A BRIEF SKETCH OF ALI’S PRIVATE LIFE, ISLAMIC LEGAL RULINGS AND WORDS
In his Sunan, Sa’eed Ibn Mansoor says: An old man from Fazaarah narrated that he heard ‘ Ali say: “All praise and thanks are due to Allah Who has made my enemy ask me about matters relating to his religion. Mu’awiyah wrote to ask me about the legal ruling (in inheritance) of the bisexual, and I wrote back to him that he should inherit according to the private part that is more prominent – male or female”.
Ibn ‘ Asaakir reports on the authority Hasan: When ‘ Ali arrived in Al-Basrah (in Iraq), Ibn Al-Kawwaa’ and Qays Ibn ‘ Abaad went to him and said: “Tell us about this situation you have found yourself in; are you going to govern a nation wherein people attack each other? “Didn’t the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, promise you anything? Please inform us, as you are honest and trustworthy about what you heard from him.” He (‘ Ali) said: “Concerning being promised something by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, he did not do that; by Allah, I was the first person to believe his Message, and would not be the first to lie against him. If he had promised me that (i.e. the Caliphate), I would not have allowed the two brothers from the family of Taym Ibn Murrah, and ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khatiab to stand on his (the Prophet’s) pulpit; I would have fought them single handed, even if I had no helmet but this garment of mine”. But the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was not murdered, nor did he die suddenly. He was sick for a number of days, and the Mu’zzin (prayer caller) used to go to him, then call people to Salaah. The Prophet used to ask Abu Bakr to lead people in Salalah, while he knew my status. One of his wives wanted him to choose someone else, instead of Abu Bakr, but he refused, became angry and said: “You are even like the women that were with Joseph. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in Salaah.”
Ali is also reported to have said that after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, the Companions consulted among themselves and chose their leader in this world, whom the Prophet (peace be upon Him) was pleased to be their religious leader.
And as Muslims know, Salaah is the foundation of religion, the most important religious duty and a pillar of Islam. ‘Ali said that they therefore pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, who deserved it. The Companions did not disagree concerning his caliphate; they did not accuse each other, nor did they show disloyalty to him.
‘Ali said that he was loyal to Abu Bakr, obeyed him, and joined his army in Jihad. He used to accept what Abu Bakr gave him, accepted his order to take part in Jihad, and punished those who went against Allah’s laws, at his command.
After the death of Abu Bakr, he was succeeded by ‘ Umar, who followed the example of his predecessor. All the Companions pledged allegiance to ‘ Umar and were not disloyal to him. ” Ali said that he was loyal to ‘ Umar, fought in the army in which he was commander, took what ‘ Umar gave him, and went out to Jihad when he ordered it. He went on to say that he also used to mete out the punishments stipulated by Allah, on the orders of ‘ Umar.
After the death of ‘Umar, ‘ Ali reflected on his blood relationship with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his being among the first people to embrace Islam and his other virtues. He (‘ Ali) thought that he would not be done justice in the matter of the caliphate; but ‘ Umar felt that his successor might commit sins for which he (‘ Umar) might be held responsible, if he appointed him. So, ‘ Umar did not appoint a successor, nor did he mention the name of his son in this issue. If he wished, he would have been partial and chose his son. He delegated the responsibility of choosing a successor to six people from the Quraysh tribe, and Ali was one of them.
When these people were assembled, ‘ Ali thought that none of them would be against his appointment. ‘ Abdur- Rahmaan Ibn ‘ Awf made them promise that they would be loyal to and obey whoever Allah chose to be their leader. Then he (‘ Abdur-Rahmaan) took ‘ Uthmaan Ibn ‘ Affaan’s hand and put it in ‘Ali’s; and the latter thought that he had given his pledge of allegiance in advance, and that he had promised to be loyal to someone else. Thus, all the Companions pledged their allegiance to ‘Uthmaan. ‘Ali said that he was loyal and obedient to him (‘ Uthmaan), took part in Jihad in the Muslim army that was under his (‘ Uthmaan) command. He used to accept whatever ‘Uthmaan gave him, and punished those who went against Allah’s laws, on his (‘Uthmaan’s) orders.
When ‘Uthman was murdered, ‘Ali once again thought about his stance towards the caliphate. He recalled that the two Caliphs whom the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, chose to lead the Companions in Salaah had died, and the last caliph had just been murdered. So, the people living in the cities of the two holy shrines (Makkah and Madeenah) and the territories close to them, pledged their allegiance to ‘ Ali.
But his right to the caliphate was usurped by someone else whose relationship with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was not as close as his. This usurper was not as learned as ‘Ali, nor did he embrace Islam before him. Thus he (‘ Ali) had a better right to be Commander of the Faithful.
Abu Nu’aym reports in his Dalaa’il, on the authority of Ja’ far’s father that two men went to ‘ Ali to be judged for a dispute between them, while he was sitting on a wall, a man said to ‘Ali: “The wall will collapse.” Me replied: “Go about your business, Allah suffices as a protector.” ‘Ali judged between the two men, and the wall collapsed immediately after he had descended it.
In At-Tuyuriyyaat, Ja’ far Ibn Muhammad reports on the authority of his father that a man said to ‘Ali: ” We hear you say in your Khutbah: “O Allah! Grant us righteousness through the means you granted it to the Rightly-Guided caliphs; who are these caliphs?” ‘ Ali’s eyes become wet with tears, and he said: “They are my beloved ones, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, the exemplars of guidance, the Sheikhs of Islam, the two notables of tribe of Quraysh who deserved to be followed after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He who follows them is safeguarded, and anyone who treads their path is guided to the path of righteousness. A person who “clings” to them becomes a member of Allah’s “party”.
Abdu-Razzaaq reports on the authority of Hajar Al- Mudaryy thus: “‘Ali asked me: ‘What would you do if you were ordered to curse me?’ Hajar also asked: “Would such a situation arise?” ‘Ali answered, “Yes, it would come to pass.” Hajar asked, “Then, what should I do?” ‘Ali said, “Curse me, but do not be suspicious of me.” Hajar said that Muhammad Ibn Yoosuf, brother of Al-Hajjaaj, who was the governor of Yemen, ordered him to curse ‘Ali. He (Al-Hajjaaj) said: “The governor has ordered me to curse ‘Ali, so curse him; may Allah’s curse be upon him. No one knew the wisdom behind these words except one man.
At-Tabaraani in his book Al-Awsat, and Abu Nu’ aym in his Ad-Dalaa’il, report on the authority of Zaadaan, who said that ‘ Ali narrated a Hadilh, and was accused of lying by a man. ‘Ali said to him: “Do you agree that I pray against you, if you are the liar?” the man said: “Go ahead.” So, ‘Ali prayed, and the man lost his eyesight.
Ibn Abi Shaybah reports in his book Al-Musanif on the authority of ‘Ataa’, who said: “‘Ali came with a man against whom two people bore witness that he had stolen. After ‘ Ali had dealt with the issues of other people, he issued a threat against the false witness saying: “If any false witness is brought to me, I will deal with him in such and such a way”. After that, he asked to be seen; so, he set the accused free.
Ibn ‘Asaakir reports on the authority of Ja’far Ibn Muhammad and his father that the words “the All-Powerful is Allah”, were inscribed on ‘ All’s ring.
Al-Madaa’ini reports: When ‘Ali went to Al-Kufah, one of the Arab sages met him and said: “By Allah, you have graced the caliphate without it’s gracing you, Commander of the Faithful; you have made it an exalted position, without it*s exalting you; and the caliphate was needier of you than the need you had of it”.
Majma’ reports that ‘Ali used to weep the Islamic treasury and pray in it, hoping that place would bear witness in the Hereafter that he did not deny Muslims their right to public money.
Ibn Asaakir also reports that ‘ Ali said: “You must be more concerned about Allah’s acceptance of your deeds, than the deeds themselves, for no deed is considered meager if it is accompanied with piety”. So, a deed that gains Divine acceptance is never considered minor.
Yahya Ibn Ja’dah reports that ‘Ali Ibn Abi Taalib said: “O you who have memorized the Qur’an, practice its teaching, for the learned man is he who learns and translates into practice what he learns. There will come a time when people will possess vast knowledge but their secret actions will be different from what they do in public. They will sit in groups, feeling proud of themselves, to the extent that a man will be angry if his student seeks knowledge from someone else. The deeds of such men of knowledge will not be accepted by Allah”.
It was also reported that ‘ Ali said: “Divine acceptance of one’s deeds is the best means of guidance; good manners are the best Companion; a sound mind is one’s best friend; learning is the best inheritance, and no solitude is worse than that caused by conceit.
Al-Harith relates: A man went to Ali and said: “Inform me about predestination”. He answered: “It (predestination) is a dark path which you should not tread”. The man asked again: “Inform me about predestination”. ‘Ali answered: “It is a ” deep sea” into which you should not enter”. The man asked a third time: “Inform me about predestination”. ‘Ali once again answered: ” It is a Divine secret that you should not try to find out about. The questioner repeated his question a fourth time, so ‘Ali asked him: “O you questioner, has Allah created you by His will, or by your will? The man answered: “By His (the Almighty’s) will. ‘Ali said: “He (Allah) will therefore make you do whatever He wills”.
Ali was once asked: “What is generosity?” he answered: “That which is self-motivated; hut generosity which is due to making a request or begging, is an act resorted to because one feels shy, or wants to honor the beggar or the one who requests.
It was also reported that a man went to ‘ Ali and praised and extolled him; however, Ali had been informed beforehand about him. So, he said to the man: “1 am not as you have described me, and above your opinion about me in your mind”.
Ali is reported to have said: The recompense of sin is carelessness with acts of worship, straightened means of sustenance, and decrease in pleasure. He was asked: “What do you mean by, “decrease in pleasure”? He answered: “It means that whenever one has a strong desire to do or get what is lawful, he is overtaken by doing or getting something that is unlawful.”
Uqbah Ibn Abi As-Sahbaa’ narrates: When Ibn Maljam dealt ‘ Ali a fatal blow, his son, Al-Hasan, went to him crying. His father said: “Take these four pieces of advice of mine and four others, into good part. Al-Hasan asked: “What are they, father?” ‘Ali answered: “The best wealth is one’s intellect, the worst kind of poverty is foolishness; no solitude is worse than that caused by conceit, and the best form of “kindness” is good manners. The other four pieces of advice arc. Because of the Companionship of the foolish, for they will do you harm while they intend good. Beware of befriending a liar, because he will make you believe what is not true and take your mind away from the truth. Beware of the friendship of the miser, because he will withhold from you what you stand in need of. Beware of a shameless person, as he will forsake you because of any meager gain”.
Ibn ‘ Asaakir reports that a Jew came to ‘ Ali and asked him: “When did your Lord first exist?” ‘ Ali’s countenance changed, and he answered: “He (Allah) existed when there was no beginning; His Being was not preceded by anything else; His Existence is without a cause, and is neither with a beginning nor an ending. He does not rely on any means that will lead to an end because He (the Almighty) is the best of all”. The Jew then embraced Islam.
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs )
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