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IMAM ‘ALI
BIN ABI TALIB (A.S.)
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THE FIRST BELIEVER OF ISLAM
‘Umar bin
al-Khattab has reported that the Holy Prophet (saww) said,
“O ‘Ali, you were the first among the
believers to believe, you were the first among the Muslims to embrace
Islam, and you are to me like Aaron was to Moses”.
(Dhakhair
al-‘Oqba)
“And warn your nearest relations. And be kind to him who follows you of
the believers. But if they disobey you, then say: Surely I am clear of
what you do”.
(26:214-216)
When the
Holy Prophet (saww) received the above command from Allah (SWT) to warn
his nearest kin, he (saww) ordered ‘Ali (a.s.) to invite them to a
banquet. They came to the Prophet (saww)’s house, forty in number. After
dinner, the Messenger of Allah (saww) addressed them:
“O Sons of ‘Abdul-Muttalib! Allah has sent me to all creation and to you
in particular. He (SWT) said:
‘And warn your nearest relations’.
So, I ask you to say two phrases, light on the tongue, heavy in the
scales, by which you will master the ‘Arabs and ‘Ajams (non-Arabs), the
nations will follow you and by them you will enter Paradise, and will be
save from Hell: to bear witness that there is no god save Allah, and
that I am the Messenger of Allah. Whoever responds to this and supports
me to carry it out will be my brother, vicegerent, helper, inheritor and
successor...”
(Al-Baihaqi
in his Sunan/ al-Tabari in his Tarikh al-Seerah al-Halabiyyah)
While Abu
Lahab criticised and warned the Messenger (saww) against carrying on his
mission, on the other hand, Abu Talib (ra) offered his support and said
to the Messenger (saww): “Go ahead with your errand! By God I will
never stop protecting and defending you”. (Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil,
Vol.2, page 24)
At this
time, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.), the youngest of them all, stood up and
said, “O Messenger of Allah! I will back
you up in the matter”. The Holy Prophet (saww) asked him to
sit down. But seeing nobody else responding, he (a.s.) stood up again
and offered his readiness to serve him, but was told to sit down again.
The
Messenger of Allah (saww) called out thrice and every time it was only
‘Ali who responded. It was his firm commitment and strong faith that
broke their silence. Finally, when nobody responded after the third
time, the Messenger (saww) turned towards ‘Ali (a.s.) and said,
“Sit down. You are my brother, vicegerent,
minister, inheritor, and successor after me”. (Al-Baihaqi in his
Sunan/ al-Tha’labi in Tafseer al-Kabeer)
WORDS OF
WISDOM FROM IMAM (A.S.):
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“He,
who adopts greed as a habit, devalues himself; he, who discloses his
hardship, agrees to humiliation; and he who allows his tongue to
overpower his soul, debases the soul”.
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“Mutual
reconciliation is the covering for short-comings; and he who admires
himself attracts many opponents against him”.
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“When
you get small favours do not push them away through lack of
gratefulness”.
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“Whenever a person conceals a thing in his heart it manifests itself
through unintentional words from his tongue and (in) the expressions
of his face”.
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“The
tongue of the wise man is behind his heart, and the heart of the fool
is behind his tongue”
(All the
above sayings are from Nahjul-Balaghah)
Our heartiest greetings and felicitations to Imam al-Hujjah (AJ) and to
all the Muslims and Shia’h of Ahlul-Bayt (as) on the occasion of the
birth of MAULOOD AL-KA’BAH, Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (as).
Mulla
Mujaheedali Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |