Battle of Ayn al-Tamr (659)
| Battle of Ayn al-Tamr (659) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of First Fitna | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Umayyad Syria Uthmaniyya |
Rashidun Caliphate Pro-Alids | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mu'awiya I Nu'man ibn Bashir |
Ali ibn Abi Talib Adi ibn Hatim | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,000 troops | 100 troops | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3 killed | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Ayn al Tamr (659) was a military confrontation that took place during the First Fitna after Mu'awiya I dispatched a military expedition against the Iraqi town of Ayn al-Tamr, which was under the control of the fourth Rashidun caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Umayyad forces under Nu'man ibn Bashir attacked Ali's garrison at Ayn al-Tamr, but failed to subdue them and had to retreat.
Background
Nu'man ibn Bashir had been sent earlier along with Abu Hurayra by the long-time governor of Greater Syria, Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, who rejected Ali's authority, to question Ali about handing over the killers of Caliph Uthman. Ali in turn questioned Nu'man about him being one of the few Ansars to break ranks and oppose him. Nu'man replied that he was in support of peace between Ali and Mu'awiya or otherwise in support of Ali.
Abu Hurayra would return empty handed to Syria whereas Nu'man while pretending to be on Ali's side, stayed a month with Ali before fleeing and being captured in Ayn al-Tamr by the governor Malik ibn Ka'ab. When he intended to inform Ali of the circumstances, Nu'man urged him not to inform Ali, thus Malik informed the Ansari Qarzah ibn Ka'ab who advised letting him flee secretly. Malik gave two days to Nu'man for escape and threatened to behead him. Two months after Al-Dahhak ibn Qays's raid on Iraq, Nu'man enlisted for Mu'awiya to retaliate against Malik.[2][3][4][5]
The Confrontation
Mu'awiya I sent Nu'man ibn Bashir with a contingent of 2000 troops to Ayn al-Tamr which was a defense base of Ali under Malik ibn Ka'ab.[6] 1000 combatants were under Malik's command however only 100 were stationed. Malik informed Ali about the advance of Nu'man, who then began preparations for sending reinforcements, managing to gather only 300 men. In a sermon, Ali expressed his disappointment and called for war against the forces of Nu'man ibn Bashir. In response, Adi ibn Hatim offered his support alongside 1000 men from the Banu Tayy. Ali ordered their troops to be prepared at Nukhayla. Besides the forces of the Banu Tayy, only 1000 more troops arrived in support of Ali.
The Banu Tayy awaited for an order from Malik ibn Ka'ab to advance, however Malik assured them that no reinforcements were required. Malik had already sent Abdullah ibn Hawalah and asked for reinforcements from Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym and Qarzah ibn Ka'ab because if his reinforcements from Kufa had been delayed, then he could receive help from them. He had been assured of help from Mikhnaf but not from Qarzah. Mikhnaf mobilised 50 troops which were under the command of Abd al-Rahman ibn Mikhnaf and they arrived in the evening. Until then, the 2000 troops of Nu'man could not subdue the forces of Malik and upon the arrival of reinforcements they began to flee. Malik pursued and attacked them and killed 3 of Nu'man ibn Bashir's men. Following the raid, Adi ibn Hatim raided the Syrian territories along the Euphrates with 1000 men after arriving at Al-Nukhayla.
References
- ^ Brill, E. J. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936. Morocco - Ruzzīk. BRILL. p. 952. ISBN 978-90-04-09792-6.
- ^ Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. pp. 207–208. ISBN 978-0-521-64696-3.
- ^ Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-64696-3.
- ^ "Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books". www.shiavault.com. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "The Events of the Year 39 (659/660)", The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 17, SUNY Press, pp. 198–205, 2015-06-17, doi:10.1515/9781438406206-007, ISBN 978-1-4384-0620-6, retrieved 2025-06-14
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link) - ^ The Encyclopaedia of Islām: A Dictionary of the Geography, Ethnography and Biography of the Muhammadan Peoples. E. J. Brill. 1913. p. 952.