THE BATTLE OF AI-JAMAL (THE CAMEL)
The Mother of the Faithful, ‘ A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was on her way from Makkah to Medinah when she received the sad news of the assassination of ‘Uthman. She was also offended to learn that people of
Medinah unanimously pledged allegiance to ‘Ali as Muslims’ new caliph. ‘Aa’ishahh therefore decided not to return to Medinah thus declaring her extreme outrage and condemnation of the sad events that took place. Instead, she headed back to Makkah repeating: “I swear by Allah that ‘Uthmaan was unjustly killed. I swear by Allah that I will demand that he be avenged!” Despite the fact that it was repeatedly narrated that the Mother of the Faithful, may Allah be pleased with her, was against ‘Uthman’s policies during his final years, the sad end that he came to stirred feelings of grief and sorrow in every Muslim’s heart. Besides, ‘Aa’ishahh, more than anyone else, knew full well ‘Uthman’s lofty status among the Companions and was aware that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, held him dear.
The reason why ‘Aa’ishahh was against’ Ali’s caliphate and her insistence on taking vengeance on the assassins of ‘Uthmaan was because she may have thought that people of Medinah, including ‘Ali, were being lax in defending the victimized caliph and protecting him from harm. Moreover, Talhah and Az-Zubayr had asked ‘ Ali’s permission to head for Makkah to perform the minor pilgrimage. No sooner had they arrived there than they joined the Mother of the Faithful in her call and declared that they were coerced into paying allegiance to the new caliph. They also announced that they were no longer under any obligation toward him now that they were away from him. The Ummayads loo left Medinah upon ‘Uthman’s assassination and made for Makkah. Marawan Ibn Al-Hakam stood out and lead all those who demanded that the assassins of the martyred caliph be punished wherever they may be.
The Mother of the Faithful suggested that people go out to Medinah. However, Talhah and Az-Zubayr convinced her that Basrah would be a better place for their call, as people of Medinah were all the supporters of the new caliph. This being the case, people set out to Basrah raising the banners of vengeance on ‘ Uthman’s assassins and declaring revolt against the caliph on the grounds that they did not acknowledge the pledge of allegiance he was paid, which some were coerced into giving. One would have thought that since they all adopted one stand, they also agreed as to who would take over should they manage to depose ‘ Ali. Yet, that was not the case. They simply tailed to agree as to who should lead Muslims in prayer.
It was the news of their march to Basrah that reached the Commander of the Faithful right before he was about to head for Syria. He thought that it would be a better idea to halt their march and deal with them before the situation got out of control. ‘Ali wished to face Mu’awiyah with a united front free from points of weakness. He therefore put off the march for Syria, yet, could not catch up with the Mother of the Faith; ul along with Talhah and Az-Zubayr before they reached Basrah. When they did, they dismissed its governor after lashing him, and managed to sway most of its people to their side. The Mother of the Faithful together with Talhah and Az- Zubayr were able to convince people in Basrah that the new caliph was among those who instigated the assassination of ‘Uthmaan and that the perpetrators were among his ranks.
During this critical juncture, there were men of wisdom and perception who played a laudable role in advising both sides and attempting to peter out a reconciliation between them. Qa’qa Ibn Amr managed to convince ‘ Aa’ishahh, Talhah and Az-Zubayr that they ought to reach a peaceful settlement in order to avoid bloodshed and restore unity to the Muslim nation.
Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, hoping for a peaceful settlement, marched towards Basrah to talk personally with Talhah and Az-Zubayr. The two armies were facing each other. ‘Ali gave an address to Basrites in which he said, “I am but your brother.I will avenge ‘Uthman’s assassins.”
Talhah and Az-Zubayr and Basrites were fully satisfied with what ‘ Ali told them. The caliph also returned to his camp very satisfied. He gave strict orders to his men not to fight in any case, and kept praying all night.
But Ibn Saba and his henchmen had planned otherwise. In the darkness of night, they launched a sudden attack on ” Aa’ishah’s army. Talhah and Az-Zubayr were startled by the sudden attack and deduced that ‘ Ali could not desist from shedding Muslim blood and that he ordered a night attack. On the other hand, ‘ Ali was shocked when he was told by Sabaites that Talhah and Az-Zubayr had taken them by surprise. He too thought that they did not try to avoid shedding Muslim blood.
Flames of war flared on one of the saddest days in Muslim history. Sedition set in and overshadowed the entire arena. The battle got its name when the Mother of the Faithful,’ Aa’ishahh, may Allah be pleased with her, stepped out in the battlefield on the back to a camel riding in a Hawdaj, and surrounded by some of the best of the Basrah soldiers defending her with rare intrepidity. They acted as a shield warding off whoever attempted to approach her. When the caliph saw the number of slain Muslims round her camel, he had its hind legs cut off. However, fighting did not abate. Eventually, the sad battle resulted in grave casualties totaling ten thousand Muslims including Talhah and Az-Zubayr, who were defeated that day. Once again, Basrah raised the banners of loyalty to ‘Ali. As for the Mother of the Faithful, whose side was brought to its knees, the caliph treated her with all due respect. He paid her a visit in her residence in Basrah upon the end of the battle. He ordered that she be given a riding camel as well as all the provision she could need on her trip to Makkah, to which she ultimately decided to go back. He even bid her farewell upon her departure. One is not to be surprised at the way ‘Ali treated the Mother of the Faithful. Despite the fact that she was against him and even instigated the battle against him, ‘Aa’ishahh, may Allah be pleased with her, was still the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and the Mother of the Faithful. Besides, Arab and Islamic tradition entirely forbade fighting or even harming women. This certainly goes double for ‘ Aa’ishahh, given her dignified status in Islam.
It goes without saying that this war is to be justly blamed on both sides. Each party lapsed into a series of wrong actions, mishandlings of the situation along with misunderstandings of the other party’s stance. Owing to all those reasons, Muslims slipped into the first of a number of battles that were to exact a heavy toll on Muslims later on.
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs )
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