37 (2 August 657). Abu Musa and Amr represented Ali and Mu'awiya, respectively. The two representatives committed to meet on neutral territory, to adhere to the Quran and Sunna and to save the community from war and division, a clause added evidently to appease the peace party. Citing Ibn Muzahim, Ayoub gives additional details: The arbitrators were to find guidance in the "uniting" and not "dividing" Sunna of Muhammad, and to do so only if they could not find their answer in the Quran. Making peace was the only objective listed in the agreement, which also guaranteed the safety of the arbitrators and made their ruling binding. The agreement also initially referred to Ali by his official title of () but this was omitted at the behest of Mu'awiya, or Amr ibn al-As. This was pressed by al-Ash'ath upon Ali, who reluctantly accepted it, apparently comparing it with the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, in which Muhammad was not referred to as the messenger of God at the request of the infidels. Variations of this account are given by al-Tabari, Ibn Muzahim, al-Kufi, and Ibn Abi'l-Hadid. The agreement thus treated Ali and Mu'awiya as equal contenders for the caliphate, rather than a rebellious Mu'awiya against the sitting caliph, Ali. The two arbitrators were given a year to come to a decision, or until the end of Ramadan, some seven months later, but this deadline was flexible. In case they failed, hostilities would resume. Two days after this agreement both armies left the battlefield. Seceders As Ali returned to Kufa, some of his men seceded and gathered outside of Kufa in protest to the arbitration agreement. Bahramian puts their number at 12,000, citing al-Baladhuri and al-Tabari. Ali visited them and told them that they had opted for the arbitration despite his warnings, according to al-Tabari. The seceders agreed and told Ali that they had repented for their sins and now demanded that Ali followed suit. To this, he responded with the general declaration, "I repent to God and ask for his forgiveness for every sin," and also ensured them that the judgment of the arbitrators would not be binding if they deviated from the Quran and Sunna. He thus largely regained their support at the time. But when the seceders returned to Kufa, they spread that Ali had nullified the arbitration agreement, which he denied, saying that he was committed to the formal