laden with books."(148)
The arbitrators and their companions separated abusing each other while they had achieved nothing by their arbitration, except placing Mu'awiyah in the same rank as Imam 'Ali, whereas until that moment he could claim no title but an unruly and rebellious governor, and now his name was mentioned as a nominee for the position of a ruler over the realm of Islam.
In the battle of Siffin the number of men killed were forty-five thousands of the army of ash-Sham, and twenty-five thousands of the army of Iraq.(149)

ash-Shami plunderers

After his return to ash-Sham, Mu'awiyah dispatched some plunderers to 'Ali's dominion to kill and plunder.

In the year 37 of the Hijrah, Mu'awiyah and his remaining army returned to ash-Sham, but he prepared a new plan for the destruction of the righteous army of Imam 'Ali. From time to time he sent small military units to various regions under rule of Imam 'Ali, to kill, burn, plunder, take captives, and destroy everything that flourished!
Those who were given these criminal missions included such persons as an-Nu'man bin Bashir, Sufyan ibn 'Awf, 'Abd Allah ibn Mus'adah, ad-Dahhak ibn Qays and Busr ibn Abi Artat who carried out the order of Mu'awiyah in the flourishing lands of Islam, namely Iraq, Hejaz and Yemen, and brought souvenirs of death, destruction, fear and panic for innocent Muslims.
Here we will narrate the tragic story of these bloodshed's, massacres and inhumane acts and give a description of these hirelings.