Chapter Nine:Warfare Policies
9/1
Attaching Importance to Military Training
A. Training the Troops
464. Imām Ali (a.s.) – from his commandments to Ziyād ibn Nadr when he assigned him as the commander of his army in the battle of Siffin: “You should know that the vanguards of an army serve as their eyes and the eyes of the vanguard are their forerunners. Therefore when you leave your town and approach the enemy you should not feel weary to search for them because the informers are everywhere and in some of the defiles, woods, and secret places as well as every area so [be on your guard] that your enemies will not raid you or lay trap for you.
Do not make the battalions and tribes proceed from morning to evening unless you want to mobilize them, so that when a matter occurs or a trouble befalls you are already mobilized for it.
Your camp should be upon heights, slopes of the mountains, or in between rivers so that they will form fortresses for you and will prevent your enemies from reaching you. Your fighting should be from one or two fronts. Order the vanguards to settle on the summits of mountains, heights and on the edges of rivers. They should oversee for you so that the enemies will not attack you from a fearful or secured place.
If you want to reside, you should reside collectively and when you want to continue your march, you should continue collectively. When you reside at night, you should encompass your camp with spears and armors. Put the archers behind the carriers of armors so that you will not be taken by surprise or inattentively.
Guard your army yourself. Beware, you should not sleep unbrokenly and should not pass a night with deep sleep. You should keep up this method until you meet your enemy.
You should be careful and deliberate in fighting. Beware of hasting unless a good opportunity arises for you. Do not fight before the enemy attacks you or you receive my order. Peace and God’s mercy be upon you.”1
1.. Tuhaf al-`Uqul, p. ۱۹۱, Nahj al-Balāghah, Letter ۱۱, Waq`at Siffin, p. ۱۲۳, al-Akhbār al-Tiwāl, p. ۱۶۶.
