Battle of Nahrawan
battle between Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Kharijites (658)
The Battle of Nahrawan (Arabic: مَعْرَكَة النَّهْرَوَان, romanized: Ma'rakat an-Nahrawān) was fought between the Kufan forces of Ali and the Kharijites, who were primarily composed of qurra originating from across Iraq, in July 658 CE (Safar 38 AH). The latter were a group of former allies of Ali during the First Fitna. They separated from him following the Battle of Siffin when Ali agreed to settle the conflict with Mu'awiya through arbitration, a move labeled by the group as against the Qur'an. After failed attempts to regain their loyalty and because of their rebellious and violent activities, Ali confronted the Kharijites near their headquarters by the Nahrawan Canal, near modern-day Baghdad.
Ali crushed the Kharijites in the battle. Of the 4,000 rebels, some 1,200 were won over with the promise of amnesty while the majority of the remaining 2,800 rebels were killed during the battle. Other sources put the casualties at 1500–1800. The battle resulted in a permanent split between the group and the rest of the Muslims, whom the Kharijites branded as apostates. Although defeated, they continued to threaten and harass cities and towns for several years.
Background
The controversial policies of the third Rashidun caliph Uthman ibn Affan resulted in a rebellion which culminated in his assassination in 656.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Battle of Nahrawan” is battle between Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Kharijites (658). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Battle, Nahrawan and battle, not as a finished interpretation.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2484843. The Library of Congress control number is sh2017004485. Authority coordinates are 34.521, 43.784. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1500 and 1800.
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This entry incorporates text from “Battle of Nahrawan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.