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Battle of Siffin

Introduction

Many people believe that the Battle of Siffinin which Ali () faced off withMuawiyyah ()was the point at which the Sunni-Shia split solidified. At thispoint, many people will take the simplistic point of view that Ali represented the Shia

side, and Muawiyyah the Sunni side. However, this is not true. Both Ali () andMuawiyyah () were adherents of the same faith, of the mainstream Islam.There was, however, a third group which would form in the Battle of Siffinthe

Khawaarijwho, via their relationship with the Sabaites, were the ancestors of the

modern day Shia movement. In fact, the Battle of Siffin was an important event inIslamic history to understand for this very reason as it raises many questions that the Shia

cannot explain.

Reasons For Civil War

Muawiyyah () demanded that Ali () find and prosecute Uthmanskillers, because it was well known that the killers were from amongst the Shiat Ali.Muawiyyah () was a blood-relative of Uthman () and he was veryupset that the murderers were not apprehended. Muawiyyah (), then thegovernor of Syria, refused to recognize Ali (), and he demanded the right toavenge Uthmans death (). In what was perhaps the most important battlefought between Muslims, Alis forces () met Muawiyyahs () in theBattle of Siffin.

The Shia say that Ali () fought Muawiyyah () for denying the Shiaconcept of the Imamah, and that Ali () was the first Infallible Imam. And yetthe Shias own books say that this was notwhat the Battle of Siffin had to do with, butrather it was purely political as opposed to religious. Ali () clearly said inNahjul Balagha:

In the beginning of our matter, the people of Syria [Muawiyyahs forces] and us met. It

is obvious that our God is one, our Prophet is one, and our call in Islam is one. We do not

see ourselves more in faith in Allah or more in believing His messenger than them, northey do. Our matter is one, except for our disagreement in Uthmans blood, and we are

innocent from his murder. [Nahjul Balagha, vol.3, p.648]

The Battle of Siffin

So it was that the Shiat Ali met the Shiat Muawiyyah. Caliph Alis forces were

decimating the forces of Muawiyyah (). It would have been a decisive victoryfor Caliph Ali (), but the Shiat Muawiyyah used a rouse to fool the Shiat Ali.Muawiyyahs Syrians adorned the tips of their swords with pages from the Quran. This

confused the Shiat Ali, who did not want to bring harm to the Quran.

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The Shiat Ali stopped fighting due to this trick, and the Shiat Muawiyyah asked for a

cease-fire and to resolve the issue through arbitration. Caliph Ali (), being thenoble man that he was, agreed to vote (use Shurah) for who would be Caliph. This greatlyupset a contingent of his ardent followers, the Sabaites, who did not agree that Ali ( ) should use arbitration. The Sabaites had been convinced by Abdullah Ibn Sabathat Allah had appointedAli () as Caliph. So they accused Ali () ofgoing against the Will of Allah by resorting to negotiation on the matter. How could therebe negotiation on a matter that is decreed by Allah Almighty?

A portion of the Sabaites defected and turned against Caliph Ali (). Theydeclared vociferously: No rule but to Allah! These defectors came to be known as theKhawaarij, which literally translates to those who go out or those who secede. For so

long, these people had been the most ardent supporters of Ali (), callingthemselves the Shiat Ali and the Lovers of Ahlel Bayt, but look now where theirdoctrinal innovation had taken them. They defected against the very man they had

claimed to follow!

This event in Islamic history is one that the Shia of today cannot explain away. They try

to hide it under a rug, since it shows the falsity of their beliefs. The Khawaarij, formerSabaites, were of the same belief of the Ithna Ashari Shia today, namely that Allah had

appointed Ali () to be Caliph. And yet, Ali () agreed to arbitrationwith Muawiyyah (). The million-dollar question, asked of course by theKhawaarij: how could Ali () agree to arbitration if it was a matter decreed byAllah?

How could Ali () agree to negotiation on this matter if Allah Himself hadchosen Ali () to be this supposed Infallible Imam? Would ProphetMuhammad () agree to arbitration and negotiation on the matter of hisProphethood? So why would Ali () arbitrate and negotiate on the matter of hisImamah? In matters decreed by Allah, there can be no negotiation! For example, wecannot negotiate on the matter of eating pork or Salat, since these matters are already

decreed by Allah.

This event proves without a shadow of doubt that Ali () was notdivinelyappointed by Allah nor by His Messenger, since he agreed to arbitration and agreed toShurah (consultation) to decide who would be the Caliph. This proves that what the

Ahlus Sunnah believes is correct: namely that Shurah is the way to elect a leader, much

like how Abu Bakr () was selected.The Shia belief system is diammetrically opposed to the very Ali () they claimto follow, and soon will they also be faced against Ali ( ), much like theKhawaarij [former Sabaites] would turn against and face Ali (); Ali ( ) denied this to the Sabaites, the Khawaarij, and he will also deny this to the) ) is he who denied all claims of divine appointment and of Infallible Imamah. AliShia of today, whose faces will be turned black on the Day of Judgement for their

exaggeration and lies, where they will be grouped together with the people who defected

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against Ali (), namely the Khawaarij. There is no plausible explanation that theShia can give to the million-dollar question: why did Ali () agree to Shurah? Itis indeed a slap to the face of the Shia faith.

Ali () Murdered by SabaitesIn any case, the Khawaarij turned against Caliph Ali () and killed him. So itwas that Muawiyyah () became the fifth Caliph. The irony should not be lostthat the Shia are the ones who killed Ali () allowing Muawiyyah ()to be the Caliph, and now look at the Shia today lamenting about Muawiyyah ( ) stealing the Caliphate! There can be no denying that the Sabaites and the Khawaarijare the fore-fathers of Shiism, since the Shia today hold the same opinion that Ali ( () was divinely appointed and thus arbitration (i.e. with Abu Bakr or Muawiyyahcannot be accepted.

from ahlelbayat.com