Hadith 379

ut rather I had ordered you to call him to duel me, for he will not duel, if that was from his actions, except the one with the years (age), and the match, and the nobility, and you by the Praise of Allah-azwj are from the people of the match, and the nobility, but you are of young age, and he will not duel the young, so go and call him to duel me’. He came to them and said, ‘I am a messenger, so grant me safety’. They granted him safety. He came until he ended up to Al-Awr. He said to him, ‘Al-Ashtar is calling you to the duel’. He (Sinan) said, ‘He was silent from me for a long time, then said, ‘Al-Ashtar is agile and his view is evil. He is the one to called for exiling the office bearers of Usman and fabricated upon him with ugly-fying his good deeds, and ignored his rights, and manifested his enmity, and from the lightness of Al-Ashtar is that he travelled to Usman in his house and dwelling and killed him among the ones who killed him, and became pursued for his blood. There is no need for me in duelling him’. I said, ‘You have spoken, so listen until I answer you’. He said, ‘There is no need for me regarding your answer, nor will I listen from you. Go away from me! ’ And his companions shouted at me, so I left from him, and had he listened to me, I would have made him hear the excuse of my companion, and his argument. I returned to Al-Ashtar and informed him that he had refused the duelling. He said to himself, ‘Consider’. We paused until the night came between us and them, and we spent the night being guarded. When it was morning we looked around and they had left. And we accompanied Ali-asws in the morning travelling towards Muawiya, and there was Abu Al-Awr having had preceded to the easy ground, and vast encampment, and as near to the water as could be spacious. And Abu Al-Awr was upon the frontmen of Muawiya and his name was Sufyan Bin Amro. And the arrival of Ali-asws to Siffeen was on eight remaining from Al-Muharram of the year thirty-seven’. Nasr said, ‘When Abu Al-Awr left from the war, returning first to the water and overcame upon it in the well-known place with trumpets to the side of Siffeen, and Al-Ashtar ushered, pursuing him and found him to have overcome upon the water, and he was among four thousand from the insightful ones of the people of Al-Iraq. They attacked Abu Al Awr and removed him from the water. Muawiya came among his entire legion, with his deciders and his destroyers. When Al-Ashtar saw them, he aligned towards Ali-asws, and Muawiya and the people of Syria overcame upon the water, and they formed a barrier between the people of Al-Iraq and it (river). And Ali-asws came among his-asws forces seeking a place for his-asws army, and he-asws ordered the people that they placed down their loads, and they were more than one hundred thousand. When they descended, horsemen from the horsemen of Ali-asws scurried to their horses towards the direction of Muawiya, stabbing, and shooting with the arrows. And Muawiya afterwards did not descend. The people of Syria skirmished them in the fighting and they fought passionately’’. [64]