The Arbitration of the Two Delegates

ʿIkrimah reported: Muʿāwiyah appointed ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ as his arbiter. Al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays then said to ʿAlī, “Appoint Ibn ʿAbbās on your behalf, for he is a tried and tested man.” ʿAlī replied, “I shall.” The Yemenite tribes, however, refused and said, “No—one of us must represent you.”

When Ibn ʿAbbās saw that ʿAlī was about to name Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, he said to him, “Why are you choosing Abū Mūsā? By Allah, you know his view of us—by Allah, he never supported us, yet he hopes to gain what we have. Now you would bring him into the very heart of our affair even though he is not the man for it. If you will not set me against ʿAmr, then appoint al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays; he is experienced among the Arabs and a match for ʿAmr.”

ʿAlī answered, “Very well,” but the Yemenites again objected. Outvoted, he therefore appointed Abū Mūsā. I heard Ibn ʿAbbās relate: “On the day the two arbiters were chosen I told ʿAlī, ‘Do not appoint Abū Mūsā, for he will face a man who is wary, seasoned, and sharp. Put me beside him: whatever knot he loosens I will tie, and whatever knot he ties I will loosen.’ ʿAlī replied, ‘Son of ʿAbbās, what can I do? My own men have forced this on me; their resolve has weakened and they have grown weary of war. Here is al-Ashʿath ibn Qays insisting, “There must not be two Muḍarīs in the matter—one of them has to be a Yemenite.”’ So I excused him, realizing he was under duress and that his followers had lost their will.”

Abū Ṣāliḥ al-Sammān said: ʿAlī told Abū Mūsā, “Give judgment—even if it costs me my neck.”