might later change his mind. Facing strong peace sentiments in his army, Ali thus accepted the arbitration proposal, most likely against his own judgment. Here, Madelung criticizes Ali for this decision and suggests that he acted more like a tribal chief than the caliph. Later Ali defended his decision in Kufa, saying that he considered continuing the fight, alongside that minority, but feared that Hasan and Husayn would perish and with them the lineage of Muhammad. It is also possible that he expected the arbitration to collapse but reluctantly went along with it to exhaust this option which was favored by the majority in his camp who apparently hoped for an honorable settlement with Mu'awiya. In any case, the arbitration agreement divided the camp of Ali, as many there could not accept that he would negotiate with Mu'awiya, whose claims they considered fraudulent. It also handed Mu'awiya a moral victory as an equal contender for the caliphate. Selection of the arbitrators In Ali's camp, Abu Musa al-Ashari was proposed as the representative by al-Ash'ath and the Iraqi , who were led by Zayd ibn Hisn al-T'a'i and Mis'ar ibn Fadaki. Abu Musa was the former governor of Kufa, installed by the Iraqi rebels and later confirmed by Ali, who was dissuaded from removing him by al-Ashtar. Anyway, he was soon dismissed after opposing the war preparations for the Battle of the Camel. The majority in Ali's army also pressed for Abu Musa, even though he was reportedly neutral, and despite the opposition of Ali, who said he could not trust Abu Musa because he had earlier agitated against him. Ali was also apparently concerned about Abu Musa's political naivety, or about his neutrality. The alternatives proposed by Ali were Ibn Abbas and al-Ashtar, according to Ibn Muzahim, both of whom were rejected by al-Ash'ath and other Yemenites, and also by the Iraqi . Veccia Vaglieri and Rahman write that the Iraqis were so convinced of the legitimacy of their cause that they insisted on the neutral Abu Musa, whereas others suggest that they were impressed by his piety, or his beautiful recitations of the Quran, or that he stood for provincial autonomy in Kufans' view. Mu'awiya was represented by his top general, Amr ibn al-As, who acted solely in the interest of Mu'awiya. Content of the agreement The arbitration agreement was written and signed by both parties on 15 Safar