Ali Receives the Kufan Volunteers Warmly
Ali was overjoyed by the news that ten thousand Kufan volunteers were on the way and full of praise fortheir zeal and faith he came out to meet them and ex-
pressed his gratitude as follows:- “Brave warriors of Kufa! You were always distinguished by your prowess and valour. It was you who overran Persia. Your ethical sense and judiciousness always led you to help the weaker and the right.. I have repeatedly invited you to decide between us and our brethren of Busra. My intention is to use gentle means, in the sincere hope of bringing them to our side without shedding one drop of Muslim blood. If any one of you correspond with friends there, or has any influence in the place, I request him to leave no stone unturned in bringing about a peaceful settlement. I declare here openly that I prefer peace to all the advantages that may accrue to me from the force of arms, because I know fully well that. on whichever side the victory falls, desolation invariably accompanies it.”
The Strength of Ali’s Army
At long last Ali was in a position to march on Busra. At his camp on the Medina-Busra road he had by this time collected a force of ten thousand auxiliaries which was now further swelled by the 10,000 volunteers from Kufa. Nor was the city of Busra entirely hostile to Ali and, as he advanced towards it, a number of the Busarites deserted to him. Busra had been in Confederate hands a full month. When Ali’s army went into camp outside the city walls although Aishah’s army outnumbered the loyalists, the name of Ali still inspired fear in his adversaries and they knew well they had no general of his calibre and standing.
Ali a Man of Peace
Ali was a seasoned commander, born and bred in
1. The number of Ali’s troops varies. Some say his force consisted of 20 Strong, and some say that it was 30,000, while others give the number as We are certain that the Meccan force had the numerical superiority and as reliance can be placed on the figure of 20,000.wars and famous for his skill as tactician. His ascetic life had not chilled his martial fervour and at the advanced age of sixty he still retained the vigour of a much younger man. There now seemed nothing standing between him and a successful campaign but, so devout had he become and so anxious to avoid the shedding of Muslim blood by Muslims, that his thoughts still turned towards peace. Of his desire and pacific intention, Sir William Muir’ writes:-
“But Ali’s thoughts were for peace if possible. He was a man of compromise and here he was ready, in the interest of Islam, magnanimously to forget the insult offered him. Apart, indeed, from the personal jealousies there was no disagreement sufficient to bar the hope of reconciliation. The cry of Talha and Zubair was for vengeance against the murderers. of Uthman and Ali did not deny that justice should be dealt. But he was obliged to temporise. He had in his army great numbers of the very men who had risen against Uthman, and he felt that to imflict punishment on them, as his adversaries required, would for the present be impossible. Holding these views, he halted, still some little way from Busra, and sent forward Al-Ka’ka (who with other leaders of renown had joined him from Kufa) to expostulate with Talha and Zubair. “Ye have slain 600 men of Busra” said al-Ka’ka to them, “for the blood of Uthman; and lo! to avenge their blood, 6,000 more have started up. Where is this internecine war to stop? It is peace and repose that Islam needeth now. Give that, and again the majesty of Law shall be set up, and the guilty brought to justice.” As he spoke the truth flashed on the minds of Talha and Zubair, and, even of Aishah; and they returned word that if these really were the sentiments of Ali, they were ready to submit. After several days spent in such negotiations Ali, glad at the prospect of a bloodless compromise advanced.”
1. Sir William Muir-The Caliphate, its rise, decline and Fall. p. 247. Publishers John Grant, London. Ed. 1924.
Ali Treats Once More with Talha and Zubair
15 Overjoyed at the prospect of an amicable settlement, Ali mounted a horse, and rode to the Meccan camp. Meeting Talha, the Caliph asked, “Why have you risen against me, after swearing allegiance to me?” “It is true” replied Talha, “We did take the oath, but at a time when the sword was on our necks, and now we demand justice against the murderers of Uthman.” Ali retorted, “I hold these accursed regicides guilty as much as you do but in order to take them to task I must play for time.” Then Ali asked Zubair, “Do not you remember what transpired between the Holy Prophet and ourselves, when the former asked you, “Do not leave my dear son-in-law (in the lurch) and you said, “Yes” to which the Apostle of God said, “Notwithstanding this, a day will come when you shall rise up against him and will be instrumental in causing great miseries to him and all the believers in faith”. Zubair was greatly moved at Ali’s reproach, knowing that he had indeed broken that promise of friendship which he had sworn in the presence of the Holy Prophet. Meckly he answered, “I well remember that occasion. Had I recollected it before, I would never have taken arms against you.” Zubair then repeated his oath not to. oppose Ali in future, and thinking that negotiations for a truce had proceeded satisfactorily, both armies went to rest that night in peace.
The Nature of Ali’s Army
Ali’s attempts to secure a bloodless compromis were, however, to be foiled by the regicides amongs his own army. As Ali himself had pointed out to Zubair the major portion of Ali’s array had been recruited fr the Bedouin volunteers of Kufa, men who had an active part in the rebellion against the Caliph U man and whom, as he explained to Talha and Zu it. was impossible for him to punish. What Ali h
done, was to give orders that none of the suspected regicides should accompany his advance force to Busra. They were to remain behind his army, taking no active part.
To these regicides the prospect of peace could only be alarming. It was in their interest that a civil war should be fought in which all that element which demanded vengeance on Uthman’s murderers might be destroyed. At a secret meeting they decided to remain in the van of Ali’s army, ready to precipitate war if need be.
This indeed they did, attacking Aishah’s camp while it was still dark and making all further negotiations impossible.
Failure of the Negotiations
The Shi’ite chroniclers attribute the outbreak of hostilities to a different cause, saying that Aishah, greatly shocked by Zubair’s change of heart now incited him to renew his opposition. “If you are preturbed”, she is alleged to have said, “because you swore an oath to Ali at the time of his election, you can expiate it by setting a slave at liberty.” According to another source it was not Aishah but Zubair’s son Abdullah who persuaded Zubair to rejoin the Meccans..
Aishah, according to Abbe de Marigny,’ was unwilling to abandon her cause under any circumstances. All the conferences (for peace) that had passed were fruitless. In vain did the Caliph, who had reason and justice, as well as numerous army on his side, take measures to bring about a reconciliation. The turbulent Aishah would not listen to his terms, and defeated all his measures in so much that they were at last forced to a decisive action.”
1. Abbe de Marigny-The History of the Arabian Calipph Vol. II p. 37 Publishers, T. Payne, D. Wilson & T. Durham. Ed 1758.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 