Rather, Muāwiyah exercised qualified independent judgment but was mistaken, and the error of one who exercises such judgment is forgiven.

Others say: “Rather, one of the two was correct, without specifying which.” [Some jurists (1) say: “Both exercised qualified independent judgment; however, Alī exercised qualified independent judgment (2) and was correct, whereas Muāwiyah exercised qualified independent judgment but was mistaken. The one who was correct (3) receives two rewards, while the one who erred receives one.”

Others say: “Rather, both exercised qualified independent judgment and were correct (4)” (5 on the basis of their view that every qualified scholar who exercises independent reasoning is correct 5) (5–5): (5). This is the position of al-Asharī, many of his followers, and a group among the followers (6) of Ahmad and others. Still others say (7): “Only one was correct, without specifying which.”

These positions were related by Abū Abd Allāh ibn Hāmid from the followers of Imam Ahmad (8). However, the explicit position transmitted from Ahmad himself and from imams like him is that refraining from fighting was better than engaging in it, and that it was fighting born of civil strife.

For this reason, Imrān ibn Husayn—may Allah be pleased with him—used to prohibit (9) the sale of weapons during it and would say. R, S: “the sale of weapons and would say”; A: “the sale of weapons, and concerning it he would say”: “Weapons must not be sold during civil strife.” This was also the position of Sad ibn Abī Waqqās