When Moa’wiah B. Abu Sofiân had arrived in Ssafyn before A’li the Commander of the Faithful, and had encamped there with his army, he ordered Abu-l-a´ur with ten thousand experienced warriors to guard the passage to the water, and not to allow one of the people of E’râq and companions of the legitimate Khalifah to moisten his throat with a drink of water. Meanwhile, his sacred lordship A’li the Commander of the Faithful halted after his arrival in the locality with the great Mohâjer, Anssâr, and the chiefs of districts and countries in the vicinity of the camp of Moa’wiah. When numbers of servants and camp-followers of the victory-boding army were about to approach the river-bank to bring water to the camp of the army, Abu-l-a´ur, whose skirt was moist but his brains dry, interposed between those people, not allowing them to accomplish their intention. His lordship the Amir of the Faithful, who had witnessed this disgraceful proceeding, despatched Ssa’ssa’h B. Suhân A’bdy as an envoy to Moa’wiah, with the following message: ‘We have collected an army and arrived from a great distance, in order to settle the affair of the Khalifate, which is one of the important concerns of the religion. It was our intention, first, to advise you, to point out the right road to you, to abstain from hostilities, and not to begin the conflict. Now, however, some of thy soldiers have hindered the people from obtaining access to the water, which the Universal Dispenser has made free and allowed to all His worshippers. It is hoped that thou wilt order them to abstain from so improper a behaviour and to make no difficulties; if, however, thou art inclined for contention, and those men who are drowned in the sea of aberration persevere in their unworthy purpose, there is no doubt that this affair will end in a conflict, wherein the use of the Dhu-l-fiqâr and the movements of bright scimitars will cause torrents of blood to flow in the field of battle. Be it known unto thee for a certainty, O Moa’wiah, that if I had encamped in this locality before you, I would have made no difficulties about the water, and would have kept the meadow of the hopes of friends and foes equally irrigated with the outpourings of Divine abundance.’ After Ssa’ssa’h had delivered his message, Moa’wiah held a consultation with his intimate friends and pillars of his state as to what answer should be sent. He was hesitating whether he ought to place the hand of refusal upon the breast of the wishes of his lordship the receptacle of the Vicariate, or whether he ought to recall Abu-l-a´ur from the path of extreme measures to the right road. Lobeyd B. O’tbah B. Abu Mo’ytt and A’bdullah B. Abu Sarj said [in that consultation]: ‘Most of the people who have encamped opposite to us were accomplices in the murder of O’thmân, because at the time when he was besieged, as is known to everybody, they withheld their assistance from him, and it will be proper that at this time when we have the force, power, and inclination, we should distress them by keeping them away from the water, not allowing them to approach it at all, and if A’li Murtadza leaves this spot, betaking himself to another, where he can easily get water, this very fact will be a kind of flight.’ A’mru B. A´ass said: ‘O Moa’wiah, do not imagine that A’li will bear thirst, and that his troops will contemplate the water of the Euphrates with dewy [i.e., tearful, longing] eyes, considering that at present the brave cavalry of E’râq and the royal horsemen of the adjacent districts are under his command. Moreover, our objects in marching from Damascus were our love of the Khalifate, and our desire to avenge the blood of the chief of the religion, which have nothing whatever to do with this wrangling about water; and the rest [how to act] is known to thee.’ Although A’mru B. A´ass adduced other reasonable arguments, that such a proceeding would only increase the estrangement, they were of no use, and Moa’wiah, who had made prohibition and resistance his motto, said: ‘This is the first victory we have gained, and may the Bountiful Dispenser not quench the thirst of Moa’wiah on the day of requital [in paradise] from the lake of the Mussttafa—o. w. p.—if those people obtain a drink of water from the Euphrates without using force and conquering us.’ It is on record that on this occasion a man of the Azd tribe, who was in the assembly, said: ‘O Moa’wiah, thou hast disregarded the laws of philanthropy, and not fulfilled the dictates of justice and equity. If thy antagonists were Turks of the Byzantine country, humanity would require thee first to refresh them with water and bread, and then to fight; but these are men who have been present at Bedr, and have joyfully paid allegiance; noble Mohâjer and Anssâr, and respected followers. Among these men there are sons of the uncles of the prophet of the last times—u. w. bl. O Moa’wiah, fear the wrath of the Avenging Victor! Be on thy guard, and scratch not the countenance of philanthropy with the nail of impudence.’ Then, on the other hand, Wolyd B. O’tbah manifested his wickedness, saying: ‘It is necessary to keep off the troops of A’li Murtadza from the water, and I entertain hopes that on the day of the resurrection God the Most High will keep them off from enjoying the water of the lake Kawthar.’ But Ssa’ssa’h replied to him: ‘The Lord—whose name be blessed and sanctified—will in the next world deprive of water infidels and hypocrites like thee, because thou hast committed sins, drunk wine, gone to the mosque, and hast led the prayers of the Musalmâns in a state of intoxication, making in thy heedlessness four, instead of the two prescribed prayer-flexions, and being about to dismiss the congregation, thou hast said: “O friends, this day I am much pleased and delighted. If you are willing, I shall make several more flexions for you.” When O’thmân had obtained cognizance of this wicked act and disgraceful expression, he removed thee from thy post, recalled thee to Madinah, and deprived thee of thy right, but what right hast thou to utter such words? Thou, whom the Divine Majesty—whose name be sanctified—has mentioned in the glorious Qurân and stigmatized as a profligate!’ Some members of the assembly of Moa’wiah drew their sabres when they heard these words of Ssa’ssa’h, and wanted to kill him, but Moa’wiah warded them off, saying: ‘To injure an ambassador is licit in no religion.’ Although Moa’wiah considered it improper to shed the blood of the envoy of the Amir of the Faithful, he girded his loins to shed the blood of his lordship, kept the water off from those blessed men, and had no fear whatever of the wrath of God. In fine, Ssa’ssa’h, having escaped the grasp of death, was allowed to depart, and hastened, dismayed, to wait on the Amir of the Faithful, whom he informed of the refusal and obstinacy of Moa’wiah, which distressed his lordship considerably. Meanwhile, the weaker portion of the victory-allied army was in great tribulation for the want of water, another spot where it could be obtained being two farsakhs distant from the august camp. When Mâlek Ashtar perceived fear prevailing like that of the greatest day,* he informed the Amir of the Faithful that the price of water had risen in the camp to three dirhems a bag, and that the people were in great distress, saying: ‘I hope thou wilt issue orders permitting us to expel with our bright scimitars the ambitious aspirations from the brains of the vainglorious enemies, and to transform the plain of Ssafyn by their blood into the river Jayhûn’ [i.e., Oxus]. Asha’th B. Qays likewise said: ‘O Amir of the Faithful, is it proper that while the Musalmâns are nearly perishing from thirst, and thou art our leader, our swords should remain in their scabbards? I swear by God that I shall not return, but go to the Euphrates and fight till I taste its delicious water, or quaff the potion of martyrdom.’ A’li the Amir of the Faithful replied: ‘Do whatever the circumstances demand.’ When those two heroes had obtained leave to fight with the enemies, they departed from the exalted assembly, and ordered a man to proclaim in the camp that the legitimate Emâm had given permission to the people of E’râq to begin hostilities with the partisans of rebellion in order to drive them away from the watering-place. Hereon, in less than an hour, more than ten thousand brave warriors assembled under the banner of Asha’th B. Qays Alkindy, and in the same manner many relatives and friends of Mâlek crowded around his tent, whereon both those officers marched to their destination. Mâlek ordered the infantry to precede the cavalry, leaving a short interval between them, and in this manner they advanced till they reached the army of Moa’wiah, near the bank of the river. When the encounter of the two armies was impending, Mâlek and Asha’th bared their heads, shouting: ‘Leave the river-bank, O ye rebels, and betake yourselves to the shore of safety, else you will become partners in the shedding of your own blood.’ Abu-l-a´ur, on his part, roared back: ‘The matter is not so easy. Wait till you see the strength of the arms of men, and feel the wounds from their swords.’ Then Mâlek incited the cavalry, and Asha’th the infantry, to the attack, whereon both armies commingled like the [waves of the] Indian Ocean.
Abu Hâny B. Moa’mmar says: ‘In that battle I was attending on Mâlek Ashtar, and seeing him to be very thirsty, offered him water; but he refused to accept it, saying: “I shall not comfort my soul before the thirst of the Musalmâns has been quenched.”’ Meanwhile the troops of Abu-l-a´ur began shooting arrows, and Ashtar rushed among the opponents, seven of whose champions he threw to the ground. When Ashtar with his companions had become exceedingly thirsty, and the heat of the day had increased, he ordered the water-bags to be brought forward, and to everyone who possessed a bag he said: ‘When I fight with the soldiers of Abu-l-a´ur, and scatter them about, none of you are to separate from me before you have filled your vessels with water.’ Then Mâlek Ashtar again rushed into the lines of the enemy, broke them, ran to the bank of the Euphrates, and stood there till the infantry had filled their water-bags. After the fire of the contest had been raging awhile on the river-bank, marks of weakness and despondency manifested themselves on the countenances of the wicked faction, and Abu-l-a´ur, having been driven from his position, sent a messenger to inform Moa’wiah of the state of affairs, whereon the Governor of Syria became dismayed and sad, on account of the advantage the army of the chief of the adherents of Islâm had gained, and despatched A’mru B. A´ass with three thousand men to reinforce Abu-l-a´ur. When A’mru reached the battlefield, and the eye of Mâlek had alighted on him, he said to his friends: ‘Rejoice! we are the adherents of truth and our opponents the partisans of falsehood; there is no doubt that falsehood must always be vanquished and subdued.’ Then he placed his buckler on his head and assailed A’mru B. A´ass, who, however, preferred flight to permanency, and took refuge in the lines of the army of Syria. The flames of the battle having been kindled, one portion of the adherents of rebellion and opposition perished by the sword, another was drowned in the Euphrates, and the rest, being disgracefully routed, fled to Moa’wiah, so that the victorious army took its position on the bank of the river with a relieved heart and peaceful mind. After A’mru B. A´ass had fled from the Euphrates, and rejoined Moa’wiah, he reproached him, saying: ‘If A’li the Amir of the Faithful deals to-day with us concerning the water as we have dealt with him, it will become plain to us [how he felt].’ Moa’wiah said: ‘Let alone bygones, and tell me what thou thinkest A’li will do?’ A’mru replied: ‘He will not act as thou hast acted, will not retaliate for thy unworthy doings, and will hinder no one to drink water.’ Moa’wiah, having repented of what he had done, sent twelve men of the chiefs and notables of his dominion, such as Dzohâk B. Qays, and Bashar B. Arttâ, and Muqâtl B. Zaid, and Joshub B. Tzelym, each of whom was a man of distinction, to A’li the Commander of the Faithful, to implore his lordship not to make any difficulties about the taking of water [by his enemies]. When that company arrived at the august camp, A’li the Commander of the Faithful met them and asked what they had come for. Joshub, forestalling the others, said: ‘O father of Hasan, as thou hast now obtained dominion over and possession of the water, be gracious and liberal therewith and pardon the crime of Moa’wiah.’ After him Muqâtl B. Zaid spoke as follows: ‘O Emâm of the Musalmâns! Moa’wiah has made the avenging of the blood of O’thmân his pretext for his rebellion and ingratitude, but his real object is to attain power in the world, and enjoyment in this perishable mansion. Although I am from Syria, He who knows what is hidden and what is revealed knows also that I always entertained love for thee and trusted in thee. I swear by God that I shall not rejoin Moa’wiah, but shall, as long as I live, not withdraw the hand of my service and attachment from the skirt of thy glory and felicity, and it is known to me as a certainty, that to be slain in allegiance to thee will be martyrdom’ [i.e., a happy end]. When A’li the Commander of the Faithful had become aware of the reason for which the grandees of Syria had paid this visit to the victory-portending camp, he lauded God—whose name be praised and exalted—offered salutations to his lordship the refuge of the apostolate—u. w. bl.—mentioned some of his own deeds, the virtues of Hamzah* and of the flying Ja’fer,* and said: ‘Go and tell Moa’wiah that he may drink of the Euphrates, and quench also the thirst of his cattle without any interference whatever on our part.’ Also another of the intimate adherents of Abu-l-a´ur, beholding the perfect kindness and mercy of A’li the Commander of the Faithful, caught hold of the skirt of remorse and penitence, repented of his opposition and enmity to his lordship, and was enrolled among the close and trustworthy adherents after apologizing for his previous conduct.
Both armies drew as much water from the Euphrates as they required, and, beginning to have intercourse with each other, manifested no other intentions but such as were good and proper. When a week had elapsed after the quarrel about the water and the untoward event which ensued, Moa’wiah said to those who were near him: ‘I have decided to send a detachment for guarding the road of Erâq, so as to hinder people from conveying eatables to the camp of A’li B. Abu Ttâleb.’ A’mru B. A´ass then said: ‘This is an unfortunate and perverse intention, and the result of this improper step may be similar to that which followed after laying an embargo upon the water.’ Moa’wiah continued: ‘It is very dangerous to fight with his lordship, the Murtadza, because he has with him most of the Mohâjer, the Anssâr, and the greater portion of the followers,* so that they would most probably conquer us, but if we deprive them of food they will be weakened, and their comfort will be destroyed.’ A’mru B. A´ass said: ‘Give up this design, because if A’li hears of it he will despatch a company of undaunted lions to repel those whom thou wilt send.’ This admonition having taken no effect on Moa’wiah, he ordered A’bdu-r-rahman B. Khâled B. Alwolyd, with a detachment of warriors from Syria, to guard the road of E’râq. A’bdu-r-rahman, however, replied: ‘Thou hast surrendered all the districts and towns of Syria to thy particular friends, and now thou abandonest me to the fangs of a tiger and to the jaws of a whale, although I have never received from thee any worldly goods, nor one Fuls* of money. On the morn of the resurrection the Lord of glory will not blame me for not having avenged the blood of O’thmân, but for having followed thee in lieu of A’li B. Abu Ttâleb.’ Moa’wiah, displeased with the words of A’bdu-r-rahman, then sent Dzohâk B. Qays with one thousand cavalry to the road of E’râq, where they intercepted a company of men who were carrying dates, barley, fat, and oil to the august camping-ground of the army, and, capturing them, said: ‘Convey these goods to the camp of Moa’wiah, and he will pay the full price for them.’ The people of the caravan, however, replied: ‘We shall never sell anything to the enemies of A’li the Commander of the Faithful, although we may get the profit of a dinâr for the value of a dirhem.’ When the antagonists had received this throat-choking answer from the people of the caravan, concerning the sale of their goods, they made prisoners of them with all they possessed, and sent them to Moa’wiah. A man of the caravan, however, having watched his opportunity, fled, and having been made happy by kissing the feet of the Amir of the Faithful, narrated this case to him, whereon his lordship exclaimed: ‘What has this son of the liver-eater* done to me, and what will his descendants do afterwards to my children and family?’ Then the Shâh and possessor of the Vicariate asked that man to describe the leader of the people who had taken the caravan, and he said: ‘He was a tall man with knit eyebrows, flat nose, and had a wound on his right cheek.’ His lordship said: ‘That man is Dzohâk. Now, who will give a reply to that low-bred wind-bag with a stroke of his bright scimitar?’ Zobeyr B. Qays, considering his soul to be favoured by accepting this service, marched with five hundred men to attack Dzohâk, whom they wounded when the two parties encountered each other, and killed twelve of his men. When Dzohâk presented himself to Moa’wiah, A’mru B. A´ass was pleased, but reproved him for the ill-success of his plan, and hinted at the weakness of his understanding.
After the above event, his sacred lordship the Amir of the Faithful sent envoys to Moa’wiah for the purpose of using arguments to induce him to pay homage. At that time one hundred and sixty thousand combatants had assembled in the camp of Moa’wiah, who, trusting in the numbers of his army, demurred to listen to the wise persuasion of the envoys, so that their mission was fruitless.— Let it not remain hidden to the appreciating minds of intelligent persons that historians—A. h. m. o. t.—have composed treatises and volumes giving detailed accounts of the hostilities between Moa’wiah and his lordship the Amir of the Faithful, but that there are great discrepancies in their traditions and statements. If I were to insert a variety of accounts, I would be disappointed in my object, which is the completion of this work. As, however, the statements of Abu Hanifah Dinwari are more concise, and historians place more trust in him than in other narrators, the reins of the gently ambling reed will henceforth be turned to the translation of his work, from which the stories will be taken if it pleaseth Allah—who be exalted.