Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

150 The Baffles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration
Hikithi from an-Nukhaylah ahead of the army with eight thousand
fighters, and Shurayh ihn Hki' with four thousand. Then 'Ali (4)
set out with his army towards Baghdad, where he was joined by more
men; he appointed Sa'd ibn Mas'ood ath-Thaqafi in charge of them.
From there he sent a detachment of three thousand to ~ o s u l 'Ali . ~ ~ ~
(&)travelled on the main road to al-Jazeerah along the eastern bank
of the Euphrates, until he drew close to ~ar~a~si~a'?'~ News
reached him that Mu'fiwiyah had set out to meet him and was
camping in Siffeen, so 'Ali went to ar-~aqqa,~'~ from which he
crossed the Euphrates, heading west, and came to ~iffeen.5'~
2.1.7. Mu'gwiyah's going out to Siffeen
Mn'iwiyah was serious about bringing the murderers of
'Uthmk (&) to justice. He managed to ambush and kill a group of
Egyptians who had invaded Madinah, including Abu 'Amr ihn
Bndayl al-Khuzfi'i, as they were returning to ~ ~~pt.5'~ Moreover, he
had supporters in Egypt and among the people of Kharbata who were
also seeking vengeance for the murder of 'Utbmk (&). This group
managed to defeat Muhammad ihn Ahi Hudhayfah a number of
confrontations in 36 AH. Mu'fiwiyah also managed to capture the
Egyptian leaders and planners of the invasion of Madinah, such as
'Ahdur-Ralpnk ihn 'Udaysi, Kinkah ihn Bishr and Muhammad ihn
Hudhayfah, whom he detained in Palestine during the period that
preceded his going out to Siffeen. He executed them in Dhul-Hijjah
36 AH?" When Mu'iwiyah learned of the movements of the Iraqi
army, he gathered his consultants among the prominent people of
Syria and addressed them, saying: " 'Ali is coming towards yon with
the people of Iraq." Dhul-Kil2' al-JJimyari said: '"Tell us what to do,
and we will do it."528
The people of Syria gave their pledge to Mu'iwiyah that they
would fight to seek vengeance for the murder of 'Uthmk (&)?29