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Islamiyat IGCSEPDF 174
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disaster as he had led his army as the Commander of the faithful and now the troops were
heading back not as victors or the heroic army of Allah under the command of chief Caliph,
since wording of the truce made them feel like a group in a civil war.
Result of Arbitration: However, in January 658 , when the two arbitrators, formally met
at Daumat-ul-jandal, a place between Kufa and Damascus. Amr convinced Abu Musa that
they should both denounce their leaders as Caliphs and asked Abu Musa, on account of his
seniority in age to be the first to make the announcement, which he did. Amr on the other
hand backtracked and declared Muawiyah as the new Caliph. The peace conference broke up
and the Kharjis, deeply upset with the disastrous outcome of the arbitration, despite having
made their peace with Hazrat Ali, left their homes in Kufa and Basra, and set up their own
community in Nehrwan.
Emergence of Kharijites: The term Kharijites literally means separatists or out goers.
These people had taken part in the revolt against Usman and were involved in his murder.
When Muawiya raised the cry for revenge for the blood of Usman, they allied themselves
with Ali and fought on his side in the Battles of Camel and Siffin. When the troops of
Muawiya asked for cease-fire they responded to the call and forced Ali to suspend hostilities
although victory for his forces was near. In order to support their stand they maintained that
they stood for the establishment of the Kingdom of Allah on earth. They held that they alone
were true believers and they had the right to kill unbelievers. They considered Abu Bakr and
Umar as the only lawful Khalifas and declared other as usurpers. After arbitration, the army
from Kufa mainly the radical supporters of Ali, withdrew from his camp and joined
like-minded men from Basra. These people came to be known as the Kharijis (seceders or
those who separate) They bitterly opposed the idea of arbitration and argued for ‘No
judgement but Allah’s’. They were treated by Ali with compassion; he reminded them of how
he had stormed and pleaded with his soldiers to continue the fight to finish, but it was their
wish to support the Syrians that frustrated his leadership. Most of the Kharijis left the battle
field and returned to their homes. To confirm this accord, the Holy Prophet’s (P.B.U.H)
announcement at Ghadir Khumm, in the last year of his life, asking his followers to swear to
Ali to be a friend of whoever he befriends and an enemy of however he takes as an enemy.
Battle of Nehrawan: By March 658, Hazrat Ali R.A was determined once again to lead the
army of Kufa and Basra to settle the dispute of Muawiya’s usurpation of power. He
persuaded the Kharijis to join him and succeeded in getting half of the 4000 Kharijis back in
his ranks. These were the moderates. The inner hard core became more militant with the
exodus of the moderates, and started sending raiding parties into the surrounding
countryside, battling anyone who disagreed with their position. Hazrat Ali R.A decided to
deal with them before confronting Muawiya R.A. In mid-May(some sources put the month as
July) the two armies clashed at Nahrawan. Hazrat Ali’s army was ten times the size of
Kharjiiswho fought and fell with the battle cry ‘Paradise’ ‘Paradise on their lips. With their
deaths, some of the spirit in the Caliph’s army also died as the heroes of the battle of Camel
and Siffin also lay among the dead. Hazrat Ali’s troops insisted on going back to garrison
cities before they could contemplate the invasion of Syria. Hazrat Ali was left with no choice
and when later, he issued summons for war, the response was so muted that he had to
abandon any thought of an offensive campaign that year.