The Commander of the Faithful: Ali Ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) Imam Ali was the cousin of our Holy Prophet. He was born in the Sacred House (Kabah). Alis birth in the Kabah is unique in the history of the world. Neither a prophet nor a Divine saint was ever blessed with such an honour. He was brought up under the care and affection of the Holy Prophet. As Ali says: The Holy Prophet brought me up in his own arms and fed me with his own morsel. I followed him wherever he went like a baby-camel following its mother. Each day a new aspect of his character would beam out of his noble person and I would accept it and follow it as a command. (Nahju1-balaghah) Ten years in the company of the Holy 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. Ali preserved in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet, says al-Masudi, all along his childhood. Allah created him pure and holy and kept him steadfast on the right path. The Holy 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 Allah and I. Nobody know me except Allah 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 the bright face of `Ali. The character and calibre of `Ali as judged by al-Masudi is, If the glorious name of being the first Muslim, a comrade of the Prophet in exile, his faithful companion in the struggle for faith, his intimate associate in life, and his kinsman; if a true knowledge of the spirit of his teachings and of the Book; if self-abnegation and practice of justice; if honesty, purity, and love of truth; if a knowledge of law and science, constitute a claim to pre-eminence, then all must regard `Ali as the foremost Muslim. We shall search in vain to find, either among his predecessors (save one) or among his successors, those attributes. Under Divine instruction, the Apostle of Allah married his beloved daughter Fatimah to Ali, though others vainly tried for her hand. Among their children, Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum have left their marks on the history of the world. After the death of Hadrat Fatimah, `Ali married Ummu1-Banin. `Abbas was born out of this wedlock and was so handsome that, he was fondly called Qamar Banu Hashim. He personified loyalty and bravery and proved it in the battlefield at Karbala. In the 40th year of Hijrah, in the small hours of the morning of 19th Ramadan, Ali was struck with a poisoned sword by a Kharijite while offering his prayers in the mosque of Kufah. The Lion of God, the most brave-hearted and fentle Muslim that ever lived began his glorious life with devotion to Allah and His Apostle and ended it in the service of Islam. And do not speak of those who are slain in Allahs way as dead; nay they are alive but you do not perceive. (Quran, 2:154) During his caliphate of nearly four years and nine months, `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 (foremost among whom were Talhah and az-Zubayr, who also gained the support of `Aishah, and especially Muawiyah) made a pretext of the death of the third caliph to raise their heads in opposition and began to revolt and rebel against `Ali. In order to quell the civil strife and sedition, `Ali fought successfully a war near Basrah known as the Battle of the Camel, against Talhah and az-Zubayr in which `Aishah, the Mother of the Faithful, was also involved. He fought another war against Muawiyah on the border of Iraq and Syria which lasted for a year and a half and is famous as the Battle of Siffin. He also fought the Khawarij at Nahrawan, in a battle known as the Battle of Nahrawan. Therefore, most of the days of `Alis caliphate were spent in overcoming internal opposition. Finally, in the morning of the 19th Ramadan in the year 40 AH, while praying in the mosque of Kufah, he was wounded by one of the Khawarij and died as a martyr during the night of the 21st.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 07:17:29 +0000
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