The name of Ali bin Abi Talib (a) is synonymous with
Islam; no episode of early Islam can be mentioned
without his presence or participation in one way or
another. He was brought up by the Prophet himself
and was fully immersed in all moral and spiritual
aspects of his teachings. It is quite apparent that
Allah had a plan in providing a gift to His last
Apostle on earth, in the magnificent form of Ali.
The unique qualities of head and heart and physique
enabled Ali to lend support in implementing the
Prophet's Divine Mission. It is note worthy that the
first Revelation did not come and the Prophet did
not receive the Divine order to proclaim himself as
Allah's Messenger until Ali had matured and was
physically able to support the great Mission. Ali
followed the Prophet like a shadow and protected
him from the mischief of the Meccans. The brave son
of Abu Talib inspired fear among the Meccans and
they dared not raise an eye before the Prophet when
Ali was around. On the night of ' hijra ', he
happily slept in the Prophet's bed, to let him
quietly slip out of Mecca , to escape the enemy
attack.
Ali was the standard-bearer of Islam and history
bears eloquent testimony to his valorous
contribution to the success in almost all encounters
that took place between the Muslims and the non-
believers. Allah's Messenger himself gave Ali the
rare title of ' Asadullah ' (the Lion of God).
According to the French Orientals, Oelsner, " Ali
was the beau ideal of chivalry and personification
of gallantry, bravery and generosity. Pure, gentle
and learned without fear and reproach, he set the
world the noblest example of chivalrous grandeur of
character. His spirit was a pure reflection of that
of Muhammad, it pervaded the Islamic world and
formed the animating genius of succeeding ages. "
Nobody understood, better than Ali, the purpose and
intent of the Prophet's message , the spirit and
content of each Revelation. He was often a witness
to the ' wahee '. He had the distinct honor of
posting the Proclamation of the Sura 'al- tawbah'
( Repentence ) on the wall of the Ka'aba , which
forbidder the pagans from entering the sacred
precincts of ' Ka'aba '. This was a major event that
at once declared the Supremacy of the Laws of Allah
. Abu Bakr was first sent to Mecca with the freshly
revealed Sura. He was yet on his way when the
Prophet received special instructions through Angel
Gabriel to replace him by Ali.
In compliance with the Divine Order, the Prophet
immediately dispatched Ali to retrieve the
Proclamation from Abu Bakr and post it and announce
himself in Mecca. The Divine Document contained
references to the idol-worship and admonition to
repent. It was clearly Allah's design that only a
man of impeccable character and faith, who had never
worshipped idols, who was immaculately-pure and free
from sins, could deliver the Divine Commandment to
the idol-worshippers. The pious and beautiful hand
of Ali which delivered the important Divine Decree
to sanctify ' baitullah', was rightfully called by
the noble Messenger ' yad ullah i.e. Allah's hand.
This event alone was enough for an unbiased Muslim
to perceive as to who could act in place of the
Prophet and who was to lead the nascent Ummah, after
he was recalled to his eternal abode by his Lord.
The minds of the early Muslims, however, had not yet
overcome the habits of the days of ' jahiliya'.
Their hearts carried envy and grudge, even
vengeance, against Ali since his sword had cut down
many of their next of kin. The emotion clouded their
vision and they looked the other way. Ali was not
even consulted in the matter of caliphate on the
Prophet's death. The ummah deprived itself from the
immeasurable benefit Ali's leadership would have
provided. This hasty action ,for ever, changed the
character as well as the direction of the Muslim
ummah. The caliphate was soon to degenerate into
monarchy under the Umayyads.
The Muslims had been charged with the function to
redeem humanity from oppression and injustice. If
the Message was allowed to continue under the able
and worthy guidance of Ali , who on numerous
occasions, was clearly pointed out as the standard
bearer and leader of the ummah, Allah's Deen would
have flourished. The rightful selection of Ali would
have ensured an uninterrupted continuation of the
Prophetic Mission, leading to establishment of
Allah's Rule on earth. After 25 years of seclusion,
when the Medinites asked Ali to take the reigns of
the government, the spirit inculcated by the Prophet
among the people had greatly been dissipated. The
only five years of Ali's rule were consumed largely
by the unfortunate battles with the Muslim rebels.
Muawiya, the patriarch of the future Umayyad
dynasty, had been appointed governor of Syria in 18
H by the Second Caliph. He had almost two decades to
fortify his position as a ruler in Roman style. His
position was further strengthened by appointments of
several Umayyads as governors by the Third Caliph.
Muawiya arrogantly declined to accept the Caliphate
of Ali and asserted his parallel government. This
conflict led to the fierce battle of Siffin, which
further divided the Muslims. The remaining years
were also infested with the armed struggles with
the rebels, until Ali's assassination in 40 H.
It is a tragedy that the Muslims did not make use of
the great genius of Ali whose knowledge of Deen and
science and other branches of knowledge was so vast
that it defied time and space. What he had said then
is true today and illumines the minds of many
seekers of knowledge. For lack of space, we most
humbly attempt to share with the readers just a few
glimpses of the most extraordinary personality of
Ali bin Abi Talib. Ali's position with regard to the
Message was like the axle of a mill and only he,
beside the Prophet, understood the purpose and
intent of the Divine Mission.
ISLAM: " Have you fully realized what Islam is? ",
asks Ali. Then he answers:
" It is indeed a religion founded on truth. It is a
fountain-head of learning that many streams of
wisdom and knowledge flow from it. It is a lamp that
many lamps will be lighted from it. It is a lofty
beacon of light that illumines the Path of Allah. It
is a set of principles and beliefs that will fully
satisfy every seeker of truth and reality. Know all
that Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for
the attainment of His Supreme Pleasure and the
highest standard of His worship and obedience. He
has blessed it with noble precepts, exalted
principles, doubtless arguments, unchallengeable
supremacy and undeniable wisdom. It is up to you to
maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by
the Lord, to follow it sincerely, to do justice to
its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicitly
its tenets and orders and to give it the proper
place in your lives. "
JUSTICE: He advised .Mailk Ushtar regarding
selection of judges: " Select the wisest person in
the land for administration of justice between the
people. He should be a person for whom this task is
not hard and the litigating parties are not able to
prevail upon his views."
GOOD GOVERNANCE: You must have love, respect and
kindness for your subjects…Muslims and non-Muslims
should be treated alike. Muslims are your brothers
and non Muslims are your fellow human
beings…..Anger and vindictiveness should have no
place in your administration. Do not let favoritism
and nepotism come near you. They will make you
violate your duties toward God and toward man and
drive you toward oppression and tyranny. It is your
sacred duty to look after the poor, the disabled,
the orphaned and the widowed. Do not allow anybody
to humiliate, ill-treat or oppress them. Make
yourself easily accessible to them whenever they are
in need of help.
ADMINISTRATION: Select honest and kind persons for
the job. Do not select those who served under the
past tyrants and were responsible for unjust acts
and atrocities in the name of the State. Pay your
officers well so that they can resist corruption and
misappropriation. Take your subjects into your
confidence; make them feel you are their well-wisher
and friend. Protect the interests of your merchants
and traders. But never allow them to practice
hoarding, profiteering and black marketing.
Encourage handicrafts; they reduce poverty and they
raise standard of living. Protect the interests of
your farmers; they are a valuable asset to the
country.
We have quoted selectively only a few excerpts
from a much larger and a most comprehensive treatise
on administration, sent by Ali bin Abi Talib to
Malik Ashter, the Governor of Egypt during his
Caliphate. It should form an essential basis for
good governance and efficient and honest
administration in any country.
We'll conclude with a quotation from Masoodi, the
venerable Muslim historian:
" If the glorious name of being the First Muslim, a
comrade of the Prophet in exile, his faithful
companion in the struggle for the faith, his
intimate associate in life, and his kinsman of a
true knowledge of the spirit of his teachings and of
the Book, is self-abnegation and practice of
justice, and if honesty, purity, and love of truth,
and if knowledge of law and science constitute a
claim to preeminence, then all must regard Ali a the
foremost Muslim. We shall search in vain to find,
either among his predecessors (save the Holy
Prophet) or among his successors, those virtues with
which God had endowed him. "