Summary of Sira
He is Aboo Abdullah al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwaam ibn Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn Abd’ul-‘Uzzah ibn Qusayy ibn Kilaab; he was one of the Ten Companions Promised Paradise. His mother was Safiyyah bint Abdul-Muttalib, the paternal aunt of the Prophet ﷺ. He was amongst those who had accepted Islam early on. He had made both migrations: to Ethiopia and then to al-Madeenah. The Prophet, ﷺ had joined between him and Salmah ibn Salaamah ibn Waqsh in brotherhood upon arriving at Madeenah.
The Prophet ﷺ said about him: Verily every Prophet has had their disciple, and my disciple is al-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwaam.” He is also the first to have ever drawn a sword in the way of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. He was present at Badr wearing a yellow turban wrapped around his face, and the angels descended upon the battlefield dressed just as he was. Al-Zubayr became well-known for his valor and courage in battle, his fierceness, and his determination (in the face of the enemy), until it was as if he were an army unto himself. He never failed to be present at any of the battles of the Prophet ﷺ.
On the day of the Battle of the Camel, ‘Alee reminded him [about their companionship] and admonished him, and he became filled with regret and the desire to change his position. However, he was killed by Ibn Jurmooz on the day of the battle, while he had never even taken part in the fighting. Alee then said to Ibn Jurmooz: “Give glad tidings of Hell-Fire to the killer of the son of Safiyyah. When al-Zubayr was killed, he was 67 years old, while some reports have said 66.
When ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib accepted to be the Caliph, he began to remove some people from their positions and replaced them with others. Amongst those whom he had removed: Mu’aawiyah ibn Abee Sufyaan, who was governing Al-Shaam. Alee had been of the opinion that it was necessary to first consolidate his power and not to be hasty with seeking revenge for ‘Uthmaan’s murder. Whereas Mu’aawiyah was of the opinion of (‘Aa’ishah’s camp): that revenge for ‘Uthmaan’s murder needed to be dealt with quickly.
‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) had decided to remove Mu’aawiyyah from his position as governor of Al-Shaam and to replace him with Sahl ibn Haneef. When he arrived in Al-Shaam, the people there refused to recognize his authority, and Mu’aawiyyah refused to step-down as governor as well. He believed that things would not calm down completely for Alee, especially since the murderers of ‘Uthmaan are roaming free across the cities.
However, ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib was resolute in his decision and was not going to tolerate any wavering in his decision. So, he mobilized an army which he was leading (to go to Al-Shaam) but he changed his course and made his way to Basrah when he had heard that Talhah and al-Zubayr had mobilized an army headed by ‘Aa’ishaa (may Allah be pleased with all of them). Their meeting resulted in the Battle of the Camel. When he had finished dealing with the hostilities there, he remained in Koofah for a while, he sent Jareer ibn Abdullah to Mu’aawiyyah in order to receive his pledge of allegiance and to clarify to him Alee’s position with how to deal with ‘Uthmaan’s killers, but Mu’aawiyyah did not respond. Many envoys were sent to him (in hopes of receiving) a positive response, but without any results. ‘Alee was then forced to mobilize an army (to Al-Shaam), and when Mu’aawiyyah found out about this, he mobilized his own forces and made his way to Siffeen, making sure to monopolize the one water source. When ‘Alee arrived there, he requested that access to water be made open to both parties equally, but Mu’aawiyyah refused the request. The people from Iraq were able to remove those guarding the water, after which Alee was able to make access to the water free for everyone, may Allah be well pleased with him.
Both sides remained encamped for several days without there being a single skirmish, and once fighting began, the month of Muharram entered and both sides were forced to stop, hoping that they would enter into some sort of treaty (to stop the fighting). Several envoys were sent between the two sides for negotiations, but without any real results. ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib was steadfast on his opinion and Mu’aawiyyah was not responding to anything. Skirmishes started again and continued until the month of Safar. There were 3 days of intense fighting in which ‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir was killed, about whom the Prophet ﷺ said: “Woe onto Ammaar, he shall be slain by the aggressor (i.e., the one who is in the wrong).” When the signs of defeat began to appear on the soldiers of Al-Shaam, they raised the Quran books over their heads and asked for adjudication between the two sides.
A document deciding decreeing what should be done was written and was witnessed by men from both sides. Then Alee went back to Koofah and Mu’aawiyyah went back to Al-Shaam. Then the judges from both sides met together: Aboo Moosaa al-‘Ash’aree from Alee’s side and ‘Amr ibn al’Aas on Mu’aawiyyah’s side. However, their discussion did not result in any agreement, which pushed ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib to prepare for a second march on Al-Shaam, but the Kharijites distracted his attention from that.
After the two parties agreed to adjudication after the fighting which occurred at Siffeen, ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib and Mu’aawiyyah (may Allah be pleased with them) took their armies and returned each to their points of origin; (‘Alee went back to Koofah and Mu’aawiyyah went back to Damascus.) On his way back, ‘Alee met with a group of people who were not pleased with the adjudication between the two sides and believed that judgement should have only been made by what was in the Book of Allah, not according to the opinions of men. They then left and went to the village of Harooraa’, near Koofah, where they began to spread their ideas and disassociating themselves from him. [These were the people who exited the army of ‘Alee (Kharajah, i.e., al-Khawaarij, English: Kharijites].
‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) then sent to them messengers to argue with them in hopes that they would return to the correct understanding. Amongst those who were sent was Ibn ‘Abbaas, and approximately 2,000 men returned to their senses thanks to his reasoning. Then ‘Alee went himself, but the people there argued with him (intensely), and so he returned to Koofah (without succeeding to change people’s minds). Many people (in Harooraa’) continued to declare “there is no judgement, except for the judgement of Allah,” and ‘Alee ibn ABee Taalib responded: “A true word by which a falsehood is intended by it.”
When ‘Alee wished to leave Al-Shaam following the failure of the adjudication (to reach any reasonable solution), the Kharijites began to trickle away from ‘Alee’s army and made their way to Nahrawaan. There, they began to spread wickedness. They killed Abdullah ibn Khabbab ibn al-Aratt with some women. ‘Alee then sent to them an envoy and they killed him as well; this pushed ‘Alee to go out to them himself and to fight them. He demanded that they hand over the murderer of Abdullah, but they refused, fought back, and rebelled. ‘Alee waged war on them and destroyed them in Nahrawaan, except for a very small number of them. They stayed in Basrah and Koofah, spreading their ideas, in hiding.
Mu’aawiyyah, may Allah be well pleased with, likewise tried to exert his influence over Egypt, especially since ‘Uthmaan’s murderers were there (in hiding). He tried different things, (but nothing seemed to work) and the last of his attempts ended when ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib’s governor, Muhammad ibn Abee Bakr, arrived in Egypt. He requested from Mu’aawiyyah ibn Khadeej the pledge of allegiance to ‘Alee, but (Ibn Khadeej) refused and even insulted him and those in his company.
Then they resolved to make war with (Ibn Khadeej), but he was able to convince them to a truce and then sent them to Al-Shaam; then Mu’aawiyyah and Ibn Khadeej both went to Egypt and fought the people of Egypt there. Muhammad ibn Abee Bakr fled but was apprehended and then executed. Mu’aawiyah then placed ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas as governor over Egypt.
He is ‘Abdullah ibn Wahb al-Hamadaani, from the tribe of Saba’, while some reports have said that he is from the tribe of Himyar. He was a Jew from San’a (Yemen); some reports have said that he was from the Jews of Al-Heerah. He was known as Ibn al-Sawdaa’ because his mother was an Abyssinian. He had outwardly proclaimed Islam during the reign of ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, while some reports have said that he was a Byzantian who outwardly proclaimed Islam, along with his fellow tribesmen from the people of Sabaa’ in order to destroy the Islamic polity in favor of the Byzantine empire. He should not be confused with Abdullah ibn Wahb al-Raasee, who was the leader of the Kharijites who revolted against ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib.
‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ had travelled to the Hjiaaz, then to Basrah, then to Koofah, then to Al-Shaam, and finally settled himself in Egypt. All of his travels were for the sake of openly spreading his heretical innovation and was able to strengthen his base of followers in Egypt. He purported that the Prophet ﷺ would return just as Jesus would return towards the End of Times. Then he called people to follow ‘Alee and which resulted in the strife which led to the murder of ‘Uthmaan. He then proceeds to espouse extreme ideas about ‘Alee and proclaimed that he was the (rightful) Caliph after the Prophet ﷺ according to his (implicit) will. Then, Abdullah went on to claim that ‘Alee had a divine quality that was passed on to the Imam’s after him, and he also claimed that he too would return (in the End of Times).
During the Battle of the Camel at Siffeen, he and his followers succeeded in destroying the attempts at pacifying the conflict between ‘Alee and the other Companions, and they also caused the fighting to intensify between the two sides.
It has been said that ‘Alee had banished him to Ctesiphon because he had heard that he was insulting Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar. He then ordered that he be seized and that the sword be put to his neck and be put to death. But some people had interceded on his behalf, to which ‘Alee then responded: “By Allah! I shall not let this man dwell in the same territory!” So, he had him sent to Ctesiphon. Some reports have said that he had him burned amongst the people who he had burned. While other reports have said that he disappeared without a trace and no one knows what truly happened to him.
Mu’aawiyyah, may Allah be well pleased with him, sent Busr ibn Abee Arta’ah al-Qurashee al-‘Aamiree, to the Hijaaz and Yemen amongst a group of soldiers. When he reached Yemen, ‘Alee’s governor-Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abbaas-relinquished his position there to him and then informed ‘Alee of what had happened. ‘Alee then had Jaariyah ibn Qudaamah al-Sa’dee prepared to go out to Yemen. But Busr jumped on the two young sons of Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abbaas and slaughtered them with a dagger and then fled. Then Ubaydullah returned to Yemen.
Three men from the Kharijites were entrusted with a mission in Makkah, these were ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Muljim al-Muraadee, al-Bark ibn ‘Abdullah al-Tameemee, and ‘Amr ibn Bakr al-Tameemee. When they met, they vowed and promised that they would kill ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib, Mu’aawiyah ibn Abee Sufyaan, and ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, may Allah be well pleased with all of them, so that they could “rid” the Muslims of them. [They each chose whom they wanted to assassinate], Ibn Muljim nominated himself to kill ‘Alee, al-Bakr took Mu’aawiyah, and ‘Amr took ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas. They then made a covenant with each other that they would not turn back on their heels from this mission, and they agreed that all this would take place on the 17th night of Ramadan. Each of them then went to their respective cities where their victims were supposed to be.
Ibn Muljim arrived in Koofah and stayed until the evening in which he promised to murder ‘Alee. He was whispering to al-Ash’ath ibn Qays in his mosque until it was time for the Fajr prayer, until al-Ash’ath said: “the signs of Fajr have appeared.” Then Ibn Muljim and another young man both stood with their swords drawn and sat by the entrance from which ‘Alee would exit from. He then struck ‘Alee in the head with his poisoned sword. When he had done so he was seized immediately, tortured, and executed.
Alee’s reign lasted exactly 5 years; he was one of the Ten Companions Promised Paradise. May Allah reward him on behalf of the Muslims with immense good, and may He be well pleased with them and they with Him.
After the murder of the Rightly Guided Caliph, Alee ibn Abee Talib, may Allah be well pleased with him and please him, the people of Koofah turned their attention to his son, al-Hasan ibn Alee, and gave him their allegiance as their Caliph. The first person to give pledge their allegiance was Qays ibn S’ad. He remained in his position for a total of six months. During that short time, he watched as those around him lose heart and spirit (to uphold the duties of running a polity). He saw that it was primordial that the Muslim nation be re-united (and not divided, as it was beginning to be); he enacted an agreement (between opposing parties) and stepped down from the post of Caliph in favor of Mu’aawiyah. That year became known as The Year of Unity, and it was as the Prophet ﷺ prophesied when he said about al-Hasan: “this son of mine is a leader, through him Allah shall set things aright between two great groups amongst the Muslims.”
When ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib, may Allah be well pleased with him, was murdered, the people of Koofah pledged their allegiance to his son, Hasan ibn Alee. They loved him and obeyed him. He made conditions to their pledge of allegiance: “You shall listen and obey; and you shall be peaceful with whom I have concluded peace with and reconciled with; and wage war upon whom I have declared war upon.” The people of Iraq were distrustful of him and said: “Who does this man think he is?” It was not long until they stabbed him; some of them increased in hatred of him, while others increased in the resolve (to oppose him). When that started to happen, he knew that the people of Iraq were divided with respect to him.
The people of Iraq then encouraged al-Hasan and his army to march on Damascus; and when Mu’aawiyyah heard about this, he too went out with his army. The two groups met at a place called Maskin near al-Anbaar. When al-Hasan saw the two armies poised to start fighting, he saw that there would be an incredible amount of bloodshed amongst the Muslims. This only increased his desire for there to be peace. Al-Hasan ibn Alee and Mu’aawiyyah ibn Abee Sufyaan met each other with armies the size of mountains. When ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas saw this, he said: “I saw Phalanxes that would not leave until they killed their adversaries.” Mu’aawiyyah then said: “That is right ‘Amr, if they do kill each other, then who will take care of the matters of the people, their property, and their womenfolk.”
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alee then showed to Abdullah ibn Ja’faar the details of the truce, who said to him: “I have an opinion which I would like for you to follow me in.’ And so, I said: “What is it?” He said: “I believe that I shall return to al-Madeenah and leave to Mu’aawiyyah this affair. For this strife has gone on for too long, and much blood has been spilled, and families have been decimated, the roads have been cut off, and the borders have been blocked.” Ibn Ja’faar then said: “May Allah reward you and the nation of Muhammad much good, I am with you this attempt at peaceful dialogue.” Then al-Hasan said: “Call al-Husayn for me.” He was called for, and when he came, al-Hasan said to him: “O brother of mine, I have come to a decision, and I want you to follow me in it.” al-Husayn said: “and what is it?” He then told him the same thing he said to Ibn Ja’faar. Then al-Husayn said: I seek refuge in Allah from you! You dare to say that Mu’aawiyah was right and that Alee was wrong and he is in his grave!” To which al-Hasan then responded: “By Allah I have never wanted to do anything except that you have always contradicted me. By Allah! I have thought about throwing you into a house and plastering it over, until I am done with this business of mine.”
When al-Husayn saw his brother’s anger he said: “Whatever you command I shall do, and so, do what appears to be the best to do.” Al-Hasan then stood and said: “O people! I was the most hated of people at the beginning of this discussion, and I have reconciled others because of some right that they have more than I do. Or, a right that belonged to the nation of Muhammad ﷺ that I strove for diligently in order to reach peace. For verily Allah has appointed you over this affair, O Mu’aawiyah, for some good He knows about you, or some evil He knows is in you [For Allah has said]: {And I know not; perhaps it is a trial for you and enjoyment for a time.} (Surat al-Anbiya; ayat 111). By stepping down in this way, al-Hasan made true what the Prophet ﷺ had said about him: “this son of mine is a leader, through him Allah shall set things aright between two great groups amongst the Muslims.” When the treaty was concluded and its conditions agreed to, al-Hasan walked out in between the two rows of people and said: “I would not have liked that the affair of this nation be in my control and that any blood was spilt during it.” He also said: “Verily, I have chosen what is with Allah and I have left this affair for Mu’aawiyah (to deal with).” As for the (claims) that al-Hasan to be Caliph after him, these are not correct. Jubayr ibn Nufayr said: “I told al-Hasan ibn ‘Alee: “People are asserting that you want the position of Caliph.” So, he responded: “The affairs of the Arabs were in my hands; they were to make peace with whom I was at peace with, and they were to wage war on whom I was at war with. But I left it all desiring the Face of Allah (i.e., His good pleasure); but then it was usurped by the hard-headedness of the people of the Hijaaz!” One of the narrations of the treaty stated: “The affair shall be decided by a council set up by the Muslims.”
