| Banu Najiyah Revolt | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of First Fitna | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Rashidun Caliphate | Kharijites | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Ali Ibn Abi Talib Ziyad ibn Khasafah (WIA) Al-Hilu ibn Auf Al-Azdi † [2] Ma'qil bin Qays Khalid bin Ma‘dan Yazid bin al Mughafil | Al-Khirrit bin Rashid al Naji † [3] | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
Battle of al Madhr: Battle of Ramhormoz: Battle of the Persian Gulf: 2,000 Kufan troops 2,000 Basran troops | Battle of al Madhr: Battle of Ramhormoz: Battle of the Persian Gulf: Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Total casualties 545 killed [5] [6] [7] 500 captured [8] | ||||||||
| 1 Muslim civilian killed by Kharijites [9] and 1 Christian of Banu Taghlib killed [10] | |||||||||
The Banu Najiyah Revolt was a Kharijite uprising against the Caliphate of Ali led by Al-Khirrit bin Rashid. Khirrit gathered support from various factions that had refused to pay the Sadaqah tax and were generally opposed to Ali during the turmoil of the First Fitna. Khirrit also gained support from local Christians and engaged Ali's forces on the coasts of the Persian Gulf, where he was ultimately defeated. [11] [12]
During the period of 658–659, Al-Khirrit bin Rashid, who had fought alongside Ali during the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffin, declared his opposition to the Caliph. He approached Ali with 30 horsemen and stated, "By God, 'Ali, I will not obey your orders nor pray behind you, and tomorrow I shall separate from you." Ali asked Khirrit to debate the authoritative precedents of the Qur'an with him. After hearing this, Abdallah bin Fuqaym urged Khirrit not to leave Ali, but Khirrit insisted he would make his decision only after the discussion. Mudrik bin al-Rayyan then told Abdallah that he, too, would follow Khirrit if he defected. Abdallah informed Ali of the situation and suggested imprisoning Khirrit, but Ali refused to imprison Khirrit before he had committed an act of open opposition. [13] [14]
Ziyad bin Khasafah approached Ali and warned that the defection, while small, could lead to larger numbers of people leaving Ali's side. Ziyad proposed pursuing the defectors to bring them back. Ali ordered Ziyad to pursue them as far as Dayr Abi Musa, where Ziyad subsequently stationed 120–130 troops.
While passing through Niffah, a Muslim horseman from Kufa was interrogated by the Kharijites about his opinion of Ali. Due to his favorable remarks, the Kharijites killed him. This provoked a strong reaction from Ali. Ali cursed the Kharijites and ordered Ziyad to remain at Dayr Abi Musa for tax collection duties. Later, Ali wrote to Ziyad, informing him that the Kharijites had moved toward Niffar and killed a Muslim. He ordered Ziyad to pursue them and urge them to return, but if they refused, he was to fight them, seeking God's help. [15] [16]
Following Ali's orders, Ziyad marched toward Jarjarāyā. Hearing that Khirrit's army had moved to al-Madhr, Ziyad's exhausted forces marched there to confront Khirrit's fresh army. Khirrit accused Ali's forces of supporting evildoers, but Ziyad countered that he stood with God, the Prophet, and the Sunnah. Khirrit suggested a private argument to avoid a public battle, and both leaders dismounted and agreed to negotiate. Ziyad halted his men near a water source to rest. Concerned that his scattered troops were vulnerable, Ziyad alerted them to remain ready for a sudden attack. He then advanced to negotiate with Khirrit, asking why he rebelled against Ali. Khirrit replied that he disapproved of Ali's leadership and chose to support those who called for consultation (shura). Ziyad rebuked him, arguing that none surpassed Ali in knowledge, piety, or closeness to the Prophet. When Ziyad demanded justice for the killing of the Muslim horseman, Khirrit openly defied him. The negotiations failed, and a fierce battle ensued, resulting in losses on both sides. Ziyad's standard-bearer Suwayd and the Abna warrior Wafid bin Bakr were killed, along with five men from Khirrit's side. As night fell, fighting ceased, leaving both Ziyad and Khirrit wounded. Khirrit's army withdrew to Ahvaz. Ziyad's army pursued them up to Basra, where they learned Khirrit's troops were now stationed in Ahvaz. Two hundred more supporters from Kufa had joined Khirrit's army. Ziyad informed Ali of the confrontation. Upon learning of Khirrit's position in Ahvaz, Ali dispatched Ma'qil bin Qays with 2,000 men, including Yazid bin al-Mughaffal al-Azdi. Ali praised Ziyad bin Khasafah for his actions. Khirrit's forces remained encamped near Ahwaz, gaining support from local non-Arabs (*uluj*), bandits, and a group of Bedouins. [17]
Al-Khirrit raided Kufa, killing a group of the city's inhabitants and plundering the area. Khirrit then traveled to Oman and killed Al-Hilu ibn Auf Al-Azdi, Ali's governor of Oman. [18]
Khirrit's army began moving toward the hills of Ramhormoz, aiming for a fortified castle. Local residents informed Ma'qil of their movement, and the armies met near the hill. Ma'qil organized his troops, placing Yazid bin al-Mughaffal on the right wing and Minjab bin Rashid, a Basran troop leader, on the left. Khirrit's forces were composed of Bedouins on the right wing and local non-Arabs aiming to avoid the Kharaj tax and Kurds on the left. Ma'qil encouraged his troops to fight the non-Arabs and Kurds.
The battle resulted in 70 men of Banu Najiyah and 300 non-Arabs and Kurds being killed. Al-Khirrit fled to the coast where a significant number of his tribe was located, continuing his opposition to Ali. He was eventually forced to flee to Bahrain. [19] Ma'qil wrote to Ali about the victory, and Ali praised him and ordered him to expel or kill Khirrit. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
Khirrit established himself near the sea, gathering support from Bani Abd al-Qais and other Arab allies. Khirrit's tribe had not paid taxes during the year of Siffin and owed two years' payment. Ma'qil marched against them with an army of Kufans and Basrans.
Khirrit approached his allies to confirm his Kharijite ideological alignment. Many allies were Christians who had previously converted to Islam but reverted to Christianity during the dissent of the First Fitna, expressing negative opinions of Islam. Khirrit intimidated them by claiming Ali would show no tolerance for conversions and would behead them. [25] [26]
Khirrit continued to gather support. Ali's army found Khirrit's forces divided: one group was Christian and held that Christianity was superior; another group were former Christians who were now Muslim; and the third group were Christians who had joined Islam but later reverted to Christianity. [27]
Ali's commander ordered the killing of the men and the capture of the dependents. The dependents were captured and sent to Ali, who ordered them to be sold. They were purchased by Masqalah bin Hubayrah, who then defected to Mu'awiya. [28]
Ma'qil raised a banner, declaring security for anyone who came to it, except for the men who had openly fought Ali. Ma'qil prepared for battle with Yazid al-Mughaffal on his right wing and al-Minjab bin Rashid on his left. Khirrit's army consisted of Muslims and Christians of his tribe who refused to pay the Sadaqah. After initial charges by Yazid and Minjab failed to break Khirrit's lines, Ma'qil ordered a unified attack. Al-Numan bin Suhban al-Rasibi of Banu Jarm spied on Al-Khirrit, stabbed him, and subsequently killed him in a duel. 170 men from Khirrit's army were killed, and a large number of his troops, along with women and children, were captured by Ma'qil. Muslims who offered allegiance and Christians who accepted Islam were released. A Christian named Al-Rumahis bin Mansar was killed after refusing to accept Islam. Ma'qil collected two years of due Sadaqah payment and took the Christians captive. [29] [30]
Masqalah bin Hubayrah al-Shaybani, Ali's governor of Ardashirkhurrah, agreed to buy the 500 war prisoners from Ma'qil for one million dirhams. Masqalah agreed to pay in installments but freed the prisoners without informing Ali. Ali wrote a letter to Masqalah criticizing his actions and demanding the remaining 500,000 dirhams. Masqalah visited Ali and paid 200,000 dirhams. Unable to pay the remaining amount, Masqalah absconded to Mu'awiya. [31] Ali, in retaliation, demolished the house of Masqalah. [32]
Masqalah later sent a messenger, Hulwan, to Nu‘aym bin Hubayrah (a Shia and sincere advisor to Ali), urging him to join Mu'awiya. Malik bin Ka‘b al-Arhabi seized Hulwan and brought him to Ali, who ordered his hand to be cut off; Hulwan later died. Nu‘aym wrote a letter to Masqalah criticizing his defection. Hulwan's tribe, the men of Banu Taghlib, blamed Masqalah for Hulwan's death and demanded compensation, which Masqalah agreed to pay. [33]