For example...

For example, when Mu‘awiyah dispatched Busr ibn Artat to pillage the cities of Hijaz and Yemen, as Busr was approaching Ta’if, Mughayrah ibn Shu‘bah went to welcome him, saying: “May God give you pleasant reward! I heard the news of your harshness toward the enemies and benevolence toward the friends.” Busr said, “O Mughayrah! I want to put pressure on the people of Ta’if so as for them to pledge allegiance to the Commander of the Faihtful Mu‘awiyah.” Mughayrah said, “O Busr!

Why do you want to do to your friends what you did to your enemies? Do not do it lest everybody turned into your enemy.”[^5] There were also very few besides the Banu Hashim from among the Quraysh, such as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Hashim Mirqal, who were on the Commander of the Faithful’s ( ‘a ) side although from among the clans of Quraysh and opponents of ‘Ali ( ‘a ), there were also some who accompanied him.

For instance, Khalid ibn Walid was one of the Commander of the Faithful’s ( ‘a ) adversaries, but his son, Muhajir ibn Khalid was among the soldiers of the Imam in the Battle of Siffin. Another case is that of ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Hudhayfah, Mu‘awiyah’s maternal cousin, who was one of the sincere Shi‘ah of ‘Ali ( ‘a ), and in the end attained martyrdom at the hands of Mu‘awiyah’s agents.

‘Ali ( ‘a ) had followers and supporters from among all the Yemeni tribes such as the tribes of Kindih, Naka‘, Azd, Juhaynah, Himir, Bujaylah, Khath‘am, Khuza‘ah, Hadhramut, Mudhhaj, Ash‘ar, Tay, Sadus, Hamdan, and Rabi‘ah.[^6] But among them, the two tribes of Hamdan and Rabi‘ah were leading. The Hamdanis who embraced Islam during the time of the Prophet (S), through ‘Ali’s ( ‘a ) efforts, had always been sympathetic to him, and were considered as among the Imam’s sincere Shi‘ah.

Mas‘udi says, “During the Battle of Siffin, not a single person from among them was in the army of Mu‘awiyah.”[^7] Regarding Hamdan, ‘Ali has said: ولو كنت بوّاباً على باب الجنّة لقلت لِحَمْدان أدخلوا بسلام If I were the gatekeeper of paradise, I shall say to the tribe of Hamdan, “Enter in peace!” [^8] Mu‘awiyah held a great grudge against the Hamdanis.

One day during the Battle of Siffin, he went to the battle arena and recited this poem: لا عيش الاّ فلق الهام من أرحب و يشكر شبام قوم هم اعداء اهل الشام كم من كريم بطل همام وكم قتيل و جريح ذام كذاك حرب السّادة الكرام I shall not live unless I rip the heads of those of (the clans of) Arhab, Yashkar and Shabam (from the tribe of Hamdan).