July 27th, 657 - The Battle of Siffin

Conflict: First Fitna

Combatants: Mu'awiya Rebels vs. Rahidun Caliphate

Location: Syria

Outcome: Inconclusive

With the murder of Caliph Othman in 656, Ali, adopted son of the Prophet Mohammed, took control of the Islamic Caliphate. Within a year, however, Othman's cousin and governor of Syria, Mu'awiya, rebelled against Ali. The two factions fought a protracted and inconclusive battle at Siffin, but Mu'awiya would in time be proclaimed Caliph (660). Ali was murdered shortly after, in 661), and his son abdicated.

Battle of Siffin by Bal'ami

Points of Interest:

• Mu'awiya was the first of many Omayyad Caliphs.

• Mu'awiya spread the Islamic Conquests to Asia and Africa.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.