The First Imam, ‘Ali (as) Ibn Abu Talib
It
was Friday 13th of Rajab 30 Amulfeel Hazrat Fatima binte Asad, the wife of
Hazrat Abu Talib entered the precincts of the Kaaba and prayed to Allah saying
O’my protector ease my pain.’All of a sudden the wall of the Kaaba opened up
and she, as if by some unseen force went inside the Kaaba and the wall closed.
‘Ali
(as) the youngest son of Abu Talib was born inside the Holy Kaaba. She stayed
inside for three days. On the 3rd day she came out through the door and
Muhammad was waiting outside. She told Muhammad (S) that the boy had not taken
any milk. Muhammad gave him the first feed from his mouth and afterwards asked
his uncle Abu Talib that he wished to adopt the baby.
‘Ali
entered the house of Muhammad from the very first day of his birth. ‘Ali’s
mother Fatima binte Assad Also lived there who looked after his own son as well
as Muhammad (S) so much so that later the Holy Prophet used to say that she was
like his own mother.
Shah
Waliullah, Mohadith-e-Dehlvi writes in the book “Izalatul Kholafa” giving reference
from Imam Hakim in his Mustadrak Part 3, Page 483. Qud Tawatarul Akhbar Inna
Fatimah Binte Asad woledat Aliyan Fi Jaufil Kaaba”. Another writer of the old
school Sibtel Jauzi in his book Tazkeratul Khawas ul Umma, page 7 mentions the
same fact that ‘Ali was born inside the Kaaba.
Khawja
Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri mentions this fact in his famous Quartet saying that
when ‘Ali was born inside the kaaba the Sky and the earth was filled with a
light and Angel Gabriel announced that a child was born in the house of God.
Maulana
Rumi in his Mathnawi writes, “ O’one who travels to Najef to visit the tomb of
‘Ali must know the fact that the pearl of the Kaaba lies there to give us
security because of our intense love for him.”
Masoodi
the famous historian writes in his book of history Muruj el Zahab, that ‘Ali
was born inside the Kaaba on the orders of Muhammad the Messenger of God.
It
was after the adoption of ‘Ali (as) that he lived with the Holy Prophet in his
house.
Wherever
Muhammad (S) went ‘Ali (as) was with him all the time. Even in the Mountain of
Hira when Muhammad (S)went for meditation ‘Ali (as) went with him most of the
time. Sometimes they stayed on the mountain for 3 or 4 days. Sometimes ‘Ali
(as) took his food there. In Nahjul Balagha ‘Ali (as) said that “ I used to go
with the Holy Prophet like the baby camel goes with his mother.”
Some
historians try to show that when Muhammad (S) declared his prophet hood ‘Ali
(as) was the first among male children who accepted Islam. The implication here
is that both Muhammad (S) and ‘Ali (as) were non -believers before this
declaration.
This
is against the Qur’anic verdict which says that Ibrahim was a Muslim and he
taught his children to be Muslims so that when the Prophet was born among the
descendants of Ibrahim through the line of Ismael he was born a Muslim and so
was ‘Ali. The correct thing to say would be that when Muhammad (S)declared his
prophet hood openly ‘Ali (as) immediately adhered to the declaration without
hesitation.
The
three persons seen in prayers in the Kaaba were Muhammad, Khadija and ‘Ali
before anyone else accepted Islam. For 3 years young and poor persons of Makka
were accepting Islam secretly. The first open declaration came when the
Qora’nic verse tells the Prophet to "come out openly and warn the people
of your own clan."
Invitations
were sent to leaders of the Banu Hashim to come to the house of Muhammad (S)for
Dinner. Forty of them came, ate food and then heard Muhammad (S)about his
mission of ‘ No god but Allah and Muhammad (S) as the messenger of Allah and
whoever offers his help to propagate this religion will be his deputy and
successor.
No
one stood up except ‘Ali (as) . After announcing this 3 times Muhammad (S)
declared that ‘Ali (as) will be his deputy to his mission and will be his
successor after him. People thought it as a joke that a 13 year old boy was to
be a deputy of this prophetic mission.
Even
Abu Lahab jokingly told Abu Talib, go and obey your son to which AbuTalib
smilingly accepted. ‘Ali (as) promised to help Muhammad (S) in his mission and
kept this promise all his life.
The
next thing which we see in the life of ‘Ali (as) is the reflection of this
promise he gave at this place in front of the leaders of the Quraish.
We
see ‘Ali (as) protecting Muhammad (S) from the abuses of the enemies of Islam.
When Muhammad (S)went to Taif a nearby town to preach Islam children of Taif
hurled stones and it was ‘Ali (as) who protected the Prophet and drove the
stone throwing children away from the Prophet.
As
a youth ‘Ali (as) 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 (as) standing by for protection.
Time
passed and hostility of the Quraish increased so much so that Muhammad (S) was
ordered by Allah to leave Makka. ‘Ali (as) slept on Muhammad’s bed without
hesitation and when the non-believers entered the house of Muhammad (S) to
kill, they found ‘Ali (as) who was not afraid at all at the site of 40
swordsmen entering the house.
When
they questioned ‘Ali: ”where is Muhammad” he bravely replied, did you leave him
in my custody? When after 3 days of Muhammad’s departure ‘Ali returned all the
goods entrusted to Muhammad to their owners, he set out to leave Makka for
Madina with the rest of the family.
‘Ali
(as) had with him his mother Fatima binte Asad, His aunt, the wife of Hamza,
and Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad (S) and many other ladies. Non-believers
of Makka tried to stop ‘Ali (as) from his departure but ‘Ali (as) fought back,
drove the infidels away and safely reached Madina. Muhammad (S) was waiting for
the family outside the precincts of the town. He entered the city with ‘Ali
(as) and the rest of the family.
The
Holy Prophet created a bond of brotherhood between the Muslims, making ‘Ali
(as) as his Muslim brother saying O’’Ali, you are my brother in this world as
well as in the next.
Once
the family settled in the newly adopted city of Madina their first task was to
complete the mosque around which their houses were also built. ‘Ali initially
stayed with his mother but when he married Fatima the daughter of the Prophet
he was given a house next to the Prophet by the side of the mosque. He had been
betrothed to her several days before the battle of Badr.
But
the marriage was celebrated three months later. ‘Ali was about 23 years old and
Fatima was 18. This was most happy and celebrated marriage. The distinctiveness
of their respective characters blended so well with each other that they never
quarreled and complained of one another and led a happy and most contended
life.
Materially
the couple did not possess much, spiritually they were at the highest level of
assent. They had no worries if they go hungry or their clothes had patches.
They would be more concerned if an orphan goes away from their door without
receiving any food.
History
records ‘Ali’s life in Madina with the Holy Prophet for the next ten years as
the busiest in defending Islam against the attackers from Makka. ‘Ali (as) was
always the standard bearer of the Flag of Islam in all such battles and his
bravery became legendary.
Ibne
Abil Hadid, the Motazelli commentator of Nahjul Balagha says that: ‘Ali (as)
had a personality in which opposite characteristics had so gathered that it was
difficult to believe a human mind could manifest such a combination. He was the
bravest man that history could cite and such brave men are always hard hearted,
cruel and eager to shed blood.
On
the contrary ‘Ali was kind, sympathetic, responsive and warmhearted person,
qualities quite contrary to the other phase of his character and more suited to
pious and God fearing persons.’Ali’s bravery and piety both became legendry.
Life in Madina while the Holy Prophet was alive was the busiest for ‘Ali. But
he remembers these times as the best times of his life. He says in Nahjul
Balagha ‘Life with my brother was a life of ease and happiness.’
The
battles of Badr, Ohud, Khandaq and Khyber were fought in the defense if Islam
and won on the hands of ‘Ali (as) . He was not only the standard bearer of the
Flag of Islam in these battles, but always led the forces of Islam against Kufr
and came out victorious. Khyber was the climax of these battles when ‘Ali’s
victory brought prosperity in the Muslim ranks.
Ayesha
the wife of the Prophet said once that until the victory of Khyber we in the
house of the Prophet spent days without food. It was only after Khyber that
life at home became a little easier. Thus ‘Ali (as) brought an end to the
hostilities of Quraish in three encounters of Badr, Ohud and Khandaq.
Their
best warriors were killed, their unity against Islam was crushed, their pride
was humiliated and their prestige before Arab clans was lowered by him and by
him alone. Khyber saw an end to the hegemony of Jews in Arabia at the hands of
‘Ali (as) .
The
peace agreement of Hodaibiya was written by ‘Ali (as) and at the time of the
peaceful victory at Makka, the idols of the Kaaba were demolished by the Holy
Prophet with the help of ‘Ali (as) .Details of these battles were shown in the
life of the Prophet.
The
Victory of Makka brought many non believers into the fold of Islam. Broadly
speaking there were three types who embraced Islam. Fear, greed and the true
understanding of Islam and its principles. Some of the Makkans became Muslims
for fear of their lives, they were afraid that the Prophet would kill them,
others were simply frightened that the Holy Prophet with the help of Angel
Gabriel would bring the wrath of God on them.
Then
there was greed that Islam was now victorious, so if they joined in the good
life would be theirs for free. Very few of them truly understood Islam and
accepted it as a true faith. The Test of their true faith came immediately
after the fall of Makka while Muslims were still in the sweet pleasure of this
bloodless victory, that various tribes outside Makka gathered an army of 20,000
in Taif to fight the Muslims.
The
hostile tribes decided to attack at a vantage point at Hunain and selected two
prominent places where they concealed their archers. The Muslims were proud of
their success in Makka, but their behavior during the encounter was timorous
and cowardly. The Qur’an tells us this in (9:9):
“God
came to your help on so many occasions, on the day of Honain, your vanity in
the number of your soldiers and your arrogance did not prove any avail to you,
you were badly defeated and could not find any place of shelter, you started
running away without shame.”
This
encounter took place in the month of Shawwal 8th Hijri (Jan 630 AD). When the
Muslim army marched towards the place where archers were concealed the enemy
opened the campaign with such a severe onslaught that the Muslim army could not
stand it.
Their
assault was fierce and confusion in the Muslim ranks made the archers bolder
and they came nearer and attacked from both flanks and from the front. The
Muslims could not stand the attack and started running without putting any
resistance and where not concerned to leave the Prophet alone, (see Saheeh
Bukhari).
The
first battalion to run was the one in the command of Khalid ibne
Waleed(Rauzathus Safa vol II page 137) This was followed by such a disorderly
and tumultuous flight that only 10 people were left out of an army of 15,000
with the Holy Prophet. Eight of them were of Bani Hashim,(.Abbas, two of his
sons, ‘Ali and three other cousins of the Holy Prophet)
Abbas
was shouting to the Muslims to come back, reminding them of the oath of
allegiance taken and promises made, but it was to no avail. Those who accepted
Islam for greed , wealth and power were not willing to risk their lives.
Many
of them who had carefully hidden their enmity from the rising power were happy
at the defeat. They gathered round Abu Sofian, started congratulating him and
saying, "The magical circle of the lying Prophet is broken,” They were
praying for the return of Polytheism. 1.
Once
again it fell to the lot of ‘Ali (as) to save the Holy Prophet and the Islam.
Armies of Bani Hawaazen and Banu Saqeef under cover of their archers were
rushing the hillock and were getting ready for a fierce onslaught.
‘Ali
(as) divided the small band of faithful true Muslims in three divisions; to
Abdullah Ibne Masood, Abbas ibne Abdul Muttalib and Abu bin Harris has assigned
the duty of protecting the Holy Prophet, to three he ordered to guard the rear
and he himself faced the onslaught with only three warriors with him.
He
fought, wounded at many places, but continued fighting when he faced the
commander of the hostile army, Abu Jerdal in hand to hand fight and killed him
with one stroke of his sword. He alone killed over 30 of the enemy and with
this bravery his aids also fought bravely and enemy was defeated.
The
day was saved, the commander of the enemy’s army was killed, their ranks were
broken they had no courage to face ‘Ali (as) and they started retreating. The
sight of the powerful army in retreat, made the fleeing Muslims bold and they
came back as victory was won for them 2.
The
defensive battles were over and the peaceful spread of Islam began. ‘Ali (as)
was again in the forefront. He brought the whole tribe of Bani Hamdan to Islam
by preaching . Similarly when he was sent to Yemen he brought the whole country
in to the fold of Islam by his sermons.
This
news so pleased the Holy Prophet that he bowed down in Sajdah to thank God
three times and said loudly, peace be to Bani Hamdan and to ‘Ali. Again in the
year 10th of Hijra ‘Ali’s sermon and preaching proved so effective that the
whole province embraced Islam as one man.
In
the 9th year of Hijra the famous event of Mobahela took place. Najran was a
city in the province of Yemen. It was the center of Christian Missionary
activities in southern Arabia. The Holy Prophet had written to the Chief Priest
of the City to realize the blessings of Islam.
In
reply he wrote that he personally would like to discuss the teachings of this
new religion. His name was Haris. He was invited and came with a group of 14
priests.
These
priests as guest of the Holy Prophet. Long discussions took place during the
course of 4 days of their stay in Madina. When Sunday came the Chief priest
wanted to go out of the city to have their Sunday Service. Prophet Islam said
that they all have permission to conduct their religious service inside the
mosque of the Prophet which they happily did.
Long
discussions continued about monotheism verses trinity and it was realized that
these priests were not open minded, on the contrary they were prejudiced
against monotheism. The Almighty Lord ordered the Holy Prophet to explain to
that:
“Verily
Jesus is as Adam in the sight of God. He created Adam from dust. He said unto
him, Be, and he was. This is truth from thy Lord. be not therefore one of those
who doubt, and whoever shall dispute thee, say unto them, “come let us call
together our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our Selves and your
Selves, then let us make imprecations and lay the curse of God upon those who
lie.” (3:61)
According
to Bibi Ayesha when the above verse was revealed to the Apostle of God, he
called ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn and said, “Lord, this is my family (Ahlul
Bayt). The Holy Prophet took this small family with them to the open land
outside the city where they all assembled to bring the curse of God on those
who lie.
When
the Chief priest saw these faces, he told his companions that he was looking at
the faces that if they call the mountain, the mountain will go them. Do not
have Mobahela with them or you will be destroyed. On hearing this they all
agreed to pay homage to the Holy Prophet and an annual tax for living in the
Islamic State and withdrew from the scene.
In
history there were numerous occasions when the Holy Prophet designated ‘Ali as
his Deputy and successor after him. From the moment of Zulasheera to the time
of the conquest of Khyber and the occasion of the battle of Tabuke the Holy
Prophet made it abundantly clear that no one deserved more than ‘Ali to be his
Deputy and successor. But at the time of Ghadeer this was clearly ordered by
Allah through a clear verse revealed on the Prophet. The Verse said,
"O’
apostle; proclaim the whole of that which hath been sent down to thee from thy
Lord, for if thou dost it not, it will be as if thou hast not at all performed
the duty of His Prophethood. And God will protect thee from evil men, verily
God guideth not the unbelievers.”(5:67.)
The
occasion was after the last pilgrimage in 10th Hijri. The Prophet delivered his
Sermons on Mount Arafat, had the final rounds of the Kaaba and left for Madina.
More than 120,000 pilgrims were coming out with him from Makka going to the
North.
Half
way through their journey where the routes were separated for various pilgrims,
the Holy Prophet ordered the whole caravan to halt. All those who went ahead
were called back and for those who were behind they waited for them to arrive.
The
place was Ghadeer, near the pool of water. That is why it was named
Ghadeer-e-Khom. When all assembled at this place the Holy Prophet stood up on
top of the pulpit and said, "People, shortly I shall be called towards my
creator where I shall have to give an account as to how I have conveyed His
message to you and you in your turn will be asked as to how you have accepted
and carried out the teachings. Now tell me what you will say”.
Thereupon
all the pilgrims declared as one man, "Apostle of God, we testify and
declare that you have conveyed the message of God fully, you have strived your
utmost to guide us to the Right Path and taught us to follow it. You were most
kind to us and you never wished for us but our good, may God repay you for all
that."
After
that the Prophet said, "Do you not testify that there is no god but Allah,
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 Apostle declared, "I am leaving amongst you two most
important things worthy of obedience, the Qur’an and my progeny (Ahlul Bayt).
Take care how you treat them, they will not separate from each other till they
reach me at the fountain of Kauser.”
Then
he said, “The Almighty God is my Lord (Maula) and I am the Lord of all Muslims
and have more right and power on their lives than they themselves. Do you
believe in this assertion of mine?" They all in one voice replied “Yes
O’Apostle of God. Three times he asked the same question and three times he
received the same affirmative reply.
At
this solemn affirmation he said, “Hear and remember that to whomever I am Lord
or Maula, ‘Ali is the Lord and Maula to him. He is to me what Aaron was to
Musa. The Almighty God is a friend to his friends and a foe to his foe, help
those who help him and frustrate those who betray him.
While
saying this he raised ‘Ali High over his shoulders in order to be seen by all
the Muslims assembled there. Thereupon the Holy Prophet received the final
revelation:
"This
day I have perfected your religion for you and have filled up the measure of my
bounties upon you and I am pleased with Islam to be your Deen," (5:3).
After
performing this ceremony and receiving the above revelation the Holy Prophet
came down from the pulpit and ordered a tent to be erected. In this ‘Ali (as)
was made to take his seat and all Muslims were ordered to pay homage to him and
address him as Amirul Momeneen (Lord of the faithful) The first person to
congratulate and address him as such was Omar Ibne Khattab saying, “I
congratulate you, O’’Ali, today you have become my Maula and Lord and Lord of
every Muslim man and woman. 1.
The
event of Ghadeer was on 18th of Zilhijja 10th Hijri, immediately after the last
pilgrimage by the Holy Prophet. He then arrived back in Madina and lived only
for 70 days after the event.(130 Prominent Companions of the Holy Prophet
narrated this Hadith including the first three Kholafa-e-Rashidoon)
The
year 11th AH was the saddest year for ‘Ali. (as) He lost two of his best
friends. One of whom he loved and venerated like a father, like a master and
like a dearest friend, the Holy Prophet(S) who died on 28th Safar 11th Hijri,
exactly 70 days after the event of Ghadeer. His death followed by the death of
his dearest companion his wife Fatima, the Lady of Light.
Immediately
after the death of the Holy Prophet who was buried by ‘Ali (as) with the help
of his uncle Abbas and all the family of Bani Hashim, the news was given to
‘Ali (as) about the events at the Saqeefa that Abubakr was made Caliph. Abu
Sofian heard the news came to ‘Ali (as) and told him that his Right was taken
away from him.
If
he wishes, Abu Sofian would fill the city of Madina with horsemen to defend
‘Ali’s Right of Khilafat. ‘Ali’s reply was typical, he said,” since when you
have become friends of Islam”, you want to create serious dissension amongst
the Muslims. You have always tried to harm Islam I do not need your sympathies
or help.”
‘Ali
realized that any serious dissension at this stage would harm the cause of
Islam. He had before him the example of Hodaibiya and he had been foretold by
the Holy Prophet of all that would happen. Allama ‘Ali Ibne Mohammed (630 AH)
in his book Usdul Ghaba Vol iv page 31 says, The Holy Prophet had told ‘Ali,
your status is like that of Kaaba.
People
go to Kaaba 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 of Banu Nuzair and Banu Qoraiza on the one side,
and the Byzantine armies in the north with the Munafiqoon (hypocrites) the new
converts 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. ‘Ali’s
utmost desire was to see Islam and the Arabs in one piece and wanted the
enemies of Islam to realize that Islam was strong enough to defend itself as
“Deen”. even after the demise of the Apostle of God.
He
had another important job to complete that is the completion of the collection
of Qur’an with its Tafseer (explanations) according to the instructions of the
Holy Prophet. Qur’an as a book was already completed by the Holy Prophet, many
copies were made and circulated among the Muslim communities all over the
Islamic world.
What
‘Ali did in the next six months after the demise of the Holy Prophet was to
collect all the explanations of the various verses, reasons behind their
revelation and their full context. This monumental job he completed in six
months and brought before the Muslims in the city of the Prophet.
Unfortunately
this was ignored by the ruling party and ‘Ali (as) took it back with him. Their
comment was "this is too bulky and people will not understand it.”
The
original remained with ‘Ali (as) all his life and then passed on to his son
Hasan (as) and then to Husayn (as) which then continued with the Ahlul Bayt of
the Prophet. It is now with the 12th Imam (as) .
During
the time of the three Kholafa, although ‘Ali (as) did not take part in any of
the battles, he was always available when they sought his advice on religious
matters. His position as the jurist was on the top of the list among the
companions of the Holy Prophet.
Omar
Ibne Khattab the 2nd Caliph had given clear instructions that when ‘Ali was
present in the mosque of the Prophet no one should take precedence over him in
answering questions on religious matters.
In
one such encounter during the time of the 2nd Caliph, a group of Jewish
scholars approached the caliph and said, “ We have a few questions. If we get
the answers to these questions correctly, we will accept the Islamic faith.
“Ask whatever you want to ask," said the caliph. They asked the following
questions.
1.
What are the locks and keys of heaven?
2.
Who was the messenger who was neither of the human nor of the jinn and who
warned his people?
3.
Which are the 5 beings that were created without the aid of ovaries?
4
What are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and
twelve?
The
caliph thought over these questions for a time, then said, I do not know the
answers to these questions. I will take you to a man who is most knowledgeable
in the commandments of God and the Prophet and the greatest among us. The
caliph then brought the Jewish scholars to ‘Ali (as) . They asked the same
questions to him. ‘Ali (as) answered thus:
1.
The locks of the heavens are beliefs in more than one God, and its keys are the
letters of “La Ilaha Illallah, Muhammad-Ur-Rasulallah.”
2.
The messenger who warned his people is the ant who, when Solomon’s army was
passing by, said to his people, “ Enter your houses so that the army may not
stamp you out (without intention)”. So God states in the Holy Qur’an,
“Until
they came to the valley of the Ants, said an ant (addressing the other ants of
the valley) O” you ants’ enter into your dwellings, so that Solomon and his
hosts may not crush you while they know it not”. (27:18)
3.
The five beings that were not born of ovaries are: Adam, Eve, the staff of
Moses which used to change into a python, the camel of Saleh, and the sheep of
Ibrahim (which was sent by God to become a ransom of the life of Ibrahim’s son
Ismael).
4.
One is God who has no partners, two are Adam and Eve, three are the substances
( i.e. non-living matter, plants and animals), four are the Heavenly books:
Torah of Moses, Bible of Jesus, Zubur of Dawood and the Qur’an of Muhammad (S).
Five
are the daily prayers. Six are the days of creation of the heavens and earth,
as per the verse of the Qur’an:
“And
indeed We created the heavens and the earth and what is between them two, in
six periods and touched us not any fatigue.” (Surah 50:38). Seven are the seven
heavens, in the light of the Qur’anic Verse: “And we have erected above you the
seven strong ones.” (78:12)
Eight
are those angels who bear the heavens, as per the Qur’anic Verse:
“And
the angels shall be on the side of it; and above them shall bear that day
‘Arsh’(the throne of authority). of your Lord, eight of them(69:17)
Nine
are the nine signs given to Moses as stated by God:
“And
indeed we gave Moses nine clear signs (miracles); so ask the children of Israel
when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him; “Verily I deem you O’Moses one
bewitched.”
(17:101).
(17:101).
Ten
are the ten days, i.e. God had promised Moses that he would stay on the
mountain of Toor for thirty days, and later added ten more days to this
duration, as it is stated in the Qur’an.
“And
we made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights and completed it with ten
more;” Thus was completed the term of his Lord, forty nights, and (before he
went up) Moses said to his brother Aaron: You take my place among my people,
act rightly and follow not the path of the mischief-makers.” (7:142).
Eleven
are the brothers of Joseph, son of Jacob, as the Qur’an states,
“When
said Joseph to his father, O’my father; Verily I did see (dream) eleven stars
and the sun and the moon,, I saw them all prostrating to me.” (12:4).
Twelve
are the Twelve water-springs manifested by the staff of Moses, as God states,
“And
(remember) when Moses sought water for his people; said We, ‘Strike the rock
with your staff’ Then gushed out therefrom twelve springs; each people knew
their drinking place; “Eat and drink God’s provision, and commit not evil in
the earth acting mischievously.”(2:60)
When
the Jewish scholars heard the replies of ‘Ali (as) they said, “We bear witness
that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (S) is His Messenger and ‘Ali
(as) is the “Wasi” and successor of the Messenger of God as Aaron was the Wasi
of Moses. They all embraced Islam, went back to their tribe and converted all
of them to Islam.(Kaukabe Durri).
After
the death of Osman the 3rd Caliph ‘Ali (as) was elected by the overwhelming
majority of Muslims as the 4th Caliph. He was reluctant to accept the office of
the caliph but when pushed by the majority , accepted it by saying that he was
taking the reins of worldly authority only to bring back the Ummah of the
Prophet on the Right Path, though the value of this worldly khilafat is less
than the sneeze of a goat.
His
position as an Imam and guide was already established during the period of
three earlier khulafa, with worldly power he began the daunting task of
establishing the type of rule the Messenger of God had established during his
time.
Imam
Bukhari mentioned in his Saheeh that the very first prayers which ‘Ali (as) led
in the mosque of the Prophet as the Caliph, many companions of the prophet said
that “today we have prayed as the Messenger of God used to pray”.
But
during the past 25 years many companions of the Prophet had, due to excessive
wealth coming in from the conquest of the foreign lands, changed into the habit
of living like feudal lords of the period of Jahiliya of pre-Islamic days. ‘Ali
(as) as caliph warned them of the dangers of excessive wealth by these words.
" Beware of the intoxication of wealth”.(Masudi,Muruj el Zahab).
The
path of ‘Ali (as) was full of thorns and as soon as he tried to establish the
austere path of the Messenger of God, he created many enemies. The first and
foremost was the Governor of Syria Moawiya ibne Abi Sofian.
He
persuaded Talha and Zubair,when they were denied the Governorship of various
provinces by ‘Ali (as) , to start a revolt against ‘Ali. (as) Both of them left
Madina, arrived in Makka and somehow persuaded bibi Ayesha the widow of the
Prophet to start a fight against ‘Ali. (as) They left Makka for Basra and
assembled an army against ‘Ali. (as) .
He
warned them of the dangers of war against the caliph upon whose hand they had
taken the oath of allegiance, but persuasion from Moawiya and promises of
Governorship of various provinces was so strong that they would not hear any
advice. ‘Ali (as) left Madina in pursuit of these deviants and two Muslim
armies faced each other near Basra.
When
many companions of the Prophet saw this they questioned the validity of this
war and cast doubt as to which party was on the right path. ‘Ali (as) replied
in the most subtle way to these doubters. “ Truth cannot be identified from
men, find the truth and you will find the deserving person”.
The
battle of Jamal was fought, ‘Ali ‘s army was victorious, both Talha and Zubair
were killed by their own men and bibi Ayesha was sent back to Madina under the
escort of her brother Muhammad ibne Abibakr. She always repented this venture and
asked forgiveness from God.
When
with the connivance of Moawiya her brother Muhammad ibne abi bakr was killed
and his body was put into the body of a dead camel and burnt, she cursed
Moawiya five times a day after every prayer, throughout her life..
The
Battle of Siffin was also fought due to the deviant action of Moawiya against
the Islamic State. Some companions of ‘Ali’s army deserted him by accepting
bribes from Moawiya and due to this deceitful action the battle of Siffin
remained indecisive, no one won and no one lost.
In
the meantime this deviant group which was later named as “Khawarij” meaning
deviant, began to spread trouble within the Islamic State by looting and
burning villages and killing women and children that ‘Ali (as) fought against
them and the battle of Nahrwan took place.
On
the way to Nahrwan ‘Ali (as) passed a monastery. An old Christian monk who also
claimed to be an astrologer of some repute called out, “ O’ army of Islam, ask
your leader to come to me. Upon hearing this ‘Ali (as) turned his horse towards
the monastery and approached the monk. Where do you go ask the monk. To fight
the enemies of Islam, replied ‘Ali (as) .
Do
not fight now, because at this moment the stars do not favor the Muslims. Wait
for a few days when the stars will become favorable for you. ‘Ali (as) replied,
do you defy Allah for this action we are taking on the orders of Allah and for
His Deen.
‘Ali
(as) said, “ since you profess knowledge of the stars, tell me about the
movement of such and such star.” The old man said, By God, I have never heard
the name of this star. ‘Ali (as) asked him another question about the skies and
when the old man failed to reply said “It is now known that you do not know
about the skies.
Shall
I ask you about the earth? Tell me what is buried beneath your feet at the spot
where you stand. I do not know said the old monk, “There is a vessel filled
with so many silver coins and the coins bear such and such emblem. How do you
know enquired the monk”.
“By
God’s grace.” said ‘Ali (as) . Then ‘Ali proceeded to say that in the ensuing
fight, less than ten persons of Islamic army would be killed whereas less than
ten persons from the opposing army would escape. The old monk listened
astonished. As per ‘Ali’s command, when the earth beneath the feet of the monk
was dug, a vessel filled with silver coins was found exactly as described by
‘Ali (as)
‘Ali
(as) proceeded to Nahrwan and in the ensuing fight, the Khawarij were
thoroughly defeated. Out of the four thousand men of the Khawarij only nine
escaped and only nine men of the Islamic army were killed in this battle.
(Rawdhatul Shuhada, Kaukab el Durri )
Returning
from the battle ‘Ali (as) passed the monastery and when the monk heard the full
story he embraced Islam immediately.
‘Ali
(as) also admonished him about his belief in astrology. He said “ do you think
you can tell the hour when a man goes out and no evil befall him. Whoever
testifies this falsifies the Qur’an and becomes unmindful of Allah in achieving
his desired objective and in warding off the undesirable.”
Then
‘Ali (as) addressed to his own soldiers and said “Beware of learning the
science of stars except that with which guidance is sought on land or sea,
because it leads to divining and an astrologer is a diviner, while a diviner is
like the sorcerer, the sorcerer is like the unbeliever and the unbeliever’s
place is in hell.”(Nahjul Balagha)
The
four years and ten months of the Khilafat of ‘Ali (as) has been regarded by
many historians as the best example of Islamic State after the Prophet of
Islam’s death, in spite of the fact that the family of Abu Sofian tried their
best to destroy it.
Imam
Abu Yousuf the famous disciple of Imam Abu Hanifa in his book about the history
of Kholafae Rashedun declares above the title of his book that ‘Ali’s (as) time
of Khilafat was the best in the management of the Islamic State and most just.
Many
European historians mentioned ‘Ali’s name with love and affection. Carlyle
writes in his Heros and Heroworship that” ‘Ali had such a personality that he
was liked, loved and venerated by everybody. He was the man of excellent
character loving and lovable, so intensely brave that if anything stood against
his bravery it was consumed as if by fire, yet he was so gentle and kind that
he represented the model of a Christian Knight.”
The
famous Egyptian scholar Mohammad Abdoh relates a story about the time of the
conquest of Alexandria during the reign of the 2nd caliph. They found a great
library there and did not know what to do with it.
Orders
were issued from Madina that ‘if these books are according to the Holy Qur’an,
then we do not need them and if they say anything contrary to the Holy Qur’an
then we do not want them. Therefore, in any case they ought to be burnt.
(Akhbarul Ulama wa Aakhbarul Hukama of Ibne Quftee, pages 232 and 233,Printed
Cairo).
When
‘Ali (as) heard the news of this, he tried to pursuade them to refrain from
issuing such order. He told them, “These books are treasures of knowledge and
they cannot say anything against the Holy Qur’an.
On
the contrary the knowledge contained therein would act as commentaries of the
Holy Book and would assist and help in further explanations of the knowledge as
presented by the Holy Prophet. Knowledge is an asset for human beings and a
birth right of man. It should not be destroyed.”
It
was 19th of Ramadan 41 Hijri while ‘Ali (as) was leading the morning prayers
and was in the second Sajdah of the 2nd Rakaat that Ibne Muljim’s sword fell
and the life of the greatest warrior saint was taken away to his merciful Lord.
The
famous christian writer of Lebanon George Jurdaq writes in his books on ‘Ali
(as) that with this one blow of the sword of Ibne Muljim the world was deprived
of the person who, if had lived a few more years would have given the world a
system of administration that future generations would have benefited for a
long time to come.”
In
fact the letter to his Governor of Egypt Malike Ashter advising him of the
“Do’s and Don’ts for a successful administration of the State is the hall mark
in the annals of history”. We can only say that ‘Ali’s supreme wisdom provides
the guidance of a stature that mankind can aspire to.
‘Ali
(as) injured with the wound from the poisonous sword lived for two days. In
these two days he dictated his Will and last testament to his son Hasan (as)
which is again a brilliant part of literary history.
He
advised his eldest son to love God and obey Him and to live for the service of
the people in the way of God. “And then do not forget to set apart the best of
your time for communion with God, although every moment of yours is for Him,
provided it is spent sincerely in the service of your people.”
‘Ali’s
(as) sermons, collected by Sayyid Razi in the 4th century (AH) are the examples
of the most brilliant piece of Arabic literature that after the Holy Qur’an and
the authentic Hadith of the Prophet of Islam, ever produced.
What
Sayyid Razi could compile in Nahjul Balagha does not contain all the Sermons,
letters and sayings of ‘Ali (as) . Masoodi (d.346) in his famous book of
history Muruj-al-Zahab says that the only Sermons of ‘Ali, (as) which have been
preserved by various people, number more than 480.
These
were extempore orations, people have copied them from one another and compiled
them in the book forms’ they have cited them and quoted passages from them in
their books. The famous companion and pupil of ‘Ali (as) Hasan al Basri had
made such arrangements that one of his own friends would memorize the sermons
delivered in the mosque of Kufa and relate the same in the next Friday prayer
in Basra. This shows the deep interest people of his own time had in these
sermons and sayings.
Apparently
out of these 480 sermons some were lost and Sayyid Razi could lay hands on only
245 sermons. Besides them he has collected about 75 letters and 489 sayings.
Almost every one of the sermons, sayings and letters collected in Nahjul
Balagha is to be found books of authors who died long before Sayyid Raza was
even born.
Here
we quote a few selected sayings of ‘Ali (as) from Nahjul Balagha, The numbers
given as they appear in the English translation by Sayyid ‘Ali Raza from
Pakistan.
1.
During civil disturbance be like an adolescent camel that has neither a back
strong enough for riding nor udders for milking.”( 1, page 568)
2.
He who adopts greed as a habit devalues himself, he who discloses his hardship
agrees to humiliation, and he who allows his tongue to overpower his Nafs
debases the Nafs.(2 page 569)
5.
Knowledge is a venerable estate, good manners are new dresses and thinking is a
clear mirror. ( 5, page 569)
7.
Charity is an effective cure, and actions of people in their present life will
be before their eyes in the next life.( 7, page 570)
10.Meet
people in such a manner that if you die they should weep for you and if you
live they should long for you.( 10, page 571)
27."
Keep walking in your sickness as long as you can."(27, page 576)-A simple
cure through exercise and ignoring the sickness as much as possible)
31.
Faith stands on four supports: on endurance, conviction, justice and Jihad.(31
page 576)
40.
The tongue of the wiseman is behind his heart and the heart of the fool is
behind his tongue.(40 page 579)
45.
Even if I strike the nose of a believer with this sword for hating me, he will
not hate me, and even if I pile all the wealth of the world before a hypocrite
for loving me he will not love. This is because it is pronounced by the tongue
of the beloved Prophet. O’’Ali, a believer will never hate you and a hypocrite
(Muslim) will never love you.( 45 page 580)
54.
There is no wealth like wisdom, no destitution like ignorance, no inheritance
like refinement and no support like consultation.(54 page 584)
64.
The people of the world are like travelers who are being carried while asleep.
64, page 584)
67.
Do not feel ashamed for giving little, because refusal is smaller than that.(
67, page 584)
90.
The perfect jurist of Islam is he who does not let people lose hope from the
mercy of Allah, does not make him despondent of Allah’s kindness and does not
make him feel safe from Allah’s punishment.( 90 page 589)
117.
Two categories of persons will face ruin on account of me; he who loves me with
exaggeration and he who hates me intensely. (117 page 594)
146.
Protect your belief by charity, guard your wealth by paying Allah’s share, and
ward off the waves of calamity by praying.(146 page 600)
334.
Beware of disobeying Allah in solitude, for the witness is also the judge.(334.
page 648)
The
famous French historian and Orientalist Gabriel Enkiri writes in his famous
book ‘Le chevalier de Islam’, In the extremely superfine, grand and noble
character of ‘Ali, there were two traits which, it is difficult to believe that
can be united in one man.
Besides
‘Ali, history cannot show any other man who has displayed these two qualities
at one and the same time, and each one, in such a marked way that none can
surpass him.
1.
He was the greatest marshal of his time (even of all time) and , 2. He was the
wisest man who could explain and expound religion, philosophy, science,
sociology and ethics, in a style which was not and which cannot be improved;
what is more, he was such a great speaker that his speeches enchant you even
fourteen centuries after his death”.
Read
the book called Nahjul Balagha and find out yourself.
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