In response to Muawiya

[1] This letter of Amīr al-mu’minīn’s is in reply to Mu‘āwiyah’s letter which he sent to Kūfah through Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī, and it also contains replies to some points which Mu‘āwiyah had written in the letter sent through Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī. In Abū Umāmah’s letter, Mu‘āwiyah had mentioned the deputation of the Prophet and his ascension to the position of revelation and wrote in such a manner as though it was a matter not known to or not understood by Amīr al-mu’minīn and that he was in need of being informed and told of it. This is just like a stranger who may draw the map of a house for the guidance of those who dwell in it and apprise them of things already known to them. That is why Amīr al-mu’minīn has compared him to the man who carried dates to Hajar which was itself noted for abundant growth of dates. This is a proverb employed when someone beings to tell a person matters which he already knows better. The basis of this proverb is that a man of Hajar, which is a town near Bahrain (Persian Gulf), went to Baṣrah to sell goods and make purchases. After finishing the sale, he looked about the market to make his purchases and found nothing cheaper than dates. He therefore decided to purchase dates, and when he reached Hajar with his load of dates their plenty and cheapness there did not leave him any alternative but to store them so as to sell them later when their price had risen. The price however continued to fall day by day till all of them became rotten leaving to him nothing except their stones. In short, after referring to the Prophet’s ascension to prohphethood Mu‘āwiyah recounted the distinction and merits of the three Caliphs according to his view and wrote: The most distinguished among the companions and the most high ranking in the view of the Muslims was the first Caliph who collected all the Muslims under one voice, removed their disunity and fought those who were forsaking Islam. After him is the second Caliph who won victories, founded cities and humiliated the unbelievers. Then comes the third Caliph who was the victim of oppression. He propagated religion and spread the word of Allāh far and wide. (Ṣiffīn, al-Minqarī, pp. 86-87; al-‘Iqd al-farīd, vo1. 4, pp. 334-335; Sharḥ Nahj al-balāghah, vol. 15, p. 186) Mu‘āwiyah’s purpose behind in bringing up these pointless warblings was to injur Amīr al-mu’minīn’s feelings and to rouse his temper so as to make him produce such words through his tongue or pen which would so disparage the caliphs that he would instigate the people of Syria and Iraq against him by exploiting them. In fact, he had already set it in the minds of these people that Amīr al-mu’minīn had instigated the people against ‘Uthmān, had got Ṭalḥah and az-Zubayr killed, had turned ‘Ā’ishah out from her house and had shed the blood of thousands of Muslims. Being unaware of the real facts they were convinced of these beseless allegations, yet to strengthen the opposition, he thought it advisable to make them believe that Amīr al-mu’minīn did not recognize the achievements of the three caliphs and bore enmity and malice towards them, and to produce Amīr al-mu’minīn’s writing in evidence, and also to use it for rousing the people of Iraq, because their majority was much impressed with the environment created by the caliphs and with their greatness. But Amīr al-mu’minīn guessed his intention and gave him such a reply which put a knot in his tongue and which he could not dare show to anyone. So, Amīr al-mu’minīn exposed his lowness by referring to his enmity towards Islam and his accepting subjugation under force, and advised him to keep within his bounds, and warned him against fixing grades of distinction among those muhājirūn who were in any case superior to him in so far as they had been the preceders in hijrah (immigration from Mecca). Whereas since Mu‘āwiyah himself was only one of those whose life had been spared (on the day of fall of Mecca), he had not the remotest connection with the muhājirūn. Consequently, in the matter under discussion Amīr al-mu’minīn has put Mu‘āwiyah’s position as that of a false arrow among real arrows. This is a proverb which is employed when a man boasts over persons with whom he has no connection. As regards his statement that so-and-so is greater in distinction, Amīr al-mu’minīn has, by using the word “you think”, shown that it is his personal opinion which has not the remotest connection with fact, because this word is used when a false or unreal statement is made. After refuting this claim of being the most distinguished, Amīr al-mu’minīn has referred to these qualities and distinctions of Banū Hāshim which show conspicuously the high degree of their attainments. Thus, the people who took part in jihād with the Prophet and secured martyrdom attained high positions but the distinction that fell to Ḥamzah by virtue of his high performance was not secured by anyone else. The Prophet gave him the title of Master of the Martyrs and said his funeral prayer fourteen times whereby the number of takbīr (Allāhu akbar) rose to seventy. Similarly, in various battles the hands of the fighters were cut off. For example, in the battle of Badr the hands of Khubayb ibn Isāf al-Anṣārī and Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal and in the battle of Uḥud those of ‘Amr ibn al-Jamūḥ as-Salamī and ‘Ubayd (‘Atik) ibn at-Tayyihān (brother of Abu’l-Haytham at-Tayyihān) were cut off, but when in the battle of Mu’tah the hands of Ja‘far ibn Abī Ṭālib were cut off, the Prophet singled him out by naming him “the flier in Paradise” and the “two-winged”. After recounting the peculiar achievements of Banū Hāshim, Amīr al-mu’minīn has referred to his own attainments with which the histories and traditions are replete and which could not be tarnished with doubts and misgivings. Thus, traditionists like Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (164/780-241/855), Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī an-Nasā’ī (215/830 — 303/915) and others say that : The number of traditions that have been related through reliable sources in regard to the distinctions of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib have not been related about any other companion of the Prophet. (al-Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 107; al-Istī‘āb, vol. 3, p. 1115; Tabaqāt al-ḥanābilah, vol. 1, p. 319; al-Kāmil, vol. 3, p. 399; Tahdhīb at-tahdhīb, vol. 7, p. 339; Fatḥ al-bārī, vol. 7, p. 57) An important distinction out of these particular distinctions of Ahlu’l-bayt (the Household of the Holy Prophet) is the one to which Amīr al-mu’munīn has referred in these words that “We are the direct recipients of Allāh’s favours while others receive favours from us.” This is the height of distinction that even the highest personality cannot reach its sublimity and every other distinction looks small before it. Acknowledging the greatness and supremacy of this sentence, Ibn Abi’l-Hadīd writes: Amīr al-mu’minīn intends to convey that we are not under obligation of any person since Allāh has bestowed all blessings on us directly, there being no intermediary between us and Allāh, while all other people are under our obligation and protection, being the intermediary between them and Allāh, the Glorified; this is a high position indeed. Its apparent meaning is what the words show but its real sense is that the Ahlu’l-bayt are the obedient servants of Allāh and the people must be their obedient followers. (Sharḥ Nahj al-balāghah, vol. 15, p. 194) Now, since these people are the first recipients of the bounties of Allāh and the source of bounties for the rest of the people, no one from among the people can be compared with them, nor can anyone be regarded as their equal on the basis of social contacts with them, much less than those individuals who were in direct contrast to the attainments and characteristics of these people, and used to oppose truth and right on every occasion. Amīr al-mu’minīn places both the sides of the picture before Mu‘āwiyah and says: The Prophet was from us while your father Abū Sufyān was foremost in opposing him. Ḥamzah was from us and the Prophet gave him the title of “Lion of Allāh” while your maternal grandfather, ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah was proud of being the “lion of swearers (against the Prophet).” When in the battle of Badr, Ḥamzah and ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah came face to face, Ḥamzah said, “I am Ḥamzah son of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib; I am the lion of Allāh and the lion of His Prophet,” whereupon ‘Utbah said, “I am the lion of swearers (against the Prophet).” In another version, the word “Asadu’l-aḥlāf” has been recorded. The meaning is that he was the Chief of the allying parties. The story of swearing is that when Banū ‘Abd Manāf acquired a distinct position among the Arab tribes they thought they should take over from Banū ‘Abdi’d-Dār the offices relating to the Ka‘bah and to depose them from these offices. In this connection, Banū ‘Abd Manāf allied with themselves the tribes of Banū Asad ibn ‘Abdi’l-‘Uzzā, Banū Taym, Banū Zuhrah and Banū al-Ḥārith, and concluded an agreement with them. In order to solemnize this agreement they drenched their hands in ṭīb (perfume) and swore that they would help each other. For this reason, these tribes were called: “Tribes of sworn chaste parties”. On the other side the tribes of Banū ‘Abdi’d-Dār, Banū Makhzūm, Banū Sahm and Banū ‘Adī also swore that they would resist Banū ‘Abd Manāf and their allies. These tribes are called the “allies”. ‘Utbah has deemed himself the head of the allying parties. Some commentators have taken the word Asadu’l-aḥlāf to mean Abū Sufyān, because he made different tribes swear against the Prophet in the battle of the Trench, while some commentators take it to mean Asad ibn ‘Abdi’l-‘Uzzah, but this interpretation does not carry weight because here Amīr al-mu’minīn is addressing Mu‘āwiyah and this interpretation does not hit Mu‘āwiyah since Banū ‘Abd Manāf were a party to this alliance. Then Amīr al-mu’minīn says, “they have among themselves the masters of the youth of Paradise”. Referring to the Prophet’s saying, “al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn are the masters of the youth of Paradise”, while the boys of the other side are in Hell. This reference is to the sons of ‘Uqbah ibn Abī Mu‘ayṭ, about whom the Prophet has said, “For you and your sons is Hell”. Then Amīr al-mu’minīn says that among them is the chief of all the women of the worlds, namely Fāṭimatu’z-Zahrā’ (p.b.u.h.), while in the other party is the bearer of the wood which refers to Umm Jamīl, the sister of Abū Sufyān. This woman used to spread thorns in the path of the Prophet. She has been mentioned in the Qur’ān along with Abū Lahab, in these words: In the Name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful. May perish both the hands of Abū Lahab, may perish (he himself); Shall avail him not his wealth nor what he earneth; Soon shall he burn in the flaming fire; And his wife, the bearer of the firewood; Upon her neck shall be a halter of twisted rope. (Qur’ān, 111)