But what greatly helped me was that there was one country entirely opposed to Ali ibn Abi Talib's political stance from the beginning, refusing to pledge allegiance to him until he avenged the killers of 'Uthman ibn Affan'.
Only one country, but of great importance, and that was Sham-Syria-, with its leader 'Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan', and a group of prominent companions, including 'Amr ibn al-Aas'.
When I arrived in Syria before the assassination of 'Uthman', I couldn't do anything. But now, with their adoption of this opposing stance, igniting the fire among them became much easier.
So I went with my shouts to the supporters of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib' and said, "'Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan' refuses to pledge allegiance to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib' because 'Ali' killed his uncle and his brother. He is also the leader of the 'Banu Umayya' tribe, from which they both hailed. He prioritizes his family's blood over loyalty to the Caliphate."
But my shouts didn't find a significant echo in those days because people knew who 'Muawiyah' was. They knew that he was among the few entrusted by Prophet Muhammad to record the Quran, and they preserved many of his narrations. Prophet Muhammad supplicated for him, saying, "'O Allah, make him a guide and rightly guided.'"
Muslims treat the Prophet's supplications as they would a constitution. Moreover, Muawiyah's sister was the wife of Prophet Muhammad, which is why they called him the uncle of the believers.
They had complete trust in him because, despite the fact that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab' removed many governors such as 'Khalid ibn al-Walid', 'Abu Musa al-Ashari', 'Saad ibn Abi Waqqas', and 'Ammar ibn Yasir' during his caliphate, he never dismissed 'Muawiyah' due to his astuteness and justice.
However, Muawiyah persisted in his refusal to pledge allegiance to Ali, and so his companions advised Ali to leave for Syria and restore it to his rule.
If it remained outside the caliphate, it would encourage others to rebel against the state. With that, Ali set out with an army of 120,000 men to regain control of Syria. Muawiyah prepared an army of 90,000 men. I was extremely delighted because the companions, the holders of golden hearts, were on the verge of fighting each other. Their fighting meant the downfall of their state and a new victim for the snake.
The two armies clashed, and the casualties reached around forty thousand. But there was something strange about these people. I paused for a moment to try to comprehend it. These people fought each other during the day and fraternized at night. The Quran echoed in one army and echoed in the other.
Each side believes that they are fighting for the sake of religion. The first side fights to enforce the punishment of retribution because disabling it is a violation of God's law.
The second side fights for the stability of the Islamic state. They fight each other, but neither side hates the other; on the contrary, they hold each other in high esteem. In battle, the men continue to engage in combat, and all the killings that occurred in the battle were carried out by my followers, the killers of Uthman who were in Ali's army.
However, when two Sahabahs (Companions of the Prophet) confronted each other, their swords clashed, but they refrained from killing each other, and their hearts were equal.
I stood between these two groups, but I could not find a solution for them. I ignited what I thought would be a fire in their hearts, but it turned out to be calm and peaceful for them as if it had never existed. I'm wasting my time here. These people will reconcile after a while and return stronger than before.
Indeed, the men reconciled and agreed to a truce for a year. During this year, I influenced the weak-hearted as I had no sway over others, I made many of them consider anyone who participated in the battle between the Companions of the Prophet as unfaithful.
I made them attempt to overthrow the caliph, Ali, who was fully occupied with fighting them and eliminating them until one of them, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam', killed him.
He believed, with all the poison I instilled in his heart, that by killing Ali, he would enter Paradise. The Prophet had said that the one who kills Ali will be the most miserable of all. He also said that the faction that will kill the Kharijites during the turmoil is the closest of the two factions to the truth, and in this case, it is the faction of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib'.
As for the faction that will kill 'Ammar ibn Yasir' during the turmoil, it is the rebellious faction, which is the faction of 'Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan'. It is amazing that the Prophet, Muhammad, spoke about events that would happen exactly as he described after his death. This nation is truly extraordinary. History has never witnessed such a nation.
After the death of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib', his son, 'Al-Hasan', assumed the caliphate. He undertook a simple task and used it to fix everything. After six months of his caliphate, he went to 'Muawiya' and relinquished the caliphate to him. With this, everyone reconciled, and there was no longer any animosity in anyone's heart.
This man is strange. Since the beginning, he advised his father, 'Ali', with all the advice that, if followed, would have resolved the issue. He advised him not to go after 'Aisha' to Iraq, not to engage in battle with 'Muawiya', and now he has relinquished the caliphate.
His grandfather, the Prophet, had said that Allah will reconcile through him between two great factions of the believers. Once again, the Prophet's prophecy has come true exactly as he described.
The turmoil has completely ended, the fire has been extinguished, and the poison has been eliminated. I look at myself. I have failed with these people. Indeed, I have failed. What exactly were their hearts made of? What were they made of?
END