1. al-Farazdaq
whose name was Hammam ibn Ghalib belonged to the tribe of Bani Darim and was
a notable poet. He was
generally at loggerheads with another Arab poet named Jarir ibn 'Atiyyah and
they showed their merit only in mutual abuse and boasting over each other.
The quoted couplet of al-Farazdaq is a link from that chain, wherein
he addresses Jarir saying "My forefathers were such as you have just
heard, now you come forward with what your forefathers were, and if there
were any one like mine, name them before all of us." Reciting this
couplet about his own forefathers asSayyid ar-Radi challenges every one to
bring forth their like, if any. al-Farazdaq had addressed only Jarir but its
quotation here has made it general and universal when its addressee is no
more one single individual, but every person can consider himself to be its
addressee. Despite this
generality and universality the challenge to "name their like"
remains un responded like the Qur'anic challenge "then bring forth its
Like".
as-Sayyd ar-Raof has pointed at this relationship and
distinction at such an appropriate moment that there can be no better
occasion, because the greatness of the personality (namely Amir
al-mu'minin) through whom he claims pride has already been mentioned and
eyes have stood dazzled at the brilliance of his status while mind has
acknowledged the sublimity of his position.
Now hearts can easily be made to bow before the height and
greatness of this individual who bears relationship to him.
Thus at the moment when heart and mind were already inclined as-Sayyid
ar-Racil's eloquence conscious eyes turned the sight towards himself as he
was the ray of the sun whose abundant light dazzles the eye, and a scion of
the same lineal tree whose root is in the earth and whose branch extends
upto the sky. Now who is there
who would remain unaffected by this relationship and distinction and refuse
to acknowledge his greatness and sublimity?
2. In the World
such persons are rarely found in whom besides one or two virtuous
qualities other qualities might also attain prominence, much less the
convergence of all contradictory qualities, because every temperament is not
suited for the development of every quality, each quality has a peculiar
tempo and each virtue needs a particular climate, and they are appropriate
only for such qualities or virtues with which they accord, but where there
is contradiction instead of harmony the natural tendencies act as obstacles
and do not allow any other quality to grow.
For example, generosity and bountifulness demand that a person should
possess the feeling of pity and God fearing so that on seeing anyone in
poverty or want his heart would rend, and his feelings would be disturbed at
other's tribulations while the dictates of bravery and righting require
that instead of pity and compassion there should be the passion of bloodshed
and killing, prompting the person at every moment to enter into scuffle,
ready to kill or be killed. These two qualities differ so widely that it is not possible
to fuse the delicacies of generosity into the stiff manifestations of
bravery just as bravery cannot be expected from Hatim nor generosity from
Rustam. But the personality of
'Ali ibn Abl Talib (p.b.u.h.) showed full accord with every greatness and
complete harmony with every accomplishment, and there was no good attribute
or accomplishment which he lacked, nor any robe of greatness or beauty which
did not fit his body. Thus the
contradictory qualities of generosity and bravery were found in him side
by side. If he rained like
the cloud in generosity, he also fought bravely standing firm as a mountain. Thus his generosity and liberty of nature was of a degree
that even during days of want and starvation whatever he earned as the wage
of his day's toil its major part was distributed among the poor and the
starving, and he would never allow a beggar to return disappointed from his
door, so much so that even when in the battle field the enemy asked him his
sword he threw it before him being confident of the prowess of his naked
arm.
An Urdu couplet says:
The unbeliever depends on his sword but the believer fights
even without it.
And his bravery and courage was such that the onslaught of
armies could not shake the firmness of his foot with the result that he
achieved success in every encounter and even the bravest fighter could not
save his life in an encounter with him.
Thus Ibn Qutaybah writes in al-Maarif, "Whomever he
encountered was prostrated." The heartless nature of the brave is not
wont to thinking or pondering nor do they have anything to do with foresight
or fore-judging 'Ali (p.b.u.h.) had the quality of thinking of the highest
degree. Thus, ash-Shafi'i said
as follows:
What can I say about a man in whom three qualities existed
with three other qualities that were never found together in any other man -
Generosity with want, Bravery with sagacity and Knowledge with practical
achievements.
It was the result of this proper thinking and correct judgment
that when after the death of the Prophet some people advised him to fight
and promised to enlist warriors for him he rejected this advice, although on
such occasions even a slight support is enough to encourage the heartless
brave, yet 'Ali (p.b.u.h.) far-sighted mind at once foresaw that if battle
was raged at that moment the voice of Islam would be submerged under the
clutter of swords, and then even if success was achieved it would be said
that the position was gained by dint of sword and that there was no right
for it. Thus, by withholding
his sword on the one hand he provided protection to Islam and on the other
saved his own right from the imputation of bloodshed,
When the veins are full of daring blood and the bosom full
of flames of anger and wrath it is extremely difficult to curb the passion
of vengeance by adopting the course of forgiving and, despite authority and
power, to pardon and overlook. But
'Ali's (p.b.u.h.) metal used to shine on such occasions when his forgiving
nature would accommodate even his bloodthirsty foes.
Thus, at the end of the Battle of Jamal he made a general
proclamation that no one who flees away from the field or seeks our protection
would be molested and he let go without any punishment even such enemies as
Marwan ibn Hakam and 'Abdullah ibn Zubayr.
And the treatment that he meted out to 'A'ishah matchless
manifestation of his nobility and high character is that in spite of her
open enmity and rebellion he sent with her women in men's garb to escort her
to Medina.
By giving his own personal malice the garb of
fundamental differences man not only deceives others but also tries to keep
himself under deception, and in these conditions such a delicate situation
arises that man fails to distinguish and separate his personal malice from
a fundamental difference but easily mixing them together considers that he
has followed the Command of Allah, and in this way he satisfies his passion
for vengeance as well. But Amir
al-mu'minin's discerning eyes never got deceived nor did they willingly
deceive themselves. Thus, on an
occasion when after prostrating the opponent he placed himself on his
bosom the vanquished opponent spat on his face.
As man his rage should have risen and his hand should have moved
quicker but instead of being enraged he got off from the man's bosom lest
his action would be tarnished by personal feeling, and stayed him only after
the anger had subsided.
There is nothing in common between combat and encounter and
reclusion and God-fearing because one shows velour and courage while the
other supplication and submission. But
Amir al-mu'minin was a unique combination of both these qualities as his
hands that were bound in devotion were equally active in the battlefield,
and side by side with relaxing in seclusion for devotion he was a common
visitor of the field of action. The
scene of the Night of klartr puts human wit in astonishment and wonder when
closing his eyes to the bloody action around he spread his prayer cloth and
engaged himself in prayer with full peace of mind and heart while arrows
were darting off sometimes over his head and sometimes from his right or
left. But he remained engaged
in Allah's remembrance without any fear or apprehension.
After finishing he again cast his hand on the sword's handle and the
fierce battle that then followed in unparalleled in history.
The position was that on all sides there was such hue and cry and
fleeing activity that even voices failing on the ears could not be
discerned. Of course, after
every moment or so his own call of A Ilithu Akbar rose in the
atmosphere and resounded in the ears, and every such call meant death of a
foe. Those who counted these
calls of takbi), recorded their. number as five hundred and twenty
three.
The taste for learning and God-knowing does not
combine with material activity but Amir al-mu'minin adorned the meetings of
learning and scholarship along with war-like pursuits, and he watered the
field of Islam with springs of learning and truth along with shedding
streams of blood (in battles).
When there is perfection of learning, then even if
there is not complete absence of action, there must no doubt exist shortness
of action, but Amir al-mu'minin treaded the field of knowledge and action
equally, as has been already shown in ash-Shafi'I's verse.
Examples of harmony in utterance and action are quite rare
but Amir al-muminin's action preceded his utterance, as he himself says:
O' people I do not exhort you to any action but that
I myself first proceed towards it before you and do not desist you from
any matter but that I first desist from it myself.
As soon as we think of a recluse and a pious man we visualize
a face full of frowns because for piety severity of temper and hardness of
face are inseparable so much so that the thought of a smile on the lips of a
pious man is regarded as a sin. But
despite extreme piety and self-denial Amir al-muminin always had such
appearance that his light temper and brightness of face was apparent from
his looks and his lips always bore playful smile.
He never showed frowns on his fore-head like the dry recluse, so much
so that when people could not find any defect in him this very lightness of
temper was taken to be his fault, while hard temper and bitter face was
held to be a virtue.
If a man possesses cheerful
heart and joyous temper he cannot command authority over others; but Amir
al-mu'min cheerful face was so full of awe and dignity that no eye could
face it. Once Mu'awiyah
tauntingly said "Allah bless 'Ali.
He was a man of cheerful taste, " then Qays ibn Sa'd retorted. "By Allah despite cheerful disposition and entertaining
countenance he was more awe-inspiring than a hungry lion and this awe was
due to his piety not like your awe over the non-decrypts of Syria."
Where
there is rule and authority there is also a crowd of servants and workers,
checks of grandeur and eminence wit equipment of pageantry but Amir al-muminin's period of rule was an example of the highest simplicity.
In him people saw only a tattered turban in place of a Royal Crown,
patched apparel in place of the regal robes and the floor of earth in place
of the ruler's throne. He never
liked grandeur and pageantry nor allowed show of external grandiosity. Once
he was passing on a horse back when Harb ibn Shurohbil started walking with
him and began talking. Then
Amir al-mu'minin said to him, "Get back because walking on foot with me
by one like you is mischievous for the ruler (me) and an insult to the
believer (you).
In
short he was such a versatile personality in whom numerous contradictory qualities
had joined together and all the good attributes were centered in their full
brightness as though his oneself was a collection of several selves and
each self was an astounding portrait of achievement which showed forth the
delineation of distinction in its untained form, and on whose accomplishment
one wonders with bewilderment.
A Persian couplet says:
The
figure of my beloved is so beautiful that when I cast my glance on the body
from head to foot, every spot thereof calls my attention claiming to be the
most enchanting.
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