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 Ushter, 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. "