4. The new caliph will be responsible for the investigation and the

Qisds of the murder of Uthman, so Mu'awiyah should remain quiet about his claim of Qisds of Uthman until the new caliph assumes his responsibility. The first three points of this decision can be found in slightly altered form in all the history books. It is the characteristic of Shiites that they change an event in such a condition and such a trick that all the good and virtuous aspects are turned into evil and vicious appearance. As they have changed the good proposal of making the Book of Allah a judge to stop the battle of Siffin, into a cheating trick of raising the Quran on spears to deceit Ali~ and to avoid the defeat; while the truth was that only one man took the Quran to Ali.;$;,. The fourth point is proved right by the fact that after it, Mu'awiyah ~ remained quiet about his claims regarding Qisds of Uthman .;$;,.

The third point is verified by a narration of Ibn Umar ~ in Sahih Bukhari which states that he went to the gathering to hear the decision of the arbitrators by the insistence of Hafsah ~ . He said: "When the people dispersed (after hearing the decision), Mu'awiyah delivered a Khutbah and said: 'Whoever wants to say something in this matter (the caliphate), he should present his head for us. (He should remember that) we are more rightful to it than him and his father."' (Bukhari 4108, Fath Al-Bari 7 I 403) This shows that the arbitrators had made a decision for the selection of a caliph unanimously apart from the two fighting chiefs. Mu'awiyah ~ was challenging the same person who may be the candidate of caliphate after the decision. The sitting in which Mu'awiyah ~ made the challenge, was not a gathering of people from both the sides, but it was a group of such great Companions who remained neutral in the fight.

Even Habib bin Maslamah was not present in the gathering who was very close to Mu'awiyah ~- The Companions surely had guessed about the attitude of Mu'awiyah ~ that he would not accept any other History of Islam caliph easily, and there was a possibility of severe resistance from his side; and in such a case the selection of a new caliph would create more turmoil. Moreover, if the historic narratives are correct, when the decision was reported to Ali ~' he denied accepting it saying that the decision was not according to the Book of Allah, and that the arbitrators had exceeded in their powers. While no point of the decision was against the Book of Allah, nor the arbitrators had decided anything exceeding their powers. However, the result of the attitude of Ali ~ and Mu'awiyah ~ both, was that the decision of the arbitrators was not implemented effectively and both the persons carried their governing in the respective areas, and made efforts to take up the areas governed by the other.] The Syrian people along with Amr bin Al-As ~ were going back happy at their victory, while the party accompanying Abdullah bin Abbas ~ and Shuraih bin Hani were making their journey in a chaotic state accusing one another for the failures they experienced. They showed the same sign of disunity and disorder which was witnessed when Ali ~ was going back to Kufah with his troops.

After reaching Kufah, Abdullah bin Abbas~ told the whole story to Ali ~, and he declared the verdict of Abu Musa~ and Amr bin AlAs ~ against the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and rejected it outright. He also cursed Mu'awiyah, Amr bin AlAs ~, Habib bin Maslamah, Abdur-Rahman bin Mukhallad, Dahhak bin Qais, Walid, and Abul-A'war. When Mu'awiyah ~ came to know of this, he too cursed Ali ~; and it was the beginning of cursing and reproaching one another by their respective followers. The disorder and confusion that charged the atmosphere of Adhruh with acrimony of the worst nature, paved the way for Mu'awiyah ~ to be addressed as the Chief of the believers and the Caliph of the Muslims. But because of the events of Adhruh, no new groups joined him.

Ali~ was already facing trouble, which was only multiplied by now. His fresh trouble now was to make his own people understand that the verdict given at Adhruh was not acceptable because the arbitrators themselves had dissented in their opinion on the issue. In addition, the Quran had not given them permission to leave its track Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate to follow their personal opinion. Ali ~ spent the next few days in putting into the minds of his people that the decision of the arbitrators being unacceptable, they should invade Syria without loss of time. They at last agreed.

Disruptive Activities of the Khawarij When the Khawarij came to know of this decision, they grew anxious and they took a new tum. It has already been mentioned that Hurqus bin Zuhair had asked Ali ~ to attack the Syrians instead of agreeing with the proposal of arbitration. Now Zur'ah bin Al-Burj and Hurqus bin Zuhair both being the chieftains of the Khawarij, came to Ali ~ and declared him guilty of first rejecting and then accepting the proposal advanced by the Khawarij. Now, on this score, they demanded Ali ~ to show his repentance for his mistake in order to receive their support. But Ali ~ turned down their demand pleading his innocence over the issue.

Hearing this, both of them got up and left the place saying: "There is no command (acceptable) except of Allah." When, following this event, Ali~ ascended the pulpit of the mosque to deliver his address, a Khariji sounded in a loud voice from a corner: "There is no command (acceptable) except of Allah." Ali~ remarked, "Behold, these people extract untruth from the Word of Truth." He then resumed his address and the same voice came again interrupting him: "There is no command (acceptable) except of Allah." Thereupon Ali ~ said, "You people are treating me improperly. We do not debar you from making entry into the mosque, and we gave you your share from the booty while you remained with us; we shall not fight with you unless you take the initiative, and we shall be awaiting Allah's Decision about you." Saying this, he descended the pulpit and went away. The Khawarij also left the mosque and gathered in the house of Abdullah bin Wahb for consultations. Abdullah bin Wahb, Hurqus bin Zuhair, Hamzah bin Sinan, Zaid bin Husain At-Tai', and Shuraih bin Aufa 'Absi decided, after a good deal of deliberations, that they should leave Basrah and make the hills the seat of their independent rule separate from Ali ~ - Hamzah bin Sinan Asadi proposed to choose a chief and give him the standard before proceeding further. History of Islam The next day they assembled again in the house of Shuraih, and Abdullah bin Wahb was elected the chief of the Khawarij.

They took Bai'ah at his hands. Abdullah bin Wahb then suggested to move towards a city where the Divine command could be enforced. At last they agreed on Mada'in, which they could, according to them, capture comparatively easily. Zaid bin Husain proposed to move in twos, fours or tens, for collective movement was likely to be given chase. They also decided to first halt at Naharwan and ask their friends and supporters in Basrah to join them before reaching Mada'in.

This suggestion gained the support of one and all. The plan was implemented according to the decision. Mis'ar bin Fadaki Taimi came out at the head of five hundred Khawarij. When Ali ~ , came to know of the developments, he sent message to Sa'd bin Mas'ud, the governor of Mada'in through a speedy courier to put a check on the Khawarij in Mada'in. Sa'd deputed his nephew in Mada'in and moved out at the head of a contingent.

He came across a band of the Khawarij on the way at Karkh and challenged them which led to an encounter continuing until evening. But the Khawarij crossed the Tigris in the darkness of night. The Khawarij from Basrah also crossed the Tigris and joined their friends in Naharwan after an encounter with Sa'd's contingent. At Naharwan they consolidated their position and issued an edict of blasphemy against Ali ~~ for killing the supporters of the Caliph. In a short time their number rose to twenty-five thousand.

Battle of Naharwan After the exit of the Khawarij from Kufah, Ali 4~ persuaded the Kufis to make preparations for the invasion of Syria. He preferred the ouster of Mu'awiyah to the curbing of the Khawarij. Thus he sent a message to Abdullah bin Abbas ~ in Basrah to send the maximum number of troops for launching an attack on Syria. Although Basrah had more than sixty thousand fighters, the letter of Ali ~ could rouse only three thousand for fighting. Kufah too showed signs of lack of interest.

When three thousand troops headed by Jariyah bin Qudamah ,4'~ reached Kufah, Ali d"fo made a fresh attempt to kindle in Kufis the fire of zeal and fervor and his renewed efforts hit the mark. Forty thousand man gathered under the flag of Ali ~ . Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate He also wrote the Khawarij a letter calling them to lend their support in the task of attacking Syria. Abdullah bin Wahb read out the letter to his people and wrote back with common consent: "You appointed the arbitrators against the Command of Allah and His Messenger. And you have now developed a desire to invade Syria on the demand of your self's desire.

However, if you show your repentance after declaring yourself as blasphemous, we are ready to help you, otherwise we are prepared to fight against you." Although the letter saddened Ali ~, he did not give up his determination to invade Syria. He made an all-out effort to bring the Khawarij back to righteousness but in vain. When Ali~ reminded them of their mounting pressure on him to stop the attack on the Syrian Army, they argued that they admitted their fault and he should also follow suit. He should also come back to the fold of Islam by declaring himself blasphemous as they did. This was the only way they could take back their edict against him, otherwise they will wage Jihad against him considering him a Kafir (disbeliever).

Ali ~, however, decided to carry out his campaign against Syria and ignore the insane demand of the Khawarij, that he was informed of the martyrdom of Abdullah bin Khabbab ~- The victim passed through Naharwan during a journey. A group of the Khawarij came to know that he was a Companion. They came to him and asked about Abu Bakr and Umar ~- Abdullah bin Khabbab ~ said, "Both of them were very pious and true servants of Allah the Almighty." They then inquired of the first and the last parts of the caliphate of Uthman ~- He replied, "He was truth-loving from beginning to the end." They then wanted to know his opinion about Ali ~ before and after the appointment of the arbitrators. He stated, "Ali knows and understands the injunctions of Allah and His Messenger more than you all." Hearing this, the Khawarij fell in wrath and killed Khabbab ~, his wife and his fellow travelers. On being informed of this, Ali ~ asked Harith bin Murrah to make an inquiry into the matter.

The Khawarij killed him also. Along with this, it was reported to Ali ~ that they were killing all those who disagreed with them. Thus, Ali's men grew anxious that the Khawarij would capture Kufah and Basrah and kill their wives and children in case History of Islam they advanced towards Syria. They marched towards the Khawarij instead of Syria and sent them the following message from a place nearby: "Hand over those among you who have killed our brothers so that we can kill them according to the law of Qisas, and leave you to yourselves in order to proceed to Syria. May Allah the Almighty bring you back to the right path while we finish with the Syrians." Following this, Ali ~ sent a number of Companions one by one to preach to them righteousness and truth.

He also invited the deputation of the Khawarij to instill in their minds that they were totally responsible for the appointment of the arbitrators, and they should join him forgetting the past. But every time they had the same answer to give and the same argument to advance. Ali~ would say, "I believed in Allah and migrated in His way, how can I declare myself a disbeliever?" At last Ali~ himself went to the camp of the Khawarij and began to preach them to use wisdom and adopt righteousness. Fearing the strength of the impression Ali's speech would have on their people, the chieftains asked them not to pay attention to what he said and go to war. In view of their attitude, Ali ~ came back and set himself to the task of organizing his troops and appointing commanding officers of the attacking army.

This task being over, Ali~ gave Abu Ayub Ansari ~ the flag of peace and asked him to ascend to a raised spot and give a general call saying: "Those who come to us without a fight will get peace, and those who go to Kufah or Mada'in will also enjoy peace." Having heard this announcement, Farwah bin Naufal Ashja'i moved apart with five hundred horsemen, some people left for Kufah while some others either went to Mada'in or came to join Ali's troops, with the result less than one-third of the men were left with the Khawarij. Ali~ then launched a massive attack and put the rest to death. All the prominent chieftains of the Khawarij like Abdullah bin Wahb, Zaid bin Husain, Hurqus bin Zuhair, Abdullah bin Shajarah, and Shuraih bin Aufa lost their lives. Only nine of them saved themselves by fleeing from the scene of death. Ali ~ came back leaving their dead bodies unburied.

Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Finished with the necessary task of curbing the upnsmgs of the Khawarij, Ali ~ decided to march towards Syria. Ash'ath bin Qais advised him to let the army take a few days rest, but he preferred to stay at Nukhailah issuing orders for one and all to refrain from going to Kufah until the Syrian campaign was completed. But they left for home and Ali ~ also had to return to Kufah, when he found the camp without fighters. In Kufah, Ali ~ addressed them to get prepared for the invasion of Syria but none of them appeared to be interested in the Syrian campaign. In view of their cold response, Ali ~ was also forced to abandon his campaign against Syria.

State of Egypt As already mentioned, Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~, the governor of Egypt, was not of any help to Ali ~ against Mu'awiyah ~ owing to his bitter engagements and internal feuds with those who wouldn't take Bai'ah until Uthman's murderers were punished. Finishing with the battle of Siffin, Ali ~ sent Malik Ashtar Nakha'i as the governor of Jazirah but very shortly sent him to Egypt as governor. When Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ came to know of this, he grew sorry and dejected. Mu'awiyah ~ became anxious because of Ashtar's qualities of thought and action. But Malik Ashtar died suddenly in route to Egypt and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ remained in power.

Following the death of Malik Ashtar, Ali ~ wrote Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ that he had sent Ashtar as governor of Egypt not because he was angry with him but because Ashtar could solve some political matters more skillfully. But, since, Ashtar died he was allowed to manage the affairs of Egypt as usual. Moreover, he was required to face the enemy with courage and determination. In reply to the letter, Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~ wrote that he was loyal to him and was ready to fight his (Ali's) enemies at any time. These events had taken place before the decision of the arbitrators.

The Syrians later accepted Mu'awiyah ~ as Caliph and it added to his power and grandeur. He then entered into correspondence with Mu'awiyah bin Hudaij and those who opposed Muhammad bin Abu History of Islam Bakr ~ to encourage them. They sought help from Mu'awiyah ~ and that was what he intended. Thus he lost no time in dispatching Amr bin Al-As • at the head of six thousand troops with a letter in the name of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~- Reaching close to Egypt, Amr bin Al-As • sent Mu'awiyah's letter to Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ along with his own. Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ sent both the letters to Ali. in Kufah.

Ali ~ gathered the people and roused them to take part in the Egyptian campaign but not more than two thousand men were ready to fight. At last, he sent these two thousand men to Egypt under the command of Malik bin Ka'b. Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ had already sent two thousand troops against Amr bin Al-As~ under the command of Kinanah bin Bishr who was martyred fighting with the Syrians and his men either fled from the field or were killed fighting. With the news of the defeat, Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~ decided to personally lead his troops. The awe-stricken men of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ showed no courage to face the Syrians and fled, leaving their commander who was fighting alone, he came back from the battlefield and took refuge in the house of Jabalah bin Masruq.

The house was surrounded by the Syrians and the companions of Mu'awiyah bin Hudaij. Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~ came out of the house and was arrested trying to fight his opponents. Mu'awiyah bin Hudaij killed him and burned him putting his body inside the skin of a dead donkey. The news of the incident was brought to Ali~ by his spy AbdurRahman bin Shabib Fazari. He at once sent someone to bring Malik bin Ka'b back.

Malik bin Ka'b had covered about half the distance when Hajjaj bin Amr bin Ghaziyah Ansari came across and informed him of the assassination of Muhammad bin Abu Bakr~ and Amr bin Al-As' victory over Egypt. Meanwhile, Ali. assembled the people of Kufah and reproached them for their laziness and neglect. But this stirring address failed to inspire the audience and they remained unmoved. Now, Ali. was under circumstantial compulsion to give up the campaign of Egypt and Syria. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Attempts made to capture Other Provinces The conquest of Egypt was very encouraging for Mu'awiyah •.

His next step was to wrest even Basrah from the hands of Ali •. The atmosphere of Basrah was not much different from Egypt. The battle of Jamal had angered them with Ali. and a growing demand for revenging the blood of Uthman ~ had developed among the people in general. Taking advantage of the situation, Mu'awiyah ~ sent Abdullah bin Al-Hadrami towards Basrah with the instruction that the elements antagonistic to Ali ~ be assimilated and their hearts won by all means. When lbn Al-Hadrami reached Basrah, he found the situation in Basrah conducive to his plan particularly when Abdullah bin Abbas ~' the governor of Basrah was not present and had gone to Ali ~- A large party of the people joined him.

Being informed of the new development in Basrah, Ali ~ made no delay in sending A'in bin Dubai'ah with the instruction of creating a rift among those who had joined hands with lbn Al-Hadrami. He was crowned with success in the task entrusted to him. Thus the campaign of Abdullah bin Al-Hadrami ended in his assassination in the last days of 38 AH, in Basrah. In 39 AH, when the Persians noticed that Basrah was divided between the followers of Ali ~ and Mu'awiyah ~' they rose in revolt and expelled the governor, Sahl bin Hunaif, from their territory. Ali~ wrote Ibn Abbas ~' the governor of Basrah to send Ziyad to Persia who went there and put down the revolt with a heavy hand.

In a situation, fraught with discontent and uprising against Ali., Mu'awiyah ~ took advantage of the situation by using generosity, forgiveness, strategies and appreciation to one and all. This attitude proved fruitful as people in large numbers from Al-Madinah, Ta'if and Yemen drew near to him. He also sent Nu'man bin Bashir to Ainut-Tamr where Malik bin Ka'b, the governor did not receive reinforcements from Ali ~ and yielded the territory to the Syrian commander. Mada'in and Anbar met the same fate and Sufyan bin Auf returned to Damascus with huge possessions from these territories. Although Ali ~ made an advancement to intercept him, Sufyan bin Auf got away uncaught.

History of Islam Ali's Caliphate confined to Iraq and Iran Busr bin Abu Artah was dispatched to the Hijaz and Yemen while the Madinites took the oath of allegiance at the hand of Mu'awiyah • followed by the Makkans and Yemenites. Ubaidullah bin Abbas • was turned out from San'a', the capital of Yemen. In short, by 40 AH, Yemen, Hijaz, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt became provinces under the control of Mu'awiyah • and these territories were free from the weaknesses of discontent, insurgence, and internal disputes. Both Ali. and Mu'awiyah. had reached consensus on the issue of leaving Makkah and Al-Madinah outside their rule. Ali's caliphate was confined to Iraq and Iran.

But a large number of Arabian tribes of Iraq lacked attachment with his caliphate while the Persians were also dreaming of their own rule. Even Kufah and Basrah, the two principal cities had a considerable number of men who preferred Mu'awiyah • to Ali •. Even though Ali • was determined to establish one Islamic rule throughout by virtue of his courage and bravery, his men showed a lack of courage and loyalty. Ali's army was largely manned by non-Arabs while that of Mu'awiyah's had mostly Arabs in command. With the inclusion of Hijaz and Yemen, Mu'awiyah's army had achieved much strength and popularity.

Since, he was not on equality with Ali • in personal status, greatness and glory, he could not claim for himself the same position in the world of Islam and so he continued to fear Ali •. Abdullah bin Abbas' Departure from Basrah During the beginning of 40 AH, one more ugly incident took place. Abdullah bin Abbas~, the governor of Basrah, grew angry with Ali • and left Basrah. The exit of Abdullah • was on account of a false complaint lodged to Ali • by Abul-Aswad of Basrah that he had spent from the public treasury without seeking permission from the Caliph. Ali • thanked Abul-Aswad for bringing the irregularities of the governor to the knowledge of the Caliph and held this as an act of sympathy.

He also wrote Abdullah bin Abbas ~ that he had received such a complaint and demanded an explanation from him as well. But Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate the letter did not mention the name of Abul-Aswad. Abduilah bin Abbas ~ wrote back that the complaint was totally false and baseless for what he had expended was from his personal account and had nothing to do with the public treasury. Ali~ wrote him again, "If you claim that the money spent belonged to yourself then wherefrom did you get the money and where had you deposited that?" In reply to the letter Abdullah ~ wrote back, "I hate such a governorship, you may choose anybody else as the governor of Basrah. What I spent was my personal possession and I have every right to spend it." He dispatched the letter to Ali ~ and with it he quit his post and left for Makkah.

Ali's Martyrdom During these very days Aqil bin Abu Talib ~' the brother of Ali ~ grew angry with him and went to Mu'awiyah ~ who welcomed him and fixed a considerable daily allowance for him. Ali~ felt deeply aggrieved at the separation of Aqil ~ and his joining the camp of Mu'awiyah ~- Now Ali~ thought military action against Mu'awiyah ~ a necessity. It was an occasion when sixty thousand Kufis took Bai'ah at Ali's hands to support him and fight on his behalf while they had life in them. He then engaged himself in the task of collecting more people in addition to the sixty thousand men and procure as much military equipment as he could. Dangerous Plan of the Khawarij It has been mentioned above that only nine persons from the Khawarij survived the battle of Naharwan.

They were the persons that were in the leadership positions among the Khawarij, at first they spread into various parts of Persia and launched violent propaganda attacks and hatched conspiracies against Ali ~. When their efforts proved fruitless, they came to Iraq and Hijaz and started seeking listeners. At last, three persons, Abdur-Rahman bin Muljam Muradi, Burak bin Abdullah Tamimi and Amr bin Bakr Tamimi gathered together in Makkah and kept expressing profound grief over the men slain in Naharwan. At last they entered into a pact to do away with the three men in power that had been putting the entire world of History of Islam Islam to such a great loss and destruction. According to their plan Abdur-Rahman bin Muljam Mura.di-the Egyptian, Burak bin Abdullah Tamimi, and Amr bin Bakr Tamimi Sa'di each agreed to kill Ali, Mu'awiyah and Amr bin Al-As :$, respectively.

Ramadan 16 and the morning prayer were fixed as the date and time of the assassinations. With this nefarious plan in view, they left for Kufah, Damascus and Egypt. When the date fixed for killing came, Burak bin Abdullah Tamimi entered the mosque of Damascus and hit Mu'awiyah with his sword while he was leading Fajr prayer. He then fled the mosque but was caught. His mission failed because the injuries his victim received were not fatal.

Mu'awiyah ~ regained his health after a couple of days of treatment. Burak was killed then and there, or after several years of captivity according to another narrative. Mu'awiyah ~ then practiced caution and put guards for his safety inside the mosque. On the same day and date, Amr bin Bakr struck Kharijah bin Abu Habibah bin Amr and killed him with his sword mistaking him to be Amir bin Al-As ~ while he was leading the Fajr prayer in the mosque of Egypt. That morning Amr bin Al-As . was absent due to illness and Kharijah bin Abu Habibah, a military officer was leading the prayer as his substitute.

The same day Abdur-Rahman bin Muljam attacked Ali • in Kufah Mosque while he was leading the Fajr prayer and left him critically injured, and he died after two days. It is narrated that Abdur-Rahman bin Muljam came to Kufah and met his friends but told none about his plan. After much deliberations he acquainted his friend Shabib bin Bajrah Ashja'i with his plan and sought his help in killing Ali • in return for the killings in Naharwan. He agreed after some initial reluctance. Furthermore, he came into contact with the relatives of those ten persons of Tamim tribe who were killed in Naharwan and took advantage of their anger against Ali •. lbn Muljam came closer to them and established friendly terms with them.

Among them he saw a very beautiful women named Qatam. Her father and brother were also killed in Naharwan. Ibn Muljam asked for her hand in marriage. She agreed and the head of Ali ~ was the bridal money. Ibn Muljam who had come with the same Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate purpose readily agreed to her terms.

She then asked a person from her relatives, named Wardan to help lbn Muljam. On the appointed day lbn Muljam, Shabib bin Bajrah and Wardan came to the mosque and hid themselves near the door from the night before the fateful morning. Ali ~ entered the mosque as usual calling people for prayer. First of all Wardan came out and struck him with his sword but his sword hit the threshold or the wall and Ali~ safely went ahead. But lbn Muljam darted towards Ali~ and struck his forehead with his sword, which gave a deep injury.

Ali .:tk, called out to catch them. The people assembled in the mosque ran after the culprits. Wardan and Shabib fled the mosque but Ibn Muljam could not and was caught inside the mosque. A Hadrami caught Shabib but he slipped out of his hands and then disappeared. Wardan fled to his house but was caught there and put to death.

Ibn Muljam was brought before Ali .:tk,. He ordered saying "He is to be killed if I succumb to my injuries; in case I recover, I shall deal with him." He then turned towards Banu Abdul-Muttalib and said, "Make not my assassination a pretext for shedding Muslim blood; you will kill only my assassin by way of Qisas. Afterwards he said addressing his elder son Hasan ~' "O Hasan ! If I succumb to the injuries I have received, you will kill him with a stroke of your sword but avoid mutilation for the Prophet ~ has strictly forbidden this." Although Ibn Muljam's sword had gone down deep into the brain of Ali ~, he remained alive through Friday and died only on Saturday, Ramadan 17. A little before his death Jundub bin Abdullah came to him and said, "May we elect Hasan as Caliph in case you pass away?" He replied, "I have nothing to say about it, you will do according to the need of the hour." Following this he called Hasnain (Hasan and Husain)~ and said, "I tell you to keep fearing Allah and not to indulge in worldliness.

Express no sorrow over what you are not able to get. Always say the right thing and show mercy to the orphans and help the helpless. Extend your help to the oppressed while keep opposing the oppressors and keep following the Quran without fearing reproach in carrying out the Commands of Allah." He then said, addressing History of Islam Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah, "I tell you to follow what I have told. Moreover, show respect to both your brothers; they command a greater right on you and you must not do anything against their will." Thereafter he turned to Hasnain ~ and said, "You should also treat Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah well an.d keep making concessions to him." He then took to dictating his will in general when the last hour approached and he bade his last farewell with La ilaha illallah (There is no God except Allah) on his lips. Ali's Grave traceless Following the death of Ali~, lbn Muljam was made to appear before Hasan ~ who killed him with one stroke of his sword.

Ali ~ was honored with martyrdom at the age of sixty-three and passed five years as a caliph. Hasan, Husain and Abdullah bin Ja'far $, washed his body and shrouded him in three pieces of cloth without a shirt. Hasan ~, led the funeral prayer. But there is a wide difference of opinion with regard to his burial ground. Some people say that he was buried in the Kufah Mosque while others say that he was buried in his house, or somewhere ten miles away from Kufah.

According to some narratives, Hasan ~ buried him at an unknown place after taking his body out of his grave anticipating an act of desecration from the Khawarij. Still one more narrative says that his bier was carried to Al-Madinah to bury him near the grave of Prophet ~- But the camel carrying the body fled away and remained traceless. Contradicting this narrative, yet another one lends support to the opinion that the camel with the body of Ali~ was traced at Tai and he was buried there. It is a wonder that the grave of such a great personality lies traceless to this day. However, the reason behind his burial at an unknown place was the Khawarij menace.

Wives and Children Ali i£,h married nine wives at different times and had fourteen sons and seventeen daughters. He was first married to Fatimah 1$, , the daughter of the Prophet ~ who gave him two sons, Hasan and Husain ~ , and two daughters Zainab and Umm Kulthum ~- After Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate the death of Fatimah ~, he married Umm-un-Nabiyin bint Haram Kalabiah who gave him four sons, Abbas, Ja'far, Abdullah and Uthman~. His third wife was Laila bint Mas'ud bin Khalid from whom Ubaidullah and Abu Bakr ~ were born. The fourth Asma' bint Umais gave him Muhammad Al-Asghar and Yahya. These eight brothers were martyred fighting with Husain ~ in Karbala.

His fifth wife Umamah bint Abul-As bin Ar-Rabi' bin Abdul-Uzza bin Abd Shams whose mother was Zainab, the daughter of the Prophet ~ and Muhammad Al-Ausat was born to her. His sixth marriage was with Khaulah bint Ja'far who was from Banu Hanifah, he had with her Muhammad Al-Akbar also known as Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah. From his seventh marriage with Sahba bint Rabi'ah Taghlabiah he got Umar bin Ali, Ruqayyah bint Ali. His eighth wife was Umm Saeed bint Urwah bin Mas'ud Thaqafiyah with whom he got Umm Hasan, Ramlat-ul-Kubra and Umm Kulthum Sughra. His ninth and the last marriage was with Mukhbi'ah the daughter of Imra-ul-Qais bin Adi Kalbiyah gave him a daughter who died young.

He had some other daughters too but their names are unknown. His one son Aun is stated to be born to Asma' bint Umais. However, Ali's progeny came from Hasan, Husain, Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah, Abbas and Ja'far ~ while the others did not survive long. A Glance at Ali's Caliphate Ali ~ was the last in the line of those who commanded respect throughout the world of Islam. None after him could fight evil and promote good.

When Aishah ~ heard the sad news of Ali's death, she observed: "Now the people are at liberty to do what they like, for none is left to prevent them from wrongdoings." Ali ~ was above craftiness. He was truth loving to the core. At first he considered himself more within his rights to become the Caliph owing to his close relationship with the Prophet ;i. Thus he did not keep it secret from others and kept from making the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr ~ for sometime. During these same days, Abu Sufyan History of Islam ~ instigated him to rise against Abu Bakr• but he rebuked him rather violently and with contempt for he hated such an act.

When he reconciled himself with the reality that the job of a caliph required qualities of head and heart other than mere relationship, he found Abu Bakr ~ worthy of the responsibilities and pledged his allegiance to him on his own and remained loyal to him throughout. During his caliphate, Umar Faruq • sought Ali's advice and held it valuable. He lent his sincere advice to Uthman ~ thinking least whether he acted upon it or not. And whenever he found any of Uthman's action objectionable, he opposed it without any reservation. When the people opposed Uthman ~ ' he supported them to the extent that it was valid.

When the rioters mounted their violent pressure on Uthman ~ and an ugly situation was created, he showed no craftiness in keeping his position clear and remained satisfied with the clarity of his conscience. When following the assassination of Uthman ~ ' the people rose to pledge their allegiance to him, he accepted for he considered himself more worthy than others for the job. In short, his deeds and actions proved beyond doubt that he was never reluctant to speak the truth regardless of the consequences. His face was the index of his feelings and his exterior was the mirror of his interior. He was like an unsheathed sword and would speak the truth frankly in every situation.

Another person would have handed over Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ~ and Malik Ashtar to be killed by way of Qisas for Uthman' s blood and thus bought peace and security for himself. But since he could not obtain solid evidence against the assassins of Uthman ~' he held himself back from punishing the accused and faced the resultant troubles but refused to bow down to his opponents. Majority of the persons Ali~ had to dealt with were crafty, shrewd and expedient. The Islamic atmosphere created by the Prophet :i, which continued to exist through the period of Umar Farug ~ ' did not remain intact after more people from Persia, Egypt, and the other lands entered the folds of Islam. Racial and ancestral superiority, worldliness, desire for a comfortable and luxurious life distorted Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate much of the real face of Islam.

During his tenure the number of Companions had significantly decreased. Great and influential Companions had already passed away and the rest had shifted from Al-Madinah to settle in Kufah, Basrah, Damascus, Egypt, Yemen, Makkah and Al-Madinah. Up to the period of Umar Farug~' almost all the Companions lived in Al-Madinah. Ali~ shifted the capital of Islam from Al-Madinah to Kufah but he did not make any substantial gain from this change. He was deprived of the advantages he could have gained in Al-Madinah.

He failed to attract help from the Hijaz because with the change of capital, the importance of the Hijaz was diminished. During the blessed period of the Prophet ~ the hypocrites and conspirators tried their best to put the Muslims to trouble and loss but their nefarious plans did not bear fruit. During the era of Abu Bakr Siddiq and Umar Farug~' those who had vested interests, left no stone unturned to inflict injuries to Islam but l'hey were dealt with severely. They first got an opportunity to raise their heads during the caliphate of Uthman bin Affan ~' and Ali ~ as his successor, had to bear the brunt of the dealings of his predecessor. Furthermore, if he had some more years as a caliph, he could have done away with the mischiefmongers and power hungry elements because in spite of the multiple problems assailing him, he had the courage and determination to combat them all.

He never yielded to despair and discouragement. However, it was the Will of Allah for him to depart leaving the field open for Banu Umayyah. The Banu Umayyah tribe considered itself the principal power of Arabia and treated Banu Hashim as its r!val. Although Islam uprooted evils of racial and ancestral snobbery, Uthman's caliphate revived it. Banu Umayyah found in his caliphate a golden opportunity to restore the lost power and leadership and the hypocrites aided and abetted their plans.

It was such a loss to Islam that Ali ~ could not compensate for it during his entire tenure until his martyrdom. If we take the campaigns of Ali ~ and Mu'awiyah ~ and the opposition of Zubair ~ and Talhah ~ as cases similar to those of our times, we are grossly mistaken. We can't measure their moral standards with our own. It is worth noting that Talhah ~ and Zubair History of Islam ~ came to the battlefield with massive preparations against Ali~, but a Hadith of the Prophet~ made both of them keep from fighting and no amount of lashing and lambasting could rouse them to go against Ali ~- It is an undeniable fact that fighting was natural for them but one Hadith of the Prophet :ii changed their outlook and their course of action. Our religious leaders and scholars today indulge in a futile war of words of a shameful nature and sometimes go to law courts for worldly decisions on religious issues.

No Verse of the Quran or Hadith of the Prophet ~ proves effective enough to make them accept the truth. It has already been mentioned that Mu'awiyah ~ had sought from Ali ~ the issue of the inheritance of a eunuch after the battle of Siffin and the judgment of the arbitrators. When Ali ~ entered Basrah, Qais bin Ubadah stated that the people said, "The Prophet ~ told you that you will be made Caliph after him. Is this true?" Ali ~ had emphatically said, "This is utterly wrong. I can never tell a lie about the Prophet ~ -Had he said so, how could J have allowed Abu Bakr, Umar and Othman to become the Caliph and give my allegiance to them?" How could anybody now make such statements?

Yet, we hear it from those who are called religious scholars and pious Muslims. From Adam ~I to the Day of Judgment, struggle between truth and untruth goes on and will go on. Divine and satanic parties have always been there and they will exist until the Day of Resurrection. This unending fight between right and wrong decides the reward and punishment one will receive in the Hereafter. Islam teaches moderation and prevents going to the extremes.

People have formed extreme views about Ali~- One group has degraded him to the lowest level while another one, in opposition to the first one, upgraded him to the position of god. In this respect Ali ~ was put into a position like Isa (Jesus) when the Jews opposed him and went astray, while the Christians lifted him up to the Divine level. But pure and orthodox Muslims walk a middle path neither of the Shiite nor the Khawarij. As the Companions of the Prophet ~ can not be brought down to the level of the reverend Muslims, sufis and common Muslims of our times, Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate they also cannot be taken above the human level. They were, after all, humans.

They ate and drank and slept like humans. They had other human needs too. Even the Prophet ti claimed his being human and took pride in his position as a slave of Allah. However, we are very sure of his innocence and of his being perfect in total human virtues and excellence and consider his life and deeds as a guiding light for us all. The Companions were fortunate enough to watch and emulate his example in letter and spirit.

But, since, they were neither Prophets nor innocent, and different from each other in abilities, they had different aspects of human qualities to show. Among them we see Abu Bakr~ and Umar ~ on one hand and Mu'awiyah • and Mughirah ~ on the other. They had jurists like Ali • and Aishah ~ and narrators of Hadith like Abu Hurairah ~ and Ibn Mas'ud ., political activists like Amr bin Al-As ~ and pious persons like Abdullah bin Urnar ~ and Abu Dhar ~- Now, if they differ in thoughts, opinions and actions, it is our duty to take these differences as a blessing in disguise and not to fall prey to hasty decisions and thoughtless actions. Up to 30 AH, twenty years after the death of the Prophet ~ , the Muslims kept winning steady victories without loss. These conquests brought to the fold of Islam almost all the civilized countries of the world.

From 30 AH to 40 AH, we find almost no Muslim victories and they remained preoccupied with internal problems, bickering, feuds and fighting. Although the decade-long disturbances were apparently injurious to Islam, they had some hidden virtues for the Muslim Llmmah. The twenty-year long spell of victories were the fruits of spiritual power and the teachings of the Quran, while internal dissentions and disruptions were the direct outcome of a materialistic approach to life. Through death and destruction they learned to live under adverse situations and win peace and progress after losses and reverses. The fight goes on and will keep going on between good and bad, right and wrong, light and darkness.

Whenever materialism gains victory over spiritual power, the two forces are bound to clash with one another. When Musa (Moses) ~ I caught Harun (Aaron) ~I by his beard, when Yusuf (Joseph) ~I could be thrown into the well by his brothers and sold for a few coins, the differences among various sections of the Companions must not be looked upon with amazement. History of Islam What took place between Ali ~ and Mu'awiyah ~ , left a deep scar on the face of Islam. It has been serving the Muslims as a lesson to learn from and to take care about since that time. Conflict between Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas, campaigns of the Ghaznawid and the Ghorid against one another and the power struggles between rival Muslim rulers throughout history have inflicted heavy losses in men and materials but Islam is flexible enough to sustain these onslaughts and rise again from the dust.

These ups and downs in Muslim life and character and power have always been among the wonders of history. When Halaku (the son of Ghengis Khan) ravaged Baghdad, it led to his progeny converting to Islam. When the united Christian forces wrested Palestine from the Muslims, Salahuddin Ayubi appeared on the scene and restored the sacred land to the Muslim Urnrnah. We find contrast in all the facets of the world. Islamic caliphate or Islamic rule was in all respects a blessing for mankind.

But it was not spared the onslaught of decline and fall. Readers of history are not pleased over the emergence of hypocrites during the caliphate of Uthman ~ and opponents make an attempt to hold Islam responsible for this. But dark forces have always been there to fight the forces of light and virtue and they have, more than once, attained temporary success in their nefarious plans. These forces raised their heads with the martyrdom of Umar Farug~ and have been raging against Islam since then. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Hasan• Physical Features and Pedigree: Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Talib ~ was the last of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs.

He was born in the middle of Sha'ban 3 AH. He resembled the Prophet~ who named him Hasan. Nobody had this name during the Age of Ignorance. Imam Bukhari reports from Abu Bakr ~, "The Prophet ~ was once sitting on the pulpit with Hasan beside him. He would sometimes look towards the audience and at times at Hasan and said: 'This son of mine is the chief of the people and will make peace between two factions of the Muslims'." The Prophet ~ was once going somewhere with Hasan~ on his shoulder.

A man came across and remarked addressing Hasan ~, "What a good mount you have got." At this the Prophet ~ replied "Even the rider is very good." Abdullah bin Zubair ~ is reported to have said, "Hasan resembled the Prophet :!i very much and he loved him dearly." Praiseworthy Traits: Hasan ~ was very polite and generous and commanded high respect. He had a great dislike for disturbance and bloodshed. He performed Hajj twenty-five times on foot although he had his camel with him. Umair bin Ishaq says, "Hasan alone is the person whom I love to hear speaking. And I never heard him using foul language." When Marwan bin AI-Hakam was the governor of Al-Madinah and Hasan ~ had also shifted to Al-Madinah after quitting his caliphate, he once sent someone to tell Hasan~, "You are like a mule (Allah forbid), that when it is asked about its father it says my mother was a mare." While sending his reply, he said, "I shall never forget that you abuse me without any reason.

We have ultimately to go before Allah the Almighty. So, if you are true in what you say, Allah the Almighty will give you reward for that; in case you are a liar, Allah the Almighty is the Greatest Avenger of all." Jarir bin Asma' relates, "When Hasan passed away, Marwan burst into tears at his funeral bier. When Husain ~ said to him, 'You now weep over him although History of Islam you kept annoying him during his lifetime." Marwan replied, 'Do you know I could only do so with a person who was more tolerant than a mountain." Ali bin Zaid ~ relates, "Hasan gave away as charity in the way of Allah all his goods and chattels twice and gave half three times." He would divorce women most frequently except one who began to love him. At last Ali ~ had to ask the people of Kufah not to ~ve their daughters to him in marriage. But Hamadan said, "How can it be that we refuse to give our daughters to him in marriage." Someone mentioned before Hasan~ that Abu Dhar~ used to say, "I hold dear poverty more than opulence and sickness more than health." Thereupon he remarked, "May Allah show him mercy.

As for me, I leave myself totally in the Hand of Allah without desiring anything; He will do what He likes; I dare not interfere in His Decisions." He handed over the caliphate to Mu'awiyah ~ in Rabi' AI-Awwal 41 AH. When his friends called him 'Ar-ul-Muslimin', he would say, "Ar (shame) is better than Ndr (Hell)." When a person addressed him, "O the disgracer of the Muslims. I salute you!" he answered back, "I am not the disgracer of the Muslims; I simply thought not to sacrifice you for the country." Jubair bin Nufair relates that he once said to Hasan ~, "It is in the air that you have once again developed a desire for the caliphate." He replied "When the heads of the Arabs lay in my hands and I could do with them as I liked, I gave it up to seek the Pleasure of Allah, now am I expected to undo this merely to please the people of the Hijaz?" He died in the month of Rabi' Al-Awwal 50 AH. They suspect that he was poisoned to death. When Husain pressed~ him to tell the name of the one who gave him poison, he answered saying, "If the suspect has poisoned me, Allah the Almighty will take severe revenge, otherwise why should one be unjustifiably killed for me." Mentionable Events during the Caliphate of Hasan• When Ali~ was asked on the eve of his death whether Bai'ah may be taken at the hands of Hasan ~, he had said in plain words, "At present I am involved in my own personal affairs so you do this with whoever you like." They took it to be his indication in favor of Hasan Second Halfof the Rightly-Guided Caliphate ~ and he was, therefore, chosen for the post.

Qais bin Sa'd ~ bin Ubadah was the first to take Bai'ah followed by others. At the time of taking Bai'ah, Hasan ~ kept asking the people to admit: "Act according to what I say; fight with whom I fight and make peace with whom I enter into peace." When Mu'awiyah ~ came to know of the martyrdom of Ali~, he adopted the appellation of Amir-ul-Mu'minin (Chief of the believers). Although he had obtained from the Syrians Bai'ah for his caliphate following the decision of the arbitrators, he had it renewed. When Qais bin Sa'd ~ was taking Bai'ah at the hand of Hasan~, he had uttered, "I take Bai'ah at your hand to follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and on waging Jihad." Thereupon Hasan ~ said, "Jihad and fighting form an integral part of the Book of Allah and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, they need not, therefore, be mentioned separately." Hasan's expression gave rise to speculation among the people of Kufah that he was disinclined to fight. Mu'awiyah ~, on the other hand, set out towards Kufah at the head of sixty thousand men and sent a message to Hasan~, "Peace is better than war, and it is proper for you to accept me as Caliph and take Bai'ah at my hand." When he understood that Mu'awiyah ~ had taking Kufah in mind, he left Kufah at the head of forty thousand troops and sent Qais bin Sa'd ~ as vanguard with twelve thousand fighters.

When he reached Mada'in, someone spread the rumor that Qais bin Sa'd ~ was killed. Hasan ~ halted there for a day to give rest to the animals. He assembled his people and addressed them after praising Allah the Almighty: "People! You have taken Bai'ah at my hand that you will obey me in war and peace. I say, by my oath to Allah the Exalted, that I harbor enmity against none, from the East to the West there is none whom I hate or detest, I am one who prefers unity, consensus, love and security to disunity, discord and enmity." Verdict of Disbelief against Hasan ~ Having heard this speech, the Khawarij and the hypocrites spread the rumor in the camp that Hasan ~ wanted to enter into peace with Mu'awiyah ~' and they issued a verdict of blasphemy against him.

History of Islam The verdict stirred the military camp. Opinion was divided between his being a believer or a disbeliever. Very soon the faction charging him with blasphemy dominated the scene and started making their opponents victims of excesses of all kinds. Many of them once entered the camp and surrounded Hasan ~ on all sides calling him a disbeliever. They pulled his garments so violently that they were torn into pieces.

They also took away the mantle from his shoulder and plundered the camp. Following this, Hasan ~ hurried to the Rabi'ah and Hamadan clans on horseback and called on them for help as they were his supporters. They helped him without delay and removed the detractors from the camp. He left for Mada'in afterwards. Jarrah bin Qabisah, a man from the Khawarij, struck him with his spear and injured his thigh.

He was brought into the white palace of Mada'in where he stayed and recovered his health. Qais bin Sa'd ~ sent as the vanguard at the head of twelve thousand troops, was surrounded by Mu'awiyah ~ at Anbar. He then sent Abdullah bin Amir to Hasan ~ on a peace mission at the head of the vanguard. After the trouble in his camp, Hasan ~ had sent Abdullah bin Harith bin Naufal to Mu'awiyah ~ for peace talk. On being informed that Abdullah bin Amir had reached a little distance from Mada'in at the head of a detachment, Hasan~ came out of Mada'in with his army.

When Abdullah bin Amir noticed troops coming from the opposite direction, he drew near and called out the people of Iraq aloud and said, "I have not come here for the sake of fighting. I am leading the vanguard of Mu'awiyah ~ who is halting at Anbar with a big army. You convey my salutation to Hasan ~ and tell him that Abdullah requests you by Allah to stop fighting and save the people from death and destruction." When Hasan ~ heard this, he came back to Mada'in and sent his message to Abdullah that he was ready to make peace with Mu'awiyah ~ and quit his office of the caliphate in his favor on condition that he would stick to the Book and the Sunnah and hold back from getting in the way of his opponents by setting aside past activities and grant safety of life and property to his (Hasan's) supporters. Second Half of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate Abdullah bin Amir rushed to Mu'awiyah ~ with these conditions and told him that Hasan ~ was ready to quit his post on certain conditions. On being asked about the conditions, he said to Mu'awiyah ~, "The first condition is that the caliphate will be restored to him on your death.

Secondly, an annual amount of five hundred thousand from the public treasury will be paid to him while you are alive. Thirdly, he will collect the tribute from Ahwaz and the Persian territories." These three rather hard conditions were the making of Abdullah's own mind. Following these he placed before Mu'awiyah ~ the conditions, which were actually put forward by Hasan ~- Mu'awiyah ~ very eagerly agreed to all and more than that. He is reported to have said, "Hasan's intention appears fair and he seems to bring peace between two factions of the Muslims." With this remark Mu'awiyah • put down his signature on a blank piece of paper and asked Abdullah bin Amir to take that to Hasan • to write down all his conditions to be fulfilled by me. When Husain ~ and Abdullah bin Ja'far ~' came to know of this development, they approached Hasan ~ and tried to hold him back from the implementation of his plan.

But Hasan. declined their advice. He had watched the activities of the people of Iraq and Kufah from the time of Ali •