The Battle Of The Camel (Maʿrakat al-Jamal) Ali Ibn Abi Talib & Aisha

The Events Of This Battle has been taken from ʿAṣr al Khilāfah al Rāshidah: Muḥāwalah li Naqd al Riwayah al Tārīkhiyyah Wifq Manāhij al Muḥaddithīn (The Era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate: An Attempt to Critically Examine Historical Narrations According to the Methodologies of the Hadith Scholars) by Akram Ḍiyāʾ al ʿUmarī.

The opposition arrives in Basrah

When the opposition reached Basrah, the people were taken by surprise, alarmed, and astonished. Kulaib ibn Shihab, an eye witness, a trustworthy tabi‘i, said:

“When Uthman رضي الله عنه was killed, the news reached us while we were returning from our expedition. We arrived in Basrah and had hardly stayed there for a short while when it was said: This is Talhah and az Zubayr, and with them is the Mother of the Believers.

This alarmed the people and they were amazed. They began claiming to the people that they had only come out in anger for Uthman and as repentance for what they had done in failing to support him, and that the Mother of the Believers was saying: ‘We became angry on your behalf against Uthman for three things: the appointment of the youth, the incident of al Ghamamah, and the blow of the whip and the stick.

So we would not be fair if we did not become angry for him against you on account of three things which you dragged upon him: the inviolability of the month, the land, and the blood.’ So the people said to them: Did you not give bayah to Ali and enter into his authority? They replied: We entered while compulsion, the sword, was upon our necks.” (Al Tabari, Tarikh 4/490, with a good chain of narration.)

The opposition prevailed over Basrah, and its governor on behalf of Ali, Uthman ibn Hunayf, was not able to resist them, because the tribes of Basrah, for the most part, joined them. The governor was arrested, then released, so that he went to join Ali.

The opposition then headed towards the Bayt al Mal and the (the place where public funds and provisions were handed out), and they were confronted by Hakim ibn Jabila al Abdi, one of the rebels who had taken part in the siege of the house in Madinah, along with seven hundred of his people.

A battle took place in which Hakim ibn Jabila was killed, and seventy of his people were killed, all of whom had previously participated in the siege of Uthman’s رضي الله عنه house in Madinah. (Al Tabari, Tarikh 4/469, from the mursal report of az Zuhri with a sound chain to him. Al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2/39 b, with a good chain. Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/280, with a sound chain.)

The opposition, led by az Zubayr ibn al Awwam, then took full control of Basrah, and their position was strengthened by their seizure of the Bayt al Mal, in which there was gold and silver.

Ali’s realisation of the danger and departure from Madinah

Ali رضي الله عنه realised the danger of the situation and what this conflict could lead to in terms of tearing apart the Islamic state, so he resolved to bring the opposition back to obedience. He called the people of Madinah to go out with him, and around seven hundred men gathered with him. (Al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2/45 b, with a good chain.)

A number of the senior Companions held back from him, among them Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abu Masud al Ansari, Muhammad ibn Maslamah al Ansari, Abdullah ibn Salam, Usamah ibn Zayd, and Ahibban ibn Sayfi.

They viewed these events as a fitnah that should not be entered into, and the Prophet ﷺ had singled some of them out with specific warnings against taking part in internal tribulations, so they apologised to Ali on that basis.

Abdullah ibn Salam tried to stop Ali from his decision to leave Madinah and go to Iraq, saying to him: “Stay with the lamat of Iraq, and hold fast to the minbar of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and do not leave it, for by Allah, if you leave it, you will never see it again.” Some men who were around Ali said: Allow us to kill him. Ali replied: “Abdullah ibn Salam is one of us, a righteous man.” (Ibn Hajar, al Matali al Aliyah, ms folios 630–631, quoting Ibn Ishaq ibn Rahuyah.)

Ali then left Madinah heading towards Iraq. He encamped at ar Rabadhah, where his army was reinforced by eight thousand men, so they reached nine thousand. (Ar Rabadhah is a village east of Madinah, about two hundred and four kilometres away, which on camels is three and a half days’ travel for fast camels. See Ali Naib al Umari, an Nubdhah fi Tarjamat Abi Dharr wa Tarikh ar Rabadhah, p. 269.)

Al Hasan ibn Ali tried, while weeping over what had befallen the Muslims of division and disagreement, to turn his father away from going to Iraq, but Ali refused that and insisted on bringing the opposition back to obedience, arguing that they had given him bayah in Madinah. (Al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2/45 b; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/99–100 with a good chain, and 274; al Bukhari, al Tarikh al Kabir 6/67; al Hakim, al Mustadrak 3/115; adh Dhahabi, Tarikh al Islam, al Khulafa al Rashidun, p. 487.)

The Kufah mission and the camp at Dhi Qar

From ar Rabadhah, Ali sent two envoys to rally the people of Kufah, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as Siddiq and Muhammad ibn Jaafar, but they failed in their mission because Abu Musa al Ashari, Ali’s governor over Kufah, took up the position of abstaining from the fitnah and warned the people against taking part in it. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15: 12, with a good chain; Abu Dawud, as Sunan with the commentary of al Khattabi 4: 457, with a good chain; al Tirmidhi, as Sunan, Tuhfat al Ahwadhi 6/446, hadith 2300, and he said: Hasan gharib; al Albani, Silsilat al Ahadith as Sahihah 4/1524, said: its chain is sound, all of its men are trustworthy narrators of al Bukhari.)

Ali then sent a third envoy, Hashim ibn Utbah ibn Abi Waqqas, and he too did not succeed in influencing them. (Al Tabari, Tarikh 4/477, in which is Muhammad ibn Abi Layla who has poor memory; Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari 13/58.)

Ali moved on to Dhi Qar, near Kufah, and encamped there. (Al Tabari, Tarikh 4/452, with a sound chain to az Zuhri, mursal.)

From there he sent Abdullah ibn Abbas, followed by his son al Hasan and Ammar ibn Yasir, to rally the people of Kufah. He also removed Abu Musa al Ashari from the governorship of Kufah and appointed Qarazah ibn Kaab as governor in his place. (Al Bukhari, as Sahih, Fath al Bari 13/53 and 13/58, quoting from Ibn Abi Shaybah; Ibn Hajar declared its chain sound.)

Ammar ibn Yasir was not affected by the reproach of Abu Musa al Ashari and Abu Masud al Ansari for what they saw as his haste, rather he ascended the minbar on Friday and addressed the people, saying: “Indeed, she is the wife of your Prophet in this world and the Hereafter, but Allah is testing you, to see whether it is Him that you obey or her.”

In this way he bore witness that Aishah رضي الله عنها is in Paradise, and he made the people understand that this was a trial from Allah, to see whether they would follow their emotions or submit to the truth by following Ali, who was the legitimate khalifah whose obedience was obligatory. (Al Bukhari, as Sahih, Fath al Bari 13/53–54; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/287; Khalifah, at Tarikh, p. 184; at Tabarani, al Mujam al Awsat 1/322; adh Dhahabi, Tarikh al Islam 2/149, Qudsi edition; Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari 13/58–59.)

After this mobilisation, between six thousand and seven thousand men from Kufah joined Ali’s army at Dhi Qar.

Two thousand men from the people of Basrah, from the tribe of Abd al Qays, the tribe of Hakim ibn Jabila, also joined him, as did other tribes, until his army reached around twelve thousand men, among them eight hundred from the Ansar and four hundred who had been present at Bayat ar Ridwan. (Abd ar Razzaq, al Musannaf 5/456–457; al Tabari, Tarikh 4/508, both with sound chains to az Zuhri; Khalifah ibn Khayyat, at Tarikh, p. 184, from the mursal of Saeed ibn Jubayr; al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2/45 b, with a good chain that is strengthened by the other routes.)

Ali camped at az Zawiyah for a number of days and asked al Ahnath ibn Qays to restrain the people from joining az Zubayr. Al Ahnath had been among those who had given bayah to Ali in Madinah, and Ali also asked him to fulfil his earlier promise to Talhah that he would abstain from fighting. (Ad Dani, al Fitan 194 b–195; al Tabari, Tarikh 4/500–501.)

Negotiations before the battle

The confrontation between Ali on one side, and az Zubayr and his followers on the other, took place near the palace of Ubaydullah. Attempts were made to prevent fighting, and those who tried to avert it were the ones who had taken a stance of abstaining from fighting. Kaab ibn Sur went out holding his mushaf open, reminding these people and those people, until an arrow struck him and killed him. (Ibn Saad, at Tabaqat 7/12; Ibn Hajar authenticated it in Fath al Bari 13/34.)

The Companion Imran ibn Husayn sent a messenger to Banu Adi, advising them to abstain from both parties, saying: “I am a sincere adviser to you. By Allah, for one of you to be an Abyssinian slave whose nose and ears have been cut off, tending a few goats on the top of a mountain until death reaches him, is more beloved to him than that he should shoot one arrow at either of the two parties, whether he hits or misses.”

They obeyed his messenger and refrained. They replied to his messenger, saying: “Leave us alone, young man, for by Allah, we will never leave the weight of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for anything at all.” (Abd ar Razzaq, al Musannaf 5/456–457; al Tabari, Tarikh 4: 508, both with sound chains to az Zuhri; Khalifah ibn Khayyat, at Tarikh, p. 184, from the mursal of Saeed ibn Jubayr; al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2: 45 b, with a good chain.)

People would sometimes determine their position in the conflict by asking the senior Companions, even if the fatwa went against the personal interest of the one giving it. The slaves from the tribe of Rabiah asked az Zubayr about their position, saying: “With whom should the slaves be?” He said: “With their masters.”

They said: “But our masters are with Ali.” Az Zubayr said nothing, as if a stone had been placed in his mouth. (Ad Dani, al Fitan 16 b, in whose chain is Abu Kinanah, an eye witness whose status is unknown; al Bukhari, at Tarikh al Kabir 8/65.)

Three days before the fighting began, a tent was set up between the two camps, in which Ali, Talhah, and az Zubayr met in an attempt to find a peaceful solution. (Ahmad, Fada il as Sahabah 2/596, with a good chain; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/267.)

The outbreak of fighting on the Day of the Camel

Ali also sent Abdullah ibn Abbas to Talhah and az Zubayr to ask them whether anything new had happened that would justify their anger toward his leadership, such as unfair judgement, keeping public wealth for himself, or anything similar. Az Zubayr replied: “Not in any one of these things.” (Same two sources as above.)

The two parties failed to reach a solution during those three days. A man suggested to az Zubayr that he pretend to go over to Ali’s side, then assassinate him. Az Zubayr refused and mentioned the hadith: “A believer does not assassinate.” (Ahmad, Fada il as Sahabah 2/596, with a good chain; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/267.)

On the fourth day, fighting broke out between the two armies. A sound report confirms that the army of az Zubayr and Talhah was the one that initiated the fighting, and that Ali only gave the command to fight after the prayer of Dhuhr.

The battle continued for hours, until the sun set and around the camel there was not a single eye that was still blinking among those who had been defending it. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/286–287, with a sound chain; Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari 13/57.)

The tragic nature of the situation became clearer and clearer. Az Zubayr, the foremost commander, began to doubt the permissibility of his position and observed the enormity of the calamity and the difference among the people, so he withdrew from the battlefield without fighting. (Al Hakim, al Mustadrak 3/366, with a good chain; adh Dhahabi, Tarikh al Islam, al Khulafa ar Rashidun.)

Amir ibn Jurmuz and two others followed him to Safwan and assassinated him there. Thus ended the life of the first commander.

The second commander, Talhah ibn Ubaydillah, was then killed, when Marwan ibn al Hakam shot him with an arrow, and he was buried on the bank of al Kala. (Ibn Saad, at Tabaqat 3/110, with a sound chain; Ibn Hajar, al Isabah 1/526; Khalifah, at Tarikh, p. 186; Ibn Abi Asim, al Ahad wa al Mathani 1/160.)

Abdullah ibn az Zubayr was severely wounded, taken from the middle of the killed, with around forty odd stab and strike wounds on his body. (Ibn Saad, at Tabaqat 3/223, with a sound chain; Khalifah, at Tarikh, p. 186; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/259; al Hakim, al Mustadrak 3/370.)

A large number of people were killed around Aishah that day. Seventy men were killed, all of whom had memorised the Quran, and those who had not memorised the Quran were even more. (Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, the biography of Abdullah ibn az Zubayr, p. 427, quoting from Yahya ibn Main with a sound chain.)

Abu Raja Imran ibn Milhan al Atardi, an eye witness, said:

“I saw the camel that day, and it was as if it were a hedgehog because of the arrows. A man was holding its halter, saying:

We are the sons of Dubah, the people of the camel,
We meet death whenever death descends.
Death is sweeter to us than honey,
We seek the blood of Uthman with the tips of our spears.” (Khalifah, at Tarikh, p. 190, with a good chain.)

Aishah was on a red camel in a red howdah(the covered seat placed on a camel. (Al Tabari, Tarikh 4/532–533, with a chain that contains a narrator of acceptable status who requires corroboration, but the report is in a context where some leniency is accepted.)

She spoke during the battle, cursing those who had killed Uthman, and when Ali heard that, he cursed the killers of Uthman. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15: 268, with a sound chain.) Her supporters were raising their voices against the killers of Uthman, and when this was mentioned to Ali, he said: “O Allah, bring humiliation upon the killers of Uthman.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/277, with a sound chain.)

The voices of supplication rose in both camps. Al Harith ibn Suwayd al Kufi, a trustworthy and reliable eye witness, said: “I saw us on the Day of the Camel, and our spears and their spears were interlocked, and if the men had wanted, they could have walked on them. They were saying: Allahu akbar, Subhan Allah, Allahu akbar.”

Voices were raised that expressed certainty of the religious soundness of their fighting, without any doubt: “I wish I had never been present” expressed the regret of those who felt it was a fitnah and doubted the validity of fighting, while “It would not have pleased me not to have been present” expressed the certainty of those whose vision of the religious ruling was clear in fighting alongside Ali. (Khalifah, at Tarikh, p. 198, with a sound chain.)

Casualties and the hamstringing of the camel

The ones who were killed fell from both sides. It was said that twenty thousand men were killed on the Day of the Camel, although this figure is not free of exaggeration. It does, however, convey the depth of the feeling of bitterness about the incident. Two thousand five hundred men from al Azd were killed, and eight hundred from Banu Dubah. (Khalifah, at Tarikh, p. 186, with two weak chains, one of which is cut off and the other contains unknown narrators.) Banu Dubah are from Tamim, and the two narrators are from Tamim, one trustworthy and the other a reliable Nasibi.

Al Tabari narrates from one of them that “Ali killed, on the Day of the Camel, two thousand five hundred men, one thousand three hundred and fifty from al Azd, eight hundred from Banu Dubah, and three hundred and fifty from the rest of the people.” (Al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2/ folio 145; al Tabari, Tarikh 4/545.)

In this way, the army of the opposition lost its commanders. The fighting intensified around the camel of Aishah رضي الله عنها, so Ali ordered Abdullah ibn Budayl to hamstring the camel in order to bring the fighting to an end. Then he and her brother, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as Siddiq, lowered the howdah and carried it until they placed it before Ali. He ordered that it be taken into the house, the tent, of Abdullah ibn Budayl. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/284–285, with a strong chain; Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari 13/57.)

The people of Basrah soon fled. A crier called out on behalf of Ali: “Do not kill anyone who is retreating, do not finish off any wounded person, whoever closes the door of his house is safe, and whoever throws down his weapon is safe.” (Saeed ibn Mansur, as Sunan 2/337–338, with a good chain; Ahmad, al Musnad 1/102; Ibn Abi Asim, as Sunnah 2/610; Ahmad, Fada il as Sahabah 2/737; at Tabarani, al Mujam al Kabir 183; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/267.)

Regret, self reproach, and Ali’s conduct after the battle

Both sides realised their loss. Self reproach replaced anger, and regret broke their hearts. Their souls melted in sorrow over what had occurred, as two Muslims had met with their swords in an internal fitnah whose reality had become clear, yet they were unable to avoid it.

They proceeded, not resisting the decree written for them, until the dust cleared from over dead men who were among the best of the Muslims on both sides, without any worldly or religious benefit gained.

The pain and regret gripped the leaders during the fighting itself. Al Hasan ibn Ali described the inner state of Ali رضي الله عنه, saying: “I saw him when the fighting became intense, clinging to me and saying: O Hasan, I would have loved to have been twenty pilgrimages, or years, before this.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/288, with a sound chain; Abdullah ibn Ahmad, as Sunnah 2/566; Nuaim ibn Hammad, al Fitan 1: folio 19 b; at Tabarani, al Mujam al Kabir 1/72, hadith 203.)

When Ali saw Muhammad ibn Talhah ibn Ubaydillah dead, he said: “Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi rajiun. By Allah, he was indeed a righteous young man,” then he sat down, a sorrowful hill. (Al Hakim, al Mustadrak 3/103–104 and 375, with a chain that is good due to corroboration; Nuaim ibn Hammad, al Fitan 1/181, with a sound chain.)

Years later, Imran ibn Talhah ibn Ubaydillah visited him. Ali welcomed him and said:

“I hope that Allah will make me and your father among those of whom He said:

إِخْوَانًا عَلَى سُرُرٍ مُّتَقَابِلِينَ

‘Brothers, upon couches, facing one another.’ (al Hijr 47)” (Ibn Saad, at Tabaqat al Kubra 3/224; al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 13: folio 85 b–186; at Tabari, Tafsir 14/37; al Hakim, al Mustadrak 3/376, who authenticated it and adh Dhahabi agreed.)

He then returned his estates to him, saying: “We did not seize your land during these years because we wanted to take it, we only took it out of fear that people might loot it.” (Ahmad, Fada il as Sahabah 2/618, with a sound chain.)

Ali would often repeat this verse and manifest his love for Talhah and az Zubayr despite their disagreement with him.

The third son of Talhah gave bayah to Ali immediately after the Day of the Camel, then returned to his family and property. The opposition felt reassured and came to Ali to give him bayah. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/276; Abu al Arab, al Mihn, p. 350.)

In this way, Ali showed kindness and loyalty to his brother who had opposed him and fought him based on mistaken interpretation.

As for his view of az Zubayr ibn al Awwam, Ali commented on his killing by saying: “Give glad tidings of the Fire to the killer of the son of Safiyyah.” (Ibn Saad, at Tabaqat 3: 105; at Tiyalisi, al Musnad, p. 24; Ahmad, al Musnad 1/102 and Fada il as Sahabah 2/737; Ibn Abi Asim, as Sunnah 2/737, with a good chain whose main narrator is Abu Asim ibn Bahdalah, a reliable narrator who makes some mistakes.)

Aishah’s Regret

The regret for what had occurred was not confined to Ali رضي الله عنه. Aishah رضي الله عنها said: “I wish I had been a fresh twig and had not travelled this journey of mine.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15: 281, with a sound chain.) She also said: “I wish I had lost ten children like al Harith ibn Hisham and had not travelled my journey with Ibn az Zubayr.” (Al Hakim, al Mustadrak 3/119, with a good chain; al Haythami, Majma az Zawaid 7/238, in whose chain is Abu Mashar Najih, who is weak.)

She said furthermore: “It was a decree.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/281; al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf 2/146, with a good chain. This is supported by the report of Ahmad ibn Yunus from Abu Bakr ibn Ayyash, which is in Sahih al Bukhari, Fath al Bari 13/473. Al Bayhaqi, as Sunan al Kubra 8/174, with a good chain, also narrated it and mentioned other routes.)

She would pray for mercy for the ones who were killed on both sides whenever they were mentioned. She prayed for Talhah ibn Ubaydillah, az Zubayr ibn al Awwam, and Zayd ibn Sawhan, the latter of whom had been in Ali’s camp. Khalid ibn al Washimah objected to her, saying: “May Allah have mercy on you, you pray for mercy for them even though they killed one another.

By Allah, Allah will never gather them together in Paradise.” She replied: “Do you not know that the mercy of Allah is vast and that He is over all things Powerful?” Khalid then said: “So she was better than me.” (Al Bayhaqi, as Sunan al Kubra, p. 174, with a good chain, and he listed further routes.)

Even the spoils of war were not treated in the usual way in the fitnah. Ali divided on the Day of the Camel only what the opposition had brought to the camp of weapons and horses, and each fighter received five hundred dirhams. There was nothing else. (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15: 263, with a weak chain, and 281, with a good chain.)

Ali did not enslave anyone on the Day of the Camel and did not take a fifth from the spoils. They said to him: “O Amir al Mumineen, will you not take a fifth of their wealth?” He replied: “This is Aishah. Would you take her as part of the fifth?” They said: “It is nothing but this, it is nothing but this.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15: 263, with a good chain; al Bayhaqi, as Sunan al Kubra 8: 182.)

Several reports support one another in showing Ali’s view of the ruling of the Sharia concerning those involved in this fitnah and fighting. Ali رضي الله عنه was asked about the people of the Camel, and he replied: “They are our brothers who transgressed against us, so we fought them, and now they have returned, and we have accepted that from them.” (Al Bayhaqi, as Sunan al Kubra 8: 182, in which al Atardi is weak except in what he narrates from the Sirah of Ibn Ishaq; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15: 256–257, from the mursal of Abi al Bakhtari, and 15: 258 and 277, from the mursal of Muhammad al Baqir.)

Ammar asked Ali on the Day of the Camel: “What do you think about taking the children as captives?” Ali replied: “We only fought those who fought us,” meaning that he only regarded fighting as permissible as self defence, because his opponents had started fighting him. Ammar said: “If you had said anything other than this, we would have opposed you.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 15/261–270, with a good chain; al Bayhaqi, as Sunan al Kubra 8: 181–182.)

Al Hafidh az Zuhri relates the unanimous agreement of the Companions concerning the protection of the wealth and honour of those who rebel against the ruler based on interpretation. He wrote: “As for what follows: when the first fitnah broke out, many of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who had witnessed Badr were still alive.

Their joint opinion was that no hadd punishment (fixed punishment from the Sharia) would be carried out upon anyone for private parts that they had regarded as lawful based on interpretation of the Quran, and that no qisas (legal retaliation killing) would be carried out for any killing that they had committed based on interpretation of the Quran, and that nothing that they had taken based on interpretation of the Quran would be returned, except if a specific object was found itself, in which case it would be returned to its owner.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al Musannaf 10/120–121, with a sound chain to az Zuhri.)

Numerous reports come together to confirm that the Prophet ﷺ informed Ali of what would occur between him and Aishah and instructed him to treat her well. Thus, the events of the fitnah became among the signs of prophethood that were fulfilled in the generation of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all. (Al Haythami, Kashf al Astar 4/13–14, quoting from al Bazzar; Ahmad, al Musnad 6/393, from the additions of his son Abdullah; at Tabarani, al Mujam al Kabir 1/314, no. 995, all of which are routed through al Fudayl ibn Sulayman, who is a trustworthy narrator who makes many mistakes, but Ibn Hajar regarded the chain of Abdullah and al Bazzar as good, Fath al Bari 13/55. It also has a supporting report that Ibn Asakir declared good in Manaqib Ummahat al Mumineen, p. 71, no. 11.)

Ibn Taymiyyah said: Aishah did not go out for fighting. She only went out intending reconciliation between the Muslims, and she thought that there was benefit for the Muslims in her going out.

Then it became clear to her afterwards that leaving going out was more appropriate, so when she remembered her going out she would cry until her head covering became wet. In the same way, the generality of the early Muslims regretted what they entered into of fighting. Talhah, az Zubayr, and Ali رضي الله عنهم all regretted it.

The Day of the Camel was not something these people intended as fighting, but fighting occurred without their choice.

That is because when Ali, Talhah, and az Zubayr exchanged messages and intended agreement upon what was beneficial, and that when they had the ability they would pursue the killers of Uthman, the people of tribulation, and Ali was not pleased with the killing of Uthman, nor did he assist in it, as he used to swear, saying: By Allah, I did not kill Uthman, and I did not support his killing. He was truthful and upright in his oath.

So the killers feared that Ali would agree with them to hold the killers accountable, so they attacked the camp of Talhah and az Zubayr. Talhah and az Zubayr thought that Ali had attacked them, so they attacked in defence of themselves.

Ali thought that they had attacked him, so he attacked in defence of himself. Thus the tribulation occurred without their choice. Aishah was riding and did not fight, and she did not command fighting. Others among those with knowledge of reports have mentioned this. (Minhaj as Sunnah 4/316-317)

Author

ISHAQ. K

The Battle Of The Camel (Maʿrakat al-Jamal) Ali Ibn Abi Talib & Aisha

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