Battle of Siffin

Battle of Siffin; معركة صفين
	Part of the First Fitna, Second Syria campaign of Ali
Date	July 26 to July 28, 657 AD ; (8 Safar to 10 Safar, 37 AH)
Location	Siffin ; (Tell Abu Hureyra, near Raqqa, Syria)
Result	See Arbitration
Belligerents
Ali's forces of Iraq	Mu'awiya's forces of Syria
Commanders and leaders
Ali ibn Abi Talib; Hasan ibn Ali; Husayn ibn Ali; Abbas ibn Ali; Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya; Malik al-Ashtar; Qays ibn Sa'd; Abd Allah ibn Abbas; Ammar ibn Yasir †; Uwais al-Qarani †; Jabir ibn Abd Allah; Khuzaima ibn Thabit †; Hashim ibn Utba †; Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr; Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar; Muhajir ibn Khalid †;	Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan; Amr ibn al-As; Marwan ibn al-Hakam; Abu al-A'war al-Sulami; Habib ibn Maslama al-Fihri (WIA); Busr ibn Abi Artat; Utba ibn Abi Sufyan; Muslim ibn Uqba; Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni; Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri; Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi; Hassan ibn Malik al-Kalbi; Ubayd Allah ibn Umar †; Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid; Rawh ibn Zinba al-Judhami;
Strength
100,000–150,000 men	130,000–150,000 men
Casualties and losses
25,000 killed	45,000 killed

The Battle of Siffin (Arabic: مَعْرَكَة صِفِّينَ, romanized: Maʿraka Ṣiffīn) was fought in 657 CE (37 AH) between the fourth Rashidun caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib and the rebellious governor of Syria Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan. The battle is named after its location Siffin on the banks of the Euphrates. The fighting stopped after the Syrians called for arbitration to escape defeat, to which Ali agreed under pressure from some of his troops. The arbitration process ended inconclusively in 658 though it strengthened the Syrians' support for Mu'awiya and weakened the position of Ali. The battle is considered part of the First Fitna and a major step towards the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Lecker 2012.
^ ^a ^b Gibbon 1906, pp. 98–9.

[FOOTNOTELecker2012-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Lecker 2012.

[FOOTNOTEGibbon190698–9-2] Gibbon 1906, pp. 98–9.

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