The
Verdict
Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) asked Abu Musa Ash'ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to announce the decision taken by them.
Abu Musa (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) ascended the pulpit
and said addressing the people: "People! After much deliberation we could
reach one and only one decision. I am sure this verdict will lead the Muslims
as a whole to peace and unity. Both Amr bin Al-Âs and I have decided to depose
both Ali and Mu'âwiyah giving you the right to chose anybody as your
caliph."
The entire congregation heard it and
Abu Musa (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) descended. Now Amr
bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) mounted the pulpit
and said to the people: "All of you be witness that Abu Musa had deposed
his friend Ali. But I, however, do not depose Mu'âwiyah and keep him at his
place for he is the successor of the brutally martyred Caliph and has the right
to succeed him."
Had Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) lent total support to the decision
announced by Abu Musa (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
without saying anything in support of Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the judgment would not have suffered such a disgrace and
setback. There may be some weakness in the statement of Abu Musa (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) but it was decidedly
above dishonesty and manipulation and would not have set eight hundred Muslims
against it. Even though they were given the right to choose a new caliph, but
he could not have been stronger than Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) or Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
Furthermore, a third man as a caliph could have aggravated the already tense
situation that was filled with bitterness and bad blood.
In truth, Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was not in favor of
peace with Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
otherwise he would have proposed arbitration before the breakout of the battle
of Siffin. But he put forward his proposal only when he was sure of his defeat.
So, his taking resort to the Book of Allâh was nothing but a clever device to
escape the certain defeat. Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
had, on the other hand, accepted the peace proposal very reluctantly and under
serious threat and compulsion. In short, Abdullah bin Abbâs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and many others blamed Abu Musa Ash'ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) of being deceived.
Abu Musa Ash'ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
rose to protest against the trick played by Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) with the result that chaos and disorder
enveloped the entire place.
Shuraih bin Hâni attacked Amr bin
Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) with his sword and
he responded with a counterattack but the people saved the situation. The
erupting disorder went in favor of Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). It was because the Syrians and the Iraqis could no longer
stay in the company of one another and they put up a resolution with common
consent to depart. Abu Musa Ash'ari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) and Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) left for Damascus along with their men while Shuraih and
Abdullah bin Abbâs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
proceeded to Kufah in the company of his own people. The people from Makkah and
Al-Madinah also left the place dejected and shocked.
[The details presented by the
compiler and other historians regarding the selection of the arbitrators and
the decision have been based on the Shiite narratives and are full of doubts and
faults. It is not imaginable that in the case of such an important issue, the
arbitrators had been so negligent that they did nothing for six months and
didn't consider any thing until the day of announcement, then suddenly they
have announced the decision after a little consideration on some ordinary
issues at that time. And in that decision also, one arbitrator had cheated half
the nation, inviting the danger of a more severe fight than Siffin between the
two parties.
In fact, the two arbitrators had
reached a compact decision after their sincere efforts of six months and after
collecting the opinions of the nation. This decision was also announced but the
documentation of the decision has been concealed or destroyed in such a way
that there is no trace of it. In its place, a fabricated story has been
presented with every possible relief for Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), and with aspects of blames on the Syrians and even the
arbitrators. However, from the folds of the events and the overall condition of
the occurrences thereafter, the original decision can be extracted as follows:
1. Because Ali took the Bai'ah in a
doubtful atmosphere; kept with him the murderers of Uthmân; claimed himself to
be the rightful caliph and fought every such person who denied his Bai'ah, but
didn't agree to take Qisâs (retaliation) from the murderers of Uthmân, although
it was an obligation upon him as a caliph. So, he should be removed from the
caliphate and prevented from using sword as a caliph. But the areas under his
control should remain under him as a governor until a new caliph assumes his
responsibilities.
2. Mu'âwiyah was neither a caliph nor
he claimed caliphate. But the areas under him were under his governorship only
and these should remain so until the new caliph is selected.
3. After the restoration of normalcy, a
body of distinguished Muslims including Ali and Mu'âwiyah, should select a
suitable and impartial person freely as a caliph.
4. The new caliph will be responsible
for the investigation and the Qisâs of the murder of Uthmân, so Mu'âwiyah
should remain quiet about his claim of Qisâs of Uthmân 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 Allâh a judge to stop the battle of Siffin, into a cheating trick of raising
the Qur'ân on spears to deceit Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) and to avoid the defeat; while the truth was that only one man
took the Qur'ân to Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
The fourth point is proved right by
the fact that after it, Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) remained quiet about his claims regarding Qisâs of Uthmân (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
The third point is verified by a
narration of Ibn Umar (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
in Sahih Bukhari which states that he went to the gathering to hear the
decision of the arbitrators by the insistence of Hafsah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). He said: "When the people dispersed
(after hearing the decision), Mu'âwiyah 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 7/403)
This shows that the arbitrators had
made a decision for the selection of a caliph unanimously apart from the two
fighting chiefs. Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
was challenging the same person who may be the candidate of caliphate after the
decision.
The sitting in which Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). The Companions surely had guessed about
the attitude of Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
that he would not accept any other 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 (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), he denied accepting it saying that the decision was not
according to the Book of Allâh, and that the arbitrators had exceeded in their
powers. While no point of the decision was against the Book of Allâh, nor the
arbitrators had decided anything exceeding their powers. However, the result of
the attitude of Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) were going back
happy at their victory, while the party accompanying Abdullah bin Abbâs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and Shuraih bin Hâni
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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
was going back to Kufah with his troops. After reaching Kufah, Abdullah bin
Abbâs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) told the whole story
to Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), and he declared the
verdict of Abu Musa (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
against the Book of Allâh and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allâh and rejected
it outright. He also cursed Mu'âwiyah, Amr bin Al-Âs (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), Habib bin Maslamah, Abdur-Rahmân bin Mukhallad, Dahhâk bin
Qais, Walid, and Abul-A'war. When Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) came to know of this, he too cursed Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ); 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'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
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 (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) 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 Qur'ân had not given them permission to leave its track to
follow their personal opinion. Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) 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.
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