Khaldun' 'Tarikh-Ibn.

Khaldun' 'Tarikh-Ibn. Asakir' 'Al Asaba fi Tamyiz al Sahaba' (Ibn. Hajar 'Asqalani) 'Tarikh al-Tabari (narration by Musa b. Abdel Rahman Masrooqi).

Only Zuhri's version in 'Tarikh al-Tabari' presents a different picture of the vanguard battalion, in which the following words need serious attention:"After deceiving Ubaidullah and (Imam) Hasan (as), Muawiya got busy in employing a ruse against a person who was more important in his view, having forty thousand soldiers under his command." [^1] If this version of Zuhri is accepted, then the total strength of the vanguard battalion comes to about fifty thousand, as earlier than Qais bin S'ad, Ubaidullah had escaped with eight thousand soldiers under his command.

He is alone in mentioning this figure of the vanguard brigade, yet it is doubtful whether it had that much strength. So, his account cannot be trusted. Not only in this case, but all his accounts relating to Ahlul Bayt (as) as well are considered doubtful by the researchers, the reason being that he used to write only what could meet with approval in the Umayyad court. We intend to throw more light about his accounts in subsequent chapters.

The well known account of the strength of the forces of Imam Al-Mujtaba (as) is that these numbered forty thousand. Other accounts have also been recorded but researchers consider the number of more than forty thousand as an exaggeration.

The following historical records support the well known version: Al-Kamil Fi-al-Tarikh "When the leader of the faithful, Hazrat ‘Ali (as), received certain information about Syrian intentions, forty thousand soldiers in his army had vowed to fight under his command till death. He was martyred while preparing to march on. When Almighty Allah takes a decision to act, no one can evade it.

When after his death, the people had taken the allegiance to Imam Hasan (as), he learnt about Muawiya's planned attack and advanced with the army that had taken the vow with Hazrat ‘Ali (as)." Al-Futuh Ibn Atham "Muawiya marched towards Iraq with an army of sixty thousand soldiers. Hasan b. ‘Ali (as) sent letters to his governors instructing them to take defensive measures. General mobilization was ordered.

Imam Hasan (as) advanced with a little less than forty thousand soldiers, appointing Mughira b. Noful as his representative in Kufa. He continued till the area called 'Dair Abdel Rahman'. Then he called Qais b.