And it is evident that it was a much greater and a much...

And it is evident that it was a much greater and a much heavier calamity for me than being deprived of ruler ship and Caliphate. This is so because ruler ship is something transitory and nothing can be found in it except temporary delight, and its sight is just like a deceptive mirage or like a piece of cloud which appears in the atmosphere and passes away soon.

For this reason I rose at the proper time so that falsehood was subdued and the structure of the faith became firm!” Of course, ‘Ali was not interested in anything other than the safety of Islam, and his only worry that this religion was going to be destroyed. And as he saw that if he rose and acquired his right people would turn away from Islam, so he overlooked his established right of Caliphate.

Instead he equipped himself for the defence of Islam and also mobilized all his companions and followers for this purpose. He thus showed that he was the foremost defender of Islam and became the leader of the defenders of Madina. Then others marched behind him and he took his position against Tulayha bin Khuwaylid and his supporters, belonging to the tribes of Asad, Qatfan, Tayy and Kanana, who were planning to capture Madina. In this battle also it was observed that Sayfullah i.e.

Imam ‘Ali terrified the reactionaries and the apostates with his usual strength in the same manner in which he had fought with the polytheists in the past and no power could have the courage to face him. The fact is that in order to safeguard monotheism and the unity of Muslims ‘Ali preferred cooperation with Abu Bakr's government to seclusion and retirement and, as you have read and heard, after his having achieved the object viz.

subduing the opponents and reactionaries of Yemen, he returned to his house and busied himself in collecting the Qur'an, spreading knowledge and administering intellectual movement. And on appropriate occasions when Abu Bakr or the distinguished men of government needed his advice they consulted him freely. In the last mentioned battle ‘Ammar was one of the soldiers of ‘Ali's army and was performing jihad under the banner of the command of Khalid bin Walid.

The details of the event are given here: The affairs of Musaylima, the impostor and Bani Hanifa, who were the successors of Tasam and Judays, took such a turn that they made an attack. The two armies met each other. In this battle the Muslims had to face the furious enemies in an unprecedented manner.