The Influence of Prophetic

Prophesies regarding Ammar e Yasir

 Prophesies of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) regarding the martyrdom of Ammar and his righteousness and about his group, became so famous that it had a great influence on the Syrian army in the Battle of Siffeen. It was so effective that it was could bring about a great change in the consequence of the battle and could also halt its progress, or the Syrians could have separated from Mu’awiyah’s army and joined Imam Ali’s army. But the deceits and trickeries of Mu’awiyah and Amr e Aas, and the simplicity of the Syrian army, caused them to remain on the wrong path.

          The aforementioned point is a fact towards which the renowned Sunni scholars, like Ibn e Abil Hadid, have indicated.

          We will quote his text and then analyse it further:

          Ibn e Abil Hadeed writes in ‘Sharh e Nehjul Balagha’: One day, Amir al-momineen (a.s.) was standing between a group of people from Hamdan and Humair and a tribe from Qahtaniyaan. Meanwhile, a Syrian soldier shouted: Who can guide me towards Abu Nooh e Humairi?

          A man said to him: He is here, what do you want?

          At that time, the Syrian soldier who had neared the army of Imam (a.s.), removed the veil from his face and it became evident that it was Zul Kalaa e Humairi who was along with a group of men from his tribe and his companions.

          Zul Kalaa e Humairi said to his paternal cousin, Abu Nooh e Humairi, ‘Come with me’.                      He asked: Where should I come?

          He said: Let us exit the rows.

          He asked: What do u want?

          He said: I need your help…at last, Zul Kalaa’ took pledge from his cousin Abu Nooh that he would not harm him. Abu Nooh left the battlefield with Zul Kalaa’, then Zul Kalaa’ said: I need to ask you about a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and it is this:

          Amr e Aas has said many a times since the caliphate of Umar and I asked him even today, he repeated the narrative saying: He heard the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) say: ‘The people of Syria and Iraq will fight each other, right and the righteous leader will be in one of the two armies and Ammar e Yasir will also be with him’.

          Abu Nooh said: Yes, it is right. Ammar e Yasir is on our side.

          Zul Kalaa’ said: Swear in the name of God, is Ammar e Yasir determined and striving in the battle against us?

          Abu Nooh said: Yes, by the Lord of Kabah! He is more determined than me for the battle against you and I wish you all were in a single body and I would have killed that single body and I would have killed you before others even though you are my uncle’s son.

          Zul Kalaa’ said: Woe upon you, why do you have such hopes against us while I haven’t broken the tie of relationship that exists between us and you are my close relative, therefore I would not be delighted to kill you.

          Abu Nooh said: The Almighty broke the knots of many close relationships with the arrival of Islam, and brought many of the far away relationships close. I am your killer and the killer of your friends because we are on right and you are on wrong path.

          Zul Kalaa’ said: Can you come along with me to the Syrian army so that I can secure your life and you can stay in my shelter until you share the condition of Ammar and his determination in this battle? This can possibly become a source of initiating peace between the two groups.

          Thereafter, Ibn e Abil Hadeed says: It is a matter of great astonishment that a group indulges in scepticism and doubt because of Ammar’s existence, but do not feel doubtful due to the existence of Imam Ali (a.s.). And they reason in this way that since Ammar is in the Iraqi army, they are on the right path, but they do not pay heed to the great position of Imam Ali (a.s.). They are frightened and sceptic due to the Prophet’s saying regarding Ammar that he will be killed by an oppressive group, but are not frightened of the Prophet’s Hadith regarding Ali (a.s.) in which he says: ‘O Allah! Befriend those who befriend him (Ali a.s.) and envy those who envy him’, or the other saying: ‘You (Ali a.s.) will not be loved by anyone but a believer and none will envy you but a hypocrite’.

          This topic leads us to a conclusion that the entire Quraysh, from the beginning, strived to conceal the name and attributes of Imam Ali (a.s.) and the great qualities he possessed; to such an extent that the greatness of his character became diminished from people’s hearts except for a few among them.

          Anyway, Zul Kalaa’ and his cousin Abu Nooh moved towards Amr e Aas and found him in Mu’awiyah’s camp while his son Abdullah was encouraging the soldiers for the battle.

          As Zul Kalaa’ saw Amr e Aas, he said: O Abu Abdullah! Do you want a benevolent and wise person to inform you about Ammar e Yasir without telling a lie?

          Amr asked: Who is that person?

          He said: He is my cousin from Kufa.

          When they came close to each other, Amr e Aas said to Abu Nooh: I see the signs of Abu Turab’s face on you.

          He said: Indeed, the brightness of the Prophet’s face and his companions can be seen on my face while I can observe the darkness of Abu Jahl and Fir’awn on your face.

          On hearing this, a person from the companions of Amr e Aas stood up with the intention of attacking on Abu Nooh but Zul Kalaa’ stopped him.

          At last, Amr e Aas asked: O Abu Nooh, swear to God that you will not lie, is Ammar e Yasir on your side?

          Abu Nooh said: I will not inform you until you tell me why you ask about Ammar only, while there are many other companions of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) on our side and all of them are determined to fight against you?

          Amr said: Because I heard the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) say:

          ‘Indeed, Ammar will be killed by a group of oppressors and Ammar will not depart from the right path in any case and the Hellfire will eat nothing of Ammar’.

          Abu Nood said: ‘La ilaha ilallah’, ‘Allahu Akbar! Then he added: By God, he is on our side and persistent on fighting against you.

          Amr e Aas said: O Abu Nooh! Swear in the name of the Almighty, is determined on fighting against us?

          He said: Yes, by God, he (Ammar e Yasir) said to me in the battle of Jamal: We will be victorious over the people of Basra, and he said yesterday as well: If Mu’awiyah’s army attack us in such a way that we are pushed back till the groves of Hajar, we still know that we are on the right path and they are on the wrong path, and our martyrs will dwell in heaven and their killed ones will dwell in Hell.

          Amr said: Can you arrange a meeting with him for me?

          He said: Yes.

          Hence, Amr e Aas with his two sons, Otba brother of Mu’awiyah, Zul Kalaa’, Abul Aa’war e Salmi, Haushab and Walid bin Uqba, all of them rode their horses in order to meet Ammar. On the other side, Abu Nooh went with Shar’habeel, son of Zul Kalaa’ who was there to secure Abu Nooh from Mu’awiyah’s army, moved towards Ammar.

          Meanwhile, Ammar was sitting at a place along with Malik e Ashtar, Hashim, two sons of Badeel bin Warqaa, Khalid bin Mo’ammar, Abdullah bin Hajal and Abdullah bin Abbas.

          Abu Nooh described the entire incident of his cousin Zul Kalaa’ before Ammar and he said: He (Amr e Aas) told the truth and the word (Hadith of Prophet p.b.u.h.) he heard will harm him and wouldn’t benefit him in any way.

          Abu Nooh said: Amr e Aas wishes to see you now.

          Ammar said to his companions: Mount your rides. They mounted their horses and went towards the meeting point.

          Eventually, Ammar e Yasir, one of the greatest companions of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) reached the place they were supposed to meet along with twelve friends to meet Amr e Aas who had come with the same number of friends, and they came so close to each other that the necks of their horses met each other.

          As per the narration of Ibn e Abil Hadeed, both the groups descended their horses and held their swords in their hands. Amr e Aas began to recite the ‘Tashahhud’.

          Ammar said to him: Be silent. You have distanced yourself from it and I am more appropriate for its recitation than you. If you want confront us, our right will eradicate your right, and if you wish to hold a conversation, in that case, we are more knowledgeable than you to speak about the good and likeable things. And if you want me to inform you of something that will declare the difference between you and me, and that which can declare you an infidel before you rise from your position, and you will approve the authenticity of my words yourself and will not be capable of denying it?

          Amr e Aas said: O Aba Yaqzaan (Ammar e Yasir)! I have not come to you with this intention but I am here to meet you because you are the most obedient soldier of this army (the army of Imam Ali). I ask you for the sake of God, to hold their weapons from this killing and secure their blood, and to encourage them for this action. Why do you intend to fight against us? Do we not worship one God? Do we not pray in the direction of your Qibla? Do we not invite towards that which you invite? Do we not recite your book or believe in your Prophet (p.b.u.h.)?

          Ammar said: Praise be to the Lord who made you utter these words. Yes, all these are for me and my friends; the Qibla, this religion, God’s worship, Prophet and the Book, and they do not have any connection with you and your friends. We praise the Lord who compelled you to approve these things about us and left you misguided and made you a blind hearted deceiver.

          I will now tell you the reason why we wish to fight against you and your followers. Indeed, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) commanded me to fight against the ‘Nakiseen’ (oath breakers of Jamal) and I obeyed. And he commanded: Fight against the ‘Qasiteen’ (the oppressors) and you are them. As for ‘Mariqeen’ (those who exited the religion, the Khawarij of Nehrwaan), I don’t know if I will be able to fight them or not?

          O truncated person! Don’t you know that the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said:

          ‘For whoever I am the chief, Ali is his chief. O God! Befriend whoever befriends him and envy whoever envies him’?

          I am the lover of Allah and His Prophet (p.b.u.h.), and after these two, I am the lover of Amir al-Momineen Ali (a.s.).

          Amr said: O Abu Yaqzaan! Why do you curse me while I haven’t cursed you at all?

          Ammar said: With what do you intend to curse me? Can you say that I deviated from the command of Allah and His Messenger (p.b.u.h.) for even a single day?

          Amr said: Apart from these, there are many flaws and imperfections in you.

          Ammar said: Respected and honoured is one who is honoured by his Lord; I had flaws but God lifted me from them, I was a slave and God set me free, I was weak and God made me powerful, I was helpless and God made me mighty.

          Amr e Aas asked: What is your opinion about the killing of Othman?

          Ammar said: He opened the door of all the wrong deeds for you. 

           Amr said: Therefore Ali (a.s.) killed him.

          Ammar said: The Almighty Allah, who is the Lord of Ali (a.s.), killed him and Ali (a.s.) was with Him.

          Amr said: You were also with them when they killed him.

          Ammar said: Yes, I was with those who killed him and today, I am fighting along with them against you.

          Amr e Aas asked again: Why did you kill Othman?

          Ammar said: He wanted to change our religion, so we killed him.

          Amr addressed his companions and said: Do you not hear? He has accepted that he killed your leader.

          Ammar said: The words you said were said by Fir’awn to his people, ‘Do you not hear?’[1].

          At that time, the Syrians stood up and mounted their horses with an uproar and returned. Ammar also returned with his friends to the battlefield.

           When Mu’awiyah came to know about this incident, he said: ‘if that black slave (Ammar Yasir) motivates the Arabs, they should know that they will be devastated.

          When Ammar reached the Iraqi battlefield, he attacked the Syrian army along with Hashim bin Utba and other companions and fought with all his might till he was martyred.

          The Historians said: A few moments before his martyrdom, Ammar asked for water. Meanwhile, Ammar’s slave, Rashid, brought a mug filled with milk to quench his thirst and the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) had informed Ammar in the past that: 

                   ‘The last meal you will have before your martyrdom will be milk’.

          Ammar e Yasir landed on the ground due to the spear of Abul Mu’awiyah and Ibn e Hawi striked his head from his body so as to take it near Mu’awiyah and receive a reward in return.

          On the other hand, Zul Kalaa’ did not feel content with the conversation that was held between Ammar and Amr e Aas, and was continuously thinking about the Prophet’s prophecy but Amr e Aas kept promising him by saying: You will soon observe that Ammar will seperate himself from Abu Turab (Ali a.s.) and join us.

          As per the narration of Ibn e Abil Hadeed, Zul Kalaa’ was killed by Imam Ali’s soldiers on the same day when Ammar bin Yasir was martyred. Therefore, Amr e Aas used to tell Mu’awiyah constantly: I don’t know whose death among these two made me happier, if Zul Kalaa’ remained alive after the death of Ammar, I am certain that he would have left us with all his friends to join Ali (a.s.) and this would have ruined us.

          The historians say: Soldiers kept coming near Mu’awiyah and said, ‘I have killed Ammar’; expecting a reward in return.

          Mu’awiyah used to ask them: What did Ammar say in the last few moments of his life?

          They couldn’t give a proper answer until Ibn e Hawi arrived and said: I have killed Ammar.

          Amr e Aas asked him: What were his last words?

          Ibn e Hawi said: I heard him say: ‘I will meet the noble friends of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and his army.

          Amr said: You are right, you are his killer. By God, you have not benefited anything but have rather infuriated your Lord.

           Historians have narrated from Huzaifa bin Yaman, the secret keeper of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), that he said: I have heard the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) say:

                   ‘The son of Sumayya (Ammar) will never be given two options but he will chose the right one from it; always abide by him and follow his directions[2].

          Due to the Prophetic prophesies regarding Ammar, which were famous between most of the people, a dispute arose in the Syrian army after the martyrdom of Ammar. Without any delay, Mu’awiyah enacted his deceits and said: We have not killed Ammar but he was killed by someone who brought him to the battlefield, i.e. Ali (a.s.)!!!

          These words said by Mu’awiyah turned out to be effective for the uninformed and quick believing Syrian army and put a stop to many conversations; although a group of men from Mu’awiyah’s army like Abdullah bin Saweed, joined Imam Ali’s army after the martyrdom of Ammar.

          At that time, Mu’awiyah went towards Amr e Aas and said furiously: You have ruined the Syrian people for me, is it necessary for you to say every single thing you heard?

          Amr said: I did not have the knowledge of the unseen to have known that this battle will take place and that Ammar will fight against us; moreover, you yourself have said these words as well.

          After a slight dispute between Mu’awiyah and Amr e Aas, they went away from each other.[3]

          Ibn e Abil Hadeed has reported this incident in other words as well, which will be presented here:

           Ibn e Abil Hadeed writes: Nasr says: Amr bin Shimr narrated for us that the horse riders came out for the battle and stood in rows against each other and people prepared themselves for attack. Ammar, who wore a white armor on his body, said: O people! Hurry towards heaven and attack.

          The soldiers fought in such a destructive style which was not heard of earlier, and the death toll rose to such an extent that everyone had tied the rope of his tent with the hands and legs of a dead soldier. Ash’ath narrated after it that he saw the tents and camps in the battle of Siffeen, there was no camp or tent which whose rope wasn’t tied with the hands and legs of a dead soldier.

          Nasr says: Abu Sammak Asadi lifted a vessel of water and a knife and went towards the dead and injured soldiers, to whichever soldier he reached and found that he still has life in him, he used to make him sit and the ask: Who is your Amir al-momineen? If he sadi: Ali (a.s.), he used to clean the blood from his face and give him water, and if he kept quiet, he used to slit his neck with the knife and kill him, and wouldn’t give him water.

          Nasr says: Amr bin Shimr, quoted the words of Jabir that he said: I heard Sha’bi say: Ahnaf bin Qays narrated saying: By God, I was beside Ammar bin Yasir and there was only a man from the Bani al-Shaeerah tribe between us; we went forwand till we reached Hashim bin Utba.

           Ammar said to Hashim: May my mother and father sacrifice on you, attack quickly.

          He said: O Abu Yazaan! May God have mercy on you! You are a man with less aggression in the war and you have taken it lightly but I have to move ahead with this flag and attack, and I hope to attain my goal with thought and precision. If I take it lightly, I will not be secured from destruction and danger.

          On that day, Mu’awiyah had said to Amr e Aas: Woe upon you! Even today, their flag is in the hands of Hashim and he has attacked earlier swiftly and ferociously, and if he wishes to attack with contemplation and thought, it will be a lengthier and more difficult day for the Syrian soldiers, but if he attacks with his group, I am hopeful that we can divide them and then take them in our control.

           Ammar continuously encouraged Hashim to attack and at last he attacked. Mu’awiyah was cautious and kept watching his attack from far, then he sent a group of his brave soldiers, who were famous for their bravery and fearlessness, towards him. Abdullah, son of Amr e Aas was in this group, and had held two swords that day, one was kept with him and he was attack with the other. At that time, Ali’s soldiers engulfed Abdullah bin Amr. Amr e Aas shouted: O Merciful God! My son, my son.

          Mu’awiyah said: Be patient, there is no fear for him.

          Amr said: Mu’awiyah, if your son Yazid was in his place, would you remain calm?

          But the brave Syrian soldiers defended Abdullah bin Amr in such style that he was able to evade on his horse (and his companions also fled. Hashim was injured in that fight).

          Nasr says: Amr bin Sa’ad narrated for us that it was the same day on which Ammar was martyred. When he saw the flag of Amr e Aas, he said: By God, this is the same flag against which I have fought thrice and in this battle, its motive is not any better than the three earlier stands, and then he recited these couplets:

          ‘Just like I fought against you earlier for the revelation of Quran, today I will fight you for the interpretation of the Holy Quran and will destruct you, with such a strike that will separate the heads from bodies and friends from friends, until the right returns to its actual path’.

          As Ammar became severely thirsty, he asked for water. A tall woman went near him with vessel filled with milk mixed with water and gave it to Ammar, as Ammar drank it, he said: Heaven lies below the blades of these spears. I will meet the dignified friends of Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) and his entire army today. By God, if they attack us in such a way that we are pushed back till the groves of ‘Hajar’, even then it will be certain for us that we are on the right path and they are on the wrong path. Then he attacked. Ibn e Hawi al-Saksaki and Abul Aadiya attacked on him, Abul Aadiya hit Ammar with a spear and Ibn e Hawi cut his head from the body.

          Zul Kalaa’ had repetitively heard from Amr e Aas that he said: The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said about Ammar:

          ‘You will be killed by a cruel and oppressive group, and your last diet will be a potion of milk mixed with water’.

          Zul Kalaa’ said to Amr e Aas: Woe upon you, what is it that I see?

          Amr said: Very soon, Ammar will leave Abu Turab (a.s.) and join us.

                   This was before the martyrdom of Ammar; fate was such that Zul Kalaa’ got killed on the same day when Ammar was martyrd.

          Amr e Aas said to Mu’awiyah: By God, I don’t know which among the two deaths made me happier, and by God, if Zul Kalaa’ remained alive after the death of Ammar, he would have joined Ali (a.s.) with his entire tribe and our case would get ruined.

          Nasr says: Umar bin Sa’ad narrated for us that soldiers constantly came to Amr e Aas and Mu’awiyah and said: I have killed Ammar. Amr asked each one of them: What did Ammar say?  No one could give an answer until Ibn e Hawi arrived and said: I have killed Ammar.

          Amr asked him: What were his last words?

          He said: I heard him say: I will meet the Muhammad’s dignified friends and his army today.

          Amr said: You are right, you killed him. By God, you haven’t benefitted anything but rather enraged your Lord.

             Nasr says: Amr bin Shimr narrated for us from Ismael e Sadi, who narrated from Abd e Khair Hamadani that he said: One of the days in the Battle of Siffeen, I saw that Ammar e Yasir became unconscious as darkness overcame him and he could not offer the Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Ishaa and morning prayers of the next day. Then he came back to consciousness and offered the due prayers from the first due prayer till the last one in sequence.

          Nasr says: Amr bin Shimr narrate from Asadi, who narrated from Abu Huraith that he said: On the day of Ammar’s martyrdom, his slave Rashid brought some milk for him. Ammar said: Indeed, I heard from my friend, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), who said: Your last supper will be a sip of Milk.

          Nasr says: Amr bin Shimr narrated from Sadi that he said: In the Battle of Siffeen, a dispute arose between two soldiers as to who killed Ammar and deserve to take his arms as ransom, both of them went to Abdullah bin Amr.

          He said: Woe upon you, go away from me. The holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said:

          ‘What has Quraysh go to do with Ammar that he invites them towards heaven and they invite him towards Hell. His killer and the one who will loot his dress and weapon will dwell in Hellfire’.

            Sadi used to say: It has been reported to me that when Mu’awiyah heard these words, inorder to deceive his Syrian soldiers, he said: He is killed by someone who brought him to the battlefield!

          Nasr says: Amr narrated from Jabir, who narrated from Abul Zubair that he said:  A group of men from the Juhaina tribe came near Huzaifa bin al-Yaman and said to him: O Abu Abdullah! The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) asked Allah (s.w.t.) and sort his refuge for not leaving his nation in wilderness and his prayer was accepted; then he prayed that his nation does not quarrel with each other and fight against each other, but this prayer was not accepted.

          Huzaifa said: I heard the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) say:

          ‘The son of Sumayya, i.e. Ammar, will not be left with two options but he will chose the correct one from them. Always follow his directions’.

          Nasr says: Amr bin Shimr narrated for us that Ammar attacked the Syrian army on that day while he was saying these lines: By the God of Kabah, I will not move from my position unless I get killed or observe something that I wish to observe. I will keep supporting and assisting Ali (a.s.) - the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), his trustee and the one who fulfilled his promise.

          Nasr says: Abdullah bin Suwaid e Humari, who belonged to the family of Zul Kalaa’, said to him: What is the Hadith that you have heard from Amr e Aas regarding Ammar?

          Zul Kalaa’ told him the entire incident; just when Ammar Yasir was killed, Abdullah left Mu’awiyah’s army on his feet at night and was with the army of Amir al-Momineen (a.s.) in the morning.

          Abdullah bin Suwaid was one of the most pious people of his time, and it was near that the Syrian people would have stumbled and scattered due to his act but Mu’awiyah said to them: Ammar has been killed by Ali (a.s.), as he was the one who brought him for this battle and made him a part of this dispute.

          After this incident, Mu’awiyah said to Amr e Aas that you have ruined the Syrian people for me, ‘is it necessary for you to disclose everything you heard from the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.)?

          Amr e Aas said: Yes, I said these words but I don’t have the knowledge of the unseen to know that the Battle of Siffeen would take place. And moreover, I said this when Ammar was your friend, and you had said the same words that I have narrated regarding him.

          Mu’awiyah became furious over Amr e Aas and decided to deprive him from his goods and benefits. Amr, who was an arrogant man, said to his son and friends: ‘If the condition of this battle becomes evident, there is no good in Mu’awiyah’s company, and I will definitely separate myself from him. Then he recited these couplets:

          ‘You are furious over me for telling something that I heard, and you denounce me for it, whereas if you do justice, you have said similar words before me. Were you persistent and determinant on your words and didn’t stumble and I stumbled upon what I said?

          Mu’awiyah recited these couplets in reply of Amr e Aas: ‘Now that the war has spread open the battlefield and this difficult act stands before us, after sixty years, you are tricking me again like you think that I don’t discriminate between sweet and sour’.

          When Amr heard these couplets, he went towards Mu’awiyah to gain his satisfaction and their ways united again.¹ [4]