Battle of Nahrawan & The Khawarij
The Battle of Nahrawan took place in 38 AH. Nahrawan is situated between Baghdad and Wasit and here the battle ensued between Hazrat Ali (ra) and the Khawarij.
(Yaqut Ibn Abdullah al-Hamawi, Mu‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 5 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah], 375)
Ibn Athir has written about this battle stating that in order to reconcile [between the two armies] during the Battle of Siffin, Hazrat Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (ra) was appointed from Hazrat Ali’s (ra) side and Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas was appointed from Amir Mu‘awiyah’s (ra) side as the arbitrators. In history, this incident is referred to as Tahkim [arbitration].
One group from the army of Hazrat Ali (ra) disputed the tahkim. They rebelled and separated themselves and were subsequently known as the Khawarij. These Khawarij deemed the tahkim a sin and demanded Hazrat Ali (ra) to repent and abdicate the Caliphate, but Hazrat Ali (ra) refused outright to do such a thing.
It has already been explained earlier why he refused. Hazrat Ali (ra) was already occupied in preparation to advance towards Syria against Amir Mua‘wiyahra when the Khawarij began their mischievous ploys. They appointed Abdullah bin Wahab as their leader and departed from Kufa towards Nahrawan. The army of the Khawarij in Basra also gathered together and joined the army of Abdullah bin Wahab in Nahrawan.
Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Khabbab, a companion of the Holy Prophet (sa), was killed for siding with Hazrat Ali (ra). His pregnant wife was mercilessly killed by cutting open her abdomen. They also killed three other women of the Tayy tribe.
When news of this situation reached Hazrat Ali (ra), he sent Harith bin Murrah to investigate. He went to them as an emissary, but the Khawarij killed him as well. Owing to these circumstances, Hazrat Ali (ra) abandoned the thought of advancing to Syria and instead, the army of approximately 65,000 which was prepared for Syria, was now advancing to combat the Khawarij.
When Hazrat Ali (ra) reached Nahrawan, the Khawarij were called towards reconciliation. Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari was handed the flag and it was announced that whoever stood beneath it would be granted refuge and they will not fight him. Having heard this announcement, 100 members of the Khawarij – who numbered a total of 4,000 – joined Hazrat Ali (ra) and a large number of those remaining, returned to Kufa. Only 1,800 people advanced forward under the command of Abdullah bin Wahab Khariji and the battle between them and the 65,000-strong army of Hazrat Ali (ra) ensued, in which all the Khawarijwere killed.
According to one narration, a small amount of the Khawarij, numbering less than 10 survived. Seven people among the army of Hazrat Ali (ra) were martyred.
(Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2003], 212-223) (Tarikh al-Mas‘udi, Chapter 2, p. 342, Nafees Academy Astrachan Road, Karachi, November 1985)
Hazrat Amrahra bint Abdir-Rahman relates that before Hazrat Ali (ra) departed for Basra, he visited Hazrat Umm Salamah (ra), the noble wife of the Holy Prophet (sa). She said to Hazrat Ali (ra), “Go forth with the protection of Allah the Almighty. By God, you are in the right and the truth is with you. The Holy Prophet (sa) instructed us to remain in our homes. Were it not for my fear of disobeying Allah and His Messenger (sa), I would have accompanied you. But by Allah, I send my son, Umar, with you who is most beloved and dearer to me than my own self.”
(Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain, Vol. 3, p. 574, Kitab Marifat al-Sahabah, Dhikr Islam Amir al-Momineen Ali, Hadith No. 3611, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2002)