Malik al-Ashtar
Malik al-Ashtar, romanized: Mālik al-Ashtar), born Mālik ibn al-Ḥārith al-Nakhaʿī al-Madhḥijī, was an Arab Muslim military commander and tribal leader of the Nakha branch of the Madhḥij confederation. He became prominent during the Rashidun Caliphate for his leadership in key military campaigns, including the Battle of Yarmuk. Malik was a close ally of Ali, participating as a cavalry commander in major battles of the First Fitna, such as the Battle of Jamal, the Battle of Siffin against Mu'awiya, and the Battle of Nahrawan. Later, he was appointed governor of Egypt, but he died en route in 658 CE.
Early Life and Lineage
Malik al-Ashtar was born in Yemen, Arabia, and belonged to the Madhhij tribe, a sub-clan of the Nakha. In a letter to the Egyptians, Ali referred to Malik al-Ashtar as “the brother of Madhhij”, indicating his membership in the Madhhij tribe, a sub-clan of Bani Nakha in Yemen, confirming his tribal affiliation, which he shared with the Sahabah Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib. His paternal lineage traces back to Yarab ibn Qahtan through Malik ibn Al-Harith.Conflicts during the reign of Uthman
During the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, tensions arose in the city of Kufa over the governance of its appointed officials. In 30 AH, many Kufans were dissatisfied with the conduct of the governor Al-Walid ibn Uqba, a half-brother of Uthman. Representatives from Kufa, including Malik al-Ashtar and Kumayl ibn Ziyad, approached Uthman to complain about the conduct of the governor Al-Walid ibn Uqba. In response, Uthman ordered the group to be deported first to Mu’awiya in Damascus and later to Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid, the governor of Homs.After their return to Kufa, Malik al-Ashtar led a delegation to Medina to address the matter directly with Caliph Uthman. The main figures who spoke out against Walid’s administration included Kumayl ibn Ziyad, Malik al-Ashtar, Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Udays.
Deposition of Sa'id ibn al-As
Malik al-Ashtar and his allies played a decisive role in opposing the governance of Sa'id ibn al-As in Kufa. In a letter to provincial authorities, they encouraged resistance to the central government, stating: “If you wish to begin the holy war, the place for it is now with us in Medina.”By the end of 34 AH, Malik al-Ashtar led a force of approximately a thousand men to block Sa’id ibn al-As from re-entering Kufa upon his return from Hajj. Uthman deposed Sa’id and, to appease the rebels, appointed Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as the new governor of Kufa.
However, Abu Musa’s position proved unstable. He lacked support from the central government and often deferred decisions, leaving the administration of Kufa vulnerable.
The event of Al-Rabadha
During their journey to Medina to address the issues of Walid ibn Uqba, Malik al-Ashtar and the delegation stopped at Al-Rabadha to visit Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, whose health at the time was deteriorating. He was a companion of Muhammad and a steadfast supporter of Ali, who had been banished to die in the desert of Al-Rabadha. Abu Dharr al-Ghifari told his wife about the prophecy of his death, which had been given to him by Muhammad. Muhammad had told Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and some other companions that one of them would die in the desert, and a group of believers would attend his death. However, all of the other men present had since passed away in their houses, suggesting that Abu Dharr al-Ghifari would be the one to die in the desert.His wife saw the delegation's caravan from a hill and signaled them. She informed Malik and the delegation about her dying husband, and they agreed to visit him. They came to Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and Malik told him that they were on their way to Medina to meet with Uthman over the issue of al-Walid. Upon hearing the news of al-Walid, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari became sad.
After the visit to Al-Rabadha, Malik and the delegation continued their journey to Medina. When they finally met with Uthman, they expressed their concerns about Al-Walid's conduct. Although their mission did not immediately succeed, Uthman eventually recalled Al-Walid and appointed Sa'id ibn al-As in his place.
Battle of the Camel
Background
After the assassination of Uthman, Ali was appointed caliph, a decision that was contested by some factions. His nomination by the rebels who opposed Uthman also left him exposed to accusations of complicity in Uthman's assassination. As a result, they planned to launch an offensive against Ali in the year 656 AD, stating that their goal was to avenge Uthman’s death. When Ali received news that a mutiny was going to occur, he formed an army to combat the rebel forces. During the mutiny, the new governor of Kufa, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, encouraged the Kufans not to join Ali's army. When Ali was made aware of this situation, he sent Malik al-Ashtar to rally up troops.Malik delivered a speech to the Kufans and mobilized a large group of fighters. They moved to seize the palace to remove Abu Musa al-Ash'ari; however, Abu Musa was at the mosque at the time. Once informed that Malik and his forces had taken control of the palace, Abu Musa surrendered and requested a day to leave Kufa. Malik allowed him to depart peacefully. Afterward, Malik delivered another speech in the mosque that persuaded many Kufans to enlist. The speech persuaded more than 18,000 soldiers to join Ali's forces. Of these, 9,000 were under Malik's command, and the other 9,000 were under Hasan. They subsequently marched to Dhiqaar, Iraq to join Ali's main army.
The Battle
On the day of the Battle of the Camel, Ali put Malik al-Ashtar in charge of the right wing of his army, Ammar ibn Yasir in charge of the left wing, and gave the flag to his son Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah. When the battle began, Malik al-Ashtar and his soldiers advanced. During the battle, Ali told Malik that as long as Aisha's camel was standing the battle would continue. In order to end the battle Ali ordered Malik al-Ashtar to cut the feet of the Aisha's camel. In addition, he ordered Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, the blood brother of Aisha, to catch Aisha when she falls off the camel. Both Malik and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr carried out their assignments, thus ending the battle.After the battle, Malik al-Ashtar and Ammar ibn Yasir went to Aisha.
Battle of Siffin
The main engagement of the Battle of Siffin took place along the banks of the Euphrates River, where Mu'awiya brought reinforcements to join his forces. During the initial clashes, many of Mu'awiya’s soldiers had been killed or injured, prompting him to strengthen his army. He then launched an offensive to gain control over the river, which was a critical water source for Ali’s forces. Controlling the river was considered a violation of Islamic laws of war.Over time, Malik watched the military supply and movements taking place on the riverbanks. He then realized that Mu'awiya was tightening the siege of the Euphrates River. Noticing that most of the soldiers were thirsty, Malik went to Ali, who subsequently wrote a letter to Muawiyah asking for water. However, Mu'awiya refused to give the soldiers water. Ali Ibn Abi Talib called Malik and asked him to lead his soldiers in an attack to gain possession of the Euphrates River. Malik and his men fought valiantly and won back the possession of the Euphrates River.
The following day, an arrow was shot at Ali's army with an attached letter saying Mu'awiya would be opening the river to drown Ali's army. This news caused the soldiers to withdraw from the banks of the Euphrates River, and Mu'awiya decided to recapture the river for his army. Yet again, Ali sent his soldiers to fight of Mu'awiya's troops and gain control of the river.