The Decision to Appoint Arbitrators Following the Battle of Siffin
After the inconclusive Battle of Siffin in 37 AH, which resulted from Muawiya’s tactical raising of the Quran on spears, a forced arbitration was agreed upon . The agreement stipulated that each side would appoint an arbitrator to judge the dispute based on the Quran and settle the matter of retaliation for Caliph Uthman’s murder . Hadrat Maula Ali (ASWS) was compelled to accept this by a faction within his own army led by al-Ash’ath ibn Qays, who insisted on arbitration and strongly opposed the Imam’s preferred representatives, such as Malik al-Ashtar and Abdullah ibn Abbas .
The Selection of Abu Musa Ash’ari and Amr ibn Aas
Under intense pressure, Hadrat Ali (ASWS) was forced to appoint Abu Musa al-Ash’ari as his arbitrator, while Muawiya appointed Amr ibn Aas . Abu Musa was considered a weak and naive choice, and Imam Ali (ASWS) expressed his displeasure with this decision, clearly understanding the political acumen of his adversary . The terms of the arbitration document were meticulously drafted, specifying that the arbitrators must decide based on the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah, and a ceasefire was declared until the verdict at Dumat al-Jandal .
The Deceptive Trick at Dumat al-Jandal
When the arbitrators met, Abu Musa proposed, believing he had Amr’s agreement, that both Ali (ASWS) and Muawiya should be removed from their positions of leadership to allow the Muslim community to elect a new caliph . To execute his plan, Amr ibn Aas cunningly requested that Abu Musa announce this verdict first . Naively, Abu Musa ascended the minbar and declared that he had dismissed both Ali (ASWS) and Muawiya from the caliphate . However, when Amr ibn Aas rose to speak, he betrayed this agreement, declaring that while he agreed with Abu Musa on the dismissal of Ali (ASWS), he would not remove Muawiya but instead installed him as the caliph .
The Aftermath and the Kharijite Schism
This treacherous act created a major political schism. Hadrat Maula Ali (ASWS) immediately rejected this verdict as illegitimate, pointing out that the arbitrators had violated the terms of their mandate and their decision was not based on the Quran or Sunnah . A faction within his own army, which had previously forced him to accept arbitration, now turned against him for accepting it in the first place, declaring that “Judgment belongs to God alone” and forming the extremist group known as the Khawarij . This outcome represented a complete diplomatic victory for Muawiya, allowing him to consolidate his claim to power and eventually assume the caliphate.
The Divine Mandate of the Successor and the Threat to the Caliphate
The migration of Hadrat Maula Ali-ul-Murtaza (ASWS) from Madinah to Kufa was not merely a strategic administrative decision but a necessary defense of the divine institution of the Caliphate itself. As the direct successor appointed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW), the Imam carried the weight of preserving the pure message of Islam against a rising tide of political machination. The enemies of the Holy Ahle Bait Athaar (ASWS), recognizing that the spiritual and temporal authority of the Imam could not be challenged through legitimate means, resorted to a multi-pronged campaign of defamation and subversion. Their primary objective was to delegitimize the Imam in the eyes of the Muslim masses, thereby justifying their rebellion and paving the way for their own worldly ambitions. The move to Kufa placed the Imam at the heart of the Islamic dominion, allowing him to personally dismantle the networks of spies and propagandists that sought to undermine his sacred mission.
Muawiya’s Consultation with Amr ibn Aas for Assassination and Deception
As the news of the Caliphate’s relocation to Kufa spread, the opposition in Syria, led by Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan, intensified its conspiracies. The hope of the enemies was to force the Imam either to retreat to Madinah or to abandon the seat of Khilafat entirely. Seeing that direct military confrontation at Siffin had failed to achieve a decisive victory, Muawiya convened a council with his most cunning advisor, Amr ibn al-Aas. Amr ibn al-Aas, a figure notorious for his sharp intellect and unprincipled cunning, was tasked with formulating a plan that could achieve what warfare could not. It was decided that a lethal political trick would be more effective than open battle. The plan was to use the facade of arbitration to strip the Imam of his legitimate authority while securing Muawiya’s rule. The conspiracy, therefore, shifted from the battlefield to the arena of political negotiation, where the enemies hoped to use treachery to overcome the forces of truth.
The Imposition of Abu Musa Ash’ari as the Representative of the Imam
Under intense pressure from the rebellious factions within his own army, particularly al-Ash’ath ibn Qays and the group known as the Qurra, Imam Ali (ASWS) was compelled to accept the arbitration, despite his clear foresight that this would be a trap. The Imam’s preferred representatives, the loyal and formidable figures such as Malik al-Ashtar or Abdullah ibn Abbas, were vehemently rejected by the dissenters, who instead insisted on Abu Musa al-Ash’ari. The Imam, recognizing the immense political acumen of his adversary Amr ibn al-Aas, expressed his deep displeasure with this choice. Abu Musa was a man of piety but of weak political judgment, and he was easily manipulated. The terms of the arbitration were meticulously drafted to specify that the decision must be based solely on the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah, but these conditions were deliberately violated by the Syrians to achieve their sinister objectives.
The Treacherous Announcement at Dumat al-Jandal
When the two arbitrators met at the designated location of Dumat al-Jandal, the cunning Amr ibn al-Aas immediately began to charm and deceive Abu Musa al-Ash’ari. Through a series of secret meetings, Amr convinced the naive Abu Musa that the only solution to the ongoing strife was to dismiss both Ali (ASWS) and Muawiya from their positions of power and leave the election of a new caliph to a Muslim council. Abu Musa, believing he had secured the agreement of his counterpart, agreed to this plan. However, Amr ibn al-Aas, in a display of unparalleled treachery, requested that Abu Musa announce the verdict first. When the naive arbitrator ascended the minbar and declared that he was deposing both Ali (ASWS) and Muawiya, Amr sprung his trap. He declared that he accepted the deposition of Ali (ASWS) but, unlike Abu Musa, he would not depose Muawiya. Instead, he installed Muawiya as the rightful Caliph, arguing that he was the legitimate avenger of Uthman’s blood. This singular act of deception completely undermined the authority of the Imam and gave Muawiya the political legitimacy he had so desperately sought.
The Aftermath of the Trick and the Rise of the Khawarij
The treacherous verdict was immediately rejected by Imam Ali (ASWS) on the grounds that the arbitrators had violated the terms of their mandate and their decision was not based on the Quran or Sunnah. The Imam argued that the arbitrators had exceeded their jurisdiction, as they were only appointed to decide on the matter of retaliation for Uthman’s murder, not to appoint or depose the Caliph. However, the political damage was immense. The trick exacerbated the internal divisions within the Imam’s own camp. A faction of his former supporters, the very ones who had forced him to accept arbitration, now turned against him. They declared that “Judgment belongs to God alone” and that the Imam had committed a grave sin by accepting human arbitration, thereby forming the extremist sect known as the Khawarij. This group became a permanent source of instability, eventually plotting the assassination of the Imam. Meanwhile, in Syria, the trick was celebrated as a great diplomatic triumph. Muawiya had successfully escaped the battlefield to use the sword of deception, and he consolidated his position as a rival caliph, setting the stage for the eventual transfer of the Caliphate to the Umayyad dynasty.