History of the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him
The visit of Prophet Abraham and Isaac and Abraham's prediction and desire to buy the Valley of Peace
Those who have visited Najaf will remember vividly that to the north
and east of the town there are acres of graves and myriads of domes of
various colors and at various stages of disrepair. Whoever goes to Najaf
will follow a road that approaches the town by a winding course through
this vast cemetery. The Prophet Abraham had come to this place along
with Isaac; there had been many earthquakes in the vicinity, but while
Abraham remained there, there were no tremors. On the night, however,
when Abraham and Isaac went to a different village, and sure enough
Najaf was visited with another earthquake.
When they returned, the people were most eager for them to make Najaf
their permanent dwelling-place. Abraham agreed to do so on condition
that they would sell him the valley behind the village for cultivation.
Isaac protested and said that this land was neither fit for farming nor
grazing, but Abraham insisted and assured him that the time would come
when there would be a tomb there with a shrine, at which seventy
thousand people would gain absolutely undisputed entrance to Paradise,
and be able also to intercede for many others.
The valley that Abraham wanted to buy is called the Valley of Peace
(Wadiu's-Salaam), and it is related on the authority of the fourth Imam,
that Ali once said that this Valley of Peace is part of Heaven and that
there is not a single one of the believers in the world, whether he
dies in the east or west, but his soul will come to this Paradise to
rest. As
there is nothing hidden in this world from my eyes,” Ali went on to
say, “I see all the believers seated - here in groups and talking with
one another.”
How Najaf was given its name is explained in the tradition. At first
there was a mountain there, and when one of the sons of Noah refused to
enter the Ark, he said that he would sit on this mountain until he would
see where the water would come. A revelation came therefore to the
mountain, “Do you undertake to protect this son of mine from
punishment?” And all at once the mountain fell. to pieces and the son of
Noah was drowned. In place of the mountain a large river appeared, but
after a few years the river dried up, and the place was called Nay-Jaff,
meaning, “the dried river.
And so as per the prediction of Abraham, Imam Ali was buried here.
Ali is absent today from our midst only physically. His soul even to
this day is the greatest spiritual resort everyone who seeks the help of
God through his medium. Thousands and thousands of people call out to
him in their difficulties, and the word “Ya Ali Madad”, automatically
comes to them. A famous prayer known as “NADEY ALI” (Call Ali) is
recited wherever abound the lovers of Ali.
The Mausoleum
“The Mausoleum itself of Hazrat Ali at Najaf, is breathtaking. There
is one large central dome which stands out of a square-shaped ornate
structure at the two sides of which are two minarets. The predominant
color of' the exterior is gold, bright shining gold and the entire
exterior of the mausoleum is inlaid with a mosaic pattern of light
powder blue, white marble, gold again with an occasional splash of
Middle East rust.”
So says D. F. Karaka after his visit to Najaf, and further adds, “I
have sat and wondered at the marbled splendour of our Taj Mahal, the
tomb which Shah Jahan built for his Empress Mumtaz Mahal, but despite
its beauty, the Taj appears insipid in comparison with this splash of
color at Najaf. The tomb surpassed anything I have seen in gorgeous
splendour. All the great kings of the world put together could not have a
tomb as magnificent as this, for this is the tribute which kings and
peasants have built together to enshrine the mortal remains of the great
Ali.”
Countless number of people from all over the world flock to his tomb
day after day to pay their respects and to offer salutations and to pray
to Allah seeking his intercession. And those who cannot afford to go
there personally, are constantly praying to Allah to help them to visit
the shrine of their Maula Ali, and when somebody goes on a pilgrimage to
Najaf, they request him to offer salutations on their behalf, and to
pray to God - for some particular favor - and to seek Imam Ali's
intercession.
The deer hunting incident of Harun al-Rashid
“During the reigns of the Umayyad Caliphs his blessed resting-place
could not be disclosed, and so it was also under the Abbasids until the
reign of Harun al-Rashid. But in the year 175 A.H. (791 A.D.), Harun
happened to go hunting in these parts, and the deer he was chasing took
refuge on a small piece of raised ground. However much he asked his
hunting dogs to capture the quarry, they refused to go near this spot.
He urged his horse to this place, and the horse too refused to budge;
and on this, awe took possession of the Caliph's heart, and he
immediately started to make inquiries of the people of the neighborhood,
and they acquainted him with the fact that this was the grave of Imam
Ali ibn Abu Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet. Harun
ordered a tomb to be erected over the grave, and people soon began to
settle down in its vicinity.
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