To the army before the Battle of Siffin
3 hadiths
1
ومن وصية له (عليه السلام) لعسكره قبل لقاء العدو بصفّين
Given to the army before the encounter with the enemy at Ṣiffīn. [1]
2
لَا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى يَبْدَءُوكُمْ، فَإِنَّكُمْ بِحَمْدِ اللهِ عَلَى حُجَّةٍ، وَتَرْكُكُمْ إِيَّاهُمْ حَتَّى يَبْدَءُوكُمْ حُجَّةٌ أُخْرَى لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ،
Do not fight them unless they initiate the fighting, because, by the grace of Allāh, you are in the right and to leave them till they begin fighting will be another point from your side against them.
3
فَإذَا كَانَتِ الْهَزِيمَةُ بِإذْنِ اللهِ فَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا مُدْبِراً، وَلَا تُصيِبُوا مُعْوِراً، وَلَا تُجْهِزُوا عَلَى جَرِيح، وَلَا تَهِيجُوا النِّسَاءَ بِأَذىً، وَإِنْ شَتَمْنَ أَعْرَاضَكُمْ، وَسَبَبْنَ أُمَرَاءَكُمْ، فَإِنَّهُنَّ ضَعِيفَاتُ الْقُوَى وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالْعُقُولِ، إِنْ كُنَّا لَنُؤْمَرُ بِالْكَفِّ عَنْهُنَّ وَإِنَّهُنَّ لَمُشْرِكَاتٌ، وَإِنْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ لَيَتَنَاوَلُ الْمَرْأَةَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ بِالْفِهْرِ أَوِ الْهِرَاوَةِ فَيُعَيَّرُ بِهَا وَعَقِبُهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ.
If, by the will of Allāh, the enemy is defeated then do not kill the runner away, do not strike a helpless person, do not finish off the wounded, and do not inflict pain on women even though they may attack your honour with filthy words and abuse your officers, because they are weak in character, mind and intelligence. We have been ordered to desist from them although they may be unbelievers. Even in pre-Islamic (al-jāhiliyyah) period if a man struck a woman with a stone or a stick he was rebuked along with his posteriors after him.