Preface
Abbreviations
Editors' Foreword
Translator's Foreword
The Caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful `Ali b. Abi Talib
The Events of the Year 35 (cont'd) (655/656)
An Account of the Allegiance-Who Gave It and When
The Settlement of the Affair by Giving of Allegiance to `Ali b. Abi Talib
The Expedition of Qustantin, King of Rum, against the Muslims
The Events of the Year 36 (656/657)
`Ali Sends Out His Governors to the Garrison Cities
Talhah and al-Zubayr Ask `Ali If They Can Leave
`Ali Leaves for al-Rabadhah on His Way to al-Basrah
The Buying of the Camel for `A'ishah and the Report about the Dogs of al-Haw'ab
`A'ishah's Remark "By Allah! I Will Seek Vengeance for the Blood of `Uthman!" and Her Departure for al-Basrah with Talhah and al-Zubayr and Their Followers
Their Entry into al-Basrah and the Battle between Them and `Uthman b. Hunayf
An Account of `Ali b. Abi Talib's Advance toward al-Basrah
The Commander of the Faithful Dismounts at Dhu Qar
`Ali b. Abi Talib Sends His Son al-Hasan and `Ammar b. Yasir from Dhu Qar to Get the Kufans to Mobilize with Him
`Ali Sets Up Camp at al-Zawiyah of al-Basrah
The Battle
Another Account of the Battle of the Camel
The Severity of the Battle on the Day of the Camel and the Account of A`yan b. Dubay`ah's Looking into the Howdah
The Killing of al-Zubayr b. al-`Awwam
Those Routed on the Day of the Camel Who Hid and Went off into the Surrounding Towns
`Ali's Grief over Those Killed at the Battle of the Camel, Their Burial, and His Gathering What Was in the Camp and Its Despatch to al-Basrah
The Number of Fatalities at the Battle of the Camel
`Ali's Visit to `A'ishah and the Punishment He Ordered for Those Who Offended Her
The Basrans' Allegiance to `Ali and His Division of the Contents of the Treasury among Them
`Ali's Conduct toward Those Who Fought Him on the Day of the Camel
Al-Ashtar Sends `A'ishah a He-Camel He Had Bought for Her and Her Exit from al-Basrah to Mecca
What `Ali b. Abi Talib Wrote about the Victory to His Governor of al-Kufah
`Ali Accepts Allegiance from the People and the Account of Ziyad b. Abi Sufyan and `Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakrah
The Appointment of Ibn `Abbas as Governor of al-Basrah and Ziyad over the Kharaj Tax
`Ali Equips `A'ishah to Leave al-Basrah
Accounts of the Carnage on the Day of the Camel
What `Ammar b. Yasir Told `A'ishah When the Battle of the Camel Was Over
The End of the Account of the Battle of the Camel
`Ali b. Abi Talib Sends Qays b. Sa`d b. `Ubadah to Be Ruler of Egypt
Muhammad b. Abi Bakr's Governorship of Egypt
`Ali Despatches Khulayd b. Tarif to Khurasan
`Amr b. al-`As Gives Allegiance to Mu`awiyah
`Ali b. Abi Talib Sends Jarir b. `Abdallah al-Bajali to Call Mu`awiyah to Acknowledge `Ali's Authority over Him
Bibliography of Cited Works
Index

This volume of al-¿abari's history deals with the traumatic breakup of the Muslim community following the assassination of the Caliph 'Uthman. It begins with the first seriously contested succession to the caliphate, that of ¿Ali, and proceeds inexorably through the rebellion of 'A'ishah, T'alhah, and al-Zubayr, to the Battle of the Camel, the first time Muslim army faced Muslim army. It thus deals with the very first violent response to the two central problems of Muslim history: who is the rightful leader, and which is the true community? It is a section with the weightiest implications for the Muslim interpretation of history, wide open to special pleading.
There are the Shi'a who depict ¿Ali as a spiritual leader fighting against false accusations and the worldly ambitious. Conversely, there are those who would depict him or his followers in a negative light. There are also the 'Abbasid historians, who, though anti-Umayyad, must balance a reverence for the Prophet's household (ahl al-bayt) with a denunciation of 'Alid antiestablishmentarianism. All these points of view, and more, are represented in al-¿abari's compilation, illustrating the difficulty the Muslim community as a whole has faced in coming to terms with these disastrous events.