Hadith 381

And it is narrated to us by Amro Bin Shimr, from Jabir, from Abu Ja’far and Zayd Bin Al Hassan, both said, ‘Al-Ash’as called out to Amro Bin Al-Aas. He said, ‘Woe be unto you, O Ibn Al-Aas! Vacate between us and the water, for by Allah-azwj, if you do not do so, we shall seize it, and beware of the swords! ’
Amro said, ‘By Allah-azwj! We will not vacate from it until we grab the swords, and beware, our Lord-azwj Knows which of us is more patient today’. Al-Ash’as and Al Ashtar and the ones with insight from the companions of Ali-asws dismounted, and twelve thousand dismounted with them and they attacked upon Amro and Abu Al-Awr and the ones with them from the people of Syria. They removed them from the water until the cavalry of Ali-asws was dipping (in the Euphrates) its hooves in the water’. Nasr said, ‘Amro Bin Sa’ad has reported to us that Ali-asws said on that day, ‘This is a day you are helped in it with the zeal’. Nasr said, ‘It is narrated to us by Amro, from Jabir who said, ‘Ali-asws addressed on the day of the water. He-asws said: ‘As for after, surely the people begun you with the injustice, and you were victorious against the rebellion, and they faced you with the aggression, and you have tasted the fighting when they prevented you the water. Either accept upon the disgrace and delay of the respite, or quench the swords from the blood (and) be saturated from the water. The death is in your subjugated (overpowered) lives, and the life is in your dying being subjugators. Indeed, and surely Muawiya is leading a group of invaders, and has obscured the news upon them until he has made their throats the targets for the death’’. Nasr (the narrator) said, ‘And Al-Ashtar called Al-Haris Bin Hammam Al-Nakhaie and gave him his flag, then Al-Ashtar shouted among his companions, ‘My soul has tightened for the severity of the difficulties of the battle in anticipation of the relief, so when the spear hits you, then bend in it. When the swords bit you, then let the man bit upon his teeth, and it would be more intense for the concerns of the heat. Then face the people with your inspirations! ’
He (the narrator) said, ‘And on that day Al-Ashtar was upon a pitch-black horse of his, as if it was a dark crow, and seven were killed from the people of Syria by his hands, from their horsemen and their mighty ones – Salih Bin Feyrouz Al-Aky, and Malik Bin Ad’ham Al-Salmany, and Ziyah Bin Ateek Al-Gasany, and Al-Ajlah Bin Mansour Al-Kindy, and he was a horsemen from the people of Syria, and Ibrahim Bin Wazah Al-Jamhy, and Zamil Bin Ateek Al-Juzamy, and Muhammad Bin Rawza Al-Jamhy. And Amir Al-Momineen-asws heard an elegy (Marsiya) of one of the women of the slain. He-asws said: ‘But they have harmed their womenfolk. Leave them. My-asws day has saddened me-asws. May Allah-azwj Fight against Muawiya. O Allah-azwj! Load him with their sins and burdens and loads along with his own load! O Allah-azwj Do not Pardon him’. And from Sa’sa’a who said, ‘Al-Ashtar came on the day of the water and struck with his sword the crowd of the people of Syria until he removed them from the water; and Abu Al-Awr attacked, and Al-Ashtar attacked upon him. But, no one of them could avenge from his counterpart’. He (the narrator) said, ‘And Amro Bin Al-Aas said to Muawiya when the people of Al-Iraq controlled the water, ‘What are your thoughts, O Muawiya with the people, if they were to prevent you the water just as you had prevented them yesterday? Do you see yourself striking them upon it just as they have struck you upon it? It will not avail you if you were to uncover the evil to them! ’
Muawiya said to him, ‘Leave from you what is past! What are your thoughts with Ali-asws Bin Abu Talib-asws! ’ He said, ‘My thoughts are that he-asws permit from you what you had prevented from him-asws, and that which he-asws has come for, is other than the water’. Nasr (the reporter) said, ‘The companions of Ali-asws said to him-asws, ‘Prevent them the water, O Amir Al-Momineen-asws, just as they had prevented you-asws’. He-asws said: ‘No, vacate between them and it. I-asws will not do what the ignoramuses have done. We shall be presenting to them the Book of Allah-azwj and we shall call them to the guidance. If they respond (positively), or else in an edge of the sword is what would avail, if Allah-azwj so Desires’. He (the narrator) said, ‘By Allah-azwj! The evening did not come until they had saturated their waterskins, and waterskins of the people of Syria, and they were saturated and the people of Syria were saturated, crowding upon the water, no human being preventing a human being’’. [67]
[1] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 32, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 10 H 334
[2] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 32, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 10 H 335
[3] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 32, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 10 H 336
[4] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 32, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 10 H 337 a
[5] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 32, The book of Fitna (Strife) And Ordeals, Ch 10 H 337 b
[6] Bihar