Ya Mansur Amit

Yā Manṣūr! Amit (Arabic:يا منصور أمت) meaning "Oh, victorious! Bring death" was a motto which was used in the battles in the time of Prophet Muhammad (s). It was also used in the Battle of Jamal, in the uprisings of Muslim b. 'Aqil, Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, and Zayd b. Ali. This motto was commonly expressed as "Ya Mansur! Amit, Amit" or without Mansur, briefly stated as "Amit, Amit (Bring death)."

Translation

Ya Mansur! Amit (Oh, victorious! Bring death) was a motto stated in the battles which was used by Muslims in order to give each other the good news of an imminent victory. It is also said that this motto was used as a secret phrase between Muslim soldiers at night.

Al-Sayyid Ja'far al-Murtada al-'Amili stated that "Ha Mim, la yansurun" and "Ya Mansur! Amit" were Muslims' mottos in their battles in the time of Prophet Muhammad (s) and Imam 'Ali (a). He mentioned that those mottoes had their own connotations and intentions. They gave Muslims hope and belief in achieving victory and they brought courage and sacrifice to them in order to fight confidently with great efforts. As a result, Muslims were able to stand against difficulties with great patience and they could fight relentlessly.

Prophet Muhammad's (s) Era

Numerous mottoes were stated in the battles in the time of Prophet Muhammad (s). As historians said "Ya Mansur! Amit" was stated in the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Banu l-Mustaliq, the Battle of Khaybar and the Battle of Hunayn. In a number of sources the motto was mentioned as "Ya Mansur! Amit, Amit", and occasionally "Amit, Amit". According to some historical reports, Muslims' motto in the battles of Uhud, Banu Nadir and Banu Mustaliq was "Amit, Amit". As al-'Allama al-Majlisi said the addressees of this motto were each and every one of Muslim soldiers, while some believe that the addressee was God.

After Prophet Muhammad's (s) Era

After Prophet Muhammad (s), the motto "Ya Mansur Amit" was stated in the Battle of Jamal. Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya said: "By God when I heard Muslims were saying this motto, the enemy soldiers became fragile, they were shaking as they wanted to save themselves behind each other."

"Ya Mansur! Amit" was the main motto of Alids in their battles including:

1) The uprising of Muslim b. Aqil: When Hani b. Urwa was arrested, Muslim b. Aqil launched an uprising while chanting the motto "Ya Mansur! Amit" which encouraged and motivated people to join him.

2) The Uprising of Mukhtar al-Thaqafi: Mukhtar used "Ya Mansur! Amit" and "Ya la-Tharat al-Husayn (a) (Oh, the Avengers of Al-Husayn (a))". He ordered his men to say "Ya Mansur! Amit".

3) The Uprising of Zayd b. 'Ali: Qasim b. 'Abd Allah Tani'i was ordered by Zayd b. 'Ali to chant this motto which informed Zayd's men of his plan to launch a rise.

4) The Uprising of Abu Muslim al-Khurasani: The rise of people of Khurasan led by Abu Muslim started by the mottoes of Alids such as "Ya Mansur! Amit".