Introduction
منذ 3 سنوات
866
BY
Yousuf N. Lalljee
It must be borne in mind that it was Ali who gave a distinctive outlook to the intellectual, social, cultural and political concepts of his times. He was the Warrior-Saint of Islam, who spent his entire life fighting the holy wars and who in spite of his multifarious activities lit the torch of knowledge which gave unprecedented impetus to learning-a marvel of the times in which he lived. (The wonderful personality he possessed has made him the greatest hero of all times.) In the world of today, his many-sided spiritual precepts might help to solve some of the problems with which the world is faced today. His ideas were conciliatory and his message was always one of peace. He lived for justice and was very firm in his belief that every one should have a right to live in security, that there should be food, shelter and clothing for all. Humanity he considered as one family where there should be tolerance for all-irrespective of race, creed and colour and irrespective of wealth or adversity.
Nowhere was his humane attitude more apparent than when he was dispensing justice. He had the strictest ideas of duty and responsibility and even the poorest and most insignificant of suitors always found him ready to give his case a fair and prompt hearing. He was quick to forgive an offender as he was slow to resent an injury, a humane attitude which too many of his contemporaries were prone to interpret wrongly as a weakness; it was
this humane attitude which above all stamped Ali as the ideal man.
In order to keep his finger on the pulse of the people, Ali often disguised himself as a traveller, perambulating the lanes of the city at night to find out for himself the condition of the poor and the needy, and to lend succour to them and at the same time to bring the delinquents to book. His tremendous physical energy thus found an outlet in the performance of many a philanthropic deed, but even so, his sense of responsibility to his people was so great that he was frequently struck with remorse for what he had left undone. Hence the bitter tears of self-deprecation which he so often shed at his prayers.
He sought always to prevent those civil wars in which blood would be shed in vain, but in his fight against the forces of evil and barbarity he showed extraordinary determination, unwavering purpose and an iron will. He was at once a recluse and a warrior, a thinker contemplating in the wastes of the desert and a commander fighting the Lord's battle against heretical foes. In his personality he combined a pious resignation to God with the greatest heroism in combat.
In his attempts to establish God's kingdom on earth, he was constantly beset by enemies who wanted to extinguish the torch of Islam, and whose activities were the more resented as they were carried out in the name of God and religion. Pitched as he was against envy, hatred and malice, he never permitted himself to falter or to stray from the path of right, even though this singleness of purpose was to cost him his life.
In the words of Gibbon, "The birth, the alliance, the character of Ali which exalted him above the rest of his
Hazrat Ali's mother Fatima was the daughter of Asad, a famous magnate of the Quraish clan. She was also the aunt of the Holy Prophet, being the wife of Abu Talib, the Prophet's paternal uncle. When she was pregnant, she promised Muhammad to make over to him whatever child was born to her, be it male or female. Muhammad, aware of the issue that would be brought forth, gladly accepted the offer .
Ali's holy personality began its wonderful manifestation even during the period of his mother's pregnancy. At that timer Muhammad had not yet announced his prophet
When people asked her about this peculiar behaviour of hers, she would say that she could not help it, that some irresistible urge from within made her do so.
This statement was disbelieved by those who wished to test her. So one day they made her sit and they asked two strong men to hold her down when Muhammad passed by. Then they asked Muhammad if he would walk in front of he f, to which he gladly agreed. As he came in front of her, Fatima began to rise and she stood erect throwing both men aside. Muhammad who alone was aware of this mystery, used to smile.
He was keenly awaiting the birth of his cousin Ali.
During her pregnancy whenever Fatima was alone, she heard from within her a mysterious whisper which was to the glorification of God.
To understand the significance and importance of his place of birth, it is essential to know a little of the history of the Kaaba.
The first House of God was rebuilt and renovated at the command of Allah by the Prophet Abraham assisted by his worthy successor, his son Ismail, under the supervision and guidance of the Angel Gabriel. The verses of the Koran say :
"And remember when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ismail, (Praying) Our Lord! accept
"And remember when we made the House a resort for mankind and a sanctuary (saying), Take ye the station of Abraham a place of prayer (For you); and covenanted with Abraham and Ismail (saying) purify ye two my House for those who make the circuit, and for those who prostrate (adoring)".
This verse clearly depicts the purpose of the Kaaba, namely that it was to be a place of worship and that it was pure and sacred.
It was to this sacred place, the Holy Kaaba, that Providence led the mother of Hazrat Ali. She felt weighed down by intense pain when Ali was due to be born. She knelt to pray. When she raised her head from her supplication, the wall of the House split as if by a miracle, to admit her within, and a portion of the wall returned to its normal position. The Kaaba was sealed, with Fatima within.
This news spread fast all over Mecca. The keys of the shrine were brought to unlock the door but all efforts ended in failure.
On the third day of this happening, with awe the wonder-struck crowds surrounding the Kaaba witnessed the lock falling of its own accord, and to their surprise Fatima emerged radiant from the sacred premises, cheerfully holding her new-born babe in her arms. Muhammad was waiting to receive her and her new-born child, and the first face that little Ali saw in this world was the smiling
The superstitious Arabs of those times, held that every person as he came into the world was touched by the devil, and that was why new-born babies cried at birth. Since Ali was born in the sanctuary of God, to which the devil had no access, he did not cry at birth but was found smiling. Thus God had interposed a veil between the evil spirits and the child who was to grow up to exalt His Holy Name. Ali has been described as having been found like a priceless pearl in the shell of the Kaaba, or a sword in the sheath of Allah's House, or as a lamp found in Allah's abode shedding light all around.
The sanctified birth of Ali, as that of Prophet Muhammad, was foretold in the scriptures, when God said to Abraham, who asked for a blessing on Ishmael; "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him ex
The felicitous Prophecy in Genesis 17:20 about the advent of a prophet is said to point to the appearance of Muhammad and Mi. While the 'Twelve Princes' of the Mosaic Scriptures are held to be none other than the twelve Holy Imams.
Hazrat Ali's birth inside the Kaaba is unique. This is the only known occasion on which a child was born within the precincts of the holy place ever since its foundation thousands of years ago.
When Ali was about five years of age, Muhammad took him away from his uncle Abu Talib to bring him up as his own child. Thus from his earliest days, Ali came directly under the tutelage of the Apostle of God, to share his high ethics and morals. Ali was ever ready to run the risk of his own life for Muhammad at times of danger and he was affectionately attached to him with unswerving faithfulness. The cousins were so fond of each other that they lived together till death parted them.
As Hazrat Ali says : "The Holy Prophet brought me up in his own arms and fed me with his own morsel. I follower'. him wherever he went, like a baby camel which follows its mother. Each day an aspect of his character would beam out of his noble soul and I would accept it and follow it as a command."
Ten years in the company of Muhammad 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. From his very infancy, he prostrated himself before God along with the Holy Prophet, as he himself said, "I was the first to pray to God along with the Holy Prophet."
The First Believers : Ibn Abbas, Anas, Zaid bin Aqram, Salman Farsi, and others have said, "Indeed it was Ali who was the first to declare his Islam, and some say that there is a consensus for this!" Major Janet's translation of Suyuti's History of the Caliphs page 171.
The illustrious Ali was thus the first to readily embrace Islam and testified to Muhammad being the Apostle of God.
Muhammad used to say the three men viz., Ezekiel, Habib Najjar and Ali, who came forward first to bear testimony to the faith of their Prophets, Moses, Jesus, and himself respectively, were acknowledged as 1 Siddiq. Ali repudiated the claim of any other to this epithet 2.
Often did the Holy Prophet go into the depths of the solitary desert around Mecca with his wife Khadija and his young cousin and disciple, Ali, so that they might together offer their thanks to their God for His manifold blessings.
Once they were surprised in this attitude of prayer by Abu Talib, the father of Ali, who said unto Muhammad "O son of my brother, what is this religion that thou art following? "
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1 Ahmad Hanbal in his Manaqib; Nasai in his Khasaes; Hakim in his Mustadrak.
2 Ibn Athir.
Then turning to Ali, his son, the venerable patriarch Abu Talib required what his religion was. "O Father", answered Ali, "I believe in God and His Prophet and go with him."
"Well my son," said Abu Talib, "He will not call thee to aught save what is good, wherefore thou art free to cleave unto him".
The first occasion where the Holy Prophet nominated Hazrat Ali as his vicegerent was the meeting of Dawat-eAsheera.
Thomas Carlyle in his 'Heroes and Hero-worship' says : "The assembly broke up in laughter. Nevertheless it proved not a laughable thing; it was a very serious thing. 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."
"Ali started acting as the bodyguard of the Holy Prophet even when he was just a lad of thirteen or fourteen years.
Ali took up the work of acting as his defender; he fell upon those young men, broke the nose of one, teeth of the other, pulled the ears of the third and threw down the fourth. He often fought against those who were older than he, was often hurt, but he never forsook the self- imposed duty. After some days he got the nick name of Quazeem (the breaker or thrower) and nobody dared to throw anything at the Holy Prophet when Ali was around, and he would not allow the Holy Prophet to go out alone." (Aavan Vol. 111 Page 280).
