Was the Sabaite attack on Ayesha the trigger that started the Battle of Jamal?

Was the Sabaite attack on Ayesha the trigger that started the Battle of Jamal?

Ibn al Hashimi states:

“The Saba’ites…who were fearing of peace…started throwing Aisha with lances while she was on her camel…Aisha said: ‘…remember Allah and Judgment Day.’ But the Saba’ites refused anything but to fight. So the first thing Aisha said when the Saba’ites refused to stop was: ‘O people, curse the killers of Uthman and their friends.’” [Musnaf Ibn Abi Sheibah, vol.8, the Book of the “Camel” in the departure of Aisha, p.718] Aisha’s contingent (رضّى الله عنها) then returned fire in order to defend the Prophet’s wife, and soon the matter escalated into an all out conflict.

Reply One – The narration Ibn al Hashimi relied on is weak

We would invite Ibn al-Hashimi to corroborate this claim by citing the narration from Musanaf along with the chain of narration proving that it is authentic. Our suspicion is he never read the text himself, since the History of Tabari Volume 16 pages 131-2 does not place this event at the beginning of the battle of Jamal, on the contrary the Sabaite attack was when Ayesha’s troops had been routed. The narration is as follows…

““Return to Sayf’s account…

…an in the rout the men retreated toward al-Basrah. But when they saw that the camel had been encircled by Mudar they rallie and reformed as a center [of the army], as they had been when thy [first] engaged in battle, and returned to fight anew, while Rabiah of al-Basrah, some as a right flank, some as a left. “Kab!” leave the camel, and go forward holding the Book of Almighty and Glorious Allah, and then call them to it!” said Aishah and thrust the Quran copy at him. Then up came the forces headed by the Sabaiyya fearing that peace would be made, and Kab met them with the Quran copy. Ali was behind them, restraining them, but they insisted on advancing, and then when Kab called them they all shot [their arrows] at him at the same time and killed him…

They the shot at Aishah in her howdah, and she started calling out: “My sons [Remember] the recompense [of Allah]! The recompense!” She raised her voice very loud “Allah, Allah! Remember Almighty and Glorious Allah and the reckoning!” But they insisted on advancing. So the next thing she did when they insisted was to cry out: “You men! Curse the killers of Uthman and their various supporters!”

Reply Two- Ayesha’s supporters initiated the battle of Jamal, not the Sabaites

When we look at the narrations free of Sayf we see no mention of the Sabaites in Jamal. On the contrary we are quick to learn who initiated the battle. Since Ibn al Hashimi felt happy citing Tabari allow us to likewise cite a narration from Tabari with a chain free of Sayf bin Umar. We are quoting from pages 126-7:

I then said to those around him: ‘Which of you will hold up this copy of the Quran and what is in it before then? Should his hand been cut off he shall then take it with the other one; if that is cut off he shall take it with his teeth”. A young buy said, “I will”. Ali put this to everyone around him, but none volunteered except the boy, so Ali said to him “Hold this up before them and say, ‘Every word in this shall judge between you and us, and I beg of you for Allah’s sake to stop shedding our blood and yours”. But with the copy of the Quran in his hands the boy was attacked. His hands were cut off so he took it into his teeth until he was killed, Ali then said, “Battle is now justified, so fight them!”.

Ahmad bin Zuhayr: Dahabi said: ‘Renowned Hafiz’ (Tarikh al-Islam, v20 p252), Al-Albaani said: ‘Thiqah’ (Silsila Sahiha, v3 p446). Zuhair Abu khaythama: Dahabi said: ‘Hujja’ (Siar alam alnubala, v11 p489), Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah Thabt’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p316). Wahab bin Jarir: Dahabi said: ‘Thiqah’ (Al-Kashif, v2 p356), Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p291). Jarir bin Hazim: Dahabi said: ‘Thiqah’ (Al-Kashif, v1, p291), Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p158). Yunus bin Yazid: Dahabi said: ‘One of the Thabt’ (Al-Kashif, v2 p404), Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p351). Al-Zuhari: Dahabi said: ‘The hafiz of his time’ (Siar alam alnubala, v5 p326), Ibn Hajar said: ‘There is an agreement about his magnificence’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p133).

Imam Ali (as) had every right to declare war against these rebels and start the battle, but he did not. He gave them a last chance to ascertain their motive. When aggression was initiated by Ayesha’s side, Imam Ali (as) deemed it legitimate grounds for him to go into battle.