Egypt
and Muhammad bin Abu Bakr
About the time of Uthmân's
martyrdom, Muhammad bin Abu Hudaifah had captured the governorship of Egypt by
dismissing Abdullah bin Saad. However, with his becoming Caliph, Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) sent Qais bin Saad
to Egypt as governor of the province. The new governor reached Egypt along with
only seven persons and dismissed Muhammad bin Abu Hudaifa and took charge as
governor of Egypt. In Egypt also there were men like Yazid bin Al-Hârith and
Maslamah bin Mukhallad who declined to take Bai'ah on the plea of awaiting the
settlement of the issue of Qisâs (retaliation). However, they promised silence
until a solution was found. Qais bin Saad gained popularity and respect in
Egypt by virtue of his character and abilities.
When the battle of Jamal ended and
Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) settled in Kufah,
Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) anticipated a
two-pronged attack on Syria one by Iraq from the east and one by Egypt from the
south. However, Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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 Uthmân and the fingers of Uthmân'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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Uthmân. He had spent the whole year since the assassination, in
making total preparations for the anticipated danger, while Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Fâruq. His
loyalists were found everywhere in Hijâz, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, and Persia but
his opponents also had their say. Thus Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was not in a position to get the full support and military aid
from any province under his direct rule.
The state of affairs with Mu’âwiyah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Saad. Fortunately for him, he soon got an opportunity
to eliminate the threat from Egypt. Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) wrote Qais bin Saad to help him for he simply wanted to avenge
the blood of Uthmân. Qais firmly wrote him back that Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had no hand in the assassination of
Uthmân and so he should take Bai'ah at Ali's hand like the others, instead of
opposing him.
In the meantime Qais bin Saad wrote
a letter to Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to write Saad not to overlook the problem
or to leave the people unpunished if they refused to take Bai'ah. Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
convinced him that Qais bin Saad must have joined hands with Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was reluctant to
accept their idea and he considered Saad qualified and necessary for Egypt.
When Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
came to know of these suspicions, he began to praise Qais bin Saad openly in
his court. He also commenced telling the people that Qais had come to his side
and had begun to support those demanding Qisâs (retaliation). The spies of Ali
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) gave him the whole
account of the new developments, with the result that he deposed Qais bin Saad
and replaced him with Muhammad bin Abu Bakr. Qais reached Al-Madinah shocked and
frustrated.
Al-Madinah was without a ruler after
Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had shifted to
Kufah. Elements supporting and opposing Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) could be found there. When Qais bin Saad reached Al-Madinah,
Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) sent Marwân 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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) wrote to Marwân:
"Had you reinforced Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was with Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had conquered Egypt. While the rioters
entered Al-Madinah and surrounded the house of Uthmân, 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 Uthmân. When he was
informed that the danger of a large-scale bloody battle hung over the head of
the Muslim Ummah, Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). He had refused to
take Bai'ah on the claim that Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) was made Caliph with the support of the rioters and the
killers of Uthmân who were also being patronized by Ali.
On the other hand, Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was not on par with him. Both of them had
reasons for their claims. In such a confusing situation Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) thought it quite
unwise to keep aloof. He decided to play his role in helping the two hostile
forces reach a consensus.
He arrived in Damascus and Mu’âwiyah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) welcomed him. He
made no delay in telling Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) that he was within his rights to avenge the blood of Uthmân.
At first Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
practiced caution but later he became satisfied towards him and made Amr bin Al-Âs
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) a member of his
government.
Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) then advanced his suggestion to Mu’âwiyah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) liked this
suggestion and so the daily mourning and crying came to an end. Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) then let Mu’âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and they would be of little help to him. Furthermore, the fighting machinery of
Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was not unreasonable, even the Saba sect
knew it well.
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