One
Week of the Battle of Siffin
At the end of Muharram 37 AH, Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Maslamah, faced one another. The battle continued
until evening but remained indecisive.
The next day, Hâshim bin Utbah came
out at the head of a column of cavalry and infantry from the side of Ali, and
Abul-A'war Sulami on behalf of Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). But the daylong bloody battle produced no results. On the
third day, Ammâr bin Yâsir from Ali's camp, and Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) from that of
Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) faced each other. It
was more severe an encounter in comparison to previous ones. Ammâr bin Yâsir
launched such a fierce attack that Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had to fall back. But the day, however, went without any
result.
On the fourth day, Ubaidullah bin
Umar led the column from Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) 's side and Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyah, the son of Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Abbâs from Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 's side, and fought
the whole day, while the sixth day, Mâlik Ashtar and Habib bin Maslamah came
out again for a decisive battle but it was an exercise in futility. On the
seventh day, Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) launched his assault
on Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
's army. Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
occupied a place in the center where the notables of Kufah, Basrah, Al-Madinah
and from Banu Khuza'ah and Banu Kinânah had their presence. Abdullah bin Budail
bin Warqa Khuza'î was put on the right wing and Abdullah on the left. Every
clan had its fixed place, separate standard and leading officer. Ammâr bin
Yâsir had been given charge of the people singing martial songs and reciting the
Qur'ân. Qais bin Saad and Abdullah bin Yazid were also put on the same job.
Mu'âwiyah, 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'î attacked the left wing of Mu’âwiyah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) '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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) with his men, had taken the pledge for
death. With an eye on the setback of his right wing, Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) himself made an advance towards the left wing and began to
measure his sword with the enemy. The presence of Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) produced courage in the Rabi'ah tribe
whose charge become more forceful.
When Ahmar, the slave of Abu Sufyân
saw Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) in action, he made
an attempt on his life but Ali's slave Kaisân engaged him but was killed in the
encounter. With the killing of his slave, Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
returned to an equilibrium. Both sides were fighting with almost equal valor
and firmness. By afternoon, Mâlik Ashtar pushed back the left wing of Mu’âwiyah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). But the cavalry of
Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), which had 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 Ammâr bin Yâsir,
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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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, Ammâr bin Yâsir moved through the army of Ali
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) calling out,
"Whoever has a desire to gain the Pleasure of Allâh 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 Hâshim bin Utbah, the standard-bearer of Ali, he
took him with his dedicated men and launched such a massive attack that Amr bin
Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) could barely
withstand it with much difficulty.
At last, Ammâr was killed. The news
of Ammâr bin Yâsir'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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was running through
the battlefield with lighting speed directing the right wing then guiding the
left and at times crossing swords with the Syrians. Abdullah bin Abbâs was
heading the left wing while Ashtar was in charge of the right one. Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was also fighting
with Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and the other chiefs. The night passed in fierce fighting but with no outcome.
Ali once, piercing through the
Syrian army, reached very near to Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Al-Âs (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) told Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) that the proposal of Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) doesn't came back
alive?" Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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, Mâlik
Ashtar handed over the charge of his contingent to Haiyân 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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had only thirty-five thousand fighters out of eighty thousand
on his side. Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had with him double
the number of fighters as Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) '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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 's. Forty thousand
men from Ali's army and twenty thousand from Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 's army were killed. (Al-Bidâyah
wan-Nihâyah, 7/244).]
In such a state, Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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. Mâlik Ashtar made a tremendous
attack with his cavalry and reached the heart of enemy pushing and smashing the
Syrians. When Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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.
Now the scene of carnage was near
the camp of Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) camp whose defeat was now imminent. In such a crucial and
chaotic stage, Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
salvaged their position with a novel device.
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