Bayhaqi 16741 — The Khawarij are not fought first until they are asked

Abdullah bin Shaddad says: I came to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). While we were sitting with her — on her return from Iraq, during the nights when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was being fought — she said to me: "O Abdullah bin Shaddad, will you tell me the truth about what I ask you? Tell me about these people whom Ali killed." I said: "Why would I not tell you the truth?" She said: "Then tell me their story." I said: When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) drew up a written agreement with Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and appointed the two arbiters, eight thousand of the Qur'an reciters among the people rose against him and encamped at a place on the side of Kufah called Harura'. They objected to him and said: "You have stripped off a shirt that Allah clothed you with and a name He called you by, and then you went and appointed judges in the religion of Allah, whereas judgment belongs to Allah alone." When it reached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) what they reproached him for and that they had separated from him, he ordered a caller to announce: "None shall come in to the Commander of the Believers except a man who carries the Qur'an." When the house was full of the Qur'an reciters, he called for a large copy of the Qur'an (mushaf), placed it in front of him, and began tapping it with his hand, saying: "O Mushaf, speak to the people." The people called out to him: "O Commander of the Believers, what are you asking it? It is only paper and ink; it is we who speak from what we have learned from it. What do you want?" He said: "Between me and these companions of yours who have gone out is the Book of Allah. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says concerning a woman and a man: 'And if you fear a breach between the two, then send an arbiter from his family' [Surah al-Nisa': 35]; and the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is greater in sanctity than a woman and a man. They also resented that I made a written agreement with Mu'awiyah and wrote 'Ali bin Abi Talib'. Yet Suhayl bin Amr came while we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at al-Hudaybiyah, when he made peace with his people, Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had 'Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)' written. Suhayl said: 'Do not write Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim.' I said: 'Then how shall I write?' He said: 'Write: Bismika Allahumma (In Your name, O Allah).' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Write it.' Then he said: 'Write: From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.' He (Suhayl) said: 'If we knew that you were the Messenger of Allah, we would not oppose you.' So he had it written: 'This is what Muhammad bin Abdullah has agreed with Quraysh.' And Allah says in His Book: 'Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example, for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day' [Surah al-Ahzab: 21]." Then Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) to them, and I went with him. When we reached the middle of their camp, Ibn al-Kawwa' stood up and addressed the people, saying: "O carriers of the Qur'an, this is Abdullah bin Abbas. Whoever does not know him, I know him from the Book of Allah: he is the one about whom and about whose people it was revealed: 'Rather, they are a quarrelsome people' [Surah al-Zukhruf: 58]. So send him back to his companion, and do not debate the Book of Allah with him." Then their orators stood up and said: "By Allah, we will certainly debate the Book of Allah with him. If he brings us truth that we recognise, we will follow it; and if he brings us falsehood, we will silence him with his falsehood and send him back to his companion." So they debated with him on the Book of Allah for three days, and four thousand of them came back, every one of them repentant, and Ibn al-Kawwa' brought them and led them in to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent word to the rest of them, saying: "You have seen what has happened in our affair and the affair of the people. Stay wherever you wish until the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) comes together, and camp wherever you wish. The agreement between us and you is that we will keep our spears from you as long as you do not cut off the roads or shed blood. If you do that, then we have openly declared war on you on equal terms; indeed, Allah does not love the treacherous." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Ibn Shaddad, so did he kill them?" He said: "By Allah, he did not send (troops) against them until they had cut off the roads, shed blood, killed Ibn Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) and deemed the people under protection (ahl al-dhimmah) fair game." She said: "By Allah?" I said: "By Allah, besides whom there is no god, it truly happened." She said: "Then what is this thing that has reached me from the people of Iraq, which they talk about, saying: 'Dhu al-Thadyi, Dhu al-Thadyi' (the one with the breast)?" I said: "I saw him; I stood over him with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) among the slain. He called the people and asked: 'Do you recognise this man?' How many came saying: 'I saw him praying in the mosque of Banu so-and-so,' 'I saw him praying in the mosque of Banu so-and-so'! Yet they brought no firm identification of him beyond that." She said: "What did Ali say when he stood over him, as the people of Iraq claim?" I said: "I heard him say: 'Sadaqa Allahu wa rasuluh' (Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth)." She said: "Did you hear him say anything other than that?" I said: "By Allah, no." She said: "Yes, Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. May Allah have mercy on Ali; it was his habit that whenever he saw something that pleased him, he would say: Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth."