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and others (1), regarded the fighting at the Battle of the Camel and at Siffīn as falling into this category. Indeed, they considered it the first fighting arising from civil strife in Islam. They abstained from fighting and urged others to abstain, as numerous reports from them attest.
None of the Companions who fought produced any proof from either the Quran or the Sunnah that made fighting obligatory. Rather, they acknowledged that (2) their fighting was based on their own judgment, as ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, stated about himself. No one in the two armies (3) was superior to ‘Alī, so this would apply to those of lesser standing than him [all the more so] (4). At times, ‘Alī expressed regret over it and an aversion to fighting, indicating that, if he had no evidence (5) from the revealed law concerning it of a kind that (6) would warrant his satisfaction and joy—in contrast to his fighting the Kharijites, for he would
(1) The hadith transmitted by Muslim ibn Abī Bakrah from Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās, may Allah be pleased with them both, and from several Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, appears in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, pp. 140–141 (Book of Tribulations, chapter on the prohibition of taking part in tribulation), and Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 3:329–330 (Book of Tribulations, chapter on reports that there will be a tribulation in which the one sitting is better than the one standing). Al-Tirmidhī said: “There are also reports on this subject from Abū Hurayrah, Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt, Abū Bakrah, Ibn Mas‘ūd, Abū Wāqid, Abū Mūsā, and Kharashah. This is a hasan (good) hadith. Some transmitters narrated this hadith from Layth ibn Sa‘d, adding a man to this chain of transmission. This hadith has also been transmitted from Sa‘d, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, through another route.” The hadith from Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās, may Allah be pleased with him, also appears in al-Musnad (al-Ma‘ārif edition), 3:29; Ahmad Shākir, may Allah have mercy on him, graded it authentic. It also appears there at 3:98 and 6:141–142, and in the al-Halabī edition at 4:106, 110; 5:39–40–48, 110. See also the earlier discussion in this book, 1:539–542.
(2) س, ب: anna (“that”).
(3) م: fī al-‘askar (“in the army”).
(4) I added the word awlā (“all the more so”) to make the sentence coherent. The editor of (ب) also pointed out the need to add it.
(5) Shay’ (“anything”) is omitted only in (ب).
(6) Mimmā (“of a kind that”): all copies read mā (“that which”). Perhaps the reading I have adopted is correct; it makes the sentence coherent.
وَغَيْرِهِمْ
(١)
، جَعَلُوا قِتَالَ الْجَمَلِ وَصِفِّينَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، بَلْ جَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ أَوَّلَ قِتَالِ فِتْنَةٍ كَانَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ وَقَعَدُوا عَنِ الْقِتَالِ، وَأَمَرُوا غَيْرَهُمْ بِالْقُعُودِ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ كَمَا اسْتَفَاضَتْ بِذَلِكَ الْآثَارُ عَنْهُمْ.
وَالَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوا مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ لَمْ يَأْتِ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ بِحُجَّةٍ تُوجِبُ الْقِتَالَ لَا مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَلَا مِنْ سَنَةٍ، بَلْ أَقَرُّوا بِأَنَّ
(٢)
قِتَالَهُمْ كَانَ رَأْيًا رَأَوْهُ، كَمَا أَخْبَرَ بِذَلِكَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْعَسْكَرَيْنِ
(٣)
أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ، فَيَكُونُ مِمَّنْ هُوَ دُونَهُ
[أَوْلَى]
(٤)
، وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ أَحْيَانًا يُظْهِرُ فِيهِ النَّدَمَ وَالْكَرَاهَةَ لِلْقِتَالِ مِمَّا يُبَيِّنُ أَنَّهُ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ
(٥)
مِنَ الْأَدِلَّةِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ، مِمَّا
(٦)
يُوجِبُ رِضَاهُ وَفَرَحَهُ، بِخِلَافِ قِتَالِهِ لِلْخَوَارِجِ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ
(١) جَاءَ حَدِيثُ مُسْلِمِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا وَعَنْ عَدَدٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فِي: سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ١٤٠ - ١٤١ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ، بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنِ السَّعْيِ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ) سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٣/٣٢٩ - ٣٣٠ (كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ أَنَّهُ تَكُونُ فِتْنَةٌ الْقَاعِدُ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْقَائِمِ) وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: " وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَخَبَّابِ بْنِ الْأَرَتِّ وَأَبِي بَكْرَةَ وَابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَأَبِي وَاقِدٍ وَأَبِي مُوسَى وَخَرْشَةَ. هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ. وَرَوَى بَعْضُهُمْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ لَيْثِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، وَزَادَ فِي هَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ رَجُلًا، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ سَعْدٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ غَيْرِ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ " وَالْحَدِيثُ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي: الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) ٣/٢٩ وَصَحَّحَهُ أَحْمَد شَاكِر رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ) وَهُوَ أَيْضًا فِيهِ ٣/٩٨، ٦/١٤١ - ١٤٢، (ط الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٤/١٠٦، ١١٠، ٥/٣٩ - ٤٠ - ٤٨، ١١٠ وَانْظُرْ مَا سَبَقَ مِنْ كِتَابِنَا هَذَا ١/٥٣٩ - ٥٤٢.
(٢) س، ب: أَنَّ
(٣) م: فِي الْعَسْكَرِ.
(٤) كَلِمَةُ " أَوْلَى " زِدْتُهَا لِيَسْتَقِيمَ بِهَا الْكَلَامُ، وَقَدْ نَبَّهَ مُحَقِّقُ (ب) إِلَى ضَرُورَةِ إِضَافَتِهَا
(٥) شَيْءٌ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) فَقَطْ.
(٦) مِمَّا: فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ " مَا " وَلَعَلَّ الصَّوَابَ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ، وَبِهِ تَسْتَقِيمُ الْعِبَارَةُ.