Ubaidullah bin Iyaz bin Amr Qari says that we were present in the service of Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) when Ubaidullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived. This incident is from the days of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); he had come from Iraq. So Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him, "Ubaidullah bin Shaddad! Will you tell me the truth about what I ask you?" Tell me about those people whom Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) killed. He replied, "Why would I not tell you the truth?" So the lady said, "Then narrate the whole incident to me." He said that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) corresponded with Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), and when two arbitrators made a decision, eight thousand reciters (Qaris) rebelled against him and gathered at Harura near Kufa. They reproached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) for making peace, saying, "Allah has clothed you with a shirt and given you a name (by shirt is meant the caliphate and by name is meant the title Amir al-Mu'minin). By making this peace, you are no longer worthy of either, because you have accepted someone other than Allah as a judge in the religion of Allah, whereas judgment belongs only to Allah." When this statement of theirs, on the basis of which they separated from him, reached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he ordered a proclaimer to announce that only those should come to the Amir al-Mu'minin who know the Qur'an or whose house is filled with reciters. So they brought the Qur'an and placed it before him, and he began to gently strike it with his hand, saying, "O Qur'an! Speak to the people." The people said, "O Amir al-Mu'minin! What are you asking from it? It is only ink on paper. We speak about what has been explained to us regarding it. Tell us the real matter, what do you want?" He said, "Between me and those companions of yours who have separated, the Book of Allah is the judge. Allah has said in His Book about a husband and his wife: {وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ شِقَاقَ بَیْنِہِمَا فَابْعَثُوْا حَکَمًا مِنْ أَہْلِہِ وَحَکَمًا مِنْ أَہْلِہَا إِنْ یُرِیدَا إِصْلَاحًا یُوَفِّقِ اللّٰہُ بَیْنَہُمَا} ... And if you fear a breach between the two, appoint an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people; if they both desire reconciliation, Allah will cause agreement between them. The blood and sanctity of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is far greater than that of a man and a woman. These people object to me for making peace with Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), whereas at Hudaybiyyah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) corresponded with his people, the Quraysh (i.e., made peace), and Suhail bin Amr came from the disbelievers. We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He had the peace treaty written, and it was Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), i.e., I, who wrote it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) dictated 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem,' but Suhail said, 'Do not write Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem.' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Then what should we write?' He said, 'Write Bismik Allahumma.' Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Write Muhammad Rasulullah.' But Suhail again said, 'If I accepted that you are the Messenger of Allah, I would not oppose you.' So he dictated, 'This is the agreement upon which Muhammad bin Abdullah has made a treaty with the Quraysh.' Allah has said in His Book: {لَقَدْ کَانَ لَکُمْ فِی رَسُولِ اللّٰہِ أُسْوَۃٌ حَسَنَۃٌ لِمَنْ کَانَ یَرْجُو اللّٰہَ وَالْیَوْمَ الْآخِرَ} ... Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) you have an excellent example, for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day. After this, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) to those people, and I was with Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). When we reached the middle of their army, Ibn al-Kawwa stood up and addressed the people, saying, 'O bearers of the Qur'an! This is Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). Whoever does not know him, does not know. I know him well; the Book of Allah introduces him. About him and his people, these words were revealed: {قَوْمٌ خَصِمُونَ۔} ... a disputing people.' Send him to his companion and do not debate with him about the Book of Allah." Then their orators stood up and said, "By Allah! We will debate with him about the Book of Allah. If he says something true that we know, we will follow him, and if he says something false, we will oppose him with his own falsehood." So they debated with him for three days, and eventually, four thousand of them repented from their stance. Ibn al-Kawwa was also among those who repented. Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) brought all of them to Kufa to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). After that, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a message to the remaining people, "You have seen all that has happened between us and the people. Now stay wherever you wish until the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) unites on a matter. Between us and you, it is agreed that you will not shed the blood of anyone sacred, nor loot, nor break the covenant of any dhimmi. If you do these things, we will fight you. Indeed, Allah does not like the treacherous." So Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "Ibn Shaddad! Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) killed those people contrary to his agreement." He replied, "By Allah! Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not send his men to confront them until they looted, shed blood, and broke the covenant of the dhimmis." The lady said in amazement, "Is it really by Allah?" Ibn Shaddad said, "By Allah, by the One besides whom there is no deity, it happened exactly so." The lady (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "What is the meaning of what has reached me about the people of dhimma?" They say Dhu al-Thadi, Dhu al-Thadi, meaning the one with an arm like a woman's breast, was killed. Ibn Shaddad said, "I saw him. I was with Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) among the slain. He called the people and asked, 'Do you recognize him?' No one could say more than, 'I saw him praying in the mosque of Banu so-and-so,' and no one could say more than that about knowing or recognizing him." Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "As the people of Iraq narrate, what did Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) say standing there?" Ibn Shaddad said, "I heard him there, he was saying, 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.'" Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "Did you hear him say anything else?" He said, "Allah is witness, I did not hear anything else from him." The lady (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "Yes, Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth. May Allah's mercy be upon Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Whenever he liked something, he used to say, 'Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth.' The people of Iraq lie about him and add things to his words themselves."