'Ali (AS) did not take anyone as a captive and did not pursue those who ran away.

'Ali (AS) did not take anyone as a captive and did not pursue those who ran away. In the Battle of Siffin, the army of Mu'awiyah took a lead, occupied the canal of Euphrates, and banned the water on 'Ali (AS). Later, after a bloody battle, 'Ali (AS) occupied the water canal. Then he issued orders allowing the enemy to take water. In the period of his khilafah, 'Ali (AS) welcomed everyone without having chamberlains and doorkeepers, walked on foot.

all alone, and walked in the alleys and the bazaars. He ordered the people to fear Allah and guard against evil and protected them against injustice of one another. 'Ali (AS) helped the poverty- stricken people and widows kindly and humbly and kept the shelterless orphans in his own house, personally providing their requirements and educating them.

'Ali (AS) had a special regard for knowledge and learning and gave particular attention towards promotion of knowledge and education and used to say: "There is no suffering like ignorance." While 'Ali (AS) was arraying his troops in the bloody Battle of Jamal, an Arab went forward and asked him the meaning of Tawhid. The people rushed toward the Arab from every direction and confronted him by saying that such a moment is not an appropriate time for asking such questions and for discussion.

'Ali (AS) asked them to disperse away from the Arab and said: "We are fighting the people in order to revive such truths." Then, while arraying the troops, 'Ali (AS) called forth the Arab and clarified the matter for him with an eloquent statement. Another similar case symbolizing the religious discipline and amazing divine power of 'Ali (AS) has been narrated in the course of the Battle of Siffin.

While the two armies, like two roaring seas, were intermingling and fighting and much blood was gushing out from every direction, 'Ali (AS) came to one of his soldiers and demanded a glass of water for drinking. The soldier filled a wooden bowl with water and offered it to 'All (AS). 'Ali (AS) noticed a crack in the bowl and said: "Drinking water in such a bowl is makruh (undesirable -though not unlawful but refraining from it is preferable in Islam)".

The soldier said: "This is not a time to be so meticulous about these things in such a situation when we are under the shower of arrows and the flashes of thousands of swords".