by letter, his group instituted a letter writing campaign with the result that letters containing complaints were constantly being sent against the governors to the people of Al-Madinah from Egypt, Kufah and Basrah with charges of atrocities and malpractice brought against them. Similar letters were dispatched from Basrah and Kufah to Egypt and from Basrah, Egypt and Damascus to Kufah. Since no one was made the subject of atrocities, in each city they thought that this news was referring to other provinces which might be having victims of these malpractices.

All these accusing letters were directed against Uthman bin Affan, the Caliph who was charged with favoring despotic governors and refusing their dismissal. In view of the complaint letters coming in torrents, Uthman bin Affan ~ sent Ammar bin Ya.sir ~ and Muhammad bin Maslamah ~ to Egypt and Kufah respectively to make inquiries into the affairs and inform the office of the caliphate with the facts. When Ammar bin Ya.sir ~ reached Egypt, both the sections growing angry with the governor and the followers of Abdullah bin Saba History of Islam brought Ammar~ to their own way of thinking. They held him back from going back to Al-Madinah saying that supporting the atrocious ways of Uthman bin Affan ~ was to be avoided. Muhammad bin Maslamah ~ wrote to the Caliph from Kufah that both the common people and the noblemen were openly speaking against the Caliphate and showing signs of discontent. About the same time Ash'ath bin Qais, Saeed bin Qais, Sa'ib bin Agra', Malik bin Habib, Hakim bin Sala.mat, Jarir bin Abdullah, and Salman bin Rabi'ah who were wealthy, influential and courageous supporters of the Islamic caliphate left Kufah for other places.

In view of the public protest and tumult prevailing over a vast area, Saeed bin AI-As~ appointed Qa'qa' bin Amr ~ his deputy and left for Al-Madinah to personally meet the Caliph and give an account of the new developments in Kufah. With his departure, the people of Kufah wrote to Malik Ashtar who was then staying in Hims that there was a complete vacuum in Kufah and they should come back without delay. In the absence of a strict governor, the antagonistic elements came out in open criticism and challenged the authority of the Caliph. Gradually they mustered enough courage to send a party of the disgruntled elements under the leadership of Yazid bin Qais to reach Al-Madinah to dislodge Uthman bin Affan ~ from power by force. However, Qa'qa ' bin Amr~ stood in the way and arrested Yazid. Yazid implored Qa'qa' ~ to forgive him because he had nothing more than some complaints against Saeed bin Al-As ~ and his mission was simply to seek the deposition of the governor.

Qa 'qa ' ~ set Yazid free. However, shortly after that Malik Ashtar reached Kufah with his party from Hims. His arrival generated a new zeal into those causing disruptions and he declared his support to Yazid bin Qais and his decision to join the forces of Yazid. Qa'qa' ~ could not stop the joint forces of Yazid and Malik. They marched out of Kufah and arrived at Jara'ah near Qadisiyah. Events of 34 AH Uthman bin Affan ~ , the Caliph of Islam issued orders to all the governors to meet him in Al-Madinah after Hajj for important consultations.

They assembled in Al-Madinah, Mu'awiyah ~ from Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Syria, Abdullah bin Sa'd bin Abu Sarh .tk, from Egypt, Saeed bin AlAs .tk, from Kufah, Abdullah bin Amir .tk, from Basrah and others from the smaller provinces. In addition to these governors, the Caliph invited some men of sound judgement from Al-Madinah. The Caliph put before them the issue of the prevailing anger and dissatisfaction against him and sought their advice. Abdullah bin Amir ~ put forward his suggestion that the unruly elements should be engaged in activities of Jihad to fill their idle hours and charged them with disruptive activities and uprisings. Saeed bin Al-As~ submitted the suggestion that the leaders of the troublemakers be dealt with a heavy hand for their punishments would scare away their followers. Even though the Caliph showed his agreement with this suggestion he thought it a difficult task.

Mu'awiyah ~ came with the suggestion that governors of each province should uphold their responsibilities and clear the province off their existence. Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ suggested the point that they were all greedy and could, therefore, be subdued by the power of the purse. When the real causes leading to the riots and disruptions were inquired into, it came to light that they were all whimsical and unfounded. Some of them raised the point that each one of the mischief-mongers and rioters should be put to death without showing any politeness. Uthman bin Arffin ~ disagreed. He said that he could only punish the people according to the limits set by the Quran.

He was, therefore, not within his rights to kill anybody unless he became an apostate. In short, he could give capital punishment only for those acts for which penal ordinances of Islam had already been issued. As for himself, he could put up with all these tortures and hostilities with patience and fortitude. Thus the session was brought to an end without anything concrete decided. However, the end product of the deliberations came in the shape of dispatching a detachment against the people engaged in disruptive activities and the governors were authorized to act accordingly. The governors left for their respective provinces.

When Saeed bin Al-As ~ reached Jara'ah in route to his province, he came across Yazid bin Qais lying there with a big armed force. He asked Saeed bin Al-As~ very rudely to go back for they would not allow him to step foot in I I History of Islam Kufah. Having heard this, the slave of Saeed bin Al-As ~ spoke firmly that it was impossible for Saeed~ to return. Malik Ashtar full of wrath, pulled down the slave by his legs and killed him instantly. He then turned towards Saeed ~ and told him to go back, and ask Uthman ~ to send Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ -Then Saeed bin Al-As .l'~ went back to Al-Madinah and gave the whole account to the Caliph. He called Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ , and appointed him governor of Kufah.

He departed from Al-Madinah with a letter from the Caliph contairung: "The man of your choice is being sent to you, and I will fulfill your desires to the extent that the Shnri'ah permits me, and keep bearing with your excesses so as to bring about reform in you." Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ in his address from the pulpit on Jumu'ah day, asked the people to do away with the rift among the Muslims and obey the Caliph. This speech brought peace to Kufah, and those unattached to the party of Ibn Saba felt satisfied. But the people attached to Abdullah bin Saba and those harboring hostile feelings against Uthman bin Affan ~ set about complaining against the governors and officers appointed by the Caliph. They began to write letters to the influential people of Al-Madinah to create suspicion in their minds about Uthman bin Affan ~ - In response to the complaints the people of Al-Madinah would grow angry with the governors and officials and press the Caliph for their dismissal. But, when they would come out faultless after inquiries, the Caliph refrained from taking any action against them. They grew suspicious of the fair dealings of the Caliph.

Although men like Abu Usaid Sa'idi, Ka'b bin Malik and Hassan bin Thabit ~ rose to stop the disgruntled section from speaking against the Caliph but to no avail. During this period the agents of Abdullah bin Saba flooded the provinces under Islamic rule with these poisonous letters with the sole mission of arousing people against the Caliph. The world of Islam was then represented by five seats of power. Al-Madinah was the center of power and grandeur from the beginning. Both Kufah and Basrah were the settlements of belligerent Arab tribes and also served as the magnificent cantonments of Islamic forces causing terror into the hearts of the Persians, Armenians, Georgians and the people of the vast land that belonged to the Persians in the past. Fustat or Second Halfof the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Cairo was also a military cantonment wielding its influence up to Tripoli and Palestine besides Egypt.

Damascus was the main center of power in Syria and the Muslim forces there were enough to cause Caesar to pass sleepless nights. In addition, whenever the Roman forces came face to face with the Muslim army they tasted defeat. Abdullah bin Saba was shrewd enough to gauge the significance of these five centers of power and influence. So he came to Al-Madinah first of all and then left for Basrah followed by Kufah and Damascus. He could not make much headway in Damascus owing to the presence of Mu'awiyah ~- However, he formed parties of the disgruntled elements in all the other places. He also supported the viewpoint of Abu Dhar Ghifari ~ accusing Mu'awiyah ~ of using the public treasury to serve his own interests declaring it to be the property of Allah, although it was, in fact, the property of the Muslims and so it was to be distributed among them.

He also made Uthman bin Affan ~ the target of his attack. During his campaign, he met Abud-Darda'~ and placed his evil thoughts before him. Having heard Abdullah bin Saba, he accused him of being a Jew working against the cause of Islam. He then met Ubadah bin Samit ~ who heard him patiently and then brought him to Mu'awiyah ~ by force and said producing him before the governor of Damascus, "I presume that it is the same person who had created bad blood between you and Abu Dhar Ghifari." Mu'awiyah ~ drove him out to Damascus. He then stopped in Egypt to propagate his evil ideas. When complaint letters from almost every corner of the provinces and cities under the Muslim rule came pouring into Al-Madinah, some distinguished persons of Al-Madinah called on the Caliph and drew his attention to the prevailing anger and dissatisfaction against the governors appointed by him.

Uthman bin Affan ~ then selected some reliable persons and sent them to each province to look into the situation and come back with a complete report. Thus Muhammad bin Maslamah ~ was sent to Kufah and Usamah bin Zaid and Abdullah bin Umar ,$, were sent to Basrah and Syria respectively. In this way each big or small province and territory found one official to report the state affairs to the Caliph. History of Islam All the investigators returned with reports that none of the governors were found guilty of any evil act or excesses and all of them were carrying out their duties within the bounds of Shariah. Besides, no man of understanding and wisdom was found against any governor or the Caliph. The people of Al-Madinah received the reports with satisfaction.

But very soon the situation took a disturbing tum. The Hajj season was at hand. Taking c1dv,rnt,1ge of the opportunity, the Caliph proclaimed among the citi,l'!ls of every city and town: "Reports are pouring into Al-Madinc1h\ highlighting the excesses of the governors of various provinces. So, I h,1, v sent orders to all the governors to be present at the Hajj. Anybody bLming complaints against anyone's governance should come and lodgv it in my presence and get his rights either from me or from the governor ,iftcr the verification of the facts." Edict of Uthman ~ Every governor also received order from the Caliph to this effect. Thus following the orders, all the governors reached Makkah on the occasion of the Hajj.

In accordance with the scheme of Abdullah bin Saba, his followers set out from every province and center but arrived in AI-Madinah instead of Makkah. On the occasion of Hajj, Uthman bin Affan ~ announced among the governors his readiness to listen to complaints but not a single person rose to lodge any complaint. Those present in the assembly of the Caliph were bent on finding ways and means of eradicating the troubles. But their discussions took a long time without any outcome. At this point Uthman bin Affan ~ said addressing them: "Trouble is bound to appear in the near future, but I don't like to be blamed for it, for whatever I have done, it was solely for the welfare of the people." This utterance of the Caliph silenced them all. Uthman ~ came back to Al-Madinah after performing the Hajj.

He then assembled those from outside and invited Ali, Talhah and Zubair $, also. Mu'awiyah ~ who had accompanied the Caliph from Makkah was also present. First of all Mu'awiyah ~ got up and addressed the assembly saying: "All of you, being the Companions of the Prophet ~, and men of sense and sound judgment, are the guardians of the Ummah. It is you who elected your fellow Uthman Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate bin Affan as the Caliph without any favor. As now he has grown old, many things are heard from far and near. ln case you have arrived at any decision regarding this, speak your mind and I am ready to reply. However, if you have developed greed for the caliphate, you will get nothing but taking a flight with your backs turned." Ali~ got enraged at the last sentence and rebuked him and he sat down silently.

Following this, Uthman bin Affan ~ rose to address and said: "Abu Bakr and Umar Faruq, after becoming Caliph, practiced caution concerning their relatives with an eye on accountability, although the Prophet ~ took care of his relatives and extended help to them. My relatives are poor and so I do the needful for them. I am ready to do away with my practice if you prove it invalid and unlawful." Objections: Uthman bin Affan ~ had spoken this much when a man got up and raised the objection: "You unlawfully gave away wealth and property to your relatives; for instance, you once gave the entire booty to Abdullah bin Sa'd." Uthman ~ replied: "I have given him one-fifth from the one-fifth of the booty. And we have such examples during the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar." Another person said: "You have conferred power and rules on your relatives; for instance, you have appointed Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan governor of the entire Syria. You made Abdullah bin Amir governor of Basrah by deposing Abu Musa Ash'ari; you installed Walid bin Ugbah and then Saeed bin AI-As governors of Kufah by removing Mughirah bin Shu'bah." Uthman bin Affan ~ replied, "Those governors are not my relatives and they have ability to manage the affairs well. However, if they don't deserve the post, I am always ready to change them for others.

Thus I have already put Abu Musa Ash'ari as the governor of Kufah by removing Saeed bin Al-As." Then the third person objected: "You have appointed undeserving and inexperienced persons as governors; for instance, Abdullah bin Amir is a young man and, he should not have been given such a high post." Uthman ~ replied, "Abdullah bin Amir is distinguished in prudence, ability and religiosity; being young is not a shortcoming." History of Islam Yet another person got up and said: "You love family members most, and you give them heavy gifts." Uthman ~ replied, "Love of the family members is not a sin. And I give them gifts from my own possessions not from the public treasury. How can I give them anything from the public treasury when I myself don't take a single dirham from there? I am at liberty to give away anything to anybody from my personal property." One more person rose to say: "You have used your position for your self and reserved grazing ground for your camels." Uthman ~ replied, "When I took charge of the caliphate, nobody in Al-Madinah had camels more than me. But, today I possess only two camels and that only for the purpose of Hajj, and I don't allow them to go to any meadow. However, there is a reserved grazing ground for the state camels and I cannot be blamed for this because this has come to me from the past." One of them questioned:"Why did you offer the complete prayer in Mina while it should have been a Qasr (shortened one)?" Uthman bin Affan ~ replied: "Since my family members were then residing in Makkah, it was valid for me not to perform a Qasr (shortened) prayer." In short, objections of this nature were raised and Uthman bin Affan • answered them fully and thoroughly.

At the end of the assembly, the people left silently. Amr bin Al-As ~ then said to Uthman bin Affan •, "You are more polite to them than what is needed. This was not the way of Umar, governors at a distance of hundreds of miles dreaded him more than the slaves at his service. One should be treated politely so far as there is no danger of any disturbance. Why don't you slay those about whom you know very well that they are creating a rift and confusion among the Muslims?" Hearing this Uthman bin Affan • kept silent. Events of l 5 AH The governors of various provinces began to leave Al-Madinah.

When Mu'awiyah ., the governor of Syria decided to depart, he came to Uthman bin Affan • and said, "I anticipate an attack on you and you Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate may not be able to resist it. It's better for you to accompany me to Syria, for the Syrians are loyal and lend their full support to me." Uthman bin Affan • replied, "On no account shall I abandon the proximity and neighborhood of the Prophet '.!i." Having heard this Mu'awiyah • said, "Let me send you an army from Syria to guard you against any eventuality." Uthman • said, "I am not in favor of putting my neighbors into trouble." Hearing this Mu'awiyah • said, "You are bound to be deceived." In reply to this Uthman bin Affan • said, "Allah is enough for me and what an Excellent Supporter He is." After which he remained silent. Mu'awiyah • then left the place and came to Ali, Talhah and Zubair ~ and after requesting them to provide protection to Uthman bin Affan ., he set off for Syria. Conspiracy of Abdullah bin Saba Abdullah bin Saba had already finalized his nefarious plan during his stay in Egypt. He had won Companions like Ammar bin Ya.sir ~ and Warqa bin Rafi'• to his side. But, none besides his small group was aware of his game.

His love for Ali• and the family of the Prophet ::i was nothing more than a ploy for inciting people against the caliphate. A considerable number of Muslim soldiers had joined his party. Gradually Abdullah bin Saba won the hearts of enough people to challenge the authority of Uthman bin Affan ~ and bring about his deposition or do away with him. But the issue of his successor was still the bone of contention. Gradually his party was divided in three groups each supporting its own candidate from among Ali, Talhah and Zubair • . Since Abdullah bin Saba had no interest in the unity and strength of Islam, he held back his support from Ali ~ and left the matter to the contenders.

His main issue was the liquidation of Uthman's caliphate. Departure of the Caravan of Mischief-Mongers At first a group of one thousand people were sent in advance pretending to be a Hajj mission. The party consisted of AbdurRahman bin Udais, Kinanah bin Bishr Laithi, and Sudan bin Humran History of Islam and was headed by Ghafiqi bin Harb Akki. It was decided that the entire party should not proceed at one time from Egypt. The party was thus divided into four groups to leave Egypt separately and then to meet after several stages. Another party of one thousand left Kufah in four groups including Zaid bin Suhan Al-Abdi, Ziyad bin Nadr AlHarithi, Abdullah bin Al-Asam and Amr bin Al-Asam led by Malik Ashtar; and yet another of the same number marched from Basrah including Hukaim bin Jabalah, Dharih bin Abbad Al-Abdiyan, Bishr bin Shuraih Qaisi, and Ibn Muharrish Al-Hanafi with Hurqus bin Zuhair Sa'di at its head.

All these parties left their cities in the month of Shawwal 35 AH, under the pretext of going to Hajj. However, the mission before one and all was to get rid of the Caliph either by deposing or by killing him. At the appointed time, the parties coming from different directions joined one another and proceeded to AlMadinah. Three stages from Al-Madinah, the party divided itself into three separate groups each supporting its own candidate for the caliphate. Thus the supporters of Talhah 4, halted at Dhu Khushub, those of Zubair bin Al-Awwam 4, at A'was and the followers of Ali 4, at Dhul-Marwah. The majority of Talhah's supporters belonged to Basrah and the major part of Zubair bin Al-Awwam's and Ali's supporters were from Kufah and Egypt:respectively.

Ziyad bin Nadr and Abdullah bin Al-Asam asked the rioters to hold at their respective spots until they went into Al-Madinah to look into the prevailing situation there. In case the people of Al-Madinah were prepared to face them, their attempt would prove abortive. The rioters kept quiet and those two persons called on Ali, Talhah, Zubair ,:,~ and the Mothers · of the believers and acquainted them with the purpose of their arrival. All of them deplored their intentions and ordered them to go back. It is worth mentioning here that the followers of Abdullah bin Saba in Al-Madinah had written forged letters in the names of Ali, Talhah, Zubair, and the Mothers of the believers, to their followers in Kufah, Basrah and Egypt who were against Abdullah bin Saba and his group. The letters emphasized that Uthman bin Affan ~ was no longer able to shoulder the heavy burden of the caliphate.

Therefore the matter should be brought to its end in the month of Dhul-Hijjah. Encouraged Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate by these forged letters, the rioters found it easy to indulge in acts of plunder, massacre and doing away with the present caliphate. They could not have, otherwise, mustered courage to plan an invasion as regards Al-Madinah, the city of the Prophet ti, where even a strong army of the disbelievers failed to make inroads during the battle of the Trench. All the distinguished persons rejected their nefarious plan outright but they found no preparations of any kind whatsoever in Al-Madinah. They went back to the rioters and assembled their chiefs and representatives for an emergency consultation. Allaying fears of any defensive preparations in Al-Madinah from their minds, they placed before them a suggestion that the parties belonging to Egypt, Basrah and Kufah should contact Ali, Talhah and Zubair ~ respectively.

They should make an attempt during separate meetings to bring them round to their viewpoint saying that at no cost did they like the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~- Accordingly, they then offered their allegiance to them. But each of them rejected their offer very rudely. Thereupon the party from Egypt said to Ali~, "Since Abdullah bin Sa'd, the governor of our province is cruel, we cannot leave Al-Madinah without getting him deposed." With an eye on their obstinacy and nerve, Ali ~ and some other Companions called on the Caliph and advised him to fulfill their demand to stop the trouble and depose Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ as the governor of Egypt. "Who will then be appointed the governor of Egypt?" Uthman bin Affan ~ asked. Ali ~ intercedes Ali ~ and other Companions took the name of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr who happened to be the supporter of Ali~ and was entrapped by Abdullah bin Saba. Therefore, the Caliph issued an edict appointing Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, governor of Egypt.

After this Ali ~ sent the rioters out. But the third or fourth day, all the parties joined together and came into Al-Madinah crying Takbir with the utmost fervor and cordoned off the house of the Caliph. Ali~ saw them and said, "You had already left this place, what made you come back?" They said, "The Caliph has sent a letter to Abdullah bin Sa'd through his slave to kill us as soon as we reach there. We have seized History of Islam the letter and have come here with it and along with the parties from Egypt and Kufah who want to share our problem." Ali~ said, "By Allah this is an act of conspiracy and you are ill-intentioned." They replied, "Whatever be the case, we have decided to kill the Caliph, and we seek your assistance in the task." Ali~ angrily said, "How can I help you?" Hearing this they said, "Why had you then written about this?" Ali ~ firmly replied, "I have never written you anything." Hearing this they looked towards each other with amazement. Ali ~ then left Al-Madinah to stay in Ahjar-uz-Zait and the rioters surrounded the house of Uthman bin Affan ~ -They followed the Caliph in prayers but they now gave it up and began also to hold others back from standing in prayer behind him. Witnessing the lurking danger around him, the Caliph wrote letters to various provinces and sought their help, and in some cases the news reached those places on its own.

However, virtuous men and the Companions persuaded the people in Egypt, Syria, Kufah and Basrah to rush to the help of the Caliph. Mu'awiyah ~ and Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ sent Habib bin Maslamah Fihri and Mu'awiyah bin Hudaij respectively while Qa'qa' bin Amr ~ set out at the head of a party from Kufah. A party from Basrah also proceeded to Al-Madinah. But none of them were able to reach Al-Madinah before the martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan ~- The mosque was under siege and after that, the rioters prevented him from coming out of his home and cut off the supply of water too. Although Uthman bin Affan ~ persistently tried to convince the rioters that the letter was not written by him and asked them to produce any witness but his plea was ignored by them. Abu Ayub Ansari • leads the Prayer In the wake of his inability to come to the mosque, the Caliph appointed Abu Ayub Ansari • to do the job.

However, after a few days, Ghafiqi bin Harb Akki, the chief of the rioters, started leading the prayers. Like Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, the governor of Egypt, Muhammad bin Hudaifah was also working against the Caliph. When Abdur-Rahman bin Udais marched towards Al-Madinah from Egypt, Muhammad bin Abu Bakr had also accompanied them to AlMadinah, but Muhammad bin Hudaifah had stayed back in Egypt. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate On hearing the news of Uthman bin Affan's siege, Abdullah bin Sa'd ~ left for Al-Madinah with a party. But as soon as he reached Ramlah, he came to know that Egypt was captured by Muhammad bin Hudaifah. He hurried back but heard of Uthman bin Affan's martyrdom while in Palestine.

The siege continued for forty days. When the rioters made a scene, Ali ~ sent both his sons Hasan and Husain ~ to stand at the door of Uthman bin Affan ~ with locked arms and stop the entry of the rioters into his house. Talhah and Zubair ~ also sent their sons and they stopped their movements. The rioters knew well that any harm done to them meant bearing the brunt of Banu Hashim's fury as a whole. However, the rioters were also in hurry because of the arrival of official forces from the provinces could foil their plan. Thus they broke into an adjoining house and made entry into the Caliph's house by scaling its walls.

Martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan • When the rioters showed the letter written on his behalf, Uthman bin Affan ~ declared it a forgery. Abdur-Rahman bin Udais, the ringleader of the rioters rejected it saying, "If you are a liar, you are not fit to remain as a Caliph. In case you are true in your claim then such a weak Caliph should not be left to rule if he is not able to keep control over his administration and let anybody write anything on his behalf." At last, Abdur-Rahman bin Udais asked Uthman bin Affan ~ to quit the caliphate. But he said, "I can't put off the garment that Allah has caused me to put on." That is, he refused to give up the post of the Caliph. When the intensity of the siege increased and even the supply of water was stopped, Othman bin Affan ~ went to the roof of his house and reminded them of their sacrifices for Islam and the position he held after embracing Islam. A section of the rioters seemed to forgive him but Malik bin Ashtar intervened to keep them firm in their plan.

Moreover, when the rioters were convinced of the arrival of rescue forces from the provinces, they were determined to do away with the Caliph. During these days, Aishah 1$, decided to go on Hajj. She sent for Muhammad bin Abu Bakr to accompany her on the journey to Makkah. But he refused to do so because he was involved with the History of ls/nm rioters. Hanzlah ~, the scribe of the Revelations, said to him, "You refuse to accompany the Mother of the believers and instead follow the fools of Arabia." Muhammad bin Abu Bakr gave no reply. Talhah and Zubair ~ had closed their doors and would neither go anywhere nor meet anybody.

Ibn Abbas ~ faced the rioters at the door of Uthman bin Afffm ~ and stopped them from drawing near. But the Caliph insisted that he lead the Hajj caravan, although he said that waging Jihad against the rioters was to him better than performing the Hajj. Hasan bin Ali, Abdullah bin Zubair, Muhammad bin Talhah, Saeed bin AI-As c:,~ stopped the rioters from opening the door and fought to push them back. But Uthman bin Affan ~ prevented them from doing so on oath and called them in. The rioters set fire to the doors. They fought and drove them out once again.

Uthman bin Affan ~ was then reciting Quran. When he reached the Verse: 'Those (i.e., believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said: 'Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them.' But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: 'Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)'." (3:173) He said addressing those present, "The Messenger of Allah ~ has taken a pledge from me and 1 firmly keep it, so hold yourselves back from fighting the rioters." He also asked Hasan bin Ali ~ to go back to his father but he declined the advice and kept at the door. Mughirah bin Al-Akhnas ~ could not bear the situation and he attacked the rioters along with some of his companions and was martyred. In the same way, Abu Hurairah ~ launched an assault on the rioters reciting the Verse: "And O my people! How is it that I call you to salvation while you call me to the Fire!" (40:41) When Uthman ~ came to know of it, he insistently called him back. Meanwhile, Abdullah bin Salam ~ came and he did all he could to pacify the rioters but in vain.

Among those present with Uthman bin Affan ~ , some were upstairs watching the movements of the rioters Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate while others were at the gate stopping their entry. Othman bin Affan ~ and his wife Na'ilah, the daughter of Al-Furafisah were inside. The rioters, scaled the walls, entered the house of Othman bin Affan ~ , and made an assault on him. First of all Muhammad bin Abu Bakr came near Uthman bin Affan ~ and said catching hold of his beard, "O long-bearded one, may Allah put you to disgrace." Othman~ replied, "I am not a long-bearded man, but Othman, the Chief of the believers." Thereupon Muhammad bin Abu Bakr angrily said, "You covet the caliphate even in your old age." Othman~ said, "Had your father been alive, he would have valued my old age." At this Muhammad bin Abu Bakr got ashamed and left. Followed by his retreat a group of criminals came down scaling the wall. The group included Abdur-Rahman bin Udais, Amr bin Hamiq, Omair bin Jannabi, Sudan bin Humran, GhMiqi and Kinanah bin Bishr who first struck Othman ~ with a sword.

His wife Na'ilah came forward and stretched her hand to stop the stroke with the result that her fingers were cut off and thrown away. But he struck him a second time, which led to his martyrdom. It so happened when Othman ~ was reciting the Quran, his blood dropped on the Verse: "So, Allah will suffice you against them. And He is the AllHearer, the All-Knower." (2:137) Amr bin Hamiq gave him nine wounds with his spear. Omair bin Jannabi moved forward and kicked him violently more than once so that his ribs were broken. At every kick he would say: "It was you who had imprisoned my father and the poor man died in captivity." Na'ilah called out to those upstairs who were unaware of what was happening in the house.

The rioters had completed their evil act before those upstairs arrived. The criminals fled and the slaves of Uthman ~ killed a few of them. Nobody was needed now to guard the door. The rioters then made a forced entry into the house and plundered all the articles that they found. The news of this tragedy spread like lightning. This soulshattering incident came to pass on Friday, Dhul-Hijjah 18, 35 AH.

The dead body of Uthman ~ lay unshrouded and unburied for three days. At last Hakim bin Hizam and Jubair bin Mut'im ~ went to Ali History of Islam ~' he gave permission for him to be buried. The body was buried between Maghrib and Isha' prayers. Zubair, Hasan, Abu Jahm bin Hudaifah, and Marwan accompanied the bier. The rioters tried to obstruct the burial service but held back on the intervention of Ali~- Jubair bin Mut'im ~ led the funeral prayers. He was then buried without bath and coffin.

At the time of the martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan ~ the following governors were in power: Abdullah bin Al-Hadrami in Makkah, Qasim bin Rabi'ah in Ta'if, Ya'la bin Munyah in San'a', Abdullah bin Rabi'ah in Jund, Abdullah bin Amir in Basrah, Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan in Syria, AbdurRahman bin Abu Khalid in Hims, Habib bin Maslamah in Qinnasrin, Abul-A'war Sulami in Jordan, Abdullah bin Qais Fazari in Bahrain, Alqamah bin Hakim Kindi in Palestine from Mu'awiyah, Abu Musa Ash'ari in Kufah, Jarir bin Abdullah in Qarqisiah, Ash'ath bin Qais in Azerbaijan, Sa'ib bin Aqra' in Isfahan. Qa'qa' bin Amr was then the commander-in-chief and Jabir Muzani and Sammak Ansari were in charge of tributes, while Uqbah bin Amr was in charge of public treasury in Al-Madinah and Zaid bin Thabit was the chief justice. Othman bin Affan ~ died at the age of 82 after passing 12 years as a caliph. He was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi' leaving behind eleven sons and six daughters. A Summary of Uthman's Caliphate Events of Othman bin Affan's tenure bring to view new phenomena we did not witness during the caliphates of Abu Bakr Siddiq and Umar Faruq ~- Many things had changed beyond recognition. Up to the caliphate of Umar Faruq ~' wealth and worldly possessions had no value.

The Caliph was almost the poorest of all, no value was attached to worldly comforts neither by the rc1ler nor the ruled. The greatest desire of one and all was to lay down one's life in the way and for the Pleasure of Allah the Almighty and uphold His Message. Such a desire and feeling lessened to a great extent. Othman bin Affan ~ was a wealthy person and his way of life even after becoming Caliph showed signs thereof. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Countries and territories were conquered during the caliphate of Umar Farug ~ bringing immense riches to the Muslims but they didn't get any worldly comforts from it. But the same wealth during the tenure of Uthman bin Affan ~ led them to develop love for a life of luxury.

They were overpowered by the desire to purchase property and accumulate wealth. As a result of this, the characteristic spirit of vitality and military abilities decreased, which were once distinct signs of the Muslims and the Arabs. The thatched roofs began to change into palaces and palatial buildings. Military prowess gave way to rich habits. And this was the greatest misfortune that came to the Muslims. Through the era of Abu Bakr Siddiq and Umar Faruq ~ the dominant force among the Muslims who had been in the company of the Prophet ~, was that they considered Islam a thing of their own and they had entrusted their lives to Islam.

Islam had gained ground in their hearts so deeply that all tribal signs were wiped out. Nothing was dearer to them than Islam. The flood of conquests that engulfed vast territories, brought people to the fold of Islam in large numbers. Many witnessed the progress and prosperity of the Muslims and joined the cause with their own well-being in view. Islam had not come into their hearts to produce in them the sense of love and sacrifice for the new faith. Most of victories during the tenure of Umar ~ were the result of the battles won by the fighters from Banu Wa'il, Banu Abdul-Qais, Banu Rabi'ah, Banu Azd, Banu Kindah, Banu Tamim, and Banu Quza'ah.

It was they who had trampled under their feet Persian provinces, Syrian territories and the fertile lands of Egypt and Palestine. They alone had shattered the Persian and Roman Empires into pieces. But none of these tribes had ever drunk directly from the fountain of the Prophet *· As a result, they were not on a par with the men of the Quraish and Hijaz in Faith and undying love for Islam. But Umar Faruq ~ had such vision that could see through all the problems and impediments in their depths and complexities and found solutions so skillfully that everyone was amazed. He had set up such a system and established such a leading role for the Muhajirin and the Ansar that up to his caliphate it remained impossible for elements outside this circle History of Islam to even think of approaching this noble group. The position of the Muhajirin and the Ansar was, during his caliphate, like those of conquerors, yet men of wisdom.

Umar Faruq ~ had so prudently and cautiously preserved the characteristic military prowess and vitality of the Arab fighters that they were kept confined to settlements away from the lust and attraction of the Syrian cities. He, on the other hand, kept distinguished Companions and those in commanding positions away from the company of the masses and ordinary classes. He did this so wisely and imperceptibly that nobody was aware of it and he managed their affairs in a manner that their awe and dread could not be eroded from the minds of their subordinates. And, above all, a party of the elite and men wielding power, influence and prudence always remained clustered around him in Al-Madinah. But, during the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~ such practices gradually disappeared. Arab tribes began to consider themselves equal to the Muhajirin and the Ansar and even superior to them.

The Companions who commanded dignity were scattered in far off places, with the result that the commanding force of Al-Madinah was weakened beyond description, and confusion and disorder became common. Thus the capital of Islam could not longer remain the center of power. In such a state of crisis, old tribal rivalries and feuds strongly emerged and Islamic brotherhood could not contain them. The new entrants outnumbered the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and took away from them the reins of power and influence. Uthman bin Affan ~ was polite to the extreme. But softness alone is not helpful in running an administration; it needs the manifestation of power and strong actions at times.

During the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~ , the Muslims indulged in a life of luxuries and comforts on one hand and the dread and awe of the Caliph had eroded on the other. In such an untenable situation, ambitions and power hungry sections got ample opportunity to give vent to their desire of holding power. Thus such men of ambition among the Quraish and Hijaz could easily win the help and support of the new-Muslim tribes and fighters. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate The Quraish tribe before Islam was understood to be divided into two parts, Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim. Even though these two tribes alone did not make up the entire Quraish and other tribes were also important. But since these two tribes were opposed to one another, other tribes were attached to either of the two.

The power and influence of Banu Umayyah had surpassed Banu Hashim at the time of advent of Islam. As a natural corollary, Banu Umayyah was vehemently opposed to the Prophethood for Muhammad ~ belonged to Banu Hashim. Abu Sufyan hailed from Banu Umayyah and was so dedicated to the defeat of Islam that he led the disbelievers against Islam in the battles of Uhud and the Confederates. But, at last Banu Umayyah including Abu Sufyan confessed IsJam. Thus the differences and rivalries between Banu Hashim and Banu Umayyah came to an end. Islam obliterated all signs and traces of racial and tribal distinctions.

While Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ and Umar Faruq ~ held the rein of caliphate, the state of affairs went undisturbed. But during the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~, old rivalries staged a comeback. And since Uthman bin Affan ~ was from Banu Umayyah, and he eld his relatives very dear, they took undue advantage of that. Besides these new developments, which took place due to the weak aliphate, new entrants to the fold of Islam, the erosion of power and influence of the Muhajirin, Ansar and the Quraish, mass indulgence in the life of luxuries were some of the factors that proved advantageous to Banu Umayyah. Marwan bin Al-Hakam as the main scribe of the aliph, benefited their cause immensely. When the governorship of a number of provinces came to their possession, and they were able to wield power and influence throughout, they set off to restore their position prior to [slam.

Gradually Banu Hashim and others also grew conscious of the prevailing situation. But to say that Uthman bin Affan ~ was a party to Banu Umayyah's policies and programs is far from reality and is a baseless charge. Nevertheless, the polite behavior and softness towards relatives played a significant role in encouraging Banu Umayyah to cross all limits. And History of Islam they did what could not be conceived of during the tenures of the former Caliphs. But, one is however, compelled to say that, although good treatment to relatives is quite reasonable, a Caliph must walk very cautiously upon this track. But he, perhaps, failed to see these reasons.

Marwan bin Al-Hakam, his cousin did all what he could to deteriorate the situation but Uthman bin Affan ,tk, did nothing to get rid of him, particularly when Marwan did not deserve such an important post by virtue of his abilities and character. With Uthman bin Affan ,tk, at the helm, Persian provinces began to rise in revolt. But Islamic forces also rose to punish the insurgents. The control and conquest of Seistan and Kirman are examples of this. Besides, Harat, Kabul, Balkh and some other territories were conquered in the wake of Turkish and Chinese invasions. Muslim· armies won Cyprus and Rhodes as a result of the Roman assaults on Egypt and Alexandria.

Because of the war preparations of the Romans of Africa and Asia Minor, Muslim territories extended to Tripoli and Armenia. In short, many important victories were won during the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~ also. Following the instructions of Uthman bin Affan ~ ' the governors constructed roads, set up educational institutions and promoted trading and agricultural development. But one cannot afford to overlook the undeniable fact that all such progress and developmental works took place during the first half of his caliphate, while disturbances and disruptions marked the next half. The Muslims who were devoted to the task of preaching Islam and uprooting idolatry, now worked for vested interests and engaged in rivalries and feuds of the worst nature. Banu Umayyah had, by now, multiplied their strength and influence and succeeded in expanding their areas of domination far and wide.

It was, nevertheless, necessary for other Muslim tribes to vie with Banu Umayyah in their activities injurious to Islamic unity and solidarity. The sober and saner section among the Muhajirin and Ansar could have come to the rescue but unfortunately it did not happen. Meanwhile, the wretched Jew, Abdullah bin Saba dominated the disruptive scene and caused such damage to the Muslims that they have never completely recovered. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Even during the Prophetic era, the Muslim Ummah had suffered at the hands of the hypocrites led by Abdullah bin Ubai, while under the leadership of Abdullah bin Saba, they inflicted an irreparable loss. Abdullah bin Ubai could not make any headway because of the presence of the Prophet !l;, but Abdullah bin Saba had no one to combat his nefarious activities effectively. To oppose Banu Umayyah, he used Ali ~ and easily antagonized almost all tribes of Arabia against them.

These were all those who took pride in their deeds of valor and looked down upon the Quraish and the men of the Hijaz. However, they were not among the first entrants to Islam and were known as new-Muslims. Abdullah bin Saba did not experience much difficulty in rousing the people against Uthman bin Affan ~. He roamed through Basrah, Kufah and Damascus and visited military cantonments. He found favorable situations everywhere except in Damascus. He used the dispute between Abu Dhar Ghifari and Mu'awiyah ~ for his purpose.

At the end of his travels he reached Egypt and began to give shape to his plans from there. Abdullah bin Sa'd ~, the governor of Egypt was ahead of all in self-will and freedom of action but deficient in farsightedness and prudence, and careless about internal peace and the welfare of the people. Abdullah bin Saba found here two or three of the Companions who supported his cause. He noticed that although Talhah ~ had more influence in Basrah and Zubair ~ in Kufah, the whole world of Islam was still under the influence of Ali ~ . Thus he sat down in Egypt to organize and consolidate his camp so cleverly that the people of Kufah and Basrah could be easily aroused against Banu Umayyah and Uthman bin Affan ~. In Egypt, he gave publicity to his love for Ali ~, his victimization, his right of the caliphate and his being the sole executor after the Prophet ~ .

He did everything so cautiously and cleverly that in a very short time, a party of Ali's supporters was formed. Very soon the entire world of Islam was carried away by disruptions. Thus the Companions lost the chance to bring Banu Umayyah back to the right path. The worst kind of mischief caused by Abdullah bin Saba was a large number of letters to the people of Kufah, Basrah and Egypt on behalf of Ali ~ from Al-Madinah. These letters played a vital role in History of Islam winning the easily excited people to his side. His plan had two purposes,.

Uthman ~ was to be assassinated on one hand and the finger of suspicion was to be pointed towards Ali ~' and alas, this baseless doubt lingers on to this day. Abdullah bin Saba was friend neither of Uthman ~ nor Ali ~; he was an enemy of both and his sole aim was to destroy Islam. He, thus, got Uthman ~ on one hand and caused immense harm to the reputation of Ali~ on the other. Features and Characteristics of Uthman • Uthman bin Affan ~ was affable and tolerant. Alcoholic drink was a forbidden thing for him even during the days of Ignorance, and from those days he never was attracted towards adultery and gambling. His generosity benefited one and all even before he accepted Islam.

He would go to perform Hajj every year and had his tents pitched in Mina, he never would come back without feeding the pilgrims and these feasts were arranged out of his own pocket. The Prophet~ and his family would so often pass through the state of starvation and Uthman bin Affan ~ provided food for them. The Prophet~ had often prayed for him: "O Allah, I am pleased with Uthman; You also be pleased with him. 0 Allah. I am pleased with Uthman; You also be pleased with him." Famine once broke out during the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq ~- Scarcity of food put the people in great hardship. During one of those days, news came that one thousand camels of Uthman ~ had arrived in Al-Madinah laden with food grains. The starving population of the city rushed to Uthman bin Affan ~ and requested him to sell them food grains even at exorbitant prices.

At this Uthman bin Affan ~ said, "Bear witness that I have given away all the food grains to the poor and needy of Al-Madinah." Abdullah bin Abbas ~ relates, "The same night I saw in dream that the Prophet~ was hurrying mounted on a horse in garments of light. I rushed forward and submitted, 'I was eager to have a glimpse of you.' He said, 'I am now in a hurry, Uthman has given in charity one thousand camels laden with food grains and after he granted it, Allah the Almighty has given a bride in marriage to Uthman. I am going to join the marriage party'." Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate From the day he converted to Islam to his last day, he would set one [slave free every Friday. Even when besieged by the rioters and in a !state when the water supply was cut off, he continued this act. He jused to live on simple food and wore simple clothes. However, he !always served sumptuous food to his guests.

Even during his icaliphate, he never demanded to be treated preferentially. He would isit beside others and show respect to one and all. He once asked his \slave to take revenge on him for he had committed excesses. The slave icaught his ear in response to his order. "Catch it rather strongly for !the retaliation in this world is much lighter than that of the iHereafter." His efforts in compiling the Q~r'an and unifying the !method of recitation, and his expansion of the Prophet's Mosque have !already been mentioned. He was in the habit of being at his work on 'time. !Some Significant Indications !At the time when the rioters had taken Al-Madinah by storm Aishah i~ left Al-Madinah to perform Hajj.

When she was on her way back to IAl-Madinah, she heard of Uthman' s martyrdom and she returned to !Makkah without delay. [When the rioters mobbed Al-Madinah, Amr bin Al-As~, who was !then in Al-Madinah, moved out along with his sons, Abdullah and !Muhammad, they settled in Palestine, and only there did he receive I ithe tragic news of Uthman's martyrdom. . !When Abdullah bin Sa'd ~, the governor of Egypt, heard rioters !besieging Uthman bin Affan ~' he proceeded to Al-Madinah but jreturned on hearing that the Caliph had already been murdered. On I his return he got the news that Muhammad bin Abu Hudaifah had itaken over in Egypt, thus he was forced to stay in Palestine and later i he settled in Damascus. :At the time of Uthman's martyrdom, Ali, Talhah, Zubair, Abdullah [bin Umar and Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas t$, were in Al-Madinah, they (found their honor at stake because among the rioters were insincere lsupporters making false claims about them. They al~ shut themselves !behind closed doors to avoid any connection with the rioters. History of Islam Rioter's Rule in AI-Madinah From the day the rioters put a ban on the exit of Othman bin Affan ~ from his house and his attendance at the mosque, Al-Madinah had virtually come under their rule. After Uthman's martyrdom, Ghafiqi bin Harb Akki, the chief of the rioters, held the powers of the caliphate for about a week and set about issuing all orders including the appointment of someone to lead the prayers. But the wiser section of them wanted to put a respectable man as Caliph.

They argued that in the absence of a reputable man as Caliph, their successful efforts would be taken as a mere uprising and rioting. Thus they decided not to leave Al-Madinah without electing a Caliph. Abdullah bin Saba rushed to Al-Madinah incognito and joined his party. He also favored the election of a Caliph. Thus they met Ali, Talhah and Zubair :$, separately and requested each of them to accept the responsibility of the caliphate. But each of them refused the offer point-blank and they had to return empty-handed and frustrated.

At last, Abdullah bin Saba instilled in their mind a workable plan according to which it was drummed up throughout Al-Madinah: "It is the people of Al-Madinah who have always played the pivotal role of electing a Caliph, and the Muslim Ummah accepted it wholeheartedly. Now we give them just two days to elect a Caliph, if they fail to elect a Caliph, we will kill Ali, Talhah and Zubair." This announcement sent terror into the hearts of the people of AlMadinah who came out of their houses and hurried to Ali ~ and the other two. While Talhah and Zubair ~ flatly refused to shoulder the burden of the caliphate, Ali ~ agreed to it after initially refusing. Following his consent, the people came in large numbers to take Bai'ah (oath of allegiance) at his hand. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Ali bin Abu Talib ~ Name and Pedigree: His family lineage is Ali bin Abu Talib bin Abdul-Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abd Manaf bin Qusai bin Kilab bin Murrah bin Ka'b bin Luai bin Ghalib. The Prophet ~ addressed him with the filial appellation of AbulHasan and Abu Turab.

His mother was Fatimah bint Asad bin Hashim. She was the first Hashmite to be married in a Hashmite family, accepted Islam and migrated from Makkah. Ali~ was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet ~ -He was of medium height inclined to short stature, hair receding from his head but spreading all over the body, thick-bearded and wheat-complexioned. Distinctive Features: Ali ~ was among those who embraced Islam first of all. He was one of those who collected the Quran and placed it before the Prophet ~ - He was the first caliph from Banu Hashim. From childhood he never worshipped idols.

While migrating from Makkah, the Prophet ~ left him behind to hand over the trusts to their owners. After carrying out this order of the Prophet~' he also migrated to Al-Madinah. Barring the battle of Tabuk, he accompanied the Prophet~ to all the battles, for the Prophet ~ had made him the acting administrator of Al-Madinah during the battle of Tabuk. In the battle of Uhud, Ali~ sustained sixteen wounds on his body. On the occasion of the battle of Khaibar, the Prophet ~ had given the standard of Islam to him with the prophecy that the standard-bearer would conquer Khaibar. He liked his appellation 'Abu Turab' very much and he would express his happiness whenever addressed by this.

The reason he was given this name was that he was laying down in the mosque and the Prophet ~ came to the mosque and woke Ali ~ who was covered with dust and the Prophet :I wiped the dust from his body saying, "Get up, 0 Abu Turab." (Turab literally means dirt or dust.) History of Islam Excellences: Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas .$ relates that on the occasion of the battle of Tabuk, the Prophet ~ asked Ali ~ to stay in Al-Madinah. He said, "You are leaving me behind among the women and children." The Prophet ~ said, "Are you not happy that I am leaving you behind as Musa (Moses)~\ had left Hamn (Aaron) ~I except that there will be no Prophet after me." On the occasion of the battle of Khaibar, the Prophet ~ said, "Tomorrow, I shall give the standard to one who is to conquer the fort and who has pleased Allah and His Messenger." Next morning all the Companions eagerly waited to see who was that fortunate one. The Prophet ~ called Ali~ and handed over the flag to him and the fort was won as prophesized. When the Verse concerning Mubahalah was revealed, the Prophet~ called together Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain ,.$,, and said, "O Allah! These are members of my family." The Prophet ~ once said, "Ali is friend of one who is my friend." He then added, "Allah loves one who loves Ali and shows enmity to one who is the enemy of Ali." The Prophet ~ is reported to have once said, "I have been ordered to love four persons." When the Companions asked their names, he revealed, "They are Ali, Abu Dhar, Miqdad and Salman Parisi." When the Prophet ~ formed bonds of brotherhood among the Companions, Ali~ came in tears and said, "You have formed bonds of brotherhood for all but me." Thereupon the Prophet ~ said, "You are my brother in this world and the next." Umar ~ had once said, "Among all of us, Ali is the most prudent." When someone referred to Ali ~ in front of A.ishah ~, she remarked, "None more acquainted with Sunnah than Ali is now living." Ammar bin Yasir ~ reports that once the Prophet ~ said to Ali ~' "Most callous of the men are two: one is Ahmar who hamstrung the dromedary of the Prophet Saleh(~\) and the other who will strike a sword to set apart your beard from your body." Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Justice and Words: Ali ~ once said, "I thank Allah that even my enemy seeks my opinion over religious issues. Mu'awiyah has sought my opinion regarding the inheritance of a eunuch.

I let him know that the matter is to be decided according to the form of their private parts. If they are male-like, it will come under the male law; if female-like, it will be treated as female." When Ali ~ arrived in Basrah, lbn Al-Kawwa' and Qais bin Ubadah came to him and said, "Some people say that the Prophet :i had promised that you will be installed as caliph after him. Who can be more trustworthy than you in this matter, so we ask you the truth." He replied, "It is quite baseless that the Prophet :i had promised me any such thing. Had it been so, how could I have allowed Abu Bakr and Umar to stand on the pulpit of the Prophet :i and not killed them with my own hands even if I had been alone to do so." He further said: "The fact is that when the Prophet's illness took a turn for the worse, he asked Abu Bakr to lead the prayers. When Aishah, the Mother of the believers, made an attempt to hold him back from giving such an order, he angrily said, 'You are women of Yusuf's days. Take none but Abu Bakr.' The day the Prophet ~ expired, I thought over the matter and I accepted one for my temporal affairs too whom the Prophet :i had chosen for our religious affairs, for he ~ was our leader in our religious matters and of our worldly matters too.

Thus we thought Abu Bakr is deserving and took Bai'ah (oath of allegiance) at his hand and none went against him. I too served him in letter and spirit, obeyed him wholeheartedly, fought as a member of his army and accepted whatever he gave me. He passed away appointing Umar as caliph. I treated Umar also like that and carried out his orders without any flaw. On the eve of Umar's death I thought that he would issue orders in favor of my caliphate with an eye on my being one of the first to embrace Islam, my relationship with the Prophet~ and other qualities. But he, however, dreaded the consequences of picking a man of his own choice.

Had he been a man who took notice of his relatives, he would have preferred his son. In short, the task of electing a caliph came into the hands of the Quraish. History of Islam When they assembled for the purpose, I thought they would not ignore me. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf took a promise that we would all obey the one elected as a caliph. He then caught the hand of Uthman. From this I understood that the promise was taken from me to support someone else.

So I took Bai'ah at the hand of Uthman and served him as I did with Abu Bakr and Umar. When he too passed away, I thought those already passed were chosen as our Imam (leaders) I become ready to accept Bai'ah. Thus the people of Makkah and Al-Madinah and Kufah and Basrah rose to take their Bai'ah (oath of allegiance) to me. Now a man has posed as my rival who is not like me either in relationship or knowledge or in order of precedence in embracing Islam, although I deserved caliphate." A certain person said to Ali~, "You had said during an address: 'O Allah! Bestow on me abilities such as you had given to the Righteous Caliphs,' who were the Rightly-Guided Caliphs in your sight?" Having heard this, Ali ~ replied with tears in his eyes, 'Those are my friends Abu Bakr and Umar. Both of them were the leaders of the guided and chiefs of Islam.

The Quraish followed them and attained salvation." Ali abhorred lies. He once was saying something when a certain person said he was lying. Ali~ cursed him, with the result that the person lost his eyesight before leaving the assembly. Once two persons sat down to eat. One had five loaves of bread while another had three. Meanwhile, a third person came and they invited him to share with them.

When the third person was about to leave, he gave them eight dirhams for what he had eaten. After he left the scene a dispute arose over the division of the eight dirhams. The man with five loaves of bread claimed five dirhams for himself and three dirhams for his partner. The person who had three loaves of bread insisted on half the amount, i.e., four dirhams. This dispute became so intense that they took the matter to Ali~- He said to the man with three loaves of bread, "Your loaves of bread were less in number, so three dirhams are more than your correct share; it is better for you to accept it." But he refused to abide by the judgment. Thereupon Ali ~ said to him, "Now you will get only one dirham as your share while your partner gets seven dirhams." Hearing this he was left Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate astonished.

However, while protesting against this decision he asked Ali~ to help him to understand his calculations. Ali~ said, "Listen! There were eight loaves of breads in all while you were three who shared. Since the breads could not be shared equally, every loaf of bread had to be broken into three pieces making twenty-four in all. Although, it cannot be said who ate more than the other, it may be assumed that each of you took an equal number of pieces, in other words each of you ate eight pieces. Now out of nine pieces of your three breads, the third man ate only one piece and eight pieces went to you; while out of fifteen pieces of your partner's five breads, seven pieces were eaten by the third person and eight pieces went to your partner.

Since the third person gave eight dirhams after eating one piece from your bread and seven pieces from those of your partner, you are entitled to have only one dirham while seven dirhams should go to your partner." Hearing this, the person claiming half of the total amount agreed to one dirham without harboring any doubt. A man lodged a complaint with Ali ~ against a person that said that he had copulated with his mother in dream. Ali~ said giving his judgment, "The man describing the dream should be made to stand in the sun, and his shadow be flogged." Wise Sayings: Ali ~ is reported to have said: "O people establish close relations with your tongue and body, and keep a distance from your hearts and actions. Man will, on the Day of Judgment, get according to what he has done, and he will accompany those that he had loved. Make a supreme effort in making your actions acceptable, for no action finds acceptance without piety and sincerity. 0 scholar of the Quran, be one who acts on the Quran. A scholar is one who acts upon what he has read and brings about a closeness between his knowledge and his acts.

A time will come when there will be great disparity between acts and knowledge. They will sit in a circle to praise one another and ask one coming to join them to sit away from them. Bear in mind deeds have no place in assemblies but they are related to Allah the Almighty." "Beauty of manners is the essence of man, wisdom is his helper and etiquette his legacy. Barbarism is worse than arrogance." History of Islam A person came to Ali ~ and submitted, "Make me understand what is fate." He said, "Ask it not for it is a dark track." He again put the same question and got a similar reply, "Try not to plunge in it for it is a deep sea." He asked the same question once again and Ali ~ replied, "It is the secret of Allah and it has been kept secret from you, why do you try to explore it?" When he repeated his question again, Ali~ said, 'Tell me whether Allah the Almighty has made you according to His Will or as per your choice." He said, "Allah has made me according to His Will." Thereupon Ali ~ said, "He is then free to make use of you according to His Will, what is your choice then?" "Every trouble has its limit and when it inflicts anybody, it goes to its extremity. So, whoever is afflicted, he should not indulge in finding remedies as he will be more distressed in it." "It is bestowing to give anything when asked and to give without asking is benevolence. Idleness in prayer, want of subsistence and decrease in taste are all punishments for a sin." Ali ~ said to Hasan ~ in his last counsel, "Wisdom is the greatest wealth while stupidity is the worst pauperism; arrogance is the gravest savageness and beauty of manner is the greatest generosity.

Shun the company of a stupid person for he wants to benefit you but puts you to harm. Keep away from a liar, for he brings you closer to what is distant and makes you distant from what is closest. Keep away from a miser too, for he will cause you to renounce what is most wanted by you. Keep not the company of a transgressor, for he will put you on sale very cheaply. None should fear anything except sin and expect nothing from anybody except from Allah. One should not be ashamed of learning what is unknown to him.

When a scholar is asked about something unknown to him, he must unhesitatingly say: 'Allah knows better.' Patience and Faith are like head and body, when patience leaves, Faith is also no longer there, for how can a body exist without a head. A Faqih (Islamic jurist) is one who lets no one lose their faith in Allah, nor gives permission for committing sins, nor makes one fearless of the torment of Allah, nor lets one inclined to anything else shun the Quran. Pomegranates should be eaten along with the thin skin that is stuck with the grains, for it helps the food digest with its entry into the stomach. A time is about to come when a believer will be baser than the ordinary slave." Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Important Events of Ali's Caliphate Bai'ah of Caliphate A week after the martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan ~' Bai'ah (oath of allegiance) was taken on Dhul-Hijjah 25, 35 AH, at the hands of Ali ~ in Al-Madinah. Following the martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan ~, his murderers were going strong in Al-Madinah. At first, they forced the people of Al-Madinah to elect a caliph under threat.

The majority of the rioters leaned towards Ali~ and the same situation prevailed throughout Al-Madinah. When the people went to Ali ~ to take Bai'ah, he said, "You pledge your allegiance to me but this is not enough unless the Companions of Badr accept me as caliph." Hearing this, they went to the Companions of Badr and brought them in a group to Ali ~ - First of all Malik Ashtar took the Bai'ah while others followed him. Ali ~ then asked them to find out the intentions of Talhah and Zubair ~- Following this, Malik Ashtar went to Talhah 4}k and Hukairn bin Jabalah contacted Zubair ~ and both of them were forcibly brought to Ali ~ ' who told them that he was ready to take B11i'11lz at the hands of anyone who had a desire to become the Caliph. They flatly rejected the offer. They were then asked to take Bai'11/z at the hands of Ali~- At this, they began to ponder. Thereupon Malik Ashtar said to Talhah ~ drawing his sword, "The matter is to be decided right now." In response to the demand of the situation, Talhah ~ said to Ali ~ ' "I will take Bai'alz provided you issue orders to take actions according to the limits set by the Book of Allah and Sunnalz of His Messenger, c111d take Qisas (retaliation) from the murderers of Uthman bin Affan." Ali ~ promised to do the needful.

Talhah ~ took Bai'ah extending his hand which had become lame following the injuries he received during the battle of Uhud. Some people took it as an ill omen. Zubair ~ . also agreed to take Bai'ah with the same conditions put forward by Talhah ~ . History of Islam When Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~ was approached, he shut his doors saying, "I shall do it after others have done it." He, however, told them not to expect anything bad from him. Ali ~ did not press him further. Abdullah bin Umar ~ responded in the same way as Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas ~- Malik Ashtar drew his sword to kill him but Ali~ stood surety for him.

Abdullah bin Umar ~ then left for Makkah to perform Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). They cautioned Ali ~ against Abdullah's activities. Ali ~ was about to send people to arrest him when Umm Kulthum ~, the wife of Umar ~ and daughter of Ali~ intervened and convinced him of the innocence of Abdullah~- Ali ~ felt satisfied. Muhammad bin Maslamah, Usamah bin Zaid, Hassan bin Thabit, Ka'b bin Malik, Abu Saeed Khudri, Nu'man bin Bashir, Zaid bin Thabit, Mughirah bin Shu'bah, and Abdullah bin Salam ~ also declined to support the new Caliph. Many others, particularly Banu Umayyah stayed away and left for Syria without delay. Ali ~ asked the Companions staying in Al-Madinah to explain their refusal.

They argued that they wanted to keep neutral owing to the prevailing state of disturbances and killings. Ali ~ then wanted Marwan bin Al-Hakam to appear but he could not be found. When Na'ilah ~, the wife of Uthman ~ was asked the names of the murderers, she gave the physical appearance of two of them but failed to tell their names. When asked about Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~, she said that he came in but left before the assassination. Some people from Banu Umayyah collected the cut off fingers of Na'ilah ~ and the bloodstained clothes, and proceeded to Syria to meet Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan ~- Second Day of the Caliphate Next day Talhah and Zubair ~ called on Ali ~ and said that they had pledged their support to him on the condition that retaliation measures would be taken against the murderers of Uthman ~- If he failed to take Qisas (retaliation), their Bai'ah would stand as null and void. Ali~ said, "I shall take the necessary Qisas from the murderers Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate of Uthman, and do full justice to one and all.

But until now the rioters are too strong and the state of caliphate has not yet been consolidated, I can only pay attention to this after the return to normalcy. Nothing can be done at present." Both of them went back home. But whispering and murmuring started. The rioters and the murderers of Uthman ~ grew anxious of their safety while others were dissatisfied with Ali~ over his lack of action. Thus opposition to the caliphate of Ali ~ began to build up. The new Caliph was rendered helpless by the circumstances.

Disobedience of the Rioters Three days after assuming charge of the caliphate, Ali ~ asked the people from Kufah, Basrah and Egypt to go back to their respective places, but Abdullah bin Saba refused to obey his orders and most of the rioters sided with him. It was, in truth, the greatest ill omen for the caliphate of Ali ~ that those refused to obey his orders who were apparently the strongest supporters and followers of the new Caliph. Again Talhah and Zubair ~ called on Ali~ and requested him to send them to Basrah and Kufah to put the people right as they had large followings among them. But Ali~ grew suspicious and did not allow it. Useful Counsel of Mughirah and lbn Abbas~ On the third or fourth day after being installed as Caliph, Ali. issued orders deposing all the governors appointed by Uthman bin Affan ~ and replaced them with his own. Knowing this Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~, a farsighted man and close relative of Ali~ called on him and said that his decision to hold Talhah and Zubair ~ back from going out of Al-Madinah would have an adverse effect on the Quraish, and he would lose much of their sympathy.

Moreover, he (Ali) had deposed the governors of Uthman's period too hastily. He advised Ali~ to leave those governors in their places and simply seek their obedience. Ali ~ rejected the advice of Mughirah ~ outright. The next day Mughirah ~ came again to Ali~ in the presence of Abdullah bin Abbas ~- During the conversation, he advised Ali ~ to depose the governors of Uthman's period without delay. Since he History of Islam said that in clear contradiction of his previous advice, Abdullah bin Abbas ~ remarked when he (Mughirah) left, "Mughirah had given a wise counsel yesterday but he has deceived you today." When Ali ~, sought his opinion he said, "It was better for you to leave Al-Madinah at the time of Uthman's martyrdom. But now it is the demand of reason that you keep the governors of Uthman intact until your caliphate gains stability.

If you act too quickly in deposing the governors, Banu Umayyah will create doubt in the minds of people that they were being deposed for demanding Qisas." Hearing this Ali ~ said, "I shall straighten out Mu'awiyah with my sword and make no concessions." Ibn Abbas ~ said, "You are a brave man no doubt but the Prophet ~ has said: 'War is deceit.' (al-Bukhari:3030) So, if you act on my advice, I shall suggest to you such a device that, if you put it into practice, Banu Umayyah are sure to be left wondering without finding any way out." Ali ~ said, "I possess traits of characters neither like you nor like Mu'awiyah." lbn Abbas ~ said, "As for my opinion, it is better for you to leave for Yanbu and stay there with your doors shut. In such a case the Arabs will go from place to place without finding a worthy man like you. But if you go about with the slayers of Uthman, they will accuse you of being an accomplice to this heinous act." Ali ~ said, "I don't consider it proper to act upon your advice; you should rather follow what I say." lbn Abbas ~ said, "It is undoubtedly proper for me to carry out your orders." Thereupon Ali ~ said, "I want to send you as the governor of Syria in place of Mu'awiyah." Ibn Abbas ~ said, "Mu'awiyah is an ancestral brother of Othman bin Affan, while I am related to you. So they will kill or arrest me with my entry into Syria. It is better that you first enter into correspondence with Mu'awiyah and take Bai'ah from him." But Ali ~ rejected the proposal. Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ witnessed that Ali ~ neither acted upon the advice of Ibn Abbas nor of his own and so Mughirah ~ left Al-Madinah for Makkah.

Deposition and Installation of Governors Ali 4l;k> appointed Uthman bin Hunaif for Basrah, Umarah bin Shihab for Kufah, Ubaidullah bin Abbas for Yemen, Qais bin Sa'd for Egypt and Sahl bin Hunaif for Syria. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate When Uthman bin Hunaif reached Basrah, some people accepted him right away and showed their obedience but some others kept quiet to follow the people of Al-Madinah. Umarah bin Shihab appointed for Kufah was on his way to Kufah when Tulaihah bin Khuwailid came across and advised him to return because the people of Basrah wanted no replacement for Abu Musa Ash'ari ~- And if he rejected his advice he would kill him then and there. Following this advice he came back. Ya'la bin Munyah, the governor of Yemen had left for Makkah before the new governor Ubaidullah bin Abbas reached there to take charge peacefully. When Qais bin Sa'd reached Egypt, some people pledged their allegiance while others delayed it; still others pleaded that they wanted to do nothing before the arrival to Egypt of their fellows from AI-Madinah.

Sahl bin Hunaif on the way to Syria met in Tabuk several horsemen who inquired about him. On the disclosure that he was going as the governor of Syria, they said to him in a firm tone, "If you are going to Syria appointed by somebody other than Uthman, then it is better for you to go back." Sahl returned from there. By the time he arrived in Al-Madinah, other governors had also reached the capital of lslam. Jarir bin Abdullah Al-Bajali was governor of Hamadan at the time of the martyrdom of Uthman ~-Ali~ wrote him to come to him in AlMadinah after taking the oath of allegiance of the people of his province, and he reached Al-Madinah accordingly. Mu 1awiyah's Support to Truth Ali ~ sent a letter to Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ through Ma'bad Aslami. In reply to the letter, Abu Musa ~ let him know: "The people of Kufah have taken the oath of allegiance at my hands.

Most of them have done it with pleasure while others reluctantly.". This letter gave him some satisfaction. About the same time a letter was sent to Mu'awiyah ~ through Jarir bin Abdullah and Sabrah Al-Juhani in Damascus. For three months no History of Islam reply came and Mu'awiyah ~ kept the Caliph's emissary waiting. After that he handed over a sealed letter to his emissary Qabisah Absi and sent him accompanied by Jarir bin Abdullah. The letter was clearly addressed to Ali ~- They reached in the month of Rabi' Al-Awwal 36 AH.

The emissary gave Mu'awiyah's letter to Ali~- When the envelope was opened, it contained no letter. Ali ~ looked towards the emissary angrily. The emissary shuddered from within and said, "I am an emissary and safety of life is my right." Ali~ said: "Yes, you are safe." The emissary then said, "Nobody will pledge support to you. I have seen sixty thousand souls weeping over the bloodstained shirt of Uthman bin Affan. They have also put the shirt on the grand mosque of Damascus to provoke the people." Ali ~ said, "They want to take the revenge of Uthman on me even though I stood absolved from Uthman's blood. May Allah deal with the murderers of Uthman." Saying this, he returned the emissary to Mu'awiyah ~- Deviation of the Followers of lbn Saba The rioters and the followers of Abdullah bin Saba abused the emissary and wanted to beat him up but some people saved him and he was some how able to reach Damascus.

Jarir bin Abdullah was also accused of being a party to the conspiratorial activities of Mu'awiyah ~ on account of his long stay in Damascus. As a result of this allegation, he became so frustrated that he went to Qarqaisia instead of Al-Madinah. Mu'awiyah ~ later called him to Damascus through a messenger. Preparations for the Invasion on Syria When the people of Al-Madinah came to know of the strained relations between Ali and Mu'awiyah ~, they feared further bloodshed. They sent Ziyad bin Hanzalah to Ali ~ as a feeler. Ali ~ asked him to get ready.

"What for?" Ziyad asked. "For invading Syria," Ali ~ firmly replied. "You should deal with them rather politely," he suggested. "No, the insurgents must be punished," Ali ~. said. Knowing the intentions of Ali ~, both Talhah and Zubair ~ called on Ali ~ and sought permission to go to Makkah to perform Umrah. Ali ~ allowed them to leave Al-Madinah for any further Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate detention was unreasonable.

He then announced throughout AlMadinah to get ready for the invasion on Syria. Furthermore, he wrote letters to Uthman bin Hunaif in Basrah, Abu Musa in Kufah and Qais bin Sa'd in Egypt to make military preparations from their respective resources and send them to Al-Madinah on demand. Military Action against the Muslims When most of the people of Al-Madinah got ready for this purpose, Ali ~ placed Al-Madinah in the charge of Qatham bin Abbas and made his son Muhammad bin Hanafiyah the standard-bearer of the Islamic army. Abdullah bin Abbas~ the commanding officer of the right wing and Amr bin Abu Salamah ~ that of the left while he put Abu Laila bin Al-Jarrah, the brother of Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ on the vanguard. However, he was cautious enough not to engage anyone from among the rioters for any military service. Ali ~ had not finished the job of allotting military positions when news was given to him that the Makkans were making preparations against him.

Following this news he postponed his march against Syria. Preparations of the Mother of the Believers in Makkah It has already been mentioned that Aishah 1$, had returned to Makkah on hearing the news of Uthman's martyrdom. On reaching near to Makkah she was also told that the people of Al-Madinah had taken the oath of allegiance at the hands of Ali~- She returned to Makkah in such a state that people grouped around her mount. She said to them, "By Allah Uthman has been killed without any fault and I shall take revenge on his behalf. It is unfortunate that people collecting from the outskirts of the cities and forests, and the slaves of Al-Madinah opposed Uthman simply because he had appointed governors from our youths, although his predecessors had also done this. When the rioters failed to establish their claim, they rose against Uthman and committed a breach of trust.

They shed the blood declared prohibited by Allah the Almighty; they committed bloodshed in the city that Allah the Almighty had made the place of migration for His Messenger ~ , and did it in the month when History of Islam hostilities are forbidden and plundered property unlawfully. By Allah even a finger of Uthman is superior to all the world. Uthman is free from the blame they have put on him." Abdullah bin Amir Hadrami was the governor of Makkah appointed by Uthman bin Affan ~ - When he heard Aishah ~, he said very firmly, "I will be the first to take revenge of Uthman's blood." Hearing this all the men from Banu Umayyah who had reached Makkah after the martyrdom of Uthman ~ , rose in support of action against the murderers. Saeed bin Al-Asi and Walid bin Uqbah were also among them. Abdullah bin Amir had reached Makkah after being deposed from the governorship of Basrah, while Ya'la bin Munyah had come from Yemen along with six hundred camels and six hundred thousand dinars. They all sat together to find a way of avenging the blood of Uthman ~- When Talhah and Zubair ~ reached Makkah from Al-Madinah, Aishah ~ sent for both and inquired of them the reason behind their arrival in Makkah.

They gave the reason that the rioters being in control, the noble and saner people found it totally unsafe to live in Al-Madinah. Aishah ~ then said, "You should then rise against them along with us." Both of them expressed their favor and support to this plan. The entire population of Makkah was obedient to the Mother of the believers. Four persons, Abdullah bin Amir and Ya'la bin Munyah, the former governors of Basrah and Yemen, Talhah and Zubair, were among the commanders of Aishah's army and considered to be men of sense and determination. At first, advice came from someone to proceed to Syria avoiding AIMadinah. But the proposal was set aside because of Mu'awiyah's power and capacity to keep Syria intact.

Then came the proposal to proceed to Basrah for Abdullah bin Amir~ had a considerable circle of his friends and well-wishers and Talhah ~ also had influence over the people of Basrah. Thus they had hope of getting much support there. Someone suggested to face the eventualities in Makkah but Abdullah bin Amir ~ stated that the Makkans would not be able to withstand the onslaught of the army of Al-Madinah. Moreover the joint forces of Makkah and Basrah would be enough to face any danger. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate In short, the proposal gained general support and preparation for Basrah began in full swing. Other Mothers of the believers too expressed their desire to accompany .A.ishah ~.

When Abdullah Omar ~ was contacted, he pleaded in support of the people of AlMadinah. He also stopped Hafsah ~ from accompanying .A.ishah ~ to Basrah. Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ had also reached Makkah, he too accompanied the army. Departure from Makkah to Basrah Abdullah bin Amir and Ya'la bin Munyah ~ had come to Makkah with a large amount of money and goods from Basrah and Yemen. Thus they took an active part in organizing the army of .A.ishah ~ . Before the departure it was announced in Makkah that Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ~ were leaving for Basrah and the people sympathetic to Islam and demanding retaliation for the blood of Othman ~ were invited to join their party.

Thus an army of one and a half thousand people marched to Basrah. People began to join on the way and the army very soon swelled to three thousand. Umm Fad! bint AI-Harith ~ the mother of Abdullah bin Abbas~ happened to be with the force. She sent Zafar, a person from Juhainah tribe as a courier to Ali ~ with a letter containing a detailed account of the m1ss1on. The other Mothers of believers accompanied .A.ishah ~ returned to Al-Madinah from Dhat-Irq. Mughirah bin Shu'bah, Saeed bin Al-As and some others also left army on the base of some differences.

The Governor of Basrah opposes the Plan When the army came close to Basrah, .A.ishah ~ sent Abdullah bin Amir J.,sk, into the city with letters in the names of the distinguished personalities of Basrah and awaited their response. When Othman bin Hunaif, the governor of Basrah came to know of the arrival of Aishah ·~ he sent to her some influential persons of Basrah as emissaries. They called on the Mother of the believers and inquired about the reason behind their arrival. She said explaining the reason, "The rioters and miscreants from some tribes have spread rumors in order History of Islam to create confusion in the Muslim ranks and put Islam to harm. I have, therefore come out to put such elements to right and acquaint them with the real facts." They got up and called on Talhah and Zubair ~ and put to them the same question. Giving their own reason, they said, "We have come out to avenge the blood of Uthman." They said, "Haven't you two taken Bai'ah at the hands of Ali?" They replied, "Yes, we pledged out support to Ali provided he avenge the blood of Uthman.

Moreover, swords were then hanging over our heads." The emissaries went back to Uthman bin Hunaif in Basrah and communicated to him the whole account. He heard all this with an element of shock and asked their opinion. They asked him to be patient. But he expressed his resolve to keep holding them back until the arrival of Ali~- The emissaries left and closed their doors upon themselves. Othman bin Hunaif gave a call to the people of Basrah to get ready to fight and to assemble in the mosque. When people assembled, Uthman bin Hunaif asked a man named Qais to address the audience.

He said, "People! If Talhah, Zubair and their people have come to seek safety, there is something wrong for even the birds of Makkah are safe and nobody can do them any harm. And if they have arrived for avenging the blood of Uthman bin Affan, then we are not the murderers. It seems more proper to send them back with honor." Hearing this, Aswad bin Sari' Sa'di got up and said, "They have not come here taking us to be the slayers of Uthman bin Affan, they have rather come to us to seek our help against the slayers of Othman bin Affan." With these words uttered at the moment, the people got infuriated and began to hurl gravel at Qais and the session ended in confusion and disorder. It was, however, gathered that Talhah and Zubair ~ had a following in Basrah. Battle-Array When Aishah ~ came up to Mirbad at the head of her army, Othman bin Hunaif came out with his own and a battle line was drawn.

Talhah ~ was on the right wing and Zubair ~ on the left. When the two armies came face to face, Talhah ~ emerged first of all and described the excellences of Uthman 4'k, after glorifying Allah the Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Almighty, and then appealed for avenging the blood of the martyred. Then came out Zubair ~ and testified to what Talhah ~ had said. Following this Aishah ~ uttered some words of wise counsel. The impact of her speech divided the people of Uthman bin Hunaif into two groups. While one group was still adamant, another gave up the idea of fighting for the reason that fighting against Talhah and Zubair ~ was not justified.

When Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ,$,, witnessed the rift in their ranks they returned to their camp. However, Uthman bin Hunaif remained firm. Moreover, he sent Jariah bin Qudamah to Aishah ~ and he said, "O Mother of the believers! The assassination of Uthman was far better than your coming out on the back of this wretched camel. Allah the Almighty has made you to observe Hijab (veil) but you put the Hijdb to disgrace. If you have come here of your own, it is better for you to go back to Al-Madinah; if by force, then seek Allah's help." The speech had not ended when Hukaim bin Jabalah attacked the army of Aishah ~ .

But the battle stopped in the evening. The next day Hukaim bin Jabalah drew the battle line again and the two forces attacked one another. Hukaim was killed on the battlefield and Uthman bin Hunaif had to taste defeat. Basrah was captured by Talhah and Zubair ~- Uthman bin Hunaif was brought as a captive. But Aishah ~ ordered him to be set free. He went straight to Ali~- Although Basrah came under the sway of Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ,;*", the condition was not different from the rule of Uthman bin Hunaif, as Basrah was still a mixture of elements for and against the winner.

Ali• marches from AI-Madinah When Ali ~ was informed of the developments in Makkah and Basrah, he expressed shock and grief and gave the people a call to fight with the insurgents. Even though fighting against Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ,$, was an unpleasant act for the people of AlMadinah, most of them responded to the call when they saw AbulHaitham Badari, Ziyad bin Hanzalah, Khuzaimah bin Thabit and Abu Qatadah ,$, had approved. He left Al-Madinah at the end of Rabi' AlAkhir 36 AH. Some groups of the Kufis and Egyptians joined Ali~- History of Islam Abdullah bin Saba-the Jew and Hypocrite Abdullah bin Saba also joined the army of Ali ~ along with his followers. Abdullah bin Salam ~ came across them on the way and said holding the bridle of Ali's horse, "O Chief of the believers; go not from AI-Madinah. By Allah, if you go out, no head of the Muslims will ever come back to Al-Madinah." The people rushed towards Abdullah calling him bad names.

Ali ~ asked the people to leave him, saying he was a good man from among the Companions of the Prophet ~- When he moved further ahead, he was informed to his shock that Talhah and Zubair ~ had already marched into Basrah. Ali ~ halted at Rabadhah and sent orders to various parts of the country from here. Moreover, he sent Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~ and Muhammad bin Ja'far ~ to Kufah to collect and bring people. Since the people disliked to fight with Talhah and Zubair ~,Ali~ promised not to attack them unless they forced him to fight back. A little ahead of Rabadhah, a party from the Tai tribe joined the army. Amr bin Al-Jarrah was put on the vanguard.

At Faid, they came across a person coming from Kufah. When he was asked about Abu Musa Ash'ari ~, he remarked, "If you have not come out to make peace with Talhah and Zubair, Abu Musa will not help you." Ali ~ observed, "Talhah and Zubair first pledged their allegiance to me and then committed a breach of trust. They obeyed Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman but have opposed me, if they but knew that I am not different from them," saying this he cursed Talhah and Zubair ~- The Two Muhammads in Kufah When Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ and Muhammad bin Ja'far ~ gave the letter of Ali ~ to Abu Musa ~ in Kufah and tried to persuade the people to join the camp of Ali ~, they showed no interest. When Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ insisted, they remarked, "Going out to fight is a temporal affair while sitting in peace is the way to the Hereafter." Others kept to the line. When Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ and Muhammad bin Ja'far ~ got angry and behaved rudely to Abu Musa ~ he said, ''The Bai'ah to Uthman still hangs Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate round Ali's and my neck. If fighting is necessary, the murderers of Uthman should be fought wherever they are met." They returned empty-handed and gave the account to Ali .t-k, at Dhi Qar.

Ashtar and lbn Abbas i~ in Kufah When the mission of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ and Muhammad bin Ja'far ~ failed to bring any fruit, Ali .t-k, asked Ashtar to go with lbn Abbas ~ and try to bring Abu Musa ~ around to their point of view. They reached Kufah and tried their level best to persuade him but he remained adamant in his opinion to the last and this mission too failed. Ammar bin Yasir and Hasan bin Ali ~ in Kuf ah On the return of Ashtar and Ibn Abbas ~' Ali~ sent his son Hasan .t-k, and Ammar bin Yasir ~ to Kufah. Being informed of their arrival, Abu Musa ~ came to the mosque. He embraced Hasan ~ and said addressing Ammar bin Yasir ~ ' "You joined the transgressors instead of lending support to Uthman." Ammar~ denied the charge. Meanwhile, Hasan ~ spoke out that people held no consultations with them and they had nothing in mind but putting the matter right.

Moreover, the Chief of the believers feared none in his task of bringing reforms to the people. Abu Musa ~ said with due respect, "May my mother and father be sacrificed for you, you spoke the truth. But the Prophet ~ has said, 'Affliction is to be caused in the near future. In such a situation the sitting one wilJ be better than the standing and the standing will be better than the mounted. And alJ the Muslims are brethren among themselves. Their blood and possessions are prohibited for each other.'" Abu Musa's statement enraged Ammar bin Yasir ~ and he called him bad names.

Abu Musa .t-k, kept quite. But some people fell on Ammar but Abu Musa saved him. During these days A.ishah ~ wrote letters to the people of Kufah from Basrah advising them not to lend support to anyone and either sit behind closed doors or come to their help for they have come out to avenge the blood of Uthman. Zaid bin Suhan began to read out the History of Islam letter to the audience. Shabath bin Rib'i hurled abuse which caused anger in the audience, and they openly rose in support of Aishah ~. Abu Musa ~ got up to pacify and advise them to keep indoors, provide shelter to the oppressed, and keep the points of their spears down and their swords sheathed.

Hearing all this, Zaid bin Suhan asked the audience to lend help and support to Ali ~- A few others followed suit. Thereupon Ammar bin Yasir ~ said, "People! Ali has called you to give your due. Corne out and help him." Following this Hasan bin Ali ~ spoke: "O people! Accept our invitation, obey us and help us in this present crisis. The Chief of the believers says, 'Help us if we are victims and force us to get your due if we are wrongdoers.' He has also said, 'Talhah and Zubair had taken Bai'ah at my hand first and then broke it before others.'" The speech produced the desired effect at once and they rose in support of the Caliph.

Malik Ash tar was also sent after Hasan and Ammar ~, he reached Kufah at a time when Hasan bin Ali ~ was speaking to the people. His presence added to the zeal of the people and nobody was ready to listen to Abu Musa Ash'ari ~ - Hasan bin Ali~' Ammar bin Yasir ~ and Ashtar left Kufah at the head of a nine thousand strong army and were greeted by Ali~ at Dhi Qar. Speaking highly of them the Caliph Ali ~ said, "I have troubled you, 0 people of Kufah to join us in fighting the people of Basrah. However, if they change their mind, it is most welcome, but if they insist on their viewpoint, we shall treat them politely so that we are not accused of initiating atrocities." Having heard this, the people of Kufah joined the army of Ali ~ at Dhi Qar. Next day, Ali ~ sent Qa'qa' bin Amr~ towards Basrah. It was here that Owais Qarni took the oath of allegiance at the hands of Ali ~- Endeavor for Mediation Ali ~ had sent Qa'qa' bin Amr~ to Basrah to know what was on the minds of Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ,$, and to bring them to the path of peace taking or renewing their Bai'ah.

Qa'qa' ~ was very eloquent and wise. He first submitted to Aishah ~: "What has led you to such an act and what do you want?" She replied, "My sole aim is to bring reforms to the people and put them on the line set by the Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Quran." He then put the same question to Talhah and Zubair ~ and got the same reply. Thereupon Qa'qa' bin Amr~ said, "If your aim is to make the people follow the Qur' an, the purpose cannot be achieved by the way you like it." They said, "The Quran enjoins Qisas (retaliation) and we want to take it." Qa'qa'~ said, "How Qisas can be taken this way? Establishment and stability of the caliphate are among the top priorities, which bring peace and solidarity and may ensure avenging the blood of Othman. Now, in the absence of peace and order and any administrative system, how is anybody within his rights to take Qisas. You have killed a large number of people here in Basrah just for the taking of Qisas for Othman, but Hurqus bin Zuhair could not be caught.

And in the wake of chasing him, six thousand men stood at his back to fight with his opponents and you gave up chasing him. In the same way, you should have waited if Ali could not take Qisas on account of his preoccupations in curbing violence and consolidating power. How reasonable is it for you to stand against them and thus aggravate the situation? In such a situation, violence wiJI grow and the murderers of Othman will remain safe from Qisas." Saying aJI this, Qa'qa' bin Amr~ said in a heart-rending tone: "The greatest reform at this time is to make peace with one another so that the Muslims as a whole should live in peace and safety. You are the leaders of virtues and stars of guidance. By Allah, keep from pushing us into some trial lest you will not be able to be safe and the Muslim Ummah will also pass through a great ordeal." Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ,$, were immediately moved at the utterance of Qa'qa' ~ and they said with one voice: "If Ali nourishes such a thought and he has in mind his duty of taking Qisas, there is no point in any dispute.

Until now we thought he had some soft corner in his heart for the murderers with the result they have joined Ali's army and carry out his orders." Qa'qa' bin Amr~ said, "What I have said is the reflection of Ali's thought." They said, "We too then have nothing to do against him." Qa'qa' ~ then proceeded to the army of Ali ~- A group of influential people of Basrah also accompanied him. They wanted to know whether Ali ~ and the people of Kufah were inclined to peace or not. They were informed that, people were saying History of Islam 21bout Ali ~ that after conquering Basrah, he will kill the youths and make their women and children slaves. This rumor was spread by the followers of Abdullah bin Saba in Basrah who were a part of Ali's army. When Qa'qa' bin Amr ~ appeared before Ali ~ and gave the whole account of his success in Basrah, he expressed great joy. The people of Basrah then asked the people of Kufah who formed a part of Ali'J army about their intentions.

They spoke in favor of peace. Following this, Ali~ called them and referred to his efforts to make peace. They showed s21tisfaction and left with the good news. Consultations for Mischief-Making After the beginning of the peace mission, Ali ~ concentrated his army and delivered an eloquent and impressive speech. He then ordered a march to Basrah the next day. He made it clear that the movement was not meant for fighting but for bringing peace.

Besides this, he asked those to keep away who had surrounded the house of Uthman bin Affan ~ - Learning this, Abdullah bin Saba and the Egyptians grew anxious. This group that was isolated from the rest of Ali's army, numbered about two to two-and-a-half thousand men, some being very clever and influential among them. Abdullah bin Saba held consultations with various groups in a special assembly, which included Abdullah bin Saba, Ibn Muljam, Ashtar and his gang including llba bin AIHaitham Sadusi, Salim bin Tha'labah and Shuraih bin Aufa etc. Giving vent to their feelings they said, "Talhah and Zubair have been demanding Qisas and now Ali seems to be backing their cause. He asked today to keep us separate from the army, tomorrow, after joining hands with them, he will take Qisas and punish us all." Ashtar said, "Talhah, Zubair and Ali are all one in their opinion concerning us. Now the pillar of peace will be erected on our blood.

So, in my opinion, Talhah, Zubair and Ali should also be sent to Uthman. This will be the end of all our troubles." Abdullah bin Saba who was presiding over the assembly, further said, "You are small in number while Ali has an army of twenty thousand behind him. Talhah and Zubair have another thirty thousand troops with them. Thus our job Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate is very difficult." Salim bin Tha'labah suggested, "We should leave for some where else until peace is restored." Shuraih seconded the proposal. But Abdullah bin Saba rejected it as useless. Everyone then rose to give his own suggestion.

At last they turned to Abdullah bin Saba to put forward his suggestion. He then said, "Brethren. It is better for all of us to keep within the army of Ali. In case he expels us, we should remain at a close distance from his army base on the reason that we want to help his army in case a battle breaks out. Moreover, we should leave no stone unturned to arouse both sides to fight one another. Once the battle begins, our troubles are gone." The Battle of Jamal The next morning Ali~ gave marching orders to his army.

A section of the rioters accompanied the army while the other part kept itself at a little distance. Bakr bin Wa'il and Abdul-Qais clans joined the army on the way. In Basrah, Ali ~ pitched his tents at the grounds of Ubaidullah Palace. From the opposite side, the army of Aishah, Talhah and Zubair ;~ came to the same ground. Both sides kept silent for three days awaiting the result of the ongoing peace talks. In the meantime someone said to Ali~, "Why have you come here?" Ali~ said, "I am here to curb the disturbances and bring about peace for the Muslims." The man said, "What will you do if the people of Basrah reject your peace efforts?" Ali~ said, "We shall leave them to their state of affairs." He than said, "You may leave them but what will you do if they are not ready to leave you." Ali ~ said, "In such a situation we shall defend ourselves." Meanwhile another person spoke out, "Talhah and Zubair maintain that they have revolted to seek the Pleasure of Allah.

Do they, in your opinion, have any right in support of avenging the blood of Uthman?" Ali ~ replied, "Yes, they also have a right." He then said, "Do you also have a reason for delaying Qisas?" Ali~ replied, "Yes, when something becomes doubtful, one should take cautious steps before going into action." The same person said again, "What will follow for them and for us in case a battle breaks out?" Ali .tk, said, "The person killed on both sides will go to heaven." History of Islam After this, Ali ~ sent Hakim bin Salamah and Malik bin Habib to Talhah and Zubair ~ to know if they were still firm on the peace talks held between them and Qa'qa' bin Amr~; if so, they should keep from starting a battle until the matter is finalized. Talhah and Zubair ~ told Ali~ that they maintained their promise. Following this Talhah and Zubair ~ came out from their ranks responding while Ali~ too emerged from his side and they all came very near to one another. Ali ~ then said addressing Talhah ~, "You have collected this army against me. Could you give an excuse for your action and prove it valid? Am I not your brother in Faith?

Is not our blood unlawful for each other?" Talhah ~ replied, "Have you not hatched a conspiracy to kill Uthman?" Ali ~ replied, "Allah the Almighty knows everything and He will send His curse on the killers of Uthman. And Talhah, have you not taken Bai'ah at my hands?" Talhah ~ replied, "Of course, I have taken Bai'ah but with a sword hanging over my head, and on the condition of your taking Qisas from the killers of Uthman." Following this, Ali ~ turned to Zubair ~ and said, "Do you remember that the Prophet ~ had once told you that you will fight someone and you will then be a wrongdoer?" Having heard this Zubair ~ said, "Yes, now I remember. But why did you not remind me before my departure from Al-Madinah? Had it been in my mind, I would not have left the city, I will not fight with you any more." [This talk and the like of it is not approved by the research scholars to be true.] In the wake of this talk, Zubair ~ came back to his army and called on Aishah ~ and said, "Ali has today reminded me something following which I will not fight with him at any cost. I have now decided to go off leaving all others." Aishah ~ was also nourishing such an idea for the prophecy of the Prophet ~ on her mind. But before her reply to Zubair ~, Abdullah bin Zubair ~ came in and said to his father, "You decide to leave when you have already brought both sides to the battlefield and incited one against another.

It seems the huge army of Ali has sent terror into your heart and made you a coward." Hearing this, Zubair ~ got up and moved with his weapons into the army of Ali ~ , walked around and came back. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate When Ali ~ noticed him drawing near, he asked his men not to obstruct his movement. Thus nobody showed disrespect to him. Zubair ~ then said to his son, "Had I been afraid of Ali's army, I would not have gone there all alone. The fact is this that I have vowed not to fight with him." Abdullah ~ then asked his father to set his slave free as an atonement for his vow. Zubair ~ said, "I have seen Ammar in the army of Ali, and I remember the Prophet ~ had once said: 'A rebel will kill Ammar.' In short, the thought of fighting has gone out of my mind." Encouraged by such a peaceful atmosphere, Abdullah bin Abbas ~ went to Zubair and Talhah ~ from Ali's side and Muhammad bin Talhah ~ came to Ali~ on behalf of Zubair and Talhah ~ and the peace terms were finalized by the evening of the third day.

The peace document was decided to be written and signed the next morning. Within these three days, Abdullah bin Saba and his party could not avail themselves of any opportunity to create mischief. They grew vehemently anxious when they came to know that the peace document between the two sides was about to be signed the next morning. They went into emergency consultations, which continued the whole night. At last they fell upon the army of Zubair and Talhah ~ - They made a column their target, which answered back and a full-fledged battle resulted. Loud cries of war made Talhah and Zubair ~ come out of their tents.

On inquiry they were told that Ali's troops had attacked their army. Thereupon Talhah ~ remarked, "Ali will not rest without bloodshed." The hue and cry of fighting drew Ali ~ out of his tent and the followers of Abdullah bin Saba told him that Talhah and Zubair ~ had attacked his army all of a sudden and forced his men to fight back. Ali ~ passed almost the same remark saying, "Alas, Talhah and Zubair will not rest without bloodshed." Following this, he started issuing orders to various sections of his troops. Fierce fighting enveloped the battlefield. Military commanders on both sides were unaware of what led to the all-out battle. However, both sides appeared not to chase the fleeing soldiers nor attack the wounded nor seize the property of their opponents.

These calls from both sides established beyond doubt that despite the fighting, neither of the History of Islam sides had any feeling of hatred. Both camps were expressing disgust over what was going on. Ka'b bin Sur went to Aishah ~ and said, "The battle has begun. It is better for you to mount on a camel and go to the battlefield. Maybe your presence hold them back from fighting and pave the way for peace efforts to begin." Hearing this she mounted on the camel. As a precautionary measure armor was put on her litter and the camel was made to stand at a place from where the sight of battle was perfectly clear.

But things went contrary to this plan and the flames of war leapt higher and higher. Fighters from her camp were filled with great fervor when they saw her on the battlefield as if she had come to increase the enthusiasm of her troops. Soon after the beginning of the battle, an arrow hit the leg of Talhah ~ and his sock was filled with blood, which was flowing profusely without stop. When Qa'qa' ~ who was fighting on behalf of Ali ~, noticed the plight of Talhah ~, he came near to him and said, "O Abu Muhammad! Your wound is very serious; it is advisable that you go back to Basrah at once." He did accordingly. But as soon as he entered Basrah, he fell unconscious, died and was buried there.

Marwan bin Al-Hakam was fighting on behalf of Talhah and Zubair ~- Talhah ~ was not in favor of fighting with Ali~ and stood alone away from his army. He wanted to keep neutral, for he was pondering over the utterances of Ali ~' in the talks between Ali and Zubair il:@~ and the prophecy about Ammar bin Yasir ~ -The more he thought over the issue of war, the more he became disheartened and discouraged. When Marwan bin Hakam witnessed his indifference to the ongoing battle, he felt tremendously annoyed. He then gave his slave a sign who covered his face with a sheet. Thus being his identity concealed, Marwan took an arrow dipped in poison and targeted Talhah ~- The poisoned arrow hit the leg of Talhah ~ and pierced the stomach of his horse, which fell down along with its rider. Talhah ~ then called the slave of Ali~ who had appeared on the scene and renewed his Bai'ah to Ali ~ either on his hand or at the hand of Qa'qa' ~ who also was there.

After the renewal of the Bai'ah, he returned to Basrah and passed away. When Ali~ came to know of Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate this, he invoked the blessing of Allah for him and kept admiring and expressing sorrow for him. Peacemaking Efforts of Zubair ~ When the battle broke out, Zubair bin Al-Awwam ~' who had already decided not to fight, held himself back. Ammar ~ noticed him and threw a challenge to fight. But he refused to fight with him. Since Ammar ~ considered him the root of the trouble, he made an advance and attacked him.

But Zubair 4ffi, kept defending himself without hitting him until Ammar ~ became exhausted and Zubair ~ had an opportunity to get away. Ahnaf bin Qais from Basrah was lying with a large number of men encamped separately as a neutral force. When Zubair ~ passed by his camp, Amr bin Al-Jurmuz, a man from the army of Ahnaf bin Qais, followed him. He went near to him and began to move along with him. In order to dispel any doubt, he asked Zubair ~ to give his opinion on some issue. Arriving at AsSaba Valley, Zubair ~ stood in prayer.

And as he lay prostrate, Amr bin Al-Jurmuz struck him with his weapon and came straight to Ali ~- Someone informed Ali~ that the assassin of Zubair ~ had come to meet him. He gave him permission with the remark, "Let him come in and give him good news of hell as well." When Ali ~ saw Zubair's sword in his hand, tears came down from his eyes and he said, "O tyrant! This is the sword which had guarded the Prophet ~ for long." These words cast such an effect that the assassin thrust his own sword into his belly after passing some disrespectful remarks against Ali 4ffi, and thus went to Hell. Separation of Talhah ~ Talhah and Zubair ~ kept themselves apart right from the beginning of the battle. But small chieftains of various clans were firm in their resolve to fight on behalf of Aishah ~. But she also, on the other hand, was in favor of peace and agreement.

Moreover, there was none left on their side to lead and guide in the fight. They did not even know the real intention of Aishah ~ under whom they claimed to be fighting. However, she could not hold her troops back, they were all under the impression that Ali ~ had deceived them by his sneak History of Islam attack after the peace negotiations were about to be finalized. The people of Basrah had in mind the rumor that Ali~ had a plan to kill their men and enslave their women and children. As a result of these misgivings, more than ten thousand Muslims gave their lives for no cause. And up to the last nobody knew the real cause behind the ordeal.

Every individual appeared to be accusing his rival for the calamity that happened. Ali ~ was himself in command of his army and he was organizing such fierce attacks on the opponents that they were repulsed. Ali's army made such an advance that Aishah's camel had come within the range of attack. Ka'b was holding the halter of Aishah's camel and it was he who had escorted the Mother of the believers to battlefield hoping for peace. The swordsmen of Basrah clustered around Aishah's camel to save it at the cost of their lives with the result the battle took a very serious turn. In the wake of such a bloody battle, Aishah ~ asked Ka'b to leave the halter and advance raising the Quran and calling the people to follow the dictates of the Book of Allah.

Ka'b did accordingly. But the followers of Abdullah bin Saba showered arrows on him and he was honored with martyrdom. This tragic event filled the people of Basrah with zeal and fervor and in a short while there was a heap of dead bodies around the camel of Aishah ~ . The people of Basrah were laying down their lives to save the camel of Aishah ~. It became clear to Ali ~ that the presence of Aishah ~ in the battlefield would never allow the situation to cool down, for her mount had become the center of killing and bloodshed. There were heavy showers of arrows on her litter from all sides and she was cursing the murderers of Uthman ~ - [These arrows were exposing the reality of Islam and Faith of those who were showering them.] Ali ~ ordered his men to target the camel, for its fall would bring the battle to its end.

After a number of attacks and counterattacks someone got an opportunity to strike the legs of camel, which made it sit down with a shriek. With the fall of the camel, the supporters of Aishah ~ dispersed. Qa'qa' bin Amr ~ hurried to the spot and asked Ali's men to surround the camel on all sides. Ali ~ asked Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ to take care of his sister and see that she suffers no harm. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate When her litter was taken out of the heap of the dead bodies and put at a distance, Ali ~ reached there and sent his greetings and compliments to her and said, "Dear mother! How are you?

May Allah forgive all your sins." Aishah 1$,, replied, "May Allah forgive your sins too!" Following this, commanders of various columns appeared to greet the Mother of the believers. A.ishah ~ then said to Qa'qa' ~: "I wish l had died twenty years before the event of this day." When Qa'qa' ~ related this to Ali ~ ' he too said, "I wish I had died twenty years before this event." This battle became known as the battle of Jamal (camel) because the camel Aishah ~ was riding, had turned to be the center of fighting. The supporters of Aishah ~ numbered thirty thousand out of which nine thousand were killed, while one thousand seventy men out of twenty thousand laid down their lives from the side of Ali~- [But the fact is that about five thousand from each side were killed in this battle (AI-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, 7 / 218). Besides the number of the fighters described here seems to be exaggerated and opposite to each other.] Ali ~ led the funeral prayers of all the slain and had them buried. He also announced that those establishing their respective rights on them could take the goods and properties away. When evening set in, Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ took his sister, the Mother of the believers, to Basrah and entrusted her to Safiyyah bint Al-Harith bin Abu Talhah in the house of Abdullah bin Khalaf Khuza'i.

The next day, Ali ~ made his entry into Basrah where the people took Bai'ah at his hands. Afterwards, Ali ~ came to A.ishah ~ . Since Abdullah bin Khalaf had lost his life in the battle, his mother greeted him with loud reproaches. But Ali ~ gave no reply. Although, the people accompanying him showed displeasure, Ali ~ said to them, "Since women are weak by nature, we forgive even the polytheist women and these are the Muslim women." Ali ~ then showing the highest regard, asked the Mother of the believers if she suffered any trouble. Complete peace was restored and good faith prevailed on both sides.

Each of them apologized for the actions taken. Abdullah bin Abbas ~ was then appointed the governor of Basrah. Ali ~ asked Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ later to make preparations for the History of Islam journey. Thus, in Ra jab 36 AH, Ali~ bade farewell to A.ishah ~ in the company of forty ladies of influential families of Basrah headed by Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ -He himself escorted the Mother of the believers for several miles then the charge was handed over to Hasan bin Ali ~- She arrived at Makkah, stayed there until Dhul-Hijjah, and then left for Al-Madinah in 37 AH after performing Hajj. A number of men from Banu Umayyah had also taken part in the battle of Jamal against Ali ~- The battle being over, they left for Damascus to meet Mu'awiyah ~- Abdullah bin Zubair ~ who had received injuries in the battle, took shelter in the house of a man from Azd tribe in Basrah. A.ishah ~ sent for him through her brother, Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~, and took him to Makkah.

One more Mischief of the Saba Sect After sending A.ishah ~ from Basrah, Ali~ distributed cash from the treasury of Basrah among those who had fought under his banner. Each of them received five hundred dirhams. Following this, he told his men that in case of their attack and victory over Syria, their fixed amount of stipend would be increased but they would be entitled to get the same amount from the booty. The followers of Abdullah bin Saba started criticizing and reproaching Ali ~ openly following the end of the battle. They had grown hostile simply because Ali~ had strongly forbidden plunder of the goods and property. Ali's soft attitude, counseling and all peaceful efforts to make them see reason, fell on deaf ears until one day they disappeared from Basrah.

Anticipating their mischief, Ali ~ chased them at the head of an army but they were not found. It is to be noted here that Abdullah bin Saba had been the greatest supporter of Ali ~- However, the conquest of Basrah had taken away from him the opportunity to inflict anymore loss and harm to Islam by supporting Ali ~' so he turned against Ali~ to continue his work against the cause of Islam. It was, in truth, the same group consisting of the Muslim-like Jews and anti-Islamic elements which later rose in the guise of the Khawarij. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Soon after the martyrdom of Umar Faruq ~' conspiracies, secret societies and bodies of forces antagonistic to Islam sprang into being and they still continue. No period in the history of Islam passed without them. They sometimes appeared in the guise of Abu Lulu' and his inciters and at times in the shape of Abdullah bin Saba and his followers and the Khawarij.

The same agency worked against Banu Umayyah through the Abbasids and Alawis and then against the Abbasids through the Umaiyads. Sometimes they appeared as Fidai Ismaili group. The same secret societies appeared in the guise of Freemasons, Nihilists and Anarchists and sometimes it put on the garb of diplomacy in the foreign officers. Even the early period of the Prophetic era was not free from these secret conspiracies. Not more than twenty or twenty-five years was there free from these activities and the period spanned the later part of Prophethood and the Caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar ~- Thus the conspiracies hatched against the Islamic forces were neither strange nor surprising. The people of the Saba sect who had disappeared from Basrah after openly criticizing Ali ~ , spread in a large area of Arab and Iraq, and collected around them ruffians and riffraff who had their own axes to grind.

They proceeded first to Sajastan to set against Ali ~ all the Persian provinces one by one so that he would not be able to manage the affairs of the State peacefully, and not find an opportunity to invade Syria. Being informed of their antagonistic activities, Ali ~ sent Abdur-Rahman bin Jurw Tai with a detachment but he was martyred in the encounter. Hearing this Rib'i bin Kas marched with a detachment of four thousand and defeated the miscreants. In the meantime, preparations for the battle of Siffin took a start. Now, the opportunist Saba clandestinely became a part of Ali's army to take advantage of the situation. Kufah becomes the Capital The most important task before Ali ~ following the battle of Jamal was to subdue Syria and force Mu'awiyah ~ to take Bai'ah.

So, he considered it necessary to make Kufah his capital. The Kufis happened to be the main strength of Ali's army. There was another History of Islam reason behind making Kufah the capital and military center of Islam because Kufah was nearer to Damascus than Al-Madinah. Kufah spread its shadow of influence up to the Persian provinces. Umar Faruq ~ had consolidated Al-Madinah as the power center of Islam, which was necessary at that time. But events suffered drastic changes during the days of Ali ~- Before Ali~, the Caliphs of Islam ruled from Al-Madinah, the center of power.

They had no role to play as a commander of the Islamic forces. But Ali ~ under the pressure of circumstances, had to lead his army to battle and assumed the role of the commander. And this was one factor that cast injurious effects on his administration. Something worthy of notice here is that a section of the rioters and murderers of Uthman ~ had joined Abdullah bin Saba as a result of his great efforts, and therefore, came to be called the party of Abdullah bin Saba. A large number of Muslims had become his followers out of their gullibility but the number of real followers of Abdullah bin Saba was very small. These few persons were clever enough to mislead large numbers of people into trusting the sincerity of their scheme.

Thus, they would often change their tools according to their needs and circumstances. That was the reason why this party led the rioters to do away with Uthman ~ and his caliphate and a greater number of them took part in the battle of Jamal. But when they turned against Ali ~, many among the rioters severed their relations with the party. They rather sided with Ali ~ and played a prominent role in strengthening his hand and thus gaining power and influence in his court. When Ali ~ settled in Kufah, they became closer and more influential, which in turn made Mu'awiyah's position stronger. It was because of this that those in favor of taking Qisas (retaliation) for Uthman's blood, sided with Mu'awiyah ~ in spite of the superiority of Ali~, which they all knew.

Egypt and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr·~ About the time of Uthman's martyrdom, Muhammad bin Abu Hudaifah ~ had captured the governorship of Egypt by dismissing Abdullah bin Sa'd ~- However, with his becoming Caliph, Ali~ sent Qais bin Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Sa'd ~ to Egypt as governor of the province. The new governor reached Egypt along with only seven persons and dismissed Muhammad bin Abu Hudaifah ~ and took charge as governor of Egypt. In Egypt also there were men like Yazid bin Al-Harith and Maslamah bin Mukhallad who declined to take Bai'ah on the plea of awaiting the settlement of the issue of Qisas (retaliation). However, they promised silence until a solution was found. Qais bin Sa'd ~ gained popularity and respect in Egypt by virtue of his character and abilities. When the battle of Jamal ended and Ali ~ settled in Kufah, Mu'awiyah ~ anticipated a two-pronged attack on Syria one by Iraq from the east and one by Egypt from the south.

However, Mu'awiyah ~ was not so weak as to be swallowed up easily. He had reason to grow strong with the passage of time and with the caliphate facing troubles, he placed his own house in peace and order. Every day he made himself stronger and he was a power formidable enough to answer back any challenge. He arranged a daily display of the bloodstained garments of Uthman ~ and the fingers of Uthman's wife on the pulpit of the grand mosque of Damascus. People in large numbers cried aloud and mourned the victims of these atrocities. The people would never leave the mosque until they had vowed to avenge the assassination.

Furthermore, a strong Syria was necessary, for it was constantly under the threat of Roman attack. Mu'awiyah ~ was never found lacking in inviting and honoring men of letters and arms from all over Arabia. He utilized every opportunity available to claim his right to retaliate for the martyrdom of Uthman ~- He had spent the whole year since the assassination, in making total preparations for the anticipated danger, while Ali ~ remained surrounded by threats, challenges, troubles and fighting throughout this period. Even though the entire world of Islam barring Syria was under the rule of Ali ~, he never enjoyed such a power and influence as was wielded by Umar Farug ~- His loyalists were found everywhere in Hijaz, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, and Persia but his opponents also had their say. Thus Ali ~ was not in a position to get the full support and military aid from any province under his direct rule. History of Islam The state of affairs with Mu'awiyah • was quite different.

He had the support of the Syrians as a whole. As a matter of war strategy, he wanted to remove the threat from the Egyptian side because he dreaded the power and abilities of Qais bin Sa'd •. Fortunately for him, he soon got an opportunity to eliminate the threat from Egypt. Mu'awiyah • wrote Qais bin Sa'd ~ to help him for he simply wanted to avenge the blood of Uthman •. Qais firmly wrote him back that Ali ~ had no hand in the assassination of Uthman • and so he should take Bai'ah at Ali's hand like the others, instead of opposing him. In the meantime Qais bin Sa'd. wrote a letter to Ali~ advising him not to put pressure on the people who were keeping silence on the subject of Bai'ah.

Abdullah bin Ja'far ~ suggested to Ali~ to write Sa'd ~ not to overlook the problem or to leave the people unpunished if they refused to take Bai'ah. Ali~ wrote him accordingly. But instead of carrying out the orders of the Caliph, he wrote him again suggesting him to leave them as they were, for any pressure would make them rise against the caliphate and join the opponents as well. As the letter reached Kufah, the emissaries of Ali ~ convinced him that Qais bin Sa'd ~ must have joined hands with Mu'awiyah ~ -Ali ~ was reluctant to accept their idea and he considered Sa'd ~ qualified and necessary for Egypt. When Mu'awiyah ~ came to know of these suspicions, he began to praise Qais bin Sa'd ~ openly in his court. He also commenced telling the people that Qais ~ had come to his side and had begun to support those demanding Qisas (retaliation).

The spies of Ali ~ gave him the whole account of the new developments, with the result that he deposed Qais bin Sa'd ~ and replaced him with Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~- Qais ~ reached AlMadinah shocked and frustrated. Al-Madinah was without a ruler after Ali • had shifted to Kufah. Elements supporting and opposing Ali ~ could be found there. When Qais bin Sa'd ~ reached Al-Madinah, Mu'awiyah ~ sent Marwan bin Al-Hakam to persuade him to go to Damascus. Qais ~ declined the offer and when he was roughly treated, he left for Kufah. When he related the whole event to Ali ., the latter expressed satisfaction and kept him in his company.

Hearing this, Mu'awiyah Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate ~ wrote to Marwan: "Had you reinforced Ali with an army of one hundred thousand fighters, it would have been better than Qais joining Ali." Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~, with the assumption of power, announced to the people to either take Bai'ah or leave the country. They requested him not to be in a rush and give them a few days to think and decide. He flatly refused any respite, with the result they sprang into action to safeguard themselves against the eventuality of him trying to punish them. The result was that Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ remained entangled with them even after the end of the battle of Siffin. Amr bin Al-As ~ was with Mu 1awiyah ~ Amr bin Al-As~ had conquered Egypt. While the rioters entered AlMadinah and surrounded the house of Uthman ~, he decided to leave Al-Madinah.

He took with him his sons, Abdullah and Muhammad and settled in Bait Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Being there, he remained in contact with all the developments that took place following the martyrdom of Uthman ~- When he was informed that the danger of a large-scale bloody battle hung over the head of the Muslim Um mah, Amr bin Al-As~ held consultations with his sons about his role as a peacemaker. Before the battle of Jamal, four persons had a claim to the caliphate. One was Ali ~ who had already become the Caliph and a large number of people had taken Bai'ah at his hands, and the second and the third being Talhah and Zubair who were killed during the battle of the Jamal. Now the fourth one left in the field to stake his claim to the caliphate was Mu'awiyah ~- He had refused to take Bai'ah on the claim that Ali ~ was made Caliph with the support of the rioters and the killers of Uthman ~ who were also being patronized by Ali~- On the other hand, Ali ~ claimed that in regard to the services to Islam, proximity and relationship with the Prophet~ and in being one of the first to embrace Islam, Mu'awiyah ~ was not on par with him. Both of them had reasons for their claims.

In such a confusing situation Amr bin Al-As~ thought it quite unwise to keep aloof. He History of Islam decided to play his role in helping the two hostile forces reach a consensus. He arrived in Damascus and Mu'awiyah ~ welcomed him. He made no delay in telling Mu'awiyah ~ that he was within his rights to avenge the blood of Uthman ~- At first Mu'awiyah ~ practiced caution but later he became satisfied towards him and made Amr bin Al-As~ a member of his government. Amr bin Al-As ~ then advanced his suggestion to Mu'awiyah ~ that consecutive display of the bloodstained garments and slashed fingers would reduce the fervor of the people. So it should be put on display on special occasions.

Mu'awiyah ~ liked this suggestion and so the daily mourning and crying came to an end. Amr bin Al-As~ then let Mu'awiyah ~ know that the battle of Jamal had very much eroded Ali's military power and a large number of his troops had already perished. In addition, the wise and influential people of Basrah had lost their lives in the strife and only the weak masses had pledged their allegiance to Ali ~ and they would be of little help to him. Furthermore, the fighting machinery of Ali ~ had been reduced to disorder because of the large-scale killing of the Muslims on both sides had dampened their spirits. The appraisal of Amr bin Al-As ~ was not unreasonable, even the Saba sect knew it well. Preparations for the fighting in Siffin With his arrival in Kufah, Ali ~ was determined to make preparations against Syria.

Abdullah bin Abbas ~ also left Basrah with his army. Hearing this, Ali~ too marched to Nukhailah putting Abu Mas'ud Ansari~ in his place. Abdullah bin Abbas ~ joined Ali there. Ali ~ then dispatched Ziyad bin Nadr Harithi at the head of an eight thousand strong vanguard. He also sent Shuraih bin Hani at the back of Ziyad with four thousand fighters. Ali ~ came to Mada'in and sent Ma'qal bin Qais with a detachment of three thousand after putting Sa'd bin Mas'ud Thaqafi in charge of Mada'in.

From Mada'in, Ali ~ reached Raqqah and crossed the Euphrates to meet the joint forces ofShuraih, Ma'qal and others. When Mu'awiyah ~ came to know that Ali ~ was marching on Syria, he hurriedly sent Abul-A'war Sulami at the head of a squadron in the form of vanguard. Ali~ sent Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Ziyad and Shuraih ahead of the vanguard. When these generals entered the Syrian borders, they were informed that Abul-A'war was heading a detachment against them. They informed Ali~ of the situation who sent Ashtar to take charge of the forces and to put Ziyad and Shuraih to the right and left wings. He also instructed not to attack the Syrians unless they were attacked by them.

Ashtar acted accordingly. Abul-A'war camped in front of them. Both camps passed the whole day in silence. By the evening, Abul-A'war launched an attack on his opponents but they separated after a brief encounter. The next day, Abul-A'war stepped forward and was faced by Hashim bin Utbah and they kept fighting until noon. Each of them was retreating to his camp when Ashtar launched a sudden attack.

AbulA'war also responded with his men. The fighting continued until the darkness of night intervened to stop it. The next day, Ali ~ appeared on the scene. News also came about Mu'awiyah's march towards the battlefront. Ali~ stopped fighting and ordered Ashtar to capture the banks of Euphrates for water. But Ashtar found to his disappointment that Mu'awiyah ~ had already captured the water of the Euphrates.

When Ali~ became aware of this, he sent Sa'sa'ah bin Suhan with a letter addressed to Mu'awiyah ~ which, contained: "We would not have started this fight with you until we heard your grievances and called you to the right path. However, your men preferred to launch an attack on our troops and started the aggression. Now we think it fit to first invite you to the straight path before meeting you in the battlefield. It is quite unfortunate that you have initiated your war activities by capturing the water resources and stopped the supply of water to us, with the result that our troops are under the stress of thirst. It is better to ask your men not to prevent us from fetching water until the controversies are peacefully resolved. However, if you want to fight over the water instead of attaining the main goals, we are ready for that as well." Mu'awiyah ~ called an emergency meeting and placed the demand before his advisers.

Abdullah bin Sa'd, the former governor of Egypt and Walid bin Uqbah spoke against lifting the ban on water so that they should be left to die without water as they had done with History of Islam Uthman bin Affan ~. But Amr bin Al-As ~ said pleading against them, "Stopping the supply of water is not reasonable because many from your own camp may not bear the tragic deaths of Ali's men without water and they might join Ali's camp to fight against you declaring you unfair and stone-hearted." Mu'awiyah ~ announced not to block the supply of water and the situation that was heading towards an armed conflict was defused. [The dispute over the water seems to be incorrect. Euphrates is not a tank or pool that any party can get hold of it. It is a river thousands of miles in length and each party could have taken water from its side.] Following this, both sides kept silent for two days. Parties from Hijaz, Yemen, Hamadan and other parts of Arabia and Persia joined Ali's army to make it swell to ninety thousand, while Mu'awiyah ~ was in command of eighty thousand troops. [Historians differ on the number of troops. Some have mentioned the same and others have mentioned differently.] Ali ~ had given the command of the horsemen of Kufah to Ashtar and those of Basrah to Sahl bin Hunaif, the infantry of Kufah was commanded by Ammar bin Yasir and those of Basrah by Qais bin Sa'd bin Ubadah ~, while Hashim bin Utbah was made the standard-bearer.

Other clans and parties from various provinces were put under the command of their respective chiefs. In the army of Mu'awiyah ~' Dhil-Kala' Himyari was put on the right wing, Habib bin Maslamah on the left and the vanguard was handed over to AbulA 'war Sulami. The cavalry of Damascus was put under the command of Amr bin Al-As ~ while the infantry was headed by Muslim bin Uqbah. Other small columns were given to the commanding officers like Abdur-Rahman bin Khalid, Ubaidullah bin Umar and Bashir bin Malik Kindi and others. On the third day, Ali ~ broke his silence and sent Bashir bin Amr bin Mihsan Ansari, Saeed bin Qais and Shabath bin Rib'i Tamimi to convince Mu'awiyah ~ to accept obedience and to take Bai'ah of Ali ~. Bashir bin Amr ~ said to Mu'awiyah, "O Mu'awiyah, refrain from creating any rift in the Muslim ranks and avoid bloodshed." Mu'awiyah ~ retorted, "Have you counseled this to your friend Ali?" Bashir replied, "He is among the first believers in Islam and a Second Half of the Riglztly-Cuided Caliphate very close relative of the Prophet~ and has, therefore, more right to caliphate than all others." Mu'awiyah ~ said, "It is not at all possible for us to give up our demand for avenging the blood of Uthman." Thereupon Shabath bin Rib'i said, "O Mu'awiyah, we know very well your purpose behind the demand for Qisas.

You delayed help to Uthman so that he would be martyred giving you an opportunity to stake your claim to the caliphate on the pretext of avenging Uthman's blood. 0 Mu'awiyah, avoid any conflict with Ali and see reason." This led to hot exchanges with Mu'awiyah ~ and the deputation proved fruitless. First Stage of the Battle of Siffin When peace talks failed, they came to a clash. But the zeal and fervor they used to experience in fighting against the disbelievers was absent because of the ties of friendship and relationship between the opposing sides. Men from both sides generally wanted to avert the scourge of battle. Since circumstances had led both the parties to dictate terms unacceptable to the other side and they couldn't compromise in achieving their purpose, fighting became inevitable. However, they tried to avoid all-out fighting.

They started with a duel that lingered on for a few days. A little later the rage for fighting increased and with it, the chiefs of small parties began to face each other one by one. Thus the dual changed into clashes between small parties, while the armies on both sides remained silent spectators. This exercise continued for about a month. This period may be considered as the first stage of the battle of Siffin. With the beginning of the month of Muharram, both the parties had a one-month respite and fighting was totally stopped.

The contacts and peace talks were started again. Men on both sides desired t.uccess for the peace talks and had an aversion to war except the Saba party who had vested interests. Success of the peace talks could be virtually a deathblow to their nefarious plans. Thus they were leaving no stone unturned in keeping both sides at odds. They were doing all within their power to aggravate the situation. Ali ~ was in a fix.

He could neither quit the caliphate nor punish the rioters and assassins of Uthman ~- To punish a mighty commander History of Islam like Malik Ashtar, a governor like Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ and a respected Companion like Ammar bin Yasir ~ meant antagonizing the Egyptian and Kufi forces. Moreover, the role of rioters in the assassination of Uthman ~ could not be exactly determined for lack of definite witnesses. On the other hand, Ali~ was more deserving of the caliphate by all standards. Mu'awiyah ~ considered himself equally important by virtue of being a distinguished personality of Makkah, the son of Abu Sufyan ~ , commander-in-chief of the huge Makkan armies in the battles of Uhud and Ahzab (Confederates), commander who achieved great victories against the Romans since the beginning of the caliphate, great administer who governed Egypt very efficiently, brother of a wife of the Prophet ;i and a scribe of the Revelation. He was bound with Uthman ~ in ancestral ties and he therefore, considered himself within his rights to avenge the blood of Uthman ~- It was to him highly improper and unreasonable to evade Qisas (retaliation) for the murder of such a grave nature by merely declaring it doubtful. The explanation given by Ali ~ was neither understandable nor worth understanding to him.

The revolt of Talhah ~ and Zubair ~, the many Companions in Al-Madinah who declined to take Bai'ah and the support received from Amr bin Al-As ~ had fortified his conviction and determination in his stand. The leadership on both sides would be forced to restore peace and amity if advisors, supporters and commanding officers played their roles positively. The Muharram cessation of fighting was a golden opportunity to implement the peace proposal but the Saba party was active enough to sabotage the peace mission and they were successful in their treachery. Another Peace Effort during Muharram At some date in Muharram of 37 AH, Ali~ sent a peace commission to Mu'awiyah ~ to initiate talks. It consisted of Adi bin Hatim, Zaid bin Qais, Ziyad bin Khasafah, and Shabath bin Rib'i. Initiating the peace talks, Adi bin Hatim ~ said after praising Allah the Almighty, "O Mu'awiyah, your recognition and obedience to Ali will bring peace to Muslims as a whole.

None has rejected the call to take Bai'ah Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate except you and your friends. If you still insist on deviating from the path of righteousness, I am afraid, you will invite the same ordeal, the people of Jamal faced." Cutting short the speech of Adi, Mu'awiyah ~ said, "O Adi! Have you come here on peace mission or on a war mission? Don't you know I am the grandson of Harb, I fear not fighting? Since you too are among the assassins of Uthman, Allah the Almighty will put you to death." Following this, Yazid bin Qais said, "We have come as emissaries and so it is not our mission to counsel you. Nevertheless, we should make an all-out endeavor to bring peace and unity to the Muslims and remove disunity." Saying this, he began to state the excellence of Ali ~ and his worthiness of being the Caliph of Islam.

In reply to his statement, Mu'awiyah ~ said, "How do you call me to join a party when I, too, have a party of Muslims with me. I don't consider your friend worthy of the caliphate for he assassinated our Caliph and sheltered the assassins. Peace may be established only when the assassins of Uthman are handed over to us." Interrupting the statement, Shabath bin Rib'i spoke out, "O Mu'awiyah! Will you kill Ammar bin Yasir?" Mu'awiyah ~ replied, "What can prevent me from killing Ammar? I shall surely kill him as a retaliation for the blood of Uthman's slave." Shabath bin Rib'i firmly said, "You will never be able to kill him unless you meet your death." Mu'awiyah ~ answered back, "You are to meet your death first." After such hot exchanges, the commission left without any success. The Speech of Ali ~ Mu'awiyah ~ then sent a similar commission to Ali ~ , which included Habib bin Maslamah, Shurahbil bin As-Samt, and Ma'n bin Yazid.

Initiating the talk, Habib bin Maslamah said to Ali ~, "Uthman was the rightful Caliph. He managed the affairs under the guidelines set by the Book and the Sunnah. But his life appeared detestable and so you killed him; if not, you should hand over the assassins to us and relinquish the caliphate at once giving an opportunity to the people at large to choose a caliph according to their will." Hearing this, Ali ~ grew furious and chided him saying, "You should keep quite. You have no right to make such a statement History of Islam concerning the caliphate." Thereupon Habib bin Maslamah retorted, "You are to see me in a state which will make you become unpleasant," meaning thereby, the sword will decide the matter. Ali ~ angrily said, "Go and do whatever you like." Saying this, Ali~ got up and spoke after praising Allah the Almighty, describing the purpose behind the advent of the Prophet ~ and eulogizing the caliphate of the two former Righteous Caliphs: "I found them performing their duties correctly. So, I held myself back from meddling in their affairs.

They then chose Uthman as Caliph. His style of functioning caused dissatisfaction among the people and they killed him. Following that, they requested me to accept their Bai'ah, which I granted. But Talhah and Zubair violated their pledge and Mu'awiyah opposed me, even though he is not among the first to embrace Islam like me. I wonder at your obedience to him although I call you towards the Book and the Sunnah and the Pillars of Faith." Hearing his speech, Shurahbil bin As-Samt said, "Do you not bear witness that Uthman was oppressively martyred?" Ali~ replied, "I hold Uthman neither oppressed nor oppressor." Having heard this, they got up saying, "We rather abhor one who evades holding Uthman a victim. It is all the same for such people whether they are asked to see wisdom or not." No considerable peace efforts were made after the failure of that mission.

One Week of the Battle of Siffin At the end of Muharram 37 AH, Ali ~ issued orders to his army that a decisive battle would begin from the first of the month of Safar. Along with this he added that the fleeing opponents will neither be chased nor killed; nor the goods of the wounded be taken, nor their dead bodies mutilated, nor the women be put to excesses even if they call bad names. Such orders were also issued from the other side. Thus the battle broke out on the first morning in Safar. The people of Kufah advanced under the command of Ashtar, and the Syrians headed by Habib bin Masalamah, faced one another. The battle continued until evening but remained indecisive.

The next day, Hashim bin Utbah came out at the head of a column of cavalry and infantry from the side of Ali~, and Abul-A'war Sulami Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate on behalf of Mu'awiyah •. But the daylong bloody battle produced no results. On the third day, Ammar bin Yasir ~ from Ali's camp, and Amr bin Al-As~ from that of Mu'awiyah ~ faced each other. It was more severe an encounter in comparison to previous ones. Ammar bin Ya.sir~ launched such a fierce attack that Amr bin Al-As ~ had to fall back. But the day, however, went without any result.

On the fourth day, Ubaidullah bin Umar ~ led the column from Mu'awiyah's side and Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah, the son of Ali ~ from Ali's side but the battle remained indecisive. By the evening, Ubaidullah bin Umar ~ challenged Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah to a duel, which he accepted, but Ali~ rushed to the spot and brought Muhammad back, Ubaidullah ~ also went back to his camp. The fifth day saw Walid bin Uqbah coming out from Ali's camp, and Abdullah bin Abbas ~ from Mu'awiyah's side, and fought the whole day, while the sixth day, Malik Ashtar and Habib bin Maslamah came out again for a decisive battle but it was an exercise in futility. On the seventh day, Ali ~ and Mu'awiyah ~ led their armies against one another but no body could win the day. This weeklong battle failed to produce any result because in number and art of warfare and valor both sides were almost equal. However, the enemy camp of Saba rejoiced at the bloodbath of the Muslims on both sides.

Although the week proved ill-fated, more ominous days were to come. The Last Two Days of the Battle of Siffin After a week of severe battles, both the armies got ready for a decisive battle. On Safar 8, 37 AH, Ali~ launched his assault on Mu'awiyah's army. Ali ~ occupied a place in the center where the notables of Kufah, Basrah, Al-Madinah and from Banu Khuza'ah and Banu Kinanah had their presence. Abdullah bin Budail bin Warqa Khuza'i was put on the right wing and Abdullah on the left. Every clan had its fixed place, separate standard and leading officer.

Ammar bin Yasir ~ had been given charge of the people singing martial songs and reciting the Quran. Qais bin Sa'd ~ and Abdullah bin Yazid were also put on the same job. History of Islam Mu'awiyah ~ , on the other hand, took Bai'ah (pledges) for death in his camp. He gave the right wing of his army to Ubaidullah bin Umar • and left to Habib bin Maslamah. Ali's right wing first made the advance and Abdullah bin Budail Khuza'i attacked the left wing of Mu'awiyah's army led by Habib bin Maslamah. Under the hard pressure of Abdullah, Habib's cavalry was forced to retreat until it reached the spot where, Mu'awiyah ~ with his men, had taken the pledge for death.

With an eye on the setback of his right wing, Mu'awiyah ~ ordered his men to attack. The attack was so massive that Abdullah bin Budail was left with only two hundred fifty men while all others fled to take shelter behind Ali ~- In view of the ordeal suffered by his right wing, Ali ~ sent Sahl bin Hunaif as the commanding officer of the Madinites to reinforce and protect Abdullah bin Budail. But in a short while Budail succumbed to death along with his party. The left wing also tasted defeat at the hands of the Syrian force. None but the Rabi'ah tribe fought with courage and firmness. All others fled the battlefield.

With this scenario, Ali~ sent his sons, Hasan, Husain and Muhammad to reinforce the Rabi'ah tribe so that they were not routed. He then asked Ashtar to call the right wing and put them to shame or force them to avoid escape. Ali. himself made an advance towards the left wing and began to measure his sword with the enemy. The presence of Ali ~ produced courage in the Rabi'ah tribe whose charge become more forceful. When Ahmar, the slave of Abu Sufyan • saw Ali • in action, he made an attempt on his life but Ali's slave Kaisan engaged him but was killed in the encounter. With the killing of his slave, Ali • launched an assault on Ahmar and in a state of utmost fury, he lifted him up and knocked him down so violently that his both hands turned useless.

The Syrian army attempted an attack on Ali ~ but the people of Rabi'ah stood in the way. Ashtar, on the other hand, upheld the right wing. Thus the chance of success, which was, at one stage, slipping out of the hands of Ali ~ returned to an equilibrium. Both sides were fighting with almost equal valor and firmness. By afternoon, Malik Ashtar pushed back the left wing of Mu'awiyah ~- But the cavalry of Mu'awiyah ~' which had Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate taken an oath for death, came to the rescue of the retreating column and pushed Ali's right wing far behind. Now Abdullah bin Husain, the comrade of Ammar bin Yasir ~, came forward with a martial song on his lips while Uqbah bin Hadid Numairi came from the opposite camp and was killed.

In the wake of his death the Syrian army made a massive attack which was sustained by Ali's troops with firmness despite an initial setback. Ali~ came with a column on the left wing to the rescue of the right wing and a pitched battle was fought. Dhul-Kala' Himyari and Ubaidullah bin Umar ~ launched such a forceful attack on the left wing of Ali's troops that even the Rabi'ah tribe could not withstand the onslaught, and a large number of fighters lost their lives. Following this disaster of the left wing, Abdul-Qais stepped forward and lent support to the Rabi'ah tribe and checked the advancement of the Syrian troops. Timely reinforcements revived the left wing and both Dhul-Kala' Himyari and Ubaidullah bin Umar ~ were killed. In short, the right and left wings of both the armies kept fighting from morning to evening, but the hearts of both sides were steady.

At last, Ammar bin Yasir ~ moved through the army of Ali ~ calling out, "Whoever has a desire to gain the Pleasure of Allah the Almighty, and has no wish to go back to his possessions and children should join me." A large number of the army responded to his call and vowed to fight to the finish. At the end, he came to Hashim bin Utbah, the standard-bearer of Ali ~, he took him with his dedicated men and launched such a massive attack that Amr bin Al-As~ could barely withstand it with much difficulty. At last, Ammar ~ was killed. The news of Ammar bin Yasir's death saddened Ali ~- The Syrian Army too was aroused to fight forcefully. The battle air was filled with the rattling sound of swords and spears and loud voices of martial songs. This was the night of Friday, it is known as Lailat-ul-Harir.

Owais Qarni was also martyred in the same night. Ali ~ was running through the battleground with lighting speed directing the right wing then guiding the left and at times crossing swords with the Syrians. Abdullah bin Abbas ~ was heading the left wing while Ashtar was in charge of the right one. Mu'awiyah ~ was also fighting with Amr bin Al-As~ and the other chiefs. The night passed in fierce fighting but with no outcome. History of Islam Ali ~ once, piercing through the Syrian army, reached very near to Mu'awiyah ~ at the head of twelve thousand troops and threw a challenge for a duel, for it was to him better than the large-scale massacre on both sides.

Hearing the call, Amr bin AI-As ~ told Mu'awiyah ~ that the proposal of Ali ~ was reasonable and he should go for a duel. "Why do you not like this for yourself? Don't you know that the one who goes to fight with Ali doesn't came back alive?" Mu'awiyah .tk, uttered bitterly. He then added with a laugh, "You, perhaps, want me to go for a duel so that I am killed and you become the ruler of Syria." Ali~ received no reply and came back with no result. Thirty hours of continuous fighting took a toll of seventy thousand Muslim fighters from both sides. Such a clash of Muslim forces was a terrible catastrophe.

Seventy thousand valiant Muslim fighters could have conquered the whole world. With the decline of noon, Malik Ashtar handed over the charge of his contingent to Haiyan bin Haudhah and took a squadron of cavalry and stirred the soldiers to fight to the finish. Although the battle was equally balanced, more than half of the troops on the Syrian side had lost their lives. Now, Mu'awiyah ~ had only thirty-five thousand fighters out of eighty thousand on his side. Ali .tk, had, on the other hand, lost twenty to twenty-five thousand soldiers while about sixty thousand fighters were still ready to fight under his command. Ali~ had with him double the number of fighters as Mu'awiyah's troops. [This analysis seems to be unrealistic, Tabari and Baihaqi mention the number of martyrs on the Ali's side to be double of Mu'awiyah's.

Forty thousand men from Ali's army and twenty thousand from Mu'awiyah's army were killed. (Al-Biddyah wan-Nihayah, 7 /244).] In such a state, Ali~ had an opportunity to separate a portion of his troops to launch a heavy assault on the Syrians while keeping them engaged from the other side. Malik Ashtar made a tremendous attack with his cavalry and reached the heart of enemy pushing and smashing the Syrians. When Ali ~ saw his cavalry making inroads into enemy's heart, he started sending reinforcements after reinforcements to strengthen the attack. His strategy worked. The standard-bearer of the Syrian Army was killed by Ashtar.

Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Now the scene of carnage was near the camp of Mu'awiyah ~ and Amr bin Al-As ~- Ashtar's dashing charge broke the right and left wings and both sides shrank into fighting in a small circle leaving no chance for the opponents to enforce their strength. Large-scale killings including that of the standard-bearer had terribly frightened the Mu'awiyah camp whose defeat was now imminent. In such a crucial and chaotic stage, Amr bin Al-As ~ salvaged their position with a novel device. The End of the Battle At this juncture, Amr bin Al-As~ counselled Mu'awiyah ~ to order his men to raise the Quran high on the point of their spears crying aloud: "Between you and us is the Book of Allah." The Syrians began to say that they bowed down to the verdict of the Quran. Someone was heard saying, "Muslims! we were fighting in the way of Faith; come on and obey the judgement of the Quran and make peace." Some others called out, "O people! Who will fight the Romans if the Syrians are destroyed, and who will face the eastern invaders if the Iraqis are ruined?" When Ali's men witnessed the Quran raised with the spears, they stopped fighting at once.

Abdullah bin Abbas ~ remarked at the new developments: "It was fighting until now but this is the beginning of cheating." Ali ~ tried to make his men understand not to fall short of carrying their mission to its logical end, for the victory was not far away. However, as the people had been completely exhausted by continuous fighting, they found this an opportunity from providence to stop fighting without delay. Moreover, the fierce and bloody fighting that was still going hid the fact that victory was within reach. The nearness of victory was visible only to Ali~ and his generals and officers and had not yet come into the view of the fighters' sight so they were not in favor of fighting further. Ashtar was sure of his victory and was in full command of the situation, it seemed unreasonable and illogical to call him back from the battlefront. It was tantamount to undoing of all his efforts and sacrifices.

But fighters including the hypocrites of Saba party surrounded Ali ~ on all sides to stop fighting and to recall Ashtar. History of Islam Ali ~ was still undecided when a strong threat of internal fighting changed his mind and he called Ashtar back. They threatened him with the consequences of Uthman ~- In response to the menacing situation, Ali ~ was compelled to issue emergency orders for Ashtar to come back at once as the door of a series of problems was now thrown open. Ashtar called off the fighting, but very reluctantly. [These details about the last part of the Siffin Battle, especially the complete submission of Syrian army, and the raising of the Quran on the spears, are false fabrications of Shiite narrations while the actual events testify differently: The Prophet ~ had directed Ali ~"' and Fatimah ~ to mention Sublz§n Allah, Al-hamdu lillah and Allahu Akbar, thirty-three times each while going to sleep. The Prophet~ told this act better than getting a slave. Ali ~ told that he never discontinued this act.

When he was asked whether he continued this act even on the night of Siffin, he replied that even that night he performed it. (Bukhari 5362, Fath Al-Bari 9/506). Some other narrations also strengthen this fact. As these mentions are recited at the time of sleep, it is proved that the fight was stopped during this night of Siffin and people got the chance of taking a rest or sleep. In Sahih al-Bukhari, the Book of Commentary (S{irat Al-Fath), there is a narration about this event. The first part of it is not so clear, but in Musnad Ahmad (3/ 485) and An-Nasa'f (2/306), this event is welldescribed with the reference of Sahih al-Bukhari.

According to the wording of Musnad Ahmad, Habib bin Abu Thabit said: I went to Abu Wa'il, he said, "We were in Siffin, when the fight with Syrians grew fierce, Amr said to Mu'awiyah: 'Send the Scripture (Quran) to Ali, and call him towards the Book of Allah, he cannot refuse it to you.' So, a man took Quran to him and said, 'Between us and you, this is the Book of Allah.' Then he recited the Verse which accuses the people of the Scriptures: 'Have you not seen those who have been given a portion of the Scripture? They are being invited to the Book of Allah to settle their dispute, then a party of them turns c1way, and they are averse.' (V.3:23). On this Ali said, 'We are more entitled to it than you.' (Thus he at once agreed to make the Book of Allah their judge, and stopped fighting. Upon this) some distinguished persons said (who became Khawarij later): 'O Chief Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate of the believers, what we have to see of them now? Should we not go with our swords until Allah decides between us?' On this Sahl bin Hunaif said: 'O people, blame yourselves. We have seen ourselves on the day of Hudaibiyah.

If there was a possibility of fight, we would have fought.' (A narration of Bukhari says: 'If I could have resisted the order of .the Prophet ~' I would have done that.' It means that the order of Allah and His Messenger is to be obeyed, and there is no other way. Here also the Book of Allah is accepted as judge, so no other way out)." Many points are known from this narration: L The proposal presented by Amr bin Al-As~ to make the Quran judge was not to cheat the Iraqi people but to stop Muslims indulging in more bloodshed and destroying themselves.