Battle of the Camel

For other battles in the area, see Battle of Basra (disambiguation).

Battle of the Camel
Part of the First Islamic civil war
Date 656 Location Basra, Iraq Result Rashidun Caliphate victory
Belligerents
Rashidun army	Rebel Arabs
Commanders and leaders
Ali ibn Abi-Taleb Malik al-Ashtar Abd-Allah ibn Abbas Qays ibn Sa'ad Ammar ibn Yasir Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Khuzaima ibn Thabit	Aisha bint Abu-Bakr Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah  † Zubayr ibn al-Awwam  † Abd-Allah ibn Zubayr Marwan I  (POW) Walid ibn Uqba  (POW)
Strength
~20,000[citation needed]	~30,000[citation needed]
Casualties and losses
~5,000[citation needed]	~13,000[citation needed]

The Battle of the Camel (also known as the Battle of Jamal) was a battle that took place at Basra, Iraq in 656 between forces allied to Ali ibn Abi Talib (Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Commander of the Faithful) and forces allied to Aisha (widow of Muhammad, and Mother of the Believers (Arabic: Umm-al-Mu'mineen), who wanted justice on the perpetrators of the assassination of the previous caliph, Uthman.

Prelude

The siege

Main article: Siege of Uthman

Abu Bakr's reign was short, and in 634 CE he was succeeded by Umar as caliph. Assassination ended Umar's reign of ten years, and he was succeeded by Uthman Ibn Affan in 644 CE. Both of these men had been among Muhammad's earliest followers, were linked to him by clanship and marriage, and had taken prominent parts in various military campaigns.

Dissatisfaction and resistance had openly risen since 650-651 (30 AH) throughout most of the empire. The dissatisfaction with his regime and the governments he appointed was not restricted to the provinces outside Arabia. When Uthman's kin, especially Marwan, gained control over him, Uthman lost control over his Caliphate, and many of the noble companions, including most of the members of the elector council, withdrew their support.

As Muawiyah and Uthman were preparing to attack Constantinople,^{[citation needed]} rebels from Egypt began the siege of Uthman Ibn Affan(Siege of Uthman). The rebels refused to provide Uthman with food or water, and kept him imprisoned, hoping to force his abdication. Muawiyah asked Uthman if he could send guards to defend him, but Uthman refused, saying: "I do not want to spill the blood of Muslims, to save my own neck."^{[citation needed]}

Role of Ali and Aisha

Ali

Ali intervened only when informed that the rebels were preventing the delivery of water to the besieged caliph. He tried to mitigate the severity of the siege by insisting that Uthman should be allowed water. Ali went to the extent of even sending his own sons to protect Uthman's house when he was in danger of being attacked. Rebels protested against it and committed excess therein.

Aisha

During the siege of Uthman, Aisha was asked to stay in Medina, but she left the city without paying attention. Aisha believed Uthman had become an apostate due to neglecting the Islamic traditions during his caliphate, and she encouraged people to kill him.

In 655 AD, Uthman was murdered provoking the First Fitna.

Caliphate to Ali

Main article: Ali as Caliph

Ali was offered the caliphate by a large number of Muslims of Medina after Uthman's death. He is reported to have refused the caliphate at first but later, upon their insistence, he accepted.

Later Ali wrote in a letter "I did not approach the people to get their oath of allegiance but they came to me with their desire to make me their Amir (ruler). I did not extend my hands towards them so that they might swear the oath of allegiance to me but they themselves extended their hands towards me".

The Iraqi Arabs wanted the capital of the newly established Islamic State to be in Kufa so as to bring revenues into their area and oppose Syria, their old enermy previously under the Romans. They convinced Ali to come to Kufa and establish the capital in Kufa. Ali listened to them and moved the capital to Kufa.

Many reports absolve Ali of complicity in the murder. German historian Wilferd Madelung is of the opinion that there is no evidence to suggest that Ali had a close relationship with the rebels who supported his caliphate or directed their actions. On the other hand, Ali himself said in numerous cases that he had done everything he could to defend him but that he didn't agree with Uthman's policies. Some other sources say that Ali had acted as a restraining influence on Uthman without directly opposing him. However, Madelung narrates that Marwan told Zayn al-Abidin, the grandson of Ali: "No one [among the Islamic nobility] was more temperate toward our master than your master."

To Basra

These events displeased Aisha and a large number of most significant sahaba (companions) of Muhammad. They evidently believed that Ali was wrong to occupy himself in other tasks before finding Uthman's murderer. They asked Ali to find Uthman's killers. Aisha, Talha and Zubair and went to the city of Basra. Many people in Mecca and Madina who were against the rebels who killed Uthman also went to Basra. While on their way to Basra they were met by a group of Umayyads leaving Madina who said that they felt intimidated by the people who killed Uthman in Madina .

Ali set out to meet them. He had with him only 700 men. Too weak to proceed, he camped at a desert well in Nejd. He sent his elder son Hasan, in company with former Kufa governor Ammar ibn Yasir, to request assistance from Kufa; their appeal eventually had the desired effect. With several thousand men from Kufa reinforcing his army, Ali was now ready for battle, and descended upon Basra.

In Basra not all Basra was with Zubair and Talha. Beni Bekr, the tribe once led by the Muthanna, joined the army of Ali. Beni Temeem decided to remain neutral.

In Basra

According to prominent Sunni scholar and historian Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ali had employed Jats to guard the Basra treasury during the Battle of Jamal.

“

Jats were the guards of the Baitul Mal at al-Basra during the time of both Uthman's and Ali's caliphate.

”

Zubair and Talha reached Basra, and encamped close by.

The battle

Aisha was on her camel-litter. Professor Leila Ahmed claims that it was during this engagement that Muslims fought Muslims for the first time.. Zubair was Ali's and Muhammad's cousin and did not want people to fight. He said to Ali "What a tragedy that the Muslims who had acquired the strength of a rock are going to be smashed by colliding with one another" . After talking with Ali before the Battle of the Camel, Zubair, did not want to fight and left the battlefield, and was killed in an adjoining valley. A man named Amr ibn Jarmouz had followed Zubair and murdered him while he performed Salat. Talhah also left. On seeing this Marwan shot Talhah with a poisoned arrow.

Some of Ali's supporters were also very extreme in their views and considered every one to be their enermy. They also felt that if there was peace, they will be arrested for the killing of Uthman . Many of them later became the Kharijites and eventually killed Ali. In the confusion one night these people started the Battle of the Camel in 656. Much of the fighting was between these people and the Umayyad's. Aisha was on a camel and much of the fighting between the Umayyad's and the people they felt killed Uthman and started this battle, was around her camel. Aisha was then approached by her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who was ‘Ali's commander. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was the son of Abu Bakr, the adopted son of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and the great-grandfather of Ja‘far al-Sadiq. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was raised by Ali alongside Hasan and Husein. Ali asked Aisha if she was OK . Ali met Aisha, who was at that time aged 45, there was reconciliation between them. He sent her back to Medina under military escort headed by her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, one of Ali's commanders. Ali and Hassan also accompanied her part of the way. She subsequently retired to Medina with no more interference with the affairs of state. ‘Ali and Aisha again become friends after the battle. Aisha then started teaching in Medina.

Al-Zubayr's widow Asma' bint Abu Bakr the daughter of Abu Bakr the first caliph and her sons Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr and Urwah ibn Zubayr continued to get on well with Ali and held the Kawarij responsible for their fathers killing. Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr was the second cousin on Hussein and the grandson on Abu Bakr. Many years later Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr confronted the oppressive Umayyad rulers Yazid after Ali's son Hussein ibn Ali was betrayed by the people of Kufa and killed by Syrian Roman Army which was then under the control of the Yazid I an Umayyad ruler. Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr removed the forces of Yazid from Iraq, southern Arabia, the greater part of Syria, and parts of Egypt. After a lengthy campaign, on his last hour Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr asked his mother Asma' bint Abu Bakr the daughter of Abu Bakr the first caliph for advice. Asma' bint Abu Bakr replied to her son, she said: "You know better in your own self, that if you are upon the truth and you are calling towards the truth go forth, for people more honourable than you have been killed and if you are not upon the truth, then what an evil son you are and you have destroyed yourself and those who are with you. If you say, that if you are upon the truth and you will be killed at the hands of others, then you will not truly be free". Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr left and was later also killed and crucified by the Syrian Roman Army now under the control of the Umayyads.

The attitude of the leaders was in marked contrast with the bitter struggle of the ranks.

According to some Shia websites Marwan ibn al-Hakam shot Talha, who became disabled in the leg by the shot, and carried into Basra, where he died later of his wound. Marwan ibn al-Hakam wanted Talhah to fight Ali but he refused.

Funeral Service

In the three days after the battle, Ali performed a funeral service for all the dead from both parties.

The combat and the talks had lasted 110 days in total. 109 days were spent in talks. No one apart from the extreme elements wanted to fight. They also felt that if there was peace, they will be arrested for the killing of Uthman. 70 people lost their lives in the battle .

Aftermath

Main articles: First Fitna, Battle of Siffin, and Battle of Nahrawan

Marwan and some of Alis supporters who later became the Kawarij caused a lot of the trouble between Aisha and Ali. Marwan was arrested but he later asks Hassan and Hussein for assistance and was released. Marwan later became an Umayyad ruler, as did his son.

Ali then turned towards Syria. He marched to the Euphrates and engaged Muawiyah's troops at the Battle of Siffin (657). After a long battle the Syrians called for arbitration to settle the matter, arguing that continuing the civil war would embolden the Byzantines.

Ali strongly felt that as a Caliph, it was also his responsibility to account for every dinar and on the day of judgement he will be answerable to God and therefore money should be spent on the poor.

Salman said that 'Umar asked him, "Am I a king or a khalif?" Salman answered, "If you have taxed the lands one dirham, or more or less, and applied it to unlawful purposes, then you are a king, not a khalif." And 'Umar wept. (At-Tabari, Tarikh, p. 2754)

Ali took concept to the extreme. Muawiyah I argued that that due to the situation in Syria, where the vast majority of the population was not Muslim, he had to pay the wages to his administrative staff and the army and had to retain the Roman administration and had to run a professional administration and tax collection system.

Many years later after Hassan signed a treaty with Muawiyah I, Muawiyah I came to Madina and spoke to the people, saying, "I desired the way followed by Abu Bakr and 'Umar, but I was unable to follow it, and so I have followed a course with you which contains fortune and benefits for you despite some bias, so be pleased with what comes to you from me even if it is little. When good is continuous, even if it is little, it enriches. Discontent makes life grim."

He also said in as address which he delivered to the people, "O people! By Allah, it is easier to move the firm mountains than to follow Abu Bakr and 'Umar in their behaviour. But I have followed their way of conduct falling short of those before me, but none after me will equal me in it."

Az-Zuhri said, "Muawiyah I acted for two years (in Syria) as 'Umar had acted without altering it." Muawiyah I himself said that he had done his best to follow the behaviour of Abu Bakr and 'Uthman. But when he realised that the environment and circumstances in Syria were different from those in Madina, and that the prevailing culture and people were different, he modified his style of governance accordingly. The vast majority of the population in Syria at the time was not Muslim. The people adhered to many different religions and there were also many Christian and Jewish sects.

In Syria no sects developed and Muawiyah I had a more professional army and was not reliant of volunteers.

After the battle Amr ibn al-As was appointed by Muawiyah as an arbitrator and Ali appointed Abu Musa Ashaari. Seven months later the two arbitrators met at Adhruh about 10 miles north west of Maan in Jordon in February 658. Amr ibn al-As convinced Abu Musa Ashaari that both Ali and Muawiyah should step down and new Caliph be elected. Ali and his supporters were stunned by the decision which had lowered the Caliph to the status of the rebellious Muawiyah. Ali was therefore outwitted by Muawiyah and Amr ibn al-As.

Ali was later killed by a Kharijite Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam while he was praying in the mosque of Kufa.

Participants

Fought with Ali

• Ali
• Harith ibn Rab'i
• Malik al-Ashtar
• Ammar ibn Yasir
• Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
• Hasan ibn Ali
• Abu Ayub Ansari
• Abu Qatada bin Rabyee
• Qais bin Sa'd bin Idadah
• Qathm bin Abbas

Fought with Aisha

• Aisha
• Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah
• Muhammad ibn Talha
• Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
• Marwan ibn al-Hakam

Others involved

• Abd-Allah ibn Umar
• Hafsa bint Umar
• Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya

Unclassified

• Abdullah bin Aamir Hadhrami of Makkah
• Ya'la bin Umayya
• Abdullah bin Aamir bin Kurayz of Basra
• Saeed bin Aas
• Mughira bin Shaaba

See also

Preceded by Conquest of Mecca

Muslim battles Year: 656 CE

Succeeded by Battle of Siffin

External links

• Ali ibn Abi Talib (1984). Nahj al-Balagha (Peak of Eloquence), compiled by ash-Sharif ar-Radi. Alhoda UK. SBN 0940368439. 
• Al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir (1990). History of the Prophets and Kings, translation and commentary issued by R. Stephen Humphreys. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-0154-5.  (volume XV.)
• Holt, P. M.; Bernard Lewis (1977). Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29136-4. 
• Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64696-0. 
• William Muir. The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall [6].