and ʿAlī ordered each tribe from among the Iraqis to engage its sister tribe from among the Syrians; [then the two sides closed in upon one another] and the people fought (1) a tremendous battle—no man fled from another, yet neither side prevailed. When late afternoon came they drew apart.

At dawn ʿAlī rose, prayed the fajr prayer while it was still dark, and began the fighting early. He faced the Syrians, who faced him in turn, and—according to Abū Mikhnaf, from Mālik ibn Aʿyan, from Zayd ibn Wahb—ʿAlī supplicated:

“O Allah, Lord of the guarded, out-stretched canopy which You have made a roof for night and day, within which You have fixed the courses of the sun and the moon and the stations of the stars, and have placed therein a company of angels who never grow weary of worship;

Lord of this earth which You have made a resting place for humankind, for creeping creatures and livestock (2), and of the countless beings—of those we see and those we do not see (3)—of Your magnificent creation;

Lord of the ships that ply the sea bearing benefit to people; Lord of the clouds subdued between heaven and earth; Lord of the overflowing ocean that encircles the world; Lord of the firm mountains which You have set as pegs for the earth and as sources of benefit and provision for Your creatures: if You grant us ascendancy over our enemy, keep us far from tyranny and corruption and set us straight upon the truth; but if You grant them ascendancy over us, then grant me (4) martyrdom and spare the rest of my companions from tribulation.”

ʿAlī then advanced, holding the center with the people of Madinah. On his right that day stood ʿAbd Allāh ibn Budayl; on the left, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās; and over the Qur’an-reciters were ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir and Qays ibn Saʿd. The men kept to their banners, and he marched with them toward (5) the foe.

Muʿāwiyah likewise advanced—after the Syrians had pledged to him to fight to the death—and the two armies halted in a terrifying place, confronted by a grave matter. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Budayl, commander of ʿAlī’s right wing, charged the Syrian left under Ḥabīb ibn Maslamah, pressing him until he drove him back to the center where Muʿāwiyah stood.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Budayl then addressed the people, urging them to fight and exhorting them to patience and striving. The Commander of the Believers, ʿAlī, likewise urged the people to patience, steadfastness, and jihad, encouraging them to battle the Syrians. Every commander rose among his followers, exhorting them, and they recited to them verses on combat from various parts of the Qur’an, among them the Almighty’s words:

“Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in ranks, as though they are a solid structure” (Q 61:4).

He (6) then said, “Put the men in mail to the fore and keep the unarmored behind. Clench your molars, for that better deflects the swords from the tops of your heads. Press toward the points of the spears, for that strikes truer at the blades. Lower your gazes, for that steadies the nerve and firms (7) the heart. Keep your voices low, for that drives away defeatism and is more fitting (8) for dignity. Do not let your banners incline or shift; place them only in the hands of (9) your bravest men.”