Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (7/548)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

As for the man assigned to assassinate Muʿāwiya—namely al-Burak (1)—he rushed at him as he was leaving for the dawn prayer on that very day (2) and struck him with a sword; some say it was a poisoned dagger. The blow landed on his hip and cut his buttock. The Kharijite was seized and put to death.

While he was being held he said to Muʿāwiya, “Release me, for I bring you good news.”
Muʿāwiya asked, “And what is it?”
He replied, “Today my brother has killed ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.”
Muʿāwiya said, “Perhaps he did not manage to do so.”
The man answered, “Indeed he did; no guards were with him.” Muʿāwiya thereupon ordered that he be executed.

A physician then came to Muʿāwiya and said, “Your wound is poisoned. I can either cauterize it or give you a draught that will expel the poison, but it will cut off your progeny.” (3)
Muʿāwiya replied, “I have no strength to endure fire, and as for offspring, my eyes are cooled by Yazīd and ʿAbd Allāh.” The doctor gave him the potion, and he was relieved of the pain and the wound, regained his strength (4), and remained safe—may Allah be pleased with him.

From that time a maqṣūra (screened enclosure) was erected in the congregational mosque and guards were stationed around it (5) during the prostrations; Muʿāwiya was the first to introduce it because of this incident (6).

As for the assassin sent against ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ—he was ʿAmr ibn Bakr, a Kharijite—he lay in ambush for him as he came out to pray. It so happened that ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ suffered a severe bout of colic that night, so only his deputy went out to lead the prayer. The deputy was Khārija ibn Abī Ḥabība of the Banū ʿĀmir ibn Luʾayy, who was in charge of ʿAmr’s police force. The Kharijite attacked him and killed him, thinking he was ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ. When the assassin was captured (7) he said, “I aimed at ʿAmr, but Allah aimed at Khārija,” and the saying became proverbial. He was then executed on the spot—may Allah disgrace him.

It is also said that the words were uttered by ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ himself. When the Kharijite was brought before him he asked, “Who is this?” They replied, “He has killed your deputy, Khārija.” The assassin said, “By Allah, I intended none but you.” ʿAmr replied, “You sought me, but Allah sought Khārija,” and then ordered him beheaded.

In short, when ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—died, his son al-Ḥasan led the funeral prayer over him, pronouncing nine takbīrs, and he was buried in the governor’s residence in Kūfa so that the Kharijites would not exhume his body. This is the report most widely accepted. Anyone who claims that he was placed on a riding animal that carried him away so that no one knows where it went has erred and ventured into things of which he has no knowledge—something allowed by neither reason nor the Sacred Law. Likewise, the belief held by many of the ignorant Rāfiḍites that his grave is at the shrine in Najaf has no proof and no basis; rather, it is said that the grave belongs to al-Mughīra ibn Shuʿba. This was related by al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (8) from Abū Nuʿaym the ḥadith scholar, on the authority of Abū Bakr al-Ṭalḥī, from

(1) In Manuscript A: “…which is ascribed to Muawiya b. Abu Sufyan, namely al-Buraq.” (2) In Manuscript A: “on Friday as well.” (3) In Manuscript A: “and the lineage is cut off.” (4) In Manuscript A: “from his pain and wounds, his lineage was cut off and he was spared that; from that day he ordered the construction of the maqsura (screened enclosure).” (5) In Manuscript A: “and he stationed guards around it during the prostration of prayer.” (6) In Manuscript A: “for this circumstance.” (7) In Manuscript A: “and Misk the Kharijite; when they seized him.” (8) Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 1, p. 138.

وأما صاحب معاوية - وهو البرك (١) - فإنه حمل عليه وهو خارج إلى صلاة الفجر في هذا (٢) اليوم فضربه بالسيف، وقيل بخنجر مسموم، فجاءت الضربة في وركه فجرحت أليته، ومسك الخارجي فقتل، وقد قال لمعاوية: اتركني فإني أبشرك ببشارة، فقال: وما هي؟ فقال: إن أخي قد قتل في هذا اليوم علي بن أبي طالب، قال: فلعله لم يقدر عليه، قال: بلى إنه، لا حرس معه، فأمر به فقتل، وجاء الطبيب فقال لمعاوية: إن جرحك مسموم فإما أن أكويك واما أن أسقيك شربةً فيذهب السم ولكن ينقطع نسلك (٣) . فقال معاوية: أما النار فلا طاقة لي بها وأما النسل ففي يزيد وعبد الله ما تقر به عيني. فسقاه شربة فبرأ من ألمه وجراحه واستقل (٤) وسَلِمَ (رضي الله عنه) . ومن حينئذ عملت المقصورة في المسجد الجامع وجعل الحرس حولها (٥) في حال السجود، فكان أول من اتخذها معاوية لهذه الحادثة (٦) . وأما صاحب عمرو بن العاص - وهو عمرو بن بكر [الخارجي] - فإنه كمن له ليخرج إلى الصلاة فاتفق أن عرض لعمرو بن العاص مغص شديد في تلك الليلة فلم يخرج إلا نائبه إلى الصلاة - وهو خارجة بن أبي حبيبة من بني عامر بن لؤي وكان على شرطة عمرو بن العاص [فحمل عليه الخارجي فقتله وهو يعتقده عمرو بن العاص، فلما أخذ الخارجي] (٧) قال: أردتُ عمرًا وأراد الله خارجة، فأرسلها مثلًا، وقتل [من وقته] قبحه الله. وقد قيل إن الذي قالها عمرو بن العاص، وذلك حين جيء بالخارجي فقال: ما هذا؟ قالوا قتل نائبك خارجة [فقال الخارجي والله ما أردت إلا إياك فقال عمرو: أردتني وأراد الله خارجة] ثم أمر به فضربت عنقه. والمقصود أن عليًا (رضي الله عنه) لما مات صلى عليه ابنه الحسن فكبر عليه تسع تكبيرات ودفن بدار الإمارة بالكوفة خوفًا عليه من الخوارج أن ينبشوا عن جثته، هذا هو المشهور، ومن قال إنه حمل على راحلته فذهبت به فلا يدرى أين ذهب فقد أخطًا وتكلف ما لا علم له به ولا يسيغه عقل ولاشرع، وما يعتقده كثير من جهلة الروافض من أن قبره بمشهد النجف فلا دليل على ذلك ولا أصل له، ويقال إنما ذاك قبر المغيرة بن شعبة، حكاه الخطيب البغدادي (٨) عن أبي نعيم الحافظ، عن أبي بكر الطلحي، عن

(١) في أ: والذي ذهب إلى معاوية بن أبي سفيان وهو البرك. (٢) في أ: في يوم الجمعة أيضًا. (٣) في أ: وينقطع النسل. (٤) في أ: من ألمه وجراحه وانقطع نسله وسلم من ذلك، ومن يومئذ أمر بعمل المقصورة. (٥) في أ: وجعل الحرس حولها في حال السجود من الصلاة. (٦) في أ: لأجل هذه الحالة. (٧) ما بين الحاصرتين في أ: ومسك الخارجي فلما أخذوه. (٨) تاريخ بغداد (١/ ١٣٨).