When Ibn Hanbal was asked about the battle between Imam...

When Ibn Hanbal was asked about the battle between Imam ‘Ali- (‘a) and Mu‘a-wiyah bin Abi- Sufya-n, he said regarding them he knew nothing but good,[^19] but added that in the field of jurisprudential studies he found Imam ‘Ali- (‘a) to be linked to the truth.

For instance, when in his presence Sha-fi‘i- was accused of tashayyu for listing Imam ‘Ali-’s (‘a) battles with Mu‘a-wiyah and the Khawa-rij under the rules of transgressors, he replied that among the companions of the Prophet, Imam ‘Ali- (‘a) was the first leader who had to deal with the sedition and revolt of opponents.

This reply makes it clear that Sha-fi‘i-’s categorizing of the battles between Imam ‘Ali- (‘a) and Mu‘a-wiyah under rules for transgressors, does not expose him to the fault-finding of his critics.

In fact, for any fair observor, the verdict between Sha-fi‘i- and his critics is that Mu‘a-wiyah was a transgressor, as could be further confirmed by the famous saying of the Prophet to his companion ‘Amma-r bin Ya-sir: “taqtuluka al-fi’ah al-ba-ghiyah” (you will be killed by a party of transgressors).[^20] No one can deny that ‘Amma-r, while fighting on the side of Imam ‘Ali- (‘a), was killed by the forces of Mu‘a-wiyah…