The Chaliphate - Muir - The Search For Mecca

274 'A LI AND MU'AWIYA [chap. XL,
A.M. 37-
and
summons
Khawarij,
who refuse
tor join him.
'All sets out
for Syria
;
hut IS
diverted by
Khariji
excesses,
arms marching against the graceless
Syrians, they would not
liesitate again to join his standard. So 'All mounted the
pulpit and harangued the men of Al-Kufa. He denounced
the umpires as having cast the Book of the Lord, equally
with the Prophet's precedent, behind their backs. Both
were apostates, rejected of the Lord, of the Prophet also,
and of all good men;— "Wherefore," said he, "we must
fight our battle over again at the point where, on the eve
of victor}', we were forced to leave it off. Prepare to march
for Syria, and be ready in your camp without the city by
the second day of the coming week." Then he indited a
despatch to the fanatics at Nahrawan. It was couched in
similar terms, and ended thus :
" Now, therefore, return
forthwith and join the army. I am marching against the
common enemy, yours and ours. We have come back to
the time when at Siffin ye fought by my side ; now follow
me again." In reply they sent an insulting message:— "If
'All would acknowledge his apostasy and repent of it, then
they would see whether anything could be arranged between
them ;
otherwise they cast him off as an ungodly heretic."
The stiff-necked Theocrats were thereupon, for the present,
left to their own devices, and the business of raising levies
for Syria proceeded with. But little enthusiasm was anywhere
displayed. Of 60,000 fighting men on the stipendiary
roll at Al-Basra, 3000 were with difficulty got together. At
Al I-Cufa, after vain appeal, a conscription was ordered through
the heads of clans ; and thus at length an army of 65,000
was brought into the field.
With this imposing force, 'All had already commenced
his march on Syria, when tidings reached him that the
fanatic host was committing outrage throughout the
country
in the very outskirts of the camp.^ A messenger sent to
make inquiry met the common fate. Tidings becoming
more and more alarming, the army demanded to be led
against them ; " for how," said they, " can we leave such
outlaws at large behind us, v/ith homes exposed to their
unlicensed cruelty?" 'All, himself convinced of this,
^
The outrages were to the last degree barbarous and cold-blooded.
Travellers, men and women, refusing to confess the theocratic tenets
were put to death ; a woman great with child ripped up with the sword,
and so forth.