Muʿāwiyah wrote to ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ—who had been living in seclusion in Palestine when ʿUthmān was killed, for ʿUthmān had dismissed him from Egypt and he had withdrawn to Palestine—summoning him in order to consult him about his affairs. ʿAmr rode to meet him, and the two agreed to wage war against ʿAlī.

Al-Walīd ibn ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿayṭ (1) composed some verses about Muʿāwiyah’s letter to ʿAlī in which he asked to remain governor over Syria and Egypt. He wrote to Muʿāwiyah rebuking and censuring him for that request, alluding to other matters concerning him:

Muʿāwiya, Syria is your Syria—so cling to it;
Within your Syria, let no serpents slither in.
For ʿAlī is watching to see how you reply;
Send him a war that will turn forelocks grey.
Defend it with fighting and spear-thrusts;
Do not stand with drooping, idle arms.
Otherwise, surrender—for in safety lies relief
For one who seeks no war; choose, O Muʿāwiya.
That letter, son of Ḥarb, you wrote in greedy hope
Will only bring calamities upon you.
You asked of ʿAlī what you cannot attain,
And even if you attained it, only a few nights would remain
Before you would see from him that after which
No life endures—so do not sate yourself with vain hopes.
Can a man like ʿAlī be enticed by a ruse,
When what you once tore down he had previously built?
Should his claws fasten on you even once,
He will make you, son of Hind, prey after you were hunter. (2)

It has likewise been reported through several chains that Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī and a group with him came in to Muʿāwiyah and said, “Are you contending with ʿAlī, or are you his equal?” He replied, “By Allah, I know he is better than I, more virtuous, and more entitled to this affair than I am. But do you not know that ʿUthmān was killed wrongfully? I am his cousin, and I am seeking retaliation for his blood—the matter lies with me. So go to him and say, ‘Let him hand over the killers of ʿUthmān, and I will hand the leadership over to him.’” They went to ʿAlī and spoke to him about that, but he did not surrender anyone to them. At that, the people of Syria resolved firmly to fight alongside Muʿāwiyah (3).

ʿAmr ibn Shamir narrates, from Jābir al-Juʿfī, from ʿĀmir al-Shaʿbī and Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir, who said: ʿAlī sent a man to Damascus to warn them that ʿAlī had already set out (4) from Iraq toward them in order to test their obedience to Muʿāwiyah. When the envoy arrived, Muʿāwiyah ordered a crier to call among the people, “The congregational prayer!” They filled the mosque; he then mounted the pulpit and said in his sermon, “ʿAlī has set out toward you with the people of Iraq—what is your view?” Each of them beat his hand upon his chest; none of them spoke, nor did they raise their eyes to him