Muslims consider Ammar’s ultimate fate to be unique among...

Muslims consider Ammar’s ultimate fate to be unique among the fates of the Prophet’s companions, for they perceive his death at the Battle of Siffin as the decisive distinguisher between the righteous group and the sinful one. In the period of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, he was appointed as the ruler of Kufa and the commander of the Muslim army there. The Battle of Nahawand occurred during his commandership. In this battle, some areas of Iran were conquered.

However, he was ousted from his position after a while. After the death of Umar ibn Khattab and the constitution of the Six-Member Council to select the Caliph, Ammar talked with Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and recommended him to choose Imam Ali as the Caliph to prevent divisions among people. Similarly, after the murder of Uthman ibn Affan, Ammar was one of the people who invited others to pledge their oath of allegiance to Hazrat Ali.

In the period of the third Caliph, serious quarrels happened between him and Ammar. In one such case, Ammar protested the exile of Abu Dhar to Rabadha. It led to a serious quarrel between ‘Ammar and ‘Uthman. According to a report, Uthman on an occasion ordered his slaves to beat Ammar and he was beaten so much that he suffered from a hernia and became senseless. Thereafter, he was raised from the ground and thrown into the street like a refuse.

After this incident, Ummu Salma came to know about all the hue and cry and came up to Ammar. When she found him in a state of coma, she directed to take him to her house and kept lying in this condition and as a result, his noon, afternoon and dusk prayers lapsed. However, as soon as he regained his consciousness, he praised and thanked Allah and offered them. Uthman intended to exile Ammar from Medina, but he changed his mind after protests by Banu Makhzum and Imam Ali (PBUH).

In the reign of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH), Ammar ibn Yasir was an advocate of Imam Ali and he participated in the battles of Jamal and Siffin. In the Battle of Jamal, he was the commander of the left army of Imam Ali and he became the commander of Imam Ali’s army on the third day of the Battle of Siffin.

His Martyrdom It is pertinent to mention at this juncture that all that the Prophet (PBUHH) had predicted about Ammar had happened except his martyrdom at the hands of a rebellious group. Now Ammar was awaiting this very prophecy of the Messenger of God.