“You [Ali] are my brother in this world and the next.” (Hadith)
Ali’s Election
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After Uthman’s martyrdom, the office of the caliphate remained unfilled for two or three days. Many people insisted that Ali should take up the office, but he was embarrassed by the fact that the people who pressed him hardest were the rebels, and he therefore declined at first. When the notable Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) urged him, however, he finally agreed.
Ali’s Life
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Ali bin Abi Talib was the first cousin of the Prophet (peace be upon him). More than that, he had grown up in the Prophet’s own household, later married his youngest daughter, Fatima, and remained in closest association with him till the prophet's death.
Sayyiduna Ali was 8 or ten years old when the Divine Message came to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One night he saw the Prophet and his wife Khadijah bowing and prostrating. He asked the Prophet about the meaning of their actions. The Prophet told him that they were praying to Allah The Most High and that Ali too should accept Islam. Ali said that he would first like to ask his father about it. He spent a sleepless night, and in the morning he went to the Prophet and said, “When Allah created me He did not consult my father, so why should I consult my father in order to serve Allah ?” and he accepted the truth of Prophet Muhammad’s message.
When the Divine command came, “And warn thy nearest relatives” [26:214], The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) invited his relatives for a meal. After it was finished, he addressed them and asked, “Who will join me in the cause of Allah ?” There was utter silence for a while, and then Ali stood up. “I am the youngest of all present here,” he said, “My eyes trouble me because they are sore and my legs are thin and weak, but I shall join you and help you in whatever way I can.” The assembly broke up in derisive laughter. But during the difficult wars in Makkah, Ali stood by these words and faced all the hardships to which the Muslims were subjected.
He slept in the bed of the Prophet when the Quraish planned to murder him. It was he to whom the Prophet entrusted, when he left Mecca, the valuables which had been given to him for safekeeping, to be returned to their owners.
Apart from the expedition of Tabuk, Ali fought in all the early battles of Islam with great distinction, particularly in the expedition of Khaybar. It is said that in the Battle of Uhud he received more than sixteen wounds.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) loved Ali dearly and called him by many fond names. Once the Prophet found him sleeping in the dust. He brushed off Ali’s clothes and said fondly, “Wake up, Abu Turab (Father of Dust).” The Prophet also gave him the title of ‘Asadullah’ (‘Lion of Allah).
Ali’s humility, austerity, piety, deep knowledge of the Qur’an and his sagacity gave him great distinction among the Prophet’s Companions. Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and Uthman consulted him frequently during their caliphates. Many times ‘Umar had made him his vice-regent at Madina when he was away.
Ali was also a great scholar of Arabic literature and pioneered in the field of grammar and rhetoric. His speeches, sermons and letters served for generations afterward as models of literary expression. Many of his wise and epigrammatic sayings have been preserved.
Ali thus had a rich and versatile personality. In spite of these attainments he remained a modest and humble man. Once during his caliphate when he was going about the marketplace, a man stood up in respect and followed him. “Do not do it,” said Ali. “Such manners are a temptation for a ruler and a disgrace for the ruled.”
Ali and his household lived extremely simple and austere lives. Sometimes they even went hungry themselves because of Ali’s great generosity, and none who asked for help was ever turned away from his door. His plain, austere style of living did not change even when he was ruler over a vast domain.
Al i’s Caliphate
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As mentioned previously, Ali accepted the caliphate very reluctantly. Uthman’s murder and the events surrounding it were a symptom, and also became a cause, of civil strife on a large scale. Ali felt that the tragic situation was mainly due to inept governors. He therefore dismissed all the governors who had been appointed by Uthman and appointed new ones. All the governors excepting Sayyiduna Mu'awiya, the governor of Syria, submitted to his orders. Mu'awiya declined to obey until Uthman’s blood was avenged. The Prophet’s wife Aisha also took the position that Ali should first bring the murderers to trial.
However, even though the era of Ali’s caliphate was marred by civil strife, he nevertheless introduced a number of reforms, particularly in the levying and collecting of revenues.
It was the fortieth year of Hijra. A fanatical group called Kharijites, consisting of people who had broken away from Ali due to his compromise with Muawiya, claimed that neither Ali, the Caliph, nor Muawiya, the ruler of Syria, nor Amr bin al-Aas, the ruler of Egypt, were worthy of rule. In fact, they went so far as to say that the true caliphate came to an end with ‘Umar and that Muslims should live without any ruler over them except Allah . They vowed to kill all three rulers, and assassins were dispatched in three directions.
The assassins who were deputed to kill Mu'awiya and Amru did not succeed and were captured and executed, but Ibnu Muljim, the assassin who was commissioned to kill Ali, accomplished his task. One morning when Ali was absorbed in prayer in a mosque, Ibnu Muljim stabbed him with a poisoned sword. On the 20th of Ramadan, 40 A.H., died the last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam. May Allah The Most High be pleased with them and grant to them His eternal reward.
With the death of Ali, the first and most notable phase in the history of Muslim peoples came to an end. All through this period it had been the Book of Allah and the practices of His Messenger - that is, the Qur'an and the Sunnah - which had guided the leaders and the led, set the standards of their moral conduct and inspired their actions. It was the time when the ruler and the ruled, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, were uniformly subject to the Divine Law. It was an epoch of freedom and equality, of God-consciousness and humility, of social justice which recognized no privileges, and of an impartial law which accepted no pressure groups or vested interests.
After Ali, Mu'awiya assumed the caliphate and thereafter the caliphate became hereditary, passing from one king to another.
May Allah be pleased with Sayyiduna Aliyu, his wife and children and all the noble Sahabas .
