Important Events of the Battle of Siffin

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    What decisive events occurred during the Battle of Siffin?


    The important events of the Battle of Siffin include the blockade of the Euphrates by the Syrians, the martyrdom of [[Ammar ibn Yasir[[, the Night of Howling (Laylat al-Harir), and the raising of the Qurans on spears by the Syrians. The Battle of Siffin was a conflict between the army of Imam Ali (a), the Caliph of the Muslims, and the army of Syria led by Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, who refused to accept Imam Ali's caliphate.

    According to sources, at the beginning of the battle, the Syrian army arrived at the Euphrates first and, upon the arrival of the Iraqi army, prevented them from accessing the water under Muawiyah's orders. After the Iraqis gained control of the Euphrates, Imam Ali (a) prevented his army from denying water to the Syrians. During the Battle of Siffin, Ammar ibn Yasir, a companion of the Prophet (SAWA), was martyred while fighting alongside Imam Ali (a). The Prophet (SAWA) had previously foretold that Ammar's killers would be a sinful and rebellious group.

    The Night of Howling (Laylat al-Harir) and the following day are considered the most critical moments of the Battle of Siffin. It is said that during this night, the real battle between Imam Ali's (a) forces and Muawiyah's supporters reached its peak, and the Syrian army was on the verge of defeat. According to sources, after the Syrian army suffered a heavy defeat during the Night of Howling and the following day, they raised Qurans on spears on the advice of Amr ibn al-As to escape defeat. Their goal was to halt the battle and refer the outcome to arbitration (judgment by the Quran). This event caused division within Imam Ali's (a) army, leading to the acceptance of arbitration and the end of the Battle of Siffin.

    The Battle of Siffin: Overview

    The Battle of Siffin was a conflict between the army of Imam Ali (a), the Caliph of the Muslims, and the army of Syria led by Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, who refused to accept Imam Ali's caliphate. It is said that Muawiyah used the demand for vengeance for the third Caliph as an excuse to reject Imam Ali's (a) caliphate and initiate the war.[1] Most of the events of this battle took place in the month of Safar in the year 37 AH in the region of Siffin, near the Euphrates and close to the city of Raqqa in Syria (modern-day Syria).[2] The Battle of Siffin is considered a fierce and deadly conflict that, if prolonged, could have completely destroyed the Islamic community.[3]

    Although the Syrian army seemed certain to be defeated during the Battle of Siffin, Muawiyah, through the cunning of Amr ibn al-As, escaped defeat and pushed the outcome of the battle to arbitration, resulting in the Battle of Siffin ending inconclusively.[4] The number of casualties in the Battle of Siffin has been reported differently; Nasr ibn Muzahim Minqari in his book *Waq'at Siffin* wrote that the total number of casualties from both the Iraqi and Syrian armies was seventy thousand, with forty-five thousand from the Syrian army and twenty-five thousand from the Iraqi army.[5]

    Blockade of the Euphrates

    According to sources, at the beginning of the battle, the Syrian army arrived at the Euphrates first and, upon the arrival of the Iraqi army, prevented them from accessing the water under Muawiyah's orders.[6] Imam Ali (a) sent messengers to Muawiyah, asking him to refrain from blocking the water for the Iraqi army, as he would not have denied water to the Syrians if he had arrived first. Muawiyah refused Imam Ali's (a) request, claiming that just as the Iraqis had blocked water for Uthman, they would block water for them.[7]

    After thirst overwhelmed the Iraqi army, Imam Ali (a) allowed them to fight for access to the water, resulting in their victory. After the Iraqis gained control of the Euphrates, despite some arguing that water should be denied to the Syrians, Imam Ali (a) ordered that the Syrians not be prevented from accessing the water.[8]

    Martyrdom of Ammar ibn Yasir

    During the Battle of Siffin, some of the companions of the Prophet (SAWA) who were among the Badriyun (participants in the Battle of Badr alongside the Prophet) were martyred;[9] among them was Ammar ibn Yasir, who was martyred on the 9th of Safar in the year 37 AH.[10] The Prophet (SAWA) had previously foretold that Ammar's killers would be a sinful and rebellious group. It is said that Ammar's martyrdom fulfilled this prophecy against Muawiyah and his army, weakening their morale and strengthening the morale of Imam Ali's (a) forces. It is reported that Amr ibn al-As came to the aid of the Syrian army by distorting the Prophet's (s) words, claiming that Imam Ali (a) was responsible for Ammar's death because he had brought him to the battlefield.[11]

    The Night of Howling (Laylat al-Harir)

    The Night of Howling (Laylat al-Harir) and the following day are considered the most critical moments of the Battle of Siffin. It is said that during this night, the real battle between Imam Ali's (a) forces and Muawiyah's supporters, which had begun at the start of Safar in the year 37 AH, reached its peak.[12] Some historians have named the night of the 11th of Safar in the year 37 AH as the Night of Howling (Laylat al-Harir).[13] The term "Harir" in Arabic refers to the howling of dogs, and the reason for this name is said to be that the Syrian army, under the blows of Imam Ali's (a) forces, howled like dogs and was on the verge of defeat.[14]

    During the Night of Howling, Imam Ali (a) delivered a sermon, praising Allah and encouraging his companions to fight: "O people, the situation has reached a point where you see that nothing remains of the enemy except their last breath. When events unfold, their end can be known from their beginning. These people have stood against you with nothing but stubbornness and persistence, and now they have fallen into this state at our hands. Tomorrow morning, I will charge at them and bring them before Allah, the Almighty, for judgment."[15]

    Raising the Qurans on Spears

    According to sources, after the Syrian army suffered a heavy defeat during the Night of Howling and the following day, as Malik al-Ashtar approached victory, the Syrian army, on the advice of Amr ibn al-As, raised Qurans on spears to escape defeat. Their goal was to halt the battle and refer the outcome to arbitration (judgment by the Quran).[16] This caused division within Imam Ali's (a) army, as some were deceived by the Syrians' trick and pressured Imam Ali (a) to accept arbitration. Although Imam Ali (a) tried to expose the Syrians' deception to his army, he ultimately had no choice but to accept arbitration, leading to the end of the battle.[17]

    References

    1. ↑ Jafarian, Rasul, *History of the Caliphs (From the Prophet's Death to the Fall of the Umayyads)*, Qom, Dalil Ma Publications, 1382 SH, pp. 273–278.
    2. ↑ Jafarian, *History of the Caliphs*, pp. 287–289.
    3. ↑ Minqari, Nasr ibn Muzahim, *The Battle of Siffin*, researched by Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, translated by Parviz Atabaki, Tehran, Islamic Revolution Education Publications, 1370 SH, Introduction by the Editor, p. 1.
    4. ↑ Shahidi, Sayyid Ja'far, *Analytical History of Islam (Until the End of the Umayyads)*, Tehran, University Publishing Center, 1385 SH, p. 142.
    5. ↑ Minqari, Nasr ibn Muzahim, *Waq'at Siffin*, researched by Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, Qom, Mar'ashi Najafi Library Publications, 1403 AH, pp. 513–514.
    6. ↑ Minqari, *The Battle of Siffin*, p. 219.
    7. ↑ Minqari, *The Battle of Siffin*, p. 220.
    8. ↑ Minqari, *The Battle of Siffin*, pp. 221–222.
    9. ↑ Ibn al-Jawzi, Abu al-Faraj Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali, *Al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa al-Umam*, Beirut, Dar Sader, n.d., vol. 5, p. 120.
    10. ↑ Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir, *Tarikh al-Umam wa al-Muluk*, researched by Muhammad Abul-Fadl Ibrahim, Beirut, Dar al-Turath, 1387 AH, vol. 11, p. 511.
    11. ↑ Motahhari, Morteza, *The Epic of Husayn*, Tehran, Sadra Publications, 1382 SH, vol. 1, pp. 97–98.
    12. ↑ Subhani, Ja'far, *The Light of Wilayah (Analytical History of the Life of Imam Ali (a))*, Qom, Imam Sadiq (a) Institute, 1380 SH, p. 601.
    13. ↑ Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya, *Ansab al-Ashraf*, researched by Suhayl Zakar and Riyad Zarkali, Beirut, Dar al-Fikr, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 323.
    14. ↑ Subhani, *The Light of Wilayah*, p. 601.
    15. ↑ Minqari, *The Battle of Siffin*, pp. 654–655.
    16. ↑ Minqari, *The Battle of Siffin*, pp. 657–662.
    17. ↑ Minqari, *The Battle of Siffin*, pp. 663–680.
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