Ali Weds Lady Ummol-baneen

Ali weds Lady Ummol-Baneen

THE WORLD AROUND the Holy Prophet witnessed and history has vouched the fact that the gap in the domestic life and the happiness

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of the Prophet, created by the demise of Lady Khadija doubtlessly proved as irreparable for no other woman fittingly filled it up to give the Apostle of God the happiness at home or the harmony in his dome t::; life, and it is only about the good Lady Omme Salema that the Holy Prophet said : 'Ante alai Khair,' i.e., Thou art on goodness, which the good Lady proved true by not leaving the house of the Holy Prophet even after his departure from this world, and remaining as attached to his Ahlul-Bait as she was during his lifetime. The same was the case with Ali the First Imam, the Vicegerent of God on earth, succeeding the Holy Prophet. After the martyrdom of the I lolv Lady Fatema, there was none in the world to take her holy place in the house of Ali and the good Lady OmmolBaneen served Ali after Holy Lady Fatema as did Omme Salema to the Holy Prophet after the demise of Lady Khadija.

The alliance for a Holy Cause

THE PROP/ IECY FROM the Holy Prophet about the impending 'Zibhe Azeem' or the Great Martyrdom of Husain, had gained so much currency and had become a matter of such a conviction and concern to the Ahlul-Bait that after the departure of Lady Fatemi called his brother Ageel who was known for his knowledge about the tribal geneologies and told him to find out a respectable lady of a noble family, known for its bravery, for him to wed for he wanted to have a brave son from her to be his own representative there at Karbala to serve Husain the son of the Holy Prophet and help him in the calamitous situation against his enemies and lay his life defending Husain on his own behalf, for Hasan and Husain were hailed as the sons of the Holy Prophet and each one was addressed as 'Ibne Rasoolullah' (son of the Holy Prophet).

Ali expressly and particularly stressed when he told Aqeel for the selection of a lady, that he wanted the determined issue from the lady to be the bravest one in the world, to serve Husain at Karbala on his own behalf. Aqeel said:

Abbas the Standard-Bearer of Husain arrives

THE DESIRE OF Ali was readily granted by the Lord. Ali wanted one issue, to serve on his behalf at Karbala, God gave him three

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more along with the one desired by him and the Lady OmmolBaneen gave four sons to Ali Abbas 2. ,afar 3. Othman 4. Abdullah.

The birth of Abbas has been given by God, certain similarities with the birth of his father Ali. When Ali was born, he did not open his eyes until came to him the Holy Prophet and took him in his lap and on the apostolic hands Ali opened his eyes for the first time in the world and looked first at the holy face of the Apostle of God and smiled Similarly did Abbas for he opened his eyes first when Husain came and took him in his lap and Abbas opened his eyes and looked first at the holy face of Husain and smiled.

When Ali was born, he was given to the Holy Prophet who adopted him as his son and Ali remained with the Apostle of God and was brought up by him. Similarly, Abbas was given to Husain and remained closely attached to Husain, and Abbas prided treating himself as the slave of Husain addressing Husain not as brother, though he was a brother, but as 'Syed wo Mania' My Chief and my Master.

In short, if the Holy Prophet had come into the world to present Islam and if Ali was given to him as an assistant and helper in the apostolic mission, Husain, 7' "I been sent by the Lord to save Isalm and re-establish it at Karbala ad Abbas was given to Husain to assist him and to help him in the godly mission of apostolic nature.

In response to the desire of Ali the First Holy Imam or the Vicegerent of God on earth, God had sent Abbas for Husain, as was sent Ali for the Holy Prophet, to exhibit exactly the same matchless bravery, wonderful valour, irresistible prowess and the amazing and the inimitable and ideal faithfulness to defend Husain and the truth at Karbala.

For the marked resemblance with his father, Abbas was popularly known as Waider-e-Thani', i.e., Haider (Ali) the Second; and for his extraordinary handsome features, he was fittingly called the 12amar-e-Banff Hashim', i.e., The Moon of the Hashimites.

Abbas is reported to be of such a well built and a tall stature that historians report that when he mounted a horse, his knees touched the ears of the steed and that the animal would proudly bear the commanding personality of its majestic rider.

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All his life, right from his infancy, Abbas moved most closely with Husain, practically as a faithful slave to his loving master, or a dutiful son to a respectable father, exactly as Ali moved with the Holy Prophet.

The ways of heaven are obvious but to the awakened minds of those who believe in Him, His Might, His Wisdom and His Ever-Fulfilled Will. When God wants His will to be fulfilled on earth, He sends down His own agencies, be they angels or men, duly fitted by Himself to serve His purpose. Apostles of God when assigned any tankful allotment of any mission, were given the help by another one like them to assist them. Moses was commanded to proceed against Pharaoh and he was given an assistant in his brother Aaron. The Holy Prophet Muhammad was to deal with the pagan and the heathen world and he was given an assistant in his brother Ali and Husain now having been sent to face the devils in human frames and to re-establish God's Religion, offering the Greatest Sacrifice (the 'Zibhe Azeem') ever offered on earth, he was given Abbas his brother duly fitted with all the qualities necessary to fulfil the divine purpose at Karbala.

The Kalifate thrust upon Ali

THE THIRD KALIFATE ended in chaos, turmoil and the murder of the Kalif Othman. There was unrest among the people all over the empire. Ma'aviah the governor of Syria appointed by Omar 3o A.H., took full advantage of the patronage of the Omayyids by the third Kalif and had established himself strongly at Damascus and had made the place a stronghold of his own.

An amazing situation was created that the Kalifate after which people ran and for which there was so much of dispute and tension, now was running after Ali imploring him to accept it. There was no question of any election, nomination or co-optation now; the whole nation was now at Ali's door, imploring him to be gracious enough to accept their Kalifate. :Ali repeatedly refused but the public as a whole would not accept any excuse from him. The great historian Oakley in his famous work the History of the Saracens and other historians too, say that Ali said:

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The people unhesitatingly and unanimously assented to the condition and gladly extended their hands in token of their fealty to Ali, but he refused to accept their assent unless it be in public, in order that none might have any doubt about the offer being from the people and mile might have any cause to grumble thereafter.

The next day, the Mosque of the Holy Prophet was so fully packed that none could cross through the crowd and the multitude of those who could not get into the Mosque were thronging around the holy edifice to hear about Ali's consent to their offer and last of them all, arrived the Vicegerent of the Holy Prophet and mounting the pulpit making plain and clear to every one, his condition for accepting the offer, assented to it. People, who on the previous occasions were running away from paying their fealty to the Kalifate and who had to be forced, coerced, threatened, encouraged and purchased to pay it, now were rushing to have the honour of kissing the holy hand of Ali.

The state of affairs-Ali was offered

PEOPLE AND THE state of affairs Ali had been offered to rule, can not be depicted in this brief work. Readers interested to know about the details of the historic chaos, confusion and turmoil and the unrest that prevailed when Ali was forced to undertake the Kalifate, may refer to Tabari or the other detailed works on the History of the muslims after the departure of the Holy Prophet. The following quotation from the famous and the popular work the 'Spirit of Islam' by Justice Amir Ali will suffice to give a rough idea of the situation:-

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People had mostly been naturalised in corruption and accustomed to bribing bargains. Some of the opportunists were labouring under some false expectations. The corrupt ones thinking Ali to have been disappointed all the while until the Third Kalif, for not getting the chance to rule, and now having got it, expected Ali also to canvas support and the unearned and illegal popularity at a higher scale to maintain his position by the same favouritism and bribes.

To rule a wicked people, strictly by the Word of God with the strict maintenance of the scale of justice, is quoting unpopularity and troubles. Thus Ali had always to face intrigues and revolts against his godly rule with his uncompromising love of truth, pure justice, fair play, strict discipline and impartial treatment totally void of any kind of nepotism or favourtism which were unknown to him, and to every one of the Ahlul-Bait.

Justice Amir Ali remarks:

In fact, if Ali had been allowed to have his own ways in the rule and administration of the affairs of the state and of the people, even after the chaos and the confusion which ruled the state when he received the reigns of the rule after the Third Kalif, the world would have enjoyed the godly kingdom on earth. There would not have been any trouble at all if the Omayyids the declared enemies of Islam and the Holy Prophet, had not been given the opportunity to rule over the destiny of the Muslims. The trouble started with Ma'aviah and was perpetuated by him in the start of the Omayyid dynasty of the assassins of the holy ones of the Ahlul-Bait, who also murdered their own kith and kin, and were the debauchees and the drunkards who had broken the records of all kinds of licentiousness.

The first to revolt against the Kalifate of Ali unanimously set up by the people as a whole was Ma'aviah. The Muslim world very well knows as to who Ma'aviah was and of what calibre he was of. He was the son of Abu-Sofyan the Arch-enemy of Islam, who was the causative factor behind every battle that was forced on

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the Holy Prophet. Ma'aviah, had gathered strength sufficient to establish his independence in Syria. Thus Ali had to meet Ma'aviah in a battle at Siffin. The treachery and the deceit with which ended this battle, is there in the history.

After Ma'aviah, Ali was forced to meet the army under the command of Ayesha in the battle at Basra, called the Battle of the Camel (lunge jamal).

After the battle of Jamal, Ali had to meet the forces of the hypocrites at Naharvan, in which Ali had prophecied that only nine will be killed on his side and only nine will escape death, on the other side and it happened exactly so.

The godly rule of the muslim empire, by Ali, the Vicegerent of God, was not allowed to continue beyond 40 A.H., (i.e., for about four years).

The unique position of Ali

ALI'S DEPARTURE FROM this world was actually the departure of the Holy Prophet, for both of them, were the personification or the manifestations of one and the same Divine Light.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad had come to conclude the apostleship and Ali was sent to inaugurate the Imamat, i.e., the serial of the divinely commissioned Guides, the Imams, himself being the First of them.

Though the apostleship had concluded with the Holy Prophet, the guidance from God for mankind is an evercontinuous process of the divine grace which has to remain until the end of the world. God has never allowed any gap to be in the continuity of his guidance Prophets were sent in all parts of the world, one after another; where one Prophet was called back, another one in his place was sent, as a prophet or a vicegerent or the Wasi of the retiring one.

The wordings of the above verse of the Holy Wan needs a careful study. It clearly says that when one sign of God is removed, another better than it or the like of it is brought in its

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place. An apostle was sent in the place of the apostle retiring from this world and each succeeding one, came with a superior message and with a higher status:

The Last one of God's apostles, under the principle laid down in the above verse, must naturally be the one with the superior-most message and with the highest degree in status among the community of the apostles of God. And when the Holy Prophet Muhammad the Superior-most and the Best of God's creation, has already come, the one that would be brought under verse (2:106) could not be the better than the Best for the term is meaningless and hence, he would be the equal to his predecessor the Holy Prophet, and the verse 2:106 has the provision for it, in its words 'or the one like him.' Thus when the Holy Prophet was withdrawn from the people, Ali the one equal to him in his purity (33:33) and excellence, as of one and the same divine light and the Wafse' or the self or the soul of the Holy Prophet shown at 'Mobahila' under the verse (3:60) was brought and declared to the world, under the command of the verse 5:67, as the 'Mazda', i.e., the Master or the Lord or the Commander or the Ruler or the Governor in the place of the Holy Prophet, as was the Holy Prophet himself.

What is said above is the truth and it is quite a different thing altogether if any one accepts it or not and truth can never be wiped out even if the human world as a whole jointly endeavours to do it, for it is the challenge of the Lord that His Light, the Truth, none shall put out:

Comparing Ali to others

BEFORE THINKING OF comparing Ali to any one besides the Holy Prophet, one should first get himself informed of the unique position of Ali and the glorious height of his position in divinity identical with the Holy Prophet, as depicted by the Holy Qur'an the

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Word of God and as open declaration by the Holy Prophet, about him.

What comparison could any one have with the one who was the Head of the Body of Muhammad, who was the Soul to the Body of the Apostle of God, who was of the same blood and flesh of the Holy Prophet? (Lahmoka Lahmi, Damoka Dami).

How could any one be compared to the 'Asalullah,' i.e., Lion of God who stood fast with the cause of God, along with the Holy Prophet on the trying occasions when every one even the closest companions had taken to their heels and had disappeared for days together.

Ali was declared the Gate of the City of Knowledge. How could the Treasurer of knowledge be compared to the ignorant ones:

The Holy Prophet had told Ali: "0' Ali thou seest what I see and thou heareth what I hear"-How could the one who had the divine sight and insight, as had the Holy Prophet, be compared to any one who owns not this gift of the Lord.

"Are the blind and the seeing alike? Or, are darkness and light equal?" 13:16 How could Ali, who, though wrongly, was doubted by some people (the Wusairies') to be God Himself, be compared to any one of those whose bonafide about the sincerity of their faith itself is questionable.

To go into the details of the exclusive distinctions of Ali in his excellence which was doubtlessly divine and certainly incomparable with any other mortal save the Holy Prophet, will need a separate volume of its own. In short it could be said that to attempt to compare Ali to any one else besides the Holy Prophet, will be nothing short of the bankruptcy of the intellect

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or the betrayal of one's ignorance of the position of this Holy one in the human race. The same is the position of Lady Fatema in her personal excellence, and the divinity of her soul, cannot be compared to any other Lady in the world.