This is also the position of the majority of hadith scholars and leading jurists. Abū Hanīfah’s position, as reported (1) by al-Qudūrī (2), is that fighting rebels is impermissible unless they initiate hostilities; those opposing ‘Alī at Siffīn did not initiate hostilities against him.

Likewise, the leading jurists of Medina, Syria, and Basra, and the leading hadith-based jurists, such as Mālik, Ayyūb, al-Awzā‘ī, Ahmad, and others, held that this fighting was not commanded and that refraining from it was better than engaging in it. This is the position of the majority of the leading scholars of the Sunnah, as indicated by the authentic, explicit hadiths on this subject. This differs from fighting the Harūriyyah and the Khārijites of Nahrawān: fighting them is obligatory according to the widely transmitted Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the agreement of the Companions and the scholars of the Sunnah.

In the two Sahīh collections, Usāmah ibn Zayd is reported to have said:

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, looked out from atop one of the fortresses of Medina and said, ‘Do you see what I see?’ They replied, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Indeed, I see (3) civil strife descending among your houses like falling raindrops.’” (4).