The meeting of the two arbiters at Dumat al-Jandal

The two arbiters, Abd Allah ibn Qays and Amr ibn al-As, met at Dumat al-Jandal after the arbitration document. The index of volume five of al-Tabari's history places it in 37 AH. ¹

According to al-Mas'udi, the meeting took place in Ramadan 38 AH. Ali sent Abd Allah ibn Abbas and Shurayh ibn Hani al-Hamdani with four hundred men, and Mu'awiya sent Amr ibn al-As and Sharahbil ibn al-Simt with four hundred men. Among those who had held back from pledging allegiance to Ali and attended were Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Abd Allah ibn Amr, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba. ⁴

Ibn Abbas told Abu Musa that Ali had not been pleased with him as arbiter, because of a merit he saw in Mu'awiya, and that he suspected this was for some evil intended against them. Mu'awiya had advised Amr to delay the cut and to close the joint. ⁴

al-Mas'udi relates that Abu Musa was deposed, while Amr upheld his position. Abu Musa said to him: "You have done it, may God curse you," and the two insulted each other. Abu Musa went off to Mecca, and Amr left. Mu'awiya did not come until he was sent for. He said that Amr had come to him whenever he had a need, but now that the need lay with them, Mu'awiya had more right to come to them. ⁵

The two sources differ on the year: 37 AH in the index of al-Tabari, and 38 AH in al-Mas'udi. No preference between them is given here. It needs an additional source.