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1. Birth of Ali

2. Years of childhood

3. Ward of the Holy Prophet

4. Conversion to Islam

5. Battle Between the truth and falsehood

6. Social Boycott Of Banu Hashim

7. Year Of Sorrow

8. Farewell to Makkah

9. Early Days in Madina

10. Battle of Badr

11. Marriage of Ali

12. The Bani Qainuqa

13. The Battle of Uhud

14. Banu Nadeer

15. Battle of the Ditch

16. Campaign Against Banu Mustaliq

17. Banu Quraizah

18. Operations Against Banu Sa'ad

19. Treaty of Hudaibiya

20. Battle of Khyber

21. Conquest of Makkah

22. The Battle of Hunain

23. The Siege of Taif

24. Campaign Against Banu Tai

25. Christians Of Najran

26. Banu Zabada

27. Expedition To Tabuk

28. The Declaration of Discharge

29. Banu Ramla

30. Mission to Yemen

31. The Farewell Pilgrimage

32. Khum Ghadir

33. Death of the Holy Prophet

34. The Caliphate of Abu Bakr

35. Fatima Zahra

36. Ali's Oration on the Death of Abu Bakr

37. The Caliphate of Umar

38. Ali During the Caliphate of Othman

39. Election of Ali as the Caliph

40. The Caliphate Issue

41. Vengeance for the Blood of Othman

42. Deposition of Provincial Governors

43. Defiance of Muawiyah

44. Defection of Talha and Zubair

45. Ayesha

46. Ayesha's March to Basra

47. Battle for Basra

48. Ayesha's Occupation of Basra

49. Ali's March to Rabda

50. Ali's Missions to Kufa

51. Ali's March to Basra

52. Peace Parleys

53. The Battle of the Camel

54. Ali's Occupation of Basra

55. Kufa, the New Capital

56. Qais Bin Saad Ansari

57. Muawiyah

58. Amr Bin Al-Aas

59. In Quest of Peace with Muawiyah

60. Letters of Ali Addressed to Muawiyah

61. Ali's March to Syria

62. The Battle for Water

63. Months of Suspense

64. The Battle of Siffin

65. Arbitration Agreement

66. The Kharijites

67. Testament of Ali

68. The Arbitration

69. The Battle of Nahrawan

70. Ali's loss Egypt

71. Trouble in Basra

72. Revolt of Khurrit Bin Rashid

73. Raids of Muawiyah

74. Martyrdom of Ali-661 C.E.

75. Life of Ali, General Review

76. Ali, The Man

77. Distinctions of Ali

78. Ali in the Holy Quran

79. Ali, The Father of Sufism

80. Ali, The Gate of Knowledge

81. Ali The Poet

82. Ali, The Generous

83. Administrative Instructions of Ali

84. Judgements of Ali

85. Ali's Conduct of Wars

86. Social and Ethical Thought of Ali

87. Political Thought of Ali

88. Ali's concept of God

89. Ali on the Life of the World

90. Anecdotes of Ali

91. Similes of Ali

92. Sayings of Ali

93. Assessment of Ali by Eminent Muslims

94. Assessment of Ali by Western Scholars

The armies that lay in camp at Siffin facing each other were the largest armies so far assembled in the history of Islam. The irony was that such large armies had not been assembled to fight against the non-Muslims in the name of God. The misfortune was that the Muslims were arrayed to fight against the Muslims and each side claimed that it had taken the field for cause. Nevertheless both the sides wished to gain the end they had in view without an armed conflict. Ali instructed his men that they should not fire the first shot. Muawiyah likewise hesitated to take the initiative in beginning the war. With such large concentration of troops at one place, absolute peace was out of question. Isolated skirmishes took place every now and then leading to loss of life on both the sides. There was however no direct clash between the armies as a whole. For over two months the armies as whole remained quiet and in a state of suspense being officially neither at war, nor at peace. Then came the month of Moharrum and during this month the hostilities were officially suspended.

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