The history of mankind has witnessed many leaders over the ages. Many of these leaders achieved leadership through might or inheritance and some were chosen as leaders because of certain outstanding qualities that they possessed. Among the latter group there have also emerged some leaders whose works and contribution to humanity cannot be limited to any particular time or place; and their life-styles, their works and the sayings of such heroes continue to inspire and motivate people, generation after generation. Ali ibn Abi Talib is a unique leader who stands out among all other leaders. Ali was born in the Sacred House (i.e. the Kaba) in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam that was built by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. Ali’s birth in the Kaba is unique in the history of the world. Neither a prophet nor a Divine saint was ever blessed with such an honour. (It was a mark) of him being honoured by God, the Most High, may His name be exalted, and of his position being dignified in its greatness. Ali was raised by Muhammad , the Prophet of Islam himself and was truly the Prophet’s shadow for most of his life, and was elevated to such a stage that it would be no exaggeration to say that he is Islam’s gift to the world of humanity. Wherever Muhammad went Ali was with him all the time. Even in the Mountain of Hira[one of the famous mountains in Mecca] when Muhammad went for meditation Ali went with him most of the time.
Muhammad lived in a society in which ignorance and idol-worshiping were prevalent sanctifying superstition and legalizing the unethical conduct. He lived in the midst of his society as an island of knowledge wisdom and civilization surrounded by an ocean of barbarism and ignorance. Ali was destined to be a part of that independent world and to live in the atmosphere of that island without being affected by the surrounding society. He grew up as a light derived from the light of Muhammad. His illuminated nature and keen mind enabled him to follow the steps of the Prophet living up to his principles and ideals. Ali spoke of his growth under the direction of the Prophet Muhammad and the influence of his attachment to him in forming his high characters:
And he (Muhammad, the Messenger of God) never found an untruth in my words or any wrong in my deeds. God had attached to him (Muhammad) from the time of his weaning the greatest of His angels to walk him through the path of virtue and to teach him the highest ethics of the world… and I was following him as a baby following his mother. He used to raise for me every day a banner of his ethics and command me to follow it.
By that time Ali arrived in his spiritual ascendance to a degree by which he became able to hear and see what the Messenger was hearing and seeing at the days of the commencement of his Prophethood. Ali said that at an occasion which took place during the first few days from the commencement of his Prophethood the Prophet told him:
… Certainly you hear what I hear and you see what I see but you are not a Prophet. You are a minister and you are on a good path.
Ten years in the company of the Prophet had kept him so close and inseparable, that he was one with him in character, knowledge, self-sacrifice, forbearance, bravery, kindness, generosity, oratory and eloquence.
George Jordac — a renowned Christian author of Lebanon — says:
Childhood is the age when one is fully capable of acquiring good qualities. Ali spent a good deal of his life with the Prophet alone. He imitated the Prophet’s conduct and remained separated from his community which was leading a miserable life and was firmly bound with the chains of hereditary customs. For years Ali lived in a pure atmosphere by the side of his cousin and was loved very much by him. None of the companions and followers of the Prophet could develop such a close relationship with him. Ali opened his eyes on the path which had been opened for him by his cousin. He learnt how to worship God from Muhammad’s prayers. He enjoyed the Prophet’s love, kindness and brotherhood. His relationship with Muhammad was similar to the one between Muhammad and Abu Talib. When Ali first felt the sentiment of love in his mind he loved Muhammad. When he spoke for the first time he spoke with Muhammad. On the very first occasion when he was required to display manliness and valour he showed readiness to support Muhammad. Muhammad’s friends were friendly with him and his enemies also respected his personality. Ali was such a protege and disciple of the Prophet that he became his soul and a part of his limbs.
Ali’s mental capability and the integration of his life with the life of the Prophet enabled him to think as a philosopher while he was ten years old. He was able to arrive at a logical conclusion. The overwhelming majority of the Meccans had for thirteen years refused to open their eyes to the light of Islam and prevented the Messenger of God from reaching their ears. while Muhammad and Khadijah (his wife) were praying Ali entered their room. He stood until the Prophet finished his prayer, and asked:
To whom do you prostrate?
The Prophet replied:
We prostrate to God the One Who commissioned me as a Prophet and commanded me to invite people to Him.
The Prophet recited verses from the Holy Qur’an then invited his cousin to embrace Islam. Ali was fascinated. He asked the Prophet to give him time to consult his father. He spent his night excitedly and on the following day he came to declare his Islam. He embraced the new faith without taking the advice of his father Abu Talib [ or Abi Talib] reasoning:
God had created me without consulting Abu Talib. Why should I need his counsel to worship God?
George Jordac says:
However, as Ali was born and brought up in the lap of prophethood, his faith was natural and innate, and he emerged from the body of his mother with this faith in his heart. His faith had nothing to do with age or the vicissitudes of time. He offered prayers and testified the prophethood of Muhammad at an age when a child cannot even express his thoughts. And he did all this without obtaining any order or advice from anyone. Most of the persons who embraced Islam in the early days of Muhammad’s prophethood had worshipped the idols in previous days. However, when Ali prostrated for the first time it was before the God of Muhammad. This was the quality of the faith of the person who was destined to grow up as a supporter and well-wisher of the Prophet, to lead the faithful after the Prophet, and to save the people from the calamities of time.
For three years, Muhammad invited people to Islam in secret, and then he started inviting publicly. According to the Quran, When he was commanded to invite his closer relatives to come to Islam he gathered the Banu Hashim clan[one of the famous and great Arab tribes] in a ceremony. Muhammad announced at invitational events that whoever assisted him in his invitation would become his brother, trustee and successor. Only Ali , who was thirteen or fourteen years old, stepped forward to help him. This invitation was repeated three times, but Ali was the only person who answered the Prophet in all three times. Upon Ali’s constant and only answer to his call, Muhammad declared that Ali was his brother, inheritor and successor and people must obey him. Most of the adults present were uncles of Ali and Muhammad , along with Abu Lahab[ one of Muhammad’s ardent enemies] laughed at them and declared to Abu Talib that he must bow down to his own son.
During the persecution of Muslims and boycott of the Banu Hashim in Mecca, Ali stood firmly in support of the Prophet.
The Prophet has said of Ali:
O Ali, you are my brother in this world as well as in the Hereafter.
I am the city of knowledge and Ali is the gate.
Nobody knows Ali except God and I. Nobody know me except God and Ali.
If you want to see the knowledge of Adam, the piety of Noah, the devotion of Abraham, the awe of Moses, and the service and abstinence of Christ, look at Ali .
George Jordac says:
In order to indicate at which level spiritual brotherhood existed between the Prophet and Ali, to what extent Ali inherited the virtues of the Prophet, how Ali’s soul acquired the colour of prophethood, how much he was loved by the Prophet and to what extent he respected and honoured the Prophet with his heart and tongue, it is necessary that a few traditions may be quoted. Only then we can conclude that in accordance with the sublime rules which became the source of strengthening the religion of Islam, the Prophet was paving the way for the caliphate of Ali. And he was doing so, because he could see his own face in the mirror of the person of Ali and the good qualities possessed by him were also possessed by Ali.
Tabarani has quoted Ibn Mas’ud as saying that the Prophet said:
Looking at Ali’s face amounts to worship.
And Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqas quotes the Prophet as saying:
Whoever hurts Ali hurts me.
when the Prophet was returning to Medina from the “Farewell pilgrimage” he stopped on at Ghadir al-Khum near Johfah [Ghadir al-Khum is located 4 km away from Juhfa. Juhfa is approximately 64 km to the north of Mecca], delivered a sermon and then held the hands of Ali and said:
Of whomsoever I am the master, Ali too is his master.
O God! Love him who loves Ali and be inimical towards him who is inimical towards Ali.
Once a man complained against Ali before the Prophet. The Prophet said in reply:
What do you want from Ali? What do you want from Ali? What do you want from Ali? Ali is from me and I am from Ali and after me he is the master of all believers.
As a youth Ali was strongly built, strong arms, wide chest and a very strong brave and shining face. Children of his age and even older to him were frightened of him and whenever they tried to mock the Prophet, they always ran away when they saw Ali standing by for protection.
Ali was present in all the wars in which the Prophet participated, except the battle of Tabuk when he was ordered to stay in Medina in place of the Prophet. He did not retreat in any battle nor did he turn his face away from any enemy. He was always the standard bearer of the Flag of Islam in all such battles and his bravery became legendary. He never disobeyed the Prophet, so that the Prophet said:
Ali is never separated from the Truth, nor the Truth from Ali.
During the times of the Prophet, whenever Ali met an enemy in battle, he offered him three options. They were: 1.Accept Islam; or, 2.Do not fight against Muhammad who is the Apostle of God, and withdraw from the battle; 3.If the first two options are not acceptable to you, then you be the first one to strike at me. fighting, for him was the last option, and the most repugnant one.
Under Divine instruction, Muhammad married his beloved daughter Fatima zahra to Ali, though others vainly tried for her hand. God blessed this marriage with children. Those children were God’s most devout servants. Their greatest pleasure in life was to wait upon their Lord. Among all the companions of the Prophet, Ali was the most knowledgeable. He had thorough knowledge of the Qur’an, and its interpretation. He was the best of all judges.
In history there were numerous occasions when the Prophet designated Ali as his Deputy and successor after him. at the time of Ghadir this was clearly ordered by God through a clear verse revealed on the Prophet. the event of Ghadir was immediately after the last pilgrimage by the Prophet. the Prophet said:
Do you not testify that there is no god but God, that Muhammad is His creature, His servant, and His apostle, that there is the Heaven and the Hell, that death will overtake every one of you, that you will be brought back from your graves that the Day of Judgement will surely dawn and human beings will be resurrected from their graves to account for their deeds.
The whole crowd declared in unison:
We believe and testify all this.
Hearing this the Prophet declared:
I am leaving amongst you two most important things worthy of obedience, the Book of God and the other is my household. Take care how you treat them, they will not separate from each other till they reach me at the pond of Kawthar .
then he said:
God is my guardian and I am the guardian of the believers and I am more deserved for your guardianship than you for yourselves. Do you believe in this assertion of mine?
They all in one voice replied:
Yes O’Apostle of God.
At this solemn affirmation he said:
Of whomsoever I am the master, Ali too is his master. He is to me what Aaron was to Moses. O God! Love him who loves Ali and be inimical towards him who is inimical towards Ali, help those who help him and frustrate those who betray him.
George Jordac says:
He (Muhammad) loved Ali beyond measure. He did not only love Ali himself but endeavoured to make others also love him, so that he might assume the responsibilities of the caliphate after him. He wished that people might become fully aware of the qualities of Ali so that after his own death they should see in Ali the person of Muhammad himself as if Muhammad were still alive.
Another part of Ali’s life started after the demise of the Prophet, when some companions of the prophet didn’t let him to be the successor . It lasted until Othman Ibn Affan was assassinated, the third caliph of Sunnis . When Muhammad died, Ali performed his obsequies, and gave him burial. He knew what the other companions were doing when he was busy with these duties but he did not allow anything to distract him. He kept his duty ahead of his interests, and his principles ahead of politics. the news was given to Ali about the events at the Saqifa that Abu bakr [one of the companions of the Prophet] was made Caliph.[ A roofed building which has a loggia is called “saqifa”. It seems that some Arab tribes or maybe all of them had such a place where they gathered to consult each other and make decisions on public affairs. To know more about the events at the Saqifa , see: http://islampfr.com/saqifah/ ]
Ali realized that any serious dissension at this stage would harm the cause of Islam. Muhammad, The Prophet of God, had told Ali:
your status is like that of kaba. People go to Kaba but that August house never approaches anybody. Therefore after my death, if people come to you and swear the oath of allegiance you accept it and if they do not come to you then you do not go to them.
Ali’s love for Islam was so intense, he could not, for the sake of worldly rule, endanger Islam. He knew fully well that a civil war at this stage would give chances to the Jewish tribes on the one side, and the Byzantine armies in the north with the hypocrites on the third side to simply take advantage of the situation. When they would find the Muslims busy killing each other they would literally cut them to pieces and Islam would totally disappear as a message of peace. As Ali says:
I put a curtain against the caliphate and kept myself detached from it. Then I began to think whether I should assault or endure calmly the blinding darkness of tribulations wherein the grown-up are made feeble and the young grow old and the true believer acts under strain till he meets God (on his death). I found that endurance thereon was wiser. So I adopted patience although there was pricking in the eye and suffocation (of mortification) in the throat. I watched the plundering of my inheritance… .
When God took the soul of His Prophet, the Quraysh [ one of the best-known and the most important Arabian tribes] self-centeredly considered themselves superior to us and deprived us — who were the most deserving for the leadership of the umma [the whole community of Muslims]— of our own rights. But I saw that patience and forbearance with respect to this affair is better than the dissension of Muslims and shedding of their blood. It is because the people then had newly embraced Islam and the religion was like a goatskin full of milk which has frothed and the least sluggishness and negligence would spoil it and the most trivial difference would turn it upside down.
I swear by God that at that juncture it could not even be imagined that the Arabs would snatch the seat of the caliphate from the family and descendants of the Holy Prophet and that they would be swearing the oath of allegiance for the caliphate to a different person. At every stage, I kept myself aloof from that struggle of supremacy and power-politics till I found the heretics had openly taken to heresy and schism and were trying to undermine and ruin the religion preached by our Holy Prophet . I felt afraid that, even after seeing and recognizing the evil, if I did not stand up to help Islam and the Muslims it would be a worse calamity to me than my losing authority and power over you, which was only a transient and short-lived affair. Therefore, when I stood up amidst the sweeping surge of innovations and schism the dark clouds of heresy dispersed, falsehood and schism were crushed and the religion was saved.
Hassan, son of Ali, writes in a letter :
Since we were afraid that the hypocrites and the other Arab parties could render a blow to Islam, we ignored our right.
The original inheritors of Muhammad, the Prophet of God, and the upright adherents of the religion are the members of the Prophet’s family. They were the partner of the Qur’an, the second previous legacy of the Prophet and the interpreters of the religious laws, and they showed to the people the pristine and genuine Islam after the Prophet’s demise. Their extinction would be an irreparable loss. As Ali says:
Then, I looked and found that there is no supporter for me except my family [Ahlul bayti], so I refrained from thrusting them unto death.
Although ‘Ali distanced himself from the political scene with the formation of Saqifa, the Shi‘ah in the form of a particular group with a particular political orientation was formed after the event in Saqifa and were collectively or individually defending the truthfulness of ‘Ali.
During those 25 years, Ali neither took part in any battle or conquest, nor did he assume any executive position. He withdrew from political affairs, especially after the martyrdom of his wife, Lady Fatima Zahra. He used his time to serve his family and worked as a farmer. Ali dug a lot of wells and planted gardens near Medina and endowed them for public use. He compiled the complete version of the Quran, Six months after the demise of the Prophet . It was included Prophet Muhammad ’s interpretations and it was sorted by the revelation time of each verse. The volume was completed and carried by camel to show to other people of Medina. However, this book was rejected by Othman . Afterward, Othman changed the order of verses and also he omitted Prophet Muhammad ’s interpretations. Both Qurans of Ali and Othman are the same by the number of verses but different in ordering. The Quran of Ali remained in the progeny of Prophet Muhammad and it will be manifested by 12th Imam (Imam Mahdi) when he returns.
Ali was caliph as the leader of Muslims after the Prophet, between 656 and 661, during one of the most turbulent periods in Muslims history. Othman’s assassination meant that rebels had to select a new caliph. In order to resolve the deadlock, the Muslims gathered in the Mosque of the Prophet on June 18, 656 to appoint the caliph. Initially Ali refused to accept, however, when some companions of Prophet Muhammad, in addition to the residents of Medina, urged him to accept the offer, he finally agreed. Ali disagreed to be the caliph he knew because of the political and economical corruptions in the last caliphate, many people couldn’t bear his justice. but when he saw people want him strongly and need him too, then he accepted. When Ali took charge of the government, the Muslim umma was in a state of anomie. Its ruling classes had reached a state of undreamed-of affluence, and the ultimate arrogance of power. He realized that the social, economic and political order of the state called for a restructuring of government and society. But his attempt to restructure government and society was resented by the rich and the powerful.
Ali described his rule as something which is even less worthy than his old and patched up shoelaces. he also said:
Then you would have seen that in my view this world of yours is no better than the sneezing of a goat.
What value does the sneezing of a goat have? It has no value. He says that this power and this rule is even of less worth and less significance than the sneezing of a goat. He like other godly men and spiritual leaders, despises temporal power and political office for being lowly and degrading when an instrument of gratification of lust for power and political ambition. He looks down upon it with extreme contempt when it is desired as an end-in-itself and aspired as an ideal of life. He considers such kind of power to be devoid of any value. But the same power and leadership if used as a means for the establishment and execution of social justice and service to society is regarded by him as a thing of paramount sanctity, for which he is willing to fight any opportunist and political adventurer seeking to grab power and illegitimate wealth. In its defence, he does not hesitate to draw his sword against plunderers and usurpers. he explains why he accepted government:
If people had not come to me and supporters had not exhausted the argument, [I would not have accepted caliphate].
He said that he accepted caliphate because the people insisted and pledged allegiance to him. He goes on to explain:
If there had been no pledge of God with the learned to the effect that they should not acquiesce in the gluttony of the oppressor and the hunger of the oppressed I would have cast the rope of caliphate on its own shoulders.
He said that God the Exalted has commanded scholars and knowledgeable personalities to avoid enduring the oppression of oppressors and the hunger of the oppressed. These were the things which drew Ali towards caliphate.
George Jordac says:
Ali was not very keen to become a caliph. He assisted Abu Bakr and Umar as and when they were faced with a difficulty. Whenever the Islamic caliphate was confronted with a problem Ali solved it. He showed kindness even to Othman and never complained against Othman’s attaining to the caliphate instead of himself. The only thing for which he was anxious was the establishment of truth and justice. People beseeched him to accept the caliphate but he did not evince any interest in it. History shows and his own remarks are also available to the effect that when, after the assassination of Othman , the people came to him collectively and requested him to assume the caliphate he said:
Leave me and find out someone else for the job. If you leave me alone I shall be a member of the society like you and shall be more attentive and obedient than you to the person whom you select as the caliph. I shall be more useful for you in the capacity of an adviser than in that of a caliph.
On that day Ali was not agreeable to accept the caliphate as with his far-sightedness he could see up to the last end of the future. If he was a claimant of the caliphate earlier, it was not because he desired to become a ruler. On the contrary what he desired was that Muslims should develop within themselves those morals and virtues which the Prophet wanted to inculcate in them. And if he declined to accept that office at that stage (i.e. after the assassination of Othman ) it was because owing to the policies of the former rulers the habits of the Muslims had been spoilt and their way of thinking had changed.
The kingdom which was established with the name of Islamic state had been moulded into worldly authority and carried the signs of the despotism of Kaiser and Kisra. Ali’s object differed from the desires of the people. Neither Ali could condescend to the wishes of the people, nor could people agree to Ali’s achieving the ends he had in view. He himself draws the picture of that period in these words:
The time is extremely incompatible and disagreeable. In these days a righteous person is considered to be wicked and the refractoriness of the tyrant is on the increase. This is so because the sky is covered with dark clouds and the signs of the paths have been obliterated. The people are involved in doubts and sensuality. They have ears but they are deaf. They have eyes but they are blind. They are neither steadfast in the battlefield nor reliable in difficult circumstances.
Ali knew very well that if he accepted the request of the people and assumed the responsibilities of the office of caliphate they would not tolerate the manner in which he would run the administration and would not obey his orders unless he was harsh to them.
These were the conditions which Ali had to face after the assassination of Othman. The dignitaries as well as the common people gathered outside the door of his house again and again and insisted upon his accepting the oath of allegiance from them. However, notwithstanding the fact that he entertained very good wishes for the people in his heart he was reluctant to accept the oath of allegiance from them. There was, however, one thing which obliged him to think of accepting their request. The Muslims were too much insisting upon his accepting that office, which meant that a responsibility was being placed on them to guide those, who were in need of reformation and guidance from him. Furthermore, at that time social equity and justice were in danger. Persons in authority were encroaching upon the rights of the weak, and the life, property, and honour of the common man did not carry any value. Ali could not tolerate that he should sit quietly in his house when the poor citizens were being subjected to oppression.
Favouritism, nepotism, partiality and shutting up of mouths by big morsels, have always been the essential tools of politicians. Now a man had assumed power and captained the ship of the caliphate who profoundly detested these things. In fact his main objective was to struggle and fight against this kind of politics. Naturally, with the very inception of Ali’s reign, the politicians with their hopes and expectations were disappointed. Their disappointment soon grew into subversive conspiracies against Ali’s government, creating for him many a headache. He regarded people with reverence, whether they were Muslims or non-Muslims. He did his best to distribute wealth and spoils among them justly. Well-meaning friends, with sincere goodwill, advised Ali to adopt greater flexibility in his policies for the sake of higher interests. some people said to him that he should show some consideration for the influential personalities in society and that he should give them a larger share of public funds. Ali replied to them:
Do you ask me to seek support through injustice [to my subjects and to sacrifice justice for the sake of political advantage]? By God! I will not do it as long as the world lasts and one star follows another in the sky [i.e. I will not do it as long as the order of the universe exists]. Even if it were my own property I would distribute it with justice, and why not when it is the property of God and when I am His trustee?
This is an example of how highly Ali valued justice and what status it held in his opinion.
In the beginning of his caliphate, a number of people gathered around Ali and they insisted that he deal with some of his opponents. They firmly insisted that he should do this. In response, Ali advised them to be patient. One of the things that he said was:
One group will think as you do, but another will not think as you think, and there will be still another group who will be neither this way nor that way. There are some people who have the same opinion as you do and there are some people who believe something that you do not. There is another group of people who do not take sides at all. These people have a different opinion. Therefore, you should be patient.
He said that they should be patient so that he can carry out his responsibility with acumen.
Be patient until people quieten down and hearts settle in their places so that rights can be achieved for people easily.
He said that they should allow him to establish people’s rights in a calm and peaceful way.
But if I do not find another way, the last treatment, of course, will be branding with a hot iron.
We should do our best to establish and achieve people’s rights in a patient and kind way. If we realize that there is no other alternative, then we should “brand with a hot iron”. This is a well-known Arabic saying. It means that the last alternative is behaving in a firm way.
Soon after Ali became caliph, he dismissed unworthy provincial governors, replacing them with trusted aides. During his caliphate , Ali followed, exactly, the way of the Prophet and gave his caliphate the form of a spiritual movement and renewal and began many different types of reforms. Naturally, these reforms were against the interests of certain parties that sought their own benefit. As a result, a group of the companions made a pretext of the death of the third caliph to raise their heads in opposition and began to revolt and rebel against Ali. Those, who enjoyed from the public treasury during the reign of Othman, expected that Ali would never refuse to employ them in the state affairs, but he in the first day of his caliphate said:
I will get back all the wealth gifted to this and that even if they have paid them to their wives as dowry.
Ali desired to purge Islam of any evil. He advised the populace to behave as true Muslims, warning that he would tolerate no sedition and those who were found guilty of subversive activities against Islam, would be dealt with harshly. Ali recovered the land granted by Othman and swore to recover anything that elites had acquired before his election. Ali opposed the centralization of capital control over provincial revenues, favoring an equal distribution of taxes and booty amongst the Muslim citizens; he distributed the entire revenue of the treasury among them. Ali refrained from nepotism, including with his brother. Once when his daughter had borrowed a necklace from Bayt al-Mal [ literally meaning the House for Money, is used as an equivalent for the Treasury House where public fund is kept] for a short time, Ali got angry when he knew about it and he threatened the treasurer to be punished for his carelessness. He said to his daughter:
I would have punished you if you had not guaranteed it against risk.
Ali was very adequate in distributing the wealth and the grains among the people so that the all, far or near, could enjoy their shares equally.
A candle burnt by his side, as he sat down meticulously recording all the revenue and the expenses of the treasury. Just then Talha and Zubair [They both were the companions of the Prophet] appeared. They aspired to some positions of authority in Ali’s rule and had come to strike a deal. If Ali’s gave them a place of distinction, they would in turn pledge their full support. Ali’s knew of this. Just as they sat down, Ali’s puts out the candle and lit another one. Talha and Zubair exchanged a glance of surprise and then one of them said:
O Ali, we have come on some important business. But why did you extinguish the first candle?
Ali’s replied:
That was a candle bought of Treasury funds. As long as I worked for the Treasury, I used it. Now you have come for some personal work, so I use the candle bought of my personal fund.
Talha and Zubair left him without saying another word.
What shows Ali’s policies and ideas of governing, is his instruction to Malik Ashtar (Ali’s closest companion), when appointed by him as governor of Egypt. This instruction, which is considered by many Muslims and even non-Muslims as the ideal constitution for Islamic governance, involved detailed description of duties and rights of the ruler and various functionaries of the state and the main classes of society at that time. Ali wrote in his instruction to Malik Ashtar:
Infuse your heart with mercy, love and kindness for your subjects. Be not in face of them a voracious animal, counting them as easy prey, for they are of two kinds: either they are your brothers in religion or your equals in creation. Error catches them unaware, deficiencies overcome them, (evil deeds) are committed by them intentionally and by mistake. So grant them your pardon and your forgiveness to the same extent that you hope God will grant you His pardon and His forgiveness. For, you are above them, and he who appointed you is above you, and God is above him who appointed you. God has sought from you the fulfillment of their requirements and He is trying you with them.
Ali instructed to Malik to give more attention to development of the land than to the collection of the tax, because tax can only be obtained by the development of the land and whoever demands tax without developing the land ruins the country and destroys the people.
Nowadays the world’s population is divided into two classes; a group living in extreme poverty that a bit of food is not possible for them and another group surrounded with affluence and riches living at ease and luxury. The Islamic civilization does not allow such distinction of classes; therefore Ali wrote in his instruction to Malik Ashtar:
There are many indigents among people, who do not request for more than their share when they are badly in need of more. For God’s sake, safeguard their rights because the responsibility lays on you before God. Assign a portion from the treasury for their living and education wherever they are, whether near at hand or far from you. The rights of the all ought to be protected by you.
Ali often said:
Wherever there are palaces and affluences there are surely many lost rights beside them.
This is really the civilized Islam, which calls for argument among the civilizations.
Read the full text of this letter:
The political behavior of Ali was not separate from his spiritual and moral behavior. The politics of Ali interrelated with his spirituality and morality. In fact, his politics originated from his spirituality and morality. If one’s politics originate from morality and feed from spirituality, then it will be a tool for the people who are faced with it, to achieve perfection and paradise. But if politics become separate from morality and spirituality, then it will be demagoguery. It will be a tool for gaining power at any price, for accumulating wealth and for furthering one’s own interests. This kind of politics is like a pest. Ali’s policy was purely Qur’anic. He was not going to compromise with Islamic ethics and principles for the sake of hanging on to power and authority. If he had also adopted the policy of realpolitik, he would have been eminently successful but doing so would have changed the character of his government from Islamic to “Aristotelian.” Ali did not try to please the rich and the powerful at the expense of the poor and the weak. He invariably put the interests of the poor and the weak ahead of the interests of the Arab aristocracy. The Arab aristocracy resented this, and showed him its resentment. When distributing the revenues of the state treasury, Ali made no distinction between high and low, rich and poor, and Arab and non-Arab. In his sight, they were all equal. The Arab lords protested against such treatment but he ignored their protests. Soon their protests exploded in civil war.
It is clear that social justice is based on righteous judgments of the judges. Therefore Ali had instructed the judges with many legal instructions in order to spread justice everywhere. According to Ali’s instructions, every judge ought to treat the litigants equally in looking at them, talking with them and in seating them so that the judge’s relative would not exploit the opportunity to gain illegal benefits and that the judge’s enemies would not despair of justice. Once he said to the second caliph Umar:
There are three things that if you put in practice, you won’t be in need of other thing;1- Enforcement of the religious law upon the stranger and acquaintance equally. 2- Judging according to the book of God (Qur’an) in state of anger or consent. 3- Just division of the spoils between the lowly people and the nobles and between the black and the white.
George Jordac says:
Ali safeguarded the rights of the people so meticulously that it is almost impossible to find any sermon, speech or testament of his in which he may not have mentioned these rights and may not have drawn the attention of the governors and the officials to them. Meeting the needs of the people was undoubtedly the greatest duty of the ruler and the law-giver and the greatest right of the people in the eyes of Ali. It was Ali who considered the greatest sin of Kaiser and Kisra to be this that they humiliated their subjects, did not look after their rights, deprived them of the bounties of the earth and the comforts of life and tried to make them indigent and despicable. He says:
Think over the agitation and distress of the people when Kaiser and Kisra were their rulers. They had expelled them from fertile lands and the water and verdure of Iraq and transferred them to a place where there was no vegetation and where there was nothing except violent winds, and had made them extremely poor and indigent.
Whenever a governor or an official committed breach of trust of public property (whether the amount involved was small or large) Ali threatened him with severe punishment. He was deeply grieved as and when he came to know that a governor or an official had usurped a property or had been guilty of hoarding, and he reprimanded him in very severe terms. He once wrote thus to a governor:
I understand that you have usurped the land belonging to the public treasury and have appropriated what was under your feet and eaten what was in your hands. You should, therefore, send me your account.
The sentence “Send me your account” in the letter of the Commander of the Faithful [i.e. Ali] deserves attention. This sentence carries very vast meanings. He was so keen to enforce justice that he could not tolerate any excuse or slackness in this behalf. Besides possessing a firm faith Ali was a subtle observer and was fully aware of the mysteries of human society, and the mutual relations of the public. He knew which rights had been encroached upon, and which of them were going to be encroached upon. He fully realized that injustice and oppression was harmful for the society internally as well as externally and the oppressors as well as the oppressed were threatened with grave dangers. He considered pleading for justice and administration of justice to be necessary even though it might be disliked by the governors and the officials. He wrote with much annoyance: “Send me your account”.
We go back to dry and sandy Arabia of fourteen centuries ago where ignorance and party spirits were spread. The noble privilege and grandness were too much hateful and the ordinary people could never look forward to the positions that were held by the nobles. Ali proclaimed freedom and equality and those, who were entitled to virtue, became high- ranking officials during his government. He urged people to behave fairly towards each other without letting differences trouble their life. Although such privileges were cancelled by the charter of the Human Rights organization under the name of freedom and equality, it took a long time until the west got rid of the gloom of the ignorance of the middle Ages. In spite of this declaration of the Human Rights, we regretfully see the racial feelings and supremacy over other nations and bloody wars throughout the world. the shameful act of killing the Palestinians in Sabra and Shatilla camp and the felony of the Sorbs in Kosovo and Herzegovina are not just stories. These ugly and hateful events are written down in the pages of history like a stain on man’s forehead.
One of the characteristics of Ali’s politics is that it was free of any deception and trickery. Ali has said:
If it were not for piety, I would be able to use tricks better than all deceitful Arabs.
When he is committed to piety and morality, then his hands and his tongue are tied. If one is not pious, his hands and his tongue are free and they can do and say whatever they want. If we are not pious, we can say things which are not true, we can engage in slandering, we can tell lies to people, we can break our promises, and we can become attached to the enemies of the straight path. When piety does not exist, this is the way we behave. Ali said that he chose politics and piety together.
There were many Jews and Christians living under Ali’s domination. They were free to practice their rituals and their rights were secured by the government. One day when Ali was exhorting people to jihad [struggle in the way of God], he said:
It is reported that the enemy has taken ornaments off the legs and the ears of two Christian women, who were under the Islamic rule.
And then he said:
One, who hears this startling news and dies, is not to be blamed.
The personal life and behavior of this great and powerful ruler with a vast and rich country at his disposal was like a poor person. his lifestyle didn’t change. Ali lived an austere life in the true sense of the term. His clothing was made of the coarsest material with many patches on it. His food was dry barley bread. Occasionally, he ate some dates. He was extremely abstemious, and often told the Arabs not to eat too much, and particularly, not to eat too much meat.
O Arabs! Do not make your stomachs the graves of animals.
He avoided all material pleasures in a way that he himself said to his companions, colleagues, and the politicians of his time,
I know that to adopt such a hard way of life is beyond you .
He said to them that they cannot live such a life and he was right. He still made his living as a laborer. He ruled the Muslims with the “collaboration” of labor. In a sense, his government was the first “labor government” of history, and also its last, since he was not an “arm-chair” laborer but actually worked in fields and gardens for a competence. No one can do this. It is really astonishing that Ali’s life during his government was like this. His house was modest. His lifestyle was like a poor and needy person. This was while he engaged in all these great tasks.
George Jordac says:
It is also true that Ali considered only two sheets of cloth to be sufficient for himself and also contented himself with only two loaves of bread per day. His house also resembled the house of the poor people. The instances of his abstemiousness and contentment are numerous and so well known that it is not necessary to recount them here. Ali himself was the greatest abstemious person, who was free from all worldly taints. However, he did not at all like that others too should remain contented with poverty. If it had not been so he would not have started a campaign against the rich and powerful persons, and against those who usurped the property acquired by them unlawfully, and distributed it amongst the poor and the needy.
He lived with the members of his family in a hut which was also his seat of government. His rulership was not in the form of kingship but in the form of caliphate. He ate barley bread prepared from the flour ground by his wife. Of course his governors and officials availed of the luxuries which became available from Syria, Egypt and Iraq. Often he did not make his wife take the trouble of grinding the mill and did this job himself. Although he was the Commander of the Faithful he ate bread which was so dry and hard that it could be broken by pressing it with the knee. When it was very cold during winter he did not have any clothes for that season and contented himself with thin summer clothes.
It is said that Ali did not place either a stone on a stone or a brick on a brick and did not also join a reed with a reed. In other words he did not construct for himself even a house made of reeds. Although the White Palace had been constructed for him he did not occupy it because he did not wish to live in a house which was better than the huts made of wood occupied by the poor people. The manner in which Ali led his life is reflected in his well-known remark:
Should I content myself with this that the people call me the Commander of the Faithful and I should not share the vicissitudes of life with them?
How did politicians and rulers throughout the world live? How did Ali live? This is another important chapter which has been unique until today and which will be unique forever.
According to the testimony of friend and foe alike, Ali had no shortcomings from the point of view of human perfection. And in the Islamic virtues he was a perfect example of the upbringing and training given by Muhammad, the Prophet of God. In science and knowledge Ali was the most learned of the companions of the Prophet, and of Muslims in general. In his learned discourses he was the first in Islam to open the door for logical demonstration and proof and to discuss the “divine science” or metaphysics . He spoke concerning the esoteric aspect of the Qur’an and devised Arabic grammar in order to preserve the Qur’an’s form of expression. He was the most eloquent Arab in speech.
George Jordac says:
Ali was matchless so far as power of perception is concerned. The Islamic learning rotates on the pivot of his intellect. He was the fountain head of knowledge.
His knowledge of the traditions of the Prophet was such that none else could compete with him in the matter.
Ali was superior to all others in the matter of jurisprudence and Islamic learning just as he acted upon them in a better way than others. Those who were his contemporaries did not find a greater jurist and a greater judge than him. Abu Bakr (First Sunni Caliph) and Umar (Second Sunni Caliph ) always approached him for the solution of difficult problems. These two caliphs benefited much from his knowledge and wisdom. Other companions of the Prophet also consulted him for the solution of their problems. None could put forth better arguments than him with regard to legal problems.
He possessed such intelligence, wisdom and power of thinking that in the event of dispute he could give the most rational judgment. His conscience was so strong that he was capable of giving a conscientious and just decision after examining and understanding various aspects of a matter.
Umar ibn Khattab has been reported to have said:
O Abul Hasan [i.e. Ali]! May that problem be not auspicious for the solution of which you are not available.
While giving his judgment Ali had regard for the claimants as well as for the nation and the general public. This double consideration and regard on his part was inter-dependent. He was the first judge who proved the rights of the people from philosophical point of view and said that it is the duty of the rulers to pay due consideration to these rights. Besides in the case of claimants it is also necessary to observe justice in the case of all persons in the matter of general administration. People are under obligation to perform certain acts for the reformation of the society in which they live.
There is mutual relationship between the human beings, and the public laws have joined them with one another. It is necessary to respect these laws for the reformation of the nation and not only for achieving personal ends.
Ali established public laws and national unity, and treated all the individuals as one person in the matter of rights and responsibilities. In his orders and judgments he fully observed this principle which is being followed strictly by the civilized people of the present times.
One night Ali heard some afflicted person crying for help. He ran towards him at once and said:
The rescuer has come.
He saw that one man was holding another man by his collar. When he saw Ali he left his opponent. Then he said addressing Ali:
I sold a piece of cloth to this man for nine dirhams and did not also violate any condition of the bargain. He gave me base coins and when I asked him to give me good ones instead he abused and slapped me.
Ali asked the buyer to take back the base coins and give the seller the good coins. Then he enquired from the other person whether he had any witness to confirm that the buyer had slapped him. He produced the requisite evidence. Thereupon Ali asked the buyer to sit down and told the other man to take revenge. He, however, forgave him.
When Ali saw that the claimant had forsaken his right and forgiven the other person he did not press him to take revenge. He, however, kept this point in view in connection with this incident that it was necessary to take care of the rights of the common people and it was his duty to punish the oppressors so that the link of justice might remain firm amongst the people, and the rights of the nation might not be violated.
No doubt a person possessing celestial power like Ali does not content himself with the apparent orders of the religion, the carrying out of prescribed duties and the formalities of worship. Mostly the people look at the religion and the orders relating to transactions and judgments in a superficial manner. However, Ali looked at their interior and realities also. He made these things the subject of his reflection and research, and proved that religion is based on the principles which are linked and related with one another. This led to the establishment of the science of scholasticism and Islamic philosophy. Ali was the first scholastic and founder of scholasticism.
The ancient scholastics drank deep from this fountainhead, because they acquired the elements and principles of scholasticism from him. The later scholastics also admit him to be their leader, because they also acquired guidance from him.
One of the other attributes of Ali was his sharp intelligence and quick understanding. Often it so happened that whether it was an assembly of friends or a gathering of enemies he uttered extempore wise words, which became proverbs and passed from one tongue to another. Difficult mathematical problems which were enigmas for others were solved by him in no time.
Ali was the philosopher of Islam.
Ali occupies the highest position not only among the philosophers of Islam, but also among the unique personalities of the human race.
It is very difficult to find a person like Ali who may infer theoretical and rational matters with the power of his intellect, and state them in beautiful and brief sentences in such a way that time may preserve them, and they may become proverbs. Islamic sciences and learning absorbed the colour of humanity in their paintings by means of celestial philosophy and their fountainhead were the two personalities viz. Muhammad and Ali.
Ali looked philosophically at the secrets of creation, human life and society and numerous sayings with regard to the Oneness of God, divine matters, and metaphysics, are available. He was a preceptor, whose skill and leadership has been admitted by every person, who came after him with his own view or remark. In Nahj al-Balaghah he has strung so many pearls of wisdom that, time has made him stand in the first row of the philosophers of the world.
The prophets entered the arena for administering justice. They entered the arena for helping the people get close to God and enforcing divine rules among the people. Ali did not retreat even for a second in treading this path. He was not negligent in moving forward. His old friends broke off their relationship with him. Those who had extravagant claims became unhappy and they separated from him. They waged wars against him in order to overthrow him. Those who used to praise him in the past turned into his mortal enemies. But the criticism of these people did not at all influence him. He continued the path in a steadfast way until he was martyred. He died by assassination in the mosque at Kufa [ it is located in the south of Iraq], death occasioned by his own generous fairness.
The students of history know that appeals in the name of peace, justice and fair-play, are made only by those people who are weak and who are on the defensive. There is no reason for the strong and the aggressive to make appeals in the name of peace. If there is any pattern in history which is consistent, it is that the mighty, heady with power, rides roughshod; the weak seeks or tries to seek refuge in moral imperatives and ethical doctrines. To this general and universal rule, there is, however, one exception, and that is in Ali ibn Abi Talib. Even when he was strong and his enemies were weak, he appealed to them for peace in the name of humanity, and he appealed to them to refrain from shedding blood. Even when he was victorious, he acted toward his defeated enemies as if they would do him a favor by forswearing war. If an enemy was overcome, and he wished to save his life, all he had to do was merely to ask Ali to save his life, and he (Ali) saved his (the enemy’s) life. And he did so with no preconditions. His enemies knew this through long experience, and they took every advantage of this knowledge. Many among them escaped the penalty of death in this manner, for treason and rebellion.
Ali represented the ultimate triumph of character and ideology. He was a rare combination of love of God, devotion to duty, strength tempered with tenderness, symmetry of disposition, and inflexible integrity. He was not building an empire. He, therefore, did not act like an empire-builder. An empire-builder has to be an aggressor, an invader. He did not have any such aims. He, therefore, did not invade any country. Under Ali’s government , he made every effort to combat the social disease of poverty, as he would utter his famous line,
If poverty were in the form of a man, I would have killed him.
Ali lent a helping hand to all people no matter what their religion or background was, not discriminating against anyone.
One day Ali was passing by a street when his eye fell on a blind old man begging for alms. He was extremely disturbed by his condition and asked the people if he had no family to support him. On investigating, he found that he was a Christian by faith, and had earned his living through hard labour until he lost his eyesight because of age. He was on his own and had no one to care for him. He had also not saved any money because of meager earnings. When confirmed that he had never begged while he could earn, Ali said:
It is amazing how you people use a human being for as long as he can serve you and discard him after he cannot. You all testify that he served society as long as he could see. It is, therefore, the duty of the society and government to ensure him a decent life, now that he cannot fend for himself. I hereby institute a regular allowance to be paid to him from the State Treasury for as long as he lives.
Whenever Ali learned that someone was hungry or thirsty, without clothes or in debt, he would provide food, water, clothes and money for him. He would go to the houses of the sick, nurse them and give them money and medicines. Although Ali’s shirts, wearing apparel and shoes were full of patches, yet he felt the greatest pleasure in providing others with clothes. Whenever Ali used to visit the bazars of Kufa, he would help the travelers, the aged and the infirm. He was particularly kind to the elderly who could not support themselves and the widows who were left destitute.
Aside from treating the needy with generosity and tenderness, Ali gave special attention to orphans. Ali is known as “the Father of the Orphans” as he said:
I am the father of the orphan, I am the cave [refuge] of the widows.
Ali not only cared deeply for orphans, but put this care into action by cooking for them, feeding them, clothing them, conversing with them, and playing with them. Ali was very kind to children, especially to orphans. If he ever saw an orphan crying, he would stop whatever he was doing. wipe away the child’s tears, put his hand on the child’s shoulder and say,
My child, why are you crying? Has someone hurt you? Come, let me take you to my house.
Ali would take the child home and treat him better than any father. He would bring the child sweets and cakes and honey and put them in the child’s mouth himself. Ali used to tell his followers to love and be kind to orphans, especially the orphans of martyrs killed in the path of God.
They have lost their loving fathers.
he used to say:
So cheer them up and look after them just like a father.
To the orphans, Ali showed so much affection and love that it was said that he pampered them. He collected all the bonbons, honey and other delicacies that he could, and fed them on these. Ali was so kind to orphans and laid so much stress on them in his teachings that one of his companions said:
How I wish that I too was a young orphan so that I would receive kindness and love from Ali’s Love and be kind to children, especially orphans.
Read the following narrative:
A woman, bearing a water bag on her back, was trudging home gasping under the load. A stranger, catching sight of her, came, relieved her of the burden, and followed her home. At the door, he saw some small children eagerly waiting for their mother. One glance told him that she lived alone with her children. The stranger placed the bag on the ground and said:
It is obvious that there is no man in the house. What is the reason for your helpless condition?
she said:
My husband was a brave soldier. Ali ibn Abi Talib sent him to fight in a battle and he was martyred. I have no one to support me and my children anymore.
The stranger went away without saying anything. However, the condition of the widow and the orphans bothered him, and he couldn’t sleep all night. Early next morning, he got up, filled a bag with flour, another with meat, and a third with dates. He carried it to the widow’s house and knocked at the door. she asked:
Who’s there?
he replied:
The stranger who helped you yesterday, I have brought some food and water for your children.
she said:
O man of God, may He reward you. He Alone will judge between us and Ali ibn Abi Talib.
She opened the door and the stranger placed the bags on the ground. He said:
I want to perform some good deeds, so if you permit me I will prepare the dough and make the bread or look after the children while you do it?
she said:
I’ll prepare the bread. You look after the children.
The woman got busy, so the stranger took out the meat and dates and started feeding the children with his own hands. While feeding the children, he kept on repeating:
Dear children, forgive Ali ibn Abi Talib for not attending to your needs as he should have.
The woman called out:
O man of God, light the oven so that I can bake the bread.
He immediately lit the oven and it started blazing. He put his face near the fire and spoke to himself:
Feel the heat of the flames. For he, who neglects widows and orphans, will be made to taste the fire.
He was still meditating when a neighbor walked in. She recognized the stranger and cried:
Do you know who you are asking to do your chores? It is the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib.
the widow cried:
Forgive me , I am really sorry for complaining, as I did.
Ali replied:
No, I should beg forgiveness for not performing my duty as I should have.
At all stages of life, Ali is our role model. Teenagers who are ten, twelve, thirteen years old can follow Ali . They can make him their role model. Why? Because when he was a ten years old, he was the first person to know and accept Islam and follow Muhammad, the messenger of God. The fact that a ten year-old child discovered the truth, stood up for it and followed it as hard as he could, amid all those hostilities and denials, is very important. Young individuals can also make Ali their role model. Why? Because when he was twenty-three years old — during the time when Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina — he undertook the heaviest responsibility during the great migration. Muhammad entrusted the dearest members of his household to Ali so that he would bring them from Mecca to Medina. it was he who agreed to sleep on Muhammad bed and face danger during the night when the enemies were supposed to break into the house and mutilate Muhammad with their swords. See how great that Ali was. This can become a model for us. In other words, anyone can follow Ali.
George Jordac says:
The examples of self-sacrifice set by Ali are very rare. One wavers between life and death and reflects whether one should sacrifice high morals, which are the capital of one’s life, for the sake of the base and transitory comforts of worldly life. If, on such an occasion a person chooses martyrdom, it is a proof of the fact that in his eyes real life is eternal life and not temporary mudane life. Of course, such devotion and self-sacrifice is very rare in the world. If Socrates and others like him welcomed death gladly, Ali son of Abu Talib also placed his life at the disposal of the Prophet of his own free will. However, to go into the battlefield and court death or to drink a cup of poison is easier as compared with the heroic act performed by Ali. Just imagine how difficult it is for a person to sleep in the bed of one whom his enemies are bent upon to kill and it is not possible to escape from their hands, especially when they may be watching him from a distance of a few steps and making signs for a murderous attack and he may be observing their movements and hearing their words and seeing their blood thirsty swords flashing on his head and may spend the entire night in this condition. At this dangerous stage Ali imitated the Prophet and displayed the power of resistance which he had acquired by his association with his illustrious cousin. His sleeping in the bed of the Prophet was a specimen of his jihad and effort for the promotion of the faith propagated by him. This dangerous fact unveils the nature of the Imam [Ali] that his actions were not tainted with artificiality and resembled the coming out of a pearl from a shell. It also shows his strong intellect and matchless insight, because it is not possible for any other person to understand fully the reality of the Islamic call at such a young age. This fact also shows many other traits of Ali. It shows that he did not attach any importance to worldly life. He was very faithful and sincere. He did not prefer himself to others. He was prepared even to lay down his life for the sake of the oppressed, so that they might be relieved of the oppression, and the prophetic mission of the Prophet might succeed. Fidelity, manliness, righteousness, valour and all other good qualities were concentrated in this person. The self-sacrifice displayed by him at this stage was an introduction of the heroic acts performed by him in future. There existed a firm relationship of love and brotherhood between Muhammad and Ali and they assisted each other in connection with the Islamic call.
Martyrdom
Ali martyred in 661 A.D in the age 63. Ali was attacked by Ibn Muljam while praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa. He was wounded by Ibn Muljam’s poison-coated sword while prostrating. The anger and fury of the people was at its height. They were waiting for an order from Ali, but their faces showed that they wanted to tear Ibn Muljam alive. Ali called for the murderer to be presented before him. He, then, asked him:
Was I not gracious towards you?
Ibn Muljam said:
You certainly were.
Ali asked:
Then what was the reason for this murderous attack?
Ibn Muljam said:
I can not reveal. However, I placed this sword in poisoned water for 40 days, and prayed to God to make this sword kill the worst man on earth.
Ali said:
So it shall, for you will be killed by this same sword in a few days.
Ali then addressed the members of his family gathered around him, thus:
I warn you not to let your anger get the better of you. Do not accuse anyone you think is involved in this conspiracy, without evidence, as that will lead to mob killing in the streets.
After Ali passed away, Ibn Muljam was struck only once by the same sword that he had prepared for himself. He died on the spot.
A man with a spark of faith in his heart cannot pass this point from the history without shedding a tear on a martyr who obtained from every virtue its highest degree.
The loss which the Muslims suffered when they missed the Brother and Successor of their Prophet was great and unique in its magnitude. The Muslims never experienced similar to it after the death of the Holy Prophet.
George Jordac says:
A stranger is sitting in a corner of the world, away from the people, in a state of extreme anguish. He is sitting alone and his loneliness weighs heavily on him.
He is a stranger although he is living among his people, but he is extremely grieved on account of them. Time did not recognize him, although he had pervaded it.
The earth did not recognize him, although his sweet and wise sayings continued to ring in it and it saw with its own eyes his great feats.
This stranger used to spend everything he possessed on others but did not seek anything from them. He was subjected to great oppressions, but he never thought of taking revenge. He forgave his enemies after gaining victory over them. He never did any injustice to his enemies and never performed any unlawful act for the sake of his friends. He was the helper of the weak, the brother of the indigent, the father of the orphans and a kind friend of those who were fed up with their lives. They always approached him for the solution of their problems and hoped sympathy from him in all difficulties.
He was a stranger whose thundering voice made the oppressors tremble as and when any oppressed person approached him with a complaint.
He was a stranger on the face of the earth whose every word was true and correct.
He was a stranger and a lovely person who suffered all sorts of hardships so that the people might remain happy.
Who was this unique and brave stranger who knew everything and kept his eyes towards all sides? Who was he who sought the welfare of the people in this world as well as in the hereafter although they always grieved and harmed him?.
Who could this unique person be except Ali.
Oh! What a life Ali led! His life was spent either in performing jihad or in suffering hardships.
Oh! How noble and righteous persons there were in the world! They passed away one after the other and left Ali alone. After their departure the world was filled with tyranny and injustice.
He went to sleep for a short while with all the remembrances fresh in his mind. While sleeping he had a dream in which he saw the Prophet and said to him:
O Prophet of God! I have suffered much at the hands of your followers and have had to face acute opposition from them.
The Prophet said:
Call down curses upon them.
Ali said:
O Lord! Provide me better companions than these people and impose on them, in my place, the worst ruler.
When it was dawn light air was blowing and the sky was shedding tears. Ali ibn Abi Talib proceeded to the mosque slowly as if his feet were conversing with the earth and telling it the story of those gloomy moments. The birds were also grieved. He had not yet reached the courtyard of the mosque when the ducks ran towards him and began to cry. Simultaneously with them the cold morning winds also began to moan.
Those who had come to offer their prayers stepped forward and tried to turn away the ducks. However, they neither went away nor stopped crying.
The Commander of the Faithful heard the cries of the ducks very attentively and then turning to the people said:
Do not turn them away, for they are mourning.
With these words the Commander of the Faithful foretold the impending calamity which was to befall.
Ali arrived in the mosque and prostrated himself before the Almighty God. Abdur Rahman ibn Muljam also entered the mosque carrying with him a sword with a poisoned blade. He dealt such a blow on the head of the Imam that, as said by him (Ibn Muljam ) if it had been dealt on the heads of all the residents of the city, none of them would have survived.
The lovers of truth and justice will continue to weep over this tragedy till the Day of Judgment.
The Last Will of Ali ibn Abi Talib
Ali is an incredible role model in all his words and actions. We see this throughout his life and even during his very last moments. As tragic as this episode was in Islamic history, it is also a timeless lesson for all humanity. In the religion of Islam, it is highly recommended that a person leaves a will behind before passing away. In his last will, Ali offered deep and profound advice to his family and “everyone whom [his] writing reaches.”
I advise you to fear God and that you should not hanker after the (pleasures of this) world even though it may run after you. Do not be sorry for anything of this world that you have been denied. Speak the truth and act (in expectation) for reward. Be an enemy of the oppressor and helper of the oppressed.
I advise you and all my children and members of my family and everyone whom my writing reaches, to fear God, to keep your affairs in order, and to maintain good relations among yourselves for I have heard your grand-father [Prophet Muhammad] saying, “Improvement of mutual differences is better than general prayers and fastings.”
(Fear) God (and) keep God in view in the matter of orphans. So do not allow them to starve and they should not be ruined in your presence.
(Fear) God (and) keep God in view in the matter of your neighbours, because they were the subject of the Prophet’s advice. He went on advising in their favour till we thought he would allow them a share in inheritance…
O sons of Abd al-Muttalib [the paternal grandfather of Prophet Muhammad], certainly I do not wish to see you plunging harshly into the blood of Muslims shouting “The commander of the faithfu has been killed.” Beware, do not kill on account of me except my killer.
Wait till I die by his (Ibn Muljam’s) existing stroke. Then strike him one stroke for his stroke and do not dismember the limbs of the man, for I have heard the Messenger of God saying, “Avoid cutting limbs even though it may be a rabid dog.
Yesterday I was with you; today I have become the object of a lesson for you, and tomorrow I shall leave you. May God forgive me and you!
If the foot remains firm in this slippery place, well and good! But if the foot slips, this is because we are under the shade of branches, the passing of the winds and the canopy of the clouds whose layers are dispersed in the sky, and whose traces disappeared in the earth.
I was your neighbour. My body kept you company for some days and shortly you will find just an empty body of mine which would be stationary after (all its) movement and silent after speech so that my calmness, the closing of my eyes, and the stillness of my limbs may provide you counsel, because it is more of a counsel for those who take a lesson (from it) than eloquent speech and a ready word. I am departing from you like one who is eager to meet (someone). Tomorrow you will look at my days, then my inner side will be disclosed to you and you will understand me after the vacation of my place and its occupation by someone else.
Many among the Muslims were the mourners of Ali’s death but none mourned him more dolorously than the Dhimmis (the Jews, the Christians, and the Magians). They were utterly heart-broken. And when the sick, the disabled, the cripples, the orphans and the widows in the empire heard that he had died, they felt that their world had collapsed. He had been a father to them all. He had taken them all by the hand. He had taken them all into his prayers. Many among them did not know until after his death that it was he who had fed them and had taken care of them. He had taken all mankind into his grasp. Ali, Islam’s greatest saint, hero, statesman, philosopher and martyr, had left this world, and the world was not to find a man sublime like him to all eternity. It was only in his dominion that the Dhimmis (non-Muslims), the powerless and the defenseless enjoyed complete security. No one could terrorize them or exploit them. With his death, their security was gone forever!
After Ali , Muawiya[One of his enemies] occupied the seat of ruler by force and deceit. He summoned Adi ibn e Haatim to Damascus[ the capital of Syria]. he asked ‘Adi to describe Ali as he had known him from very close quarters. Adi began his favorite discourse:
God be my witness, Ali was very far-sighted and supremely courageous. He exemplified justice, fairness and truth. He judged with knowledge and conviction. His greatest assets were knowledge and wisdom. Worldly pomp and show, glitter and glory, disgusted him. His favorite time was the night, with its solitude and quiet. He wept profusely while worshipping his Lord, and spent his time in meditation, observation, and introspection. He preferred a simple lifestyle and wore inexpensive clothes. He behaved like one of us whilst among us. He never turned down anyone’s request for anything he possessed, and sat next to us when we went to visit him, never maintaining a distance. Despite his affectionate demeanor, everyone was awe-struck, and did not dare speak in his presence. His spiritual superiority and purity of character, made it impossible to look at him straight in the eye. His smile was very attractive, exposing a perfect set of teeth, which looked like pearls in a row. He respected pious and God-fearing individuals, and was extremely caring towards the weak and downtrodden. The powerful never feared injustice from him; the weak never despaired of his justice. With God as my witness, I saw him with my own eyes, standing in his prayer niche, late one night. The tears ran down his cheeks and beard. He was trembling as if bitten by a snake and weeping like a person extremely troubled and anxious. I feel I can hear his voice right now. Addressing the world, he said:
O mortal world, do not try to tempt me towards yourself. Leave me alone. Go and deceive someone else. I have divorced you thrice and do not wish to reunite with you. Your pleasures are insignificant in my eyes, and folly it is to revere you. Woe! O, Woe! My journey is long, my subsistence negligible, and friends, but few.
What Non-Muslims Say About Ali
Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881). Scottish historian, critic, and sociological writer:
As for this young Ali, one cannot but like him. A noble-minded creature, as he shows himself, now and always afterwards; full of affection, of fiery daring. Something chivalrous in him; brave as a lion; yet with a grace, a truth and affection worthy of Christian knighthood.
[On Heroes, Hero-Worship, And The Heroic In History, 1841, Lecture 2: The Hero as Prophet. Mahomet: Islam., May 8, 1840)]
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794). Considered the greatest British historian of his time:
The zeal and virtue of Ali were never outstripped by any recent proselyte. He united the qualifications of a poet, a soldier, and a saint; his wisdom still breathes in a collection of moral and religious sayings; and every antagonist, in the combats of the tongue or of the sword, was subdued by his eloquence and valour. From the first hour of his mission to the last rites of his funeral, the apostle was never forsaken by a generous friend, whom he delighted to name his brother, his vicegerent, and the faithful Aaron of a second Moses.
[The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, volume 5, pp. 381–2]
Philip Khuri Hitti (1886–1978) Professor of Semitic Languages at Princeton University:
Valiant in battle, wise in counsel, eloquent in speech, true to his friends, magnanimous to his foes, he became both the paragon of Muslim nobility and chivalry (futuwah) and the Solomon of Arabic tradition, around whose name poems, proverbs, sermonettes and anecdotes innumerable have clustered.
[History of the Arabs, London, 1964, p. 183]
Sir William Muir (1819–1905) Scottish scholar and statesman:
Endowed with a clear intellect, warm in affection, and confiding in friendship, he was from the boyhood devoted heart and soul to the Prophet. Simple, quiet, and unambitious, when in after days he obtained the rule of half of the Moslem world, it was rather thrust upon him than sought.
[The Life of Mahomet, London, 1877, p. 250]
Dr. Henry Stubbe (1632–1676) Classicist, polemicist, physician, and philosopher:
He had a contempt of the world, its glory and pomp, he feared God much, gave many alms, was just in all his actions, humble and affable; of an exceeding quick wit and of an ingenuity that was not common, he was exceedingly learned, not in those sciences that terminate in speculations but those which extend to practice.
[An Account of the Rise and Progress of Mahometanism, 1705, p. 83]
Gerald de Gaury (1897–1984) A distinguished soldier and diplomat:
He had been wise in counsel and brave in battle, true to his friends and magnanimous to his foes. He was to be for ever the paragon of Muslim nobility and chivalry.
[Rulers of Mecca, London, 1951, p. 49]
Wilferd Madelung Professor of Arabic at Oxford University :
In face of the fake Umayyad claim to legitimate sovereignty in Islam as God’s Vicegerents on earth, and in view of Umayyad treachery, arbitrary and divisive government, and vindictive retribution, they came to appreciate his honesty, his unbending devotion to the reign of Islam, his deep personal loyalties, his equal treatment of all his supporters, and his generosity in forgiving his defeated enemies.
[The succession to Muhammad: a study of the early caliphate, Cambridge, 1997, pp. 309–310]
Charles Mills (1788–1826) Leading historical writer of his time:
As the chief of the family of Hashem and as the cousin and son-in-law of him whom the Arabians respected …, it is apparently wonderful that Ali was not raised to the Caliphate immediately on the death of Mohammad. To the advantages of his birth and marriage was added the friendship of the Prophet. The son of Abu Talib was one of the first converts to Islamism and Mohammad’s favourite appellation of his was the Aaron of a second Moses. His talents as an orator, and his intrepidity as a warrior, were grateful to a nation in whose judgement courage was virtue and eloquence was wisdom.
[An history of Muhammedanism, London, 1818, p. 89]
Simon Ockley (1678–1720) Professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge:
One thing particularly deserving to be noticed is that his mother was delivered of him at Mecca, in the very temple itself; which never happened to any one else.
[History of the Saracens, London, 1894, p. 331]
Washington Irving (1783–1859) Well-known as the “first American man of letters” :
He was of the noblest branch of the noble race of Koreish [or Quraysh]. He possessed the three qualities most prized by Arabs: courage, eloquence, and munificence. His intrepid spirit had gained him from the prophet the appellation of The Lion of God, specimens of his eloquence remain in some verses and sayings preserved among the Arabs; and his munificence was manifested in sharing among others, every Friday, what remained in the treasury. Of his magnanimity, we have given repeated instances; his noble scorn of everything false and mean, and the absence in his conduct of everything like selfish intrigue.”
[Lives of the Successors of Mahomet, London, 1850, p. 165]
He indulged in the poetic vein himself, and many of his maxims and proverbs are preserved, and have been translated in various languages. His signet bore this inscription: ‘The kingdom belongs to God’. One of his sayings shows the little value he set upon the transitory glories of this world, ‘Life is but the shadow of a cloud — the dream of a sleeper’.
[Lives of the Successors of Mahomet, London, 1850, pp. 187–8]
A number of short maxims
Ali said:
Do not be sorry for anything of this world that you have been denied. Speak the truth and act (in expectation) for reward. Be an enemy of the oppressor and helper of the oppressed.
O My God, I seek Your protection from this that I may appear to be good in the eyes of the people whilst my inward self may be sinful before You, and that I may guard myself (from sins) only for show before the people although You are aware of all about me. Thus, I appear before the people in good shape although my evil deeds are placed before You. This means achieving nearness to Your creatures but remoteness from Your pleasure.
Perception by the eyes is not real observation because the eyes sometimes deceive people; but wisdom does not deceive whomsoever it counsels.
Between you and the preaching there is a curtain of deception.
How many are the objects of lessons, but how few the taking of lessons.
The greatest defect is to regard that defect (in others) which is present in yourself.
Certainly, right is weighty and wholesome while wrong is light and unwholesome.
Do not talk about things which you do not know. Do not speculate about and pass verdicts on subjects about which you are not in a position to form an opinion and are not called upon to do so. Give up the way where there is a possibility of your going astray.
Advise people to do good and to live virtuously.
A young and fresh mind is like a virgin soil which allows things sown in it to grow verdantly and to bear luxuriantly.
The Lord who is the Master of death is also the Master of life. The Creator is the Annihilator. And the One who annihilates has the power to bring everything back again to existence. The One who sends calamities has also the power to protect you from them.
Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you.
Whatever you like for yourself, like for others, and whatever you dislike to happen to you, spare others from such happenings.
Do not oppress and tyrannize anybody because you surely do not like to be oppressed and tyrannized. Be kind and sympathetic to others as you certainly desire others to treat you kindly and sympathetically.
If you find objectionable and loathsome habits in others, abstain from developing those traits of character in yourself.
If you are satisfied or feel happy in receiving a certain kind of behaviour from others, you may behave with others in exactly the same way. Do not speak about them in the same way that you do not like others to speak about you.
Do not speak on a subject about which you know little or nothing, and if you at all want to speak on anything or about anyone of whom you are fully aware, then avoid scandal, libel and aspersion as you do not like yourself to be scandalized and scorned in the same manner.
Be warned that you do not make yourself a slave of anybody. Allah has created you a freeman. Do not sell away your freedom in return of anything.
Advise your friend sincerely and to the best of your ability even though he may not like it.
Keep a complete control over your temper and anger because I never found anything more beneficial at the end and producing more good results than such a control.
Be mild, pleasant and lenient with him who is harsh, gross, and strict with you; gradually he will turn to your behaviour.
Grant favour and be considerate to your enemy because you will thus gain either one of the two kinds of victories: (one rising above your enemy, the other of reducing the intensity of his hostility).
The last word
Ali forms a key role in the distinct shaping of a separate and unique Shi’a identity. Due to the fact that Ali is recognised by Shi’a as the divinely appointed leader of the Muslims, who immediately succeeded the Prophet; Shi’a have often affirmed their identity upon the point that historically, Ali was deprived of this right to rule and hence he and his followers were oppressed in this sense from an early period in Islamic history. Throughout history the Shi’a have faced oppression for their beliefs. Ali has had remarkable friends, truly historical persons, ready to sacrifice themselves, forbearing, burning with love for him like flames from a bonfire, and full of light. They deemed giving up their lives in his way to be their aim and their glory, and they became oblivious of everything in their friendship for him. Years, even centuries, have passed since the death of ‘Ali, but this attraction still sends out the same rays of light, and people are still dazzled when they turn to it. We read in history that years and centuries after the death of Ali people courageously welcomed the arrows of his enemies. Ali as the successor of the Messenger of God, not only ruled over the community in justice, but also interpreted the Sharia (Islamic laws) and its esoteric meaning. Hence he was regarded as being free from error and sin (infallible), and appointed by God by divine decree through Muhammad, the Messenger of God . Ali was a model of justice at a time when the world was not ready to bear it. It was for this reason that the enemies killed Ali , thus removing justice and replacing it with oppression, which will continue until the day universal justice will be established. In an ocean, we can see storms, waves, water and astonishing creatures, but only the person who has managed to reach the depth of the ocean can understand it. No one has managed to understand the depth of Ali’s ocean-like character, except for those who had access to sources of divine knowledge. What we see is only the surface of things. We can only see some signs. Besides, not all of us can see these signs. Not all of us can see the deep points in Ali’s sayings. What we see in the Ali are these things: his courage, his praying, his liberated outlook, his commitment to counseling the people to do good and advising them against evil, his sacrifices , his awareness of the developments of the time, his capability to know human beings, his mercy and kindness towards the weak, his fearlessness in the face of arrogant, oppressive and autocratic people, his persistence in administering justice among the people and his enmity towards oppression. These things are only the surface of this deep ocean. Nevertheless, you can see how complicated, astonishing and beautiful this surface is. Whom can we find to enjoy all these outstanding characteristics? Ali is like this.
References:
A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims, Sayyid Ali Asghar Razwy.
The Voice of Human Justice, George Jordac.
Story of the Holy Ka’aba And its People, S.M.R. Shabbar.
Anecdotes of The Ahlul Bayt, Murtadha Mutahhari.
Brief History of Fourteen Infallibles, World Organization for Islamic Services (WOFIS).
The Brother of the Prophet Muhammad: Imam ‘Ali, Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Chirri.
The Emphasis on Justice in Nahjul Balaghah, Sayyid Jafar Shahidi .
http://english.khamenei.ir/
https://www.imamreza.net/
https://www.imamreza.net/
http://islampfr.com/
http://balaghah.net/
https://www.imam-us.org/
http://en.al-shia.org/
http://en.wikishia.net/
I strongly recommend the following two books:
The Voice of Human Justice By George Jordac
What is True Success? Excerpts from Peak of Eloquence By Dr. Syed H. Akhtar
