THE BATTLE OF JAMAL [i.e., OF THE CAMEL], AND THE VICTORY OF THE AMIR OF THE FAITHFUL, THE LION OF ATTACK—P. O. H.—BY THE COMMAND OF GOD THE MOST HIGH AND GLORIOUS.

When A’li the Commander of the Faithful had become aware of the approach of the Kûfah people, he was so pleased that he joyfully hastened to meet them, and having praised them in eloquent terms, harangued them as follows: ‘I have invited you to come that we may by your aid bring back to the path of rectitude and tran­quillity some of our brothers who are travelling on the road of insurrection and opposition. If they soon respond to our wishes, we shall deal with them amicably, but if they persist in their antagonism we shall treat them according to the injunction of the book of Allah and the Sonna of the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—and we shall do our utmost, and use every means to establish peace.’ After saying these pleasant words, he returned to his victory-boding camp, in which he assigned suitable grounds to the chiefs and notables of Kûfah. The next day he despatched Qa’qa’ B. A’mru, who was adorned with the decoration of sagacity and distinguished by valour, as an envoy to A´ayshah, Ttolhah and Zobeyr, for the purpose of quench­ing the blaze of their fire with the limpid water of advice and admonition. Qa’qa’ departed thereon, according to the orders he had received, and the Amir of the Faithful marched, with his troops, after him in the direction of Bossrah. When Qa’qa’ B. Amru had reached Bossrah, after traversing the distance, he first obtained the honour of an interview with the mother of the faithful [i.e., A´ayshah], whom he asked what her object was in coming to this country? She replied: ‘To seek the welfare of the Musalmâns, and to avenge the blood of O’thmân.’ Qa’qa’ continued: ‘My wish is that Ttolhah and Zobeyr be present in the house of the mother of the faithful, that I may say in their presence what I have to say.’ Ssiddiqah* ordered them to come, and Qa’qa’ having asked them the same question, and received the identical answer which Ssiddiqah had given, continued: ‘Your allegations are incongruous, because to avenge the blood of O’thmân means turmoil, and not the welfare of the Musalmâns.’ They asked for the reason, but Qa’qa’ again queried: ‘How many persons have been killed, from the moment this rebellion was raised up to the present time, to avenge the blood of O’thmân?’ They replied: ‘Six hundred men.’ Qa’qa’ continued: ‘Some thousands have become your enemies in this province, and if you augment your efforts in this matter, they will become more numerous, which will be a cause for hostilities and not for pacification.’ A´ayshah said: ‘Well spoken, Qa’qa’! Tell us now what will be best to do.’ He said: ‘According to my opinion, the carpet of antagonism ought to be folded up, and a treaty ought to be written by a pen of cloud-like abundance, the benignant showers whereof will lay the dust [of enmity] which has been raised. If my advice meets with acceptance, a good omen will manifest itself on the pages of your circumstances, but if it be rejected, the contrary of what I have presaged will take place.’ They replied: ‘The words thou hast uttered are in conformity with truth and sincerity, and if A’li assents to thy proposal we shall offer no opposition to it.’ Then Qa’qa’ returned on the wings of celerity to the victory-hoping camp, and stated the result of his negotiation. His lordship the Amir of the Faithful was pleased with the words of Qa’qa’ and praised him. Meanwhile the chiefs of the Bossrah peeple sent envoys to the victory-allied camp of the Amir of the Faithful—u. w. p.—to ascertain from the Kûfah people, who were their relatives, whether they intended to conclude peace or were inclined to wage war. When the people of Bossrah interviewed the chiefs of Kûfah, they received from them the following answer: ‘We at all times obey the orders of his lordship the Amir of the Faithful, but do not know at present whether he is inclined for peace or war.’ The Bossrah people thereon hastened to the august assembly to ascertain the intentions of the Shâh of the refuge of Vicarship, who thereon said: ‘Persons, who had arrived from various provinces in great numbers at Madinah, complained against O’thmân; but how­ever much I advised him to extinguish the flame of dis­content by removing certain obnoxious officials, my demand met with no response, and the oppressed obtained no justice. At last he was killed for his indolence, as is known to every­body. After that the people desired me to assume the garland [i.e., dignity] of the Khalifate, and to redress every kind of trouble and calamity, but I remained one week in my house, keeping the door of intercourse barred, and this [seclusion] being of no use [to them], they brought me out from my domicile, and I told them that the presence of Ttolhah and of Zobeyr was indispensable. When the people had succeeded in producing them, I said to both: ‘Whichever of you two is desirous to become Khalifah, I shall follow him.’ My proposal was, however, not accepted, and they paid me allegiance with much pleasure and great alacrity; at last, however, they asked leave of me, under the pretext of visiting the sacred localities, and departed to Mekkah, where they broke the covenant, secluded their own wives within curtains, but conveyed the spouse of the prince of the world—u. w. bl.—to Bossrah, in the midst of unsanctified persons, not being ashamed to disregard the respect due to the lord of the apostolate nor of breaking the allegiance, exciting rebellion and shedding blood. My purpose in coming here is to engage in the abolition of blamable usages and regulation of the affairs of the people. I shall put a stop to malice and wrath, which are repug­nant to all good men in the religion of Muhammad the apostle of Allah; and if the opponents persevere in their doings, I shall act gently towards them, and shall not hastily engage in hostilities.’ The Bossrah people, having approved of these words, said: ‘There are no better expressions than these.’ The Amir of the Faithful con­tinued: ‘As you approve of what I have said, pay me allegiance!’ A´assum B. Kalb made some excuses to delay the act of homage, which were not accepted; so that at last those hundred men, having attained the felicity of paying homage, returned to Bossrah, where they said to the nobles of that locality: ‘We have paid a visit to A’li the Com­mander of the Faithful, and have heard him utter the words of prophets.’

After the just-mentioned deputation had returned to Bossrah, his lordship the receptacle of the Vicariate marched from the locality in which he was and encamped on a large and convenient plain in the vicinity of Bossrah, whereon A´ayshah with Ttolhah and Zobeyr came out of the town at the head of thirty thousand men and halted in front of the army allied to victory. Now messengers and messages went to and fro, till at last the conclusion was arrived at that the murderers of O’thmân should depart from the victory-boding army so that negotiations for peace might take place; their number, however, amounted to more than five hundred men, most of them belonging to noble Arab families, and among them were Mâlek Ashtar, and Ebn Alhashym, and A’dy B. Hâtim Ttây, and Thâym B. Tha’le­bah I’ysa, and Sharyh B. Awfy, and Khâled B. Mulajjam, and others whose enumeration would be tedious. When those enemies of O’thmân had departed from the victory-boding army, and encamped on another spot, they consulted each other, and said: ‘There is no doubt that the peace of Ttolhah and Zobeyr with the Commander of the Faithful will be based on our death, and we are bound to attend to our position.’ One of them said: ‘A’li is better acquainted with the book of God [than we are]; he has now condemned us to death and made common cause with Ttolhah and Zobeyr in their enmity against us. It will be expedient for us to leave our friends and homes, and to depart to the west to save our lives.’ A’dy B. Hâtim said: ‘Life is pleasant in the company of our families and friends, but if we separate from them the contrary will be the case.’ Another said: ‘The best thing we can do is to cause A’li to join O’thmân [in death] when we get an opportunity, and by this means to seek reconciliation with Ttolhah and Zobeyr.’ A’lyâ B. Hashym said: ‘Yesterday we have killed O’thmân, and if we to-day do the same to A’li, what trust will Ttolhah and Zobeyr place in us? They will no doubt be awhile friendly to us, but will finally do their best to annihilate us. We have now no other remedy but to use a stratagem in consequence of which their friendship [i.e., the friendship of A’li with Ttolhah and Zobeyr] will be changed to enmity, and their pacification to war.’ All having consented to this proposal, the cunning of the murderers of O’thmân brought on a terrible fight between the two parties, as shall soon be jotted down by the pen of explanation if it pleaseth Allah the Most High.

At that time Ahnaf B. Qays, who was one of the Arab chiefs, came out from Bossrah with six thousand men, who were his followers, and, entering Wâdy Asbaa’, said: ‘How can I fight against the cousin of the apostle?’ Then he went with his troops to the camp of A’li the Commander of the Faithful, but his intention was to side with the party which would be victorious. Before the commencement of hostilities he betook himself, by way of foresight, alone to the Commander of the Faithful, and said: ‘If the Amir of the true believers be so inclined, I shall join his victory-hoping camp with a small detachment, and shall at the time of the battle gird up my loins to the conflict; but if he deems it more convenient, I shall keep off from him eighteen thousand sword-bearing men.’ A’li the Com­mander of the Faithful having accepted the second proposal, he [i.e., Ahnaf] succeeded in detaching a number of the Bani Tamym and Bani Sa’d from the army of Ttolhah and Zobeyr, and marched with them to the Wâdy Asbaa’.

There is a tradition that in those days Ka’b Aswad, who happened to be the Qâdzy of Bossrah, having drawn his feet under the skirt of safety, determined within himself not to aid A’li the Commander of the Faithful, but, never­theless, to resist Ttolhah and Zobeyr, whereon they sent the following message to A´ayshah: ‘If Ka’b remains behind also, the Bani Azd will excuse themselves from sharing in the contest, so that we shall be defeated on that account. Therefore thou must send for him, and request him to co-operate with us.’ A´ayshah then sent a person to him with the following message: ‘Thy mother stands in need of thy presence.’ Ka’b replied: ‘Would that I had never been borne by a mother! I swear by God that A´ayshah is not my mother, and that I stand not in need of a mother who would bring me near to the fire of hell!’ He also said to the messenger: ‘Tell A´ayshah to return to her home, so that the affairs of the Musalmâns may be peaceably settled.’ When the envoy had gone back to A´ayshah and informed her of his obstinacy and intention to remain behind, she went herself to the house of Ka’b, and said: ‘I have first sent a messenger, but have now come myself to show thee honour and respect.’ Ka’b began to weep, and said: ‘Would that thou hadst never come!’ She replied: ‘I have come to invite thee to unite thyself with us in avenging the blood of the unjustly slain Khalifah.’ Ka’b, however, replied: ‘O mother of the faithful, hast thou forgotten how many times thou hast incited and encouraged people ere this to kill O’thmân?’ A´ayshah rejoined: ‘I have repented to God of that baseness, and am at present determined to atone for that great crime.’ She spoke so long, so eloquently, and so enticingly that the poor man at last grasped his sword, left the mansion of safety, and departed to the field of danger, leading the camel of A´ayshah by the hand, and saying: ‘As long as a spark of life remains in my body I shall not let go this bridle from my hand.’ When the Azd tribe beheld their leader acting thus, they made preparations for war, joining the forces of Ttolhah and of Zobeyr. During the few days the two armies were encamped opposite to each other, envoys went to and fro between them, negotiating for peace, which was on the point of nearly being concluded, and the reasons for hostility averted, when the murderers of O’thmân deter­mined one night to make an attack, and at dawn, mounting horses fleet like the wind, hastened towards the camp of A´ayshah. As soon as they had sufficiently approached the camp, they began shooting arrows, causing confusion among the troops, who imagined that the army allied to victory had by the command of A’li the Commander of the Faithful attacked them. When Ttolhah and Zobeyr perceived this state of affairs, they said: ‘We knew that the son of Abu Ttâleb [i.e., A’li] would never restrain his hands from hostilities, and that his mind would never become wearied or averse to shed blood.’ Then they made arrangements for a battle, placed the howdah of A´ayshah, which they had strengthened with iron plates, upon the powerful camel which A’li B. Ommyah had presented to her by way of a gift [and mounted A´ayshah thereon]. Then a portion of the troops engaged in warding off the murderers of O’thmân, who, however, after they had killed some men and wounded others, fled, but the troops of A´ayshah pursued the adherents of fraud and treachery, whereon they threw themselves into the victorious camp [of A’li] shouting: ‘Lo, Ttolhah and Zobeyr have made a night attack.’ Then a tumult arose in the glorious army, and the men said: ‘We know that from the son of A’bdullah and from the son of A’wwam nothing can be expected but the breaking of treaties.’ A’li the Commander of the Faithful then like­wise set his heart on fighting, and arranged his troops in battle-array. The victory-boding army of the lord and recipient of Vicarship consisted of seven standards [or brigades], each of which was commanded by an Amir, all being, however, subject to the orders of A’li the Commander of the Faithful. Sa’d B. Qays was the leader of the Hamyar and Hamdan [tribes], A’dy B. Hâtim Ttây of his own tribe, but his enrolment among the seven Amirs took place before he left the camp. The Qays and the A’ys were commanded by Sa’d B. Masu’d B. A’mru Thaqfy, the uncle of Mukhtâr B. Abu O’baydah; the Kindah, the Qodzaa’h, and the Mohrah by Hejr B. A’dy Alkindy; the Azd, the Hylah, the Khosha’m, and the Khozâa’h by Mukhanaf B. Salym Alazdy; the Bani Bakr, the Tha’leb, and the Rabya’h by Mukhduu’ Aldahly; while A’bdullah B. Abbâs commanded all the Qoraish, the Anssâr, and other people from the Hejâz. Mâlek Ashtar was in charge of the right wing of the victorious army, and A’mmâr Yâser of the left.—In the army of A´ayshah the commander-in-chief of the cavalry was Muhammad B. Ttolhah B. A’bdullah B. Anssâr, and the commander-in-chief of the whole infantry was A’bdullah B. Alzobeyr Ala’wwam. The Amir of the right wing was Ka’b B. Aswad, and the commander of the Qoraish and the Kenânah was A’bdu-r-rahman B. Hareth B. Heshâm, whilst Mokhashi’ B. Masu’d, and A’mru B. A’bdu-r-rahman B. A´amer, and A’bdullah Khalaf Khozaa’y, and A’bdu-r-rahman B. Jaber Almurasy, and Rabyi’ B. Zyad Alhâreth, and A’bdullah B. Malik commanded those who were subject to them.

That morning A´ayshah, Ttolhah, and Zobeyr exercised their army, whilst the murderers of O’thmân stood aside counting the stars until the sovereign of the fourth climate [i.e., the sun] had elevated his banners from the ambush of the horizon, hastened towards the hosts of Ethiopia [i.e., the stars of the black night], and when the dolls of the azure sphere [i.e., the stars] had retired from the sight of the beholders within the curtains, they [i.e., the murderers of O’thmân] hastened in crowds to wait on A’li Murtadza. Mâlek Ashtar with A’dy B. Hâtim, being the spokesmen and delegates of their people, said: ‘The Amir of the Faithful had excluded us from attendance upon him, in order to soothe the hearts of the adherents of opposition and rebellion; and although we knew for a certainty that their intention was not to perpetuate thy Khalifate, we thought it proper to obey thy orders, and to withdraw our tongues into the palate of silence, in order not to be accused of sinister motives Now, however, we have come to jeopardize our lives in attendance upon thy heaven-aspiring stirrup, until this affair is settled by cogent arguments.’ His sacred lordship Murtadza—p. o. h.—was standing between the lines, and said: ‘It is not hidden or concealed from anyone that I was dealing kindly and gently with my opponents, advising them and hoping that they would desist from their acts. They, however, failed to take notice of my kind words, and, withdrawing their hands from the skirts of justice, donned the garment of obstinacy and resistance. Now they are challenging me to fight, and it is amazing that Ttolhah, who had formerly instigated the people to kill O’thmân, is at present bemoaning his death, and desires to avenge his blood. I swear by the magnifi­cence of Allah that Ttolhah is not acting according to the dictates of reason. If, as he believed, O’thmân was a tyrant, it would be his duty to cultivate the friendship of the murderers of O’thmân; but if, on the contrary, he deemed that O’thmân was unjustly persecuted, he ought to have aided him while he was yet alive. Had he been grateful, he ought not to have come out from his house, and ought not to have interfered in anything. He has, however, done neither, but paid allegiance to me, and afterwards rejected it. He first kept the covenant, and then defiled his honour by breaking it. O God, punish Ttolhah as he deserves, and give him no respite whatever.’ Then he addressed the companions allied to victory as follows: ‘Be glad and joyous to fight these people, and apprehend no evil conse­quences in doing so; because they have ejected Ebn Hanyf, who governed the province of Bossrah on my behalf, and have afflicted him in various ways. They have taken pos­session of the public treasury, and have slain a number of pious men, such as Hakym, with his brother and son. Some Musalmâns of Mekkah, who had fled for their lives, were pursued by them, captured, and unmercifully slain by them. Be aware that death cannot be avoided either by remaining stationary or by moving about. Consider that flight entails disgrace, and brings on the punishment of hell. Be certain that the best death is to fall in battle. I swear by that God in the grasp of whose power the life of the son of Abu Ttâleb is, that one hundred strokes with the sword would be more acceptable to me than to die on my bed. Advance undismayed, and do not become obnoxious to eternal punishment by cowardice or reluctance; because, after all, death is foreordained, and can be eluded neither by fraud nor stratagem, and fate cannot be struggled against. The people who have come to fight you, being adherents of Islâm and Arab tribes, are not to be attacked by you; but if they assail you, resistance must be offered, because you are bound to repel your foes, and if you slay them the guilt of their blood will not be on your necks. You are, moreover, not to pursue fugitives, nor to afflict a man, whom you have already wounded, with another wound.’

How couldst Thou disappoint Thy friends
While having regard for Thy enemies?*

It is narrated in some historical books that when his lordship the Amir of the Faithful delivered the above harangue, he requested Ttolhah and Zobeyr to come out to him from their lines. According to one tradition, Zobeyr, and according to another both of them, leapt out with light hearts, and minds free from suspicion of any impend­ing calamity, from their ranks, and took up a position so close to A’li the Commander of the Faithful that the necks of their riding-beasts touched each other. After some pre­liminary explanations about this meeting, his lordship the refuge of the Vicariate said: ‘Ere this fraternal relations existed between us, and we would not have permitted our­selves to vex each other.’ They assented, and he continued: ‘What has recently taken place to induce you to be hostile to me, to consider the shedding of my blood to be licit, and to elevate the standard of hatred?’ They replied: ‘It is incumbent upon us, and upon all Musalmâns, to endeavour to deprive thee of authority; because thou hadst assembled malcontents from every direction, and instigated them unjustly to slay the Khalifah.’ The Shâh and refuge of the Vicarship said: ‘Do you mean to retaliate upon me for the blood of O’thmân, while your sabres are yet dripping therewith? There is a vast difference between your good pleasure and that of the Most High. Come now, let us utter imprecations against each other, and lift our hands in prayer to the sky, that whoever had assented to the murder of O’thmân may be made to feel the Divine wrath, and be chastised accordingly.’ They refused, however, to utter imprecations, and A’li the Commander of the Faithful con­tinued: ‘You keep your own wives within curtains, but you have brought forth the honoured spouse of the apostle of God out of her retirement, and have torn aside the veil of her privacy. Now decide yourselves whether this is just, or the height of impropriety.’ They replied: ‘A´ayshah has, without being requested by us, honoured the nation by undertaking to arrange its affairs.’ His lordship the Amir of the Faithful continued: ‘I swear by my life and my head that A´ayshah stands herself more in need of a man to arrange her own affairs than any other people! O ye two old men, retrace your steps, and turn back to God; because to-day your position is disgraceful, but to-morrow it will be in fire.’* Ttolhah and Zobeyr being intent on hostilities and averse to pacification, the Amir—u. w. bl.—said: ‘O Zobeyr, rememberest thou when we both walked in company with the apostle—u. w. bl.—my hand being on thine, and his lordship asked, “Zobeyr, lovest thou A’li?” and thou hast said, “Yes”? His lordship continued, “Thou wilt soon be in a position to fight him, and on that occasion thou wilt be in the position of an oppressor.”’—Let it not remain concealed from discerning minds that these stories have been narrated in various manners by chroniclers; but as some have applied the epithet of oppressor to A’li, there was no necessity of repeating them to refute them.—When Zobeyr had heard these words of the Shâh of the refuge of Vicarship, he said: ‘O father of Hasan, thou hast reminded me of something which, if I had thought of it, would have hindered me from entertaining the idea of killing thee. I swear by God that I shall never fight nor quarrel with thee!’ After this parley, A’li the Commander of the Faith­ful returned to his lines, and informed his companions of the oath just made by Zobeyr, who on his part went to A´ayshah and said: ‘From the time I have attained the age of discretion till the present I appeared in all contests according to the dictates of discernment and justice, except on this battlefield.’ On A´ayshah’s asking him for the reason of this declaration, he continued: ‘A’li B. Abu Ttâleb has informed me of something which, if I had thought of it before, would have hindered me from embarking in this enterprise. I now intend to retire from the camp of the army, and to sit down in the corner of safety.’ A’bdullah then said to Zobeyr: ‘Thy reluctance to fight originates not from the story thou hast rehearsed, but from the impression made upon thy mind by the valour of the men thou hast seen gathered under the banners of A’li B. Abu Ttâleb; but I, for my part, shall not leave the battlefield, and shall engage in the contest with all my heart, until the Universal Judge decides the matter between us and our foes.’ These words so incensed Zobeyr that he rushed thrice into the lines of the glorious army, and returned again without wounding anyone, rejoined his troops, and said to his son A’bdullah: ‘What I have now done is not the act of a man who is afraid.’ A’bdullah, however, still insisted on the necessity of fighting, whereon Zobeyr said: ‘Having sworn an oath never to fight against A’li, how can I lift my arm to shed the blood of his army?’ A’bdullah then said: ‘Thou canst easily atone for thy oath and clear thy conscience from this scruple by manumitting a slave.’ Then A’bdullah continued his entreaties, till Zobeyr at last set free a slave of his, Makhûl by name, and promised to fight. On this subject A’bdu-r-rahman B. Sulaymân has said:

I have not seen a brother more treacherous than to-day;
I am astonished how he atones for his oath,
By manumission, and rebels against the Merciful.

When his lordship the Commander of the Faithful knew that the troops of Bossrah and the army of A´ayshah, beguiled by their temerity, were entirely unwilling to make peace and to be reconciled, he said: ‘Who will take the holy book, jeopardize his life, approach those people, and invite them to [obey the behests of] the Divine volume and the celestial books?’ Then a soldier, Muslim by name, bidding farewell to his physical life, entered the lines of the enemy with the book in his hand, and uttering a few words according to the instruction of the Shâh of the refuge of Vicarship, invited the people to accept [the injunctions of] the glorious Qurân; but one of those furious men cut off his arm, whereon he took the volume in the other hand, which was likewise cut off by others; then he clasped the book with the two stumps of the arms, and, pressing it to his breast, said: ‘I call you to accept that which is written on these leaves.’ He was, however, immediately slain. When the corpse of Muslim had been conveyed to the victory-allied army, his lordship prayed over it, and threw a handful of dust towards the enemies, invoking Divine vengeance against them.

Although the troops of A´ayshah made several attacks, his lordship the Amir delayed the encounter according to his wont, only saying:

‘O A´ayshah, these people are not foes.
Thy privacy would be better than to fight them.’

After the patience of the warriors of the glorious army had been tried beyond measure, they began the conflict with their head-cutting Yemâni swords, and made their heart-piercing lances work. The two armies, having met, did their best to annihilate each other, and blood flowed in abundance. A´ayshah, dismayed by the terrible contest, said to Ka’b B. Aswad: ‘Let go the bridle of my camel, and betake thyself to the lines of the army of A’li, and invite them to the book of God the Most High and Glorious.’ Ka’b obeyed the order, but when Mâlek Ashtar heard of this errand, he feared that in consequence of it, and by a stratagem of the foe, his lordship the Amir might be induced to cease hostilities, and he slew Ka’b.—In that battle A’mmâr B. Yâser approached Zobeyr, who, although in a position to kill him, restrained himself and turned in another direction, because he had heard the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—say: ‘A rebellious faction will murder A’mmâr Yâser.’—Some allege that when Zobeyr perceived A’mmâr Yâser fighting in the ranks of the army of the Commander of the Faithful, he remembered that he had heard the wonderfully eloquent tongue of the elected one of the Beneficent Sovereign utter the words: ‘The right is on the side of A’mmâr.’—When the flames of the contest had commenced to blaze, Zobeyr, unwilling to fight against A’li the Commander of the Faithful, left the battlefield and departed to the Hejâz. When he had reached the neighbourhood of Wâdy Asbaa’, to which place Ahnaf B. Qays had retired with some hermits for safety, Ahnaf happened to perceive him from a distance, and knew him to be Zobeyr. He then said to the men who were sitting with him: ‘This individual is Zobeyr, who has turned his face away from the battle! Will anyone go and bring us news from him?’ One of those present, whose name was A’mru B. Jarmûz, said: ‘With your leave I shall do so.’ Ahnaf assented; A’mru girded his sword, mounted his horse, and rode after Zobeyr, whom he overtook at the time of noon-prayers, and asked: ‘O father of A’bdullah, how were the armies of A´ayshah and of his lordship the Amir—bl., etc.—at the time thou hast left them?’ Zobeyr replied: ‘They were fighting and contending with each other when I came out from that place of destruction.’ A’mru then asked him why he had gone away from the contest, and he mentioned the reason already narrated above. They continued riding side by side for awhile, when Zobeyr said to A’mru: ‘I desire to perform the prescribed orisons; thou wilt be secure from me, shall I be secure from thee?’ A’mru said ‘Yes,’ but as soon as Zobeyr began his prayers he struck him furiously at the first prostration, so that he killed him. Taking possession of the cuirass, armour and horse of Zobeyr, he betook him­self to the victorious army and exhibited these arms to the august inspection of A’li the Commander of the Faithful, who, when his eyes alighted upon the sabre of Zobeyr, said: ‘The owner of the cup without a handle has often unjustly boasted of it in the presence of the apostle of Allah.’ After that he turned to A’mru and exclaimed: ‘Receive the news of fire, O slayer of the son of Ssafyah!’ A’mru replied: ‘Thou art the calamity of this nation! Whoever sides with thee or against thee must go to hell.’ There is also a tradition that he said: ‘He has slain your foe, and is threatened with hell-fire.’ In some chronicles it is recorded that when A’li the Commander of the Faithful had promised him the fire of Jahannum [Gehenna], A’mru became so dismayed and enraged that he placed the sword against his abdomen, and leant on it with such force that it came out at his back.

It is related that when Ttolhah was apprised of the departure of Zobeyr, he intended to follow his example, to separate from A´ayshah, and to retire to a corner. When Merwân B. Alhukum was informed of this intention, the hatred which he had long entertained towards Ttolhah on account of the murder of O’thmân was augmented, and he pierced the foot of Ttolhah in the stirrup as he was riding. The blood of Ttolhah flowed so abundantly from his wound that he became weak, and not being able to sit alone, he ordered a slave to mount in his rear and to take him in his arms. Being overpowered by weakness, Ttolhah said to the slave: ‘Take me to the town, for I shall not survive this wound.’ As Ttolhah had now lost all his strength, the slave laid him down in a ruin before he could reach the town. On that occasion the eyes of Ttolhah alighted on a horseman, whom he told to approach him, and asked: ‘To what party belongest thou?’ The rider replied: ‘I am one of the soldiers of A’li B. Abu Ttâleb.’ Ttolhah continued: ‘Place thy hand into mine, that I may renew my allegiance to A’li the Commander of the Faithful.’ The man assented, and Ttolhah having paid homage, the bird of his soul took flight to the throne [of the Divine majesty]; and when the act of Ttolhah had been reported to A’li the Commander of the Faithful, he said: ‘God, who be praised and exalted, was not willing to receive Ttolhah into paradise without his paying homage to me.’

There is a tradition that after Ka’b B. Aswad had been slain, a portion of the Bani Ommyah, who kept guard around the howdah of A´ayshah, put themselves in motion and began to fight with their arrows, sabres and lances. When A’li Murtadza—p. b. o. h.—beheld their strenuous exertions, he appointed Mâlek Ashtar, and A’dy B. Hâtim, and A’mmâr B. Yâser, and A’mru B. Hamaq to attack those lion-hunting champions. When A’bdullah B. Zobeyr perceived the just-named individuals approaching the centre, he incited the men under his command to fight against them, saying: ‘These are murderers of O’thmân, and having now obtained an opportunity you must wreak vengeance on them.’ The people said: ‘We hear and obey’; whereon he, preceding all of them, drew forth the arm of bravery, and a great contest took place, in which he was at last killed by the sword of A’mmâr B. Yâser. The victorious army then poured a rain of arrows upon the camel of A´ayshah, so that the howdah, which was defended by iron plates, looked like the back of a porcu­pine. The number of the slain was so considerable that horses could not walk quickly in that vast plain. Some of the ignorant Arabs who belonged to the army of the opponents were by turns leading the camel of A´ayshah and reciting verses, while the warriors of the glorious army were cutting off their hands with sabres; and it is known for certain that of the Bani Ommyah alone two hundred and seventy men lost their hands in this manner. Both parties fought valiantly, and strove so ardently that the tongue of the reed is unable to describe the contest.

On that terrible day A’li the Commander of the Faithful exerted himself to such a degree that the Dhu-l-fiqâr was snapped in twain. In this conflict A’mru B. Ashraf, who was the Rastam* of his period, came out from the lines of A´ayshah’s army and walked into the battlefield, but every one of the victory-allied army who went out to fight him [was slain and] never returned to his post, till at last Hâreth B. Tzuhyr, who was brave like Sâm and Esfendiâr,* attacked A’mru, with the result, however, that both those heroes wounded each other mortally, and, falling on the ground of abasement, gave up their ghosts.—In that battle Mâlek Ashtar approached A’bdullah B. Zobeyr, who was holding the bridle of A´ayshah’s camel in his hand, and having caught hold of him by the neck, prostrated him to the ground, and A’bdullah, grasping him, shouted: ‘Kill me together with Mâlek.’ As, however, Mâlek Ashtar was celebrated, no one killed him, so that he succeeded in extri­cating himself from the grasp of A’bdullah and returned to his lines, but whenever the battle of Jamal was afterwards mentioned, he used to say: ‘On that day I escaped with my life because the son of Zobeyr called out my name.’—The hand of Zaid B. Ssuhân having been cut off by an infidel in some religious war, his holy and prophetic lordship— u. w. bl., etc.—said: ‘Some of the limbs of Zaid will reach paradise sooner than himself.’ A´ayshah had heard these words of his lordship, and when in this battle Zaid attained the honour of martyrdom fighting for the Com­mander of the Faithful, she bemoaned him, and said: ‘As Zaid is a denizen of paradise, we belong to the rebellious faction.’

When the time of the anterior prayers arrived, the Boss­rah people still continued to fight for their renown and honour, encircling the camel of A´ayshah, and as his lord­ship A’li the Commander of the Faithful knew that as long as the camel stood on its feet the antagonists would not cease fighting and shedding blood, he ordered Muhammad B. Abu Bakr and Mâlek Ashtar and Sa’d B. Qays, with some other tried warriors, to do their utmost to remove the people from A´ayshah and to hamstring her camel. They made repeated onslaughts, the blood of warriors dyed the ground with vermilion, and Mâlek Ashtar, having approached the camel, severed one of its legs with his sword, but it remained standing, whereon he cut off another leg, and when his lordship the Amir of the Faithful saw that it had not yet fallen, he shouted: ‘Mâlek! cut off another leg, because this camel is protected by a Jinn’ [i.e., demon]. Mâlek obeyed and the camel was prostrated. It is recorded in the chronicle of A´athum Kûfy, that Aa’mesh B. Hani­fah, who was a well-known man of Kûfah, had disabled the camel of A´ayshah. When the howdah swayed, the Com­mander of the Faithful said to Muhammad B. Abu Bakr: ‘Succour thy sister. Take care that no arrow or sword injure her.’ Muhammad then placed his hand inside the howdah and touched A´ayshah, who, recoiling with aversion, exclaimed: ‘Who art thou whose hand has reached a spot which had never been touched except by that of the apostle of Allah?’ Muhammad replied: ‘I am thy brother.’ When A´ayshah recognised her brother, she was tranquillized.— It is related that when the camel of A´ayshah was pros­trated and her howdah swayed, she exclaimed: ‘O father of Hasan, it is shaking!’

When the breeze of prosperity began to waft upon the exalted banners of A’li the Commander of the Faithful, and the bud of his desires commenced to blossom, he ordered A´ayshah to be conveyed to the house of Ssafyah B. A’bdullah, the relict of Khozaa’y, whom A’li had in that battle despatched to the abode of perdition [i.e., hell] with his Dhu-l-fiqâr. Then his lordship ordered the follow­ing proclamation to be heralded: ‘Do not pursue the fugi­tives, strike no one who has already been wounded, and let every man who enters his own house, as well as everyone who throws away his arms, be safe from any injury at the hands of the victorious army.’ It was also proclaimed that: ‘Everyone who has taken anything besides horses and arms from the opponents must produce it so that it may be returned to its owner.’ A man then asked: ‘How is this, that it was licit to shed the blood of these people, but it is forbidden to take their property? Are they polytheists?’ A’li replied: ‘Nay, they have fled from polytheism.’ He continued: ‘Are they hypocrites?’ The Amir answered: ‘Hypocrites do not care much for God.’ He further queried: ‘Then who are they?’ A’li Murtadza replied: ‘They are our brothers who have gone astray on the path of rebellion.’ When, according to the command, to which obedience was due, the goods and clothes of the rebels had been returned to them, A’li asked, ‘Where is the questioner, that he may hear a pleasing answer?’ The man having responded to the call, A’li the Commander of the Faithful asked him: ‘Would thy soul rejoice to obtain thy share of the booty from thy mother, namely, from A´ayshah?’ According to another tradition, he said: ‘Wouldst thou consider it proper to enrol the mother of the faithful among the prisoners?’ After the man had heard these words he objected to the proposal and repented of what he had said.

It is on record that when on the day of Jamal [i.e, of the camel] Merwân B. Hukum was brought to A’li B. Abu Ttâleb, the latter said: ‘If all the people of the inhabited quarter of the world were to conspire, they could not deprive Merwân of more than one nail of his finger.’ He also said to Merwân: ‘Thy seed, namely, thy descendants, will bring calamities on the nation.’ In fact, several of his progeny afterwards sat on the masnad of dominion, two of them being A’bdu-l-melik and Suleimân.—Shya’y states that on the day of Jamal, Merwân and A’mru B. O’thmân with his brother, and Sa’yd B. Amru Ala´ass, were made prisoners and brought to A’li the Commander of the Faith­ful, and that Ammâr Yâser said: ‘These men ought to be killed.’ His lordship replied: ‘I do not kill chiefs of tribes when they repent.’—There is a tradition that in the battle of Jamal seventeen thousand of the army of the mother of the faithful, and nearly three thousand men of the troops of the Emâm of the Musalmâns—u. w. bl.—were slain.—In the ‘Tarjumat Mostaqassa’ it is recorded that the number of those of the army of the Amir of the Faithful who attained martyrdom did not exceed nine hundred.—When the noble intellect and luminous mind of his lordship the Amir had been delivered of all apprehensions after the battle of Jamal, he entered the cathedral mosque of Bossrah, mounted the pulpit, offered praises to God the Most High, salutations to Muhammad the elect—u. w. bl. —and addressing the people who had congregated in that locality, not only admonished them, but also reproved the inhabitants of that province in most eloquent language. Then he despatched A’bdullah B. A’bbâs to Ssiddiqah with the message to prepare herself for departure to Madinah. Ebn A’bbâs obeyed orders, went to the castle of Ebn Khalaf where Ssiddiqah lodged, and having seen a cushion which had fallen into a corner of the house, took it up, and threw it down in a suitable place, taking his seat thereon. A´ay­shah, addressing him from within the curtains of modesty, said: ‘Thou hast not acted according to the usage of the prophet, who would not enter my house without my per­mission, nor take a seat on my cushion without my order.’ A’bdullah B. A’bbâs replied: ‘We have taught thee the usages, and have practised them before thee. And I swear by God that thy house is that in which the apostle of Allah had left thee when he departed to the next world, but thou hast acted unjustly towards thy own soul by coming out from the apartment of modesty and embarking in an enterprise which God the Most High does not approve of. Whenever thou returnest to thy original domicile, we shall never enter it without thy permission. The upshot of my words and import of my message is, that A’li the Commander of the Faithful orders thee to depart from Bossrah, to return to Madinah, and sitting in the mansion of comfort to spend thy life in ease.’ A´ayshah replied: ‘May God the Most High and Glorious have mercy upon the Amir of the Faithful!’ Ebn A’bbâs continued: ‘May the pardon of the Boundless Giver be upon him with unstinted abundance! the blessed individual whose injunction I am bearing to thee is A’li the Commander of the Faithful, who is in consanguinity and familiarity nearer to the apostle of Allah than anyone, who preceded all man­kind in professing the religion, and whose merit in propa­gating and adorning the law exceeds that of all. His efforts in exalting the banners of Islâm are greater than those of anyone, and the duty of protecting thee is more incumbent upon him than it was on Abu Bakr or O’mar.’ Ssiddiqah replied: ‘O son of A’bbâs, hast thou come here to utter words like these to my face?’ Ebn A’bbâs silenced her with abundant explanations, and she said at last: ‘O son of A’bbâs, the most inimical country to me is that in which thou art.’ A’bdullah B. A’bbâs then departed from the house of the mother of the faithful, and reported to the Emâm of the Musalmâns [A’li] all that had occurred. Then A’li the Commander of the Faithful sent Mâlek Ashtar to Ssiddiqah to induce her to go to Madinah. Mâlek Ashtar did as he was bidden, and rude words passed between him and A´ayshah, who would by no means agree to return to Madinah.—It is recorded in some histories that after Mâlek Ashtar had come back, his lordship the Amir of the Faithful went himself to the lodging of A´ay­shah. When he entered the castle of A’bdullah B. Khalaf Alkhozâa’yi, his relict Ssafyah, who was also called Omm Alttolhah, wept for A’bdullah, who had been killed in that battle, and said to the Amir of the Faithful: ‘O slayer of beloved persons, may God the Most High make thy children orphans, as thou hast caused mine to become.’ The Amir of the Faithful replied: ‘If I were a slayer of friends, I would order all those to be killed who are here at present;’ hereby he meant A’bdullah B. Zobeyr and other rebels who were concealed in that house. When his lordship entered the apartment of A´ayshah, he said: ‘O little red one,* repent of and be penitent for what thou hast done, and prepare to depart to Madinah, there being no other remedy for thee, because I heard the prophet of Allah say: “One of my wives will fight with thee, but when thou conquerest her, thou art to send her to her house.” Thy house is in Madinah.’ A´ayshah, whether she was willing or not, complied with the desire of his lordship, who then ordered Muhammad B. Abu Bakr [her own brother] to accompany her on that journey, with a number of women from Bossrah dressed in male garments to attend upon her on the road. According to one statement, he accompanied A´ayshah three miles in his own noble person, and then returned to Bossrah. The just-mentioned females waited on A´ayshah at every stage when she alighted, but she was aggrieved and distressed, saying: ‘A’li has not respected the honour [due to the wife] of the apostle of Allah, by causing me to be served by these persons.’ When, however, these women arrived in Madinah, and had resumed their original clothes, Ssiddiqah was pleased with what the Amir of the Faithful had done, and opened her mouth in praises towards the Shâh of men and lion of God.

It is related that after the conquest of Bossrah it was brought to the notice of A’li that A´ayshah felt aggrieved with him, and being asked for the reason, he said: ‘Several things happened on account of which her envy and hatred were roused against me; one of these was, that when I once paid a visit to the apostle of Allah, in the apartment of A´ayshah, before the revelation of the verse concerning the privacy of women, his lordship made me sit near him, his elbow being on my thigh, and he conversed with me. This [familiarity] displeased A´ayshah, so that she said: “O son of Abu Ttâleb; thou art interfering between the apostle of Allah and me, thou leavest him neither in the day or night, and ceasest not to associate with him.” His holy and prophetic lordship said: “O A´ayshah, no one is like A’li, because the first person who made profession of the Faith was he, and the first person to reach the lake Kawthar [in paradise] will be he, and the first person to shake hands with me on the day of the resurrection will be he.” Again, when the apostle of Allah sent Abu Bakr on pilgrimage with the injunction to read the Qurân and the Surah of the “Declaration of immunity,”* he despatched me after him to take that Surah from him, and I recited it to the pilgrims as well as to the crowds which had assembled from every direction; also in preference to numerous other companions, his lordship had made me his legatee. Furthermore, on the day of slander,* I said to the apostle of Allah: “There are many women in the world, and if thou entertainest misgivings concerning A´ayshah, with­draw thy hand from her, and take another instead of her.”’

There is a tradition of Ssamyi’ B. A’mru, that A´ayshah the mother of the faithful having once been asked what she thought of A’li B. Abu Ttâleb, she said: ‘Why askest thou about a man who, when, in the death-agony of the apostle of Allah, saliva began to flow from his blessed mouth, would not allow it to fall to the ground, but, receiving it on the hand, smeared it on his own face; and what do you say about him who, when the honoured companions of the apostle were at variance with each other concerning the place where he was to be buried, said: “There is no spot more noble than that from which his precious soul departed to the proximity of God,” and in spite of the difference of opinions discerning men considered his suggestion to be the best?’ This tradition is, however, contrary to the state­ment recorded before concerning the place of sepulture of the lord of the apostolate.—After she had enumerated other qualities of his lordship [i.e., of A’li], the questioners asked her: ‘Then why hast thou opposed him and fought with him?’ The mother of the faithful then wept, and said: ‘Human beings are liable to commit errors, but I have repented of mine and have returned to God the Most High.’

Ebn Hamdân has narrated in his chronicle that when A´ayshah departed from Bossrah the wives of the nobles and magnates of that town accompanied her as far as three stages, and that the children and relatives of his sacred lordship A’li likewise accompanied her the same distance; and at the time of leave-taking she said to them: ‘My relations with A’li are like those between women, relatives, and married couples, and I deem A’li to be the best and most excellent of all these.’—Muhammad B. Syryn states that on the day of Jamal A´ayshah asked Khâled B. Alwâshmah—who was one of the magnates that fought in the action of Jamal, and was highly esteemed by the mother of the faithful for his intellect, virtues, and good manners —what had become of Ttolhah. He replied that he had been killed, whereon she asked about Zobeyr, and was told that he had left the battlefield in the beginning of the day, and that at the end of it the news of his death had arrived. She then asked about another of the associates [of the prophet], and was told that he had likewise joined his friends [in death]. Ssiddiqah then said: ‘May God the Most High have mercy on them!’ Khâled continued: ‘Zaid B. Ssûhân the partisan of A’li has also been slain.’ A´ayshah said: ‘He is also one of those to whom [Divine] mercy has been granted.’ Khâled asked: ‘Will God—whose name be sanctified and exalted—assemble all these men, who have opposed and fought each other with the sword, in one place?’ A´ayshah replied: ‘The mercy of God exceeds all bounds of explanation, nor can anyone ask Him for the why and the wherefore of His acts.’ Hearing these words, Khâled repented of what he had done, waited on A’li the Commander of the Faithful, was present in the battle of Ssafyn, and endeavoured to atone for the past [enmity he had manifested against A’li].

There is a tradition of Abu Thâbet, the manumitted slave of Abu Dhar Ghuffâry, that he said: ‘After the termination of the battle of Jamal I waited on Omm Solmah, who received me kindly, and asked: “Where hast thou been in these times when the birds of hearts flew out from the nests of bodies?” I replied that I had been in attendance upon A’li the Commander of the Faithful, and contending against his enemies, and that after his noble mind had been delivered of this care, I hastened to kiss thy felicity-boding threshold. She replied: “Thou hast done well,” and I have heard the apostle of Allah say: “A’li is with the Qurân, and the Qurân with him, nor will they be separated from each other until the time when they meet me on the banks of the Kawthar”’ [in paradise].—A trustworthy author has a tradition that his holy lordship A’li the Commander of the Faithful having heard a noise of voices in the direction of the army of the mother of the faithful, asked for the meaning, and being told that they were cursing the murderers of O’thmân, he exclaimed: ‘May God the Most High respond to their prayer, for they are themselves the murderers of O’thmân!’ That wish of his lordship the Amir of the true believers was fulfilled.

There is a tradition that, after the conquest of Bossrah, A’li the Commander of the Faithful appointed A’bdullah B. A’bbâs to be the governor of that province, with Ebn Samyah, who was during the administration of Moa’wiah known by the name of Zyâd B. Ommyah, and was very intelligent, as his lieutenant. It has already been recorded in these pages that in the beginning of his Khalifate A’li the Commander of the Faithful had appointed A’bdullah B. A’bbâs to the governorship of Yemen, but when Mâlek Ashtar heard of this appointment he said: ‘It is strange that, while we are fighting with the sword, the sons of A’bbâs are governors.’ Loosing in his wrath the bridle of self-restraint from his hands, Mâlek departed to Kûfah without asking permission from his lordship the Amir of the Faithful, who, apprehending that he might excite sedition among the people, hastened after him, overtook him, and meeting him, kindly said to him with many com­pliments: ‘We have not grudged thee dominion and administration, but we have reserved thee for important affairs. I cannot dispense with thy company, especially in these days, when I am making the greatest efforts to march to Syria, and to annihilate the bloodthirsty warriors of that province. Now I confer upon thee the command of the army, and hope that, if it pleaseth Allah the Most High, with thy aid the affairs of my Khalifate and government will prosper.’ Then Mâlek apologized and excused himself, whereon consultations took place between them, and they remained for some days in Kûfah, to see what would come out from behind the curtain of futurity.