Imam Ali (a.s) The Exalted in Honour of the Most High
In the present world differing interpretations are made of terms such as equality, justice and freedom while mankind continues to search for the real concept of these terms. We do not have to look for in our quest. There was a person who embodied these and other virtuous characteristics in such a way that his brilliant visage continues to act a lodestar for all seekers of justice, equity, freedom and human rights. He was the ultimate refuge for the oppressed, the paradigm of perfection of faith and he set the most practical model of the government of social justice the world has ever known. He was named Ali or the exalted in honour of the Most High, that is God the Almighty. He was born in the most holy of holies, the Ka’ba that symbolic house of the One and Only Creator, and he was martyred during communion with the Lord, that is during prayer in the Grand Mosque of Kufa, also a house of God. The 63-year span of life that he was blessed with, he such a lasting impact that his name and memory stand forever for all virtuous characteristics for which human beings aspire.
When we study the life of prominent figures, we find people with different thoughts. The Philosopher Plato, the Scientist Louis Pasteur, the Mathematician Pascal, the Poet Hafez, the Historian Herodotus, the Sociologist Ibn Khaldoun, the Researcher Einstein, each one of them a genius in his own field.
But a glance at the life of Imam Ali (AS) reveals the astonishing facts that he embodied all these qualities and many other things as well. It was not for no reason that his mentor, the Almighty’s last and greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), had said in explicit terms that if anyone likes to see the piety of Noah, the sagacity of Abraham, the steadfastness of Moses, the sublimity of Jesus, should cast a glance at the Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). Thus, the natural and God-given talents of Imam Ali (AS) have made him a perfect model of emulation for all eras and for all generations. To quote his own words, he says that at the time of the Prophet’s departure from the world the latter embraced him and opened for him one thousand doors of knowledge and from each door he developed a thousand other doors. Anyone in doubt should refer to the famous saying of the Prophet: “I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its Gateway.” Thus, since the right way of entering a city is its gate, the correct mode of acquiring wisdom and knowledge is through the lasting legacy of Imam Ali (AS). A Christian thinker considers the essence of the glory of Imam Ali (AS) to be his extremely high consciousness and alacrity. He believes that this characteristic of the Imam was so powerful that he did not give it up in any work. He sought in everything the most concealed kernel of truth. George Jordaq, Thomas Carlyle, Abdul-Maseeh Antaaki and Sulayman Kettaani are some of the Christian scholars who have eulogized the dynamic personality of Imam Ali (AS), whose portrait the medieval Christian knights of Byzantine used to hang in their halls as symbol of valour and chivalry. These scholars, pointing to the treasure of wisdom that the Imam’s collection of sermons, letters and maxims the book Nahj al-Balagha contains, say: In this book, the creation of thought from thought continues in unbroken and harmonious manner and the reader finds himself enchanted by a chain of inter-linked thoughts. There is no duality in Imam Ali’s writings and sayings. It is like a fresh spring gushing out from the earth and providing equal benefits for all whether in the day or during nighttime. And the beauty is that he was no visionary of starry-eyed philosopher but a person who practically demonstrated what he preached. The affection and care for human beings and humanitarian values was an ingredient of the multi-sided dynamism of the personality of Imam Ali (AS). He did not suffice only to helping the poor. Despite being the ruler of realm that spread from North Africa to Central Asia and covers some twenty countries today, it was his habit to drop in incognito at the house of the poor, lit up their furnace, bake bread for them and even play with their children. For the victor of many a decisive battle, the most pleasing sight was a smile on the face of an orphan and tears would roll down his eyes on seeing the deprived being oppressed. Imam Ali (AS) was a picture of magnanimity. For instance, after his victory over the seditionists in the Battle of Jamal near Basra in Iraq, he declared amnesty for all even though the Basrans under influence of the seditionists had openly cursed and derided him. He magnanimously forgave their faults and ordered that none should be taken captive. The scholar, Ibne Shahr Ashoub writes: One day Imam Ali (AS) called his servant several times but heard no answer. The Imam went out of the house to find him when he saw that he was sitting in front of the house. The Imam asked him the reason for not replying. The servant said: "I was tired and was sure of being secure from you." The Imam said: "Glory to God for endowing me with such traits that everyone feels secure with me." This does not mean that Imam Ali (AS) was not firm and decisive. His judgments are proverbial, while his valour on the battlefield a byword, but not at the cost of humanitarian values. Whenever he saw deviators and the hypocrites trying to distort or weaken the base of truth and religion, the Imam firmly faced them without fear of anything, not even his own life. At the Battle of Siffeen his forces were cut off from the waters of the River Euphrates by the Syrian army of the rebel Mua’wiyah. The Imam launched an attack dislodged the enemy from the river banks but was so magnanimous that he allowed his avowed foes and their animals access to the waters because they were humans after all and entitled to the general bounties of God Almighty, Who does not deprive even atheists and disbelievers from water, air, sunshine and food. He did not even harbour grudge against persons who had usurped his political rights after the Prophet and whenever they were in troubled he helped them out, to the extent the second caliph used to say: "Omar would have perished but for Ali." Thus, Imam Ali (AS) was the perfect vicegerent to Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah upon him and his progeny). His great grandson and the Prophet’s 5th infallible successor, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), says: "God gathered all secrets of the knowledge of prophets in His Messenger Mohammad (SAWA) and the Prophet ceded all these to Ali." Imam Ali (AS) never took anything from the public treasury, and neither did he allow others, especially governors and state officials to misappropriate public funds. The Nahj al-Balagha contains his admonishments when he saw such manipulations and exploitation of the masses. Once when some persons called upon him to discuss personal matters while he was engaged in state work, the Imam snuffed out the lamp burning with oil from the public treasury and lighter another one that was his own one. He was often heard saying: "O gold and silver deceive someone else." It means he was immune to the temptations of the material world. The Egyptian Writer, Mahmoud Aqqadd, regarding the indifference of Imam Ali (AS) towards worldly things, quotes the Mystic, Sofyan Sowri as saying: Imam Ali did not leave even a brick and neither a wooden item. When he made Kufa his capital, he refused to enter the palace and settled the poor there. Today his modest house still stands as a site of pilgrimage for people from all over the world while the palaces of the arrogant are lying in ruins and have been obliterated. The Prophet had forecast the martyrdom of this great soul in Ramadhan. Once the Prophet looked at Imam Ali and wept. When asked the reason he said that the most despicable wretch would strike his cousin and successor and the beard will be dyed in blood. The enmity of the former infidels against Imam Ali (AS) was in fact their malice against the Prophet, and this was the reason that he was cowardly struck on the head while in prayer and martyred by the wretch Ibn Muljam.
When we study the life of prominent figures, we find people with different thoughts. The Philosopher Plato, the Scientist Louis Pasteur, the Mathematician Pascal, the Poet Hafez, the Historian Herodotus, the Sociologist Ibn Khaldoun, the Researcher Einstein, each one of them a genius in his own field.
But a glance at the life of Imam Ali (AS) reveals the astonishing facts that he embodied all these qualities and many other things as well. It was not for no reason that his mentor, the Almighty’s last and greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny), had said in explicit terms that if anyone likes to see the piety of Noah, the sagacity of Abraham, the steadfastness of Moses, the sublimity of Jesus, should cast a glance at the Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). Thus, the natural and God-given talents of Imam Ali (AS) have made him a perfect model of emulation for all eras and for all generations. To quote his own words, he says that at the time of the Prophet’s departure from the world the latter embraced him and opened for him one thousand doors of knowledge and from each door he developed a thousand other doors. Anyone in doubt should refer to the famous saying of the Prophet: “I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its Gateway.” Thus, since the right way of entering a city is its gate, the correct mode of acquiring wisdom and knowledge is through the lasting legacy of Imam Ali (AS). A Christian thinker considers the essence of the glory of Imam Ali (AS) to be his extremely high consciousness and alacrity. He believes that this characteristic of the Imam was so powerful that he did not give it up in any work. He sought in everything the most concealed kernel of truth. George Jordaq, Thomas Carlyle, Abdul-Maseeh Antaaki and Sulayman Kettaani are some of the Christian scholars who have eulogized the dynamic personality of Imam Ali (AS), whose portrait the medieval Christian knights of Byzantine used to hang in their halls as symbol of valour and chivalry. These scholars, pointing to the treasure of wisdom that the Imam’s collection of sermons, letters and maxims the book Nahj al-Balagha contains, say: In this book, the creation of thought from thought continues in unbroken and harmonious manner and the reader finds himself enchanted by a chain of inter-linked thoughts. There is no duality in Imam Ali’s writings and sayings. It is like a fresh spring gushing out from the earth and providing equal benefits for all whether in the day or during nighttime. And the beauty is that he was no visionary of starry-eyed philosopher but a person who practically demonstrated what he preached. The affection and care for human beings and humanitarian values was an ingredient of the multi-sided dynamism of the personality of Imam Ali (AS). He did not suffice only to helping the poor. Despite being the ruler of realm that spread from North Africa to Central Asia and covers some twenty countries today, it was his habit to drop in incognito at the house of the poor, lit up their furnace, bake bread for them and even play with their children. For the victor of many a decisive battle, the most pleasing sight was a smile on the face of an orphan and tears would roll down his eyes on seeing the deprived being oppressed. Imam Ali (AS) was a picture of magnanimity. For instance, after his victory over the seditionists in the Battle of Jamal near Basra in Iraq, he declared amnesty for all even though the Basrans under influence of the seditionists had openly cursed and derided him. He magnanimously forgave their faults and ordered that none should be taken captive. The scholar, Ibne Shahr Ashoub writes: One day Imam Ali (AS) called his servant several times but heard no answer. The Imam went out of the house to find him when he saw that he was sitting in front of the house. The Imam asked him the reason for not replying. The servant said: "I was tired and was sure of being secure from you." The Imam said: "Glory to God for endowing me with such traits that everyone feels secure with me." This does not mean that Imam Ali (AS) was not firm and decisive. His judgments are proverbial, while his valour on the battlefield a byword, but not at the cost of humanitarian values. Whenever he saw deviators and the hypocrites trying to distort or weaken the base of truth and religion, the Imam firmly faced them without fear of anything, not even his own life. At the Battle of Siffeen his forces were cut off from the waters of the River Euphrates by the Syrian army of the rebel Mua’wiyah. The Imam launched an attack dislodged the enemy from the river banks but was so magnanimous that he allowed his avowed foes and their animals access to the waters because they were humans after all and entitled to the general bounties of God Almighty, Who does not deprive even atheists and disbelievers from water, air, sunshine and food. He did not even harbour grudge against persons who had usurped his political rights after the Prophet and whenever they were in troubled he helped them out, to the extent the second caliph used to say: "Omar would have perished but for Ali." Thus, Imam Ali (AS) was the perfect vicegerent to Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah upon him and his progeny). His great grandson and the Prophet’s 5th infallible successor, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), says: "God gathered all secrets of the knowledge of prophets in His Messenger Mohammad (SAWA) and the Prophet ceded all these to Ali." Imam Ali (AS) never took anything from the public treasury, and neither did he allow others, especially governors and state officials to misappropriate public funds. The Nahj al-Balagha contains his admonishments when he saw such manipulations and exploitation of the masses. Once when some persons called upon him to discuss personal matters while he was engaged in state work, the Imam snuffed out the lamp burning with oil from the public treasury and lighter another one that was his own one. He was often heard saying: "O gold and silver deceive someone else." It means he was immune to the temptations of the material world. The Egyptian Writer, Mahmoud Aqqadd, regarding the indifference of Imam Ali (AS) towards worldly things, quotes the Mystic, Sofyan Sowri as saying: Imam Ali did not leave even a brick and neither a wooden item. When he made Kufa his capital, he refused to enter the palace and settled the poor there. Today his modest house still stands as a site of pilgrimage for people from all over the world while the palaces of the arrogant are lying in ruins and have been obliterated. The Prophet had forecast the martyrdom of this great soul in Ramadhan. Once the Prophet looked at Imam Ali and wept. When asked the reason he said that the most despicable wretch would strike his cousin and successor and the beard will be dyed in blood. The enmity of the former infidels against Imam Ali (AS) was in fact their malice against the Prophet, and this was the reason that he was cowardly struck on the head while in prayer and martyred by the wretch Ibn Muljam.
