[hallowed_ground]

This step by al-Zubayr is a proof that what he was doing earlier was wrong. It cannot be that fighting with `Ali (a.s) was right and going away withdrawing from the battle was also right. Therefore, once `Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr told sarcastically to Ibn `Abbas, “You people have fought with Umm al-Mu’minin and with the companion of the Prophet (a.s), al-Zubayr!” Ibn `Abbas retorted, “The truth is that your father brought out `A’ishah from her home and brought her to confront `Ali (a.s) in the battlefield! I ask you! Do you consider `Ali (a.s) a mu’min or not? If you consider him believer, then you have become heretics. If you consider that he was an infidel, then your father was misguided and subject to Retribution because he refused to fight with an infidel. Now it is left to you to decide who was the misguided one!”

After al-Zubayr, the Imam (a.s) wanted to talk to Talhah as well to convince him to refrain from battling. Therefore, he addressed him thus:

“O Talhah! You have brought the Prophet’s consort to the battlefield, leaving your own wife at home! Did you not pledge your bay`ah to me?”

When the Imam (a.s) reminded of Talhah’s bay`ah with him, he carried the Qur’an in his hand and went round the rows of his troops saying loudly, “Who s there among you who will go with the Book to the rows of the enemy formation and invite them to follow the teachings of the Qur’an and ask them to refrain from mischief referring to the same Holy Book! But he should know that he would thus be going into the mouth of death. One youth from al-Kūfah, Muslim ibn `Abdullah Al-Mujashi`i, volunteered to go. After the Imam (a.s) made the announcement thrice, when none other than Muslim volunteered, he prayed for him and handed over the Qur’an to him. The youth went with the Book before the enemy troops and talked about the commandments of the Allah. He reminded them to act on the commands written in the Book. But none paid any heed to his voice! At that moment, `A’ishah’s slave attacked him with a sword and severed both his hands. Muslim tried to protect the Book with his chest, fell down and was martyred. The Qur’an too was damaged with a barrage of arrows. Seeing this happening, the Imam (a.s) said:

[1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 3, Page 520

“Now there is no doubt left in the veracity of battling with these people”[1]

After this martyrdom of the valiant Muslim Al-Mujashi`i, `Ammar Ibn Yasir came near the enemy formations and addressed them, “O People! You have kept your women behind the curtains at your homes, and have brought your Prophet’s spouse to face the swords, spears and the arrows! You have come to avenge the blood of `Uthman, although you know it well who are the killers of `Uthman and on whom rests the responsibility of that act! “`Ammar said this much when there was a barrage of arrows from the enemy troops that forced him to step back. Turning to the Imam (a.s) he said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s)! What is the delay now? These people do not want to listen to anything other than battling! “Because of the soft attitude of the Imam (a.s) and his prolonged efforts to avoid hostilities had made the enemy think that in his weakness he was trying to avoid hostilities. They started raining arrows on the troops and many a chest was pierced with them. In that time, one person was brought to the presence of the Imam (a.s) who had died with the wounds from the arrows. Another person martyred with the enemy arrows was brought before him. Then `Abdullah ibn Badil brought his brother, `Abd al-Rahman, who also had died with the wounds from the arrows. The brows of the Imam (a.s) knit now and said, “We are Allah’s and to Him do we return.”