Deception of Amr ibn Abd Wudd by Imam Ali (a)

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    Some have accused Imam Ali (a) of lying due to his use of deception against "Amr ibn Abd Wudd."

    Deception in war is used as a strategic tool to defeat the enemy. Prophet Muhammad (s) said, "War is deception," and he approved the use of deception in various stages of battle. Imam Ali (a), with his wisdom and use of deception during the Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq), defeated Amr b. 'Abd Wudd. This action, which was approved by the Prophet (s), is an example of the legitimacy of deception in war for legitimate purposes.

    The Battle of the Trench

    The Battle of the Trench (or Battle of the Confederates) was one of the battles of Prophet Muhammad (s) against the polytheists and their allied confederates in the fifth year of Hijri, which took place west of Medina.[1][2][3] This battle is called the Battle of the Trench because of the trench dug around Medina, and it is called the Battle of the Confederates due to the alliance of various polytheist groups and the cooperation of the local Jews with them.[4]

    In this battle, Medina was besieged by the polytheists for over twenty days, but no fighting occurred[5] until some of the polytheist warriors, such as 'Amr b. 'Abd Wudd and Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, crossed the trench and called for single combat.[6][7][8] When 'Amr b. 'Abd Wudd called for combat three times, only Ali (a) responded positively.[9] When Ali (a) went to face him, Prophet Muhammad (s) gave him his sword, tied his turban, and prayed for his success.[10][11] The Prophet (s) then uttered his famous words: «بَرَزَ الْإِيمَانُ كُلُّهُ إِلَى الشِّرْكِ كُلِّهِ؛ All of faith stood against all of polytheism».[12][13] Amr ibn Abd Wudd recited some verses and said, "I do not wish to kill you." Ali (a) replied, "But I wish to kill you." Then, Amr dismounted from his horse, removed his helmet, and fought Ali (a) until he was killed.[14][15][16][17]

    Deception in War

    See also: Deception in War

    "Deception" is something by which a person is tricked.[18] Deception and trickery in war are tools to defeat the enemy and strategies to deliver the most effective blows. "Deception" is exclusively used for trickery in war. In military conflicts, each side tries to adopt deceptive policies to defeat the enemy and force them to surrender. From ancient times to the present, military deception has been widely used in wars.

    Mas'udi writes in *Muruj al-Dhahab*: "From the very concise and eloquent words of Prophet Muhammad (s) («الحرب خدعه؛ War is deception»), it is clear that fighting with swords is the final stage of war, and in the initial stages, deception should be used. ... This is well understood by any insightful, politically and managerially astute person."[19]

    The issue of deception in war is also a matter of consensus in Islamic jurisprudence. Allama Hilli writes in *Tadhkirat al-Fuqaha*: "Deception in war is permissible, and a combatant may deceive his opponent and kill him through deception, and this is a matter of consensus."[20]

    Deceiving Amr ibn Abd Wudd

    In one of the narrational sources,[21] there is a statement that is not found in other sources, which is: "Imam Ali (a) deceiving Amr ibn Abd Wudd on the battlefield." The narration states: Ali (a) passed by Amr while moving quickly... Amr asked, "Who are you?" He replied, "I am Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad (s) and his son-in-law." Amr said, "By God, your father was my friend in the past, and I do not wish to kill you. Your cousin, when he sent you to me, was not confident that I would not strike you with my spear and leave you between heaven and earth, neither alive nor dead!" Imam Ali (a) replied, "My cousin knew that if you killed me, I would enter Paradise, and you would be in Hell, and if I killed you, you would be in Hell, and I would be in Paradise." Amr said, "Both outcomes are in your favor, O Ali! This is an unfair division!" Ali (a) said, "Leave this talk. I heard you say while holding the curtains of the Kaaba, 'No one in war offers me three requests without me granting one of them,' and now I offer you three requests; grant one of them." Amr said, "Tell me, O Ali!" Ali (a) said, "First, testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger." Amr said, "Leave this and ask the second request." Ali (a) said, "Return and withdraw your army from confronting the Prophet of God. If he is truthful, you will gain honor and superiority through him, and if he is a liar, the thieves and lowlifes of the Arabs will suffice to eliminate him." Amr said, "Then the women of Quraysh will gossip, and the poets will say in their poems that I was afraid of war and retreated. In that case, I would not have supported the group that made me their leader." Imam Ali (a) said, "The third request is that you dismount so I can fight you, for you are mounted, and I am on foot." Amr then dismounted, tied his horse, and said, "This is a trait I did not expect from any Arab." Then the fight began, and Amr struck Ali (a) with his sword. Imam Ali (a) shielded himself with his shield, but the sword cut through the shield and struck his head. Ali (a) said, "O Amr! Is it not enough for you to fight me, the warrior of the Arabs, that you seek help from others?" Amr looked behind him, and Imam Ali (a) quickly struck his legs, cutting them both. Dust rose between them, and the hypocrites said, "Ali ibn Abi Talib has been killed." Then the dust settled, and they saw Imam Ali (a) on Amr's chest, holding his beard and about to sever his head. He then cut off his head, took it, and brought it to the Prophet (s), while blood flowed from his head due to Amr's strike, and blood dripped from his sword, as he recited: "I am Ali, the son of Abd al-Muttalib, death is better for a brave man than fleeing." Then the Prophet (s) said, "O Ali! Did you deceive him?" He replied, "Yes, O Prophet of God! War is deception."[22]

    Key Points

    Regarding this report, several points should be noted: 1. One of the key elements in battling the enemy is psychological warfare, which is based on deception, exaggeration, etc. Since this deception serves a greater legitimate purpose, it should not be equated with lying for personal or group interests. As we read in other narrations: 

      - Prophet Muhammad (s) said: «الحرب خدعه؛ War is deception».[23]
  - Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet (s) sent one of his companions to kill a Jewish man. The companion said, "O Prophet of God! I can only accomplish this if you give me free rein." The Prophet (s) said, "Indeed, war is deception. So do as you wish."[24]
  - Adi ibn Hatim said: "Indeed, Imam Ali (a), when facing Muawiyah in Siffin, would raise his voice so his companions could hear and say, 'By God, I will kill Muawiyah and his companions!' Then, at the end of his speech, he would lower his voice and say, 'If God wills!' I was near him and said, 'O Commander of the Faithful! You swore to do something, then said "If God wills." What did you mean by this?' He replied, 'War is deception, and I do not lie to the believers. I wanted to incite my companions against the enemy so they would not falter and would be eager to fight them. So in the future, the wisest among them will benefit from this. If God wills!'"[25]
  - Imam Sadiq (a) said: "God does not hold accountable one who deceives his opponent in war and lies to him."[26]

    2. In some reports of this battle, it is mentioned that several individuals accompanied Amr ibn Abd Wudd, including Hubayra ibn Abi Wahb, Dhirar ibn Khattab,[27] Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, and Mirdas al-Fihri. Therefore, Imam Ali's (a) statement during the battle that he had brought people with him was not a lie.[28][29] 3. Prophet Muhammad (s) did not object to Ali's (a) actions. Muslim scholars consider the Prophet's lack of objection as evidence of the correctness of Ali's (a) actions.

    References

    1. ↑ Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya (1417). Al-Ansab al-Ashraf. Vol. 1. Beirut, Dar al-Fikr. p. 343.
    2. ↑ Ibn Hisham, Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Ma'rifa. p. 214.
    3. ↑ Waqidi, Muhammad ibn Umar (1409). Al-Maghazi. Vol. 2. Beirut, Al-A'lami Foundation. p. 440.
    4. ↑ Dadashnezhad, Mansour. Article "Muhammad Rasul Allah," Encyclopedia of the Prophet's Biography. Vol. 1. Qom, Research Institute of Hawza and University. pp. 61–62.
    5. ↑ Ibn Hisham, Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Ma'rifa. p. 233.
    6. ↑ Ibn Hisham, Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Ma'rifa. p. 224.
    7. ↑ Ibn Sa'd, Muhammad ibn Sa'd (1410). Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya. p. 52.
    8. ↑ Waqidi, Muhammad ibn Umar (1409). Al-Maghazi. Vol. 2. Beirut, Al-A'lami Foundation. p. 470.
    9. ↑ Waqidi, Muhammad ibn Umar (1409). Al-Maghazi. Vol. 2. Beirut, Al-A'lami Foundation. p. 470.
    10. ↑ Waqidi, Muhammad ibn Umar (1409). Al-Maghazi. Vol. 2. Beirut, Al-A'lami Foundation. p. 471.
    11. ↑ Ibn Hisham, Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Ma'rifa. p. 52.
    12. ↑ Daylami, Hasan ibn Muhammad (1377). Irshad al-Qulub. Vol. 1. Tehran, Islamiyya. p. 3.
    13. ↑ Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Abd al-Hamid ibn Hibat Allah (1404). Sharh Nahj al-Balagha. Vol. 13. Qom, Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi Library. p. 261.
    14. ↑ Ibn Hisham, Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham. Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Ma'rifa. p. 225.
    15. ↑ Waqidi, Muhammad ibn Umar (1409). Al-Maghazi. Vol. 2. Beirut, Al-A'lami Foundation. p. 471.
    16. ↑ Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir. Tarikh al-Umam wa al-Muluk. Vol. 2. Beirut, Dar al-Turath. p. 574.
    17. ↑ Abbasi, Habib (1391). Article "Battle of the Trench," Encyclopedia of the Prophet's Life. Vol. 2. Tehran, Baqir al-Uloom Research Institute. pp. 176–177.
    18. ↑ Fayumi, Ahmad ibn Muhammad (1428). Misbah al-Munir. Beirut, Al-Asriyya Library. p. 165.
    19. ↑ Mas'udi, Ali ibn Hussein (1409). Muruj al-Dhahab. Vol. 2. Qom, Dar al-Hijra Institute. p. 293.
    20. ↑ Hilli, Hasan ibn Yusuf (1414). Tadhkirat al-Fuqaha. Vol. 1. Qom, Al al-Bayt. p. 414.
    21. ↑ Qummi, Ali ibn Ibrahim (1404). Tafsir al-Qummi. Vol. 2. Qom, Dar al-Kitab. pp. 184–185.
    22. ↑ Qummi, Ali ibn Ibrahim (1404). Tafsir al-Qummi. Vol. 2. Qom, Dar al-Kitab. pp. 184–185.
    23. ↑ Al-Bazzar, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Amr al-Ataki (1409). Musnad al-Bazzar. Vol. 4. Beirut, Quranic Sciences Foundation. p. 187.
    24. ↑ Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Ali ibn Husam al-Din (1397). Kanz al-Ummal. Vol. 4. Beirut, Islamic Heritage Library. p. 469.
    25. ↑ Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya'qub (1407). Al-Kafi. Vol. 7. Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. p. 460.
    26. ↑ Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya'qub (1407). Al-Kafi. Vol. 2. Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. p. 342.
    27. ↑ Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir (1403). Bihar al-Anwar. Vol. 20. Beirut, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi. pp. 224–225.
    28. ↑ Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad (1413). Al-Irshad. Vol. 1. Qom, Sheikh Mufid Congress. pp. 97–100.
    29. ↑ Waqidi, Muhammad ibn Umar (1409). Al-Maghazi. Vol. 2. Beirut, Al-A'lami Foundation. p. 470.
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