wish to fight the Syrians without proper warning, to which Mu'awiya responded by fortifying the forces who were guarding the water. Their justification for depriving Iraqis of water was their claim that their enemies were the murderers of Uthman. This is indeed what al-Imama wa al-siyasa quotes from al-Walid ibn Uqba, an advisor to Mu'awiya. In the opinion of Madelung, however, Mu'awiya and the Syrians were perhaps carried away by their own propaganda against Ali. In a related account, al-Ya'qubi quotes Mu'awiya as saying, "May God not allow me and [my father] Abu Sufyan drink from the spring () of the messenger of God if they [the enemies] ever drink from this water." Soon, however, the Iraqis drove off the Syrians and seized control of the watering place, though Ali permitted the enemies to freely access the water source. For Ayoub, this episode is an example of how Mu'awiya used religious language for military and political gain, while Ali held religious imperatives above all. The two sides at Siffin engaged in skirmishes and negotiations. This continued for some three months, certainly through the month of Muharram, in which fighting is prohibited in Islam. The long idle period reflects the troops' reluctance for battle, possibly because they were averse to shedding other Muslims' blood, or because most tribes were represented on both sides. Donner believes that neither of the two leaders enjoyed strong support among their armies. At any rate, the negotiations failed, possibly on 18 July 657, and the two sides readied for battle. Per Arab customs, prominent figures fought with small retinues prior to the main battle, which took place a week later. Main battle Historical materials are abundant about the Battle of Siffin but they often describe disconnected episodes of the war. Lecker and Wellhausen have thus found it impossible to establish the course of the battle. Nevertheless, it can be said with some certainty that the battle began on Wednesday, 26 July 657, and continued to Friday or Saturday morning. Ali probably refrained from initiating hostilities, according to al-Tabari, and fought with his men on the frontline when the main battle broke out, whereas Mu'awiya led from his pavilion. At the end of the first day, having pushed back Ali's right-wing, Mu'awiya had fared better overall. Amr ibn al-As was one of the commanders of the Syrian army. Their advance guard was led by Amr ibn Sufyan