Moreover, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said this when they were carrying bricks to build the mosque. Each man was carrying one brick at a time, while Ammār was carrying two at a time. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Alas for Ammār! The transgressing faction will kill him. He calls them to Paradise, while they call him to the Fire.” (1)

This does not disparage Ammār; rather, it praises him. Had those who killed him been right to do so, this would not have constituted praise of him. Nor is there anything about their demanding retribution for Uthmān’s blood that would necessitate praising him.

Likewise, whoever interprets his killers (2) as being the faction alongside which he fought has adopted an interpretation that is manifestly unsound. It entails the very consequence that Alī pressed upon them: that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and his Companions killed everyone who was slain while fighting alongside them in battle, such as Hamza and others.

It may indeed be said that one person killed another when he ordered him to undertake something that led to his death, but this is said only when there is a contextual indication. It is not the unqualified meaning. When the expression is used without qualification, the killer is the one who directly killed him, not the one who gave the order.

Moreover, this is said only of someone who ordered another person to act. No one ordered Ammār to fight Muāwiya’s supporters. Rather, [he] was among (3) those most eager to fight them and most intent upon doing so. His eagerness for it exceeded that of anyone else, and he himself urged Alī and others to fight them.

For this reason, none of the recognized scholars whose views are cited adopted this interpretation. Rather, scholars have held three positions concerning this hadith. One group deemed it weak because the versions that had reached them were transmitted through chains they did not consider established. Yet it was narrated by the compilers of the