Episode 16: Reconquering the umma

Divisions within the community only grew as the struggle between its two main parties persisted, almost pushing the goal of reuniting the umma out of the realm of possibility. This episode charts the evolution of this civil war, the disintegration of the norms islam had recently instilled in the Arabs, and the re-emergence of old tribal forces as part of a new paradigm.

Glossary

• Abdallah ibn il Abbas: this cousin to Ali and the prophet was a close confidant to the caliph and a deeply respected Hashemite. He advised Ali’s son Hasan to continue the fight against Mu’awiya, but ultimately relented and pledged his allegiance to the new caliph.
• Ubaidallah ibn il Abbas: Abdallah’s brother, he was the governor of the Yemen whose children were seized and put to death by the notorious Busr. His defection to Mu’awiya’s side was considered shameful, but it makes sense given how hopeless Hasan’s position must have seemed to him at the time. That he had to pal around with his children’s killer afterwards is punishment enough I think.
• Busr bin Abi Arta’ah: this guy’s a real piece of work who seems to have reveled in brutishness. I’m pretty sure he was a loyalist of the Umayyads, but he may have been from Quraysh, or – less likely – maybe even from Medina as some sources claim. Anyway the energy he exudes is savagery as masculinity, which he seemed to believe was the chief virtue a man ought to display.
• Qays bin Sa’ad bin ‘Ubada: an ardent supporter of the Hashemites, and among the most influential men of Medina. His father was the leader of the Khazraj tribe, making him one of the noblest and most renowned of the Ansar.
• The kharijites: at this point their ranks were mixed with losers from all sorts of tribes. I don’t mean it as an insult, but as a descriptor. Their convictions are difficult to understand, so I’ll try and show you things from their point of view. Let’s say your tribe went to war for Ali, and – being of true faith – most of the men in your clan died valiantly, while a rival clan from the same tribe showed tepid support, exerted little effort, and got by with few losses. Well, if Ali had completed his victory over the Syrians, your fallen would be martyrs and you would be a hero. Instead, you now found yourself marginalized – maybe even victimized within your own tribe – with nothing to show for all your sacrifices. The commander you’d freely risked life and limb for allowed himself to be pushed around, and adding insult to injury, he then declared the enemies you’d lost everything fighting muslims to be negotiated with: over which Qurayshi elder would sit on the throne! In this context, not only is bitterness towards Ali quite understandable, why the entire umma seemed hypocritical and sinful also begins to make sense. This isn’t about excusing the kharijites, it’s about explaining them. In their speeches and letters, they rarely failed to mention their dead, their losses, and how everybody else had fallen into sin by chasing glory. They hated pretty much everyone who wasn’t them, and bore a more personal enmity towards the Iraqi tribes from which they’d stemmed. It is also helpful to keep in mind that the tribes which had come to Iraq under Omar were mostly the ones which Abu Bakr had forbidden to join the umma due to their turning away from the muslims after the prophet’s death, meaning that many of their ranks had already left the umma once before.