The truth shown by history: Swords were drawn not for truth, but for power

Caliph Uthman, one of the wealthiest men of his time, was also among the first Muslims. He was a figure close to the Prophet. Having married two of his daughters, he was considered "part of the family." After Umar, his name was mentioned among the candidates for the caliphate, and he became caliph after a controversial election.

The first six years of his twelve-year caliphate were not subject to much controversy. However, the second six years were not the same. According to the public, the Caliph was not distributing spoils equally, was practicing discrimination, making privileged expenditures from the state treasury, transferring money from the treasury to certain individuals, and, furthermore, the principle of merit was not being observed in state organization. In clearer terms, the Umayyads had seized the state. These were the allegations. According to historical accounts, the Caliph was warned many times in this regard, and certain figures conveyed the public's reaction to him. However, no results were achieved. On the contrary, pressure on the prominent figures of the era increased even further. Abu Dharr, for instance, was exiled and driven into the desert. He was practically left to die alone.

By the year 656, the alarm bells had begun to ring for the Caliph. Protesters arriving in caravans from Egypt, Kufa, and Basra besieged the Caliph's house in front of thousands of people. Some figures present in Medina also joined this siege. Subsequently, the Caliph was murdered in his home. Attempts were made to cover up the death with words of "fitna" (strife); both then and now, history was made to lie so that the truth would not be spoken, and not only the Caliph but the truth itself was buried in the grave.

This was a great trauma for Muslims. Who the deceased was, where he came from, and his family ties were all clear. So why had he met such an end, and why had the Ummah witnessed this end? As we said, when the truth was covered with the veil of fitna, these questions were not faced. The new caliph was chosen amidst such chaos and silence.

That name was Ali. Ali ibn Abi Talib, another son-in-law of the Prophet, was elected caliph within a few days. There was a murdered caliph. Some figures, especially from the Caliph's circle, were demanding the killers of the caliph. Ostensibly, one of these figures was Muawiyah. But how were the killers to be identified? Moreover, there was an atmosphere of collective responsibility. It was in such turmoil that the Battle of Basra, better known as the Battle of the Camel, emerged. Facing Ali were Talha ibn Ubaydullah, Zubayr ibn al-Awam, and Aisha. Talha and Zubayr were also among the first Muslims. They were prominent and wealthy figures for their time. According to some sources, they waged war against Ali when the governorships they demanded from him were not granted. Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, was also with them. What was her reason for waging war? That is a separate debate. But according to them, the reason for the war was the issue of Uthman's killers. Yet, the truth was not so. Despite this reality, that war took place, and thousands of people lost their lives in it. Talha and Zubayr were among the first of these names. The Islamic world was now stained with blood. People who once gathered around the same table and drew swords against the same enemy had now turned those swords against each other.

When we look beyond what is apparent, behind that blood lay conflicts of interest, calculations of gain, expectations of position and office, and dreams of power. Naturally, all these phenomena were not written on clean pages. When this was the case and various crimes were recorded in the ledgers, there was no turning back from certain paths, and some fires never ceased to burn. The Battle of the Camel was one of those fires; we can say its smoke is still rising.

As we mentioned above, one of the figures looking for a reason for war in those years was Muawiyah, the ever-present Governor of the era. Caliphs came and went, but he always maintained his seat by strengthening it. Ostensibly, he was demanding the killers of Uthman, but his lifestyle did not suggest as much. He lived like a king and acted like a state within a state. Indeed, it was he who, as a governor, gathered an army like a head of state and appeared before Caliph Ali. With tens of thousands of soldiers, Muawiyah appeared at the Battle of Siffin not as a governor, but as a king. In total, hundreds of thousands of soldiers fought that day. The result was a catastrophe in the true sense of the word. The Plain of Siffin turned into a lake of blood. Seventy thousand people, including companions of the Prophet, lost their lives in that war. The dead were again covered with the veil of fitna. Again, the truths were buried in the grave with the dead. Again, betrayal was chosen so that the truth would not be spoken and facts would not shed light on history. History was betrayed.

All of this happened in the early years of Islamic history. In its first year, plains turned into lakes of blood, sides became enemies of each other, incurable wounds were opened, and endless hostilities began. So what was the reason, why did it happen this way? Was fitna the cause of this? As we said, it was only a veil that obscured the truth; the real reason was the struggle for worldly ambition and gain.

If your eyes are blinded by greed for money, rent, and power, you can discard all principles, ignore moral judgments, trample on all sacred values, and furthermore, you can even sign off on wars that end in blood and pain. History is the greatest witness to this. In this sense, it sheds light on today as well as the past. History also points us to where we should look: Look at what the warring parties possess, their properties, and the actors they are in contact with. The real cause of the fight is there.

History does not only tell us who fought, but also shows us why they fought. That is why one must look not at names but at wealth, not at slogans but at interests, not at sacred words but at the power relations established. Because most of the time, what is seen on the battlefields is not religion, a cause, or justice; it is the ambition for power hidden behind them. And the moment a human sanctifies power, they can kill not only the truth but also their brother. This was precisely the first great fracture in Islamic history: Swords tore apart the truth before they tore apart bodies.