The hadith states that Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) will be killed by a rebellious group, and Sayyiduna Ammar's martyrdom took place during the Battle of Siffin. He was in the army of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Therefore, this hadith proves that the army opposing Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), which was under the leadership of Amir Muawiya (may Allah be pleased with him), was rebellious.
First of all, please observe the entire hadith.
It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما that he said to Ikrimah and his son Ali bin Abdullah, "Both of you go to Abu Saeed رضي الله عنه and listen to the Hadith from him." So, they both went to him while he (Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Khudri) and his brother were watering their garden. When they saw us, they came and wrapped their cloak around themselves and sat down. Then he said that we were bringing one brick at a time for the construction of the Prophet's Mosque, while Hazrat Ammar bin Yasir رضي الله عنه was carrying two bricks at a time. Suddenly, the Holy Prophet ﷺ passed by them and, dusting off the dust from his head, said:
وَيْحَ عَمَّارٍ تَقْتُلُهُ الفِئَةُ البَاغِيَةُ، عَمَّارٌ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ، وَيَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى النَّار
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 2812, Sahih Muslim: 2915)
Translation: Alas! Ammar (رضى الله تعالى عنه) will be killed by a rebellious group. Ammar will invite them towards Allah, and they will invite him towards the fire.
The rebellious group mentioned in the above Hadith is explained in light of the following points.
First Point
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said this when the construction of Masjid al-Nabawi was underway, and Sayyiduna Ammar was martyred in the Battle of Siffin. The Battle of Siffin took place in 37 AH between the groups of Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه and Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه. Sayyiduna Muawiyah was the governor of Syria at that time, and Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه was the caliph. If the background of the Battle of Siffin is viewed in the light of Shia books, in "Nahj al-Balagha" there is a letter of Sayyiduna Ali mentioned, which was written after the Battle of Siffin to various cities, in which Sayyiduna Ali writes:
وكان بدء أمرنا أنا التقينا والقوم من أهل الشام، والظاهر أن ربنا واحد، ونبينا واحد، ودعوتنا في الاسلام واحدة، لا نستزيدهم في الايمان بالله والتصديق برسوله(صلى الله عليه وآله)، ولا يستزيدوننا، الامر واحد، إلا ما اختلفنا فيه من دم عثمان، ونحن منه براء! فقلنا: تعالوا نداو ما لا يدرك اليوم بإطفاء النائرة، وتسكين العامة، فمن تم على ذلك منهم فهو الذي أنقذه الله من الهلكة، ومن لج وتمادى فهو الراكس الذي ران الله على قلبه، وصارت دائرة السوء على رأسه.
Reference: (Nahj al-Balagha: Letter No. 58)
Translation: The beginning of our matter was that we and the people of Sham faced each other on the battlefield. While it is obvious that our Lord is one, our Prophet is one, and our call is Islam. Both parties were equally firm in their faith and confirmation in Allah and the Messenger. The real difference was only one, which was the matter of the blood of Sayyiduna Uthman. While we are innocent of it. We proposed this solution that what cannot be achieved today, its temporary remedy should be that the fire of war be silenced and the emotions of the people be allowed to calm down. After that, when the government gains stability and the conditions become favorable, we will become so powerful that we will place the right (translation: Qisas) in its proper place. But they said that the only remedy is war. The result was that the war spread its feet and stood firmly. The flames flared up and became permanent. Everyone saw that the war had begun to bite both parties with teeth and had dug its claws into both sides, so they became willing to accept my words and I also accepted their words and quickly accepted their demand for peace. To the extent that the argument became clear to them and every kind of excuse ended. Now after this, whoever remains firm on this right will be as if he has saved himself from destruction, otherwise, if he remains in that misguidance, he will be such a betrayer on whose heart Allah has set a seal. The cycle of days will be hovering over his head.
In any case, a large number of casualties occurred in this war, but despite that, neither of the two groups can be called false, disbelievers, oppressors, etc. Both groups included companions; it is possible for companions to make mistakes, and despite that, they are all destined for Paradise. According to the teachings of Islam, it is not permissible to speak ill of any companion, the pure wives, or the Ahl al-Bayt; otherwise, such a person's faith does not remain intact.
Second Point
To take the meaning of the rebellious group as oppressors, disbelievers, etc., is incorrect; this is clarified by the Holy Quran. Thus, the command of the Exalted is:
وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ * إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
Reference: (Surah Al-Hujurat: 9,10)
Translation: And if two groups of Muslims fight each other, then make peace between them. Then if one group oppresses the other, fight against the group that is doing wrong until they return to the command of Allah. So if they return, then make peace between them with justice, and always act justly, indeed Allah loves those who act justly. The reality is that all Muslims are brothers, so maintain good relations between your two brothers, and fear Allah so that mercy may be shown to you.
From this noble verse, it is understood that despite the word rebellion being used twice for one group, peace is still advised for them, and both groups are considered believers. Therefore, it is wrong to classify these fights as battles between faith and disbelief.
Furthermore, in Sahih Bukhari, Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali رضي الله عنهما made a peace treaty with Muawiyah رضي الله عنه. Regarding this peace, the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ ابْنِي هَذَا سَيِّدٌ وَلَعَلَّ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُصْلِحَ بِهِ بَيْنَ فِئَتَيْنِ عَظِيمَتَيْنِ مِنَ المُسْلِمِينَ
Reference: ( Sahih al-Bukhari:2704 )
Translation: This son of mine is a leader, and perhaps through him Allah will reconcile two great groups of Muslims.
The prophecy made by the Prophet ﷺ about this peace was proven true word for word, and it stopped the mutual bloodshed among Muslims.
Third Point
Consider the statements of the scholars regarding this hadith:
Imam Nawawi says: (Scholars consider this hadith as apparent evidence that Sayyiduna Ali was right and correct, while the other group was rebellious, but they also had their own ijtihad, so no sin will be upon them).
Reference: Sharh Sahih Muslim (18/40)
Allama Ibn Battal explains the meaning of the hadith: "That group will call them towards Hell, and Ammar (bin Yasir) will call them towards Allah."
(Calling towards Allah means that the people of Mecca who expelled Sayyiduna Ammar and caused him hardships cannot be considered Muslims because of this hadith. This is because they are included in the invitation to Allah, and the Prophet's statement that those people will call Ammar towards Hell is also evidence of this, as the polytheists of Mecca tested him and demanded that he abandon the religion, which is equivalent to going to Hell. If it is said that the hardships given to Ammar were in the early days of Islam, the answer is that the Prophet ﷺ used future tense words, but the meaning is intended to be past because Arabs sometimes use past tense words for continuous actions and sometimes use future tense words for past events. Therefore, "يدعوهم إلى الله" means "دعاهم إلى الله" because Ammar's efforts in Mecca in this regard are well known. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned the intensity of the past when he was enduring the hardship of carrying two bricks; the purpose was to highlight Sayyiduna Ammar's virtue and steadfastness).
Reference: (Sharh Ibn Battal li Sahih Bukhari: Hadith 2812)
Therefore, in some chains of the hadith, the meaning of the words: يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ، وَيَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى النَّارِ has become clear.
Fourth Point
By collecting the narrations, it is also possible to explain that there were three groups:
➊ The group of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him
➋ The group of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him
➌ The rebellious group, which was the group of the Kharijites, and this group was also the one who martyred Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him. The rebellion started from them. The evidence for this is that Imam Bukhari narrates a hadith in which Ammar bin Yasir says that I will be martyred between two Muslim groups
Reference: (Tarikh Kabir)
This indicates that the rebellious group was the third group, which included Malik Ashtar, Abdullah bin Saba, etc. These people did not want peace and desired confrontation. At one point, before the battle, Sayyiduna Ali said that the killers of Uthman should not join us, which shows that the killers of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) were present in Sayyiduna Ali's army, and Sayyiduna Ali was aware of this, hence the warning. This was the same group of rebels who attacked at night. Further confirmation of this issue is also clarified by the narration from Sahih Muslim, where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَـمْرُقُ مَارِقَةٌ في فُرْقَةٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَيَلِي قَتْلَهُمْ أَوْلَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ بِالْحَقِّ
Reference: ( Sahih Muslim:1064 )
Translation: At the time of discord among the Muslims, a group will quickly emerge from within (their ranks), and the group that is more connected to the truth among the two groups will kill it.
Fifth Point
This hadith can also be understood in the light of the stance of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) because when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the martyrs of the Battle of Siffin, he said:
قتلانا وقتلاهم في الجنة
Reference: (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 15/303, Sunan Saeed bin Mansur: 2/398)
Translation: Our martyrs and their martyrs are in Paradise.
Furthermore, the opinion of the scholars in this matter has also been the same, as Imam Shu’bi states:
هُمْ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ، لَقِيَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا فَلَمْ يَفِرَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَحَدٍ
Reference: (Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah: 10/559)
Translation: They are all in Paradise; they fought each other and none of them fled the battlefield.
Umar bin Abdul Aziz says:
I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream. Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and Hazrat Umar رضي الله عنه were sitting with you ﷺ. I greeted and sat down. As soon as I sat, Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Muawiya were brought in. Both of them were taken into a room and the door was closed. I was watching when Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه came out soon, saying, "By the Lord of the Kaaba, the decision has been made in my favor." Then Hazrat Muawiya came out soon after, saying, "By the Lord of the Kaaba, I have been forgiven."
Reference: ( البدایہ والنہايہ: 11/427)
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, ultimately sought reconciliation with Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, and wished to avoid fighting. Since Hazrat Muawiyah was also averse to war from the beginning, it is understood that although the conflict between them was based on ijtihad (independent reasoning), it was not the kind of war in which the participants are considered as fighting against Allah and His Messenger. Rather, it is also reported from Hazrat Ali that he used to say about those who stayed away from these wars that this is their virtue, just as Abdullah bin Umar and Saad bin Malik stood; if it is good, then they have a great reward, and if it is bad, then their loss is very little.
Reference: ( Minhaj al-Sunnah:3/180 )
Our master Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say to his son Hasan that your father never imagined that the matter would become so prolonged; he wished that he had died twenty years earlier.
Reference: ( al-Sunnah li Ibn Ahmad:2/555 )
Rather, Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه considered that it is more prudent not to fight than to fight. He also said that do not dislike Muawiyah's rule; if it is taken away from him, you will see heads being separated from bodies.
Reference: ( Minhaj al-Sunnah:3/180 )
During the war, both parties would bury the dead together.
Reference: ( Al-Bidayah:7/278 )
These evidences make it clear that Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه and other scholars consider both groups as destined for Paradise, and the hadith of Sahih Muslim regarding the third group has already been mentioned.
