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"You
[Ali] are my brother in this world and
the next." (Hadith)
Ali's
Election
After
Uthman's martyrdom, the office of the
caliphate remained unfilled for two or
three days. Many people insisted that
Ali should take up the office, but he
was embarrassed by the fact that the
people who pressed him hardest were the
rebels, and he therefore declined at
first. When the notable Companions of
the Prophet (peace be on him) urged him,
however, he finally agreed.
Ali's
Life
Ali bin
Abi Talib was the first cousin of the
Prophet (peace be on him). More than
that, he had grown up in the Prophet's
own household, later married his
youngest daughter, Fatima, and remained
in closest association with him for
nearly thirty years.
Ali was
ten years old when the Divine Message
came to Muhammad (peace be on him). One
night he saw the Prophet and his wife
Khadijah bowing and prostrating. He
asked the Prophet about the meaning of
their actions. The Prophet told him that
they were praying to God Most High and
that Ali too should accept Islam. Ali
said that he would first like to ask his
father about it. He spent a sleepless
night, and in the morning he went to the
Prophet and said, "When God created
me He did not consult my father, so why
should I consult my father in order to
serve God?" and he accepted the
truth of Muhammad's message.
When the
Divine command came, "And warn thy
nearest relatives" [26:214],
Muhammad (peace be on him) invited his
relatives for a meal. After it was
finished, he addressed them and asked,
"Who will join me in the cause of
God?" There was utter silence for a
while, and then Ali stood up. "I am
the youngest of all present here,"
he said, "My eyes trouble me
because they are sore and my legs are
thin and weak, but I shall join you and
help you in whatever way I can."
The assembly broke up in derisive
laughter. But during the difficult wars
in Mecca, Ali stood by these words and
faced all the hardships to which the
Muslims were subjected. He slept in the
bed of the Prophet when the Quraish
planned to murder Muhammad. It was he to
whom the Prophet entrusted, when he left
Mecca, the valuables which had been
given to him for safekeeping, to be
returned to their owners.
Apart
from the expedition of Tabuk, Ali fought
in all the early battles of Islam with
great distinction, particularly in the
expedition of Khaybar. It is said that
in the Battle of Uhud he received more
than sixteen wounds.
The
Prophet (peace be on him) loved Ali
dearly and called him by many fond
names. Once the Prophet found him
sleeping in the dust. He brushed off
Ali's clothes and said fondly,
"Wake up, Abu Turab (Father of
Dust)." The Prophet also gave him
the title of 'Asadullah' ('Lion of
God').
Ali's
humility, austerity, piety, deep
knowledge of the Qur'an and his sagacity
gave him great distinction among the
Prophet's Companions. Abu Bakr, 'Umar
and Uthman consulted him frequently
during their caliphates. Many times 'Umar
had made him his vice-regent at Medina
when he was away. Ali was also a great
scholar of Arabic literature and
pioneered in the field of grammar and
rhetoric. His speeches, sermons and
letters served for generations afterward
as models of literary expression. Many
of his wise and epigrammatic sayings
have been preserved. Ali thus had a rich
and versatile personality. In spite of
these attainments he remained a modest
and humble man. Once during his
caliphate when he was going about the
marketplace, a man stood up in respect
and followed him. "Do not do
it," said Ali. "Such manners
are a temptation for a ruler and a
disgrace for the ruled."
Ali and
his household lived extremely simple and
austere lives. Sometimes they even went
hungry themselves because of Ali's great
generosity, and none who asked for help
was ever turned away from his door. His
plain, austere style of living did not
change even when he was ruler over a
vast domain.
Ali's
Caliphate
As
mentioned previously, Ali accepted the
caliphate very reluctantly. Uthman's
murder and the events surrounding it
were a symptom, and also became a cause,
of civil strife on a large scale. Ali
felt that the tragic situation was
mainly due to inept governors. He
therefore dismissed all the governors
who had been appointed by Uthman and
appointed new ones. All the governors
excepting Muawiya, the governor of
Syria, submitted to his orders. Muawiya
declined to obey until Uthman's blood
was avenged. The Prophet's widow Aisha
also took the position that Ali should
first bring the murderers to trial. Due
to the chaotic conditions during the
last days of Uthman it was very
difficult to establish the identity of
the murderers, and Ali refused to punish
anyone whose guilt was not lawfully
proved. Thus a battle between the army
of Ali and the supporters of Aisha took
place. Aisha later realized her error of
judgment and never forgave herself for
it.
The
situation in Hijaz (thc part of Arabia
in which Mecca and Medina are located)
became so troubled that Ali moved his
capital to Iraq. Muawiya now openly
rebelled against Ali and a fierce battle
was fought between their armies. This
battle was inconclusive, and Ali had to
accept the de facto government of
Muawiya in Syria.
However,
even though the era of Ali's caliphate
was marred by civil strife, he
nevertheless introduced a number of
reforms, particularly in the levying and
collecting of revenues.
It was
the fortieth year of Hijra. A fanatical
group called Kharijites, consisting of
people who had broken away from Ali due
to his compromise with Muawiya, claimed
that neither Ali, the Caliph, nor
Muawiya, the ruler of Syria, nor Amr bin
al-Aas, the ruler of Egypt, were worthy
of rule. In fact, they went so far as to
say that the true caliphate came to an
end with 'Umar and that Muslims should
live without any ruler over them except
God. They vowed to kill all three
rulers, and assassins were dispatched in
three directions.
The
assassins who were deputed to kill
Muawiya and Amr did not succeed and were
captured and executed, but Ibn-e-Muljim,
the assassin who was commissioned to
kill Ali, accomplished his task. One
morning when Ali was absorbed in prayer
in a mosque, Ibn-e-Muljim stabbed him
with a poisoned sword. On the 20th of
Ramadan, 40 A.H., died the last of the
Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam. May God
Most High be pleased with them and grant
to them His eternal reward.
After
Ali's Death
With the
death of Ali, the first and most notable
phase in the history of Muslim peoples
came to an end. All through this period
it had been the Book of God and the
practices of His Messenger - that is,
thc Qur'an and the Sunnah - which had
guided the leaders and the led, set the
standards of their moral conduct and
inspired their actions. It was the time
when the ruler and the ruled, the rich
and the poor, the powerful and the weak,
were uniformly subject to the Divine
Law. It was an epoch of freedom and
equality, of God-consciousness and
humility, of social justice which
recognized no privileges, and of an
impartial law which accepted no pressure
groups or vested interests.
After
Ali, Muawiya assumed the caliphate and
thereafter the caliphate became
hereditary, passing from one king to
another.
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