In the Battle of Siffin, the Commander of the Faithful Ali (a.s.) was not faced with infidels. Those who were fighting against the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) used to pray and recite the Holy Quran. They used to keep up appearances. It was a very difficult situation. Who should clarify the realities to people in such a situation? Some people were filled with doubts. When you read about the Battle of Siffin, you are filled with anxiety. On several occasions, doubts were raised in the great army that the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) had deployed against Muawiyah in the strategic region of Sham. This happened on several occasions, and the events lasted several months. Sometimes it was reported to Imam Ali (a.s.) that a certain individual was hesitant and that he was saying such things as, why are we fighting this battle and what is the use of it? In such situations, the companions of the Commander of the Faithful - the sincere and special companions who were with Imam Ali (a.s.) since the beginning and never abandoned him - used to take the lead.
Ammar ibn Yasir, who used to shoulder the most important responsibilities, was among these sincere companions. Once Ammar ibn Yasir presented the hesitant soldiers with excellent reasoning. His reasoning can be held up as a model. He found out that some people were in doubt, so he went to them and gave a speech, presenting them with good reasons. He said, I saw the same flag that is being carried by the opposing camp being raised in the Battle of Uhud and Khaibar against the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), and the same people who were standing under that flag during the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) - that is, Muawiyah and Amr ibn al-As - are now standing under the flag you see now. In the Battle of Uhud, Muawiyah and Amr ibn al-As as well as other chiefs of the Umayyad tribe had deployed their forces against the Prophet (s.a.w.a.). It was the flag of the Umayyad tribe. He said, the people you see standing under this flag are the same people who were standing under the same flag to fight the Prophet (s.a.w.a.), and I saw that with my own eyes. He said, the camp of the Commander of the Faithful and the flag that is being carried by the Imam Ali is the same flag that was raised in the Battle of Badr and Uhud as well, and the same people who are standing under the flag of Bani Hashim - that is, the Ali ibn Abi Talib and his companions - were standing under the same flag during the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.). What sign can be better than this? He said the flag was the same flag that had been raised in the Battle of Uhud against the Prophet (s.a.w.a.), and the people who were standing under it were the same people. The only difference was that the opposing camp proudly declared that they were infidels in the Battle of Uhud, but the same people standing under the same flag were claiming that they were Muslims and that they supported the Quran and the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in the Battle of Saffin. This is what I mean by insight.
Ayatollah Khamenei, Jan 9, 2010