FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

his army forced him to accept the principle of arbitration. This greatly weakened his position. Then, another group emerged known as Kharijites (Dissenters). Earlier supporters of Ali, now they turned against him. They maintained that Ali should not have accepted arbitration. They became so deadly against the Caliph that anyone who said that he was the follower of the Caliph was mercilessly killed. Ali inflicted the Kharijites a decisive defeat at Nahrawan. Thousands of them were killed in the battlefield. But this defeat did not end the Kharijite opposition for they were spread out in different parts of the country. The extremist among them preached lawlessness, saying: “All authority belongs to God, so there should be no government”. Ali was engaged in extirpating the Kharijites and Muawiya found enough time to increase his influence among the people. Displaying great diplomacy Muawiya managed to cut the ground from under Ali’s feet steadily, by adopting an aggressive policy against the Caliph. Ultimately by the end of 600, Ali had lost control of Egypt and Hijaz. His popularity was diminishing day by day. The forces of Ali and Muawiya met at Siffin. When Muawiya realized that he was going to lose the battle he managed to force the end of the fighting by having pages of the Quran fixed to the lances of his troops. Ali was obliged to accept arbitration. When Ali agreed to this, some of his supporters abandoned him. They were not willing to accept the compromise. During the months of discussions between the arbiters, Ali’s alliance grew weaker. The Kharijites who had revolted ultimately decided to assassinate Ali. Early one morning while he was praying in a mosque at Kufah in Iraq, a Kharijite struck him with a poisoned sword to avenge the men slain at Nahrawan. Two days later, Ali died and was buried near Kufah. The most glorious chapter in the history of Islam came to an end by the death of Ali. The spot near Kufah known as Mashhad Ali developed into one of the great centres of pilgrimage. Ali’s caliphate lasted for four years and nine months. Ali’s political discourses, sermons, letters, and sayings collected in a book entitled Nahj al-Balagha (The Road of Eloquence) are well-known in Arabic literature. Recitation of the Quran without contemplation and thought is futile. — Ali ibn Abi Talib