In the name of God,

The Battle of Siffin is one of the most significant battles during the caliphate of Imam Ali (AS), which had a profound impact on Islamic history and is filled with instructive historical lessons. If you'd like to hear an interesting story about the Battle of Siffin, stay with me.

When Imam Ali (AS) assumed the caliphate, Muawiyah was ruling in Syria. Imam Ali removed him from the governorship of Syria, but Muawiyah refused to accept this and claimed to seek vengeance for the blood of Uthman, the previous caliph. He wrote to Imam Ali, accusing him of being involved in Uthman's murder and declared his readiness for battle.

Imam Ali, in his letter, called upon Muawiyah to obey the legitimate caliph of the Muslims and emphasized the importance of avoiding war as much as possible. However, Muawiyah began a propaganda campaign in Syria to tarnish Imam Ali's reputation. He would give goat kids to children, and after a few days, when the children had grown attached to them, he would order his soldiers to take the goats by force, saying, "Muawiyah gave them to you, but Ali ordered us to take them back." This caused the children to grow up with resentment toward Imam Ali. Muawiyah also spread the narrative that Imam Ali was responsible for the murder of Uthman and ordered his followers to curse Imam Ali in the mosques.


Despite Imam Ali's letters, Muawiyah did not relent. He prepared an army and met Imam Ali's forces in a region called Siffin, near a river. The battle began and lasted for several months.

The army of Muawiyah reached the river and seized control of it, preventing anyone except their own soldiers from drinking its water. As a result, the soldiers of Imam Ali (AS) were left thirsty. Eventually, under the command of Malik al-Ashtar, they launched an attack on Muawiyah's forces, broke their control over the river, and regained access to the water. After this victory, some of Imam Ali's soldiers suggested that they should now prevent Muawiyah's army from using the water, but Imam Ali forbade it. This act demonstrated his chivalry and nobility, as he refused to cut off water from the enemy.

The armies of Imam Ali and Muawiyah faced each other on the battlefield. In one account, it is mentioned that during the confrontation, Imam Ali came face to face with Amr ibn al-As, Muawiyah's advisor. Amr ibn al-As was nearly killed by Imam Ali, but in a desperate move, he removed his clothes and stood naked. Imam Ali, out of modesty, averted his gaze and did not pursue him. Amr ibn al-As knew that Imam Ali was a man of great dignity and would not look at someone who was naked, and thus he saved his own life.


During the battles, Imam Ali often aimed to break the limbs of his opponents rather than kill them, ensuring they survived. He sought to minimize bloodshed and loss of life.

The war was turning in favor of Imam Ali's army, and victory seemed imminent. However, Amr ibn al-As and Muawiyah devised a cunning plan to deceive the Muslims. Amr ibn al-As ordered his soldiers to raise copies of the Quran on their spears and shout, "Let the Quran judge between us!" The soldiers did as they were told, causing confusion and doubt among Imam Ali's forces. Imam Ali urged his soldiers not to fall for this trickery, shouting, "Do not be deceived! We are on the verge of victory!" But his soldiers did not listen and insisted on stopping the fight, saying, "We will not continue fighting. Let us negotiate and let the Quran decide who should rule."

The efforts of Imam Ali did not yield results, and it was decided that each side would choose a representative to negotiate. They chose Amr ibn al-As, a cunning and politically astute man, and from Imam Ali's army, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, a rather naive individual, was selected. Despite Imam Ali's persistent efforts, he could not change their decision. Eventually, Amr ibn al-As and Abu Musa al-Ash'ari entered into negotiations. Amr ibn al-As said to Abu Musa, "Let us remove both Muawiyah and Ali from power and take control ourselves. You announce the removal of Ali, and I will announce the removal of Muawiyah."


When Abu Musa announced the removal of Imam Ali, Amr ibn al-As stood up and declared loudly, "Muawiyah is the ruler of the Muslims!" Abu Musa then realized he had been deceived and tricked. No matter how much he tried to rectify the situation, it was too late.


And thus, the Battle of Siffin came to an end in this manner.


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