Ibn Badil, with this limited force, moved towards the tent of Mu`awiyah.

Ibn Badil, with this limited force, moved towards the tent of Mu`awiyah. From that side the bows started twanging. And there was a barrage of arrows. But these valiant were not deterred with the intense attack. They kept moving cutting across the hordes of enemy troops. In the end, they were surrounded by the enemy on all the sides. When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) saw his right flank getting dislodged, he felt the gravity of the situation.

He asked Sahl ibn Hunayf to go ahead and help the right flank. But the Syrian cavalry pushed him back. Now, with the disorganization of the right flank, the heart of the formation where the Imam (a.s) was located was badly exposed to the enemy onslaught. When the Imam (as) saw this predicament of the heart of the formation, he moved towards the left flank of the army. He was neither wearing the armor nor had a helmet on his head. He only had a spear in his hand.

Imam al-Hasan, Imam al-Husayn (a.s) and Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah were shielding him. The arrows were flying on all the sides. The shining swords, the vibrating spears and the flying arrows could not stop his movement. At that time one freed slave of Banū-Umayyah, Ahmar, came up. He was known as an expert swordsman. The Imam (a.s) wanted to attack him. when one of his slaves, Kaysan, rushed towards Ahmar. He fought with him for sometime and was martyred.

Now Ahmar wanted to attack Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). Before he could attack, the Imam (a.s) lunged forward, put his hand under the armor of the slave and pulled him off the horse with force. He hit him to the ground with such force that his bones shattered and he died at the spot. With unconcern for the huge numbers of the enemies and the danger lurking around him, the Imam (a.s) moved fast forward. Sensing the increasing onslaught of the enemy, Imam al-Hasan (a.s) said, “Baba!

Would it not be better if you stayed with the heart of our formation instead of rushing on in their direction?” The Imam (a.s) said: “Son! By Allah! Your father does not care whether he is moving towards death or death is moving towards him!”[1] When the Imam (a.s) reached near the right flank, he saw the fluttering flags and asked as to whose flags they were. He was told that the flags belonged to the tribe of Rabi`ah. The Imam (a.s) said that the flags belonged to the party of Allah!

The party whose feet did not shake in adversity and despite the hardships of the battle they remained steadfast.