Authored by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
A narration attributed to Ibn Abī Laylā suggests:
“Seventy Badrī Companions participated in the Battle of Ṣiffīn.”
[Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: 1/170]
However, this narration is reported through Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān Abū Shaybah al-ʿAsbī al-Kūfī, who served as a judge in Wāsiṭ and was the grandfather of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah.
The narration comes through al-Ḥakam from Ibn Abī Laylā. However, Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān has been severely criticized by hadith scholars:
Shaybah said:
“By Allah, Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān is a liar. I personally discussed this with al-Ḥakam, and we found none from the people of Badr present at Ṣiffīn except Khuzaymah.”
Even Imām al-Dhahabī noted that while ʿAlī and ʿAmmār (رضي الله عنهما) were present at Ṣiffīn, this does not substantiate the participation of seventy Badrīs. Indeed, ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) was central to the battle and his presence was unavoidable, not a point of numerical validation.
Thus, at most, there may have been three participants attributed to Badr, and even this figure is contentious.
He stated:
«هاجت الفتنة واصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عشرات الالوف فلم يلحضرها منهم مائة بل لم يبلغوا ثلاثين»
“The trials arose while the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ numbered in the tens of thousands, yet fewer than a hundred—indeed not even thirty—participated in these conflicts.”
Quoted and authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in Minhāj al-Sunnah (3/86)
He further said:
“This is the most authentic chain on the face of the earth.”
During the civil wars, the total number of Companions was no less than thirty thousand, likely closer to ninety thousand. Their general abstention from internal conflicts such as Ṣiffīn suggests the primary combatants were non-Companions.
Most senior Companions withdrew from active participation, hoping for reconciliation. This is evident when unity was restored under Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه) through the peace treaty of al-Ḥasan (رضي الله عنه)—an event that marked the Year of Unity (ʿĀm al-Jamāʿah).
Summary:
◈ The claim that seventy Badrī Companions participated in the Battle of Ṣiffīn is unfounded and based on a narration by a discredited narrator.
◈ At most, only one or two Badrī Companions may have been present, and even that is disputed.
◈ The vast majority of Ṣaḥābah (رضي الله عنهم) remained neutral during the internal strife of the Ummah.
❖ Claim: Seventy Badrī Companions Fought at Ṣiffīn
A narration attributed to Ibn Abī Laylā suggests:
“Seventy Badrī Companions participated in the Battle of Ṣiffīn.”
[Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: 1/170]However, this narration is reported through Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān Abū Shaybah al-ʿAsbī al-Kūfī, who served as a judge in Wāsiṭ and was the grandfather of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah.
❖ Criticism of the Narrator: Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān
The narration comes through al-Ḥakam from Ibn Abī Laylā. However, Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān has been severely criticized by hadith scholars:
- Al-Mughnī: 1/20
- Al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wa al-Matrūkīn: 1/19
- Al-Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Kabīr: 1/59
- Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 1/39
- Al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 2/115
Shaybah said:
“By Allah, Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān is a liar. I personally discussed this with al-Ḥakam, and we found none from the people of Badr present at Ṣiffīn except Khuzaymah.”
Even Imām al-Dhahabī noted that while ʿAlī and ʿAmmār (رضي الله عنهما) were present at Ṣiffīn, this does not substantiate the participation of seventy Badrīs. Indeed, ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) was central to the battle and his presence was unavoidable, not a point of numerical validation.
❖ Were Any Badrī Companions Actually Present?
- According to Shuʿbah and al-Ḥakam, only Khuzaymah ibn Thābit was present.
- Even this is debated, as some suggest Khuzaymah was called “Badrī” merely due to residing near Badr, not due to participation in the actual battle.
Thus, at most, there may have been three participants attributed to Badr, and even this figure is contentious.
❖ Statement of Imām Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn
He stated:
«هاجت الفتنة واصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عشرات الالوف فلم يلحضرها منهم مائة بل لم يبلغوا ثلاثين»
“The trials arose while the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ numbered in the tens of thousands, yet fewer than a hundred—indeed not even thirty—participated in these conflicts.”
Quoted and authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in Minhāj al-Sunnah (3/86)He further said:
“This is the most authentic chain on the face of the earth.”
❖ Historical Context and Conclusion
During the civil wars, the total number of Companions was no less than thirty thousand, likely closer to ninety thousand. Their general abstention from internal conflicts such as Ṣiffīn suggests the primary combatants were non-Companions.
Most senior Companions withdrew from active participation, hoping for reconciliation. This is evident when unity was restored under Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه) through the peace treaty of al-Ḥasan (رضي الله عنه)—an event that marked the Year of Unity (ʿĀm al-Jamāʿah).
Summary:
◈ The claim that seventy Badrī Companions participated in the Battle of Ṣiffīn is unfounded and based on a narration by a discredited narrator.
◈ At most, only one or two Badrī Companions may have been present, and even that is disputed.
◈ The vast majority of Ṣaḥābah (رضي الله عنهم) remained neutral during the internal strife of the Ummah.
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