The objection by Musayyab b. Najih Fazari

:Qurrat-ul-Ain Abidiy

2013/01/09

1124

Musayyab b. Najih (or Najaih) rose and said: "May my life be sacrificed for you. I wonder how you gave allegiance to Moawiya when you had forty thousand soldiers under your command?" 9

From the above objection, it has been concluded that forty thousand soldiers were fighting along with the Imam (as). But it is not certain that the same conclusion may be drawn from the above statement, as it is quite possible that Musayyab, due to his religious zeal and spirit, might have been trying to remind the Imam (as) how he had given allegiance when forty thousand soldiers in Koofa were accepting him as the real caliph and had paid allegiance to him. From the versions relating to the observation of Musayyab b. Najih, it seems that he was stressing on the Imam (as) the desirability of restarting the war and was thinking that perhaps all the people could be readied again for war!

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9. Ibne Abee al Hadeed, 'Sharhe Nahjul Balagha', vol. 16, p.15; Ibne A'sam - 'Al Futooh', vol. 4, p.164; Balazari - 'Ansaab al Ashraaf', vol. 3, p.44.

Adapted from the book: "Imam Hasan and Caliphate" by: "Qurrat-ul-Ain Abidiy"