He asked him to proceed to Egypt and handle the situation to...

He asked him to proceed to Egypt and handle the situation to the best of his ability and discretion. When Mu`awiyah got the intelligence that Malik al-Ashtar was nominated the governor of Egypt, he got worried because he had promised the governorate to `Amr ibn al-`As and was under the impression that Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr could easily be defeated to effect the changeover. But handling Malik al-Ashtar would be a harder nut to crack. He thought of getting Malik killed before he reached Egypt.

Therefore, he sent a message to Jayastar, chief of his tributary Qulzum: “Malik al-Ashtar has been appointed the functionary for Egypt. If you remove him from the way, until you and I live, I shall not take any tribute from you!”[1] The question about the implication of the Shari`ah here is not important. The question arises where the person respects and follows the norms of Shari`ah. Where power and pelf is the only objective, Shari`ah is secondary!

Jayistar reached the Red Sea to comply with the orders of Mu`awiyah. When Malik al-Ashtar reached there on his way to Egypt, he welcomed him with much fanfare and after entertaining him served a beverage of honey that was laced with poison. He drank a little of that beverage when the poison had its lethal effect on him and he died shortly thereafter.

When Mu`awiyah was informed of this, he went to the pulpit and said: “`Ali (a.s) had two hands; one was severed in Siffin (meaning `Ammar ibn Yasir) and the other has been cut away today (meaning Malik al-Ashtar).”[2] When Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) got the news, he said “We are Allah and to Him do we return,” and added, “What to talk of Malik, he was an exemplary person in himself! May Allah bless him. He fulfilled his promise and reached the Presence of Allah!

For us the biggest calamity was the demise of the Prophet (a.s) and thereafter we accustomed ourselves to forbearance at every step!” Muhammad ibn Abi-Bakr was unhappy over his being deposed from the governorate. When the Imam (a.s) learned of his feelings, he wrote to him, “I have not effected this change with any feeling that you were not performing [1] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 178 [2] Al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh, Vol 3, Page 178 properly.

I wanted to place you in an area where you will have less pressure. The person whom I had sent to replace you as the governor of Egypt was our friend, well-wisher and a great swordsman. May Allah be kind on him that he is no more!