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The Voice of Human J ustice

(Sautu'l 'Adalati'l Insaniyah)
Translator: M Fazel Haq

Contents

PUBLISHERS' NOTE

PREFACE

ARABIAN PENINSULA

THE COMING OF THE PROPHET

A GLANCE OVER HISTORY

THE PROPHET AND ABU TALI B

THE PROPHET AND ALI

ALI IS MY BROTHER

THE ATTRIBUTES OF ALI

KNOWLEDGE AND SAGACITY OF ALI

HUMAN RIGHTS AND ALI

POVERTY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

CONDITIONS PRIOR TO ALI

RULER IS ONE OF THE PEOPLE

FREEDOM AND ITS SOURCES

INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

ACCOUNTABILITY

HELPING THE NEEDY

NEITHER FANATICISM NOR INFALLIBILITY

WAR AND PEACE

COMBAT OPPRESSION

ADMINISTRATION OF ALI

U.N. CHARTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS

VALUE OF LIFE AND ALI

CONDITIONS PREVAILING AFTER ALI

THE TWO FAMILIES OF QURAYSH

MU N AWIYAAND HIS SUCCESSORS

HUSAYN AND YAZID

SUPPORTERS OF THE TWO PARTIES

MURDERERS OF UTHMAN

THE VOLLEY OF CRITICISM

FACTS ABOUT UTHMAIST S MURDER
SOME FALSE STATEMENTS

A GREAT CONSPIRACY
REVOLT AGAINST ALI
GOD! BE A WITNESS
TWO IMPOSTORS
THE DISASTER
WAS IT JUSTIFIED?
THE DIVINE WILL
LET THEM MOURN

Publishers' Note

The Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali, peace be on him, is the most distinguished
personality of Islam after Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be on him. His entire life
is the life of struggle for the advancement of Islam. He was a great combatant, a great judge, a
great philanthropist and the most pious person of his time. Much has been written and
continues to be written about the life, character and attributes of Imam Ali. The present book
is an English translation of Sautu'l v Adalati'l Insaniyab, the biography of the Imam, written in
Arabic by George Jordac, a renowned Christian author of lebanon. It has gained much
popularity in the Arab and the Muslim world. Many Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have
paid it glowing tributes. The author is an enlightened man of letters and has written the book
with perfect sincerity. However, at times, he has said things which do not accord with the
facts of history. In such cases necessary clarification has been made in the foot-notes and at
places some paragraphs have been deleted altogether. Keeping in view the usefulness and
popularity of the Arabic version of this book, the Islamic Seminary is presenting the English
version for the English knowing readers. It is hoped that this book will enlighten the mind of
our conscientious young generation and will inspire it to form an Islamic social order.

Preface

The history of great men is a fountain of experience, faith and aspirations for us - a fountain
which will never dry up. The great men of the world are like lofty peaks of mountains which
we aspire to climb with great eagerness and ardent desire. They are the light-houses which
keep darkness away from around us. It is due to the examples set by them that we have gained
self-confidence. They have made us hopeful of life, taught us its aim and objects and helped
us to avail of its amenities. If these great souls had not been there, we would have fallen prey
to despair while combating with the unseen and intellegible forces and would have
surrendered ourselves to death. However, the righteous persons have not so far surrendered
themselves before despair nor shall they do so in future, because they are entitled to victory
and success. This is proved by the fact that in history many persons have been successful and
victorious and Ali is one of them. These people who conquered death are always with us.
Although time and space separate them from us, neither time prohibits us from hearing their
words nor the distance prevents us from seeing their faces. Preface of the first edition of the
Arabic version published in 1956. The best proof of what has been said above is the present
book. It is the biography of a great man. Although he was born in Arabia his person is not
meant for Arabia only. Although the fountains of his kindness and favours sprang from Islam
he is not confined to the Muslims. If he had been for the Muslims only a Christian would not
have been prompted involuntarily to analyse the events of his life and eulogize like a poet his
fascinating judgments, his stupendous feats of valour and interesting incidents of his life.
Championship of Ali was not confined to the battle field. He was also matchless in the matter
of faith, piety, purity, eloquence, magnanimity, help for the deprived and the oppressed and
support for truth. So much so that even after the passage of more than fourteen hundred years
his wonderful achievements are a beacon light for us and extremely useful for making our
lives sublime. The author has explained the various events in detail and also mentioned at
length the views and beliefs of the Imam regarding religious, political, social and financial
matters. Furthermore, he has explained the events of the life of Ali with great dexterity and in
a manner in which they had not been penned before. No historian or writer, however deft and
dexterous he may be, can draw a true picture of the Commander of the Faithful even in a
thousand pages, nor can he explain the dreadful events which took place in his time. The
things which this wonderful and unmatched person thought of, and acted upon, had not till
then been seen or heard by anyone. They are more than a historian can cover even in a very
detailed treatise. Hence, whatever picture of Ali is described by a writer will inevitably be
incomplete. However, the object of an author in writing a book like this is to collect the
details of the actions and words of the Commander of the Faithful from all possible sources
and to ponder over them very carefully and then to present them in such a way that it may be
possible to see a glimpse of the Imam as he was. This is what the author has done in this
book. I am sure that George Jordac, a research scholar and an unbiased person as he is, has
been successful in describing the life of the Imam to a large extent and those who read it will
be obliged to say that it is the biography of a person who was second to the Prophet of Islam.

Michael Na'imah

Arabian Peninsula

The territory of Arabia is very wonderful and miraculous and it will retain this characteristic
even in future. It contains very large deserts. If these deserts had not been devoid of rains and
had been green and fertile this land would have fed the hungry and clothed the naked of the
world. However, unfortunately Arabia has always remained a desert. It contains vast areas
comprising mounds of sand, small and dry hills and stony tracts, which are neither cultivable
nor habitable. If farming had been possible this region would have been thickly populated, but
the position is otherwise. Although this territory is surrounded by sea on three sides, the rains
are very scanty and it is very hot during summer. It also rains in some areas which makes the
atmosphere somewhat cool. However, when the scorching wind blows it is so hot that trees
and plants become dry and even the animals die of heat. The Arab poets liken zephyr, which
always blows from the eastern side, with the breeze of Paradise. There are no perennial rivers
in Arabia. However, as and when rains come and the streams begin to flow, the people avail
of the opportunity and store water by constructing dams. This water suffices only for some
time. Camel is the typical animal of Arabia which enjoys a distinguished position as
compared with the animals found in other regions. The Almighty God has given it long legs
so that it may cover long distance easily and may not get weary in the dreary deserts. Its
hooves are also such that its feet do not get thrust into the sand. It also possesses sufficient
stamina to cross the difficult and strong paths and can tolerate heat as well as thirst. God has
given it an extraordinary stomach in which it can store water to suffice for many days and as
and when water is not available its owner also takes out water somehow from its stomach for
his personal use. The Arabs have given the camel thousands of names. Vegetation is very rare
in this territory. Some thorny bushes grow but they too are withered on account of shortage of
water and severe heat. The dwellings of the people are usually tents which cannot protect
them either from the scorching winds or from the heat of the sun. In fact there is no difference
between living in these tents and living under the sky. For these reasons its population is
scanty and scattered. The people of Arabia do not usually live at one place permanently but
shift from place to place. The staple food of the Arabs is dried palm-dates. To this is added
the meat of the camels and the hunted animals. On account of their spending their lives
permanently in the deserts warfare and bloodshed have become a part of their nature. It is so
hot in the desert and valleys of the Arabian Peninsula that the earth accumulates sufficient
heat to enable the people to roast the animals on the sand. Similar deserts replete with sand,
scanty and scattered population and uniformity of conditions are very tiresome things and
make life unpleasant. Aspiration and hope which are the capital of happy life do not exist
anywhere in this desert. In such difficult circumstances and with such uniform life it was not
possible for the nomadic Arabs to become acquainted with the vicissitudes of life and the
various ways and manners of the other people of the world. Existence of righteousness and
piety which make the heart of man accept faith cannot be imagined in a barren land. Such
qualities develop in green and fertile lands and not in stony and dry areas. They develop in
persons who are endowed with blessings of all kinds and not in the hearts of those who are

devoid of them. A few small towns and settlements of those times were not very significant,
firstly because their number was very small and secondly their position was no better than a
few tents pitched in a barren desert, which had to suffer the onslaught of unfavourable winds.
Of course, in taif and Madina better means of livelihood were available. As regards Mecca it
was an idol-temple. Its residents were tradesmen in whose eyes one dinar was more valuable
than the life of a human being. A life of poverty and indigence in a desert burning like hell
with the present full of despair and the future without any hope- this was the condition of
what was called the Arabian Peninsula. What is surprising is this that although there are many
lands adjacent to Arabia which are fertile and contain all amenities of life, there were people
who ignored all these facilities and preferred to lead a miserable life in this barren land. They,
therefore, never thought of stepping out of this desert. And what is more surprising is the
people there considered their homeland to be superior to the entire remaining world. They
neither wanted to leave it, nor desired to choose another place as their homeland. This was a
miracle of the Arabian Desert even before the prophet of Islam was appointed to the prophetic
mission. However, if we compare all the cold and sweet springs, the fertile and green lands,
the beautiful sceneries, the wealth and all other blessings available to various countries, other
than Arabia, with the thing which appeared in that land, all those blessings and facilities
appear to be of no value. The Arabian Desert, the land of miracles, produced something
which is superior to all other blessings. That magnanimous being was the great personality
who showered his blessings on all human beings, who cleansed the springs of reality, because
of whom the value of life became known, righteousness and deliverance became great things,
and reality was elevated viz. Muhammad. The birth of the cousin of Muhammad, Ali, in
Arabia, where human life was not worth more than a dinar was the second miracle of this
Desert.

The coming of the prophet

With eyes as bright as the shining sun, a reality on the lips more brilliant than the light of the
sun, a heart more fresh than the flowers of the gardens of Yathrib and Taif, habits and morals
more decent than the moon- lit nights of the Hijaz, a mind more brisk than the strong winds, a
bewitching tongue, a heart with heavenly light, firm determination like a trenchant sword and
heavenly words on the tongue - such was Muhammad son of Abdullah, the prophet of Arabia,
the prophet who destroyed the idols which had separated brothers from brothers. He did not
break only the idols of wood and stone but also broke the idols of wealth, indecent habits and
party-spirit. The only thing which the cowardly Quraysh desired was money should be
transferred from the hands of the nomadic Arabs to their own pockets. The only value which
they attached to life was that in order to earn profit they should travel through the desert on
the back of the camels undergoing extreme hardships and then return to their hometown
Mecca - the same Mecca which was the city of idol-worship, and where money was the only
thing which counted. Suddenly they heard a voice which shook their nerves. Their hopes were
shattered. The world turned away its face from them saying: "The value of man is not the
same which you have assessed and the object of the creation of the nomadic Arabs is not the
same which you think it to be".

This was the voice of Muhammad Banu Asad and Banu Tamim were so foolish and
ignorant that they buried their daughters alive without any cause. There was no justification
for their doing so except that it was a custom which had survived amongst them. They were
opposed to the Divine will. They hated the beauty of nature. And then they heard a voice,
which was expressive of deep love and sympathy for the people saying: "Don't bury your
daughters alive. Daughters are as good a creation of God as the sons. No human being has a
right to deprive others of life. It is only God who creates the people and makes them die".

This was the voice of Muhammad The Arabs were always fighting. They fought and shed
blood for years on account of very trivial things. They killed their own brothers and then
rejoiced and glorified themselves on it. To sacrifice their lives for the sake of their own
ignorance was something very ordinary for them. The children cried and screamed and grew
up in conditions which were not conducive to the creation of love or sympathy for anyone in
their minds. In these circumstances they heard another voice which said: "What are you
doing? You kill one another although you are all brothers because all of you have been
created by God. Strife is something satanic. Peace and friendship are more beneficial for you.
The blessing for which you fight can't be achieved except through peace".

This, too, was the voice of Muhammad The Arabs were the most proud and egoistic people.
They considered the non- Arabs inferior to themselves. Not only this but they did not consider
the non- Arabs even human beings. Muhammad disliked this attitude of the Arabs very much.
Addressing these proud people he said: "No Arab is superior to a non- Arab unless he is more

pious. Whether you like it or not all human beings are brothers of one another". There were
oppressed, homeless and helpless persons whose faces had been scorched by the hot winds.
The society had discarded them and made their lives miserable. They were more humble in
the eyes of the people than the particles of sand and their life had become extremely
unenviable. And these were the true friends of the prophet of Islam, just as the indigent and
outcasts of the society were the friends of Jesus Christ and other great men of the world. It
was these very people for whose benefit the prophet of Islam endeavoured to prevent the
establishment of dictatorship, disallowed slavery, freed man from the bondage of his fellow-
men, and established the public treasury so that all might benefit from it without any
discrimination. He directed the efforts of the people towards public welfare. He insisted on
Quraysh, who were his kinsmen, at every step that they should improve their conduct, do
good deeds, and keep their attention directed whole-heartedly to God, who has united the
scattered creation into a single whole. However, Quraysh instigated the ignorant persons as
well as their own children to stone and ridicule him. The helpless, oppressed and homeless
slaves among whom one was Bilal, the Mu'azzin of the prophet, were overjoyed when they
heard this: "All human beings are fed by God. He likes him most who is more helpful to his
creatures".

This was the voice of Muhammad Those who were his enemies and stoned and ridiculed
him heard this animating voice: "Ifyou (Muhammad) had been stern and hard-hearted they
would all have deserted you a long time ago. Forgive them and ask God to forgive (their sins)
and consult with them in certain matter. But when you reach a decision trust God. God loves
those who trust Him". This was the voice of Muhammad The following pure words were
imprinted on the minds of those who were endeavouring in the path of God for a better life,
and were ready to support him (Muhammad) in his campaign against idol-worship and evil-
doing, and were afraid lest their rights and good conduct might be wasted in the battle-field.
"Remember! Don't be treacherous. Don't commit breach of trust. Don't kill either a child or a
woman or an old man or a monk in a monastery. Don't burn a date-palm tree and don't cut any
tree nor pull down a building".

This voice was the voice of Muhammad The Arabs heard this heavenly voice from
Muhammad and spread it in all the four corners of the world. They covered powerful rulers
and kings with this voice, established brotherhood amongst human beings and strung them in
one faith, and created relationship between man and God. The shade of Muhammad spread so
much that the entire Old World came under it and the land from the east upto the west began
producing the fruits of goodness, knowledge, peace and friendship. The prophet of Islam
stretched his hand and sowed the seeds of friendship and brotherhood throughout the world.
That hand is still stretched and is busy sowing the seeds. Hence, there is no part of the world
wherein the followers of Muhammad are not found. One of them may be in Pakistan and the
other may be in Spain, but in spite of this both of them are treated to be under one and the
same standard. The prophet provided honour and respect to the Orientals which is even now a
shining crown on their heads. This voice of the prophet, was a call for human brotherhood. It
stopped the hands of the rulers from reaching the property of the subjects and gave equal

rights to all human beings. In his religion there is no discrimination between a common man,
a ruler and a subject and an Arab and a non-Arab, because all human beings are the slaves of
God and it is He who provides sustenance to all of them. This voice emancipated women
from the oppression of men, freed the labourers from the injustice of the capitalists and
delivered the servants from the degradation of submission to their masters. As opposed to
Plato and other philosophers, who deprive the workers of their social rights on account of
their mean occupation and have divided the society into many grades, the prophet of Islam
made all human beings participate in the affairs of government. He also disallowed usury and
exploitation of one man by another. After the prophet of Islam it was Ali bin Talib who called
men to good morals.

A glance over history

If you lend ear to the history of the world you will hear the news of a great event the like of
which has not happened even after a passage of more than ten centuries. If you reflect
carefully about the various happenings in the world you will be fascinated by a grand
personality before whose high thinking everything appears to be trivial. The world and its life,
and the children, the kinsmen, wealth and rulership do not enjoy any importance in his eyes.
This personality is too great to be placed in the row of ordinary people and his insight is so
keen that it resembles the reasoning of common people only in name. If you hear with the
ears of your heart, history will narrate to you that story of the martyrs in the path of truth and
justice with whose blood the border of the sky is covered. If you look at the horizon you will
observe two kinds of redness; one the natural redness and the other that of the blood of the
martyrs in the path of truth and justice. Have a look at the history of the East and find out that
great power of comprehension and understanding which is the centre of every circle of high
thinking, and the origin of every true reasoning and logic. Every modern research and new
idea about the life of this world and the Hereafter is related to him. The opinions which may
have come to your notice with regard to human system and laws, principles of civilization and
rules of morality has originated from this spring. These rules and principles are based on the
mutual relations, co-operation and partner ship of humanity. Which reflective powerl has
invented a new policy and a new method in philosophy and placed it at the disposal of the
people who have passed it on to the posterity? Everyone has benefited from it according to his
understanding, but none has so far reached its real philosophy and its depth. It is necessary
that other brains and intellects should make new discoveries from what he has said. Who is
that enlightened person who himself is involved in suffering and pains but others are blessed
and happy because of him? He who has prepared and continues to prepare the path for his
friends as well as enemies! A scholar who is prepared whole-heartedly to explain things for
others after discussing the cause and effect of everything! Who is that subtle scholar who has
pondered over everything and there is nothing about which he is not well-informed? So much
so that he knows even those things which the people have not done but have only thought
about them. He possesses such a powerful intellect that the knowledge which appeared in the
East after him is also associated with him; in fact it is he who is the foundation and the
fountain-head of all such sciences. Have you ever observed so perfect an intellect as should,
have recognized the greatest reality? And that reality is the basis for social relations, the cause
for everyone pursuing his own particular path. It tells why one group follows the right path
and the other wrong path. This reality which was understood by Ali thirteen hundred years
ago has been made the new subject of discussion by the scholars of the East and the West. By
this I mean the need for the necessities of life, to acquire which the people are following
different paths. One group has transgressed its limits. It has ignored the rules of justice and is
endeavouring to mislead the people. In order to achieve their nefarious ends deception is
being practised and illogical things are being spread by the capitalists to accumulate wealth,
by government officers to get things done gratis and to keep the masses under control and by

the innovators to collect obedient followers. Do you recognize that great sage who established
more than a thousand years ago a reality which superseded thousands of superstitions and
extravagant ideas and said: "If a person starves it is due to the fact that his share has been
taken by another" and added: "I have not seen any excessive bounty which is not associated
with a right which has been violated". As regards hoarding he wrote to one of his governors:
"Prohibit the people from hoarding, because it is some thing which entails loss to the public
and brings bad name to the rulers". A great and enlightened person realized the real secret of
humanity more than a thousand years ago and concluded that those persons who had no value
in the eyes of the kings and the rulers were endowed with virtues and good morals, and every
kind of oppression practised upon them was considered by them (i.e. by the rulers) to be
permissible. The Italian sculptor Rapheal prepared an image of the Virgin Mary in the shape
of an Italian farmer woman and made all good human qualities visible in it. Tolstoy, Voltaire
and Goethe also recommended and approved with their mental labour and imagination the
same thing which had been indicated by Raphael in the image. However, Ali clarified this
concept centuries ago. He campaigned against the aristocrats, the ruling class, the profiteers
and the selfish persons, opposed their wrong and absurd way of thinking about the oppressed
and said: "By God! I shall realize the right of the oppressed person from the oppressor and
shall pull the oppressor to the fountain-head of truth by putting a cavessor in his nose, even
though he may not like it".

The things which he said about the people of his time go to show that he had understood them
very well. They consisted on the one hand of the worthless aristocrats and others who were
holding high positions notwithstanding their inefficiency, and on the other hand of persons
who were helpless and oppressed and who had no alternative but to obey. He therefore, said
briefly: "Your down trodden are honourable and your powerful ones are base and mean". 2
By these words he means that the subordinate people cannot display their good morals and
talents due to their helplessness and oppression by the powerful class and the persons holding
high position keep their defects hidden under their costly dress. He told the people that truth
and virtue are established and eternal things which have always been and will remain for ever.
In the heart of his hearts every human being believes in this, although different persons may
interpret it in different ways. Even the oldest nations have flourished under the protection of
this belief although they may not have known it. They have inherited their views and beliefs
from their ancestors and adopted them because by doing so they have been saved from the
trouble of investigation and research. Imitation has thus become their second nature. The
basis of all the beliefs and thoughts is this that there is an absolute reality which should be the
starting point of all discussions and opinions.

The qualities of his head and heart enabled Ali to realize this fact and he believed whole-
heartedly that anything which is based on truth does not become shaky. He was a perfect
specimen of steadfastness and found himself successful in the event of victory as well as
defeat. In the battlefield as well as in the arena of politics it was immaterial for him to win or
lose, because he knew that the reality was with him and it was he himself who was the
standard for distinguishing between truth and falsehood. Throughout the history of the world

it is not possible to find a man with such a firm determination that he should not waver in any
circumstances and the flames of revolt should not make him tremble. No other thing can
shake the faith of a man than this that the enemies should be accusing him of worst offences
and even deviation and heresy. And nothing can make a man more unsettled than the threat of
death or attack on one's faith which is worse than death. However, Ali did not waver in any
circumstances and nothing could make him deviate from his path. He did not give up his
efforts for the enforcement of Islam and did not crave for wealth or position as a reward for
these efforts. His only reward was the success of the faith. Have you seen in the history of the
world a magnani mous person with a kind and loving heart encircled by greedy, rebellious
and revengeful, stone-hearted persons, keen to exploit one another, but he may be inviting
them to peace and welfare and they may still be joining hands to fight against him? There are
many sayings which people repeat verbally or in writing and every person selects one of them
according to his nature to serve as his motto. However, have you seen any other person who
may be the embodiment of purity and modesty in its true sense? Amongst the great
personalities of the world Ali was foremost in the matter of love and sincerity. Sincerity was
his habit and nature, and his heart and soul were imbued with it. He loved the people but did
not associate love with his own self. He kept his promises. Sincerity was the essence of his
being. By his natural and profound intelligence he found out that freedom is the most sacred
thing. The entire world craves for it and does not consider any other blessing to be equal to it.
3 Only the free persons possess power of correct thinking and good habits, and true love and
pure sincerity are also not possible without freedom. He, therefore, said: "The worst brother is
he with whom you have to observe formalities". Hence, the best man is he who is not of this
type. Do you know any ruler who never ate his fill because many persons amongst his
subjects did not get sufficient food to fill their bellies, or did not wear fine clothes because
many persons wore coarse dress, or did not accumulate wealth because there were many poor
and needy persons? Ali recommended to his children and friends to follow in his footsteps.
He declined to give as much as one dinar to his brother, because he was not entitled to it. He
took severe action against his companions, subordinates, and officials, if they took even a loaf
of bread as bribe. He warned a person against breach of trust in respect of public property in
these words: "I swear by God that if you commit breach of trust in respect of public property I
shall take such severe action against you that you will become poor, burdened and disgraced".
And he addressed another person in these eloquent words: "I have been given to understand
that you have swept the earth clean, have appropriated whatever was under your feet and have
spared nothing. You should, therefore, send your account to me". He also admonished in
these words a person who became rich by taking bribes: "Fear God and return the property of
the people to them. If you do not do so and God provides me hold over you I shall perform
the duty which I owe to God with regard to you and shall strike you with the sword which has
despatched to Hell every one whom it has struck". Have you ever heard about a monarch who
used to grind the grains with his own hands and prepared for himself the bread, which could
be broken only by pressing it with the knee? He who mended his shoes himself? He who did
not accumulate any worldly wealth, because he had no object in view except to help the
afflicted and the oppressed, so that he might realize their rights from the oppressors and make
them happy? He who never cared for his food and never thought of sound sleep, because

some persons in his country had to starve. He who uttered this eloquent sentence: "Should I
content myself with this that people call me 'Commander of the Faithful' and I should not
share the hardships of life with them?" If government and sovereignty do not serve the
purpose of establishing truth and eliminating falsehood they are the worst things of the world
in the eyes of Ali. Which person out of those who are famous for their justice is such that
even if all the inhabitants of the world combine against him it must be said that he is truthful
and all his opponents are false. It was Ali who possessed this qualification, because his
truthfulness and justice were not acquired but inherent and from them others learnt lessons.
His laws were not formulated on account of the exigencies of government and polities but
government and polities were based on those laws. He purposely did not adopt a path which
might lead him to rulership, but adopted that which might enable him to make his place in the
pure hearts. Justice was a part of his soul and was ingrained in his heart and it had combined
other virtues also with itself. It was not possible for him to deviate from justice and from the
demands of his nature. Justice was an element which was entwined in his entire body and ran
in his Veins like blood. Have you seen any brave man in the pages of history who was
oppossed by a group of self-seekers which also included his kinsmen and then a battle took
place, and those persons were victorious and he was defeated, and even then he dominated
over them? It so happened in the case of Ali and he dominated over them, because they were
devoid of human qualities and had risen in the capacity of oppressors using the weapons of
deceit, bribery, covetousness and fraud, whereas he sacrificed all gains and even his life in the
path of human excellence, justice and protection of the rights of others. It was for this reason
that the victory of his enemies was in fact their defeat and his defeat was a great success for
human virtues. Have you come across a great warrior in the pages of history who should love
even his enemies and wish to see them endowed with human qualities. Ali was such a person.
He was so kind to his enemies that he recommended to his companions: "Do not take the
initiative in fighting with them. When they are defeated by the will of God do not pursue or
kill those who run away. Do not kill the helpless and the wounded and do not molest the
women". The army of the enemy consisting of eleven thousand persons, who were keen to
shed his blood blocked his approach to water so that he might die of thirst. However, when he
regained control over water he said to them: "We are quenching our thirst with water. The
birds are also availing of it. You too should come and carry away water to meet your needs".
Imam Ali used to say: "If a person is killed while performing jihad in the path of God his
spiritual reward is not more than one who can take revenge, but refrains from doing so,
because such a person is one of the angels of God". When a wicked person struck on his head
and as a result of it, he was departing from the world he said to his companions: "In case you
forgive him your action will be nearer to piety and virtue". He was a great warrior, who had
combined his valour with kindness. He reproved only verbally the enemies, who had gathered
to oppose him, although he could curb their power with his sword. Even when he went to
admonish them he was bare-headed and without any armour whereas they were armed so
heavily that their faces could hardly be seen through their helmets and coats of mail. Then he
reminded them of old brotherhood and friendship and wept much on account of their having
adopted the wrong path. However, even when he realized that the advice was not having any
effect on them and they were bent upon shedding his blood he did not commence fighting

himself but delayed it till they themselves started it. At that moment he drew his sword for the
sake of the oppressed and launched an attack which scattered them like the particles of sand
in the desert. After the spiteful oppressors who openly displayed enmity and rebellion were
killed and he himself gained victory he wept on their dead bodies, notwithstanding the fact
that they had met this fate on account of their selfishness and worst greed. Have you heard
about any king who was well- equipped with all means of sovereignty and wealth which were
not available to others, but he chose sufferings and pains for himself? Of course, Ali made
such a choice. He was of noble descent but he said: "No dignity is greater than humility and
meekness". He said to some persons who loved him: "Whoever loves me should prepare a
robe of poverty for himself. A group of persons went to the extreme in the matter of love for
him. Thereupon he said: "Persons of two kinds got involved in destruction in connection with
me - the friends who went to the extreme, and the spiteful enemies". Ali severely punished a
group which considered him to be their deity. He advised like brothers a group of persons
who were inclined favourably towards him. Some persons abused him. His adherents did not
tolerate this and abused those people in reply. Thereupon he said: "I do not like that you who
are my friends should become persons who use abusive language" Some people were inimical
to him. They harmed and slandered him and rose in opposition to him. In spite of this he used
to say: "Punish your brother with goodness and improve his nature with prizes and honours".
Ali also said: "Your brother is not more powerful than you in breaking the bonds of love and
friendship, provided that you try to cement them, and is not quicker than you in doing harm if
you behave well with him". Some persons suggested to him to behave towards the oppressors
kindly and leniently so that his government might be strengthened. He said in reply: "Your
friend is he who prevents you from doing evil, and your enemy is he, who induces you to do
evil". He also said: "Adopt truth even though it may be harmful to you and refrain from
telling lies even though you may derive benefit from it". Ali had done good to a person. Once
the same person came to fight with him. Ali then said addressing himself: "If a persoh is not
thankful to you for your goodness this should not mean that you should discontinue your
goodness". Once the blessings of the world were being discussed in his presence. Ali said:
"Out of the worldly blessings good morals are sufficient blessings". When some persons
suggested to him to use all possible means like the kings to achieve victory Ali said: "A
person whose heart is overcome by sin is not a victor, and he who dominates by means of bad
deeds is actually the vanquished person". Ali overlooked those bad deeds of his enemies of
which only he was aware and said repeatedly: "The best habit of a manly person is that he
should treat what he sees to be unseen". If his enemies or the simpletons among his friends
said something which he did not like he used to say: "If you hear something from someone
and there is a possibility of its being good do not be suspicious about it". Do you know any
religious leader who has given directions to his officials in these words: "The people are
either your brethren-in-faith or equal to you in the matter of creation. You should, therefore,
overlook their shortcomings in the same manner in which you wish God to overlook yours".
Do you know any king who may have forsaken his kingdom to establish truth? And have you
seen any wealthy person who may have contented himself with only a loaf of bread to sustain
his life, and life in his eyes should mean doing good to mankind and he should have told the
v world' not to deceive him but someone else? Amongst the monuments of the East have you

read Nahj al-Balaghah (The English version of the glorious book has been published by
Islamic Seminary) and seen how eloquent and impressive its sentences are? It deals with
various matters and also provides information about the other world. It is like the events of
the world which cannot be altered, and if even one word is removed from its place the entire
purport will undergo a change. This book will continue to remain attractive so long as man
and his intellect and sentiments exist. Its eloquence surpasses every other eloquence. It
contains all the attributes of the Arabic language which existed at that time and were
introduced later. Hence, it has been said that it is lower than the word of God and higher than
that which has been said by God's creatures. Great wisdom, knowledge of the highest
standard, unparalleled eloquence, perfect valour and unlimited love and kindness were all
combined in Ali. If a person possesses even one of these attributes it is sufficient to dazzle
others and when they are combined in one person his greatness is evidently beyond
comprehension. At times it so happened that this philosopher, man of letters, scholar,
administrator, ruler and commander sequestered himself from the world, and did not have any
dealings with others. He then desired only to stimulate human qualities and rouse the
sentiments, and made these nice and pure words, which are the proof of love and intense
feelings, reach the ear of the hearts gently: "To lack friends is tantamount to poverty". "Do not
express joy on the adversity of others". "Bring people nearer to you by means of gentleness
and munificence". "Forgive one who oppresses you". "Do not deprive of your munificence a
person who deprives you of his munificence". "Establish new relations with the person who
cuts off his relations with you". "Be friendly towards one, who is inimical towards you". He
was a great man, who surpassed the philosophers of the world in high thinking, the righteous
of the world in beneficence, the scholars of the world in the matter of vast knowledge, the
researchers of the world in the matter of deep insight, all the philanthropists as regards love
and kindness, all the pious persons in the matter of abstemiousness, and all the reformers of
the world in the matter of reformatory views. He shared the sorrows of the helpless and
helped the oppressed in their distress. He taught the literary persons of the world the art of
literature and trained the brave men in the methods of warfare. He was always prepared to
sacrifice his life for the establishment of truth. He went higher than the highest stage of
human virtue and perfection. He displayed these qualities equally in his words and actions.
He was so great that the domination of his enemies over him was meaningless and their
victory carried no importance, because at that time everything had turned upside down. The
right hand was on the left side and the left hand was on the right side. High and low, light and
darkness, the earth and the sky, had all assumed a reverse shape. It makes no difference in the
position of Ali whether or not history recognizes him and whether his eminence appears
greater or lesser. Notwithstanding this, history has testified that he was the deepest stage of
human thought. He sacrificed his life for the sake of truth and reality. He was the father of the
martyrs and the proclaimer of justice. He was the unique man of the East, who will live for
ever!

1 In fact the knowledge of Ali should not be treated to be the
outcome of reflection because it was derived from divine inspiration

and was communicated to his heart through the prophet. The
knowledge which was possessed by him or even a small part thereof
cannot be acquired by reflection and reasoning however profound
and extraordinary it may be.

2 Here the Commander of the Faithful has referred to the
trouble which was created during the period of his caliphate and
which did irreparable harm to the Muslim nation. Although these
words do not carry the meaning inferred by the writer still it is an
established fact and is evident from his other remarks. As a matter
of fact the greatest object of the appointment of the prophets to
their mission and the means of their success was this that they
introduced freedom of the individual and freedom of thought as
opposed to the policy of the tyrants like Nimrud and Pharaoh who
controlled the lives and property of the people and kept their power
of thinking paralysed.

3 Man loves freedom. In case, therefore, a person is put in a
prison and all amenities of life are provided to him he will even then
prefer freedom to the prison life. The prophets campaigned against
the tyrants and succeeded, because they declared that man is
entitled to possess control on his own activities and property
whereas the despotic rulers deprived the people of this right and
subjected them to all sorts of torture and tyranny.

The prophet and Abutalib

If we leave aside the details and cast a glance not at the apparent conditions but at the reality,
it appears that the conditions and the adventures of life of Ali son of Abu Talib were similar
to those of the prophet Muhammad and the attitude of his companions towards Mu'awiya and
his associates was similar to that of the prophet and the Muslims towards Abu Sufyan, Abu
Jehl and other Quraysh. The difference between them was this that the prophet acquired
necessary strength to establish a state and to subdue the chiefs of Quraysh whereas the
circumstances and conditions had changed in the days of Ali and he did not succeed in
overpowering his opponents. Although Ali could not rule over the people like Bani Umayyah
he was not deprived of ruling over the pure hearts of the virtuous people. And he was so well-
quipped with the qualities of a perfect man that he deserved to rule the hearts. Before we
begin our discourse about Ali it is necessary to throw some light on the relationship which
associated him with Muhammad son of Abdullah. This relationship existed in the detailed
adventures of their lives as well as in their spiritual qualities which had come together in one
family. The prophet was the most perfect person and the son of Abu Talib followed in his
footsteps and was the most perfect person next to him and excelled all others. When the
prophet was deprived of the love of his parents his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, who was the
grandfather of Ali as well, assumed his guardianship. His grandfather was very fond of him.
Many times it so happened that he fixed his eyes on his grandson and said to those present:
"This child is very honourable". He accorded Muhammad great respect even though he was a
child yet, and in the general assemblies he made him sit at a place in the shade of the Ka'bah
where even his brothers could not aspire to sit. When the prophet's grandfather breathed his
last his guardianship was assumed by his uncle Abu Talib, the father of Ali. The prophet led a
very comfortable life under the guardianship of his uncle, and benefited from his love and
excellent manners and morals, which he had inherited from Abd al-Muttalib. The good
morals, which were characteristic of the family of Abd al-Muttalib were inherent in the soul
of Muhammad and were manifest in his words and actions. It might be said that when God
chose His messenger from the family of Bani Hashim He also chose his magnanimous uncle
to train him. It appears that a messenger-angel had informed Abu Talib about the mystery
related to his nephew of which others were not aware. Once during a period of famine and
drought this child was requested by his uncle to pray to God for rains with his back resting on
the wall of the holy Ka'bah. The child complied with his uncle's wish and pointed to the sky
with his finger. There was no cloud in the sky at that moment. However, the clouds gathered
suddenly from all sides, and it rained heavily so that the fields were filled with water and the
earth gained a new life. The people asked Abu Talib, "Who is this boy?" He replied: "He is
my nephew Muhammad about whom I have said: He is the white-faced one. By means of his
bright face water is sought from the clouds. He is the refuge for the orphans and the protector
of the widows". This narrative indicates the fervent mutual love and affection of the uncle and
the nephew. Abu Talib always attended to the needs of the child very meticulously and was
extremely kind to him. Once when Abu Talib went to Syria he also took with him his nephew

(Muhammad) who was then about fourteen years of age. After having crossed Madyan, the
Valley of Oara the land of Samud they came near the gardens of Syria. They enjoyed different
scenes and observed therein the secrets of nature. The views of Abu Talib about Muhammad
were confirmed by the monk Bahira when he told him that his nephew would become a
towering personality in the future. From then onwards he took greater care of his nephew
because he became aware that a mystery was linked with his person. When Abu Talib heard
the people of Mecca calling Muhammad with the title of Amin' (the honest) he was very much
pleased, and the tears of joy began to flow down from his eyes. Khadijah, the chief of the
woman of Quraysh, herself proposed marriage to Muhammad although she had already
rejected the suit of rich Qurayshite noblemen. The only confidant and true adviser of
Muhammad was Abu Talib. He therefore, consulted him in the matter. Abu Talib was well
aware of the nature and morals of Muhammad and knew that he was not inclined towards
anything except goodness. He supported this alliances because what his nephew had enquired
about was exactly the same thing which he (Abu Talib) himself had wished from the core of
his heart. After the Quranic verses were revealed to Muhammad in the Cave of Hira the first
persons to express faith in him and to offer prayers with him were his wife Khadijah and his
cousin Ali. When Abu Talib came to know about the embracement of Islam by Ali he said to
him: "My son! What act do you perform?" Ali replied: "Dear father! I have adopted the
religion of the prophet of God, confirm what he has brought and follow him in offering
prayers". Abu v falib said: "Dear son! Be obedient to him always, because he will never invite
you to anything except goodness and virtue". When the prophet of Islam ordered the Muslims
to migrate to Ethiopia he made Ja'far son of Abu Talib the chief of the migrants, and of all
those persons he loved his cousin most. Abu Talib was the first person in Islam who
composed verses eulogizing Muhammad and exhorted the people to support him. Once a
group of Quraysh came to Abu Talib and asked him to surrender Muhammad to them. He
replied to them: "So long as all of us are not finished we shall neither surrender him to you
nor withhold assistance from him". Throughout his life Abu Talib did not forget even for one
moment that Muhammad was a great person and his (i.e. Abu Talib's) brother Abdullah and
his father Abd al-Muttalib were also great personalities. When the time of Abu Talib's death
drew near he called a large number of persons belonging to his family by his bedside, and
said to them: "I exhort you to behave well with Muhammad because he is known as 'honest'
among Quraysh and is famous among the Arabs for his truthfulness, and all these qualities are
combined in his person. I can imagine very well that the indigent and the nomads have
gathered round him and have accepted his invitation and confirmed his words. Their
movement has become strong. The chiefs and elders of Quraysh have been humiliated. The
weak persons have become honourable. Those who were opposed to him most are most
obedient to him and those who were more apart from him are profiting more by remaining in
his service. O Quraysh! Support and reverence him. I swear by God that whoever follows his
path will be saved and whoever acts on his advice will become prosperous. If I had lived and
death had granted me respite I would have defended him from the calamities of time because
he is truthful and honest. Accept his invitation, co-operate with one another in supporting him
and fight against his enemies, because so long as the world lasts he is the capital of dignity
and honour for you". Abu Talib rendered support to the prophet for forty two years. He

opposed Quraysh for his sake and supported his declaration of prophethood till he breathed
his last. After Abu Talib's death the prophet felt that he had been deprived of his great
supporter who used to defend him against harm by Quraysh. Abu Talib was the chief of the
family in which the prophet had been brought up, and was his supporter against his enemies.
He loved him ardently and warded off the mischief of the obstinate Quraysh against him. The
prophet himself said: "So long as my uncle Abu Talib lived the people could do me no harm".
As we all know Muhammad was very patient and self-possessed, and notwithstanding the fact
that his enemies were numerous and his friends were fewer, he believed firmly that he would
succeed in his mission. The question therefore, arises as to the reason for his being so much
grieved at the death of his uncle. In fact the reason was their great mutual love, because a
person loves one who is kind to him and supports him. His flowing tears showed that the
prophet was feeling that he had lost something which was as dear to him as his own life.

The prophet and Ali

A very good and pure spirit existed in the family of Abu Talib. It looked at the world in a
peculiar manner and saw all things connected and united with one another. This spirit was
very strong in the prophet and Ali and a very firm relationship existed between them, because
Ali had been brought up by the prophet from his childhood till he grew up to be a youth.
When we admit that it is possible that good morals should become firm naturally in a heart
and a soul we have also to say that Ali was born with perfect faith in the prophethood of
Muhammad and support for him, because the qualities and virtues of the Family of Abu Talib
in which the prophet was brought up were transferred to his cousin from his birth. 1 The
personality of Ali developed with the virtues of his family. It was this place where he heard
Muhammad speak and the call to Islam also started from here. Ali was quite young when the
prophet attached him with himself and called him his brother. In his sermon entitled "Qase'a"
Ali mentions the attention paid to him by the prophet and says: "Do you know, that due to my
relationship and on account of my worth and merit, what were my relations with the prophet.
From the very beginning of my life he loved me and I loved him. He took me in his lap when
I was a baby and thence I was always with him, he often kept me embraced to his heart, he
used to make me sleep next to him; we used to be so close to each other that I felt the warmth
of his body and smelled the fragrance of his breath.When I was a baby, he fed me with his
hands often chewing hard bits for me. He never found me lying nor weak and wavering. From
the time of his babyhood God had appointed the Holy Ghost to be always with him and this
archangel was leading him towards exemplary qualities and high moral values and I followed
the prophet step by step as a baby camel follows its mother. Daily he used to place before me
a fresh standard of efficiency and used to order me to follow it. Every year he used to stay in a
grotto of the Hira Mountains for sometime, and nobody used to be with him but I. None could
then see or hear him or be near him but I. During those days Islam was the religion of only the
prophet and his wife Khadijah, I was the third of the trio (the prophet, Khadijah and Ali
himself). Nobody else in this world had accepted Islam I even then used to see the divine light
of revelation and prophethood and smell the heavenly fragrance of prophethood. When the
prophet received the first revelation Satan lamented loudly. I asked the prophet "Who is
lamenting and why". He replied, "It is Satan who had given up hopes of acquiring complete
sway over human mind. In this disappointment he is lamenting over the chance lost. Verily,
Ali, you also hear whatever is revealed to me and you also see whatever is being shown to
me. With this difference that you are not entrusted with prophethood, but you will be my
successor, helper and vi zier, and you will always uphold truth and justice". Childhood is the
age when one is fully capable of acquiring good qualities. Ali spent a good deal of his life
with the prophet alone. He imitated the prophet's conduct and remained separated from his
community which was leading a miserable life and was firmly bound with the chains of
hereditary customs. For years Ali lived in a pure atmosphere by the side of his cousin and was
loved very much by him. None of the companions and followers of the prophet could develop
such a close relationship with him. Ali opened his eyes on the path which had been opened

for him by his cousin. He learnt how to worship God from Muhammad's prayers. He enjoyed
the prophet's love, kindness and brotherhood. His relationship with Muhammad was similar to
the one between Muhammad and Abu Talib. When Ali first felt the sentiment of love in his
mind he loved Muhammad. When he spoke for the first time he spoke with Muhammad. On
the very first occasion when he was required to display manliness and valour he showed
readiness to support Muhammad. Muhammad's friends were friendly with him and his
enemies also respected his personality. Ali was such a protege and disciple of the prophet that
he became his soul and a part of his limbs. In the early days of the prophetic mission of the
prophet some elders amongst Quraysh who hated worship joined him. The slaves and helpless
persons came round him in expectation of justice and freedom. And after he was successful
and victorious a third group also joined him, because those people had no alternative left.
They wanted to benefit from the new situation and most of Bani Umayyah belonged to this
group. These different groups embraced Islam on different occasions and although they
resembled one another in the matter of obedience to the prophet the degrees of their faith
differed. However, as Ali was born and brought up in the lap of prophethood, his faith was
natural and innate, and he emerged from the body of his mother with this faith in his heart.
His faith had nothing to do with age or the vicissitudes of time. He offered prayers and
testified the prophethood of Muhammad at an age when a child cannot even express his
thoughts. And he did all this without obtaining any order or advice from anyone. Most of the
persons who embraced Islam in the early days of Muhammad's prophethood had worshipped
the idols in previous days. However, when Ali prostrated for the first time it was before the
Allah of Muhammad. This was the quality of the faith of the person who was destined to
grow up as a supporter and well-wisher of the prophet, to lead the faithful after the prophet,
and to save the people from the calamities of time.

1 The correct position is this that Abu Talib and the members of
his family or the ways and manners of the time or the environments
had no influences on the prophethood of Muhammad or the Imamate
of Ali. These things were related with divine inspiration and
neither Abu Talib nor the members of this family shared the secrets
of prophethood and Imamate.

Ali is my brother

In order to indicate at which level spiritual brother
hood existed between the prophet and Ali, to what extent
Ali inherited the virtues of the prophet, how Ali's soul
acquired the colour of prophethood, how much he was
loved by the prophet and to what extent he respected and
honoured the prophet with his heart and tongue, it is
necessary that a few traditions may be quoted. Only then
we can conclude that in accordance with the sublime rules
which became the source of strengthening the religion of
Islam, the prophet was paving the way for the caliphate
of Ali. And he was doing so, because he could see his own
face in the mirror of the person of Ali and the good
qualities possessed by him were also possessed by Ali as
will be explained later.

Tabrani has quoted Ibn Mas'ud as saying that the
prophet said: "Looking at Ali's face amounts to worship".
And Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqas quotes the prophet as saying:
"Whoever hurts Ali hurts me".
Ya'qubi has quoted in parts of his history that when
the prophet was returning to Madina from the "Farewell
pilgrimage" he stopped on the 18th day of Zil-Hajj at
Ghadir al-Khum near Johfah, delivered a sermon and then
held the hands of Ali and said: "Of whomsoever I am the
master, Ali too is his master. O God! Love him who loves Ali
and be inimical towards him who is inimical towards Ali".
Fakhruddin al-Razi has quoted in Tafsir al-Kabir that
thereafter Umar son of Khattab greeted Ali and said to
him: "O Ali! You have become my master as well as of
every Muslim man and woman".
This hadith has been quoted from sixteen companions
of the prophet by the ulema and historians like Tirmizy,
Nasa'iand Ahmad bin Hanbal, and has also been verified
by many poets, the foremost among them being Hassan
bin Thabit Ansari. He says: "On the day of Ghadir the
prophet called the people at Khum and made his voice
reach the ears of all and said: Who is your chief and master?
The people did not feign ignorance and said: Your God is
our master and you are our prophet and we are not
disobedient to you". Then the prophet said to Ali: "Rise; for

certainly I have chosen you to be the Imam and the guide
after myself. Hence, of whomsoever I am the master this
Ali, too, is his master. You should, therefore, be his true
friends and supporters".
Abu Tamam Tai is one of the poets who have
mentioned the event of that day. Another poet Kumait
Asadi has given a detailed account of it in his al-Qasidab
al-Ainiyya. He says inter alia: "In the ground of Ghadir
al-Khum the prophet made an announcement about his
caliphate. I wished that the prophet's decision had been
accepted. I never saw a day as important as the day of
Ghadir and I never saw such a right being violated".
Abu Sa'id Khudari has been quoted in Kitab Aal
lbn Khalwiyya as having said that the prophet said to Ali
"Love for you is faith and enmity towards you is hypocrisy"
"Your friend will be the first person who will enter Paradise
and your enemy will be the first person who will be
thrown into Hell".

The narrators believe that the prophet looked at the
face of Ali time and again, and said: "This is my brother".
Abu Huraira has been quoted to have said that the
prophet addressed his companions saying: "If you want to
see the knowledge of Adam, the determination of Noah,
the habits of Abraham, the supplications of Moses, the
peity of Jesus and the guidance of Muhammad combined
in one person look at the man who is coming towards
you". When the people raised their heads they saw that
it was Ali".

Once a man complained against Ali before the prophet.
The prophet said in reply: "What do you want from Ali?
What do you want from Ali? what do you want from Ali?
Ali is from me and I am from Ali and after me he is the
master of all believers". 1

The prophet sent Ali to Yemen. Some of his com-
panions requested him to give them the camels received as
alms to mount so that their own camels might take rest.
Ali did not accede to their request. When all of them
returned to Madina the persons whose request had been
rejected by Ali complained against him to the prophet.
S'ad son of Malik Shaheed acted as their spokesman. He
said that Ali had been harsh towards them and also made a
mention of the relevant incident. While he was speaking
the prophet struck his thigh with his hand and said loudly.

M Sa'd! Stop complaining against Ali. You should know
that he is dedicated to the path of God".
It appears from the above mentioned traditions as
well as from many others which have not been quoted
here that the prophet considered Ali to be his brother, and
Ali, too, was very much pleased with his brotherhood.
Moreover, the prophet used to invite the attention of the
people to the attributes and virtues which had concentrated
in the personality of Ali so that they might know that he was
the best person to carry on the Islamic mission after him.
Some instances have been quoted in authentic
traditions, which go to show that the natural conditions
also helped in creating harmony between Muhammad
and Ali, and shaped the events and the environments
in such a way that Ali displayed the attributes which
were not shared with him by any one.
One of those attributes was that he was born in the
Ka'bah, which is the "Qibla" of the Muslims and his birth
took place at a time when the Islamic call was about to
be given by Muhammad and he had not made it public.
In those days he resided in the house of Ali's father
Abu Talib. When Ali opened his eyes he saw Muhammad
and Khadijah offering prayers. He was the first man who
expressed faith in Muhammad although he was not yet
fully grown up. When the people reproved him for
embracing Islam without the permission of his father he
replied at once: "God created me without seeking Abu
Talib's agreement. Then why should I obtain my father's
permission to worship God".

For quite a long time the religion of Islam remained
confined in the house of Muhammad and there were then
only four Muslims in the world: namely, Muhammad, his
wife Khadijah, his cousin Ali and his slave Zaid bin Harith.
On the day when Muhammad invited his kinsmen
to a feast and wished to address them and communicate
the message of Islam to them, his uncle Abu Lahab
interrupted him and incited those present against him.
Consequently all of them stood up and left Muhammad's
house. The prophet invited them once again and said after
meals were over: "I do not know any person in Arabia
who may have brought a present which is better than the
one which I have brought for you. Who from amongst you
will help me?" The persons present declined to commit

themselves and wanted to leave the house as before, but in
the meantime Ali, who was still a boy and had not attained
the age of manhood stood up and said: M prophet of God!
I shall assist you and shall fight against anyone who
opposes you". Members of Bani Hashim family laughed
out and then went away ridiculing Abu Talib and Ali.
In every battle Ali was the standard-bearer of the
prophet. He dedicated his valour, blood, heart, tongue and
his very life for his cousin, the prophet, and for the success
and victory of Islam. He crushed the enemies of Muhammad
and showed his mettle as and when the occassion demanded.
At the time of the Battle of the Ditch when the
companions of the prophet were worried and perplexed on
account of the fear of the enemy, Ali stood like a rock
before the chiefs of Quraysh and displayed such feats of
valour that the Muslims became hopeful of their victory,
and the Quraysh and their allies had to suffer defeat.
In the Battle of Khaybar Ali performed a jihad,
which was astonishing. The forts of Khaybar, although
very strong, were conquered at his hands. This was notwith-
standing the fact that very brave and experienced soldiers
were assembled there and the companions of the prophet
were afraid of them. In short the siege of the fort by the
Muslims was prolonged. The soldiers within were defending
themselves courageously, because they knew that if they
were defeated by Muhammad their power in the Arabian
Peninsula would come to an end and their business and
authority would go.

The prophet sent Abu Bakr to conquer the fort. He
displayed his efficiency in his own way and came back
without achieving the success. On the following day he
sent Umar son of Khattab, but he also returned like Abu
Bakr without achieving any success and could not overcome
the lofty fort and the armed soldiers. The prophet then
called Ali and ordered him to conquer the fort. Ali gladly
proceeded to perform this duty for the sake of Islam.
When he approached the fort, and its inmates came to
know that this time Ali son of Abu Talib, who had not
sustained defeat in any campaign, had come to join the
battle, many squads of theirs came out from the fort all at
once, and one of their soldiers attacked so forcefully that
the shield fell down from the hand of Ali. He immediately
pulled out the gate of the fort and continued to fight,

using it as a shield, till the fort was conquered. And the
fort was not conquered till a number of soldiers were
killed, the first among whom was Harith son of Abi
Zainab. At this stage we come across a strange phenomena.
In the history of our ancestors we come across many
champions who fought battles for the sake of their beliefs,
but in the heart of their hearts they desired peace and
wished that the problem had been solved without resorting
to warfare. Besides them we also know many brave men
who met martyrdom to achieve their objective. However,
such battles and martyrdoms are mostly without any fore-
thought. There are sudden occurrences which usually
take place owing to eruption of enthusiasm and ardour
in the presence of the onlookers. However, the case of
Ali son of Abu Talib is most surprising, because in order
to defend the faith of Muhammad and his own, and for
the sake of brotherhood, and in the path of God he exposed
himself to the gravest danger. It is an event which is
unparalleled in history and abundantly proves the unity
and harmony of these two great personalities.
When persecution by Quraysh reached its maximum
limit and they were planning to kill Muhammad and destroy
Islam, the prophet went to the house Of Abu Bakr and told
him that as Quraysh were conspiring to kill him he had
decided to migrate. Abu Bakr expressed his desire to accompany
the prophet and the latter acceded to his request.
When both of them decided to migrate, they were certain
that the Quraysh would pursue them. Muhammad therefore
proposed to follow a deviated path and should leave their
houses at a time at which they could not normally be
expected to do so. On the very night during which
Muhammad decided to. migrate, the Quraysh had decided
to kill him and had posted a group of experienced warriors
round his house so that he might not escape under the
cover of darkness, however, Muhammad asked his cousin
Ali confidentially to sleep in his bed and to cover himself
with his green sheet. He also asked him to stay on in Mecca
till he had restored to the people the things which they
had deposited with him. (i.e. with Muhammad ).
As usual Ali obeyed the orders of the prophet very
gladly. As mentioned above Quraysh had besieged the
house of the prophet. They peeped through the holes and
saw a man sleeping in the bed of the prophet. Thev were

therefore, satisfied that the prophet had not escaped. In
the latter part of the night when the enemies imagined that
the prophet was sleeping in his bed he was actually in the
house of Abu Bakr, wherefrom both of them proceeded to
the Cave of Thour. On finding a clue the Quraysh reached
this place also, but God kept them hidden from the eyes
of the enemies.

The examples of self-sacrifice set by Ali are very rare.
One wavers between life and death and reflects whether
one should sacrifice high morals, which are the capital
of one's life, for the sake of the base and transitory
comforts of worldly life. If, on such an occasion a person
chooses martyrdom, it is a proof of the fact that in his
eyes real life is eternal life and not temporary mudane life.
Of course, such devotion and self-sacrifice is very
rare in the world. If Socrates and others like him welcomed
death gladly, Ali son of Abu Talib also placed his life at
the disposal of the prophet of his own free will. However,
to go into the battlefield and court death or to drink a cup
of poison is easier as compared with the heroic act performed
by Ali. Just imagine how difficult it is for a person
to sleep in the bed of one whom his enemies are bent upon
to kill and it is not possible to escape from their hands,
especially when they may be watching him from a distance
of a few steps and making signs for a murderous attack and
he may be observing their movements and hearing their
words and seeing their blood thirsty swords flashing on his
head and may spend the entire night in this condition.
At this dangerous stage Ali imitated the prophet and
displayed the power of resistance which he had acquired
by his association with his illustrious cousin. His sleeping
in the bed of the prophet was a specimen of his jihad and
effort for the promotion of the faith propagated by him.
This dangerous fact unveils the nature of the Imam that his
actions were not tainted with artificiality and resembled
the coming out of a pearl from a shell. It also shows his
strong intellect and matchless insight, because it is not
possible for any other person to understand fully the
reality of the Islamic call at such a young age.
This fact also shows many other traits of Ali. It shows
that he did not attach any importance to worldly life. He
was very faithful and sincere. He did not prefer himself to
others. He was prepared even to lay down his life for the

sake of the oppressed, so that they might be relieved of the
oppression, and the prophetic mission of the prophet might
succeed. Fidelity, manliness, righteousness valour and all
other good qualities were concentrated in this person. The
self-sacrifice displayed by him at this stage was an introduction
of the heroic acts performed by him in future.
There existed a firm relationship of love and brotherhood
between Muhammad and Ali and they assisted each
other in connection with the Islamic call. This co-operation
commenced from the time when Muhammad recognized
Abu Talib and Ali recognized Muhammad i.e. from the
time when these three illustrious personalities were living
together in a house which was founded on piety and
virtue. It was one of the characteristics of the house of
Abu Talib that it was there that Ali and Abu Talib were
able to realize the greatness of Muhammad. As a result of
this Abu Talib bestowed his love and kindness on
Muhammad and Ali displayed obedience and devotion to
him. This very recognition prepared Ali for supreme
sacrifices. The prophet also realized this reality fully well.
He loved Ali beyond measure. He did not only love Ali
himself but endeavoured to make others also love him, so
that he might assume the responsibilities of the caliphate
after him. He wished that people might become fully
aware of the qualities of Ali so that after his own death
they should see in Ali the person of Muhammad himself
as if Muhammad were still alive. Hence, they should select
him with love and kindness of their own free will, and not
because he belonged to the Family of Bani Hashim and
was the cousin of the prophet. This was so because the
prophet himself opposed such discriminations and had
strictly prohibited them. It was for this reason that just as
he had himself avoided material benefits, he also kept Bani
Hashim away from governmental offices which might bring
worldly benefits. 2

1 The prophet sent two detachments of the soldiers to Yemen -
one under the command of the Imam and the other under the
command of Khalid son of walid and said that if both the contingents
reached there together, the command would rest with Ali.
Khalid who was perfectly imbued with the habits and sentiments of

the age of ignorance was very much annoyed at this. After the
completion of the assignment, therefore, he sent some persons to
the prophet to complain against Ali.
The companion Buraidah, the bearer of the letter says: 'T
placed before the prophet the letter which I had brought and it was
read out for him. The prophet was so much annoyed that I observed
the signs of anger on his face. Then I said: M prophet of God! I
seek refuge in you. The letter has been sent by Khalid and he
ordered me to bring it to you. As he has been my commander,
I obeyed his orders. The prophet said: "Do not talk ill of Ali. He is
from me and I am from him and he is your master and man of
authority after me". (Al-Musnad- Ahmad bin Hanbal, vol.5, p. 356,
Al-Khasais-Nasa'i, p. 24).

In one of the texts of Hadith, an addition to the above-
mentioned Hadith is available and it is that when Buraidah saw the
behaviour and the extreme anger of the prophet he entertained
doubt in his mind about his own faith and, therefore, said to the
prophet: "I administer you an oath of the rights of companionship
which exist between us that you may stretch out your hand so that

1 may take an oath of allegiance de novo and my sin may be
forgiven". (Majma al-Zawaid by vol.9, page 128).

On the basis of this narration the Imam is the supervisor,
man of authority and guardian of the Muslims, after the prophet.
Viz. he enjoys exactly the same guardianship, over the life and
property of the people, in the capacity of the successor of the
prophet as the prophet himself and, of course, exercises this
authority for their material and spiritual benefit as the exigencies
of the circumstances demand.

2 The prophet had declared zakat, which formed a large part of
the assets of the public treasury, to be unlawful for Bani Hashim,
so much so that he did not even send them to collect zakat so that
the people might become aware that it was not utilized by the
prophet's Family, and was collected only to assist the indigent
persons and to meet common needs of the Muslims.

The attributes of Ali

Out of the persons who have narrated the attributes
of Imam Ali son of Abu Talib the author of Zakhair_
al-Uqba writes thus: "His stature was moderate and slightly
short. His skin was of wheaten colour and his beard was
white and long. His eyes were large and black. He had a
cheerful face and was good-natured. His neck was long like
a goblet made of silver. His shoulders were broad. The
joints of his hands were like those of a roaring lion, because
his hands and wrists were completely joined with each
other and distinction could hardly be made between them.
His hands and fingers were strong, moderately fat and
fleshy. His calves were fleshy and their lower part was thin.
His arms were also fleshy in a similar manner. He walked
calmly like the prophet. However, as and when he proceeded
to give a fight he walked briskly and did not turn his head
to see anything else. His bodily strength was unimaginable.
He usually picked up the fighters whom he laid his hands
on and threw them on the ground without any difficulty
or effort, as if they were small children. And if he held the
arm of any warrior in his hand the latter could not even
breathe. It is well-known that he did not fight with anyone
whom he did not vanquish, even though he might have
been very strong and a renowned champion. At times he
picked up a big gate which a number of strong persons
could not even close or open, and used it as a shield to
defend himself. On some occasions he threw away with
one hand, a stone, which could not even be shaken by a
number of men. At times he roared in the battlefield
so loudly that the bravest men got frightened although
their number might be quite large. He possessed such a
great power to bear hardships that he did not fear any
harm from heat or coldness. He used to wear summer
clothes in winter and winter clothes in summer".
Once a man lodged a complaint against Ali with Umar
who was then the caliph. Umar summoned both of them
and said: "O Abul Hasan! Stand side by side with the
other party. Signs of displeasure appeared on the face of
Ali. Thereupon Umar asked him whether he did not wish
to stand by the side of the other person. Ali replied: "No.

That is not so. However, I have observed that you have not
maintained equality between me and my opponent. You
have addressed me with my Kuniyah and thus shown me
respect whereas you have not meted out the same treat-
ment to him". 1

It is very difficult to explain fully the nature and
habits of human beings and especially of great personalities
because personal qualities of men are related with one
another and everyone of them influences others. Every
quality is related with another quality and every habit
is the cause of another habit and the result of a third one,
or two of them are effect of another and so on and so
forth. Hence, I propose to study a few of the personal
qualities of Ali from different angles and to compare them
within one and the same personality so as to arrive at
some conclusions by means of this intellectual analysis.
In the first instance I shall briefly present the various
qualities of Ali by deducing them from his simple dealings
and well-known actions so that his nature, habits and
disposition are known and our detailed discussion in the
following chapters may be limited to those qualities and
characteristics.

We now commence the discussion with reference to
his acts of worship.

Ali was well-known fot his piety and continence. He
did many things for his own self as well as for his own
people and others, as he was extremely pious. I believe
that Ali's piety was not the outcome of circumstances
like that of other pious persons, who engage themselves
in worship on account of the weakness of their souls,
or to escape the vicissitudes of life and to keep aloof
from the people, or in imitation of their ancestors, and
the effects of the events of life confirm it, because as a
rule people accord respect to ancestral customs and
traditions. 2

The fact is that the piety of the Imam Ali was based
on a firm footing and was linked with the mutual tie which
exists in all parts of the creation and has bound the sky
and the earth with each other. His worship was in fact a
continuous effort and a campaign against mischief for the
sake of human life and prosperity. He fought against all
aspects of evil and wickedness. On the one hand he fought
against hypocrisy and selfishness and on the other hand

against dastardliness, abjectness meanness, helplessness and
other bad qualities which had been acquired by the people
during those evil days. According to Ali the essence of
piety is to sacrifice one's life for the sake of truth and
justice. He has said: "Your faith should be at such a level
that you should prefer truth to falsehood even though
it may cause you loss and falsehood may bring you gain".
His piety was of the same type as defined by him. He
was martyred on account of this very truthfulness, and
if it be possible to give the title of "Martyr" to living
persons it may be said that even while alive he was a
martyr in the path of truth and righteousness.
If a person studies the piety of the Imam carefully it
will become known to him that even in politics and
government, he had a special method in the matter of
worship which he pursued firmly. When he stood before
the Almighty God he made his supplications with full
attention, just as a poet is lost in the beauties of nature.
The following remark of Ali is very instructive for those
who worship God and observe piety: "One group worships
God to be favoured with His blessings. This is the worship
of the tradesmen. Another group worships Him on account
of His fear. This is the worship of the slaves. A third group
worships Him by way of thanksgiving. This is the worship
of the free man".

Unlike many persons the Imam's worship was not
on account of fear, and it was also not a tradesman-like
worship with the hope of acquiring Paradise. On the other
hand when great men stand before the Almighty God they
find themselves meek and obliged to consider themselves
His worst slaves. The basis of this worship is reason,
conscience, and spiritual perfection.
One who accords the same position to worship as
was accorded by Ali will certainly view life in the same
manner in which it was viewed by Ali. Such a person does
not seek life for wordly gains and transient pleasures.
On the other hand he seeks it to attain high morals and to
achieve the ends which are compatible with his nature.
It was for this reason that Ali chose piety in the world
and did not seek fame and ostentation. He was true in
the matter of piety in the same way in which he was true
in the matter of his actions, words and intentions. He was
disinclined towards the pleasures of life in the same way

in which he was disinterested in rulership, and other things,
which were so much coveted by others. He lived with
the members of his family in a hut which was also his
seat of government. His rulership was not in the form of
kingship but in the form of caliphate. He ate barley
bread prepared from the flour ground by his wife. Of
course his governors and officials availed of the luxuries
which became available from Syria, Egypt and Iraq. Often
he did not make his wife take the trouble of grinding the
mill and did this job himself. Although he was the
Commander of the Faithful he ate bread which was so
dry and hard that it could be broken by pressing it with
the knee. When it was very cold during winter he did
not have any clothes for that season and contented himself
with thin summer clothes.

Haroon son of Antara relates thus from his father:
"I went in the presence of Ali in Khurnaq Palace in winter
season and saw that he was wearing an old cloak and was
trembling with cold. I said to him: O Commander of the
Faithful! God has fixed a share for you also in the public
treasury and in spite of that you are living in this condition".
He replied: "I swear by God that I do not take anything
out of your (i.e. public) property and this cloak is the
same which I brought from Madina".
He spent his days in the small house with perfect con-
tentment till he was martyred at the hands of lbn Muljim.
Although he was the caliph there was none amongst the
Muslims who lived as simple and contented a life as he did.
In fact this lack of interest on his part in worldly
comforts was related with his valour. Some persons think
that these two qualities are apart from each other, but
this view is not correct. Really speaking his valour
consisted of the greatness of his soul and his efforts to
achieve great objects and to help the poor and the needy
without caring for his own benefit. The fact is that he was
not prepared to enjoy the pleasure of life while living in
a city in which many helpless and indigent persons were
also residing.

Umar son of Abdul Aziz was a caliph of the family
of Bani Umayyah. This family was inimical towards Ali,
slandered him and abused him from the pulpit. In spite
of this he was obliged to remark thus keeping in view
the sublime conduct of Ali: "The most chaste and pious

person in the world was Ali son of Abu Talib".
It is said that Ali did not place either a stone on a
stone or a brick on a brick and did not also join a reed
with a reed. In other words he did not construct for
himself even a house made of reeds. Although the White
Palace had been constructed for him he did not occupy
it because he did not wish to live in a house which was
better than the huts made of wood occupied by the poor
people. The manner in which Ali led his life is reflected
in his well-known remark: "Should I content myself
with this that the people call me the Commander of the
Faithful and I should not share the vicissitudes of life
with them?"

lbn Athir has narrated that when Ali married the
prophet's daughter Fatima their bed consisted only of the
hide of a sheep. They used it as a mattress during night and
placed fodder on it during the daytime to feed their camel.
They did not have more than one servant. During the
caliphate of Ali some property was received from Isfahan.
It was divided by him into seven parts. It also included a
loaf of bread and he broke that also into seven pieces.
Manliness was incarnated in Ali in all respects and
included every quality necessary for it. Broad mindedness
and forgiveness are the necessary concomitants of manliness
and they were ingrained in the Imam's nature. It was on
this account that he did not even think of harming any
person although he might have harmed him, and did
not oppress a person about whom he knew that he wanted
to kill him. Bani Umayyah abused and slandered him but
he did not retaliate in the same manner because magnani-
mous persons do not abuse a person who abuses them.
Imam Ali prohibited his own companions from abusing
Bani Umayyah. At the time of the Battle of Siffin he was
informed that some of his companions were abusing Bani
Umayyah, upon this he said: "I do not like that you
should be one of those who use abusive language. However,
if you mention their misdeeds and their behaviour you will
be justified in doing so and will be pronouncing an ultima-
tum. In reply to their abuses you should say: "O Lord!
Protect our blood as well as theirs. Relieve our and their
hearts of deviation, and guide us so that he who has not
recognized the truth should recognize it, and he who is
involved in injustice and deviation should forsake it".

He has no peer in history in the matter of forgiveness

and connivance, and there are innumerable incidents which

throw light on these qualities of his. It is said in this

connection that on the occasion of a battle he gave inter

alia the following instructions to his soldiers: "Don't kill

an enemy who runs away. Don't withhold assistance from

one who is helpless and wounded. Don't strip any one.

Don't take the property of anyone by force".

At the conclusion of the Battle of the Camel he

offered funeral prayers for the enemies who had been

killed and prayed to God for their forgiveness. When he

gained control over his fell enemies like Abdullah son of

zubayr, Marwan son of Hakam, and Sa'id son of Aas,

he forgave them, behaved with them kindly and prohibited

his companions from punishing them although he was

in a position to give them a harsh treatment, and they

too did not hope that they would be set free. Another

example of his connivance is this that when he gained

the upper hand on Amr Aas he turned his face aside and

let him go, although he was by no means a lesser danger

for Ali than Mu'awiya and remained inimical towards

him even after this kindness. When he saw Zulfiqar (Ali's

sword) on his head he committed a particular act and

hoped that if he did so Ali would shut his eyes and leave

him. 3 If Ali had killed Amr bin Aas at that time fraud

would have been eliminated and Mu'awiya's army, too,

would have been destroyed.

In the Battle of Siffin Mu'awiya and his supporters

decided to overcome Ali by subjecting him and his companions

to thirst. For some days, therefore, they blocked

his way to the Euphrates and threatened that they would

not allow his army to utilize the water and would make

them die of thirst. However, Ali's army launched an attack

and gained control of the bank of the river. But Ali behaved

with Mu'awiya in a different manner. Notwithstanding the

fact that he could stop supply of water to the Syrian army

as a measure of retaliation he allowed them to utilize water

in the same way in which his own men were utilizing it.

Once he was given to understand that two persons

were accusing Ayesha of having started the Battle of the

Camel and of plotting to kill him. He ordered that each

of them might be administered one hundred lashes by way

of punishment.

After achieving victory in the Battle of the Camel

he sent Ayesha back to Madina with due honour and

respect. He accompanied her upto a few miles distance and

also sent some persons with her so that they might serve

her on the way, and she might reach Madina comfortably.

In spite of his being so brave Ali avoided being

oppressive. The narrators and historians are agreed that

he hated warfare and did not resort to it except when no

other alternative was left. He always tried that matters

might be settled with the enemies without bloodshed and

fighting. He used to advise his son Hasan not to invite

anyone to fighting. He was always sincere in what he said

and followed the policy which he recommended to his

son till he was obliged to act otherwise.

For example when Kharijites were equipping themselves

for warfare the companions of Ali suggested to him

that he should attack them (i.e. Kharijites) before they

became ready to wage a war. Ali, however, replied: "I shall

not start fighting till they begin the battle themselves". His

faith and human attributes compelled him to keep the

people from deviation by means of advice. One day he was

delivering a sermon to a gathering and many Kharijites

who considered him to be an infidel were also presnt and

were hearing him. One of them who was wondering at his

sweet language and eloquence said: "May God kill this

infidel! How wise and intelligent he is!" The followers of

Ali wished to kill that man. He, however, said to them:

"He has done something wrong with his tongue. You

should, therefore, either take revenge from him with the

tongue or forgive him":

We have already mentioned above that Mu'awiya's

army blocked the path of Ali's army to the Euphrates

so that they might surrender on account of thirst but when

Ali gained control of the bank of the river he did not

stop Mu'awiya's army from utilizing the water. Many other

similar incidents took place so far as Mu'awiya was concerned,

but it is not possible to give their details here.

All these events show that as demanded by his angelic

soul he was kind even to his enemies and was just and

magnanimous to all. A historian narrates thus with reference

to the Battle of Siffin: "A man named Kareez son of

Sabah Humeri came out of Mu'awiya's army into the

battlefield and said standing between the armies. Is there

anyone who may come and fight with me? One of the
soldiers of Ali's army went to combat with him and was
killed. He again asked for an adversary. Another man went
but he too was killed and still another person also met
death at the hands of Kareez. When he demanded an
adversary for the fourth time none went to oppose him.
The men in the first row stepped back. Ali felt that there
was a danger of his army becoming demoralized. He,
therefore, went himself to give a fight to Kareez and
killed him. Then he killed another man and thereafter
a third man also met the same fate. After having killed
three warriors Ali said loudly these words which were
heard by all: "If you had not started the battle we would
not have fought with you". Having said this he returned
to his place".

It is also related in connection with the Rattle of the
Camel that when the enemies gathered for an attack,
Ali also arrayed his troops but said to them: "Don't throw
an arrow nor make an attack with a spear or a sword
until we have first invited them to peace". He did not
wish that a battle should take place resulting in blood
shed and loss of life. After a moment some one belonging
to the opposite army shot an arrow which struck a com-
panion of Ali and killed him. Ali said: "O Lord! Bear
witness" . Then another arrow came and killed another
man. He said again: "O Lord! Bear witness". Then an
arrow struck Abdullah son of Badil and his brother brought
him before Ali. Ali again said "O Lord! Bear witness".
And then the battle started.

To shun cruelty and oppression was a moral principle
of Ali and formed part of his nature and disposition.
He never broke covenants and was not inimical towards
his former friends unless they themselves broke the
covenants and showed enmity in reply to kindness.
The best form of friendship and the meaning of
fidelity is that a warrior, while standing in the battle-
field should look at the former friends who may have
come to fight in the capacity of enemies, with the same
brotherly eye, should invite them to peace and remind
them of former love and friendship, so that they may
possibly refrain from breach of covenant and treachery,
or should take away the arms from their hands and solve
the difficult problems by negotiations and peace talks.

Fighting with a former friend should not be started all
at once, because it is possible that he may be reminded
of former relations and may refrain from fighting and
opposition.

If keeping promises and regard for former friendship
had not dominated the spirit of Ali he would not have
depended on them for warding off the enemies.
The Imam's firmness in keeping the promises is
evident from the treatment which he meted out to Zubayr
son of Awam and Talha son of Ubaidullah. These two
persons separated the Imam's friends and helpers from him
and took them to his enemies. They also misguided Ayesha
and made her come up as opponent of Ali.
Those who were present on the spot whether they
were friends or enemies, have reported that when Talha
and Zubayr decided to fight against Ali, broke the oath
of allegiance and displayed their evil intentions in the
Battle of the Camel, Ali went to them bare-headed and
without wearing any armour or coat of mail, meaning
thereby that he had come with peaceful intentions. He
then called Zubayr saying: "O Zubayr! Come to me".
Zubayr came fully armed. When Ayesha heard about it
she cried: "What a pity it is that there should be a combat" !
She said this because she knew that whoever went to fight
against Ali would be killed, however brave and strong he
might be. And it may be said with certainty that Zubayr
could not have saved himself if he had fought with Ali.
However Ali embraced Zubayr. Ayesha and her supporters
were very much upset to see this. Ali said in a tone of love:
"O Zubayr! Why have you come to fight against me?"
Zubayr replied: "To avenge the murder of Uthman". Ali
said: "May God kill that person who has been responsible
for the murder of Uthman".

Then Ali reminded Zubayr of past companionship
and brotherhood and wept a number of times while
talking. However, Zubayr was bent upon fighting and
opposed the Imam till he (i.e. Zubayr) was killed. Ali, who
attached great importance to the tie of friendship, was
very much grieved when Zubayr met his death. Ali did not
withhold his suggestions from the former caliphs and
assisted them in their words and actions. 4
Although this magnanimous person was steadfast
in his friendship, his friends did not accord due respect

to his friendship, because they did not expect that he would
act contrary to his nature and let their hands loose to
usurp the rights of others.
Imam Ali has been reported to have said: "Even
if all the seven regions of the world and whatever is under
the sky is offered to me so that I may disobey God and
take away unjustly the husk of barley from an ant I shall
not do so. In my eyes this entire world is inferior to a
leaf which may be pressed in the mouth of a locust".
In this matter Ali's words and actions conformed
with each other. He was not like others who indulge in
tall talk which their actions belie. He was prompted to say
these words by his nature which formed the basis of his
character. Ali was more kind to the people than anyone
else and refrained from harming any person. He became
oblivious of his own self in order to assist others and
considered this self-abnegation to be a part and parcel
of his life. His entire life was dedicated to the support
of the oppressed and the helpless so that he might realize
their rights from the tyrants who considered themselves
entitled to usurp the rights of others on account of noble
descent and racial discrimination.
Ali opposed the Quraysh and fought with them,
because they coveted the caliphate for the sake of personal
gain and in order to acquire position, wealth and rulership.
He renounced the caliphate and even the worldly life and
forsook everything because he could not act like worldly
persons and could not agree to allow them to exploit the
weak and the helpless.

Ali was so kind to the common man that when his
brother Aqeel requested him to give him something more
from the public treasury than his due share, he turned
down his request and as a consequence thereof Aqeel
went away to Mu'awiya. Ali tolerated separation from his
brother but did not agree to give him anything from the
public treasury of the Muslims without entitlement.
Ali was like a kind father for all human beings. He
gave directions to the officers and governors to behave
with the people gently. He behaved harshly with those
who oppressed the people and warned them of severe
consequences. The following directions given by him
reached the ears of the governors continuously: "Redress
the grievances of the people and meet their needs because

you derive your capital from them. Do not deprive anyone
of what he needs, and do not obstruct him from attaining
his object. Do not sell the summer or winter dress of
anyone to realize revenue. Do not take away from any
person a quadruped which is required by him for his
business and do not whip a person for even a penny.
Ali was the person who wrote an excellent testament
for Malik Ashtar Nakha v i at the time of appointing him the
governor of Egypt and the adjoining areas. He wrote: "Do
not live with people like ferocious animals, and do not treat
their sustenance to be war booty, because the Egyptians fall
under one of the two categories: either they are your
brethren-in-faith from the point of view of religion or your
equals because of their being human beings. Ignore their
shortcomings and forgive their mistakes, just as you hope
that God will forgive your crimes and sins. Do not regret
your forgiving a person and do not insist upon awarding
punishment".

He added: "Prohibit hoarding". Ali strictly forbade
hoarding, which was the main reason for Mu'awiya and his
party opposing him, because they wanted the country,
the wealth and the war booty for themselves whereas
Ali wanted them for all human beings.
Ali was so kind to human beings that, as we shall
mention in detail later, he ordered that his murderer,
the wicked Ibn Muljim might be treated kindly.
In the recommendations made by him to his sons
Hasan and Husayn he said: "Be enemies of the oppressors
and supporters of the oppressed". He also said: "Be enemies
of the oppressor even though he may be your near relative
and support the oppressed person even though he may not
be related to you and may be a stranger". He always
endeavoured to punish the oppressors and relieve the
people of their wickedness. To achieve this purpose he
used his heart, tongue, sword and blood. He always re-
mained a helper of the oppressed and an enemy of the
oppressors. Following this path he never relaxed till the
end of his life.

One should not be surprised that Ali was just. It
would have been a matter of surprise if he had not been
just. The instances of his justice which have been narrated
are the most valuable assets in human history and man
should be proud of them.

His brother Aqeel asked him to grant him a special
pension out of the public treasury, but he refused to
accedetohis request saying: "It is not my personal property
that I may give it to anyone I like. There are also other
helpless and needy persons, who are more deserving than
you are, and I must be mindful of them". Aqeel said: "If
you do not allow me a pension out of this property I shall
go to Mu'awiya".

However, Ali did not care for what he said, and did
not revise his decision.

His brother went away and joined Mu'awiya and
used to say: "Mu'awiya is better for my world", Mu'awiya's
treatment satisfied him, because the public treasury was a
tool in his hands with which he strengthened his kingdom,
achieved his objects and wanted to revive the past politics
and importance of Bani Umayyah.
The Imam did not claim any privileges vis-a-vis his
subjects and appeared in the courts as their equal. This was
so because the spirit of justice had penetrated into the
depth of his heart.

Once Ali saw his coat of mail in the possession of
a Christian. He took him in the court of a judge named
Shurayh so that he might give a decision regarding its
ownership. When both of them appeared before the judge
Ali said: "This coat of mail is mine. I have neither sold
nor gifted it to anyone". The judge asked the other person:
"What have you to say about the claim made by the
Commander of the Faithful?" The Christian said: "This
coat of mail is mine. In spite of this, however, I do not
consider the Commander of the Faithful to be a liar".
Then the judge Shurayh turned to Ali and said: "Can you
produce any witness who should depose that this coat of
mail is yours?" Ali smiled and said: "Shurayh is right.
I cannot produce any such witness".
The judge gave a judgment in favour of the Christian
who took the coat of mail and departed. The Commander
of the Faithful kept looking at him from behind. After
having gone a few steps, however, he returned and said:
"I testify that such an order resembles the order of the
prophets, because one who is the Commander of the
Faithful has appeared along with a person like myself in
the court of the judge who is also his subordinate and the
judge has given a judgement against him". 5 Then he

added: M Commander of the Faithful! I swear by God
that this coat of mail is yours and my claim was false".
Later the people saw that Christian serving in the
army of Ali as a faithful soldier and he fought most
enthusiastically against Kharijites in the Battle of Nahrawan.
Ibn Abi Rafe' has narrated thus: "I was the adminis-
trator of the public treasury during the period of the
caliphate of Ali and was also his scribe. The property
received from Basra for the public treasury included a
pearl necklace. The daughter of Ali sent word to me
saying: "I understand that there is a pearl necklace in the
public treasury which is controlled by you. Send that
necklace to me on loan so that I may wear it on Eid
al-Azha day. Thereafter I shall return it".
I sent the necklace to her on the conditions that
she would be responsible if It was lost or damaged, and
that she would return it within three days. She accepted
these conditions.

By chance the eyes of the Commander of the Faithful
fell on the necklace and he recognized it. He asked his
daughter as to where she had obtained it from. She replied:
"I have taken it on loan from Ibn Abi Rafe' the incharge
of the public treasury to wear it on Eid al-Azha day and
have promised to return it to him within three days".
The Commander of the Faithful summoned me and
said; "Do you consider it lawful to commit breach of
trust with the Muslims?" I replied: "May God forbid that
I may commit treachery with the Muslims". Thereupon he
said: "Then why did you lend such and such necklace to
my daughter without obtaining my permission and without
the concurrence of the Muslims?"
I replied: "O Commander of the Faithful! She
is your daughter. She borrowed it to adorn herself and
(Footnote Continued)

have been made permanent and none can remove them from their
office. This has been done, so that they may take decision without
any fear or favour, and may give judgment against influential persons
and even against the members of government,
guaranteed its safe return so that I might restore it to
its proper place". Ali said: "Take it back today and do
not do so in future otherwise I shall punish you".
When Ali's daughter came to know about it she said
to him: "O father! I am your dear daughter. Who else

is more entitled to wear this necklace?"

Ali replied: "O daughter of Abu Talib! Don't deviate

from the right path. Can you tell me how many Muhajir

and Ansar women adorn themselves with such necklaces?"

Eventually I took back the necklace from the

daughter of the Commander of the Faithful and restored

it to its proper place.

Ali observed justice even in small and insignificant

matters. If it became necessary for him to divide something

with others he gave the right of selection to the other

party so that people might not think that discrimination

was being made in the matter of division between the

persons in authority and the subordinates.

One day he went to the shop of a draper named Abu

al-Nawar accompanied by his slave and purchased two

dresses. Then he asked his slave to choose one out of the

two dresses. The slave picked up one of them and Ali

retained the other. 6

All the orders and letters which he sent to the

governors and other officials rotate on the pivot of justice.

Ali's near ones as well as others joined hands in

opposing him. It was on account of the fact that he did

not give them preference from the point of view of equity

and justice, and did not grant any concession to his

relatives. He was not influenced by anyone and accepted

only the right things from others.

When Uthman son of Affan became caliph, he gave

full freedom to his relatives, friends and associates to

accumulate wealth, and he followed those who gave him

wrong advice. Marwan had the greatest influence on

him. He did not benefit from the wise recommendation

which Abu Bakr had made to Umar. Abu Bakr had said:

"Don't be in proximity to those persons who are eager to

fill their bellies and acquire position and wealth. Don't be

enamoured of the fact that they have associated with the

prophet and served him. Assess the nature of every person

and find out what sort of man he is".

Ali hated such greedy persons. Hence when he

became the caliph he decided to deal with them justly.

He, therefore dismissed some of them and checked the

greed of others for position and wealth.

There was a group of persons who wanted to give

the principles of Islam a new form and make them a means

of acquisition of position and wealth and to treat the
Islamic territories a hereditary property of their family.
Ali fought against them and said to them in loud words: "I
know what can keep you from rebellion and mischief,
but the thing which is a source of happiness for you is
the means of evil for me". The stage at which Ali's dealing
with such people reached is well-known. When the
oppressors were defeated they resorted to deceit and the
spirit of justice succeeded in the hearts of Ali and his
followers, although apparently they were the sufferers.
When Ali met martyrdom at the hands of Ibn Muljim,
a Nakh'ii woman named Ummul Haisham wrote an elegy
for him. A verse of that elegy, goes to show the opinion of
the people about his character and justice: "He established
truth and entertained no doubt about it. He behaved justly
with his kinsmen as well as strangers".
Sincerity and intrepidity are the qualities of great
men and they were possessed by Ali par excellence.
Sincerity, truthfulness, intrepidity and manliness and
all other similar qualities are inter-connected. Hence he
did not express anything which was opposed to his real
intention and determination. He did not practise deceit,
although he knew very well that by doing so he could
get rid of the mischief of the enemies.
What has been said above about the truthfulness
and character of the Imam fully proves his sincerity and
intrepidity.

One of his principles and morals consisted of simplicity
in everything. He hated formality very much and used to
say: "The worst brother is he for whom one has to involve
onself in trouble". He also used to say: "If a believer
observes formality with his brother it means that he has
separated himself from him. If he expressed an opnion or
tendered an advice or gave some present, then this act of
his was not tainted with ostentation. This habit was so
much ingrained in his nature that the selfish people could
not make him act according to their wishes, and the
flatterers should not hope to attract his attention. These
people used to say that the Imam was hard-hearted,
ill-natured and proud. - However, the Imam was neither
hard-hearted nor ill-natured nor proud. On the contrary, as
demanded by his nature, he said whatever he had to say
without any formality or deceit.

A large number of persons who gathered around
him coveted personal gains. Ali became suspicious about
them and did not conceal his misgiving. Expression of his
views about them cannot be called pride or rudeness.
Ali hated pride and was absolutely free from egotism.
He also forbade his children, companions and officials
to show pride and practise egotism. While giving them
advice he used to say: "Shun egotism. You should know
that egotism is a bad quality and a calamity for reason".
He hated formality. He also restrained the people from
going to the extreme while praising him and told them:
"I am lesser than what you say".
At times it so happened that he considered the person
concerned to be his enemy. On such occasion he did not
refrain from mentioning the mental condition of that
person of which he was aware and told him: "I am better
than what you believe about me in your heart".
Ali disliked some of his friends exalting him too
much in the same manner in which he disliked his being
belittled by his enemies. He has said: "Persons of two
types have been destroyed on account of their attitude
towards me. The friends who have exaggerated my qualities
and the spiteful enemies". He neither showed pride nor
humiliated himself unnecessarily. He presented himself as
he was. He was free from affectation and hypocrisy. It is
difficult to find a straightforward man like him. He pur-
chased a bagful of palm-dates and was carrying them
home. Some persons observed this and volunteered to
carry the bag for him. He, however, told them frankly that
the head of the family was more responsible to carry it.
It is said erroneously that artificial humility and
meekness constitute good qualities. In fact it is falsehood
and mere affectation that one should pose to be inferior
to what one actually is. Ali was not humble in that sense
and he was also not proud. He displayed himself as he
actually was without any meekness or pride, because
these two things are not the qualities of manly persons.
The writer of "Abqari'atul Imam" says: "Ali entered the
battlefield bare-headed to fight against the enemies where
as they were completely covered with steel and iron. How
can it be said that this action of his was based on hypocrisy?
Another attribute of Ali was his noble disposition. He
did not entertain grudge in his heart against anybody,

even though he might be his fell enemy. As we have
already mentioned he directed his sons and friends not
to kill his murderer (Ibn Muljim). Although Talha had
come as an enemy to kill him, he wept on his dead body
and recited a heart- felt elegy for him. Although the
Kharijites were his deadly enemies and had fought against
him, and his murderer was also one of them, and in fact
they had not given him lesser trouble as compared with
Mu'awiya and Amr bin Aas, but he advised his friends and
followers not to fight against them. He gave this direction
because he knew that those people had fallen prey to
misunderstanding and had been misguided. They were
seekers of truth but had been mistaken in the matter
of its assessment as opposed to Mu'awiya and his com-
panions who were seekers of falsehood and succeeded
in acquiring it.

Nothing can be seen in the biography of Ali which
may go to show that he was revengeful. In all circumstances
he showed truthfulness, honesty, straightforwardness and
swords-man-ship.

Magnanimous persons are not revengeful and do not
also tolerate injustice and oppression. They get annoyed
with one Who oppresses others.
Although Ali did not entertain any grudge in his
heart against anyone, he had to face a spiteful group.
His meaningful words show how grieved he was. His grief
was such as arose from sympathy and kindness. He was
greived to see that people harmed themselves.
Another quality which distinguished him from others
and was complementary to his other attributes was his
perfect faith in his actions and beliefs, and whenever
he did anything he believed in its correctness and in his
being on the right path. When he decided to fight against
Amr son of Abdawudd, the famous champion of Arabia he
was warned by the prophet and his companions about the
consequences. He however, decided to fight because besides
being brave he possessed enthusiasm to support Islam.
We repeat that when the enemies had encircled Ali
from all sides he busied himself in offering prayers without
there being any guard to protect him from the mischief
of those enemies, and consequently lbn Muljim succeeded
in wounding him with his poisoned sword. This very thing
is a great proof of the fact that he was certain of the

correctness of what he did, because a righteous person

does not fear anything.

All the words and acts of Ali go to prove that he had

perfect and firm faith in his actions. This was so because

all his actions emanated from wisdom and capability. 7

When the people were divided into two groups in

their attitude towards him (i.e. friends and enemies)

he did not become afraid of the enemies and did not lay

down arms before them, because he had perfect faith in

his own truthfulness and justice and correctness of his

actions. It was in this context that he said: "Even if

I strike on the nose of a believer so that he may become

my enemy he will not become my enemy and even if I

shower all the bounties of the earth on him so that he may

become friendly towards me he will not become my

friend". He has also said in this behalf. "I am not afraid of

fighting against these people alone even though the entire

world may join their army".

When he came to know that a group of the people

of Madina had joined Mu'awiya he wrote to Sehl son of

Hanif the governor of Madina: "I understand that a group

of the inhabitants of your city has secretly joined Mu'awiya.

However, you should not be worried on this account

that some persons will leave you and will not assist you.

I swear by God that these persons have not forsaken injustice

and oppression and have not stuck to equity and justice.

1 The Arabs did not consider it proper to address the respectable
persons with their real names. In case, therefore, they wished to
accord respect to someone they addressed him with his Kuniyah.

2 According to the Christians v worship' consists of sequestered

and monastic life. However, monasticism is not permissible in Islam.
It was for this reason that the pious Muslims neither avoided effort
in life nor kept aloof from other human beings. On the other hand
at times they heroically staked their very lives even when it was
expedient to remain silent (and they do so even in these times).

3 It is said that when Amr b. Aas came to fight against Ali in the
Battle of Siffin he was very much afraid. He could think of no other
alternative except that he should lie on the ground and uncover his
private parts so that Ali might shut his eyes, and he himself might

escape. He, therefore, did so and thus saved his life.

4 Ali assisted the caliphs because every action of his was for the
sake of the benefit of Islam and he did not let the interests of the
religion suffer in order to acquire his own right.

5 In the free countries of the modern world the court and judges
Contd...

6 Such incidents show that the leaders of the faith were very
mindful of the rights of their subordinates. Those who make a show
of supporting the helpless persons, and accuse religion of being an
impediment in the matter of weak persons getting their due rights
have not done as much for their subordinates as Imam Ali did.

7 Its reason was that Imam Ali was infallible and he said and did
everything in accordance with the inspiration and traditions of the
prophet of Islam. Hence, he did not entertain any doubt about his
views and actions.

Knowledge and sagacity of Ali

Ali was matchless so far as power of perception is
concerned. The Islamic learning rotates on the pivot of his
intellect. He was the fountain head of knowledge. There is
no branch of science in Arabia which was not founded by
him or in the foundation of which he was not the chief
figure. We shall write in detail later about his great skill in
social sciences, because this topic deserves to be discussed
separately. In this chapter I propose to deal only briefly
with his knowledge of jurisprudence, scholasticism and
Arabic litrature, as well as his judicial acumen. I shall be
brief because many others have written on this subject and
some of them have conducted deep research.I shall,
therefore, narrate briefly those facts which they have dealt
with in detail, and shall narrate those things in detail which
they have dealt with only briefly.
I begin with the Qur'an and the Hadith (tradition)
and shall write about other sciences later so that it may
become known as to how far the following words of the
prophet proved to be true about Ali.
"I am the city of knowledge and Ali is itS gate"
Ali was brought up by his cousin. He became his
disciple and adopted his habits and conduct. The prophet's
heritage became implanted in his heart and brain. He
reflected over the Qur'an with the intellect and eye of a
sage and learnt its latent realities. The circumstances
provided him ample time to reflect over the Qur'an. So
long as Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman remained busy with
the caliphate, he kept his attention directed towards
the Qur'an. He mastered its words and meanings. His
tongue could recite it eloquently and his heart was immersed
in it. His knowledge of the traditions of the prophet was
such that none else could compete with him in the matter.
And there is nothing surprising about it, because he was
always associated with the prophet and benefited from
him more than any other companion or Mujahid did.
Whatever heard by others was heard by him and whatever
was heard by him was not necessarily heard by others. It is
a well-known fact that Ali did not narrate any Hadith from
anyone except from the prophet. This was so because he

was certain that not even a word of the traditions of the
prophet was hidden from his ears and heart. He was asked:
"How is it that you are superior to all other companions in
the matter of the knowledge of Hadith?" He replied: "It
is so because the prophet told me whatever I enquired
from him, and if I did not enquire about anything he
himself made it known to me"
Ali was superior to all others in the matter of
jurisprudence and Islamic learning just as he acted upon
them in a better way than others. Those who were his
contemporaries did not find a greater jurist and a greater
judge than him. Abu Bakr and Umar always approached
him for the solution of difficult problems. These two
caliphs benefited much from his knowledge and wisdom.
Other companions of the prophet also consulted him for
the solution of their problems. None could put forth
better arguments than him with regard to legal problems.
As regards jurisprudence Ali's knowledge was not
limited to text and orders. He was more adept than his
contemporaries in other branches of learning also, as
their knowledge is necessary for a jurist (for example
mathematics).

Abu Ilanifa is called 'the grand Imam' in the capacity
of a jurist. He was a pupil of Ali, because he learnt juris-
prudence from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and the chain of his
teachers when taken upwards, ended with Ali. In the same
way Malik son of Anas was a pupil of Ali through a few
intermediaries. Malik learnt jurisprudence from Rabiya.
He learnt it from Akrama. He learnt it from Abdullah and
Abdullah learnt it from Ali.
Abdullah son of Abbas, who was the preceptor of
all others, was asked: "What is the ratio of your knowledge
to that of your cousin i.e. Ali. He replied: "The ratio is
the same as exists between a drop and the ocean".
The companions have unanimously quoted the
prophet as saying: "The best judge amongst you is Ali".
Ali excelled all other persons of his time in matters
of law, because he knew the Qur'an and religious rules and
regulations better than all others, and in Islam correct
judgements depend on these two things.
He possessed such intelligence, wisdom and power
of thinking that in the event of dispute he could give
the most rational judgement. His conscience was so strong

that he was capable of giving a conscientious and just

decision after examining and understanding various aspects

of a matter.

Umar ibn Khattab has been reported to have said:

"O Abul Hasan! May that problem be not auspicious for

the solution of which you are not available".

While giving his judgement Ali had regard for the

claimants as well as for the nation and the general public.

This double consideration and regard on his part was

inter-dependent. He was the first judge who proved the

rights of the people from philosophical point of view and

said that it is the duty of the rulers to pay due consideration

to these rights. Besides in the case of claimants it is also

necessary to observe justice in the case of all persons in the

matter of general administration. People are under obligation

to perform certain acts for the reformation of the

society in which they live.

There is mutual relationship between the human

beings, and the public laws have joined them with one

another. It is necessary to respect these laws for the

reformation of the nation and not only for achieving

personal ends.

Ali established public laws and national unity, and

treated all the individuals as one person in the matter of

rights and responsibilities. In his orders and judgements

he fully observed this principle which is being followed

strictly by the civilized people of the present times.

One night Ali heard some afflicted person crying

for help. He ran towards him at once and said: "The

rescuer has come". He saw that one man was holding

another man by his collar. When he saw Ali he left his

opponent. Then he said addressing Ali: "I sold a piece

of cloth to this man for nine dirhams and did not also

violate any condition of the bargain. He gave me base

coins and when I asked him to give me good ones instead

he abused and slapped me".

Ali asked the buyer to take back the base coins and

give the seller the good coins. Then he enquired from the

other person whether he had any witness to comfirm that

the buyer had slapped him. He produced the requisite

evidence. Thereupon Ali asked the buyer to sit down

and told the other man to take revenge. He, however,

forgave him.

When Ali saw that the claimant had forsaken his right
and forgiven the other person he did not press him to take
revenge. He, however, kept this point in view in
connection with this incident that it was necessary to
take care of the rights of the common people and it was
his duty to punish the oppressors so that the link of
justice might remain firm amongst the people, and the
rights of the nation might not be violated. He also kept
in view the fact that in every community there are many
powerful and cruel persons who usurp the property and
rights of the weak, and the latter cannot take back or
demand their rights on account of weakness or fear,
although it is only appropriate that their rights should not
be encroached upon. He, therefore, thought within himself:
"Who is there besides myself who should support them
and claim their rights so that they may lead a peaceful
social life and should rest assured that there is no distinction
between the individuals in respect of social rights, and
their rights are safe?"

In the case mentioned above, therefore, Ali let go
the person who had been beaten but caught the agressor
by the hand and slapped him nine times in the presence
of the other person saying: "This is the right of the ruler".
Ali was not contented with the outward appearance
of anything and was keen to go deep into all matters.
He pondered over the Qur'an and the religion sagaciously
in the same way in which other thinkers ponder over
worldly matters.

No doubt a person possessing celestial power like
Ali does not content himself with the apparent orders
of the religion, the carrying out of prescribed duties and
the formalities of worship. Mostly the people look at the
religion and the orders relating to transactions and
judgements in a superficial manner. However, Ali looked
at their interior and realities also. He made these things
the subject of his reflection and research, and proved
that religion is based on the principles which are linked
and related with one another. This led to the establishment
of the science of scholasticism and Islamic philosophy.
Ali was the first scholastic ('Arif) and founder of scholas-
ticism. (For details see "On Ilmul Kalam wal Man, ISP 82)
The ancient scholastics drank deep from this foun-
tainhead, because they acquired the elements and principles

of scholasticism from him. The later scholastics also

admit him to be their leader, because they also acquired

guidance from him.

Wasil son of 'Ata was the chief and the central figure

of Mu'tazila sect. This was the first sect in Islam which

introduced reason into religion and advocated that the

religious precepts should conform with the principles

of logic, and the correctness of religion should be proved

by means of reason.

Wasil son of 'Ata was the pupil of Abu Hashim son

of Muhammad son of Hanafiya and his father Muhammad

was the pupil of Ali.

The samething can be said about the Asha'ira, because

they were the pupils of the Mu'tazila, who acquired knowledge

from Wasil son of 'Ata, and he acquired it through

some intermediaries from Ali.

The source and basis of Sufism lies in Nahj-al-Balaghah.

79Before becoming aware of the Greek philosophy the Muslim

sufis had acknowledged the sayings of Ali to be the source

of their ideas, because till that time Greek philosophy and

Persian philosophy had not yet been transferred to the.

Arabic language.

The Almighty God willed that as in the case of

religious knowledge Ali should be the pillar and centre

of Arabian learning. Not even one person in his time could

compete with him in the matter of Arabic literature.

With his perfect knowledge of syntax, eloquent

tongue and great power of thinking he formulated the

rules and principles of correct Arabic language. He

confirmed it with logical reasoning and arguments. His

skill in logical reasoning can be realized from the fact

that he laid the foundation of Arabian sciences and paved

the way for others to promote them.

History shows that Ali was the founder of the science

of syntax. One day Abu'l As wad, who was one of his

companions came and saw that Ali's head was bent down

and he was reflecting about something. He said: "O

Commander of the Faithful! What are you thinking

about?" Ali replied: "In your city (i.e. Kufa) I have heard

something which was expressed by the speaker in a wrong

manner. I have, therefore, decided to write an elementary

book on the principles of the Arabic language".

He then handed over a paper ro Abu'l Aswad on

which it was written that the words are of three kinds
noun, verb and preposition.
This incident has also been narrated in another
way and it has been said that Abul Aswad complained
before Ali that the people usually spoke incorrect language,
because since the time the Arabs had mingled, after their
conquests, with the non- Arabs, incorrect phrases had
penetrated into their conversation.
The Imam reflected a little and then asked Abul
Aswad to write down what he was going to dictate. Abul
Aswad procured a pen and a sheet of paper and then
Ali said: "The Arabic language is composed of noun
verb and preposition. Noun tells about the things which
bears that name, verb tells about the motion and action of
that thing and preposition conveys a meaning which is
neither noun nor verb. "Things are of three kinds viz.
a patent thing, a latent thing and a thing which is neither
patent nor latent". (Some scholars of syntax say that by
the third kind of things Ali meant 'demonstrative pronoun').
Then he asked Abul Aswad to expand and complete
the subject according to the same 'nehv' (i.e. method
or manner). From that day onwards this branch of learning
began to be called 'Nehv' (syntax).
One of the other attributes of Ali was his sharp
intelligence and quick understanding. Often it so happened
that whether it was an assembly of friends or a gathering
of enemies he uttered extempore wise words, which
became proverbs and passed from one tongue to another.
Difficult mathematical problems which were enigmas
for others were solved by him in no time. It is said that
a woman came in the presence of Ali and complained
that her brother had died leaving behind six hundred
dinars, but out of that money she had been given only
one dinar. Ali replied: "Perhaps the heirs of your brother
consist of one widow, two daughters, mother, twelve
brothers and yourself". And the position turned out to
be the same as was mentioned by the Imam.
One day while Ali was delivering a sermon from the
pulpit, one of those present said: "A man has died and
he has left behind his widow, father, mother and two
daughters". Ali replied at once: "The one-eighth share of
the widow will be changed into one-ninth. As the Imam
gave this judgement while he was occupying the pulpit the

problem began to be called". "Obligation of the Pulpit".
Ali was the philosopher of Islam. Philosophy comes
into existence by means of wisdom and intelligence and
strong power of perception and inference. A philosopher is
he, who mentions a number of important matters in a brief
narrative and endeavours to live according to his words.
Ali occupies the highest position not only among
the philosophers of Islam, but also among the unique
personalities of the human race.
It is very difficult to find a person like Ali who may
infer theoretical and rational matters with the power of
his intellect, and state them in beautiful and brief
sentences in such a way that the time may preserve them,
and they may become proverbs. Islamic sciences and
learning absorbed the colour of humanity in their paintings
by means of celestial philosophy and their fountain-
head were the two personalities viz. Muhammad and Ali.
The Imam looked philosophically at the secrets of
creation, human life and society and numerous sayings
with regard to the Oneness of God, divine matters, and
metaphysics, are available. We have already remarked
above that he was the founder of scholasticism and
theology. He was a preceptor, whose skill and leadership
has been admitted by every person, who came after him
with his own view or remark. In Nahj al-Balaghah he has
strung so many pearls of wisdom that, time, has made
him stand in the first row of the philosophers of the world.
Muhammad in fact referred to Ali when he said: "The
scholars among my followers are like the prophets of
descendants of Israel".

Human rights and Ali

A Difficult Test

By God! I admit the truth myself before any evidence

is given against me.

Our matter is very difficult. Our words can be understood

only by the honest hearts and the far-sighted intellects. (Imam Ali).

Ali formulated such firm rules and presented such

solid views for the rights of the human beings and the

welfare of the human society, that their roots penetrate

into the depths of the earth and their branches extend

upto the heavens. All the social sciences which are prevalent

at present mostly confirm these views and principles.

Although these modern social sciences may be given many

names, and may be presented in various forms, their object

is one and one only that the human being should be

protected from oppression and there should be formed a

society, which should protect human rights in a better way

-a society in which human dignity should be respected

and the freedom of word and action should be safe to such

an extent that none should be hurt.

The conditions and circumstances of time have a

great effect on the creation of social sciences. It is these

very conditions and circumstances which present social

sciences in one shape at one time and in another shape

at another time.

When we study history and come across various events

we come to know that there has been a conflict between

two different groups of human beings and two different

views and ideas. One group has been keen to be despotic

and to usurp the rights of the common man and to

eliminate his freedom, whereas the other group has been

desirous of justice, democracy, preservation of the rights

of the people and their freedom. During the past all

useful movements were started by the oppressed and the

reformers always rose from amongst them so that they

might put an end to oppression and injustice and establish

governments on the foundation of equity and justice

which should accord with reason as well as the conditions

and circumstances of the society.

Ali enjoys a very high position in the history of

human rights. His views were linked with the thinking
of Islam. The central point of his views was that despotism
should come to an end, and class discrimination should
be eliminated from amongst the people. Whoever has
recognized Ali and heard his remarks and understood
his beliefs and views about human brotherhood knows
that he was a sword drawn on the necks of the tyrants.
His entire attention was directed towards the enforcement
of the rules of equity and justice. His thoughts and
manners and his government and polities were all dedicated
to the achievement of this purpose. Whenever any oppressor
encroached upon the rights of the people or treated the
weak in a humiliating manner or ignored their welfare and
threw his own burden on their weak shoulders, Ali gave
him a tough fight.

The mental upbringing of the Imam took place with
this thinking that equity and justice should be enforced in
such a way that equality should be established and one
class should not enjoy any supremacy over another class
and every person should receive that to which he is entitled.
His voice remained loud continuously for the enforcement
of justice, and his mace always remained active to achieve
this end. He elevated man and always remained ready to
protect him. His government was the best specimen of
administration during that period. It was a government
which was just and the protector of human rights, and one,
which achieved its end by all possible means.
The Imam realized it clearly that the society of that
time was based on fraud, deceit and harmful activities, and
its reformation was necessary. He also knew well how that
society could be reformed and how much time it would
take to do so. Although he thought of the welfare of the
people in all respects, the things to which he paid his
attention most was their reformation. Nothing could stop
him from making efforts in this behalf. What he desired
most was to establish truth and destroy falsehood and
none else could be more capable of making distinction
between truth and falsehood.

Ali assessed things correctly and engaged himself in
his task fearlessly according to his calculations. He never
entertained any doubt with regard to anything related
to public welfare. As and when any officer or governor
oppressed the subjects Ali neither sat quiet nor connived at

their actions. He never displayed slackness when he found
that some persons had formed a group against the true
government. At times his plans to achieve his ends were
opposed not only to the wishes of his enemies but to those
of his friends as well, but he did not mind this.
All this was done by him so that the right of every
person to lead a peaceful life might be ensured, and the
people should not be divided into two groups, one of
whom should be very happy and the other should be very
much grieved.

Ali had clearly understood that it will be very
dangerous to divide the people into two classes and to
prefer one of them to the other. This will retard the
intellects, create malice in the spirits, and introduce
oppression and injustice in the judgements and transactions,
and all sorts of mischiefs and corruptions will appear. The
result will be that ambition for life will die and the people
will become pessimistic and will entertain ill-will towards
one another. Consequently the society will be ruined.
So long as these two classes exist in a society a conflict
between them is inevitable and it will involve the loss
of many lives. During the last days of the caliphate of
Uthman the dignitaries of the state and especially the
members of the Umayyad family, who were the kinsmen
and relatives of the caliph had made it a practice that they
openly opposed the Islamic rules and regulations. They
humiliated the people, treated them like slaves and made
them so much afraid of the ruler that they could not pick
up courage to stand before him and mention their
grievances. They played with their lives in the same
manner in which they played with their property. They
did not refrain from shedding the blood of the people
for their personal benefit and none could dare take revenge.
They were not afraid of taking bribes or looting the
property of others.

Their continuous activities, conditions and circum-
stances showed what their intentions were. It was clear
that they were going to besmear their hands with the
blood of the people, to trample upon their rights and
to change the caliphate into kingship and the Islamic
democracy into despotism and dictatorship of an individual.
The position of the members of this party, between
the very just conduct of Ali and their personal avarice,

was that of gamblers. On the one hand Ali was determined
to enforce equity and justice with all his might, and on
the other hand these persons were keen to have the reins
of government in their own hands and to possess as much
wealth and property as possible. Between these two
conditions they acted like gamblers, hoping to seize an
opportunity to bring about a revolution and consequently
to appropriate all benefits themselves. Entertaining the
worst passions and desires in their minds.
There is no doubt about the fact that the responsibility
assumed by Ali was very difficult and onerous. Various
reasons and intricate circumstances had made Ali face
many difficulties which could not be overcome easily. The
world of that time was topsy turvy, the conditions were
revolutionary and the events were frightening and the
responsibilities of Ali were so great and burdensome that
the caliphate and the religion of Islam depended on them.
By solving these problems and overcoming these difficulties
Ali performed a task which made his qualities known to
the world. The world came to know how mindful he was
of public rights, how determined he was to promote
individual and collective virtues, and with what patience
and perseverance he achieved his objects.
Ali's difficulties were just like the difficulties
experienctd by the prophet when he made known to
Quraysh that he had been appointed to the prophetic
mission and they had turned against him. On the one
side there was truth and justice and equity and equality,
and on the other side there was treachery, profiteering
and egotism. The prophet wanted to introduce truth,
justice, equity and equality whereas the Quraysh were bent
upon practising treachery, profiteering and egotism.
Ali had also to face a similar difficulty. However,
it was viewed to be a difficulty by others. So far as Ali
was concerned even the greatest difficulty could not make
him deviate from his object. If another person possesses
the strength and perseverance which Almighty God had
given to Ali every difficulty will become easy for him
as well. What was intolerable for Ali was that he should
sit in seclusion and not enforce equity and justice - that
he should crush the spirit of freedom and not sow the
seeds of virtue.
The prophet blew a voice in the ears of Abu Suffyan,

Abu Lahab, Umm Jamil, Hind - the liver-eater, and the
Quraysh tradesmen, on account of which the foundations
of their plans were demolished, their structure was broken
and their roofs came down on the ground. However,
this very voice was a good tidings and a message of happi-
ness for the Muslims and the helpless people. He said to
Abu Talib: "Dear Uncle! Even if these people place the
sun on my right hand and the moon on my left hand so
that I may abandon the invitation to Islam I shall not do
so till Almighty God makes this religion victorious or I lay
down my life".

One day the elders of Quraysh said to Muhammad:
"If you have introduced this new religion in order to
accumulate wealth we shall place so much wealth at your
disposal that you will become the richest person amongst
us. If your object is to acquire high position, we are
prepared to acknowledge you to be our chief. And if you
want to become a king we are ready to accept you as our
king". He said in reply: "My object in inviting people to
Islam is not to acquire wealth or position, nor am I desirous
of becoming your king. I extend this invitation because
God has sent me to you in the capacity of a prophet and
has revealed the Book to me. He has ordered me to warn
you of His torture and to give you good tidings of Paradise.
I have conveyed God's message to you. If you accept it
you will be prosperous in this world as well as in the
Hereafter, and if you reject it I shall remain patient till
God gives His judgement about you and myself".
What did Ali do? What was his attitude towards the
son of Abu Sufyan and Hind, the liver-eater, and towards
the traders, who bought and sold positions and offices,
and towards the soldiery, who blindly sacrificed their
lives for the benefit of others, and towards those, who
had sold their religion and beliefs at the hands of falsehood.
Ali also blew a voice in their ears which demolished the
foundations of their designs, and made their structures
and roofs collapse. And this very voice became the good
news of happiness and message of comfort for the righteous
and pious persons. He said: "Your powerful are weak and
your weak are powerful. So long as the stars revolve in the
sky I shall not at all give a judgement opposed to justice.
By God I shall do justice so far as the oppressor and the
oppressed persons are concerned. I shall put a cavessor in

the nose of the oppressor and pull him towards truth even
if he may dislike it most. I swear by God that I admit the
truth before any evidence is given against me. I do not care
whether I myself am walking -towards death or death is
coming towards me".

One day some persons said to Ali "We are respectable
members of the community". He said to them: "An abject
person is respectable in my eyes till I recover his right and
the respectable person is weak in my eyes till I recover the
right (of the weak person) from him".
We shall now examine how far Ali put these words
of his into practice and how he dealt with the people.

Poverty and its consequences

Ali looked at the world intently. He looked at every
aspect of it without any exception. He kept the individual
as well as the collective rights of the people in mind and
did not ignore anything. He invited the people to look
at the beauty of the world and the wonders of creation
and simultaneously informed the individuals as well as
the society of their rights so that they might acquire the
greatest bliss and prosperity. He explained the rights of
the individuals and the society so that the individuals
should help one another by mutual co-operation and
endeavour for the permanence and prosperity of the society
and may benefit from it in their individual capacity.
Man is composed of three things viz. spirit, body and
sentiments. Body is the material part of man. It also
enjoys a right which must be respected.
Ali whose efforts were centred on the refinement
of the self and good morals also endeavoured to lay the
foundation of the society on equity and justice and to
enact just laws for the material and worldly life of man.
It was also the object of Ali to guide the people
to the purity of heart and the acquisition of good conduct,
and to nurture and train their conscience in such a way
that they might shun bad habits of their own accord and
adorn themselves with good qualities. However, it is not
possible to develop good habits until one has food to eat
and dress to wear and the people cannot acquire means
of livelihood until justice prevails. Hence the program
of reformation and refinement should commence with
the provision of necessities of life like food, dress etc. The
people can become interested in the refinement of self
and good morals only after these necessities have been
provided. This was the object of desire of Ali before
as well as after he attained to caliphate.
How can a labourer, who works hard throughout
the day, enjoy the sceneries of the world and ponder
over the signs of the Might of God when he does not
get his full wages and is exploited by the profiteers and
the money-lenders? How can he become inclined to virtues
and good morals when he is fed up with his very life?

How can those helpless persons understand the
meaning of refinement of self who weep when whipped
by their rulers and consider their lives useless - whose very
lives are owned by the rulers, who are expected to serve
and assist them but who actually exploit them?
There are many indigent persons who do not possess
even a penny. However, the collector of revenue confiscates
whatever property they possess so as to fill the treasures
of the pleasure loving rulers. They do not have even a
loaf of bread to eat and their lives and property are also
not safe. However, if they utter even a word against the
rulers their very lives become subjected to trouble. How
can such poor people reflect over the secrets and mysteries
of the universe and make efforts to refine their conduct?
When indigence has estranged a person from every goodness
and has destroyed his peace of mind, and he has lost
interest in everything, and tyrants have tied his hands and
feet, and it is not at all possible for him to regain freedom,
how is it possible for him to be truthful, pure-hearted and
virtuous, and to be free from envy and grudge, and not to
deviate from the path of goodness and piety?
When hunger has inflamed a fire in the heart of a
person which consumes every drop of his blood and
eliminate his faith, how can he enjoy life, and believe
in the justice of the people, sympathize with his brothers,
and live kindly with his kinsmen and relatives?
How can a person love others when his hands and feet
are tied with inferiority complex and servitude, and when
he has no interest left in life and considers it to be useless?
A person who does not have anything to eat cannot
possess the qualities of goodness and piety, because food
is the first support for every class and the means of peace
of mind. It is food which enables a person to reflect,
and makes him adopt good morals, and show good
behaviour towards others.

Freedom from indigence is the thing which extricates
man from abjectness and affliction and elevates him to the
top of prosperity. Indigence slackens human sentiments.
Poor and helpless persons consider themselves to be
strangers in their own city. They feel that their city is not
their city and their relatives are not their relatives and they
themselves are good-for-nothing.
As the indigent and needy persons do not consider

themselves to be fit for good deeds and excellent qualities,
they can get rid of this inferiority complex only when
they become safe from poverty. Only at that time can
they believe that they too can become good citizens and
can free their hearts from the feelings of envy and grudge.
There were some hypocrites who used to say that
the only means of maintaing law and order was that the
people should remain divided into two groups - those who
were satiated, and those who were hungry. According to
them it was not necessary for the satiated to submit before
the exigencies of life - the life which is loved by all - nor
was it necessary for them to desire any change in their own
condition or that of others. They wanted that status might
be maintained in the world. According to these hypocrites
the hungry were also not entitled to claim their usurped
right nor could they cry for the loaf which had been
snatched away from them and placed on the dinner table
of the capitalists.

If a hungry person claimed his rights and protested
against bread being pulled out of the mouth of his children,
he was styled to be an infidel and a mischief-monger, who
disturbed the people leading a peaceful life.
These hypocrites resorted to new devices every now
and then to protect the means of their lives of enjoyment
and pleasure and to keep the indigent persons enslaved.
They used various weapons in the remote as well as the
near past, to achieve these ends. Their main weapon was
the wrong interpretation of the religious orders. This policy
has not been peculiar to the Muslims. It has been adopted
by all hypocrites claiming to profess Buddhism, Judaism,
Christianity or Islam.

The most simple weapon, of which the hypocrites
took advantage, was their claim that the prophets have
invited the people to abstemiousness, insisted upon forsaking
worldly pleasures and affluence, preferred indigence
and poverty, and encouraged the life of contentment and
inaction instead of making any effort. 1
The hypocrites give much publicity to their above-
mentioned views and desire that the common man should
accept them as correct, so that others may remain deprived,
and they themselves may continue to be rich and may
enjoy the pleasures of life.
It is necessary that to counteract their false propaganda

we should clarify the true position. It is only by doing
so that we can find out the foundation on which the
policies of Ali and the orders given by him were based.
It is true that the world was removed from under
the feet of Muhammad and spread under the feet of
others. All the worldly pleasures and adornments were
prohibited for him. He was an extremely abstemious
person. He never ate his fill and whatever food he ate was
not very rich. He left the world in the manner as mentioned
by Abu Zar: "The prophet never ate two kinds of food
during one day. When he ate dates he did not eat bread.
Often it so happened that food was not cooked in his
house for many months consecutively".
It is also true that Ali considered only two sheets
of cloth to be sufficient for himself and also contented
himself with only two loaves of bread per day. His house
also resembled the house of the poor people. The instances
of his abstemiousness and contentment are numerous and
so well known that it is not necessary to recount them here.
It is also true that his companions like Abu Zar
contented himself with dry barley bread. He as well as the
members of his family ate such bread and were quite
happy and contented with it.

All these things are true and correct. However, there
is something else also which is also correct. All of them
were responsible for the education and guidance of the
people and held the high office of v guide' and v leader'.
Realizing the responsibility attached to their office they
considered a very small quantity of food and other
necessities to be sufficient for themselves and remained
contented. However, every person cannot be like them and
cannot endure the hardships which were endured by them,
nor can that light, which illuminated their hearts and made
them active, kindle in every heart. Furthermore, they were
so much concerned about the welfare of their followers
that they did not pay much heed to their own food, dress
and comfort. 2

Those, who have studied the lives of these leaders
of the world, must have realized in the very first instance
that they were the standard-bearers of revolution, and
their objects were associated with the revolution. What-
ever they did was for the welfare of the people and they
did it with the help of the people. In order to make the

revolution successful they adopted the methods which
were suited to their country. Some of the leaders of the
revolution were those who were killed, for example Ali
son of Abu Talib and some were those, whom the enemies
could do no harm, for example the prophet Muhammad.
It was not possible for the leaders of the revolution
to live a life of luxury and pleasure, because the nature
of the revolution did not permit them to do so. Peace
of mind is a pre-requisite for a life of pleasure and such
peace of mind was not enjoyed by these leaders.
The second thing is this that the first target of the
enemies of revolution is the leader of the revolution.
Until and unless the revolution suceeds his life remains
constantly in danger, and he remains subjected to
oppression and persecution. Now how can it be possible
for a man, whose life is constantly in danger, to enjoy
the worldly bounties and pleasures? This can be possible
for him only if his revolution succeeds or he abandons
the revolution.

However, it is also a fact that the leaders of the
revolution were free to lead the type of life they liked
and to be contented with such necessities of life as they
considered to be sufficient. None could object to their
selecting or not selecting a particular thing for themselves.
They had themselves adopted the life of abstemiousness and
contentment, but had not compelled others to adopt it.
Besides all other things, was Jesus Christ not accused
by the Romans of instigating the people to rise against
Kaiser, and stopping them from paying him the taxes, as a
consequence of which he (Christ) was tried and sentenced
to death?

Why did Christ stop the people from paying the
taxes to the Kaiser? Was it not on account of the bread
which Kaiser and his officials snatched away from the
indigent, the hungry and the orphans? Did not the Jewish
priests of Jerusalem tell the representative of Kaiser in
order to support the Kaiser's system of government accord-
ing to which the poor were exploited and the capitalists
became rich that if he did not crucify Jesus Christ he was
not a friend of the Kaiser?

It was Muhammad, the brother of Christ who rose
against the oppressive society of that time, wherein there
was a great friction between the oppressors and the

oppressed. The Qur'an addresses the people through

him in these words: "Walk on the earth and eat and drink

what has been provided to you by God"

Here the people have been directed to eat and drink

because life depends on these acts. This direction has been

given to all the people and not to a particular class. Every

person is entitled to work and earn his livelihood.

On another occasion it has been said: "Man should

have a look on his food, We sent rains from the heavens,

split the earth, sowed the seeds in it and made the vine and

sugar-cane and olive and date trees grow from it. We created

green gardens and fresh fruits".

There is a hadith of the prophet wherein he has

been reported to have said: "There are three things in

which the people have equal shares - water, vegetation

and fire".

Every person has an equal share in the water which

God sends down from above, or lets flow on the earth.

However, if a person digs a canal to procure water or

stocks water, others are not entitled to take that water

from him, because he has a prior right over it. Similarly

the vegetation, which grows naturally and none is entitled

to appropriate it to himself to the exclusion of others.

Similarly if a person kindles fire he cannot deprive another

person of it, because if some one lights his lamp with

that fire it will not diminish.

During the age of ignorance it was the custom that

the chief or the ruler appropriated to himself any piece

of land he liked for grazing his camels and other animals.

The animals belonging to other persons were not permitted

to enter or graze in that area. His own animals could,

however, graze in the common land utilized by all other

people. This was one of the oppressive methods which

were adopted during that age. The prophet abolished

this tyrannical custom along with many others.

The prophet paid full wages to the labourers and also

directed others to follow his example so that there might

not remain any needy and poor person in the society. As

and when revenue money was received by him from some

place he distributed the share of his companions amongst

them in the first instance and gave his daughter Fatima her

share afterwards. His intention in doing so was that the

needs of the common people should be met first.

We do not wish to dilate upon here on the subject of
the attitude of Muhammad in the matter of wealth and
indigence. We have already mentioned in detail in a previous
chapter how Islam has encouraged the people to do useful
work so that no needy person may remain in the society
so much so that in Islam a useful work is more commend-
able than recommended prayers and fasting.
Prophet Muhammad who did not like poverty and
dependence on others has been reported to have said: "It
is likely that indigence may change into blasphemy".
In a subsequent chapter we shall explain how the
far-sighted prophet of Islam understood innumerable
secrets and mysteries related to the society and how he
encouraged the people to make their lives happy.
Abu Zar Ghaffari was an abstemious and contented
person who did not care much for worldly comforts.
Although he chose to lead an insipid life, he put up a
severe and serious fight against indigence, and laid down
his life while campaigning in support of the rights of the
people. The following sentence uttered by him is very
attractive: "When indigence proceeds to a city blasphemy
requests for its company".

The Umayyads and the latter rulers made their best
endeavours for the continuance of their power and
authority. To achieve this purpose they instigated their
associates and employees to narrate forged traditions
attributing them to the prophet so that they might be
helpful for exploiting the people and keeping them
enslaved. 3 Their proteges, therefore coined and narrated
many new traditions wherein the people were advised to
remain patient, bear the oppression by the rulers and
carry out their orders indisputably.
The second question is that if these remarks of the
prophet are genuine from the historical point of view why
did the companions acted against them at the time of his
death when there was a dispute about the caliphate,
succession and inheritance?

Furthermore, why were these traditions not put forth
and the people advised to remain patient when there
was a dispute about those, who declined to pay zakat,
being declared apostates or not, and also when the caliph
Uthman was attacked and the people wanted to kill him?
Ayesha was the favourite wife of the prophet and

remembered many traditions by heart. Talha and Zubayr

were also the close companions of the prophet and had

been given the good tidings that they would go to Paradise.

Why did these persons not recollect these traditions and

why did they revolt against Ali?

Furthermore the traditions are directly opposed to

many Quranic verses and authentic traditions and they

have no relationship with the nature of the prophet and

Islamic philosophy. For example: It has been said in Surah

al-Baqarah: "Fight in the path of God and remember that

He is the Hearer, the Knower".

In Surah al-Ma'ida the Qur'an says: "The punishment

for those who fight against the prophet of God and create

mischief in the world is that they should be killed or

hanged or their hands and feet should be cut off".

In Surah al-Mujadilah it is said: "You will not see

those who believe in God and the Day of Judgment be

friending the enemies of God and His prophet even though

they may be their fathers, sons, brothers or kinsmen".

In Surah al-Mumtahinah it has been said: "O You

who believe! Do not befriend those who have become

subjected to the wrath of God"

These are some Qur'anic verses which are clearly

opposed to the aforesaid forged traditions. Now we quote

below some traditions which are opposed to them.

Imam Muslim quotes from Abdullah son of Mas'ud

on different authorities that the prophet said: "Amongst

the followers of the prophets, who were appointed to the

prophetic missions, they were their apostles and companions,

who followed the traditions and orders of the

prophet concerned. These apostles and companions were

succeeded by persons, who said one thing and did another

thing, and performed acts which were not allowed.

Whoever fights against such persons with his hands, tongue

or heart is a believer". (Sahih Muslim, Vol.1)

Ahu Sa'id Khadri has been quoted to have said that

he keard the prophet saying: "Whoever sees such persons

committing indecent acts should stop them with his hands.

If he cannot stop them with his hands he should stop them

with his tongue. And if he cannot do even that he should

condemn them in his heart. And this is the lowest stage

of faith". (Futuhat al-Zahabiya)

In short whoever has studied the lives of the prophets

carefully knows that they disliked indigence and warned
of Hell-fire those hypocrites, who invited the people
towards poverty. If it had not been so the capitalists would
not have been enemies of these prophets and the weak and
helpless persons would not have gathered around them.
The sayings of the ancient sages of Arabia go to show
that they knew well that the actions of a person in his
individual capacity have a close relationship with the
system of the society. They were well aware that the
availability of the means of livelihood has a great effect
on the purity of the disposition, morality and habits of
man. The contentment which is commendable does not
mean that man should do nothing and should be concerned
only with self-indulgence, which brings about indigence,
destroys good habits and eliminates faith.
It is also not right to say that man's entire attention
should be directed towards the training of his soul and
the body should be neglected, because obedience to law
is not possible when one's belly is empty. It is only great
men who remain patient like Abu Zar, even if they are
indigent, and every person does not possess the patience
and perseverance which was peculiar to Abu Zar. According
to Sa'adi of Shiraz the prophet's remark: "Indigence is a
matter of pride for man" refers to those people who were
champions of the field of obedience to God and Divine
pleasure and not to the poverty of those who wear the
dress of righteous men and take food regularly at the
expense of others. And the sentence: v Contentment is an
unlimited treasure' has not been uttered for the idle
persons who do nothing. It has in fact been uttered with
reference to those covetous wealthy persons and unjust
rulers who are not contented with anything and are not
satisfied even if all the bounties of the world are placed at
their disposal.

The entire life of Ali was spent in improving the
condition of the people and relieving them of need and
indigence. As we shall explain later this was the very
basis of his government. Ali himself was the greatest
abstemious person, who was free from all worldly taints.
However, he did not at all like that others too should
remain contented with poverty. If it had not been so
he would not have started a campaign against the rich
and powerful persons, and against those, who usurped

the property acquired by them unlawfully, and distributed
it amongst the poor and the needy.
Tha v labi narrates an incident in these words: "One
day during my childhood I went to the ground of Rahba in
Kufa. There I saw Ali standing on two heaps of gold and
silver. Later he began distributing that wealth and distri-
buted all of it. Then he returned home in such a condition
that he did not take anything with himself. The same Ali
who did not take anything out of the said wealth says
addressing the people: "Remain busy for your worldly
profit in the same way as if you had to stay in this world
permanently".

Nothing was more important in the eyes of Ali than
eliminating the indigence of the people. In this connection
he has made an explicit statement which cannot be
explained away in any other manner. He says: "If you
continue to walk on the highway of truth the paths will
welcome you and none of you will get involved in
indigence".

Besides attacking the ways and manners followed
by the Arabs during the age of ignorance he also criticized
their derwish-like contentment. He says: "O Arabs!
You lived in hard stones, drank turbid water and ate rotten
food like the indigent persons".
Ali's words show that it was not that he disliked
delicious food, fine clothes and a magnificent house,
what he did not like was that he himself should lead a
comfortable life whereas others might not be possessing
those facilities. His explicit remarks show that it was his
earnest desires that every person should have sufficient
means of livelihood at his disposal. Ali was the leader
of the people and it is the duty of a leader to lead as
hard a life as his followers do, till indigence in the society
is eliminated. When there is no indigent person left in
the society the indigence of the leader too will necessarily
come to an end. His way of living will be similar to that
of the other people, because failing that leadership and
chiefdom will become meaningless, Ali says: "Should
I content myself with this that people call me the Com-
mander of the Faithful and that I should not participate
with them in the matter of the abominable things of the
time?" By the "abominable things' he meant the hardship
of poverty.

Ali did not allow his daughter to adorn herself with
pearl as the daughters of many others were not in a
position to adorn themselves in this manner. As has been
mentioned in the foregoing pages he ordered her emphati
cally to return the pearl necklace to the treasury saying:
M daughter of the son of Abu Talib! Do not deviate from
the right path. Do all the women of the Muhajirs and
the Ansar adorn themselves on Eid day in this manner?"
He said "all the women" and not "the women of the
nobility".

When Ali attained to the caliphate the first thing
which he did was this that he endeavoured to do away
with the poverty of the people. And this was what Ali
ought to have done, because he knew fully well that
though man has to suffer many hardships, indigence is the
greatest calamity for him. It was he who uttered these
words: "God has not involved man in any hardship which
may be greater than indigence". This sentence shows
firstly that he considered the removal of the indigence
of the people to be absolutely necessary and secondly
that he had made a perfectly correct assessment of the
condition and circumstances of the people and the
outcome thereof.

Some persons have praised indigence much and have
invited the people towards it. However, their thinking
is not correct. Ali campaigned against indigence in the
same manner in which the prophet and Abu Zar Ghiffari,
the great revolutionary and foremost among Ali's suppor-
ters, and the victim of the tyrant Ummayyads, campaigned
against it.

The prophet as well as Ali and Abu Zar knew that
indigence destroys every quality so much so that it becomes
the cause of blasphemy on the part of the pious believers.
It was for this reason that Ali fought against it on every
occasion and humiliated those who invited the people
towards it. According to the belief of Ali indigence makes
a wise person deaf and dumb. It is on account of indigence
that the inhabitants of the same city become strangers and
even enemies of one another. There is no doubt about the
fact that death is a great calamity but inidgence is worse
than death. Ali says: "Indigence is the greatest death".
This is the sentence which Ali uttered against
indigence and against those who preached indigence

which pulls down the edifice of their falsehood and
deceit: "If indigence comes before me in the form of a
human being I shall kill it".

In the eyes of Ali the human society is like a body
which is not composed of antithetical elements nor its
system based on discrimination in the matter of rights
and liabilities, so that some persons may do whatever
they like without there being anyone to restrain them,
and others should be helpless without there being anyone
to assist them.

In the society which was liked by Ali it was not per
missible that one group should grow fat and the other
should be reduced to a skeleton or that one group should
work and the other group should reap the benefits.
Although Ali was a great spiritual person whose
attention was always directed towards God there did not
pass even a day when he might have been unmindful of
the affairs of the people, or might have ignored even their
most trivial matters, because he considered man to be the
best specimen of the most excellent creation. He looked
at the world and its inhabitants exactly in the same manner
in which the prophet looked at them.
The Qur'an says: "We have made the night to serve as
a dress and the day for earning livelihood".
He made this divine revelation the basis for centralizing
his attention on the human society. He revived the
social laws and remained busy in correcting and improving
them so that a lucky and prosperous society might come
into being. He utilized his sermons and recommendations
on their proper occasions and informed the people of their
duties and responsibilities.

Ali was most anxious to enforce equity and justice.
His main object was that justice should be established.
After he attained to the caliphate some persons came to
congratulate him and found him busy in mending his
shoes. He said to them: "If I cannot establish truth and
annihilate falsehood these shoes of mine would be more
dear to me than the rulership".
He always desired those pious persons, who were
anxious for the Hereafter, to serve the public to gain the
bounties of the next world. He said: "Only that person,
who works for the welfare of the people, will be prosperous
in the Hereafter. And the best things which can be done in

connection with public welfare are these: to feed the

hungry; to provide water to the thirsty; to provide dress to

those who do not have it; to inform the people of their

rights and duties; and to protect the rights of others".

One day the Commander of the Faithful paid a visit

to one of his companions named 'Ala son of Ziad Harasi.

When he saw how spacious his house was he said to him:

"Of what use to you is the speciousness of this house

in this world, when you stand more in need of a spacious

house in the Hereafter where you have to live eternally.

Of course, if you also desire a spacious house in the

Hereafter you should entertain guests in this house, behave

well with your kinsmen and pay the rights of others on

appropriate occasions. If you do so you will be successful

in the next world".

While explaining the importance of fasting and

prayers he said to Kumail son of Ziad: "O Kumail! It is

not important that you should offer prayers, observe fast

and pay Zakat. What is important is that you should offer

prayers with a pure heart and in accordance with the desire

of God".

Even before the Hereafter he was so anxious about

the life of the people in this world that inspite of his

being the caliph he went to the Bazars of Kufa as a matter

of daily routine, stopped at every shop and said: "O merchants!

Fear God. Seek proximity to the customers. Adorn

yourselves with the forbearance. Don't swear. Don't tell

lies. Avoid injustice. Be just to the oppressed and weigh

and measure properly. Don't give the people lesser than

their due. Don't spread corruption in the world".

Nauf Bukali has been reported to have said: "I went

and saw the Commander of the Faithful in the Masjid of

Kufa. I saluted him and he replied to the salutation. I said:

"O Commander of the Faithful! Give me a piece of advice".

He said: "Be good to the people and God will do good to

you". I requested him to say something more. He said:

"Nauf! If you wish to be with me on the Day ofjudgement

you must not help the oppressors.

In short the central point of the policy of Ali was

service of mankind, meeting their needs and eliminatation

of injustice. Once the prophet looked at him and

said: "O Ali! God has adorned you with an adornment

which is the best adornment in His eyes. He has endowed

you with love for the weak. May it be pleasing to you
that they should be your followers and happy and satisfied
on account of your being their Imam".

1 As much has been said about the excellence of the renouncement
of the world and piety it is possible that some persons may
think that the acquisition of worldly things is totally prohibited in
Islam. It is, therefore, necessary to clarify that there are different
stages of piety and the duties and responsibilities of the prophets,
saints and the other chosen servants of God are also different from
the common people. So far as the common people are concerned the
definition and the limits of piety recommended to them have also
been specified clearly. Imam Ali said: "The essence of piety has been
mentioned in the Qur'an in two sentences. Almighty God has said:
"You may not grieve for what you have missed, nor rejoice in what
God has given you". By following this verse one attains perfect piety".
God says: "O you who believe! Do not make unlawful for
yourselves the things which God has made lawful for you, and do
not transgress the limits. God does not like those who transgress".
God also says: "(O Prophet!) Ask them as to who has made
unlawful the ornamental things and the pure edibles which God has
created for his slaves ?"

The verses quoted above go to show that just as it is not
permissible to treat lawful the things which God has declared
unlawful, it is not permissible to treat unlawful - the pure things
and means of adornment declared lawful by God, and it is also not
allowed to make a vow not to use lawful things. Such a vow is not
enforceable in religious law.

Imam Ali says: "Piety in the world means diminishing one's
desire, thanking God for His blessings and abstaining from things
made unlawful by God". (Jame v al-Sa v adat)
Ali says: "Piety in the world does not mean that property
should be destroyed or lawful things should be treated to be
unlawful. On the contrary it means that you should not depend
more on the worldly things which you possess as compared with that
which is with God", (jame' al-Sa'adat)
Ali also says: "If one acquires possession of everything on
earth and his object by doing so is to acquire the pleasure of God
he is a pious person, and if he forsakes the entire world but his
object in doing so is not divine pleasure, he is not pious".
Some one asked Imam Ali: "What is piety?" He replied: "To
avoid unlawful things of the world". In short the goodness or

badness of worldly things depends on one's intention. If the inten-
tion is good and the worldly things are acquired to serve as means of
happiness in the Hereafter, one's action is praiseworthy, otherwise it
deserves to be condemned.

2 In order to keep the morals and mentality of the indigent
persons high the representatives of the Islamic government have been
directed to lead simple lives. They should keep themselves at the
level of the indigent and associate freely with them as was the
method of the prophet.

It has been reported in connection with the ways and manners
of the prophet that he said: "I shall not abandon five things till my
death viz. taking meals along with the slaves, sitting on earth,
milking the sheep with my own hands, wearing woolen clothes,
and saluting the children, so that it should become a general
tradition after me".

Imam Ali has said: "God has made me the Imam of the people
and has made it obligatory for me to reduce my personal comfort
and food to such an extent that my standard of living should
become equal to that of the indigent, so that the indigent may
follow the example of my way of life, and the rich may not become
rebellious on account of their wealth".

3 Sometimes Bani Umayyah themselves coined such traditions

and at other times this task was performed for them by their associate

or paid ulema. We give below some examples of such forged traditions

and baseless anecdotes: Imam Bukhari has quoted from

Abdullah ibn Umar as below from different authorities:

The prophet said: "After me you will soon be faced with

distinction without a difference and undesirable acts". The companions

enquired: "O prophet of God! What are your orders for us (in

such circumstances)". The prophet replied: "Pay those rulers their

rights and seek your own rights from God" (Sahih Bukhari vol.8).

He has also quoted lbn Abbas as having said: The prophet

said: "If a person observes something from his king which he abhors,

he should observe patience, because whoever separates from the

nation even to the extent of a span will die the death of ignorance".

(Sahih Bukhari vol.8)

Bukhari has reported on different authorities from Alqama

bin Wail Hazrami as having said: "Muslim bin Zaid Jo'fi asked the

prophet: "O prophet of God! What are your orders in the event

of some persons becoming our rulers, who demand their rights from

us but do not pay our rights? The prophet turned away his face from

him. Muslima repeated his question. The prophet turned away his
face from him once again. Muslima asked the same question for the
third time. Thereupon Ash'ath bin Qais pulled him and the prophet
replied: "You must bear what they say. Their responsibilities rest
with them and your responsibilities rest with you". (Sahih Bukhari
vol.2, page 119)

Bukhari has quoted Ajrafa as having said that he heard the
prophet saying: "Very soon untoward things will happen. If any
person wants to create a split in the nation strike him with a sword,
whatever the case maybe". (Sahih Bukhari Vol.2, p.211)
Bukhari has also reported Abu Sa'id Khudari as saying that the
prophet said: "When oath of allegiance for two caliphs has taken
place kill the one for whom the oath has been taken later". (Sahih
Bukhari, vol.2, p. 122)

There are numerous traditions on the subject and the purport
of all of them is this that the Muslims must remain obedient to the
government of the time and should not complain against the king
however tyrannical he may be, because by doing so that will create
split and differences among the Muslims.
The gist of all these traditions is given in the following Hadith:
"Disturbances will appear soon. During these disturbances one who
is sitting will be in a better position than the one who is standing,
and the one who is standing will be in a better position than the one
who is walking, and one who is walking will be in a better position
than the one who is running. And if at that time a person finds a
place of refuge he should go into it". (Musnad Imam Ahmad,
vol.2, page 282)

The above quoted traditions show that fearing split amongst
his followers the prophet insisted upon their remaining faithful to
their rulers even though they might be guilty of unlawful acts. This
would mean that the prophet was anxious that the unity of the
Muslims should be maintained at all cost even though the religion
brought by him was destroyed. In that case the first question which
arises is this that if the prophet was so anxious for the unity of the
Muslims that he preferred it even to the religion of Islam why did he
create a split among the polytheist Arabs by inviting them to Islam?
The Arabs were united on the point of polytheism and idol-worship,
but he created a rift among them by introducing a new religion.
He broke their idols and trampled upon their beliefs although
these were the things which they loved most.

Conditions prior to Ali

Before we explain what ideas and beliefs Ali held
about human brotherhood and how he respected human
rights it appears necessary to mention what the prophet
did for the welfare of humanity, what rules and regulations
he enacted, and how far he respected human rights. It is
necessary to do so, because Ali's only responsibility was
to enforce the rules promulgated by the Prophet and to
accomplish what he had wished. What Ali did was a complement
of the acts of the prophet and every step taken by
him was linked with the steps taken by the prophet.
The prophet of Islam paid full attention to the
material and social conditions of the society. Islam enacted
rules and regulations for the human society in the same
manner in which it enacted them for the individuals.
Islam attaches so much importance to the human brother-
hood and society that it treats every national service to be
an act of worship - rather, national service enjoys
precedence over the performance of religious rites. The
prophet of Islam has said: "Resolving differences and
disputes is better than recommended prayers and fasting".
The following incident shows clearly how much the
prophet was concerned about the welfare of the nation
and the society:

Ibn Abdullah says: We (i..e the companions) were
accompanying the prophet in a journey. Some of us were
fasting whereas others were not. It was summer season. We
halted at a place. No shade was available to us except the
sheets of cloth which we were carrying. There were many
amongst us who were protecting their faces from sunshine
with their hands. Those of us who were not fasting stood
up and pitched the tents and provided water to the animals.
Thereupon the prophet of Islam said: "Today those
persons who are not fasting have appropriated the entire
spiritual reward to themselves".
This incident shows that fasting which is an important
mandatory article of worship ceases to be valid during
journey so that one may not show laxity in economic
matters for that reason and may not become incapable of
serving the creatures of God.

The prophet has also said: "When anyone of you sees

an indecent thing being done he should stop it with his

hands and if he cannot do so he should stop it with his

tongue. And if he cannot stop it with his tongue he should

condemn it in his heart. And this (i.e. the third alternative)

is the weakest stage of faith".

'Ordering to do good and restraining from evil'

is such an explicit order in Islam that by its means every

sort of good can be done to others, and all types of evil

can be eliminated. There are many traditions quoted

from the prophet which go to show that whoever renders

any service to the nation is superior to a devout person.

This is about common persons who render service to

the nation. In case, however, one, who renders such

service, is also a scholar, he will no doubt be superior to

millions of devout persons in the eyes of the prophet

just as the moon is superior to millions of stars.

The prophet of Islam has said: "A scholar is decidely

superior to a devout person in the same manner in which

the moon is superior to the stars".

The prophet has praised wisdom because it is wisdom

which endeavours to find out ways and means for the

welfare of the people. One can do good to the people only

by means of wisdom. The prophet says: "An hour's

reflection is better than a year's worship". (In some

traditions it has been said that it is better than seventy

years' worship).

Islam has paid full attention to the welfare of human

society and its unity and order, as well as to its means

of livelihood, and has drawn the attention of the people

to the bounties of the earth and the blessings of work.

"Almighty God has created all the gifts of the earth for

you. The earth has been created for the creatures. It is God

who has subjected the earth to you. Walk on its paths and

eat the provisions made available to you by God".

Islam has made it obligatory for man to thank others.

One can be thankful to God only when one thanks others,

because one who does not recognise the creatures cannot

recognise God.

v One who has not thanked the people has not

thanked God'.

The prophet has praised useful activities very much.

He has not contented himself with praising such activities

but has also treated worth kissing those hands which are
swollan due to excessive work. He says: "This is the hand
which is liked by God and His prophet".
The following narration goes to show how great the
prophet considered the useful tasks and the measures
of public welfare:

The companions of the prophet saw a well-built man
and wished that he might have spent his strength by way
of jihad in the path of God. Thereupon the prophet said:
"If this person has come out to serve his weak and aged
parents it is a task in the path of God. If he has come out
to earn for his children this is also a task in the path of
God. If he has come out to earn for his wife so as to
protect her from illegal things this too is a task in the path
of God. And if he has come out to earn something for
himself so that he may not have to beg is also a task in the
path of God.

The books of Hadith contain many traditions of the
prophet which show that he appreciated work very much
and had great regards for those who worked hard. He says:
"God likes a believer who works and earns. No food is
better than that earned with one's own efforts".
Hence, when work is such a valuable thing and is even
regarded to be holy it is necessary for us to work with
perseverance. When a person works hard he will benefit
himself as well as others. His presence in the society will
be considered to be auspicious and God will also like him.
The prophet says: "God likes that when someone of you
does a work he should do it properly".
We have said above that Islam has subjected the earth
to man. He walks on it and utilises its bounties. The
question however, arises as to what attitude Islam adopted
in the matter of distribution of these bounties?
Are all the bounties mean for a particular class to the
exclusion of others? Is only one group of people entitled
to benefit from them, and are others to remain deprived?
Or should they be distributed on the basis of efforts and
need? Are these bounties to be collected and stored by the
kings, the aristocrats, the rich and the usurpers, or should
they be divided justly among all persons?
Islam has looked at humanity with the eye of justice
and logic and has enacted rational laws for it. It has
neither deprived anyone of his share nor given him more

than his due. Every effort carries a reward and it is
necessary for the society to honour this reward. A good
society does not allow that a hard worker should starve,
and an idle person should benefit from the proceeds of the
the former's work. Nor does a good society mean that
a worker should not get the reward for his work and an
idle and good-for-nothing person should usurp all the
bounties, as happened in the societies of the earlier time
and as Bani Umayyah endeavoured to do after the advent
of Islam viz. that they should enslave all others and utilize
their property and play with their lives as they liked. We
find that Islam has prohibited extravagance and improper
adornment, especially in a society in which the majority
of the people are indigent. Its reason is that if there is
extravagance and improper adornment on one side there
will be poverty and hunger on the other side and also
because none is entitled to usurp the proceeds of the
efforts of others; and life of pleasure in a poor society
is possible only when some persons feed themselves on the
proceeds of the efforts of others. The prophet has treated
the houses of the spendthrift persons to be the abodes of
Satan. He says: "The houses of the devils are cages which
have been covered by the people with silk and brocade".
The Qur'an says: "There were many cities whose
residents were drowned in pleasure. We annihilated them
and their houses were ruined. None was left to reside there
except a few".

At another place the Qur'an warns the people in a
very eloquent manner and says: "When We wish to destroy
a city We order its pleasur-loving citizens to become
libertines (i.e. We provide them the means of the life of
luxury and pleasure) so that they may become deserving of
annihilation and then We destroy that city".
Islam has prohibited living a life of pleasure and
extravagance while one lives amongst the indigent, as it
disheartens them, and has obstructed all paths leading
towards it. Tyranny and oppression by the governors and
the officials was one such path. The prophet prohibited
and declared unlawful hoarding, taking work from the
labourers without paying wages, becoming owner of land
without doing anything to develop it, usurping the property
of others, and other similar acts of oppression. He said
about hoarding: "One who hoards is a sinner".

The prophet of Islam warned of terrible torture to
those who usurp land and said: "Almighty God will put a
chain of the seven layers of land round the neck of a
person who usurps the lands of others".
He also said: "One who usurps the property of others
will meet God on the Day of Judgement in such circum-
stances that He will be annoyed with him".
Islam has prohibited all kinds of usury. The Qur'an
says about usury: "O believers! Do not go on consuming
compound interest".

At another place it says: "Allah has allowed business
and disallowed usury. Usurers have been warned of severe
torture, because it is a sort of forced labour and amounts
to enslaving others". 1

Justice means that one should get wages equal to
one's work. If the people do not usurp the property of
others and do not hoard the commodities to earn large
profit wealth cannot become centred in a few hands.
If man and his hard work had been given their due
importance in the society, servitude and slavery would
not have become current. As opposed to corrupt societies
in which man's worth was assessed keeping in view his
wealth Islam has a much higher criterion for assessing the
worth of man.

The worst sin which can be committed in a society
is this that the government and the profiteers should unite
to exploit the weak and helpless people. The Qur'an says:
"Do not eat one another's property unlawfully nor give
bribes to the rulers so that you may misappropriate
whatever you can out of the property of others, although
you know".

The prophet has said: "No food is better than that
earned with one's own hands".
In Surah al-Zilzal of the Qur'an it has been said:
"Whoever does something evil equal to an atom will see
its result".

It has been said: "Every person is pledged to his
actions".

Although Islam has acknowledged wealth as personal
property, the Islamic laws have been formulated in such
a way that wealth may not be concentrated in a few hands
and they may not enjoy all its benefits and humiliate
others and subject them to forced labour. The Holy Qur'an

says: "So that wealth may not become a plaything in
the hands of your rich".

Thus according to the Qur'an and Hadith the wealth
belongs, in the first instance, to the community, and the
members of the community can utilize it according to
their needs and efforts. It is for this reason that usurpation
of other people's property has been disallowed in Islam
and hoarding of surplus property has also been prohibited.
This was the basis of the prophet's fiscal policy and he set
examples in this behalf by his words and actions, which
must be followed. 2

Rafa'a bin Zaid was one of the dear companions of
the prophet. In one of the battles he was killed with an
arrow. People came to the prophet to condole Rafa'a's
death and said: "O prophet of God! Rafa'a was lucky. He
died a martyr's death. By these words they wanted to
console the prophet, but he was not consoled and said:
"Certainly not. The turban which he took out of the
booty of Khaybar is still a flame like fire".
Notwithstanding the fact that Rafa'a had been killed
while performing jihad the prophet treated him to be a
sinner because he had taken something very insignificant out
of public property, of his own accord, although he ought
to have waited till the property was divided.
The attitude adopted by Islam towards the usurpers
and the profiteers can be judged from the fact that it has
attached great importance to human life. Only a living
person is the spirit of this universe and God has created all
things for him. In the circumstances how can he be deprived
of life and means of livelihood and how can it be possible
to permit some persons to deprive others of the means of
livelihood because of their being stronger than them?
In the eyes of the prophet of Islam wealth is meant
to ensure comfortable life for all human beings. Just as
human beings have equal rights to utilize sunlight and air
in the same way they have equal rights over the means of
life which are the products of sunlight and air and none is
entitled to deprive others of these benefits.
The prophet has said: "All persons have equal rights
over three things viz. water, vegetation and fire". To
whichever community a person may belong matters little;
for he is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Every
member of human brotherhood is under obligation to help

others, and all of them must make collective efforts for the
reformation and improvement of their affairs.
It is the duty of human brotherhood to recognize the
rights of the individuals and give them full freedom to earn
their livelihood so that they may work according to their
capabilities and enjoy the proceeds of their labour. It is
also necessary for the members of the society to help
others and not to make their own freedom an obstacle in
their path. It is neither permissible for the human brother-
hood to oppress the individuals nor is it permissible for
the individuals to harm the brotherhood. It is necessary
for the individuals to keep in mind the welfare of others in
the same manner in which they take care of their own
welfare. The prophet has said: "Every one of you is a
guardian and every one of you will be answerable for his
wards. None is entitled to harm others". The prophet
has explained this point with a very fine example as
narrated below:

Some persons boarded a boat and every one of them
occupied his seat. In the meantime one of them rose from
his seat, picked up an axe and began making a hole at the
place which was occupied by him. On others having asked
him what he was going to do he replied that it was his seat
and he was at liberty to do there whatever he liked.
Thereupon others held him by the hands and thus saved
him as well as themselves from drowning. If that man had
been left to himself he as well as others would have
been drowned.

It is obligatory for every person to prevent evil in
whichever form it may be committed, and to make efforts
to ensure the welfare of the society. The prophet has said:
"Whoever sees something evil being done must stop it".
The prophet of Islam explained to his followers
every now and then that good morals take birth from
practical training and not only from verbal recommenda-
tions and advice. People should be shown kindness practi-
cally and not only verbally. The prophet did not remain
aloof from the people; he mixed with them freely, heard
patiently what they said, and served them as all great
persons do.

Abu Hurayra says: "Once I accompanied the prophet
to the bazar. He purchased some things from a shop-keeper
and advised him to take only reasonable profit on the

sale of his merchandise, not to hoard things, not to earn

anything by unlawful means, and not to think that he was

entitled to comfortable life whereas others were not".

Abu Hurayra wanted to carry the things purchased

by the prophet, but he stopped him from doing so, and

said with a smile: "Leave the things. Their owner has a

prior right to carry them".

The prophet always mistrusted the kings and did

not give them any position in the society because they are

corrupt and also corrupt others. The Almighty God says:

"When the kings enter a city they destory it and humiliate

its respectable persons".

One of the events which shows that the prophet

did not like glorification is this that on the day on which

his son Ibrahim died a solar eclipse took place. Thereupon

the people said that sky was also mourning the death of

the prophet's son. When the prophet heard this sentence

he addressed the people with these words: "The sun and

the moon are the signs of God. They are not eclipsed

because of the death of any person".

The prophet's teachings consisted of this that one

should spend one's life in as simple a manner as possible,

and there should be no intricacy or formality in it. This

way of leading life is the basis of Islam. If Islamic problems

are studied carefully it appears that all the problems have

emerged from one source which is very deep and covers all

problems. That source is simplicity untainted with fraud,

or deceit or in other words v sincerity with life'.

Once the prophet hit a bedouin unintentionally with

a stick. He then insisted that the bedouin should also hit

him in the same manner. He mounted the pulpit and said:

"Whomsoever I may have hit on his back should take

revenge from me and if I have taken the property of

anyone he should compensate himself out of my property".

The prophet had never hurt anyone. However, what

he said was sincerity towards life which he manifested

in the best manner.

Just as his life was free from hypocrisy and weakness

it was also untainted with pride. He mended his own shoes,

and clothes, milked his goats, helped the members of his

family in household matters, carried bricks along with

his companions and tied stones on his belly on account

of hunger.

This was sincerity towards life which is confirmed by
all the narrations quoted above with regard to the prophet.
As regards the rulers they have to shoulder so many
responsibilities that they have to become the servants of
the society and not oppressive and rebellious chiefs or
thieves or dacoits.

The biography of the prophet shows that once the
residents of some place complained that the governor
posted there, had taken presents and gifts from the people.
He investigated the matter, and it transpired that the
complaint was true. He was very much annoyed upon this,
summoned the governor and asked him: "Why did you
take things to which you were not entitled?" The governor
replied: "O Prophet of God! Those were presents".
The prophet said: "Supposing that you had stayed on
at home would the people have come to give you presents?"
He then ordered the governor to deposit the property
in question into the public treasury and also removed him
from the office.

Thus the prophet directed the people not to give
bribes and also told the officer notindulge in such nefarious
activities. As he had been appointed the ruler of the people
he should have been like a father to them and not like
a robber.

When the prophet was so much annoyed at the
governor accepting presents it can very well be imagined
how much he must have been annoyed when wealth was
looted and the rights of the people were encroached upon.
In Islam a ruler is appointed by the selection, and
under the authority of the people 3 and he rules the people
From the Shi'a point of view, since the major occultation of
Mahdi, the Imam of the Age in 329 A.H. no particular person has
been appointed to be the head and leader of the Muslim ummah.
That is why in the traditions related to leadership during this period
only the general qualities and characteristics required to be possessed
by a leader have been mentioned. This shows that it is upto the
people themselves to choose a person as their leader, having follow-
ing qualities and characteristics: -

* Faith in God, His revelations and the teachings of His prophet.

* Integrity, adherence to the laws of Islam, and earnestness
about their enforcement.

* Adequate knowledge of Islam, appropriate to his prominent
position.

* Enough competence for holding such a position and freedom
from every defect not in keeping with Islamic leadership.
His standard of living being equal to that of the low-income
people.

In this connection there is enough material in the sermons of
Continued...

according to their wishes. He is always anxious about the
welfare of the people. Islam has made it necessary for the
rulers to consult their subjects in important matters, the
proper solution whereof is difficult. As the Qur'an says:
"They perform their tasks with mutual consultation".
The caliph is not entitled to appropriate the property
of the people without their consent, nor is he competent
to make any law, because all the requisite laws are those
which have already been enacted by Islam, and he is
entitled only to safeguard the lives, property and honour
of the citizens. It is not permissible for a ruler to neglect
oppressed persons, and not to protect their rights from the
transgression of the tyrants. It is also not proper for a ruler
to wait for the oppressed person to come up to him with a
complaint. On the contrary it is his duty to go and help
the oppressed person himself, because it is possible that
the oppressed person may not pick up courage to make a
complaint or may not be able to find his way to the ruler.
Islam has severely reproached an oppressed person who
silently bears oppression and humiliation and has said that
such a person is cruel to himself. Islam has commended
one's efforts to defend one's life, property and honour.
The prophet has said: "One who gives up his life
opposing oppression and tyranny is a martyr".
The prophet has also said: "If people see a tyrant
committing oppression and do not hold his hand it is likely
that all of them may become subjected to Divine torture".
Islam has considered all human beings to be the
brothers of one another. It has also campaigned against
religious fanaticism. The Qur'an says: "There is no com-
pulsion in the matter of faith".

(Footnote contd.)

Ali and in the epistles he sent to his officials. In a number of epistles
it has been emphasized that an administrative officer should be free
from love of money, ignorance, inefficiency, outrage, timidness,
bribery, and violation of Islamic injunctions and traditions and

should not be guilty of shedding blood. (For further details see:

"Philosophy of Islam" ISP, 1982).

118

It has put up the most tough fight against family or

tribal bias. The prophet has said: "Man is the brother of

man, whether he likes it or not".

The Qur'an says: "We have bestowed dignity upon

human beings, provided them with means of transport on

land and water, given them pure things W eat and given

them superiority over many creatures".

Whenever the prophet addressed the people his

address was meant for all human beings whether Arabs or

non- Arabs and whether white, yellow or black. He

addressed them as kind and sympathetic, brothers of one

another joined together with the relationship of humanity

and irrespective of their nationality etc. If there was any

difference between them it was on the basis of good deeds

and not on account of colour or race.

The prophet has said: "O People! Your lord is One.

You have also a common ancestor Adam. No Arab is

superior to a non- Arab and no non- Arab is superior to an

Arab and similarly no red-coloured person is superior to a

white-coloured person and no white-coloured person is

superior to a red-coloured person. And if a person enjoys

superiority over others it is on account of his piety. Those

of you who are present should convey this message to

those who are absent".

1 There is great difference between usury and trade. The traders
procure the provisions from appropriate place at cheaper rates.
Every person cannot do this. The traders take these commodities to
suitable markets for sale. At times they earn some profit and at
other times they sustain loss. That is not the case with the usury.
The money-lender does not make any efforts, is not contented with
a small profit and does not sustain any loss. Hence the difference
between the two kinds of transactions is evident.

2 Those who have studied the Qur'an are aware that Islam neither
supports the condemned capitalism nor the unnatural communist
system. It acknowledges the institution of individual ownership so
that every person may make the best use of his capabilities. As only
legal restrictions are not sufficient for economic reform Islam has

also endeavoured to attain this object by moral training. This is the
main difference between the material systems and Islam. Communism
binds our entire existence with law and a as a result thereof we are
reduced to a machine. Consequently we cannot use our will and
determination and they wear away gradually.

3 This form of government is accepted by all Muslim sects,
with the difference that the Shi'a regard it as justified only during
the occultation of the Imam of the Age. Otherwise the Shi v a give
preference to those who were appointed or designated by the
prophet and the Imams. But according to the Sunnis immediately
on the death of the prophet, this form became the only right form
of the government.

Ruler is one of tbe people

Before Ali attained to the caliphate it was likely that
the Umayyad governments might be converted into
kingship - rather it had already been so converted. The
rulers and other persons at the helm of affairs were of the
view that the caliphate was their special right and only
they were entitled to it on account of their belonging to a
noble family. In order to strengthen their hold and establish
a firm government they considered all unlawful acts like
tribal bias, formation of groups, bribes etc. to be lawful.
According to them a ruler was the master of the lives,
property and honour of the ruled and could exploit them
in any manner he liked, without the oppressed persons
having any right of protest. They viewed the common
people as quadrupeds whom they could load with the
heaviest burden and beat as much as they wished.
During the time of Uthman the Umayyad governors
got an opportunity of despotic rule and they availed of
it to their heart's content. They endeavoured to strengthen
the Umayyad rule in all parts of the Islamic territories.
They bribed the Shaykhs and dignitaries of the Arabian
tribes heavily to win their support. They also gave full
freedom to the persons in position to oppress the common
man in any manner they liked.
They also bought the armed forces by giving them
excessive wealth and promising them high offices. And in
fact the people could not oppose them because whoever
sided with them was honoured, and whoever bpposed
them was condemned and disgraced.
In short the government was established on new
120

principles. This was done by Bani Umayyah whose hearts
had not sincerely acknowledged Islam. They embraced
Islam owing to fear and continued to remain within its
fold on account of their avarice for riches. History shows
that these people remained after embracing Islam as they
were during the age of ignorance. The distinguished
companions of the prophet who managed the affairs
previously were discarded and disgraced. 1 They were held
to be of no consequence now.

Of course, those companions who co-operated with
Bani Umayyah to destroy the rights of the Muslims and to
strengthen the Umayyad government were exalted. These
persons handed over the keys of the public treasury and
the sword of government to Bani Umayyah to make the
people obedient to them. The public was also divided into
two groups. One group consisted of pious persons who
were the well-wishers of the society. They wanted a just
ruler, although he might not endow riches on them and
might not let them plunder the wealth of the public
treasury. The second group had deviated from the right
path. They wanted to sell their faith to Bani Umayyah
at the price fixed by them. If Bani Umayyah paid that
price well and good, otherwise they intended to dilly-
dally till the price demanded by them was paid.
When Ali, the Commander of the Faithful attained to
the caliphate the conditions were very precarious. The
people were divided into two groups. The persons
belonging to one of those groups were prepared to lay
down their lives in support of the pious and just Imam.
The other group supported Bani Umayyah and endeavoured
to strengthen their government and kingdom. Bani
Umayyah had also been endeavouring for years to establish
their rule on a permanent footing. They knew that their
program was beset with difficulties, but they were deter-
mined to succeed and had decided to do away with anyone
who obstructed them, although he might be a very great
and respectable religious personality.
Ali was not very keen to become a caliph. He assisted
Abu Bakr and Umar as and when they were faced with a
difficulty. 2 Whenever the Islamic caliphate was confronted
with a problem Ali solved it.
He showed kindness even to Uthman and never
complained against Uthman' s attaining to the caliphate
instead of himself. The only thing for which he was

anxious was the establishment of truth and justice. People beseeched him to
accept the caliphate but he did not evince any interest in it. History shows
and his own remarks are also available to the effect that when, after the
assassination of Uthman, the people came to him collectively and requested
him to assume the caliphate he said: "Leave me and find out someone else for
the job. If you leave me alone I shall be a member of the society like you and
shall be more attentive and obedient than you to the person whom you select as
the caliph. I shall be more useful for you in the capacity of an adviser than

in that of a caliph".

On that day Ali was not agreeable to accept the caliphate

as with his far-sightedness he could see up to the last end of the future. If

he was a claimant of the caliphate earlier, it was not because he desired to

become a ruler. On the contrary what he desired was that Muslims should develop

within themselves those morals and virtues which the prophet wanted to

inculcate in them. And if he declined to accept that office at that stage

(i.e. after the assassination of Uthman) it was because owing to the

policies of the former rulers the habits of the Muslims had been spoilt and

their way of thinking had changed. The kingdom which was established with the

name of Islamic state had been moulded into worldly authority and carried the

signs of the despotism of Kaiser and Kisra. Ali's object differed from the

desires of the people. Neither Ali could condescend to the wishes of the people

nor people could agree to Ali's achieving the ends he had in view. He himself

draws the picture of that period in these words:

"The time is extremely incompatible and disagreeable. In these days a

righteous person is considered to be wicked and the refractoriness of

the tyrant is on the increase. This is so because the sky is covered

with dark clouds and the signs of the paths have been obliterated.

The people are involved in doubts and sensuality. They have ears but

they are deaf. They have eyes but they are blind. They are neither steadfast

in the battlefield nor reliable in difficult circumstances".

Ali knew very well that if he accepted the request of the people and

assumed the responsibilities of the office of caliphate they would not

tolerate the manner in which he would run the administration and would not

obey his orders unless he was harsh to them.

These were the conditions which Ali had to face after the assassination of

Uthman. The dignitaries as well as the common people gathered outside the

door of his house again and again and insisted upon his accepting the oath

of allegiance from them. However, notwithstanding the fact that he

entertained very good wishes for the people in his heart he was reluctant to

accept the oath of allegiance from them. There was, however, onething which

obliged him to think of accepting their request. The Muslims were too much

insisting upon his accepting that office, which meant that a responsibility

was being placed on them to guide those, who were in need of reformation and

guidance from him. Furthermore, at that time social equity and justice were in

danger. Persons in authority were encroaching upon the rights of the weak, and

the life, property, and honour, of the common man did not carry any value. Ali

could not tolerate that he should sit quietly in his house when the poor

citizens were being subjected to oppression. A brave and steadfast person like

Ali could not let the Muslims fall a prey to the atrocities of the wolves of

Bani Umayyah and remain silent. If he had not come to the rescue of the Muslim

at that difficult moment he would have been treated to be a coward and not the

brave and valiant person as he is known in history.

He himself says: "I was worried and alarmed lest the foolish and wicked

persons should become the rulers of this nation and make the property of

God their plaything and the creatures of God their slaves and fight with

the righteous and make the tyrants their helpers".

For these reasons he considered it obligatory for himself to

accept the oath of allegiance although many other righteous persons found

themselves incapable of bearing the burden of caliphate

Ali hated sequestered life. Except when it was possible to serve the

people by remaining in seclusion it was impossible for him to spend his

time in retirement. A person who neglects serving the creatures of God

inspite of his being in a position to do so spoils his faith as well as his

world. Ali accepted the caliphate with firm determination and considered

it in the interests of the Muslims that he should assume that office.

In order to understand the nature of Ali's administration and his economic

and financial policies it is necessary to learn how Ali himself has explained

the caliphate and mastership, what position caliphate enjoyed in his eyes

from the religious point of view, and what benefits it carried in its lap.

While addressing the people at the time of taking the oath of allegiance

from them, Ali said to them: "0 People! I am one of you. I enjoy the same

rights which you enjoy. My responsibilities are also the same as yours.

Nothing can invalidate truth, (i.e. a ruler or caliph cannot change the

commands of God".

In another sermon he said: "I swear by God that in the first instance

I myself obey those commands of 127

God which I invite you to obey and I myself refrain first from those things,

from which I ask you to refrain". On this basis the ruler and claiph is not to

be obeyed in his personal capacity. It is necessary to obey him because he

enforces equity and justice and the laws of the Sbari'ab. The caliphate does

not entitle the ruler and the caliph to appropriate to himself as much of

the property of the public treasury as he likes, and to spend it himself or

give it to his friends, associates and kinsmen. On the contrary the object of

the institution of caliphate is that justice should be administered. The ruler

should mete out equal treatment to everyone, should regard the efforts of a

person who, propagates the Divine religion and serves the public, should

prohibit hoarding, and prevent oppression, and should not deviate from

truth in any circumstances. He should not abandon his program even though

the wicked and cruel persons dislike his just conduct and may be after his life.

It is also his duty to acquaint the people with the rules of justice and to

prevent their deviation from it.

Ali wrote to one of his governors as under: "Your holding this office

does not entitle you to accumulate wealth or to take revenge from any person.

Your only duty is that you should destroy falsehood and revive truth".

In the eyes of Ali son of Abu Talib rulership and caliphate did not mean
that the ruler should sit on the throne of dignity, strengthen his power and
make his position the means of enslaving the people. He says: "Generosity and
munificence is a greater source of love and affection than consanguinity and
kinship. There is no greatness like meekness and no virtue like knowledge".
Caliphate does not mean that poeple should be subjugated at the point of the
sword, and by means of bloodshed and force, or that they should obey the caliph
on account of fear or covetousness. Ali was a man who did not worship God
because he desired forgiveness or because he feared punishment. On the contrary
he worshipped God because He deserved to be worshipped. He wished that the
people should obey the caliph on account of his 128

being worthy of obedience and not because of fear or greed of gain. Now as
regards consulting others the Commander of the Faithful has said: "One who
faces different opinions recognizes the spots of mistakes and errors". The
person who realizes mistakes arrives at truth and right action. The opinions of
the people are essential things which benefit the state as well as the people,
and the affairs are conducted in such a way that they do not entail shame and
regret. Ali acknowledges this fact in very clear words and says: "Correctness
cannot be achieved by abandoning consultation". It does not behove a ruler to
keep his doors shut before the people and try to achieve some object by keeping
the people in the dark. The Commander of the Faithful draws attention to this
point by saying: "Acquire light from a kindled lamp"' According to the
Commander of the Faithful it is not proper for a caliph to seek distance from
them, to be proud and haughty, or to ignore the needs of the people. Caliphate
is a means of the ruler associating with the people, showing kindness to them
and behaving with them meekly. If the ruler remains aloof from the people none
of his excuses and arguments can be accepted. If the people are annoyed with
the ruler on account of any such thing they will become a burden on him in the
same manner in which his rule will be burden on them, because the people will
behave with him as he behaves with them. The Commander of the Faithful says in
this behalf: "The hearts of the subjects are the treasury of the ruler. He will
get from there what he places there, whether it be equity and justice or
cruelty and oppression". In the eyes of Ali the caliphate was not based on
party-spirit or family bias which are very bad qualities. He considered
caliphate to consist of good qualities, pious deeds, meting out justice to the
people and refraining from tyranny and mischief. In any case according to Ali
rulership was not meant for those people about whom he said: "If these people
become your rulers they will behave like Kaiser and Kisra". Nor did those
persons deserved to be the rulers who were deceitful and oppressive. Keeping
all these things in view Ali accepted the caliphate with a firm determination
to establish truth and destroy falsehood and failing that to sacrifice his very
life. It was on this account that he insisted that the people should watch the
activities of their rulers and should not accept a ruler who did not prove to

be a public servant. He also advised them to express displeasure on the bad

activities of a ruler or to approve them on merit. He said: "Do you not feel

annoyed and displeased if foolish persons become your rulers and consequently

you are humiliated, afflicted and ruined?". In his eyes being annoyed at

cruelty and oppression was as important a thing as welcoming equity and justice.

He respected the personal freedom of the individuals and also kept in view the

rights of the nation. As regards those who did not take oath of allegiance to

him he said: "It does not matter if they do not take the oath of allegiance.

However, they should stay indoors and should not interfere in the affairs of

the nation".

Sa'd son of Abi Waqas who was a member of the Consultative Council

declined to take oath of allegiance to Ali. Ali did not compel him to take the

oath and left him free. Sa'd had said: "You need not feel worried about me.

I shall never rise against you". Similarly Abdullah son of Umar did not take

the oath of allegiance. Ali asked him to produce a guarantor, who should

guarantee that he would not create any disturbance, but he declined to do so.

Thereupon Ali said to him: "You have been ill-mannered since your childhood and

I know you from the very first day". Then he turned to the people and said:

"Leave him as well. I guarantee that he will not create any disturbance".

There were some other persons also who remained hidden in their houses and were

inclined to take the oath of allegiance. Ali said about them: "I, too, am not

desirous of those persons who do not need me". He left them free 130

on the condition that they would not create any disturbance and would not

harm the people. Many revolutionaries wanted to free such persons to take the

oath of allegiance but the commander of the Faithful did not agree to this.

In the matter of the oath of allegiance his usual attitude was what he says:

"I shall accept the oath of allegiance from one who takes it voluntarily and

shall ignore one, who declines to take it".

Hence, the freedom of the individuals was fully secured in the government of Ali

and could not be violated except when they were guilty of harming the people,

because in that case it was not possible for Ali to leave them free. It was for

this reason that he did not leave Talha, Zubayr and Mu'awiya alone as he had

done in the case of Sa'd son of Waqas and Abdullah son of Umar. These three

persons were dreaming of attaining to caliphate and were keen to usurp wealth

and authority. They wanted to create trouble so that they might remove Ali

from his office and appropriate to themselves the public property which

belonged to all Muslims. They had accumulated immense wealth, and had also

equipped an army to fight against Ali's government. It was on account of this

state of affairs that Ali did not leave them alone, and all these facts go to

prove that the opinion formed by him about these three persons as absolutely

correct. Later we shall mention in detail what disturbances took birth from

the conspiracy of these three persons against Ali.

In short rulership and caliphate is the right of the people and it is not

permissible to compel a person to take the oath of allegiance. Such a
compulsion can possibly be exercised in the public interest but not in the
personal interest of the ruler. Good relations can subsist between the ruler
and the subjects only when the people elect a ruler themselves and take oath
of allegiances to him voluntarily.

As Ali freely associated and mixed with the people, it was, therefore, natural
that he should desire that every one of the governors and other officers should
also associate with the people as one of them. He recommended to the
officials emphatically to respect the rights of the people. Ali introduced
the best tradition of the association of the rulers with the people. This
tradition is also compatible with the tradition of the civilized nations of
modern times. He made the subjects the supervisors of the actions of the
rulers so that they might act according to the wishes of the people. As and
when the Commander of the Faithful entrusted the rulership of a province, a
territory or a city, to a person he wrote a testament and gave it to him so
that he might read it out before the people. If the people of that place
accepted the testament it constituted a treaty between them and the ruler
which neither of them could violate. If the treaty was violated by either
party it was necessary for the Imam to punish the party concerned and to
remove the ruler from his office in case he happened to be the violator.

1 it was the earnest endeavour and the heartfelt desire of caliph
Uthman that the despotic government of the Umayyads should be
established firmly in all Islamic cities and he spared no effort in this
behalf. Two or three days after Uthman's becoming caliph Abu
Sufyan came to congratulate him. As Uthman's partiality towards
his kinsmen was well known Abu Sufyan told him what he had in
his heart saying: "Play with the caliphate like a ball and make
Bani Umayyah its pilars". Although Uthman rebuked him at that
time, but from that very day he made the words of Abu Sufyan his
own motto and entrusted the governorship of all big cities to the
young and inexperienced lads of Bani Umayyah. These persons were
neither educated nor good natured. By making such appointments
Uthman opened the gates of mischief and disturbance, and provided
means of the destruction of the Muslim society as well as his own
death.

Allama Abu Amr, the author of lsti v ab says that once Shabil
son of Khalid arrived when Uthman was sitting with others consist-
ing of Bani Umayyah only. Shabil said: "O Quraysh! What has
happened to you? Has no child, whom you might exalt been left
with you? Is there among you no indigent person whom you might
like to make rich? Is there among you no unknown person whom

you might like to become known? Why have you made Abu Musa
Ash'ari the governor of Iraq and given him that province as his
freehold wherefrom he is earning a lot?" Thereupon Uthman
enquired as to who should be appointed as governor to replace
Abu Musa. Those present suggested the name of Abdullah son of
v Asmir, a cousin of Uthman. He therefore, dismissed Abu Musa and
appointed Abdullah in his place, although he was only sixteen years
of age. These youngster of Bani Umayyah did not care as to what
they did nor said. Uthman did not pay heed to any complaint
against these boys nor did he attach any importance to reproaches
on this account. One of these young men was sa v id son of Aas,
the governor of Kufa. He was a hot-headed and pleasure-loving
person who said to a gathering from the pulpit: "These lands of Iraq
are gardens for the young men of Quraysh".
These were the boys about whom the prophet had already
said: "My followers will be ruined at the hands of foolish lads of
Quraysh". (Sahih Bokhari Kitab al-Fitan part 10, p. 146 and
Mustadrak, vol.4, p.470).

2 It is true that the Commander of the Faithful was not keen for
wordly government. If he desired the caliphate it was because the
prophet's Islam could not be propagated and spread except by him.
This was so because he had been brought up in the lap of the
prophet and was the treasure of his wisdom and knowledge. The
prophet had fed him with knowledge in the same manner in which
a bird feeds its offspring. From the very day of his birth till the
prophet's death he was not separated from the prophet. Every
moment of his spent in the company of the prophet. None knew the
Sunnah of the prophet better than he did. He was the exact picture
of the ways and manners of the prophet and successor to all his
attainments. This is a fact which was acknowledged not only by his
friends but also by his enemies and even by those who had assumed
the office of caliph. God willed and the prophet also desired that
after him Ali should be at the helm of affairs, because only he
possessed the capability to enforce and expand the religion of Islam
in the manner desired by God and His prophet.
As regards the question whether or not he objected to others
usurping the caliphate the pages of Nahj-al-Balaghah as well as
history go to show that he protested against this on all occasions and
put forth his arguments. He said: "I deserve the oath of allegiance
more than you do. I shall not take the oath of allegiance to you
rather you should take the oath in my favour. You have assumed
this office in preference to the Ansar on the basis of your kinship

with the prophet and now you are bent upon usurping it from the
members of his household. Did you not put forth this argument
before the Ansar that you were more entitled to the caliphate
because Muhammad was one of you. And accepting this argument
they surrendered this office to you and let you assume the govern-
ment. Now I put forth the same argument before you which you
advanced against the Ansar. We are successors of Muhammad during
his life as well as after his death. In case, therefore, you believe in
Muhammad and Islam, you must do justice to us, failing which you
will be guilty of wilful oppression".

Ali's rendering assistance to the three caliphs at difficult times
is a clear proof, of his magnanimity and high morality. The greatest
quality of man is that when there is a conflict between personal
interests and collective interests he should prefer public welfare to
his own interests. Another great quality of man is that he should be
honest and sincere even in his dealings with his enemies.
To keep personal interests in view in all matters, and to be
influenced by personal likes and dislikes on all occasion, are the
qualities of mean persons whose actions are governed by animal
instincts rather than human values. It is true that the majority of
human beings has always endeavoured to serve individual interests,
but if the action of the majority is accepted to be the criterion every
meanness will become civilization and culture and every good
quality will become a vice and defect.
It is however, a matter of regret that the people have been
looking at the method of action of the great men according to their
own mentality and have been drawing wrong conclusions.
Ali son of Abu Talib was a perfect specimen of Islamic
teachings in the world of Islam and the best image of human
qualities and perfection. His conduct was replete with all the
qualities which are considered to be the essence of human perfection
and the most prominent aspect of his disposition was this that he
never allowed his personal differences, egotism or enmity to
interfere with Islamic and collective matters, nor did he permit his
personal interests and feelings to disregard honesty and integrity.
The inhabitants of the world who have become accustomed,
on account of their own conduct as well as that of their
so-called leaders, to keep in view the aspect of personal interest in everything
conclude from the conduct of Ali that he had no personal differences with anyone
and entertained great love and friendship for all in his mind. However, if one
reflects a little with broadmindedness it becomes known that to provide
correct guidance to others for the sake of public welfare, inspite of personal
differences, is the supreme human quality which can be observed clearly in the

conduct of Ali. This characteristic of the Commander of the Faithful is
reflected in different forms in the events of his life with which the pages of
history are replete. The rulers who acquired the caliphate ignoring the
qualities of Ali and his entitlement to that office, and claimed to be the only
persons who could look after the welfare of the society, consulted him as and
when they were faced with any difficulty and on every such occasion he gave
them the best advice Suited to the circumstances of the time.

Freedom and its sources

The method adopted by Imam Ali in the matter of politics, rulership and
administration of the State was based on the principle of the freedom
of the people. 1 He had an ardent belief in this freedom which can be
observed in all his actions. Whether he said something, or gave some orders,
or prohibited some actions, whether it was at the time of peace or war, or
made an appointment of a governor, and in whatever manner he treated the
people or his children or worshipped God - his conduct was based on all
such occasions on this freedom.

The question, however, arises as to why the people should be free, why they
should work according to their will and determination. From where did they
get the freedom and what are its limits? According to Ali the real cause of
this freedom is the human society which must proceed on the path of
blessedness and prosperity.

Freedom is the result of the mutual relations, sentiments and inclinations
of the people. It has a close relationship with a few things which exercise
great influence on it.

Reason and experience prove this thing and it has also been confirmed by Ali
that the members of a society are inter-related with one another. This
inter-relationship of theirs is on account of personal interests
as well as national interests. 2

It was the policy of Ali to reform these connections and ties, so that every
person might lead his life in a better way. He provided opportunities to the
people to utilize their freedom in the best possible manners and to discharge
by means of this freedom the responsibilities which it is not possible to
discharge without it. In the first instance Ali made the people realize that
to establish truth and to destroy falsehood is their own responsibility. They
should get hold of their freedom, should not be subservient to the orders of
the upper classes, and should neither betray the society nor be cruel to
themselves. Throughout his life and before attaining to the caliphate, as well
as thereafter, he explained to the people that they must discharge their duty
to establish right and destroy falsehood. Ali was endeavouring his best to
provide means for the welfare of the people, and at the same time he was so
severe in awarding punishment to the criminals that friends and foes were
equal in his eyes in this matter and he did not observe leniency with anyone.
Ali was confident that his piety was known to all, and they were aware that he
had no equal in the matter of piety, and he took from the world only as much
as was sufficient for his living. The people also knew that the only purpose
of his life was to establish truth and to help the needy and the oppressed,
and that he did these things as a matter of duty and not to show kindness

to others. He did

not like to eat honey because he was afraid that there might be some persons
among his subjects to whom even barley bread might not be available. He never
wore fine dress, because there might be a member of the public who might not
be having even coarse dress to wear. He did not like that the people should
call him the Commander of the Faithful and he should not partake in their
difficulties. Ali kept himself free from all the pollution in which the rulers
of those days were involved. He did not take advantage of his noble descent.
He never coveted territory, high office or wealth. On no occasion did he
display pride. He remained aloof from all irrational and worthless things. He
never preferred his kinsmen and friends to others. He never nursed a grudge
against his opponents, nor did he take revenge on anyone. He never did anything
about whose goodness and correctness he was not sure. He did not say or think
of anything which he did not like. He was indifferent to the things which he
ate or drank, the dress which he wore, and the house in which he lived. He
utilized these things only as much as they were absolutely necessary for him.
He did not take anything from the public treasury to meet his personal
expenses, although he could take at least as much as the governors of the
provinces did. Authentic narrations show that often he had to sell his sword,
coat of mail and household articles to feed himself and the members of his
family. However, he gave sufficient salaries to his governors so that they
might not be obliged to take bribes or acquire money by unlawful means. Ali
kept himself free from all such bonds as might interfere with his administering
justice between friend and foe. He has mentioned his own condition in this brief
sentence. "Whoever forsakes desires remains free". His piety was the piety of
magnanimous persons. It was not tainted with any avarice. He had perfect faith
in God and he acted according to his belief. There was no simulation of
hypocrisy in his actions. His good deeds were not prompted by fear of Hell or
desire for Paradise. As regards the freedom of the common man its first
stage is freedom of action. Imam Ali has given the body of the workers the
same rank on earth as is enjoyed by the hearts of the righteous persons in
Paradise i.e. this world welcomes the workers in the same manner in which
Paradise remains ready to welcome the righteous persons. About the righteous
persons he says: - "Their hearts are in Paradise and their bodies are busy
doing work", (i.e. they do not attach their hearts with the worldly things).
He elevated the position of freedom and considered the work of a free person
to be great. He had made it his principle not to compel any person to do any
particular work, because any work which is not done voluntarily is dishonesty
in freedom as well as in work. He says: - "It is not my intention to compel
any person to do a particular work". He prescribed award for making people do
useful work and preserving freedom and deprived of reward a person who
compelled others to work. He says: "The canal belongs to one who dug it on his
own accord and not to one who compelled others to dig it" (or one who does not

work on it). It appears necessary to mention an important point here. The word
freedom as it was used in those days did not carry as vast a meaning as was
attached to it by Ali. Others did not mean by it what Ali meant. In those days
freedom was the opposite of slavery and freeman was the opposite of slave.
Caliph Umar has said: "How did you make the people your slave when their
mothers gave birth to them as freemen?" When we ponder over these words and
take into account the time and the conditions in which they were uttered by
caliph Umar we clearly learn that by freeman he meant the opposite of slave
i.e. one who cannot be bought or sold. However, during the modern times the
words free and freedom do not carry the same sense in which they were used by
caliph Umar. We hereby put forth another proof of our view. In the sentence
quoted above caliph Umar has expressed annoyance for the people who had reduced
their subordinates to slavery. He rebuked the powerful persons and told them
not to consider the weak people to be slaves, because their mothers had given birth
to them as free men. Caliph Umar did not tell the slaves that they were free and should
not obey those who claimed to be the masters of their slaves. In short, caliph
Umar in his sentence has admonished the masters to give freedom to those
subservient and weak persons. According to Imam Ali the meaning of freedom is
different from what is meant by caliph Umar and carries a much wider sense. In
the first instance we reproduce below a clear remark of his on the subject and
shall later reproduce his other remarks, recommendations and orders in support
of our view. As opposed to the remark of Umar he says: "Do not be the slave of
anyone when God has created you free". Caliph Umar had addressed the masters
and told them to give freedom to their subordinates. He had not told the
subordinates to decline to obey their masters. Ali, however, addresses the
subordinates themselves and tells them to have self-reliance and a sense of
freedom. He advises them to realize their right of freedom which is the
essence of their being. He reminds them that God has created them as free
beings and whatever they do or do not do should depend on this natural right
of theirs. By uttering this sentence Ali sowed the seeds of revolution in the
hearts of those subordinates, and prepared them to fight against anything
which might stand in the way of their freedom or involve them in perplexity.
The readers might think that there is not much difference between the remarks
of caliph Umar and those of Ali, because Umar has addressed some particular
person viz. the masters not to enslave the people whereas Ali has addressed
all the people and told them that they are free. He has made their freedom
dependent on their own intentions and not on the intentions of their masters
so that they may keep them enslaved as long as they like and make them free as
and when they (i.e. the masters) wish. However, there is basically a great
difference between these two remarks. Ali's sentence shows the deep insight
which he had on the meaning of freedom. His sentence

shows the reality that the fountain-head of freedom is the being of man himself.
He has been born free and he himself should select his path of action and not

that someone else should take pity on him and set him free. This sentence of Ali

shows that he considered the freedom of man to be inherent and natural and all

the actions of man are the outcome of this inherent and natural freedom. This

freedom is free from all external influences. This freedom is enjoyed by him

internally and not externally. It is like the light of the sun which cannot be

separated from it. It is not like the light of the moon which declines. Hence

there is a real and basic difference between the sentences uttered by caliph

Umar and Imam Ali. To one category belong the persons whose freedom depends on

the will of others. This freedom is external and does not emerge from its own

foutain-head. To the other category belong those free persons whose freedom

depends on their nature. This is the real and true freedom. Such free persons

act according to their reason and interests and do not do what they do not

like. However, those whose independence depends on others are not subordinate

to their own views and thinking. The type of freedom which Imam Ali desired was

the one on which human relations are based. It is this freedom by means of

which the human beings can walk side by side with one another on the path of

prosperity. It is this freedom which can bring a great civilization into

existence. As the freedom of the kind mentioned above was considered by Imam

Ali to be the real freedom, all his orders were issued keeping this very freedom

in view, and he also determined the human rights on that basis. We clearly find

the observance of this principle in all his orders and regulations. He treated

all the human beings to be equal in the matter of rights and responsibilities

and did not fix any limit in this behalf. And if he did fix any such limits it

was fixed keeping in view the interests of the public in general. When we study

the character of Imam Ali we clearly

see that he did not violate this freedom in any of his laws, orders, rules

and regulations and kept the public welfare in view in all his actions. He

meted out equal treatment to his friends and foes. We have already mentioned

that he did not compel any person to do any work against his will, nor did he

allow forced labour. We have also said that he did not compel anyone to take

the oath of allegiance to him. Those who declined to take oath of allegiance

to him were no doubt wrong-doers, but he left them to themselves because he

knew that their not taking the oath of allegiance would make no difference nor

would the public interests suffer on that account. They refrained from taking

the oath for quite a long time, but by doing so they did harm only to

themselves. He did not take any action against them so long as they did not

prove harmful to the public interest. Addressing Mughira bin Sho'ba he said:

"I permit you to do whatever you like about yourself". It may also be mentioned

that once Habib ibn Muslim Fehri approached him and said: "You should abdicate

so that the people may select a caliph through a consultative council".

Thereupon Ali replied: v What have you to do with this matter? You should keep

quiet. Why do you speak about something with which you are not concerned at

all". Habib then stood up and said: "By God you will find us at a place which

will not be to your liking". The threat latent in Habib's words is quite clear.
But what did Ali do? Did he also threaten him in a similar manner? Did he
imprison him so that he might not be free to oppose him and might not
instigate his tribe to rise against him? Ali did note of these things. On the
contrary he cast a glance at him and said like a man who fully believes in his
own justice and who respects the freedom of others: "Go and mobilize as many
infantry-men and horsemen as you like. May not God keep me alive till the day
when you should take pity on me". Another proof of the full freedom allowed by
Ali to the people is that many persons belonging to the Hijaz and Iraq went away and
joined Mu'awiya, but he did not stop them, nor did he consider it necessary to
keep them under observation. They were free men in his eyes and were free to
adopt any course they liked. If a person chose the right path it was well and
good, but if he decided otherwise the path to Damascus was open for him and
Mu'awiya was awaiting such a person with his treasures. Hence, when Sehl bin
Hanif Ansari, the Governor of Madina informed him that some persons had gone
over to Mu v awiya he wrote to him in reply: "I understand that some of the
persons belonging to your area are secretly joining Mu'awiya. You need not
worry at all about the number of people who have left, and the support, which
has been lost. It is sufficient for their going astray and your being relieved
of worry and sorrow that they are running away from truth and guidance towards
ignorance and perversion. They are worldly people who are inclining towards
the world and running to it. They recognized, saw, heard and learnt justice.
They have understood very well that here all are treated to be equal in the
matter of rights and are, therefore, running away towards the place where
discrimination is practised. By God they have not run away from injustice and
have not joined justice and we hope that God will make easy every difficulty
which is involved in this matter, and will make the stony land level for us".
Another proof of the fact that Ali believed in the complete freedom of the
people is provided by his treatment of the Kharijites. One group of the
Kharijites was that which had rebelled openly and it was these people most of
whom were put to sword in the Battle of Nahrawan. However, there were others
who held beliefs common with the Kharijites but they considered it expedient
not to rebel, and were mixed up with the people of Kufa. Imam Ali behaved kindly
towards the Kharijites of the second category and did not permit his companions
to contend with them. He also gave these Kharijites pensions as much as to the
Muslims and had allowed them

to go freely wherever they liked. His way of action was based on perfect
freedom i.e. all human beings are free and may do whatever they like and love
or hate whomsoever they wish. However, none was permitted to harm the people
or to create mischief on the face of earth. If anyone indulged in mischievous
activities he was not spared and was punished for the crime committed by him.
Once a Kharijite named Khareet bin Rashid came to Ali and said to him: "By God
I shall not obey you and shall not offer prayers with you". Imam Ali did not

interfere with him and left him free to do whatever he liked. After some time

Khareet collected a number of men and revolted against him. Even then Ali did

not prevent the persons who deserted him and joined Khareet, from doing

so, although he could stop them from joining Khareet. However, when those

persons took undue advantage of this freedom and began committing robberies

and murders he sent his army and suppressed them. The thing which is most

surprising is that even at the most delicate moments of his period Ali

paid due respect to human freedom and never violated it. This he did because he

considered freedom to be the most important thing for humanity. He did not

detract from this freedom even when campaigning against the Nakitbeen, Qasiteen

and Mariqeen who had appropriated large tracts of land to themselves and were

the sworn enemies of Ali. It was permissible according to every law and religion

to fight against such persons and every person with sound judgment would have

treated such a fight to be a just one. In the circumstances it was necessary for

Ali to mobilize his supports and march to join battle with the enemy. However,

Ali did not compel any supporter of his to partake in a battle, whether he was

his kinsman or someone else. Although he was the caliph and possessed authority,

but he did not compel his companions to render material or spiritual assistance,

because in whatevermanner he might have resorted to compulsion it would have

been opposed to thefreedom in which he believed. 3 Imam Ali performed his duty by

showing themclearly the true path and appealing to their intellect and reason. He put

forth arguments regarding his being correct so that whoever liked it might

recognize his right, and support him, and whoever did not like it might oppose

him in spite of knowing the truth. He prayed for the welfare of those who

responsed to his call and praised them. As regards those who did not respond to

it he warned them about their mistake by tendering them advice. Whoever a person was and

wherever he was, was free. Ali did not compel anyone and did not consider

compulsion to be proper.

He never liked that anyone should join him without proper reflection and faith

and knoweldge. He did not compel anyone to enlist himself in his army to fight

in the Battles of the Camel, Siffin and Nahrawan for if he had so desired he

would have filled the plains and mountains with soldiers.

Ali knew very well what freedom is and what its ins and outs are. He explained

it by his words and actions and observed it in his behaviour towards the people.

He kept the principle of freedom in view in eradicating the evils from the

society, in enforcing the religious law, in mobilizing the forces, in ruling

over the people, in making recommendations and tendering advice, and, in short,

in everything. Every day of his life provided a fresh proof of the fact that

man's right of freedom deserves to be respected provided that it does not mar

the freedom of the public at large and this is the real meaning of freedom.

1 The author of the book has proved in this chapter that

the political freedom which exists in the advanced nations of today is the same
freedom which prevailed during the period of the caliphate of Imam Ali. There
is no sign of such freedom in the governments which existed earlier than the
caliphate of Ali.

2 In the terminology of the western philosophers, freedom

means the same thing which is meant by the following belief of the Muslims:
- "None is permitted to compel another to do a particular work or to appropriate
his property without his permission". These philosophers believe that the cause
of every oppression is deprivation of the human beings of their freedom and the
murders, robberies and other crimes are its consequences. They say that freedom
and self-determination are the inherent properties of man in the same manner
in which heat is the inherent property of fire.

3 Even today the westerners are unaware of the freedom which was
allowed by Imam Ali, as has been explained by the author, although some
social experts like Rousseau have mentioned it in their books and endeavoured
to make people believe in it. Some persons may possibly think that the penal
laws of Islam contradict the claim of the author and also that the Muslims do
not consider it permissible that someone should apostatize from Islam or use
indecent words about God or the prophets. Drinking of wine was punished during
the caliphate of Ali as well as other caliphs, purchase and sale of intoxicants
was treated to be a crime and the apostates were executed. Such persons may,
therefore, ask as to where the freedom exists.

The reply to what the author wishes to prove is that all these things
(viz. punishment for apostasy and other crimes) are correct. However, the
freedom which is praiseworthy and which was supported by Ali is not the freedom
enjoyed by a person to appropriate his property and use it as he likes and to
adopt the occupation which he desires. In short Ali believed in political and
social freedom.

All Muslims agree that drinking wine and apostasy are crimes. Now when these
acts are crimes from the social point of view how can freedom to commit them be
commendable? Hence if Imam Ali had given freedom to the people to commit these
crimes his act would have been opposed to the divine commands as well as to the
freedom of the people. If caliph Abu Bakr and Umar had not fought against the
apostates they would have opposed the majority, of the Muslims. Even now some
parties in various countries are declared to be unlawful, because many people
consider the views and beliefs of these parties to be crimes. Similarly
apostasy is a crime according to the Muslims, because it certainly creates
trouble in the society.

Individual freedom

The Imam's treatment of others and his behaviour towards them was based on their freedom.
Man's conscience should take decisions according to its own determination and with freedom.
The means are themselves effective without external effects. The external impediments
prevent them to some extent from becoming effective.

Collective activities are correct only when they conform with the principles of a free
conscience and with the

1 natural laws which are themselves free. Man is free fundamentally. A free being possesses
feelings. He thinks with his own power, speaks with authority and acts with his determination.
To place him under compulsion would, in fact, amounts to finishing his very being. Hence it
will be permissible to curb a person's freedom only when it is permissible to kill him.

2 If you wish to restrict the light of the sun and draw a curtain before it as a consequence
whereof it cannot make the opposite things hot and bright, you in fact extinguish its light. If
you are able to restrain the air from blowing you in fact annihilate the air. Similarly if you
deprive the waves of the rivers, the flowers of the deserts, the birds in the air and all other
things available in this world from performing their natural functions it is as good as your
having destroyed them. Same is the case with man and to deprive him of freedom amounts to
killing all human beings.

3 This was the conception of freedom in the eyes of the Imam and this was how he reached its
depths. He mentioned freedom with his tongue as he understood it and also acted according to
it. Every deed of his was correct according to his own views and beliefs as well as according
to those of others. The laws of nature as well as the interests of the society support them.
Ali's words and actions which we have studied thoroughly go to show how he guided the
people to do everything with their determination and free will. In fact there was a point which
he always kept in view and it was the freedom of the individuals in such a manner that the
freedom of others was not hurt.

A group of the old Greek philosophers and some European philosophers of the Middle Ages
kept only the individuals freedom in view and did not attach any importance to public
interests and national freedom. There was also another group which took only the collective
interests into account and did not favour individual freedom and rights. They considered
pressure upon the people and subjecting them to forced labour to be lawful. However, Ali
took individuals freedom and collective interests into account in such a way that neither of
them might be hurt and made them compatible with each other so that an individual might
take care of collective interests with his own free will and free efforts of the individuals might
be in the national interests. He declared that the individuals were for the nation and the nation
was for the individuals.
We shall continue this discussion so that the matter may become perfectly clear. We shall

now see how he co-ordinated the freedom of the individuals with the public interests.

Ali knew that as the individuals are the members of the nation they should apply their

freedom to matters which might not hurt the interests of the nation. Here freedom does not

mean general licence. On the contrary it should be coupled with the faith and sense of

responsibility, and man should consider it his duty to take the public interests into account

along with his own freedom.

Ali did not say like other philosophers that human freedom was limited, but said something

deeper and did not fix any limit for freedom. His remark is much more valuable and sublime

than those of others, and shows that he was much superior to others in understanding the

spiritual mysteries of man and the social rules and regulations.

He inculcated in the hearts of the people the belief in freedom, and added to it the belief that

every person has some responsibilities which he must fulfil. The proof of this policy of his is

that a canal in a village was filled with dust and became useless and some persons who

wanted to restart it approached the governor of the area to compel the people to work on it,

but the Commander of the Faithful strictly prohibited it and said: "they may work of their own

free will and take wages for that.

As regards the canal it belongs to the person who works on it of his own accord and considers

himself responsible for the result".

Ali accorded respect to the freedom of the working class more than one thousand years ago,

and Rousseau, the famous French writer was inclined to remark thus about two centuries ago:

"Respect for mankind and philanthrophy oblige us to say that we should consider our

subordinates to be human beings like the intelligent people even though they may be

untrained and ignorant".

The principles set forth by the Imam make it necessary that determination and authority

should be limited within their own bounds and authority should be coupled with belief in

responsibility. Hence duty and responsibility do not hurt authority and will but support them.

Responsibility alone is not sufficient for the performance of good deeds until determination

and authority are also responsible. Responsibility is proportionate with authority. The greater

the authority and determination the heavier will be the duty and responsibility.

Responsibility is related with authority in the same way in which it is related with intellect

and conscience. A person whose power of thinking is paralyzed and who cannot distinguish

between good and evil and whose intellectual capabilities are out of order cannot be held

responsible for any action.

Similarly a person who has been deprived of his freedom and authority cannot be subjected to

any responsibility. Freedom, authority and mental awakening make a person distinguish

between good and evil and carry out his responsibilities as a matter of necessity.

It was on this account that Ali ordered his governors and other officers to release the people

from captivity and remove the heavy chains from their hands and feet so that they might do

useful deeds for the nation of their own free will, because so long as they were not indepen

dent they would be helpless, and helpless persons are under no responsibility. They do not

consider themselves to be responsible and do not, therefore, do good deeds, because good

deeds can be done only with freedom of thought. The actions of those who do not possess free

will are not their own. They are the actions of the government which are performed through

them. Their determination is weak and their strength is wasted on inappropriate occasions.
After the Imam the people arrived at that very stage which has been mentioned by us.
Although they were free during the period of his caliphate and were safe from harm and
torture by the rulers he had prescribed a rule according to which they were required to admit
their responsibilities of their own free will and were to realize that they owed some
responsibilities to the nation and the nation had some rights on them. As we have already seen
on many occasions and shall also see later his orders and directions were based on this
principles and he commanded and prohibited and rewarded and punished the people keeping
this principle in view.

1 The author proves in this chapter that the individual should, while enjoying freedom, have
regard for national interests and should perform all those acts with their determination, free
will and choice which are useful for the people and should avoid harmful acts, so that
freedom should be confined to one's own freedom and should not result in placing others
under compulsion and captivity.

2 By this statement the author wants to prove that the point of view of the socialists that
government should monopolize all activities and should not leave anyone free on the ground
that in various matters the people look after their personal interests and do not care for
national interests is not correct.

the opponents of this school ofthought say that no interest is higher than freedom and after
curbing theirfreedom the people cannot be provided with any bounty which might equal it.
They also say that every kind of blessing and advancement of industry and trade can be
achieved in a better way by means of freedom. As we can very well observe abundant
facilities are available in free countries and the number of scholars and skilled persons
available there is also larger. The workers in such countries live in comfort and the rate of
crime there is very low so much so that in many of those countries no criminal case is
registered for years.

3 The mischievous and sensual persons also say that freedom is something respectable and
the nation should set them free to indulge in their sensual activities and to bring up the
children and young men in an irreligious atmosphere. They should be told that the freedom
demanded by them is a crime and if they are given this licence, others whose number is
thousands of times larger than theirs, will be deprived of their freedom.

Accountability

As we have already said, freedom in its wide sense
was the real basis of the government of Ali. In his eyes
this freedom was as much realted with the mutual relations
of the people as with intellect and conscience. Man who
wishes to cover different stages of advancement by means
of mutual co-operation and brotherly relations cannot
achieve success in this behalf unless he is free in his
individual and collective capacities. And it is not possible
for him to be free unless his conscience is free from those
defects which destroy the value of man. Similarly that
peson cannot also be free whose rights for freedom is
admitted by the society but ignored in practice.
In this matter Ali meted out equal treatment to the
individuals and the society as well as to friends and the
foes. He followed this line of action very firmly. He could
no be made to deviate from his object by any allurement
or threat. He knew very well that truth is unpalatable to
many persons. It is for this reason that he says: "Our
matter is very difficult".

He was also aware that truth is specially hard for the
rulers. He therefore, says: "Truth weighs heavily upon the
rulers and every truth is heavy".
However, whether truth is heavy on the rulers and the
dignitaries or light, it was immaterial for Ali, because
his intellect as well as conscience obliged him not to
deviate from truth in the least, and he did not attach any
importance to things other than intellect and conscience.
Intellect and conscience compelled Ali not to turn away
his face from the people who sought justice and not to
the people. According to him oppression was a curse in
whatever shape it might be, but the worst oppression was
that exercised by the powerful on the weak, by the
hoarder on the public, and by the ruler on the ruled. He
could not ignore an oppression, which might give birth to
wickedness and crime in the society.
Study v Nahj al-Balaghah' and you will see how fiery
his words are when he speaks about the exploitation of the
people. He mentioned this topic in every speech of his.
His remarks show that he was fully convinced that exploi-

tation of the wealth of others is a social crime. Whoever
acquires wealth by unlawful means is an oppressor and
must be punished for his offence. In one of his sermons Ali
says about the hoarders: "And he should remember the
wealth which he accumulated and did not care as to where
he acquired it from (i.e. did not make any difference
between lawful and unlawful sources) and collected wealth
by lawful and unlawful means. He should rest assured that
he will be punished for accumulating the wealth by illegal
means".

However, as regards accumulation of wealth which is
untainted by usurpation, oppression and hoarding he says:
"Whoever dies while earning by lawful means will die in
such a condition that God will be pleased with him".
It was for this reason that Ali had decided that he
would demolish the structures which had been erected on
the foundation of usurpation and oppression, abolish the
custom of spending the wealth of the public treasury on
one's relatives, and would not permit the influential class
to exploit the common man. In one of his speeches he
declared thus in clear words: "Look here! Whoever was
assigned a Jagir by Uthman out of Allah's property should
return it to the public treasury because nothing can annul
an old right. If I come to know that women have been
married by spending the money of the public treasury or
that money has been distributed in different cities, my
utmost effort will be to restore that money to its original
position. Justice covers a wide range, and if justice is hard
upon a person injustice will be more hard upon him".
It is possible that there may have been some kings
and rulers who may not have given anything to an
undeserving person from the public treasury and may not
have spent public money lavishly on their friends and
relatives. However, we do not come across anyone like
Ali, who compelled those who had become rich by
unlawful means during the period of the former govern-
ments to render account of their earning and to return to
the public treasury the wealth which they had earned
unlawfully. This brave action of Ali proves that he had
immense knowledge of the state of affairs and had such
a perfect faith in social justice as was not possessed by
any one else.
If the rule that only that person, who works hard

and renders service to the society should be rewarded is
correct then the question arises as to what public service
Harith son of Hakam had renderd that he should have
been given three hundred thousand dirhams by Uthman
from the public treasury on the day his (Harith's) marriage
took place? Was marrying Uthman's daughter a public
service? 1

What service had Talha and Zubayr rendered to the
M uslims as a recompense whereof they got such large
amounts of dirhams and dinars and big jagirs from Uthman
that if they had been distributed among the hundreds of
thousands of the Muslims all of them would have become
rich and would have got more than they might have hoped
and desired? 2

What preferential rights did Talha and Zubayr possess
that they should have had thousands of slaves and slave-girls?
Even if it is admitted that they embraced Islam at its
earliest stage and were the distinguished companions
of the prophet and had rendered great services to Islam
they had done all this for the sake of God and should
have expected its reward from God in the Hereafter. God
never allows the efforts of the righteous to go in vain.
Whatever services they rendered to Islam were rendered by
them to seek the pleasure of God and it is He who gives
the best reward. But what special right had they on the
public treasury on which all the Muslims enjoyed equal
rights? What deeds of public welfare were performed
by the relatives of Uthman as a reward for which he
opened the doors of the public treasury for them, entrusted
the administration of the state to them, made them the
masters of the lives, property and honour of the Muslims
and allowed them to utilize everything in whatever manner
they liked? One of these relatives of his was Mu'awiya,
who was notorious for taking bribes. And there were many
other relatives and friends of his including Hakam son of
x Aas and Abdullah son of Sa'd.
What services had Mu'awiya rendered to Islam as a
reward for which he was made the governor of Palestine
and Hamas, besides Syria, and was also entrusted the
command of four armies? From where did the relatives of
Uthman acquire such immense wealth and how did they
erect lofty palaces in all cities and villages? When these
persons did not render any public service from where did

they get capital to finance these projects? If a person
possesses usurped wealth for a long time he does not
become its owner nor does that wealth become his personal
property. Falsehood does not become truth if it persists
for a long time.

It was for this reason that AN had decided to get
restored to the public treasury all those lands and wealth
which had been given by Uthman to undeserving persons
by depriving those who deserved them even though that
wealth might have been scattered in different cities or
given to women as their dowry. J ustice is a means of
prosperity and comfort for the people and it cannot be
limited or confined.

Another point which deserves attention is this that
AN considered the lands, which had been made personal
property by the people on account of their being Uthman's
relatives or favourites, as well as the benefits drawn from
them, to be usurped property. AN knew very well what
sort of people Uthman's kinsmen were. He was aware that
after usurping the lands they would take forced labour
from the common people and accumulate the produce and
would acquire more property with this income. Thus their
capital would increase day after day and whereas others
would continue to become poorer they themselves would
grow richer and richer. Then these big landowners would
purchase the holdings of small owners and consequently
only two classes would be left. viz. the capitalists and the
indigent who would have to depend on the former and
serve them. In his testament for Malik Ashter AN says:
"Beware! Do not give a land tp any of your associates and
relatives. He should not expect from you that you will
allow him to occupy a land which is harmful for the
neighbouring people in the matter of irrigation or any
other common matter, so that he may throw the burden
thereof on others".

The fears of the Commander of the Faithful about
the jagirs proved to be too true. Those persons took
abundant forced labour from the common people and
subjected them to every kind of injustice and oppression.
Dr. Taha Husayn writes in the first volume of his
book entitled N AI-fitnatu'l Kubra 1 : "On the one side there
were big landowners and nobles and on the other side
there were indigent persons who were the slaves of these

land-owners and nobles. Out of them there emerged a new
class in Islam i.e. those who were the chiefs of the nation
according to the tribal custom prevalent in the Arabian
Peninsula and had now become more distinguished and
dignified on account of abundant wealth and a large
number of associates.

According to AN all are entitled to share the profit
which accrues from gold and land and only that person,
who works harder and is also more needy, is entitled to a
larger share. Whoever denies this reality commits treachery
with his people.

In the eyes of AN the greatest treachery is the
treachery committed with the public. AN considers that
man who commits treachery with the public to be mean
and despicable. He never relied upon such persons and
never associated with them.

AN endeavoured to safeguard the rights of the people to
the utmost extent. Whenever he took a decision none could
make him deviate from it. He did not care if the people
deserted him and joined the enemy. He was the embodi-
ment of truth and whatever he said was absolute justice.
AN did not show preferential treatment even to the
devoted companions of the prophet, who had participated
in the battles along with him. He says: "Beware! There are
some persons among you whom the world has made
prosperous. They have acquired lands and dug canals.
They ride on strong horses and possess larger number of
slaves and slave-girls. If I prohibit them tomorrow from
doing things in which they are immersed and restrict them
to the rights of which they are well aware they should not
complain that AN has deprived them of their rights.
Remember! Whether they be the Muhajirs or the Ansar,
whoever from amongst them thinks that he is superior to
others is mistaken. Superiority will be decided upon before
God on the Day of J udgment. It is only God who can
reward the people. Remember! Whoever has acknowledged
God and His prophet, certified our community, joined
our religion and turned to our qiblah is entitled to the
rights and responsibilities of Islam. All of you are the
slaves of God and the wealth, which belongs to God will be
divided amongst you equally. None enjoys preference
over another. The righteous and the pious will get better
reward from God".

This very equal treatment meted out by AN to

common people made the nobles and distinguished persons

among Quraysh leave AN and join Mu'awiya as will be

mentioned in detail later.

It was impossible for AN to prefer those who enjoyed

a higher position to those who were at a comparatively

lower level, because according to him the criterion of

virtue and excellence was not that which was prevalent

in his days. He did not prefer a Qurayshite to a non-

Qurayshite or an Arab to a non-Arab, because he considered

all men to be brothers of one another. He could not flatter

those chiefs and nobles as Mu'awiya did, nor could he

attract people towards himself by means of the wealth of

the Muslims.

Malik Ashtar said to the Commander of the Faithful:

"0 Commander of the Faithful! We joined the people

of Basra and Kufa and performed jihad against the people

of Basra. At that time all were of one view. Thereafter

differences arose. Their intentions became weak and their

number decreased. You are just to all and act according to

what is right. Consequently they got scared on account of

your justice. On the other hand they saw the policies and

methods which Mu'awiya adopts with regard to the

rich and the noble, because there are very few people in

the world who do not aspire for wordly gains. There are

many who buy falsehood at the price of truth and adopt

the world. In case, therefore, you distribute wealth lavishly

among the people and give more to the influential persons

you will see how their necks become inclined towards you

and how they sing songs in your praise and become your

well-wishers. May God settle your affairs and disperse and

weaken the association and the deceit of your enemies.

God is certainly aware of their deeds".

AN said in reply: "You have said that I act according

to justice. The reason for this is that God says: "Whoever

does good deeds does them for his own benefit and

whoever does bad deeds suffers on their account. God does

not do injustice to His slaves".

If I violate this rule I am afraid that I will have to

suffer on this account. As regards your saying that some

persons have deserted us because truth is intolerable for

them, God knows better that they have not left us because

we have been unjust to them. And it is also not so that

after leaving us they have sought refuge with a just person.
There is no reason for their deserting us except that they
have sought the material world and this world is not
lasting. On the Day of J udgmentthey will be questioned as
to whether they sought the world or acted for the sake of
God. Now as regards our spending money to attract the
people it is not lawful for us to give anyone from the
public property more than what he is entitled to. (And
I do not bother if the number of my adherents decreases
owing to my being just) God says thus and what He says is
correct: "Many people who are smaller in numbers over-
power those who are stronger numerically. God is with
those who are patient".

God appointed the prophet to the prophetic mission
when he was all alone. He had few supporters and then
their number increased. He bestowed honour on his group
after they had been humiliated. If God wishes to give
a better turn to our affairs He will solve these difficulties
and make the matters easy for us".
The gist of his policies and the method of his govern-
ment is embodied in the testament which he wrote and
gave to Malik Ashtar while appointing him the governor of
Egypt. He said therein: "Beware! Do not appropriate to
yourself the things in which all the people have equal share".
The public rights are those which vest in all the
citizens equally and those are the rights to which Ali has
alluded in his above remarks.

1 Uthman gave three hundred thousand dirhams to Harith son

of Hakam (brother of Marwan) who was his second son-in-law

and husband of his daughter Ayesha (Kitab al-Ansab, Balazari,

Vol.5, p.58).

Balazari says at another place: Camels received as zakat were

brought before Uthman and he gave all of them to Harith son of

Hakam (Kitab al-Ansab, Vol.5, p. 28).

Allama Ibn Qutaiba, Ibn Abd Rabih and Ibn Abi al-Hadid

have narrated that the prophet had endowed "Mehzool 1 , a bazar of

Madina, upon the Muslims but Uthman gave it away to Harith

as J agir (Ma'arif, p. 84, Aqd al-Farid, p. 261, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah,

vol. l,p.27).

Uthman did favour to Harith in three ways:

(1) He gave three hundred thousand dirhams to Harith although
this amount was not Uthman's personal property but belonged to
the public treasury of the Muslims.

(2) He gave Harith all the camels which had been received by
way of zakat.

(3) He gave to Harith by way of J agir all the property which had
been endowed by the prophet upon the Muslims.

2 On account of the favours done by Uthman to his relatives,
friends and associates they became very rich. As a consequence of
the method adopted by him in the matter of division of wealth,
which was opposed to the Book and the Sunnah as well as to that
adopted by his predecessor, these people acquired big jagirs, cons-
tructed magnificent palaces and accumulated large amounts of wealth.
Zubayrson of Awam left behind eleven houses in Madina,
two in Basra, one in Kufa and one in Egypt. He had four wives.
They inherited one-eighth of his property and every one of them got
one million and two hundred thousands. Thus the entire poperty left
by him amounted to 59 millions and 800 thousands. (Sanih Bokhari,
vol.5 p. 21). In Sahih Bokhari only the number has been stated; it
has not been specified whether they were dirhams or dinars, but it
has been stated in Tarikh Ibn Kaseer that they were dirhams.
Allama Ibn Sa'd writes that Zubayr had jagirs in Egypt and
houses in Alexandria, Kufa and Madina. He also received income
from the suburbs of Madina. (Tabaqaat Ibn Sa'd, vol.2 p. 77,
Printed at Leiden)

Mas'udi says: "Zubayr left behind, on his death, one thousand
horses, one thousand slaves and slave-girls and many palaces and
jagirs. (Murooj al-Zahab,vol. l,p. 34).
Talha son of Obaidullah left behind himself one hundred
N buhars' (ox-skins) full of gold. Allama Ibn Abd Rabih has quoted
Khashni as having said that Talha left three hundred "buhars 1 of gold
and silver. Sibtlbn J auzi says that he left behind himself gold which
could be loaded on three hundred camels. (Tabqat Ibn Sa'd vol.3,
p. 158. Murooj al-Zahab,v. 1. p. 444. Aqd al-Farid, v.2. p. 275 etc).
Allama Balazari has narrated that during the age of ignorance
Hakam son of Aas was a neighbour of the prophetand after the
advent of Islam he was one of the deadly enemies and persecutors of
the prophet. When Mecca was conquered in the eighth year of
Migration he came over to Madina. It is doubtful whether he
embraced Islam. He used to follow the prophetand made ridiculous
signs towards him, mimicked him and made a wry face, and when
the prophet offered prayers he also stood behind him and made
signs with his fingers. The result was that the shape which he gave to

his face while mimicking the prophet became permanent and did not
change till he died. He also became insane.
One day while the prophet was staying in the house of one of
his wives, Hakam began peeping. The prophet recognized him. He
came out of the house and said: "Who will save me from this
accursed trembling person?" Then he added: "This Hakam and his
descendants cannot live where I live." He, therefore, exiled Hakam
and his family to the side of Taif. When the prophet breathed his last
Uthman approached Abu Bakr with the request that Hakam might
be permitted to return to Madina. Abu Bakr however, declined to
accede to his request saying that he could not grant asylum to a man
who had been exiled by the prophet, when Umar became the caliph
after Abu Bakr Uthman approached him with the same request, but
he also gave him the same reply which had been given by Abu Bakr.
However, when Uthman himself became the Caliph he called back
Hakam and the members of his family to Madina. He told the
Muslims that he had recommended to the prophet to permit Hakam
and the members of his family to return to Madina and the prophet
had promised that he would grant such a permission but he breathed
his last before this could be done. The Muslims did not believe what
Uthman said and disliked very much his having allowed Hakam and
his descendants to return to Madina. (Kitab al-Ansab vol.5, p. 27)
Uthman not only called back Hakam to Madina and made
him his chief adviser, but he also gave away to him the entire
property which had been collected as zakat and alms from the tribe
of Bani Qaza'a.

When Hakam entered Madina he was clad in rags and the
people could see in what miserbale condition he was. He had with
him a goat which he was driving. He entered Uthman's court in this
condition. However, when he left that place he was wearing a very
valuable fur cloak and had covered himself with a costly silken
sheet. (Tarikh Yaqoobi, Vol.2, p. 41)
Allama Balazari says: "Amongst the many acts of Uthman
which annoyed the people one was this that he deputed Hakam son
of Aas to collect zakat from Bani Qaza'a, which amounted to three
hundred thousand dirhams and when Hakam collected this money
and brought it to Uthman the latter gave away the entire amount to
him". (Tarikh al-Ansab, Balazari Vol.5, p. 28).
Allama Yaqoobi says that Uthman married his daughter to
Abdullah son of Khalid son of Aseed and ordered that six hundred
thousand dirhams might be given to him. He wrote to Abdullah son
of N Aamir that this amount might be paid out of the public treasury
of Basra. (Tarikh Yaqoobi, Vol.2, p. 145).

Allama Ibn Abd Rabih Qartabi, Allama Ibn Qutaiba and
Allama Ibn Abi al-Hadid have written that Uthman gave four
hundred thousand dirhams to Abdullah (Aqd al-Farid Vol.2, p. 261.
Ma N araf, p. 84 and Sharh Ibn Abi al-Hadid Vol.1, p. 66).
One fifth (khums) of the war booty which was received as
a result of the African war amounted to five hundred gold coins.
Uthman gave this amount to Marwan son of Hakam, who was his
cousin and son-in-law, being the husband of his daughter Umm Ayan.
Allama Ibn Athir writes: Khums (one-fifth) was brought
from Africa to Madina and Marwan purchased it for five hundred
thousand dinars. Uthman excused him from making payment of
this amount. This was one of those acts of Uthman which were
criticized by the people later. (Tarikh Yaqoobi, Vol.3, p. 38).
Allama Balazari and Ibn Sa'd have narrated that Uthman
endowed upon Marwan the "Khums" which was received from the
war in Egypt, and also bestowed large sums of money upon his
relatives. He explained away these acts by saying that he had shown
kindness to his kinsmen. The people disliked these actions of
Uthman very much and criticized him. (Tabqat Ibn Sa'd, V.3, p. 24.
(Printed at Leiden) and Kitab al-Ansab Balazari, Vol.5, p. 25).
Uthman gave one hundred thousand dirhams to Sa N id son of
N Aas. AN, Talha, Zubayr, Sa N d son of Abi Waqas and Abdur Rahman
son of Auf had a talk with him in this regard. He, however, told
them that Sa'id was a relative and a kinsman of his and by giving
the said amount to him he had shown kindness to a kinsman. (Kitab
al-Ansab, Vol.5, p. 28).

He gave large sum of money out of the public treasury to
Walid son of Aqba son of Abi Mu'eetwho was his brother from his
mother's side.

Allama Balazari says: "When Walid was appointed as governor
of Kufa Abdullah son of Mas'ud was the incharge of the public
treasury. Walid borrowed a large sum of money from the treasury.
The rulers used to borrow in this manner and returned it when they
received their salaries. After a few days Ibn Mas'ud demanded the
money back. Walid complained to Uthman against this demand by
Ibn Mas'ud. Thereupon Uthman wrote to Ibn Mas N ud: "You are only
a treasurer. Do not press Walid to return the money borrowed by
him. It is not proper to expostulate with him". (Kitab al-Ansab,
Vol. 5,p. 1)

The day on which Uthman got one hundred thousand dirhams
paid to Marwan from the public treasury he also got two hundred
thousand dirhams paid to Abu Sufyan. (Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah,
Allama Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Vol.8, p.27).

Allama Ibn Abi al-Hadid says that Uthman gave the entire
war booty received from different places in Africa, where battles
were fought, to his foster-brother Abdullah bin Abi Sarha to the
exclusion of all other Muslims (Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, V.l, p. 27).

Helping the needy

There are those common rights which were respected
by Ali himself and he also impressed upon others to
respect them. According to him the real duty of the
governors of the provinces and other officals was that they
should protect these rights and should not allow them to
be encroached upon.

If Ali appointed anyone as a ruler or removed him
from his office, it was for this very reason. According to
him these rights carried very wide meanings and were of
many kinds. The purport of all of them was, however,
that the needs of every person should be met and no one
should remain hungry, because remaining hungry is the
greatest insult to humanity.

There is no harm in violating the laws which cannot
eliminate the indigence of the people. Just as in the creed
of Ali worship must not estrange man from the society and
religion means good behaviour towards the people, and
true religious beliefs are those which promote righteous-
ness, in the same manner the laws should be such as meet
the needs of the people and ensure elimination of poverty
and indigence, so that man may not be humiliated in his
own eyes and become dejected.
It is not a favour but the duty of a ruler and a
law-giver to enact laws which relieve the people of need
and indigence, and they are entitled to demand such laws
from him.

Ali safeguarded the rights of the people so meticulously
that it is almost impossible to find any sermon, speech or
testament of his in which he may not have mentioned
these rights and may not have drawn the attention of the
governors and the officials to them.
Meeting the needs of the people was undoubtedly the
greatest duty of the ruler and the law-giver and the greatest
right of the people in the eyes of Ali.
It was Ali who considered the greatest sin of Kaiser
and Kisra to be this (although the list of their sins is quite
long) that they humiliated their subjects, did not look
after their rights, deprived them of the bounties of the
earth and the comforts of life and tried to make them

indigent and despicable. He says: "Think over the agitation
and distress of the people when Kaiser and Kisra were their
rulers. They had expelled them from fertile lands and the
water and verdure of Iraq and transferred them to a place
where there was no vegetation and where there was nothing
except violent winds, and had made them extremely poor
and indigent.

Whenever a governor or an official committed breach
of trust of public property (whether the amount involved
was small or large) Ali threatened him with severe punish-
ment. He was deeply grieved as and when he came to know
that a governor or an official had usurped a property or
had been guilty of hoarding, and he reprimanded him in
very severe terms. He once wrote thus to a governor:
'T understand that you have usurped the land belonging to
the public treasury and have appropriated what was under
your feet and eaten what was in your hands. You should,
therefore, send me your account".
The sentence "Send me your account" in the letter of
the Commander of the Faithful deserves attention. This
sentence carries very vast meanings. He was so keen to
enforce justice that he could not tolerate any excuse or
slackness in this behalf.

Besides possessing a firm faith Ali was a subtle
observer and was fully aware of the mysteries of human
society, and the mutual relations of the public. He knew
which rights had been encroached upon, and which of
them were going to be encroached upon. He fully realized
that injustice and oppression was harmful for the society
internally as well as externally and the oppressors as well
as the oppressed were threatened with grave dangers. He
considered pleading for justice and administration of
justice to be necessary even though it might be disliked by
the governors and the officials. He wrote with much
annoyance: "Send me your account".
He was informed about another governor having mis-
appropriated public property. He wrote to him imme-
diately as under: -

"Fear God and return the property of the people
to them. If you do not do so and then God grants me
control over you I shall acquit myself of my responsibili-
ties in the matter and shall strike you with my sword, and
whoever has been the victim of it has always gone direct to

Hell. By God, even if Hasan and Husayn had done what
you have done I would not have been lenient to them and
they would not have been able to make me accede to any
wish of theirs till I had taken back the right (of others)
from them and had effaced the results arising out of
injustice".

The Commander of the Faithful sent a man named
Sa v d to Ziad bin Abih to bring some money which was
lying with him. The Commander of the Faithful had
received information that Ziad was leading a luxurious life
and that he was accumulating wealth himself and did not
give anything to the widows, the orphans and the indigent.
When Sa v d approached Ziad and demanded the money the
latter behaved proudly and rebuked him. Sa v d came back
and informed Ali about what had happened. Thereupon
Ali wrote a letter to Ziad on these lines: M Sa v d has
informed me that you have rebuked him without any
justification and behaved with him haughtily and proudly,
notwithstanding the fact that the prophet has said that
greatness belongs to God only and whoever is proud incurs
His wrath. Sa v d has also informed me that you eat food of
various kinds and perfume yourself everyday. What harm
will accrue to you if you also fast for a few days for the
sake of God and give away a part of your wealth as charity
in the path of God, and eat many times the food which
you eat once, or let an indigent person eat it.
You, who are rolling in bounties, do not look after
your poor neighbours, the weak and needy widows and the
orphans. Do you desire, inspite of all this, that you should
get the reward of the righteous persons who give alms?
Sa v d has also told me that you speak like the righteous but
act like the evil-doer? If you really do so you have been
cruel to yourself and have wasted your actions. You
should repent before God and reform your ways and should
be moderate in your acts. You should send forward what-
ever surplus property you possess for the day on which
you will need it, in case you are a true believer. And use
perfume on alternate days and that should not be too
much. The prophet has said: "Use perfume on alternate
days and do not use it excessively. Peace be on you".
The Commander of the Faithful sent successive
orders to the governors and warned them severely against
misappropriating public property and taking bribes. He

considered such activities to be the worst relationship
between the rulers and the ruled and a great barrier between
title and the entitled person. He was well aware of the
harm which these bad habits were likely to do to the
people. Once he received information that a military officer
had taken bribe. He held his hand and gave it such a
violent jerk that it was about to be dismembered from his
body. Then he said to him: "The people earlier than you
were annihilated because they deprived the people of their
rights and they were, therefore, obliged to acquire their
rights by offering bribes. They compelled the people to do
invalid things as a result of which falsehood became
prevalent".

Once a governor was invited to a feast. The governor
accepted the invitation and participated in the party.
When the Commander of the Faithful came to know about
this he reprimanded the governor severely saying: "Enter-
taining a governor is bribe. Why was this bribe given?
If it was given to establish a right it is the duty of a
governor to give the entitled persons their right without
taking bribe, or this bribe was given to validate something
invalid. If that be the case it is not lawful for a governor to
do any such thing even though the entire world may be
offered to him as bribe.

The second thing is: why did the governor participate
in a feast to which the rich were invited but the indigent
were ignored and thus a discrimination was made between
the slaves of Allah? This discrimination pained many
persons and also grieved Ali. Of course if the society is
prosperous and the people are well-to-do there is no harm
in inviting only some persons to a party to the exclusion of
others. However, when the conditions are such that there
are poor as well as rich persons in the society, does the
extension of an invitation to a governor to participate in
a feast not amount to giving him bribe?
Some persons may think that such severity on the
part of Ali with regard to the governors and the officials
was not appropriate and they did not deserve to be
censured and reprimanded in this manner. However, if
such persons become aware of the facilities provided by
Ali to the officers which made it absolutely unnecessary
for them to take bribes or to resort to mis-appropriation of
funds they will acknoweldge that the severity expressed

by Ali towards the officials was not unjustified.
Another point also deserves attention here and it is
that Ali did not consider it permissible that the officials
should take advantage of their position vis-a-vis the public
even to the extent of a feast, because such an advantage
also amounts to theft or bribe. And when Ali did not
permit an officer to accept an invitation to a feast by way
of bribe how could he tolerate that he should appropriate
a whole city to himself or should take the property of the
people from them by way of bribe?
A far-sighted person who has an eye on the realities is
obliged to be severe and to nip the evil in the bud.
Restraint on the officials commenced in the days of Ali
and not during the period of Uthman. Ali gave such
handsome salaries to the governors as were sufficient
for their needs. There could, therefore, be no justification
for their taking bribes.

If Ali was severe with the corrupt officers he was also
affable with the righteous ones. He acknowledged their
rights and encouraged them for their devotion towards
their Imam and for their services to the Muslims.
The letter which he wrote to Umar son of Abi Salma,
the governor of Behrain whereby relieving him of his
assignment and asking him to come over to him to
accompany him in the Syrian campaign deserves to be
studied. He wrote to him: "I have entrusted the gover-
norship of Behrain to No v man son of Ajlan Zarqi and have
relieved you of it. However, I have not done this because
you have been considered to be incompetent or because
you have been accused of anything improper. The fact is
that you have run the administration very competently
and faithfully. You should, therefore, come over here and
join me. There is nothing against you. The actual position
is this that I have decided to proceed against the Syrian
rebels and wish that you should be with me because you
are one of those persons who can assist me in fighting
against the enemy and erecting the pillar of the faith".
He always adopted this firm policy with regard to the
officers. He encouraged those who were righteous and
was severe to those who did evil deeds. He neither wavered,
nor minced words nor resorted to connivance or deceit.
His real object was the welfare of the Muslims and the
establishment of justice among all, whether they were

the rulers or the ruled.

Those officers who did not misappropriate public
funds and did not take bribe received salaries from the
public treasury according to their needs, and the Comman-
der of the Faithful praised and encouraged them. As
regards the dishonest officers, however, Ali reprimanded
and censured them in the first instance and then dismissed
them. In case their crimes were more serious he also
sentenced them to imprisonment. Besides the governors
there were some persons who had usurped the property of
others and had accumulated large amount of wealth by
unlawful means. The Commander of the Faithful subjected
them to severe accountability and did not show them any

leniency. He severely opposed their greed to accumulate
wealth and their sensual and luxurious life, and endeavoured
to become a wall between them and their wealth which
they were keen to increase. He opposed verbally as well as
practically the usurpation of the property of others and
severely prohibited hoarding. In the testament addressed
to Malik Ashtar he wrote inter alia: "Keep this also in
mind that many of these persons are habituated to parsi-
mony and stinginess. They hoard to make profit and weigh
lesser and charge more. This thing is harmful for the public
and a defect of the rulers. You should, therefore, prevent
them from hoarding".

Then he says: "If someone is guilty of hoarding after
your having prohibited it you should punish him, but you
must ensure that no excess or oppression is done in your
action".

As regards occupation of Jagir and land by the
people the view held by Ali was compatible with reason as
well as a source of virtue. We have already discussed this
matter in the foregoing pages.
Subjecting others to forced labour and exploiting
their earnings is also a kind of hoarding. Ali did not
tolerate this also, and has mentioned it at various places in
Nahj al-Balaghah. While describing the condition of the
people of his time he says: "There are many persons whose
endeavours have been wasted and whose efforts have
gone in vain. You people are living in a time when good-
ness is receding and wickedness coming nearer and nearer.
Satanic avarice is killing the people. Wherever you cast

your eye you will see indigent persons, who are suffering
on account of poverty, or the rich who are guilty of
ingratitude to God, or the stingy persons who do not
pay God's dues and are keen to increase their wealth.
What has happened to your righteous and pious people?
Where are those noble and magnanimous persons, who
were pious in earning wealth and pure in their actions and
conduct?"

In fact the Commander of the Faithful had clearly
understood this reality by means of his correct thinking,
pure disposition and high morality that a system which
cannot eliminate the indigence of the people is worthless
and a law which cannot do away with class discrimination
is useless and undesirable. All those social laws, which
give birth to a society, in which people are divided into
classes, are a plaything in the hands of those, who call
themselves the nobles and the dignitaries and exploit the
rights and property of the common man in a most shame-
less manner.

Ali took positive steps to eliminate the poverty of the
people. His actions were based on two principles: Firstly
that the entire wealth of the public treasury and the lands
and property and all means of earning wealth belong to the
nation and it is necessary that they should be distributed
among all the citizens according to their needs and entitle-
ment. Every person should work and benefit from these
resources according to his efforts. None is entitled to
appropriate whatever he likes and to convert the public
property into his special property. It is also in the interest
of the individuals that they should co-operate with the
society. They should prove themselve useful for others and
should also benefit from them. The benefits which they
will derive from the society will be thousands of times
more than those which they render to the society.
Ali says: "Whoever withholds his hand from doing
harm to his people apparently withholds only one hand
but actually keeps thousands of hands away from himself".
The government should adopt this just policy in
right earnest because the people are like a body and it is
necessary for the government to treat every limb of that
body according to its needs. It should neither ignore
anyone, nor neglect the right of anyone, nor permit any
discrimination between them. It is in such circumstances

that it can become possible for the government to realize
revenue and obtain other rights of the public treasury from
the nation and spend it on the projects of public welfare.
The second thing on which Ali based his actions was
the development of land, because the life of human beings
and their welfare depend on land. He was of the view that
the governors and officers should take much greater
interest in the development of land as compared with
the effort which they make to realize government revenue,
because if land is not developed from where will the
revenue come? A ruler who does not develop land, but
wants to realize revenue from the public, is ignorant
and unjust. He desires that the cities should be destroyed,
the people should be ruined and he himself should lose his
dignity and honour. The land is neither developed auto-
matically nor by means of the ignorance or power of the
rulers. Development of land does not also mean that
magnificent palaces should be erected on it to accomodate
rich people. Land is developed with the efforts of the
labourers and the residents of villages. The Commander of
the Faithful had given strict instructions that if the people
were distressed and were not happy with their rulers
revenue should not be realized from them.
The principles of kindness to the subjects and philan-
thropy and the moral values demand that the subjects
should pay the revenue voluntarily and not under duress.
It is the duty of governors to make the subjects prosperous
in the first instance and then to think of collecting the
revenue. The Commander of the Faithful has addressed

the collectors of revenue in these words: " Don't

sell the winter or summer clothings of the people or the
animals used by them, in order to collect revenue. Don't
flog any person or make him stand on his feet for the sake
of money, and don't sell any of their things for this purpose,
because God has ordered us to take that which is surplus".
He also says: "In the matter of revenue keep in view
the interests of those who pay the revenue, because the
affairs of others can be set right only by means of taxes
and the tax-payers".

These views of the Commander of the Faithful about
land and its development and the conclusion drawn by him
that the welfare of government depends on the welfare of
the people are so true and correct that nothing wrong

about them has been found even after the lapse of so many
centuries. All the economic and social theories of the
modern times also confirm these views.
Ali prescribed a general rule for the development of
land and the extraction of wealth from its heart which
is admitted by the social sciences of our time, to be
absolutely correct.

During the age of ignorance there was a custom that
the powerful persons forced the slaves, prisoners and
subordinates to develop their lands. They gave these
workers paltry wages at their own sweet will but appro-
priated the produce of the land themselves without having
done any work.

According to their law man did not carry any value
and his labour did not deserve any reward. The rulers
considered the people to be their slaves and subjected
them to forced labour. Their very religion was based on
making people their slaves or in other words on killing
and destroying those helpless and afflicted persons. The
people were ignorant and the rulers, taking undue
advantage of their ignorance, made them their slaves.
The idolatrous priests, who were the religious leaders of
those times had also declared slavery to be lawful and had
thus strengthened the hands of the rulers. These priests
had befooled the people in such a way that they were
prepared to make supreme sacrifices for the sake of their
rulers to enable them to increase their wealth and add new
lands to their territories. All this was done either in the
name of the homeland or in the name of the deity, whom
they worshipped.

The famous British historian H.G. Wells says: "The
idolatrous priests told the people that the lands which they
tilled did not belong to them. They belonged to the gods
whose image they had hung in the temples, and those gods
had given those lands to the rulers. Now it depended upon
the sweet will of the rulers to give the lands to those
servants of theirs whom they liked".
The peasants also began to entertain the belief that
the land which they ploughed did not belong to them,
but were owned by the god (idol) and it was their duty to
surrender a part of the produce of the land to the represen-
tative of the god. Or that the god had given the land
to the ruler and he was entitled to impose thereon any

taxes he liked. Or that the ruler had given the land to the
landlord who was their master. If at times the idol, the
ruler or the landlord needed the services of the peasant it
was his duty to leave other work and carry out the orders
of his master. The peasant did not even think that he had
any right on the land which he ploughed. In short the
peasant neither possessed any freedom of will nor enjoyed
any right.

The history of Arabia tells us that the persons who
assumed the reins of government after Ali monopolized
the lands, their produce, and the public treasury for their
personal benefit. They used to say: "The entire wealth
belongs to God and we are his representatives and vice-
gerents on earth. It is our prerogative to give this wealth
to whomsoever we like. Nobody is entitled to criticize
us in this regard". 1

However, Ali knew the position very well. He was
very far-sighted and was well aware that God does not
need land or wealth and the land belongs to those who
work on it. Ali also knew that if the peasants are indigent
the land will become waste and it will be difficult to
realize any revenue. Land can be developed only by those
people who are its owners and derive profit from its
produce. If the peasants know it for certain that they will
not be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour and it will
reach the treasuries of the extravagent rulers, they will
work half-heartedly and will not make any effort to
develop the land. 2 Consequently they themselves will be
in distress and others will also be deprived of the fruits of
their labour.

In case, however, they know that the more they
produce with their hard work the more they themselves
and their children will benefit from it, and the rulers too
will not distribute the revenue among their friends and
relatives, but will spend it on projects of public welfare,
they will work whole-heartedly. As a result of this they
will become prosperous and additional revenue will also
accrue to the government treasury.
In the eyes of the Commander of the Faithful the
happiness and goodwill of the subjects was the only source
of the welfare of the people as well as the good condition
of the rulers. He did not believe in coercion and said:
"The best source of satisfaction and heartfelt happiness for

a ruler is that justice should be established and the love
of the subjects for the rulers should become patent. They
do not display love so long as there is ill feeling in their
hearts and their devotion cannot be relied upon so long as
they are not prepared to defend their ruler and do not
cease to think that his rule has been burdensome and
it will come to an end after a long time".
AN considered farming and all other professions to be
respectable. He prohibited people from remaining idle and
considered it essential that a worker should be paid wages
commensurate with his work. He exercised much strictness
in these matters so that the people might realize that he
was not going to pay anything which had not been earned
by the person concerned by means of his work. The
incident of his real brother Aqil son of Abu Talib is well
known. He approached AN to make him some payment
without any work or service, but AN declined to accede
to his request.

In the eyes of AN there was no injustice greater than
that a worker should not be paid his wages or that he
should be deprived of his right even to the smallest extent.
According to him it was also highly improper that the
work done by persons belonging to the higher class should
be applauded whereas that done by the ordinary persons
should be looked down upon. According to him what
mattered was the work and its real value whether it was
done by a big man or an ordinary person. There were
many workers in his time who worked hard but were not
rewarded for their labour. The Commander of the Faithful
disliked it very much. These words of his are a beacon light
in the path of social and moral principles: "Keep eye on
the achievement of every person and do not attribute the
achievement of one person to another, and do not deprive
the real person of the reward to which he is entitled on
account of the work done by him. Never treat an ordinary
work to be great on account of high position of the
doer, and never treat a great work to be ordinary on
account of the low position of the person who has done it.
Development of land and payment of full wages,
commensurate with the work done, were the two strong
pillars on which Ali intended to erect the structure of a
good and pious society. Some persons belonging to a parti-
cular place came to him and said: "There is a canal in our

area which is now filled with dust. If it is dug again it will
be very beneficial for us". They then requested him to
write to the governor of the area to make it compulsory
for everyone to dig the canal. The Commander of the
Faithful approved the digging of the canal but did not
accede to their request that the people should be compelled
to dig it. He wrote thus to Qarza son of Kaa'b the governor
of the area: "Some persons belonging to your area came to
me and told me that there was a canal in that region which
is now filled with dust. If these people dig the canal once
again it will lead to the development of the area and they
will be able to pay the revenue. This will also lead to the
increase in the income of the Muslims residing in the area.
These persons asked me to write a letter to you
desiring you to collect the people of that place to dig the
canal and to make it obligatory upon them to bear the
expenses of the work.

I do not consider it appropriate to compel any person
to do a work which he does not like to do. You should,
therefore, call the people and employ those of them who
are willing to do the work. When the canal is ready only
those persons who do digging work will be entitled to use
it, and those who do not participate in the work will have
no right on its water. If those people develop their area
and their financial position improves, it is much better
than their remaining weak".
AN did not consider it lawful to subject anyone to
forced labour, although a group of persons wished to resort
to this practice. The thing which matters is that one should
work. AN, therefore, said to those people: "You have been
ordered to work (and not to remain idle). As regards the
canal only those persons, who participate in its digging,
will be entitled to benefit from it. Those who do not want
to do this work cannot be compelled to do it. Work should
be done willingly and not under coercion". This is the
principle which AN followed very strictly.
By formulating this rule about work and the workers
centuries ago AN surpassed the western thinkers. The
western thinkers are putting forth so vehemently the same
thing today which was said by AN thirteen hundred years
ago. He provided a basis for justice and a better basis
cannot be imagined. 3 And that basis is that none should
be subjected to forced labour, however beneficial the work

may be, because taking work by force is an insult to
humanity. It reduces the value of man and infringes his
inherent freedom. Furthermore, work taken under
compulsion loses its value, because one who is forced to
perform a job will not perform it whole-heartedly. AN,
however, encouraged the people in another way to do the
work by saying that only those persons who participate in
digging the canal would be entitled to benefit from it. He
said: "The owners of the canal are those persons who
participate in digging it and not those who refrain from

doing so". 4 This principle enuniciated by AN is the pillar
on which the greatest beliefs and ideas of the western
thinkers are based.

Hence it is necessary for every person to work. None
is great or small except through his work. Whoever works
shall be rewarded for it. The aristocrates and dignitaries
are not entitled to usurp the earnings of others and
encroach upon their rights. As said by AN if God likes any
one he likes an honest worker. If a person earns some
wealth by hardwork it naturally belongs to him because
he has worked for it. However, he must also take the
interest of the nation into account. The said property will
be treated to be his personal property so long as public
interests are not jeopardized. If public interests demand
that a part of the personal property of the individuals
should be taken and spent for public welfare this will be
done. This wealth is meant for the benefit of the individuals
as well as for the welfare of the society (it was on this
account that revenue was realized from the owners of the
canal for the public treasury) when ownership is circum-
scribed in this manner there will neither be excessive
wealth with anyone nor will there be any indigent person
in the society.

In every nation there are certain persons (for example
young orphans) who are not able to do any work. Did AN
ignore such persons, as is done by the western countries,
or did he take care of them according to the rules of
justice and morality?

There is no doubt about the fact that the nation has
rights on the individuals and the individuals have rights on
the nation. The nation is like a body which is composed of
different limbs. It is necessary for every limb to help other
limbs. Every person is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his

labour. God has given a share of the necessities of life to
everyone. None is, therefore, entitled to appropriate the
necessities of life to the exclusion of others. However,
it is the responsibility of the nation to support those who
are unable to earn, for example small children and old

persons. 5 It should do justice to the helpless persons in
the same manner in which it does justice to others. It is
an exclusive right of theirs, and not an act of kindness and
the governments and its representatives are responsible to
pay this right. AN Says: "Out of all members of the society
these persons are more deserving of justice. Hence you
should pay the right of everyone of them and equip your-
self with an excuse to be presented before God. Take care
of the orphans and the old persons who can neither earn
their livelihood nor stand before others to beg".
AN has gone ahead of thousands of western thinkers
and philosophers in this matter. He realized the necessity
of paying the rights of the helpless persons and made it
a responsibility of the government. He did not let it
depend on the kindness and generosity of the rich so that
the deceitful hypocrites might not get any chance to
spread mischief. 6

Ali's conscience as well as his intellect were well
aware of the reality that all human beings are entitled to
live. This right is one of the necessities of social life.
Freedom is of no use if sustenance is not available and
a good society cannot come into being without it. He
promulgated the law that all human beings enjoy equal
rights. Then in the light of the same law he decided that
the needy persons had preferential rights over the public
treasury as compared with the rich persons even though
those rich persons might have embraced Islam earlier.
It is work which entitles one to wages and it is also
work by means of which one can become the owner of
land and property.

In the orders which the Commander of the Faithful
sent to the governors and other officers every now and
then he strictly warned them not to harass the people.
He directed them not to press the indigent peasants for
payment of revenue but to render them assistance so that
they might work hard and produce more from the land.
Taxes should be realized from the rich so that the income
of the public treasury might increase and might be used to

help the needy.

How great and dignified Ali appears in our eyes when

we learn that fourteen hundred years ago he gave emphatic

orders to his governors on these lines: "Don't sell the

winter or summer dresses of the people, or their cereals, or

the animals used by them, to realize revenue. Don't flog

any person or make him stand on his feet for the sake of

money. Don't sell the household effects of any person to

get revenue - and pay more heed to the development of

land than to the collection of revenue".

The Commander of the Faithful has mentioned the

reason for the distressful condition of the indigent persons

of his time in a few brief sentences and has explained their

contents in numerous testaments and precepts. He says:

"If an indigent person remains hungry it is because the rich

man has withheld his share".

This is the greatest reality which is the basis of

modern equitable system. Ali had understood this reality

fourteen hundred years ago and formulated clear rules

and regulations, as were suited to his time.

A Lebanese writer who happens to be my friend says

that at one time he was residing in a big city of E urope and

the movement to put an end to poverty was being carried

on there. ne day he met the E ducation M inister of that

country and said to him during the course of conversation:

"We Arabs realized centuries ago the class discrimination

and its disadvantages which you are endeavouring to

eliminate now".

The Minister said: "How?" He replied: Fourteen

hundred years ago Ali son of Abu Talib said: "I have not

seen excessive wealth with anyone except that I have seen

simultaneously the right of someone being infringed".

The Minister said: "We are much better than you".

He said: "How?" The Education Minister said: "Because

although an Arab had understood this reality fourteen

hundred years ago you have not so far endeavoured to

eliminate indigence and are still involved in it whereas we

are already endeavouring to get rid of poverty. Hence you

are fourteen hundred years behind us. i.e. if we had heard

this sentence of Ali at that time we would have taken

necessary steps in this behalf immediately".

Before we end this chapter, it will be better to

recapitulate what has been stated above and to invite the

readers to compare the views of AN on social matters

with those of the modern thinkers and to reflect on them

judiciously.

We can mention the social principles and views of AN

in nine sentences. These principles and views consist of the

causes of affluence and indigence and the class differences

of the people or in other words the best rules and regulations

for eliminating poverty and need, and establishing equality

of rights between them.

(1) Prevent hoarding.

(2) No indigent person remained hungry except because
a rich man usurped his share.

(3) I have not seen excessive wealth with anyone except
that I have seen the right of someone being infringed.

(4) You should be more anxious to develop land then
to collect revenue.

(5) I do not consider it proper that a person should be
compelled to do a work which he does not like.

(6) The hearts of the pious people are in Paradise and
their bodies are busy doing work in the world.

(7) The canal belongs to him who participated in its
digging and not to him who did not provide physical or
financial assistance to dig it.

(8) Keep in view the achievement of a person, and do
not attribute the achievements of one person to another.

(9) Beware! Don't appropriate to yourselves the things
in which all have equal rights.

If these sentences of AN are studied carefully it
becomes known that the rights of man in the human
society can be protected and his freedom can be ensured
only by acting on those principles.

1 The fact is that this policy began to be acted upon during the
time of Uthman himself. During the time of the prophet and the
period of the caliphate of Abu Bakrand U mar everything belonged
to the Muslims and they were treated to have equal rights. However,
Uthman's attitude changed considerably. He considered everything
to be the property of God and considered himself to be the master
of the Muslims. He spent public property as he wished and gave it to
whomever he liked. The Commander of the Faithful has drawn
a picture of this period in these words: "Consequently the third

proudly took charge of the caliphate as if it was a private grazing
ground and with bloated stomachs he and members of his clan
(Bani Umayya) started plundering the wealth of the Muslim world in
the same reckless gluttonous manner which characterises a camel
when it devours harvest grass.

Uthman deprived the lawful claimants of that property which
belonged to all the Muslims and gave it to his kith and kin and near
and dear ones. On many occasions he uttered words which reflected
the beliefs of the age of ignorance according to which the lands and
its produce and the public treasury belonged to the ruler and he was
entitled to give it to whomsoever he liked. This sentence of his is
found in all history books: "This is God's property. I shall give it
to whomsoever I like and shall not give it to any one whom I do not
like to give. If any person gets annoyed I don't care".
Mu'awiya and other Umayyad caliphs were the relatives and
kinsmen of Uthman. Whatever they did during their own times was
done by them in imitation of Uthman.

2 This goes to show that if the peasants are allowed to share the
produce with the land-owners they will work hard to earn more
profit from the land. However, if their position is that of wage-
earners (as in socialism) they will not strive to increase the produce,
knowing that they will get the same wages whatever the quantity of
the produce may be.

Further, the socialist governments are a heavy burden on their
subjects. They interfere with all the affairs of the subjects and the
subjects, too are not faithful to such government, because they do
not have any faith in them.

3 The western philosophers are divided into two groups on this
question. One group considers forced labour to be unjust and
unlawful whereas the other group considers it to be necessary.
Socialism holds the latter view.

4 In the beginning of his letter addressed to the governor the
Commander of the Faithful had told him that he should encourage
the people to dig the canal and bear the expenses of the work. He
who could not personally work, should hire some one to work on his
behalf. Being "owners of the canal' means that those who participate
in its digging physically or financially own its water and so long as
their needs are not fulfilled others cannot utilize it. They have a
right to prevent others from taking the water or to allow them to
take it on payment. This is the purport of the tradition quoted
above viz. "The owners of the canal are those persons who
participate in digging it and not those who refrain from doing so".

5 In the Islamic law zakat has been made mandatory for this

very reason. Abdullah bin Sanan has been quoted in Kafi as saying
that Imam J a "far Sadiq said: "God has fixed that share of the
indigent persons in the wealth of rich which may suffice them. If He
had considered it to be insufficient He would have ordered that
more might be paid".

6 Meeting the needs of the indigent and helpless person is not
the responsibility of the government only as stated by the author. In
Islamic law the government as well as the individuals have been made
responsible to support the needy. If the collection of zakat and its
distribution among the poor had been the responsibility of the
government only, there would have been greater chances of malad-
ministration, because the persons nearer to government have benefited
to the exclusion of those who had been at a distance from the
government, and had no chances of approaching the authorities
concerned. It is for this reason that Almighty God has ordered the
individuals that they should pay zakat to their kinsmen, neighbours,
and the indigent persons of their own town of whose indigence they
are aware, and should hand it over to government only when none of
their relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, and residents of their
town is entitled to it.

Neither fanaticism nor infallibility

Ali marched steadfastly on the path of action fixed
by him for himself. He always looked upwards. He pres-
cribed the economic rights of man as well as other rights
without which the economic rights cannot materialize. He
did not do favour to any particular creed, colour or race.
All human beings are alike and all of them are entitled to
live and to share the amenities of life even though they
may be different in their creed, colour or race. Ali was
considerate to the entire mankind. According to him there
was no difference between the white-coloured and the
blackcoloured, the Arabs and the non- Arabs, Muslims and
non-Muslims in the matter of economic rights and the
amenities of life.

Although Ali was the successor to the prophet, the
fortress of Islam, and the Commander of the Faithful, he
did not at all wish that the non-Muslims should be
compelled to embrace Islam. According to him the people
were free to worship God as they liked and to hold the
beliefs of their choice subject to the condition that they

did not harm others. 1 He allowed freedom of faith
because all human beings are the slaves of God and religion
is a means of connection between Him and His creatures.
According to Ali one's being a human being was
sufficient for his being honoured, befriended and dealt
with kindly as well as for his rights being immune from
infringement by others. In the testament written by him
for Malik Ashtar, the Governor of Egypt, he said: "Do not
become a ferocious animal for them so that you may
devour them. 2 There are two kinds of persons amongst
the subjects, out of whom some are your brethren-in-faith
and others are creatures of God like you, and you should
be forgiving towards them just as you wish God to be
forgiving towards you. You should not feel elated when
you accord punishment.

In the circumstances everyone possesses the same
rights as you do , even though some or all of his beliefs
may be opposed to yours. The object of religion is
certainly that it should enable you to establish brotherly
relations with others. Others are as much human beings as

you are. This similarity of creation is a stronger connection
between you and others. You should, therefore, behave
kindly with all human beings. If your brother commits
a mistake or sin you should overlook his lapse and forgive
him, and should not at all feel ashamed in doing so. Purify
the hearts of others of enmity and grudge by purifying
your own hearts of these bad qualities in the first instance.
It is obligatory for every descendant of Adam, to
whatever religion or creed he may belong, that he should
sympathise with his fellow beings. He should like that
for others which he likes for himself and should not like
that for them which he does not like for himself. H e
should expect from others to the same extent to which
he meets th& expectations of others. A real believer is he
who endeavours to do good deeds. The best act is perfect
justice which means that you should be absolutely impartial
and should not discriminate between different persons. He
who follows the ways of Muhammad in leading his life is
not different from one who follows the ways of J esus or
other accomplished personalities. The object of the creation
of man is this that he should acquire virtues and excellence
and should acquire good attributes. He is free to achieve
this end by any means he likes. AN says: "It is necessary
for you to follow the prophet's actions when the world
was contracted from under his feet and he was kept away
from its enjoyments and embellishments. And if you so
desire you may see J esus Christ who used to recline on a
stone, wore coarse dress and ate tasteless and insipid food.
Hunger was his bread, the moon was his lamp, east and
west were his shade, and the grass constituted his fruits
and perfume. He had no wife who could allure him and no
children for whom he might be worried. He had no wealth
which might attract his attention nor any avarice which
might humiliate him. His feet were his means of transport
and his hands were his servants".
At another place Imam AN says: "These were the
people who made the earth their carpet and its dust their
bed. They contented themselves with water instead of
perfume and passed away from the world as J esus did".
The same reality which Muhammad had in view when
he said: "The prophets are brothers of one another. Their
mothers are different but their religion is one and the
same". The same reality was before AN when he said about

Muhammad: "The prophet spent his life in the same way
in which the earlier prophets spent their lives".
In these two statements it has been clearly admitted
that virtue is the thing which unites the people atone
point just as humanity is basically the point of unification.
What has been stated above makes it abundantly
clear that just as man possesses many other rights he has,
according to the laws enunciated by AN, this right also that
he should be free in the matter of his beliefs and there
should be no restriction on his holding any belief he likes.
Freedom cannot be divided. It is not possible that man
should be free in some respect and a captive in some other
respects. A Muslim is the brother of a Christian whether
he likes it or not, because a man is the brother of a man
whether he admits it or not. If in the eyes of AN the main
object of creating man as a free being had not been this
that he should make efforts to acquire virtues and if,
according to him, freedom had not been a sacred right, he
would not have praised the followers of J esus in the same
manner in which he praised the followers of Muhammad.
In the foregoing pages we have mentioned that a
Christian stole the coat-of-mail of AN and claimed that
he had purchased it. We have also mentioned how AN
behaved with the Christian as a person equal to himself,
rather in the manner in which a father behaves with his
son. We have also stated how AN lodged a complaint in
the court of the judge S hurayh and what its outcome was
and how the Christian became one of his sincere disciples
and vehemently helped him.
The history of Arabia is proud of the following
sentence of AN which adorns its pages: "If a carpet is
spread for me and I sit on it, I shall decide the cases of the
J ews according to their book "the Torah 1 , of the Christians
according to their book N the Evangel 1 and of the Muslims
according to their Qur'an, in such a way that everyone of
these books will cry out: "AN has spoken the truth".
AN instructed Ma N qal son of Qais as under:-
"0 Ma'qal! Fear God. Don't be unjust to the Muslims
and don't oppress the Zimmis. Don't be proud, because
God doesn't like the proud".
It shows that according to AN "fear of God' means
this that a person should not oppress his fellow-beings and
should not in any way be unjust to them. Furthermore,

he places the Muslims and the non-Muslims atthe same
level and does not accord preference to anyone of them.
This equality of the Muslims and the non-Muslims can
be observed in each and every order of AN. It would
appear that he considered the protection of the people
from injustice to be more important and necessary than
acquiring other Islamic virtues. He says: "If you follow
the path of truth, and the tenets of Islam become clear to
you, neither a Muslim nor a zimmi will be oppressed".
He severely reprimanded the Muslims when Sufyan son of
Auf Asadi, a commander of Mu'awiya's army invaded the
city of Anbar and committed atrocities on its residents but
they (the Muslims) did not side with the truth, and did
nothing to prevent oppression. In the course of his speech
he said:- "I have received information that, a member of
this group used to enter the houses of M uslims and Zimmi
women and removed the anklets from their feet and the
bangles from their hands as well as the necklace and
earrings which they were wearing and they had no means
of protection except that they should say: v We are from
God and we have to return to Him 1 and remain patient....
Now if a Muslim dies of sorrow on account of these
tragedies he cannot be blamed for it. In my opinion it
ought to be so".

AN censured and rebuked those people because they
failed to defend their brothers and sisters living in the city-
whether they were M uslims or Zimmis - against oppression.
When he appointed Muhammad son of Abu Bakras
Governor of Egypt he instructed him thus: "I recommend
to you to be equitable to the Zimmis, to do justice to an
oppressed person, to be severe upon the oppressor and to
be indulgent towards the people as far as possible and to
be kind to them. It is also necessary that in the matter of
truth the far and the near should be equal in your eyes".
The following sentence also appeared in the pact
which he concluded with the Christians of Najran: "They
will not be subjected to injustice and oppression nor will
any of their rights be reduced".
He also fixed the same blood-money for a Christian,
which is the blood-money for a M uslim.
According to AN every human being was entitled to
respect. It was for this reason that although the ignorant
and brainless followers of all past religions were extremely

fanatical and hated other religions, AN was loved very much
for his justice by the knowledgeable Christians during his
own time as well as afterward. All of them lauded and
praised him. Allama Ibn Abi'l Hadid writes thus in sharh
Nahj al-Balaghah: "What should I say about that man (AN)
whom the Zimmis loved ardently although they did not
acknowledge the prophethood (of Muhammad)".
AN had laid the very foundation of his treatment of
the non-Muslims on this principle "Their property is like
our property and their lives are like our lives".
The facts narrated above show clearly that religious
fanaticism was considered by AN to be something very
indecent and despicable. The freedom, which he believed
in, in a wide sense, and measured with an extended
measure was totally opposed to fanaticism.
When we visualize the treatment meted out by AN
to the non-Muslims, and compare it with the treatment
of the clergies of the Church in Europe of the Middle
Ages, especially those clergies who were responsible for
the "Inquisition 1 , and when we contrast the kindness and
forgiveness shown by AN with the severity and harshness
of the European religious leaders, we come to know how
exalted AN was and how low those people were.
In short there should be no doubt about it because
Ali's faith had sprung from the roots of humanity,
freedom and authority and it was according to the view
and belief which AN held about life. Ali's faith was based
on freedom and he considered freedom to be respectable
whereas the faith of the religious leaders of Europe was
based on habit and imitation of their ancestors and
freedom had nothing to do with it.

*N^^ ^X^ S ^S S ^S ^^^ ^^^ ^^^
xls Sr+ Sr+ St* ^IS ^1^ ^1^

Fanaticism

Nowadays we are at war against religious fanaticism
and consider it to be indecent and despicable, although
religious fanaticism is not as dangerous as some other kinds
of fanaticism. You will come across many persons who do
not at all possess religious fanaticism but they are involved
in fanaticism of colour, race, nationality, political beliefs
etc. Indulgence and forgiveness is possible in the matter of

religious fanaticism but it is not possible in the case of
other kinds of fanaticism. Such fanaticism is based on
egotism, ignorance and profiteering and those who possess
this sort of fanaticism say that their view is correct and
only what they have concluded is right and their view
about man and life is indisputable. They do not consider
the view of anyone else as valid as theirs.
Ever since man has arrived on this earth fanaticism of
every kind has been inherent in him, and there has not
been any time during which he has not displayed fanaticism.
The great leader of the world Ali fought not only against
religious fanaticism but against all kinds of fanaticism. He
considered racial fanaticism to be equivalent to rebellion
and mischief, and burning up the attractive face of life.
According to Ali priding oneself on one's ancestry
was also a sort of fanaticism. He addressess the fanatics
of his time in these words: "Look here! You have opposed
God openly, have been extremely oppressive and have
created disturbance on the face of the earth. Fear God in
the matter of priding yourselves on account of the self-
conceit of the age of ignorance, because it is the source of
enmity and grudge and the centre of Satan's enchantment
with which he allured the past nations. Look here! Fear
following your chiefs and elders who give themselves airs
because of their position and pomp, and pride themselves
on account of their ancestry (i.e. those who consider
others humble and despicable, oppose Divine decrees and
deny God's kindness in order to sieze His blessings). These
are the very persons who are the deep foundation of fana-
ticism and the pillars of the house of mischief.
In the first instance Ali likened family and racial
fanaticism to rebellion and disfiguring life. Then he made
his view more general and declared every fanaticism
whether racial, political or religious, to be indentical with
rebellion and mischief and established a general rule,
whose correctness will be established more and more as
time passess. He says: "I have looked on all sides and have
not found even one man in the world who supports
something but that he has a reason in view for it, which
becomes the cause of the mistake of the ignorant, or that
he has an argument which gets glued to the intellect of
the foolish".
You may go through all that has been said regarding

fanaticism and the explanations given about it, but you
will not find anything said by anyone which may be more
than what Ali has said. Fanatics indulge in fanaticism
either on account of ignorance or folly and both of them
carry rebellion and mischief in their lap. Ali has drawn the
picture of this fact in his two remarks reproduced above.
In short Ali considered fanaticism of every kind to be
indecent and despicable. Of course if partiality is to be
observed it should be observed in the matter of virtue,
justice and public rights. One should side with the oppressed
persons who are deprived of their earnings and rights by
the oppressors. One should side with truth and conscience.
One should be partial for the sake of human freedom and
honour and for protecting the helpless from the fanatics.
The Commander of the Faithful says: "If you wish to be
fanatic and partial you should side with high morals, good
manners and praiseworthy qualities, for example to
protect the rights of your neighbour, to honour your
covenants, to obey the righteous, to oppose the rebellious,
to behave well, to avoid injustice, to remain aloof from
bloodshed, to administer justice and not to create mischief
on the earth".

How much he hated fanaticism can be realized from
the recommendation which he made about the Kharijites,
although they were his enemies. They fought a fierce
battle against him, but he says: "Do not fight with the
Kharijites after me, because one who seeks truth but goes
astray is not like one who seeks falsehood and acquires it".
The Commander of the Faithful made the people
realize that as there was a possibility of their views and
beliefs being mistaken it was necessary that they should
not insist upon the correctness of their views and beliefs
nor should they thrust them on others. He told them not
to refrain from making consultations and not to hesitate
in accepting the truth.

>

1 Islam allows freedom of faith to the J ews, the Christians and

the Magi. They are called "Zimmis 1 which means non-Muslims living
under the protection of the Islamic government.

2 The Egyptians about whom the Commander of the Faithful
gave these instruction to Malik Ashtar were Christians.

War and peace

There are many mutual rights enjoyed by the people.
One of them is that they should strengthen the ties of love
and friendship. The ties should exist between the individuals
as well as between the tribes and the nations, because the
citizens of all the countries are brother of one another.
They are the descendants of one father and their origin is
one. They have a common path and their aims and objects
are also not different from one another.
Freedom and affluence, prescribed laws and new
efforts are all meant for mankind. These are however,
useless in the presence of warfare and bloodshed which
may destroy human race. All these things are for man.
What is the use of all these (amenities and comforts)
when human life is not safe?
Every statement which invites people to serve the
human beings but does not invite them to peace is false
and detestable.

All ideals regarding man and his life are useless
unless they promote human brotherhood. How ridiculous
those words, acts and ideals appear when the canals are
converted into streams of blood, the gardens are destroyed
and the palaces fall into ruins! How hopeless these words,
acts and ideals seem to be when a man is hurled into the
mouth of war and the beauty of his life, his hopes and
desires, and his very being are reduced to nothing.
War is the cause of death and destruction, whereas
peace is the only means of escaping destruction. This is
the object which leads to many other aims and objects.
It is only during the time of peace that human beings can
utilize all their talents and achieve their common desires
by joint efforts.

The principles and methods of Ali apply to all fields
in the same manner in which the branches which shoot
from a common root spread on all sides He had realized
that peace is a high wall surrounding man and life which
protects both of them from every calamity. Addressing the
people he says: "God has not created you in vain".
As regards Ali's view regarding the purpose for which
God has created man he says: "God has created you respect-

able on His earth, and safe among His creation. His bounties
have spread the wings of their kindnesses on your heads
and made the streams of comforts flow for your sake".
According to Ali love and friendship is the greatest
blessing for mankind. He says: "Almighty God has streng-
thened the tie of love between the human beings. It is the
love under whose shadow the people walk about and in
whose lap they seek refuge. This love is an invaluable
blessing because it is dearer than whatever price is fixed for
it, and is greater than every great thing".
Ali says that every person should establish friend-
ship and love with others so that peace may prevail,
because during peace time the atmosphere of a city remains
tranquil and the people do not feel any fear. One should
avoid war- fare, because war is oppression and it is highly
indecent and improper to oppress God's creatures. Whether
the result of war is victory or retreat it is harmful in both
cases. War is ruination and destruction for the victor as
well as for the vanquished. War destroys human honour.
The victor is considered to be an opponent of intellect and
conscience, an enemy of love, who treats human life to be
valueless, and one who is defeated is humiliated and his life
and property are also destroyed. Ali says: "One who gains
victory by evil means is in fact defeated". "Nothing is
worse than fighting and bloodshed".
Ali has considered looting and plundering which were
the preliminaries of war between the tribes during the age
of ignorance to be one of the most horrible acts. According
to Ali looting and plundering, idol- worshipping, and
burying the girls alive, were sins of the same kind and their
origin is also one and the same. That origin is that man is
not aware of his own value nor that of life and there can
be no greater ignorance than this. He says: "They had
reached the abyss of ignorance. They buried their girls
alive, worshipped the idols and robbed and plundered
one another".

He detested fighting so much that he forbade it even
during the most difficult circumstances and did not permit
that one should challange another to combat. He says:
"Never challange another person to combat".
When we study the life and conduct of Ali it becomes
abundantly clear that he condemned many characteristics
of the people and considered many things in the world to

be abominable. As regards the characteristics of the people
he first of all condemned inclination towards mischief and
bloodshed. As regards the abominable things there was
nothing more hateful in his eyes than warfare. This
sentence of his deserves to be kept in mind: "This world is
the abode of war, plundering and bloodshed".
Fighting is as much injurious for truth as it is the
source of refuge for falsehood. It is by means of truth that
man is exalted, the society is strengthened and the world
become prosperous. Falsehood is the collection of humilia-
tion and disgrace. It is, therefore, evident that there can be
nothing worse than war. It is the cradle of all absurdities,
because doubt prevails war and falsehood flourishes, and
the voice of truth is subdued; whereas peace is truth itself,
and whoever violates truth goes astray.
This was the basis of the view and belief held by Ali
about war, and this is not also surprising, because this
belief was compatible with his idea of freedom and the
reliance which he had on the common man and the respect
which he had for life as well as for those who were alive.
It was for this reason that at times, in order to put to end
to trouble and to invite his friends to peace he said:
"For your enemies this loss is sufficient that they have
gone astray".

Imam Ali used to ask a sinner and a transgressor to
express regret for his lapse so that fighting might not take
place. As regards the oppressed persons he used to ask him
to accept the apology of the transgressor however big his
offence might be. He says: "Accept the apology of a
person who apologizes to you".
He also says: "Fight against your wordly desires by
means of reason. If you do so the people will continue to
love you". He, therefore, considered it the best quality for
his followers that they should desire peace, hate war and
seek safety for themselves as well as for others. As to what
qualities his followers should possess he says: "When my
followers are angry they do not commit injustice. They
are a blessing for their neighbours and a source of security
for their companions".

However, hatred for war and unusual inclination
towards peace did not mean that Ali should have surren-
dered before his opponent. Hatred for war and inclination
towards peace does not mean that one should shirk one's

responsibilities and leave the mischief-mongers free to do
what they like, because war is not a detestable thing in
itself, but becomes bad on account of the horrors and
destruction which it entails, and peace is not a good thing
in itself, but becomes good, because it provides security to
the people, provides chances for improving the society,
and opens the paths of life before those who are living.
In short, whether it be war or peace, neither of them
is intrinsically good or bad. Their goodness or badness is
determined with reference to other people. If war or peace
had any intrinsic value, the revolutionary efforts made by
the oppressed people of the world against the oppressive
kings and rulers and the colonialists would have been evil
and sin, and obedience to those tyrants would have been
a blessing, but infact it is not so. The real thing which
counts is the welfare of the masses. If they are living in
comfort and their property and honour are safe, peace is
better for them. In case, however, they are leading a
miserable life and their rights are being violated, war is
a blessing for them until an atmosphere of real peace is
created, a peace, which is based on human values and is
tree from humiliation and helplessness, and subservience
to tyranny and injustice. This was what Ali had in view.
What he disliked was the war of Abu Lahab and Abu
Sufyan against Muhammad and not the war of Muhammad
against Abu Lahab and Abu Sufyan. He disliked the war
which was fought by the tyrants against the righteous, and
not the war which was fought by the pious and Godly
persons against the tyrants and the hypocrites.
Ali wished the people not to become Changez Khan
Halaku, Hitler or Mussolini, but he did not also like them
to become like those who were enslaved by Changez,
Halaku, Hitler and Mussolini.
There is nothing wrong with a war which is fought
to get back the right of an oppressed person from the
oppressor, or to protect the honour of the people. In fact
it is a social need and something which humanity demands.
The condition precedent to such a war is that before it is
resorted to, all necessary efforts for peace and reconciliation
should be made.

When the followers of Ali became impatient because
of his having delayed permission at S if fin to perform
jihad he said to them: "As regards your asking whether

this delay is due to the fact that I abhor death and wish to
escape it, I swear by God that I do not care whether
I proceed towards death or death proceeds towards me.
And similarly as regards your asking whether I am doubtful
regarding the lawfulness of jihad against the people of
Syria, I swear by God that I have not delayed v the battle
even for a day except with the idea that some persons
from amongst them may possibly come and meet me and
be guided through me and may also see my light with their
dazzled eyes. I like this more than to kill them while they
are in a state of ignorance, although they themselves will in
any case be responsible for their sins".
The second condition for war is that its object should
not be only to gain victory. Furthermore, the victor should
not become vindictive. He should not torture the enemy
and should not maltreat the captive and those who have
suffered on account of war. He should not pursue those
who fly away, and should not hurt the old men, the
women and the children. If he who joins battle thinks that
he is on the right, and claims that he is fighting for the
sake of justice, and his opponent is an oppressor, and it
is necessary to take revenge from him, he should content
himself with restoring truth to its place. If this object is
achieved after a brief fighting he should withhold his hand
from continued warfare.

In all the battles fought by Ali the basic principle
followed by him was that bloodshed should not be resorted
to unless it was absolutely necessary and there was no
alternative other than warfare. He always endeavoured to
advise the enemy and make him submit to reason. He used
to say: "By God I shall certainly do justice to the oppressed
and render advice to the oppressor".
When advice and efforts for peace and reconciliation
failed he resorted to threats, because his real object was
that if possible not even one drop of blood might be shed.
Threatening the people of Nahrawan he says: "I warn you
that you will be killed and will fall on the ground on
the windings of the canal and its even slopes in such a
condition that you will have no sound argument or clear
proof to put forth before God as an excuse. The position
is this that you have become homeless and then the
Divine decree has a firm grip on you. I had already pro-
hibited you from agreeing to this arbitration but you

declined to obey my orders like opposing violators, so
much so that I was obliged to agree to what you wished.
You are a group whose heads are empty of understanding
and intellect. Woe betide you! I have neither involved you
in any trouble nor wished ill of you".
Now please read this wonderful supplication of Ali
and visualize his sublime morality and the sympathy
which he had in his heart for fell enemies. When the enemy
forces in S if fin finally decided to fight and all efforts for
peace and reconciliation failed he prayed to God in these
words: "O God! Lord of the earth, which you have made
the abode of man, and the place of roaming about of the
reptiles, the quardrupeds and other innumerable creatures
which can or cannot be seen. O Lord of the strong
mountains which you have made to serve as nails for the
earth and means of livelihood for your creatures! If you
grant us victory over the enemies keep us immune from
committing injustice and keep us on the straight path of
truth, and if You make our enemies victorious grant us
martyrdom and save us from the allurement of life".
The keenness of the Commander of the Faithful for
peace and his efforts for it even a short time before the
commencement of the battle is an undeniable fact which
is acknowledged by his friends as well as enemies. During
his entire life he displayed love for peace and hatred for
war. He always tried his best that fighting might be
avoided and reconciliation might take place.
When, at the time of the Battle of the Camel, Ayesha,
Talha and Zubayr got ready to fight against him he arrayed
his companions and said to them: v Do not shoot an arrow
and do not strike a spear or a sword so that it may be
proved that you have discharged your responsibility".
However, Ali did not start fighting until the enemies
had pierced arrows into the bodies of three of his compa-
nions and he had prayed to God thrice to bear witness to
their act.

He reached before his enemies scores of times empty
handed and without any arms or coat of mail although
they were fully equipped with arms.
In reply to their harsh words stubbornness, and rough
tone he spoke with extreme kindness and tendered them
advice in a friendly manner. Standing before him were his
enemies who looked like a dark night as they were covered

with in coats of mail and shields, but his armour was
respect for mankind; his shield was his faith in his being
right and in his mode of action being correct, and his
sword was his compliance with the commandments of
reason and conscience. In fact his kindness to the weak,
his support for truth and his peaceableness were as good
as thousands of shields for him. It was he who said: "If
you feel secure from vexation by someone try to make
him your brother".

Imam Ali was one who disliked enmity and grudge
because these two things give birth to discord and destroy
individual morals and national attributes. He said: "Refrain
from enmity and dispute, because these two things make
the heart sick and discord is generated from them".
Many times he reached before his enemies empty-
handed and without any coat of mail or shield. He did this
to make them realize that he hated warfare and was keen
to solve problems in a friendly and brotherly manner.
He said: "Do good to your enemy because this victory
is more agreeable and sweet".
Another object of his approaching his opponents in
this manner was that he wanted to make it clear that war
is something bad and the benefit which the victor acquires
from it is a benefit which is acquired from evil and has no
value. He says: "The goodness of a goodness which is
acquired through evil is futile and the affluence which is
the result of indigence and adversity has no value".
Ali eliminated this evil (warfare) by all possible means
and tried to improve the conditions of the people without
bloodshed and strife. So much so that when the enemies
were bent upon waging war and had no aim other than
shedding his blood as well as his righteous companions, he
advised them and endeavoured his best to obviate fighting.
And when these efforts failed and no alternative was left
except to join battle, he did not initiate fighting. Fighting
was started by the enemies and he only replied to their
attacks. And when he took the sword in his hand he
stepped forward and now he was Ali son of Abu Talib. If
death did not proceed towards him he himself proceeded
towards death. He crushed the champions and made brave
warriors flee. Ali desired equity and justice, whereas his
enemies craved for injustice and oppression. He wished
that mankind might prosper, whereas they wanted to

create mischief. He wanted the people to enjoy freedom
and comfort, whereas they were keen to keep them in
bondage like slaves. He wished that the slaves of God
should be strong and respectable whereas his enemies
wanted to enslave and humiliate them.
The things which must exist in the society and which
are also considered by law of reason to be necessary were
in danger. Now in these coditions remaining a silent specta-
tor amounted to laziness, recklessness, and infidelity,
and to protect them meant courage and bravery.
About fighting against Mu v awiya he says:-'! have
weighed and assessed this matter very carefully and have
concluded that only two paths are open before me either
I should wage war against Mu v awiya or I become an
apostate".

Just see how he has drawn a picture of the Battle
of the Camel in a concise and precise manner and has also
explained his own position:" Talha and Zubayr were the
first to take oath of allegiance to me. Later they broke
that oath without just cause and took the Mother of the
Faithful Ayesha to Basra. I was also obliged to take the
Muhajirs and the Ansar with me and pursue them. I tried
my best that they might take once again the oath which
they had broken but they declined to do so. I counselled
them much and treated them well".
While Ali was still on his way and had not yet con-
fronted them he sent his son Hasan and his cousin Abdullah
bin Abbas as well as Ammar bin Yasir and Qais bin Sa'd
bin Ubada to have talk with them (i.e. Talha and Zubayr)
hoping that they might respond to the call of reason and
bloodshed might be avoided. They, however, remained
intransigent. The Commander of the Faithful says thus in
this regard: "I proceeded along with the Muhajirs and the
Ansar and stopped near Basra. I invited them to peace and
reconciliation, overlooked their lapses and reminded them
of the oath of allegiance which they had taken. They
however, remained adamant and insisted upon fighting.
I sought help from God and was obliged to get ready for
defence against their attacks. The result was that those
who were to be killed were killed and othersran away. Now
they requested me for the same peace which I had desired
before the fighting took place, I accepted the peace pro-
posal and spared them. I appointed Abdullah bin Abbas

their governor and sent Zafar bin Qais to them as the
messenger Now you may approach these two persons to
tell you whatever you want to know about us and them".
Ali was victorious on account of his unusual bravery
and perfect and deep faith. He was, however, as much
grieved over his victory as his enemies were over their
defeat. Tears trickled down from his eyes and he was
extremely sad.

Every father loves his children very much. If a child
does not conduct himself properly his father has to take
corrective measures and punish him although such action
also grieves him.

Same was the case with Ali. He treated the Muslims
like his children. The prophet of Islam has said: 'T and Ali
are the fathers of this nation".
Ali loved these children very much. He was obliged
to take corrective measures against them on account of
their injustice and error but was very much grieved to
observe their sufferings.

Ali did not dislike anything more than bloodshed.
He was always afraid lest his governors and offices might
indulge in unjustified bloodshed.
He, therefore, warned them again and again not to
indulge in bloodshed. He took care from the moral as well
as the political and administrative point of view that blood
should not be shed unnecessarily. He forbade it in both the
capacities, because he considered that as a consequence of
such bloodshed the government might topple down and
it was also opposed to the philosophy of government.
He did not forgive any officer for a lapse in this regard.
In a letter addressed to a governor he says: "Do not try
to strengthen your government by shedding blood without
just cause because this will make your government still
weaker, rather it will be taken away from you and will
reach the hand of someone else. If you are guilty of inten-
tional bloodshed God will not consider this crime of yours
pardonable and I, too, will not consider it so".
Has there been any other ruler in the world, who may
have issued emphatic instructions to his governors to
appoint as military commander a person who is meek and
forbearing, hates bloodshed and murder, can settle matters
by mutual discussions, is not guilty of unjustified bloodshed,
is kind and magnanimous, is not harsh in getting work

done by others and is not accustomed to severity and
violence? In the testament written by him for Malik Ashtar
while appointing him as Governor of Egypt Ali says:
"Appoint that person as commander of your army whom
you consider to be most sincere and superior to others in
the matter of meekness and forbearance. He should not be
short-tempered and should accept an excuse. He should be
kind to the weak and hard upon the powerful. He should
not become hot-tempered due to cruelty and should not
become helpless due to weakness".
Thus it is evident that Ali was a peace-loving person.
He always recommended peace. He extremely hated war
and always prohibited it. He never stepped towards War
unless war itself stepped towards him and even if he
stepped towards it, it was when he had exhausted all
efforts to stop it by means of friendship, love, goodness
and kindness. If he was compelled to fight a battle he tried
that the least number of persons should be killed. And
when he secured victory over his enemy he forgave him.
He was equally grieved in the event of victorv and defeat.
Whenever his enemy requested for peace he acceded to his
request cheerfully and wholeheartedly. He used to say:
"During peace time the soldiers are in comfort, the worries
of the people are lesser and an atmosphere of security
prevails in the cities.

He sent many orders to the governors and the officers
in which he emphatically recommended to them inter alia
that they should follow his example and should not draw
their swords on account of ordinary matters as was done
by the people during the age of ignorance.
Imam Ali says: "Do not put your hands and swords
in motion like the tongue on account of trivial matters".
"I do not punish anyone merely on account of
suspicion".

"I shall not fight anyone until I invite him to peace
and thus discharge my responsibility in this behalf. If he
of his "Return" does not commit treachery. However, our
time is such that many persons have supposed treachery
and deceit to mean intelligence and wisdom, and the
ignorant people have treated their ways and methods to
be prudence. May God destroy them! What has happened
to them? When a person, who has seen the ups and downs
of life and is aware of the vicissitudes of time, makes a

plan for himself but finds the divine commandments in
his way, he abandons that plan, although he may be able
to execute it. On the other hand one whose path is not
obstructed by religious feelings avails of the opportunity.
In the testament which he wrote for Malik Ashtar while
appointing him as the Governor of Egypt he says: "If
you settle some conditions with your enemy or conclude
a pact with him you should relieve yourself of its burden
by honouring it. You should discharge faithfully the res-
ponsibility undertaken by you and should make yourself
a shield for the protection of your promise. You should
not, therefore, abandon what you undertake to do nor
dishonour the covenants You make and should not deceive
your enemy".

Furthermore, he did not content himself only with
emphasizing that deception should not be practised on the
enemy but also strictly prohibited making ambiguous
agreements with the enemy which might be interpreted in
different ways, and it may provide a justification for
the violation of the agreement. He also directed that after
a covenant was concluded and authenticated, advantage of
some verbal error should not be taken to violate it.
Whenever Ali formed an opinion or promulgated an
order, he, in the first instance, examined and assessed all
its aspects very carefully. As he firmly believed in the
fulfilment of promise even the greatest impediments and
hardships could not make him deviate from this principle,
one of the occasions on which he honoured his promise
inspite of very difficult circumstances was that of Siffin.
At the time of the Battle of Siffin it was decided to refer
the dispute to arbitration.

A pact was concluded between the Commander of
the Faithful and Mu v awiya to the effect that until the two
arbitrators gave their award the hostilities would remain
suspended. After fighting was Stopped and the pact was
concluded the adherents ot the Commandder of the
Faithful realized that they had been duped. A man named
Muhammad bin Harith then approached Ali and said:
"O Commander of the Faithful! Can we not ignore the
pact and start the war again? I am afraid that this pact will
be a source of great humiliation and disgrace for us
The Commander of the Faithful replied: "Should we
violate the pact after executing it? No. This is not per-

missible". And it was also Ali who said: "Stick firmly to
the responsibilities which you have undertaken. I am res-
ponsible for my words and guarantee their correctness".
The facts narrated above explain that Ali's efforts for
the maintenance of peace fully accorded with the wishes
of the people on account of their far-reaching consequences.
All human beings crave for justice, equality and freedom
and Ali's effort for peace was an expression of their desire.
In fact it was the heartfelt desire of Ali himself which he
also expressed in his orders and commands.
In the matter of his efforts to ensure that man should
love man Ali is on equal footing with the past prophets
and benefactors of mankind. What a great resemblance
Ali's efforts for peace have with the kind voice of
Muhammad who has said: "O slaves of God! become
brothers of one another".

How much his efforts also resembled the words of the
prophet who, when asked as to which act is the noblest,
replied: "The noblest act is that one should endeavour for
the welfare of the world".

C ombat oppression

In all general matters Ali led a very consistent and
harmonious life. His high morals, unusual sagacity, his
actions relating to the administration of the state, command
of the army and other personal characteristics and qualities
were all similar and inter-connected. He hated usury,
hoarding and oppression very much. He was a fell enemy
of the wealthy and powerful persons who oppressed
others, the ignorant considered themselves to be superior
to others, and persisted in their stubborn views founded on
ignorance. He was extremely keen to help the weak and
the indigent, because they too were human beings and it is
highly unjustifiable to treat them to be mean and humble.
He desired the freedom of the creatures of God from the
core of his heart, because God has created them free and it
is not at all proper that they should be subjected to
humiliation and abjectness. Their humiliation and abjectness
is the humiliation and abjectness of humanity, and whoever
humiliates humanity deserves to be treated an enemy.
It can be realized by every one from what has been
stated above how great a supporter and sympathizer of the
helpless and oppressed persons Ali was, how he fought
against the enemies of virtue and goodness, and how much
annoyance he expressed against those who acted against
the dictates of reason and conscience.
However, what has been written by us on the subject
does not appear to be sufficient. It appears necessary to
allocate a separate and detailed chapter to the subject
showing how Ali behaved with the tyrants, and what his
views were about injustice and oppression.
There are many kinds of injustice. For example to
usurp the property of a person is injustice of one kind and
to hurt his honour and reputation is injustice of another
kind. Sometimes injustice is patent whereas at other times
it is latent. We shall discuss all these kinds of injustice
one by one.

It is not possible to find any sermon or testament
of the Commander of the Faithful, in which he may not
have mentioned and condemned injustice severely. His
entire life was spent in waging war against injustice and

oppression and against the oppressors and tyrants. He
fought this war with his hands, tongue and orders and
commands as well as with his sword.
War against injustice and oppression is being fought
ever since man arrived on earth. However, this war has
been fought in different ways and in different conditions
Those who undertook to campaign against the tyrants and
oppressors of their time were hundreds of thousands in
number. These great heroes were a source of pride for
humanity whereas the tyrants stained the pages of history
with their misdeeds. Those heroes came in succession and
every one of them inherited this holy war from another.
They have also been some great souls amongst the
human beings whose entire lives were spent in waging
war against injustice and oppression. The biographies
of Abraham, Moses and Jesus consist of war against
oppression, usury and injustice. Muhammad's campaign
against the polytheists was also in continuation of and
complementary to the war waged by Jesus. He started
a great revolutionary movement to uproot injustice and
oppression and did not rest till the oppressed were emanci-
pated and their lives took a turn for the better.
Cruelty becomes the second nature of some persons.
They commit atrocities with perfect ease in the same way
in which they perform other natural acts like eating,
drinking, walking and breathing. To this category belong
persons like Nero, Changez Khan, European officers of the
v Inquisition' during the Middle Ages, and many other kinds
and rulers like Hajjaj bin Yusuf, Ziad bin Abih, Obaidullah
bin Ziad, Muslim bin Aqba etc. And similarly history
tells us about innumerable other persons in whom
opposition to injustice was inherent and had become their
second nature.

The reason for the tyrants of the past not being
ashamed of the atrocities commited by them was that they
were not pained by their cruel acts. They did not tyrannize
or oppress others with any aim or object. They did so
because it had become their habit.
Once Hajjaj bin Yusuf was having his meals along
with some friends of his. Before him was standing an inno-
cent old man who was trembling with fear. Hajjaj raised his
head and looked at the old man. Then he ordered one of
his servants to behead him. The order was complied with

immediately and the old man was Beheaded. Hajjaj conti-
nued to eat as if nothing had happened. He said to his slave
loudly: "Bring cold water".

Nero set the city of Rome on fire. While Rome was
burning Nero was busy in his merry-makings.
The firmness and steadfastness of those who
consistently campaigned against injustice and oppression
can also be explained in the same way. just as the persons
mentioned above committed injustice because it was
inherent in their nature, in the same way these benefactors
of humanity fought against injustice and supported the
oppressed, because they were compelled by their nature
to do so.

Socrates drank the cup of poison as if it was a
medicine because his drinking it was a display of firmness
and steadfastness against falsehood. Voltaire* waged war
against the aristocrats and nobles of Europe. He was
compelled to wage this war by his nature just as a hungry
person is obliged to eat food or a thirsty person is compelled
by his inner urge to get hold of water to quench his thirst.
The companions of Imam Husayn also sacrificed their lives
in support of his mission, although they could see a huge
army of Bani Umayyah arrayed against them.
These people were the benefactors of mankind and
the great and magnanimous souls among human beings,
whose head and leader was Ali ibn Abi Talib. He had
come into the world to establish truth and to destroy
falsehood. He rose with this purpose and also accepted
the caliphate with this very object in view. However, the
world, with all its expanse could hardly accept the laws
and principles of Ali. The unjust and cruel persons were
large in numbers and possessed much strength. The task
which Ali wished to accomplish was difficult as well
as dangerous.

Ali told the people that they should neither be the
oppressors nor the oppressed ones. He wished that none
should oppress others and none should tolerate oppression.
However, the people of the time were not prepared to accept
Ali's view and could not lend support to his intentions. So
much so that even the oppressed persons did not side with
him, because they were over awed by the oppressors and
were afraid of their enmity and grudge.
They were so foolish that they took bribes from Ali's

enemies and withdrew their support from him. Eventually
only a few God-fearing and brave persons were left with
him, and they did not desert him at any cost.
However, was it proper that Ali should have shown
frailty and weakness at this juncture when the forces of
evil had formed a front against him? Is it possible for a brave
man to lose heart and give up effort because he is faced with
calamities and hardships with men like carnivores around
him, particularly when everybody is afraid of death also.
Should Ali have been disheartened and become
sluggish when the enemies were becoming more and more
rebellious, when the men in authority had lost all sense of
wisdom, were selling religion for the sake of the world,
were stupidly running after wealth and rank, had created
chaos in the cities, were persisting in oppression, were full
of pride and conceit, creating innovations and void things
before the right things, praising the wrong and evil doing,
and still hoping for a good reward, had annihilated justice
and fair play, and had created rebellion, and chaos, and
their tyranny and violence had no bounds. Could he
become weak and languid when the condition of his
companions was this: "Whoever called them for help never
succeeded. Whoever met them did not acquire peace of
mind. Whoever came in the battlefield accompanied by
them sustained loss. They were deaf inspite of having ears
and were dumb although they possessed power of speech.
They neither showed steadfastness in the battlefield like
noble and zealous men nor could one depend upon their
sympathy and support at the time of adversity".
Of course in such conditions and circumstances one
should become weak and feeble and must sit down
languidly - but it is subject to the condition that he
should not be Ali ibn Abi Talib.
The deep love which Ali had in his heart for every
human being obliged him not to show the least leniency to
one who did harm to the people even though he (i.e. Ali)
had to laydown his life in the campaign.
One who considers it love and kindness and a sign of
gentleness to remain silent in the face of the oppressors
is either a liar or is not acquainted with human nature,
because the position is otherwise. True love and kindness
for mankind means that the oppressors should be dealt
with severely so that they may free the people from

bondage. In certain circumstances kindness and gentleness
compel man to resort to extreme severity.
Man likes beauty as much as he detests ugliness.
He hates injustice and oppression as much as he desires
justice. He is as much afraid of the coldness of non-
existence as he is fond of the warmth of existence. A person
cannot strike a sword on the necks of the rebels and the
oppressors unless he considers life to be a blessing. In short
one who does not hate cannot also love.
The best proof of the fact that Ali was as much as
harsh upon the oppressors as he was kind towards others
and was prepared to be extremely severe to eliminate
injustice is provided by the event of Saudah daughter of
Ammarah Hamdaniyah.

Saudah says: "I saw the Commander of the Faithful
to complain against an agent who had been appointed by
him to collect zakat. When I stood before him he said with
much kindness: "Do you want anything to be done?"
I complained to him against the agent. On hearing what
I narrated he began to weep and said praying to God:
"O Lord! I have neither ordered these agents to oppress
the people nor asked them to abandon your right". Then
he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote on
it as follows: -

"Weigh and measure properly and do not give lesser
to the people nor spread mischief on the earth. When you
receive this letter keep the things in your charge in reserve
so that another person may come and take over the same
from you".

It can well be observed from this incident how kind
Ali was to the oppressed woman, because he began to
weep on hearing her tale. And it is also evident how this
kindness was converted into harshness for the agents. This
accords with the principles of extreme kindness for the
oppressed and extreme wrath towards the oppressor.
Ali never refrained from campaigning against refrac-
toriness and injustice. Whenever he saw a person being
oppressed by another he showed no weakness in relieving
him of the oppression. And how could he show any
weakness or hesitation when gentleness and kindness had
equipped him with unusual manliness and steadfastness
and had made him very fond of fighting against falsehood
and establishing truth. It was his firm belief that: "The

presence of an Imam through whom the right of a weak
person may be realized from a strong person and that of
an oppressed person from an oppressor is necessary so that
the righteous may live in comfort and feel secure from the
mischief of the evil-doers".
"God has provided protection to the people from
being oppressed". And when God has provided protection
there should be no occasion for oppression but "God tests
the rulers by means of oppression". Hence if the rulers are
oppressive their rule will come to an end because: "Even if
the oppressor gets respite he cannot escape being captured
by God. God Himself lies in ambush for him and his
ambushing will be very severe. The Day of Judgment will
be much severer for the oppressor than that on which he
oppressed another. The oppressed person must not have
suffered so much as the oppressor will suffer on the Day
of Judgment".

The following form part of those orders of Ali which
must always be complied with: "I order you to behave
harshly with the oppressor. Hold the foolish oppressor
by the hand, and stop him from committing injustice".
No doubt the kindness and affection which Ali had
in his mind guaranteed his steadfastness in the battle
between truth and falsehood. Whenever he reflected about
truth and falsehood he said: "O Lord! Our sole endeavour
is that peace and tranquillity may prevail in Your cities so
that Your slaves may remain safe". And when he initiated
the campaign he used to say: "I swear bv God that I shall
realize the right of the oppressed person from the oppressor.
I shall put a cavessor in the nose of the oppressor and pull
him to the spring of the truth howmuchsoever he may
dislike it". Or said: "It is necessary that the oppressor
refrains from committing injustice, behaves with the people
equitably and does not spread mischief on the earth".
If the fighting became turious and Ali noticed the
disparity between the numbers of his supporters and the
enemy and compared his own condition with that of his
opponents he said: "I have not shown weakness or sluggish-
ness. I shall continue to fight against falsehood until
I extract truth from its side".

Ali saw death staring in his eyes but neither his hands
were tired of fighting nor did he entertain the least fear in
his heart. He would not have felt afraid even if the entire

population of Arabia had joined hands and encircled him.
He relied fully on his own justice and equity and
firmly believed that whatever he was doing was in accor-
dance with the canons of equity and justice. He used to
say: M A weak person is strong in my eyes until I get his
right paid to him, and a strong person is weak in my eyes
until I receive the right from him". He also said: VV I swear
by God that I am not worried whether death falls upon me
or I fall upon death".

When he fought against a group of unjust persons and
defeated them but they still offered some resistance he
said: "some life is still left in the oppressors. If God wills
we shall uproot them. In case, however, some of them run
away to various cities the matter would be different".
According to Ali the learned persons are the leaders
of the nation and for this very reason a number of
responsibilities devolve upon them. Their greatest res-
ponsibility is that they should oppose the oppressor and
assist the oppressed person. He says: "God has made it
mandatory for the ulema that they should not remain
silent spectators of injustice of the oppressor and the grief
and helplessness of the oppressed person.
In order that the oppressors should be eliminated
from the society, and that there should also be none who
may assist in the perpetration of oppression or may
tolerate it willingly, Ali has divided the sins of the people
into different categories. There are certain sins which may
be forgiven but injustice and oppression cannot be
forgiven in any circumstances. He says: vv And the sin
which will not be forgiven is that one person may oppress
another". He held the view that: "Oppressing a weak
person is the worst type of oppression".
Thus he endeavoured by all means to eliminate injus-
tice and this remained his basic policy in the matter of
treatment with the people. He fought against the oppressors
with his tongue as well as with his sword and remained
steadfast in his struggle. He continued to fight against
injustice and the unjust till he met martyrdom. If the
vicissitudes of time had not hampered his program and the
conditions had not been unfavourable, he would have
brought about a change in a number of things.

1 Voltaire, a famous French writer and a renowned figure of
his time was born in Paris in 1694 A.D. and died in 1778 A.D.
He spent a large part of life in England, Russia and Switzerland.
He severely, criticized the rulers and religious leaders of his time.
It was he who paved the path for the great French Revolution of
1789 A.D. He is the author of many valuable books.

Administration of Ali

After having come to know that the behaviour of the
Commander of the Faithful with the human society was
absolutely just and he adopted a very correct policy
to establish mutual relations of the human beings on the
basis of equity and justice, it appears necessary to repro-
duce here the testament which he wrote for Malik Ashtar
while appointing him as Governor of Egypt. This testament
of his is more detailed than all others and is very important
from the point of view of its grandeur and elaborateness.
While writing about the character of the Commander
of the Faithful we have made use of many of his letters,
orders and testaments, because in almost all of them he has
mentioned the rights of the individuals as well as of the
society. However, the testament written by him for Malik
Ashtar is very comprehensive and embraces all his views
and beliefs on the subject of public administration. It
reads as follows:

In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Be it known to you, O Malik, that I am sending you
as Governor to a country which in the past has experienced
both just and unjust rule. Men will scrutinize your actions
with a searching eye, even as you used to scrutinize the
actions of those before you, and speak of you even as you
did speak of them. The fact is that the public speak well of
only those who do good. It is they who furnish the proof
of your actions. Hence the richest treasure that you may
covet, should be the treasure of good deeds. Keep your
desires under control and deny yourself that which you
have been warned against. By such abstinence alone, you
will be able to distinguish between good and bad.
Develop in your heart the feeling of love for your
people and let it be the source of kindliness and blessing
to them. Do not behave with them like a barbarian, and do
not appropriate to yourself that which belongs to them.
Remember that the citizens of the state are of two
categories. They are either your brothers in religion or
your brothers as human beings. They are subject to infirmi-
ties and liable to commit mistakes. Some indeed do
commit mistakes, but forgive them as you would like God

to forgive you. Bear in mind that you are placed over
them, as I am placed over you. And then there is God even
above him who has given you the position of a Governor in
order that you may look after those under you and to be
sufficient for them. Remember! You will be judged by
what you do for them.

Do not set yourself against God, for neither do you
possess the strength to shield yourself against His displea-
sure, nor can you place yourself outside the pale of His
mercy and forgiveness. Do not feel sorry over any act
of forgiveness, nor rejoice over any punishment that you
may mete out to anyone. Do not rouse yourself to anger,
for no good will come out of it.
Do not say, "I am your overlord and dictator, and
that you should therefore, bow to my commands," as that
will corrupt your heart, weaken your faith in religion and
create disorder in the state. Should you be elated by
power, or let in your mind creap the slightest feeling of
pride and arrogance, then look at the power and majesty
of the divine governance of the universe over which you
have absolutely no control. It will restore the sense of
balance to your wayward intelligence and give you the
sense of balance to your wayward intelligence and give you
the sense of calmness and affability. Beware! Never put
yourself against the majesty and grandeur of God and
never imitate His Omnipotence, for God has brought low
every rebel of His and every tyrant of man.
Let your mind respect through your actions the rights
of God and the rights of man, and likewise, persuade your
companions and relations to do the same. For, otherwise,
you will be doing injustice to yourself and to humanity.
Thus, both man and God will become your enemies.
There is no hearing anywhere for one who makes himself
an enemy of God. He will be regarded as one at war with
God until he repents and seeks forgiveness. Nothing deprives
man of divine blessings nor excites divine wrath against him
more easily than oppression. Hence it is that God listens to
the voice of the oppressed and overpowers the oppressor.
The Common Man

Maintain justice in administration and impose it on
your own self and seek the consent of the people, for, the
discontent of the masses sterilises the contentment of the
privileged few and the discontent of the few, loses itself in

the contentment of the many. Remember! the privileged
few will not rally round you in moments of difficulty.
They will try to side-track justice. They will ask for more
than what they deserve and will show no gratitude for
favours done to them. They will feel restive in the face of
trials and will offer no regret for their shortcomings. It is
the common man who fights the enemy. So live in close
contact with the masses and be mindful of their welfare.
Keep at a distance one who exposes the weakness of
others. After all, the masses are not free from weaknesses.
It is the duty of the ruler to shield them. Do not bring to
light that which is hidden, but try to remove those weak-
nesses which have been brought to light. God is watchful
of everything that is hidden from you, and He alone will
deal with it. Cover up the faults of the public to the best
of your ability so that God may cover up your faults
which you want to keep hidden from the public eye. Untie
every knot of hatred for the people and cut asunder every
string of enmity between them. Protect yourself from
every such act as may not be quite correct for you. Do not
make haste in seeking confirmation of tale- telling, for the
tale-teller is a deceitful person, appearing in the garb
of a friend.
The Counsellors

Never take counsel of a miser, for, he will vitiate your
magnanimity and frighten you of poverty. Do not seek
advice from a coward too, for, he will weaken your resolu-
tions. Do not take counsel of a greedy person, for, he will
instil greed in you and turn you into a tyrant. Miserliness,
cowardice and greed deprive man of his trust in God.
The worst counsellor is he who has served as a coun-
sellor to unjust rulers and shared their crimes. So, never let
men who have been companions of the tyrants or have
shared their crimes, be your counsellors. You can get
better men than these, men gifted with intelligence and
foresight, but unpolluted by sin, men who have never
aided a tyrant in his tyranny nor a criminal in his crime.
Such men will never be a burden to you. On the other
hand, they will be a source of help and strength to you at
all times. They will be friends to you and strangers to your
enemies. Choose such men alone for companionship both
in private and in public. Even among these, show preference
to those who have a habitual regard for truth, however

trying to you at times their truth may prove to be, and who
offer you no encouragement in the display of tendencies
which God does not like His friends to develop.
Keep close to you the upright and the godfearing and
make clear to them that they are never to flatter you and
never to give you credit for any good that you may not
have done, for the tolerance of flattery and unhealthy
praise stimulates pride in man and makes him arrogant.
Do not treat the good and the bad alike. That will
deter the good, and encourage the bad in their bad pursuits.
Recompense everyone according to his deserts. Remember
that mutual trust and goodwill between the
ruler and the ruled are bred only through benevolence,
justice and service. So, cultivate goodwill among the people,
for their goodwill alone will save you from troubles. Your
benevolence to them will be repaid by their trust in you,
and your ill-treatment by their ill-will.
Do not disregard the noble traditions set by our
forbearers which have promoted harmony and progress
among the people, and do not initiate anything which
might minimise their usefulness. The men who had estab-
lished those noble traditions have had their reward; but
responsibility will be yours if they are discarded. Try
always to learn something from the experience of the
learned and wise, and frequently consult them in state
matters so that you might maintain the peace and goodwill
which your predecessors had established in the land.
The Different Classes of People
Remember that the people are composed of different
classes. The progress of one is dependant on the progress
of every other, and none can afford to be independent of
the other. We have the army formed of the soldiers of God.
We have our civil officers and their establishments, our
judiciary, our revenue collectors and our public relation
officers. The general public itself consists of Muslims and
Zimmi and among them are merchants and craftsmen, the
unemployed and the indigent. God has prescribed for
them their several rights, duties and obligations. They are
all defined and preserved in the Qur'an and in the Hadith
of the prophet.

The army, by the grace of God, is like a fortress to
the people and lends dignity to the state. It upholds the
prestige of the faith and maintains the peace of the

country. Without it, the state cannot stand. In its turn, it
cannot stand without the support of the state. Our soldiers
have proved strong before the enemy because of the
privilege God has given them to fight for Him, but they
have their material needs to fulfil and have therefore to
depend upon the income provided for them from the state
revenue. The military and the civil population which pays
the revenue, needs the co-operation of others - the
judiciary, civil officers and their establishment. The judge
administers civil and criminal law; the civil officers collect
revenue and attend to civil administration with the assis-
tance of their establishment. And then there- are the
tradesmen and the merchants who add to the revenue of
the state. It is they who run the markets and are in a better
position than others to discharge social obligations. Then
there is the class of the poor and the needy whose
maintenance is an obligation on the other classes. God has
given appropriate opportunity of service to one and all;
then there are the rights of all these classes over the
administration which the administrator has to meet with
an eye for the good of the entire population - a duty
which he cannot fulfil properly unless he takes personal
interest in its execution and seeks help from God. Indeed,
it is obligatory on him to impose this duty on himself and
to bear with patience the inconveniences and difficulties
incidental to his task.
The Army

Be particularly mindful of the welfare of those in the
army, who in your opinion, are staunchly faithful to their
God and the prophet and loyal to their chief, and who in
the hour of passion can restrain themselves and listen
coolly to sensible remonstrance, and who can succour the
weak and smite the strong, whom violent provocation will
not throw into violent temper and who will not falter at
any stage.

Keep yourself in close contact with the families of
established reputation and integrity and with a glorious
past, and draw to yourself men brave and upright in
character, generous and benevolent in disposition, for such
are the elite of the society.

Care for them with the tenderness with which you
care for your children and do not talk before them of any
good that you might have done to them nor disregard any

expression of affection which they show in return for,
such conduct inspires loyalty, devotion and goodwill.
Attend to every little want of theirs not resting content
with what general help that you might have given to them,
for sometimes, timely attention to a little want of theirs
brings them immense relief. Surely these people will not
forget you in your own hour of need.
It behoves you to select for your Commander-in-Chief
one who imposes on himself, as a duty, the task of render-
ing help to his men and who can excel in kindness every
other officer who has to attend to the needs of the men
under him and look after their families when they are
away from their homes; so much so, that the entire army
should feel united in their joys and in their sorrows. This
unity of purpose will give them added strength against the
enemy. Continue to maintain a kindly attitude towards
them so that they might feel ever attached to you. The
fact is that the real happiness of the administrators and
their most pleasant comfort lies in establishing justice in
the state and maintaining affectionate relations with the
people. Their sincerity of feeling is expressed in the love
and regard they show to you, on which alone depends the
safety of the administrators.

Your advice to the army will be of no avail, unless
and until you show affection for both men and officers,
in order that they might not regard the Government as an
oppressive burden or contribute to its downfall.
Continue to satisfy their needs and praise them over
and over again for what services they have rendered. Such
an attitude, God willing, will inspire the brave to braver
actions and induce the timid to deeds of bravery.
Try to enter into the feelings of others and do not
foist the mistake of one on another and do not grudge dis-
pensing appropriate regards. See to it, you do not show
favours to one who has achieved nothing but merely
counts on his family position, and do not withold proper
reward from one who has done great deeds simply because
he holds a low position in life.
The Real Guidance

Turn to God and to His prophet for guidance when-
ever you feel uncertain regarding your actions. There
is the commandment of God delivered to those people
whom He wishes to guide aright: M people of the Faith!

Obey God and obey His prophet and obey those from
among you who hold authority over you. And refer to
God and His prophet whenever there is a difference of
opinion among you". To turn to God is in reality to
consult the Book of God; and to turn to the prophet is to
follow his universally accepted traditions.
Chief Justice

Select as your Chief Justice from the people, one who
is by far the best among them - one who is not obsessed
with domestic worries, one who cannot be intimidated,
one who does not err too often, one who does not turn
back from the right path once he finds it, one who is not
self-centered or avaricious, one who will not decide before
knowing the full facts, one who will weigh with care every
attendant doubt and pronounce a clear verdict after taking
everything into full consideration, one who will not grow
restive over the arguments of advocates and who will
examine with patience every new disclosure of fact and
who will be strictly impartial in his decision, one whom
flattery cannot mislead, one who does not exult over his
position. But such people are scarce.
Once you have selected the right man for the office,
pay him handsomely enough, to let him live in comfort
and in keeping with his position, enough to keep him
above temptations. Give him a position in your court so
high that none can even dream of coveting it and so high
that neither back-biting nor intrigue can touch him.
Subordinate Judiciary

Beware! The utmost carefulness is to be exercised in
its selection, for it is this high office which adventurous
self-seekers aspire to secure and exploit in their selfish
interests. After the selection of your Chief justice, give
careful consideration to the selection of other officers.
Confirm them in their appointments after approved pro-
bation. Never select men for responsible posts either out of
any regard for personal connections or under any influence,
for that might lead to injustice and corruption.
Of these, select for higher posts, men of experience,
men firm in faith and belonging to good families. Such
men will not fall an easy prey to temptations and will
discharge their duties with an eye on the abiding good of
others. Increase their salaries to give them a contented life.
A contented living is a help to self-purification. They will

not feel the urge to tax the earnings of their subordinates
for their own upkeep. They will then have no excuse to go
against your instructions or misappropriate state funds.
Keep a watch over them without their knowledge. Perchance
they may develop true honesty and true concern for the
public welfare. But whenever any of them is accused of
dishonesty, and the guilt is confirmed by the report of
your secret service, then regard this as sufficient to convict
him. Let the punishment be corporal and let that be dealt
with in public at an appointed place of degradation.
Revenue Administration

Great care is to be exercised in revenue administra-
tion, to ensure the prosperity of those who pay the revenue
to the state for, on their prosperity depends the prosperity
of others, particularly of the masses. Indeed, the state
exists on its revenue. You should regard the proper upkeep
of the land in cultivation as of greater importance than the
collection of revenue, for revenue cannot be derived
except by making the land productive. He who demands
revenue without helping the cultivator and ruins the state.
The rule of such a person does not last long. If the cultiva-
tors ask for reduction of their land cess for having suffered
from epidemics or drought or excess of rains or the barren-
ness of the soil or floods damaging their crops, then reduce
the cess accordingly, so that their condition might improve.
Do not mind the loss of revenue on that account for that
will return to you one day manifold in the hour of greater
prosperity of the land and enable you to improve the con-
dition of your towns and raise the prestige of your state.
You will be the object of universal praise. The people will
believe in your sense of justice. The confidence which they
will place in you in consequence will prove your strength,
as they will be found ready to share your burdens.
You may settle down on the land any number of
people, but discontent will overtake them if the land is not
improved. The cause of the cultivators' ruin is the rulers
who are bent feverishly on accumulating wealth at all costs,
out of the fear that their rule might not last long. Such are
the people who do not learn from examples or precedents.
Clerical Establishment

Keep an eye on your establishment and your scribes
and select the best among them for your confidential
correspodence; such among these, as possess high character

and deserve your full confidence - men, who may not
exploit their privileged position to go against you, and who
may not grow neglectful of their duties, and who in
drafting of treaties may not succumb to temptation and
harm your interests or fail to render you proper assistance
and save you from trouble, and who, in carrying out their
duties, can realise their serious responsibilities, for he who
does not realise his own responsibilities can hardly appraise
the responsibilities of others. Do not select men for such
work merely on the strength of your first impressions of
affection or good faith for as a matter of fact, the preten-
sions of a good many who are really devoid of honesty and
good breeding, may cheat even the intelligence of the
rulers. Selection should be made after due probation -
probation which should be the test of righteousness. In
making direct appointments from people and who enjoy
the reputation of being honest for such selection is agreeable
both to God and the ruler. For every department of
administration, let there be a head, whom no trying task
might cause worry and no pressure of work annoy.
And remember that each and every lapse of scribes,
which you may overlook, will be written down against you
in your scroll of deeds.
Trade and Industry

You are advised to treat well businessmen and
artisans and direct others to do likewise. Some of them live
in towns and some move from place to place with their
ware and tools and earn their living by manual labour.
They are the real source of profit to the state and provider
of consumer goods.

While the general public are not inclined to bear the
strain, those engaged in these professions take the trouble
to collect commodities from far and near, from land and
from across the sea, and from mountains and forests and
naturally derive benefits.

It is this class of peace-loving people from whom no
disturbance need be feared. They love peace and order.
Indeed they are incapable of creating discord protect them
whether they are transacting business at your place or in
other towns. But bear in mind that a good many of them
are intensely greedy and are immured to bad dealings.
They hoard grain and try to sell it at a high price and this
is most harmful to the public. It is a blot on the name of

the ruler not to fight this evil. Prevent them from hoarding;
for the prophet of God had prohibited it. See to it that
trade is carried on with the utmost ease, that the scales are
evenly held and that prices are so fixed that neither the
seller nor the buyer is put to a loss. And if, in spite of your
warning, should anyone go against your commands and
commit the crime of hoarding, then inflict upon him a
severe punishment.
The Poor

Beware! Fear God when dealing with the problem of
the poor who have none to patronise them, who are forlorn,
indigent, helpless and are greatly torn in mind - victims of
the vicissitudes of time. Among them there are some who
do not question their lot in life and who, notwithstanding
their misery, do not go about seeking alms. For God's
sake, safeguard their rights for on you rests the responsibility
of protecting their interests. Assign for their uplift a
portion of the state exchequer (Bayt al Mai), wherever
they may be, whether close at hand or far from you. The
rights of the two should be equal in your eye. Do not let
any preoccupations slip them from your mind for no
excuse whatsoever for the disregard of their rights will be
acceptable to God. Do not treat their interests as of less
importance than your own and never keep them outside
the purview of your important cosiderations and mark the
persons who look down upon them and of whose condition
they keep you in ignorance.
Select from among, your officers such men as are
upright and god-fearing and who can keep you properly
informed of the condition of the poor.
Make such provision for these poor people as shall
not oblige you to offer an excuse before God on the Day
of Judgement for, it is this section of the people which,
more than any other, deserves benevolent treatment. Seek
your reward from God by giving to each of them what is
due to him and enjoin on yourself as a sacred duty the task
of meeting the needs of such aged among them as have no
independent means of livelihood and are averse to seeking
alms. It is the discharge of this duty that usually proves
very trying to rulers, but is very welcome to societies
which are gifted with foresight. It is only such societies or
nations that truly carry out with equanimity their covenant
with God to discharge their duty to the poor.

Open Confrences

Meet the oppressed and the lowly periodically in an
open conference and conscious of the Divine presence
there, have a heart-to-heart talk with them and let none
from your armed guard or civil officers or members of the
Police Department or the Intelligence Department be by
your side, so that the representatives of the poor might
state their grievances fearlessly and without reserve. For
I have heard the prophet of God say that no nation or
society, in which the strong do not discharge their duty to
the weak, will occupy a high position. Bear with composure
any strong language which they may use, and do not get
annoyed if they cannot state their case lucidly. Even so,
God will open for you His door of blessings and rewards.
Whatever you can give to them, give it ungrudgingly and
whatever you cannot afford to give, make clear to them
with the utmost condescension.
There are certain things which call for prompt action.
One of them is correspondence regarding the redress of
grievances which your heedless staff has been unable to
tackle. See to it that petitions or applications submitted
for your consideration are brought to your notice without
any delay, however much your officers might try to inter-
cept them. Dispose of the day's work that very day for
the coming day will entail its own task.
Communion with God

Do not forget to set apart the best of your time for
communion with God, although every moment of yours is
for Him only, provided it is spent sincerely in the service
of your people. The obligation which you directly owe to
God, should be included in your over-all duties. Therefore,
devote some of your time each day and night to prayer so
as to be in communion with God. Let your prayer be as
perfect as free from blemish as possible, notwithstanding
the physical discomfort it may involve.
And when you lead a congregational prayer, do not
bore people by a needlessly long prayer, nor spoil it by
unwarranted shortness.

When, on receiving an order to proceed to Yemen,
I asked the prophet of God, how I should lead the congre-
gation there, he said, "Perform your prayers even as the
weakest among you would offer and set an example of
considerateness to the faithful".

Aloofness not Desireable

With regard to the observance of all that I have said,
bear one thing in mind. Never, for any length of time, keep
yourself aloof from the people, for to do so is to keep
oneself ignorant of their affairs. It develops in the ruler
a wrong perspective and renders him unable to distinguish
between what is important and what is unimportant,
between right and wrong, and between truth and falsehood.
The ruler is after all a human being; and he cannot form a
correct view of anything which is out of sight.
There is no distinctive sign attached to truth which
may enable one to distinguish between the different varieties
of truth and falsehood. The fact is that you must be one of
the two things. Either you are just or unjust. If you are
just, then you will not keep aloof from the people, but will
listen to them and meet their requirements.
But if you are unjust, the people themselves will keep
away from you. What virtue is there in your keeping aloof?
At all events aloofness is not desirable, especially when it is
your duty to attend to the needs of the people. Complaints
of oppression by your officers or petitions tor justice
should not prove irksome to you.
Nepotism

Make this clear to yourself that those immediately
about and around you, will like to exploit their position to
covet what belongs to others and commit acts of injustice.
Suppress such a tendency in them. Make a rule of your
conduct never to give even a small piece of land to any of
your relations. That will prevent them from causing harm
to the interests of others and save you from courting the
disapprobation of both God and man.
Deal justice squarely regardless of the fact whether
one is a relation or not. If any of your relations or com-
panions violates the law, mete out the punishment pres-
cribed by law, however painful it might be to you personally
for it will be all to the good of the state. If at any time
people suspect that you have been unjust to them in any
respect, disclose to them and remove their suspicions. In
this way, your mind will become attuned to the sense of
justice and people will begin to love you. It will also fulfil
your wish that you should enjoy their confidence.
Peace and Treaties
Bear in mind that you do not throw away the offer of

peace which your enemy may himself make. Accept it,
for that will please God. Peace is a source of comfort to
the army. It reduces your worries and promotes order in
the state. But beware! Be on your guard when the peace is-
signed for, certain types of enemies propose terms of peace
just to lull you into a sense of security only to attack you
again when you are off your guard. So you should exercise
the utmost vigilance on your part and place no undue faith
in their protestations. But, if under the peace treaty you
have accepted any obligations, discharge those obligations
scrupulously. It is a trust and must be faithfully upheld
and whenever you have promised anything, keep it with all
the strength that you command, for whatever difference of
opinion might exist on other matters, there is nothing so
noble as the fulfilment of a promise. This is recognized
even among the non-Muslims, for they know the dire
consequences which follow from the breaking of
covenants. So never make excuses in discharging your
responsibilities and never break a promise, nor cheat your
enemy, for breach of promise is an act against God and
none except the positively wicked acts against God.
Indeed Divne promises are a blessing spread over all
mankind. The promise of God is a refuge sought after,
even by the most powerful on earth for there is no risk of
being cheated. So, do not make any such promise which
you cannot fulfil, nor attack your enemy without ultima-
tum because none, except a wretched ignorant being,
would dare defy God who, in His infinite mercy, has made
pacts and treaties as tools of utmost sanctity for His
creatures; in fact, peace provides shelter under the lively
shade of which all seek asylum and in the vicinity of
which all listen for a sojourn. A treaty should, therefore,
be free from fraud, duplicity and deception.
Never execute a pact open to interpretations, but
once it is executed, don't exploit equivocation, if any;
nor repudiate any treaty concluded in the light of Divine
injunctions, even in the face of grievous difficulties. As there
is reward in life Hereafter, it is better to face difficulties
rather than violate the treaty with a traumatic sense of
accountability on the Day of Judgement.
Beware! Abstain from shedding blood without a valid
cause, as it invites the wrath of Almighty, exposes one to,
His severest punishment, deprives one of His blessings and

shorten's one's span of life. On the Day of Judgement it is

this crime for which one will have to answer first. So,

beware! Do not wish to build the strength of your state on

blood for, it is this blood which ultimately weakens the

power and undermines the authority and shakes its very

foundations; power then slips to other hands.

A murder is a crime which is punishable by death.

If, on any account the corporal punishment dealt by the

state for any lesser crime results in the death of the guilty,

let not the prestige of the state stand in the way of the

deceased's relations claiming blood-money.

Last Instructions

Shun self- adoration; do not indulge in self-praise nor

encourage others to extol you, because of all the ruses to

undo good deeds of pious men, Satan relies most upon

praise and flattery.

Neither over-rate nor indulge in tall talks about the

favours you have showered on people. Breach of promise

annoys God and man alike. God, the Most Exalted, says

in the Qur'an: "God is much displeased if you do not

act upon what you say".

Do not make haste to do a thing before its time, nor

put it off when the right moment arrives. Do not insist on

doing a wrong thing, nor show slackness in rectifying a

wrong thing. Perform everything at its proper time and let

everything occupy its proper place. When the people as a

whole agree upon a thing, do not impose your own view

on them and do not neglect to discharge the responsibility

that rests on you in consequence. For the eyes of the

people will be on you and you are answerable for whatever

you do to them. The slightest dereliction of duty will bring

its own retribution. Keep your anger under control and

keep your hands and tongue in check. The best way to

restrain your rage is to defer punishment till you are

calmed and restored to your self. You cannot achieve it

unless you remember that you have ultimately to return to

your Sustainer.

It is imperative that you carefully study the precepts

which have inspired just and good rulers who have preceded

you. Give close thought to the example of our prophet, his

traditions, and the commandments of the Qur'an and

whatever you might have assimilated from my own way of

dealing with things. Endeavour to the best of your ability

to carry out the instructions which I have given here and
you have solemnly undertaken to follow. By means of this
order, I enjoin on you not to succumb to the promptings
of your own heart, nor to turn away from the discharge of
duties entrusted to you.

I seek refuge in the Almighty and His unlimited
sphere of blessings, and invite you to pray with me that He
may give us together the grace to surrender willingly our
will to His will, and to enable us to acquit ourselves well
before Him and His creation, so that mankind cherishes
our memory and our work survives. I beseech God for His
blessings and pray that He may grant you and me His grace
and the honour of martyrdom in His cause. Verily, we
have to return to Him. I invoke His blessings on the
prophet of God and his blessed progeny.

U.N. Charter of human rights

The rules laid down by Ali regarding human rights

appear to be better and more useful as compared with the

declaration made by the U.N. on the subject.

The readers have now fully grasped the human rights

as enunciated by Ali. It, however, appears necessary to

recapitulate them in this chapter and to study their

different aspects keeping their gist in view.

We have endeavoured to understand properly Ali's

views and ideas regarding special and common rights in the

light of his various testaments, letters and orders sent by

him to his governors and other officers and have dealt with

them in separate chapters and have tried our best to

explain them as clearly as possible. Hence it should be

quite easy for a reader to get fully acquainted with rules

and regulations set forth by Ali regarding human rights by

referring to the relevant chapters.

In order to present the views and beliefs of Ali in a

more prominent manner and to find out in a better and

clearer way with what celestial power these instructions

were issued by him, we propose to mention here some

important contents of the charter of the U.N. and the

declaration of human rights which have been endorsed by

the representatives of all nations. If there is any difference

between the rules laid down by Ali and the U.N. charter

it will be possible for the readers to realize it and also to

find out the reason why it is so.

We may say briefly that from the point of view of

their purport there is no difference between the rules laid

down by Ali regarding human rights and the charter of the

United Nations. If any minor difference is observed,

apparently it is due to changes which have taken place in

the terminology during the course of time, and is not basic

or in principle.

There is no chapter in the charter of the U.N. which

is not running parallel to the rules laid down by Ali. In fact

better and more useful things are found in the instructions

given by him.

In my opinion the difference between the two sets of

rules is due to the following four reasons:

Firstly the charter of the United Nations was drafted
by thousands of intellectuals belonging to almost all the
countries of the world whereas the Alavi rules were
enunciated by only one person viz. Ali son of Abu Talib.
Secondly Ali arrived in this world fourteen hundred
years ago.

Thirdly those who drafted the U.N. charter or in fact
collected the requisite material for it indulged in too much
extravagant talk and self-praise and boasted that world was
indebted to them on this account. On the contrrary Ali
showed humility before God and was modest before the
people. He did not seek greatness or superiority. He always
prayed to God and also wished the people that his acts
of commissions and ommisions might be overlooked.
The fourth reason for the difference which is more
important than the three enumerated above is that many
nations, out of those which participated in the U.N.
Declaration of Human Rights and endorsed it, violated this
declaration and started armed conflicts to nullify and
destroy it, but wherever Ali placed his foot, and whenever
he said anything, or unsheathed his sword, he did so to
destroy tyranny and oppression and levelled the ground to
march forward on the path of truth and justice. So much
so that he met his martyrdom in defence of human rights
although during his lifetime he had already been martyred
thousands of times.

We now give below the contents of the largest chapter
of the U.N. charter which deals with human rights:
It has been compiled by a French writer Barbabech,
and transited by Muhammad Mandoor in Arabic and
published by the U.A.R (United Arab Republic).

1. Human beings are equal to one another in the matter
of honour and rights. They have been created with the
power of reflection and competence to distinguish between
good and evil. Hence all of them should behave with one
another like brothers.

2. Every human being should enjoy all his rights and the
liberties provided for in this charter. No discrimination
should be made between them on account of difference in
race, colour, tongue, faith, political views, country, social
principles, affluence, indigence, pedigree and family.

3. The rights mentioned in this charter are also available
to the citizens of those countries as well as to the citizens

of the countries whose governments are subordinate to
other governments. Hence the citizens of these regions are
equal to the residents of independent countries.

4. Every person is entitled to possess means of living
and to lead his life in security and peace.

5. Slavery is not permissible for mankind. Slavery and
dealing in slaves is prohibited in all circumstances.

6. It is not permissible to hurt or oppress human beings.
It is unlawful to coerce them unnecessarily. Anything
which amounts to aspersion on another's character or
reputation is prohibited.

7. Every person has a right that his legal position should
be acknowledged in whichever country he may be.

8. All human beings are equal before law. Every person

is entitled to seek assistance of law. There is no difference
between human beings. Everyone has a right to oppose the
discrimination which infringes the contents of this charter.

9. Every person has right to lodge a complaint before

a regular court which is established to take decisions about
rights and violations of the law in force.

10. None can be arrested, imprisoned and exiled from
his town.

1 1. It is not permissible that any one should interfere
with the personal or family life or correspondence of
another person without being entitled to do so. None is
permitted to attack the honour or reputation of another,
and every person has a right to approach the law-enforcing
authorities in the event of oppression and interference. 1

12. Every person has a right to travel freely in his country
and to settle down wherever he likes. Moreover, every
person is entitled to migrate from any town and also to
return to it when he likes.

13. Every person has a right to seek refuge in another
country when he is subjected to tyranny and oppression.

14. Every person has possessive rights in his personal
capacity or as a partner and none can be deprived of the
ownership of his property under coercion.

15. Every person is entitled to reflect freely and the
governments are not entitled to interfere with the religious
beliefs and actions of the people.

16. Every person is entitled to hold an independent
opinion and to express it, and by implication none can
hurt him on account of his opinions. 2

17. Every person is entitled to intervene in the activities
of the Department of P ublic Affairs of the country either
directly or through a freely elected representative. Every
person has a right to take part in public activities on equal
conditions, and self-determination of the people is the
origin and basis of the authority of government.

18. Every person is entitled to benefit from the natural
responsibilities of the members of the society which they
owe to one another. The economic, social and educational
rights, which are necessary for a person according to his
status, are guaranteed for him and the entire nation with

19. Every person is entitled to select the profession he
likes and to demand sufficient conditions for it which

are compatible with justice. He is also entitled to be helped
to get rid of unemployment. All persons are entitled,
without any exception, to demand appropriate wages for
the work done by them. Every worker has a right to
demand wages, which are sufficient for his and his family's
sustenance and with which he may build his life in accor-
dance with human dignity. If at any time the usual wages
are insufficient to support him he should be compensated
by some collective means. 3

20. It is every person's right that he and his family should
lead their lives with means of welfare and security,
especially in the matter of food, dress, lodging, health

and social affairs. Futhermore, he/she should be assisted in
the event of unemployment, weakness, old age, and
widowhood, and in all such circumstances as make it
impossible for him/her to earn.

21. Every person has a right to acquire knowledge.
Education should be free and primary education should
be compulsory. The object of education should be the
nurture of human personality and respect for rights and
political freedom. It is also necessary that education
should be means of strengthening mutual reconciliation,
forgiveness and friendship between the nations and should
assist the United Nations in its mission of peace.

22. The individuals owe some duties to the society which
must be fulfilled by them, because the personality of the
individuals is built under the auspices of the society.

23. The individuals cannot be prevented from demanding
their rights and enjoying freedom except in matter for
which laws have been enacted to protect and respect the

rights and freedom of others, or rules have been prescribed
by society for the protection of good morals, administra-
tion of government and public welfare.
These rights and freedom should not in any circum-
stances interfere with the aims and objects of the United
Nations.

24. The sentences and language of this charter should not
be interpreted in such a way that any government, party
or individual may become entitled to react and nullify
practically the freedoms provided for in this charter.
These are the most important points which are
recorded in the charter of the U.N. regarding the rights and
freedom of man. These are the very rights which are often
violated by the signatory governments.
I think that the readers must have realized the suffi-
ciency of these instructions with the help of the rules
enunciated by Imam AN and must also nave recognized
their similarity, with the exception of the terminology
which has changed with the passage of time and the ideas
which have appeared on account of the developments,
which have taken place during the present age. However,
the affection and kindness, which is seen in the rules
framed by the Imam, is missing from the charter of the
United Nations.

In the following chapter we shall mention the high
morals and virtues of AN and how he kept in view the
relationship of life which exists between the living beings
and how he respected it in his words and deeds.
In another chapter we shall review in detail the
conditions of the Arab world during the periods of Bani
Umayyah, Bani Abbas and other rulers, and shall explain
how they violated these rules, so that, by a comparative
study of Ali's conduct and theirs, the value of the rules
enunciated by him may become known in a better way.
While giving in detail the rules prescribed by Imam
AN in previous chapters we have already shown their worth
and value, and in these two chapters we conclude our
discussion regarding AN and human rights, so that we may
turn our attention to other matters.

>

1 A large part of the contents of this charter is not compatible

with the objects of socialism, because in the socialist countries
complete freedom of the individuals is considered to be opposed
to the interests of the State.

2 The opinions which interfere with law and order, or create
disturbance or are injurious to the independence and integrity of the
State are offences according to law, and the laws of every country
take such offences into account.

the co-operation of the governments is responsible to pay
these rights.

3 Freedom of action, strikes, complaints by the workers and
other similar things are not permissible in accordance with the
socialistic ideology, because whatever is connected with action and
economy is controlled by the despotic government and opposition
to government is treated to be a revolt against it.

Value of life and Ali

We have learnt that Ali was grieved on account of the
privations of the oppressed. He helped them to acquire
their rights and made them recognize what was due to
them. He also shared hardships with the indigent and the
deprived, so that the value of justice might be known and
it's standard might be elevated.

We have studied his method of eliminating oppression,
and the principles which he followed in the capacity of a
ruler and it has become known that his principles and laws
enjoy a very high position amongst the principles ennun-
ciated by the great sages of the East and the West. We have
already mentioned his contributions to the language,
philosophy, and science and have explained that he was
the base and origin of these branches of knowledge. We
have hinted at the extraordinary power which he possessed
to activate the natural inclinations and morality for the
people and the wonderful eloquence with which he des-
cribed their qualities and desires. His inherent powers and
personal virtues were intermingled and with their help he
planted, on every occasion, a new tree and provided it with
leaves and flowers to perfect the knowledge of mankind.
He laid a new foundation through his literary and
other works on which Arabic language, jurisprudence, and
social sciences, are based, and the fact is that the theories
expounded by others are the offshoots of the same know-
ledge which he has handed down to us.
This voluminous book about the cognition of man
cannot be compiled unless the author describes the nature
of human beings, finds out the effects of the vicissitudes of
time on their nature, directs his intellect and natural
inclinations towards their welfare and then takes a decision
according to their individual and collective nature and the
spirit of the time. Imam Ali adopted this method in his
sayings and precepts, which are unmatched after the sayings
and precepts of the prophet.

In some of his precepts Ali has addressed theoretical
logic. In others he has addressed practical logic. And in
many of them he has addresed both. The precepts referring
to theoretical logic mean as to how a fact should be found

out and those which relate to practical logic mean as to
what should be done to acquire prosperity.
As regards the first kind of precepts it may be said
that Ali found out the true nature of facts. With a subtle
intellect he observed the good and evil of the time, arrived
at correct conclusions after making necessary experiments,
and made those conclusions known to the people. 1
His precepts are so judicious and exact that it may be
said that they have been deduced by means of geometrical
calculations. They have been stated in such a beautiful
manner that from the point of view of their meanings as
well as their interpretation they form the foundation of
the Arabic literature. All the thoughts and opinions of the
Imam collected in Nahj al-Balaghah are of this standard.
In the precepts in which the Commander of the
Faithful has addressed theoretical logic, he has left the
people free in the matter of their reason and views so that
they may find out the factual position and act according
to their understanding and comprehension.
Such precepts are not in the form of orders, prohibi-
tions or desires. On the contrary they are philosophical
remarks in which the nature and habits of the friends and
the enemies, the righteous and the wicked, the wise and
the foolish, the generous and the miserly, the oppressor
and the oppressed etc. have been fully explained. He has
also explained many scientific laws with logical reasoning.
Some of them will be mentioned later.
As regards his precepts which relate to practical logic,
or both practical logic and theoretical logic, it may be
stated as follows:

Those who think that only the laws, rules, regulations
and system of government are sufficient for the adminis-
tration of public affairs are mistaken, because one should
take responsibility for the protection and observance of
these principles and laws after due explanation of human
rights. Just as it is necessary that one who enacts these
laws should be wise, experienced and righteous, it is also
necessary that one who implements them should possess
these qualities and should obtain tbe desired results. This
is so because the administration of public affairs depends
very much on the good and bad qualities of those who
promulgate the laws and is also related to the wisdom
and attention of the people for whom those laws have

been enacted. In spite of all this it has to be admitted that

the various new rules and laws which have been formulated

are mostly different from one another. Owing to the

differences which exist between the countries it is not

possible to enforce all these laws without force and

coercion and the law-enforcing authorities are permitted

to avoid enforcing them to some extent. The rules and

laws of the old governments were mostly compatible with

the habits and morals of those who enforced them. This

was for reasons which are beyond the scope of our present

discussion. 2

Let us suppose that it is possible for human beings to

enact useful laws and to compel the people to act according

to them However, if the responsibilities are not carried

out according to the dictates of conscience and faith, they

do not carry much value. We believe that any act which is

not performed by man with the confirmation of practical

logic, personal desire, and firm determination, and without

coercion, cannot be treated to be a human act. The greatest

and the most precious human action is that which is

prompted by one's conscience.

The rules and laws formulated by a government are

not at all sufficient to improve human relations unless

the theoretical and practical wisdom makes man contented

with them.

In that event the determination and good deeds of

the people will harmonize with each other and make the

individuals and the groups reach their destination through

the path of civilization, because such persons do not desire

anything except good deeds.

Whatever we have said about the individuals and

groups is very well known to the intellectuals and the

philosophers as well as to the past ulema and research

scholars, and we believe that conscience and faith obliged

them to serve.

When we study carefully the history of those who

served mankind and civilization, we come to know that

though wisdom alone was their guide for understanding

every matter, yet it was not alone in the history of their

lives. The power of theoretical knowledge is stagnant and

dry. By itself it can do nothing. It must have companions

and friends of different kinds along with their quantities

and numbers. This power shows you the path but not

the speed and does not compel you to walk on the path.
The thing which brings you to the stage of action is
enthusiasm and inclination.
Marconi (an Italian scientist who invented wireless)
liked it, on account of his enthusiasm and inclination, not
to enjoy the amusements of the world and to remain in
seclusion to serve mankind and civilization, for otherwise
why did he choose seclusion for himself, if practical
wisdom and enthusiasm did not prompt him to serve
humanity? The same thing could be said about some other
great men. Thus the noble-minded servants of mankind did
good deeds with great enthusiasm and devotion.
As the wicked and unlucky persons were devoid of
true practical wisdom and good intentions they could not
do any service to humanity in spite of their theorectical
wisdom. To this category belong Adolf Hitler, Hajjaj bin
Yusuf, Changez Khan, Alexander of Macedonia and many
great scientists of our own age who utilized their experi-
ments in respect of man. All of them possessed power of
intellect like the servants of mankind but in spite of this
their performance was nothing but bloodshed, lack of
regard for human life, destruction of the achievements of
human civilization, and death and annihilation of innumer-
able innocent men and women. This was due to the fact
hat their theoretical wisdom and thoughts were not linked
with practical wisdom and good sentiments. If these two
things (viz. practical wisdom and good sentiments) are
not present theoretical wisdom is useless and is in fact
very harmful.

I do not mean to say that the different powers
possessed by man viz. theoretical wisdom, practical wisdom,
and inclination, are separate from one another. In fact
these powers assist and influence one another. What I
mean to say is that the theoretical wisdom comprehends
the things themselves, connects causes and effects with
each other and provides unalterable limits and rules which
do not change on account of changes which take place in
the morals and the nations, but the practical wisdom
and sentiments are different according to differences
in the people.

Theoretical wisdom is present in every person and
comprehends a matter correctly. It is necessary that it

should contain inclination and the practical wisdom should
make it proceed on the path of goodness and prosperity.
Failing this the person concerned will spend his wisdom on
making discoveries which will become the cause of destruc-
tion of the human beings as well as of his own bad luck.
This is as true in the case of the law-giver as for those
for whom the law has been enacted. Their conscience and
inclination should be desirous of obeying the laws based
on equity and justice and mere intellectual admission
of their goodness is not sufficient. Their hearts should
be free from impurities to ensure the perfection of human
prosperity so that they may make efforts with enthusiasm
for the welfare of the nation. Furthermore, it is necessary
that they should possess moral virtues, because the merits
of a man protect the laws and orders from the evil-doers
and the sinners like a fortress.
It was for this reason that Imam Ali awakened good
inclinations in the hearts of the people and delivered
sermons to promote good morals. In his sermons, testa-
ments and conversations he always addressed the conscience
of the people, because he knew that for the administration
of the affairs of the people and their good relations it is
necessary that they should possess good morals. Self-
purification ensures human perfection and also supports
justice, and protects its frontiers. Furthermore, it leads
towards the sentiments and desires of the people which
culminate prosperity and happiness.
Ali possessed unusual competence to counsel and
refine the people and his words deeply impressed everyone.
He knew their nature and their way and manners. He
compared their good and bad qualities and embodied their
realities in his statements. He explained their different
kinds. He ordered the people to do certain things and
forbade them from doing evil things.
He had a very favourable opinion about the conscience
of the people being able to make distinction between good
and evil. This favourable opinion of Ali about the conscience

of human beings resembled a similar opinion held by other
great benefactors of humanity (like C hrist) and M uhammad
who had enlightened minds and kind and affectionate
hearts, and whose love for mankind knew no bounds.
Every light became insignificant before that which was

kindled in their hearts. Ali has based his precepts on
this very favourable opinion and his addressing human
conscience in his counsels and sermons is also on account
of the good opinion which he held about human nature.
As Ali held a favourable opinion about the people,
in spite of all the hardships which he had to suffer at their
hands, he always endeavoured to inculcate good morals in
their hearts. He knew that both goodness and evil are
present in the nature of man. However, it behoves a for-
bearing person to turn his heart towards goodness and
nourish it. He educated the people through examples as
well as by his good conduct, because this method of educa-
tion is more effective.

Imam Ali stressed the people time and again to hold a
good opinion about human conscience. He has said: "If a
person holds a good opinion about you try to prove his
opinion to be correct". He has also said: "If someone does
something do not hold a bad opinion about it so long as it
is possible to draw a good conclusion from it".
If he has criticized some actions of treacherous and
unjust persons it was because he considered their reforma-
tion possible by means of censure and advice, although it
might necessitate a good deal of effort and time.
A righteous person rewards those who do good deeds,
but punishes the evil-doers because he hopes that by this
means it will be possible to correct them. If Imam Ali had
not expected this he would not have tolerated the unbear-
able hardships caused by the wicked persons.
Ali said about the world and the worldly people:
"The worldly persons growl atone another like dogs and
ferocious animals. Their strong ones devour the weak and
the big ones humiliate the small ones". He said this because
he had suffered much on account of the usurpation and
disobedience of the corrupt persons, and was very much

vexed on account of the trouble caused by them. By
saying these things he fought against the unjust, the cruel
and the tyrants in the same way in which a physician fights
against the germs for the welfare and health of a patient.
He preferred death to life and hoped for the salvation
of mankind.

Ali respected life, because it is a great blessing of God.
He considered living beings to be respectable so that a

specimen of the traces of creation might remain secure in
their existence. He had a very favourable opinion about
the conscience and the purity of nature of man and was
very hopeful for the prosperity of mankind. He wished
that men might remain as free as he ought to be.
In the absence of this favourable opinion and hope he
would not have behaved so well with the people and would
not have said: "If you hear something from someone do
not hold a bad opinion about it so long as it is possible to
draw a good conclusion from it". In that event he would
not also have addressed the conscience of the people
kindly like the prophets, and would not have guided them
with a heavy heart, to goodness with his sermons and
admonitions. He wished to protect the morals of the
people with his sermons and precepts, and to rear up
human enthusiasm in them so that they might do good
deeds with the assistance of their own wisdom and intellect.
In every work Imam AN appointed certain spies from
among the people themselves to keep an eye on them and
declared that the limbs of their body were sitting in
ambush for them. As he had faith in their own assessment
he said: "0 people! Remember that your own self is sitting
in ambush for you and your limbs are your spies who keep
an account of your deeds and even your breathing".
On account of his faith in the conscience of man and
respect for his life he told the people of his time that
human life cannot be kept in bondage, and cannot be
kept in the cradle of childhood for long. It should not be
kept in imprisonment lest it should become impure and be
consequently annihilated.
In another chapter we shall quote some unique
sayings of AN which will remain alive so long as righteous
persons live on the earth. Those sayings will last forever.
We have selected these sayings from Nahj al-Balaghah and
they relate to the acquisition of excellent morals and good
character and to the purity of man.

1 According to S hiite belief whatever the Imam said was based
on inspiration and celestial power i.e. the spirit of Imamate and it is
not possible to acquire all the knowledge possessed by him by means
of intellect and experience.

2 The author has proved here that it is the duty of the people to
consider law to be a bounty for themselves. They should have faith
in it and should hold themselves responsible to obey it, instead of
the government being wholly responsible to enforce it and the
people obeying it for fear of punishment.
The Muslim scholars have explained this point in their books
at length and all the M uslims know that man-made laws are not
sufficient to ensure happiness in this world and salvation in the
world hereafter.

As regards the celestial law it is necessary that the prophet
should enforce it through inspiration and the people should obey it
as an article of faith.

Conditions prevailing after Ali

These calamities and social and moral evils began to
appear in the Arab world, and gained strength in the East
from the day on which the sinful hand of Ibn Muljim was
stretched towards the specimen of justice and the embodi-
ment of virtue viz. Ali son of Abu Talib.
It appears necessary to mention briefly the conditions
of the Arab nation after the martyrdom of Imam Ali and
to explain what shape the things assumed during the periods
of Bani Umayyah and Bani Abbas, what the activities of
these rulers, who deviated from the principles laid down
by Ali, were, and how the common man became very
cheap and was transferred like inheritance from one
group to another.

The caliphate of Imam Ali was an interval between
the period of Uthman and that of Mu v awiya and his
successors. During this interval truth and justice enjoyed
a very high position. However, during the period preceding
it the rights of the people were violated. The people
belonging to the upper class did not submit to the
authority of government. The result was that injustice and
oppression was rampant. The chiefs of the nation, the
officers and the governors had become a cause of affliction
for the people and were devouring their property. The
advisers and associates of Uthman were perfect despots.
It will be better to explain here the condition of the
rulers and the subjects during the periods of Bani Umayyah
and Bani Abbas so that the value of the rules and principles
laid down by Ali may be clearly understood and the
readers may realize how sublime his wisdom and thinking

was. His sword nipped selfishness in the bud and his
righteous hand annihilated falsehood.
As soon as Ali was martyred at the hands of the
accursed Ibn Muljim Mu v awiya son of Abu Sufyan began
planning against the opponents of his caliphate. He severely
punished every person who declined to acknowledge him
as the caliph of God. He had not yet completed his task
when he began levelling the ground for the succession of
his son, the notorious Yazid as caliph. He adopted all
possible means which could be useful for the kingship of

his son. He bestowed honours on some persons and deprived
others of position and authority. Out of the numerous
plans which Mu v awiya contrived for taking the oath of
allegiance from the people for Yazid we make a mention
of one which will go to show the foundation on which the
caliphate of Yazid and his successors was established.
Mu v awiya arranged a gathering so that the people
from different provinces should collectively take oath of
allegiance to his son Yazid during his own lifetime. When
the poeple assembled, Mu v awiya and Yazid were also
present. At that moment a flatterer named Yazid son of
Muqanna rose and said pointing to Mu v awiya: "This is the
Commander of the Faithful" Then he pointed to Yazid
and said: "If Mu v awiya passes away it will be he". Then
he pointed to his sword and said: "If any person does not
agree to this his punishment will be this". Mu v awiya said:
"Sit down for you are the chief of the orators".
The people of the Hijaz did not agree to take oath of
allegiance to Yazid. They could neither be allured by
wealth nor were they afraid of the military power.
Mu v awiya's behaviour with those people is surprising.
Once he threatened them saying: "I swear by God that if
any person utters even one word here against me he will
be beheaded before he utters the second word. You people
should, therefore, take care of your lives and should not
seek death". He posted two observers for each person
belonging to the Hijaz and said to the police-officer:
"Whoever from amongst these persons opens his lips to
refute or to affirm, his head should be chopped off".

It was in this manner that Yazid son of Mu v awiya

attained to the caliphate.

Abdullah son of Hanzala said: "We were afraid that

if we did not oppose Yazid stones will rain on our heads

from the heavens and all of us would be annihilated

because of the divine wrath. It was for this reason that

we opposed him".

It was the same Yazid who martyred Imam Husayn

in a very tragic manner, beseiged the Ka v abah and stoned

it with the help of the catapult, made the blood and the

property of the people of Madina lawful for his soldiers,

and lived a life of sensuality and pleasure. He used to play

with dogs and monkeys till he died and was succeeded by

other members of the Umayyad family. They distributed
the property of the public treasury among their relatives
and associates. The place of justice which was founded by
Ali was destroyed by them and an unjust group assumed
the reins of government. One group of persons became
very rich and the other was reduced to extreme poverty.
When thousands were starving, the Umayyad caliph gave
twelve thousand dinars to the singer named Ma v abad,
because he had amused the caliph with his music. The
nobles possessed innumerable slaves and slave-girls. Seventy
thousand of them were set free by Sulaiman son of Abdul
Malik alone. Partiality and bias on account of race, family
or party, was very common during the Umayyad rule
although Islam had destroyed such bias and Imam Ali had
not permitted it.

During that age discrimination was made between the
people of Yemen and Bani Qais. The Arabs claimed supe-
riority over the non- Arabs and similarly the Qurayshites
claimed to be superior to others. Their courts were full of
pleasure-loving persons who got large funds from the
public treasury without doing any public service. History
tells that Walid bin Abdul Malik disallowed the stipends of
more than twenty thousand stipendiaries. These were the
ways and manners of all Umayyads except Umar ibn
Abdul Aziz. They gained mastery over various regions by
means of oppression, and performed the task of Mu v awiya

and Yazid. Abdul Malik bin Marwan used to issue orders
according to his own wish and did not attach any impor-
tance to the lives and property of the people. He ordered
the wells and the springs of Bahrain to be filled with dust
so that the residents of that area might become indigent,
and obey the government. He appointed a cruel and
bloodthirsty person like Hajjaj bin Yusuf as Governor
of Iraq.

Amin Rayhani says thus about Bani Umayyah: "The
Umayyad rulers had reversed justice which should necessa-
rily be observed by a monarch. This was a group of mean
and incompetent persons. If one of them was a fool the
other was despicable. If one was humble and devoid of
honour the other was a drunkard and an oppressor. At
least one cannot overlook the abominable and wicked
practice of theirs that they abused Ali and his sons from

the pulpits".

Amongst Bani Umayyah there was only one just
caliph and he was Umar ibn Abdul Aziz. He started his
rule with doing away with injustice. He wanted to get the
looted property of the public treasury restored to it and
to adopt a sensible policy for his caliphate. However, some
people were not happy with this attitude of his and
assassinated him.

Bani Umayyah attained to the caliphate by deceit,
and converted it into kingship by coercion, and established
a kingdom in which there was not a trace of equity and
justice. At last the palace of their government became
shaky and fell on their own heads.
After them came Bani Abbas and the impartial persons
praised Bani Umayyah as compared with them.
Amin Rayhani says: "Bani Abbas gained control over
the country by means of bloodshed. There were horrible
scenes of massacres and bloodshed in Syria, Palestine, and
Iraq and after which other chiefs also followed the example
of Abul Abbas Saffah in killing and bloodshedding.
A man named Ameetar invited people to himself in
Syria. The Yemenites obeyed him but Bani Qais rose
against him. Ameetar launched a night attack on them and

burnt their property and houses. Another person named Ibn Bahees fought against
Ameetar, gained control over Damascus and punished the
residents of that city.

During the time of Bani Abbas revolts and distur-
bances were rampant and the party spirit was gaining
strength. And it was not only the cruel and blood thirsty
rebels who were suffering, but the poor subjects who paid
revenue and were always ready to partake in jihad were
also involved in troubles".

Thereafter, referring to the big and small principali-
ties of the last days of Bani Abbas Amin Rayhani says:
"The people who lived in that dark age were very unlucky.
Every ruler vied with another in bloodshed and warfare
and was proud of his atrocities. He told his soldiers:
"I hereby make it lawful for you to do anything you like
with this city for three days". With these words they
permitted the plundering of a city and shedding of the
blood of its residents. Mutanabbi says: "The women who
befriended them were to be made prisoners, their children
were to be killed, the wealth accumulated by them was to

be looted and their crops were to be burnt".

Fie upon that time, and upon the fear of the people

of that time. May God bless those helpless people and may

those rulers and soldiers be accursed! Does man who is

God's best creation get metamorphosed at one time into

a ferocious animal? Do these savages deserve that fifty

pages of history should be allocated to them? No; their

acts should be summarized only in one line; they became

fell enemies of one another, fought, killed, looted and

burnt, and were guilty of atrocities or in other words they

considered the lives, property and honour of others to be

lawful for themselves.

These are the remarks of Amin Rayhani about the

period of Bani Abbas and the plundering and bloodshed

of the small principalities during the last days of their

caliphate i.e. when the caliphs were only in name and

real authority and gone out of their hands.

Now we shall speak briefly about the period of Bani

Abbas. It has been mentioned earlier, that Bani Umayyah

opposing the system of government which the Commander
of the Faithful wished to introduce, and abandoning the
just policy adopted by him, had treated the government to
be their family property. They did not permit anyone to
share their authority. They adopted Fascist policies as if
the government and its revenues belonged to them only
and none else had even the smallest share in them.
When Bani Abbas came at the helm of affairs after
Bani Umayyah, they also based their administration on
the same ideas.

They also held the view that the king was God's
vicegerent on earth and it was his inherent right to rule.
None else was entitled to bring about any change in this
arrangement. It was on account of this very view that
Mansur, the second Abbasid caliph, said while speaking
before a public gathering: "O People! I am the king of the
earth appointed by God. I rule over you with His blessing
and help. I am the custodian of God's property. I utilize
the public treasury with His will. Whatever I give to anyone
is given with His permission, because He has made me the
lock of His treasury. If He wants to give you something He
will open that lock and if He does not like to give you
anything He will keep it closed".

The same policy was followed by other caliphs of the
Abbasid family. Every one of them was the vicegerent of
God on earth.

This goes to show very clearly that cruelty was the
foundation of the government of Bani Abbas and their
subordinate princes and rulers. According to them
sovereignty was a divine gift. God bestowed this gift upon
those whom He liked and when He willed the welfare
of the people He provided them with a kind, wise and
generous ruler.

The result of this way of thinking and this idea and
belief was that the people remained obedient to the
Abbasid rulers and patiently bore whatever befell them
considering it to be from God.

Baghdad, the capital of Bani Abbas, was overflowing
with wealth, but this entire wealth was meant only for the

caliph and his relatives and associates. Others, however
competent they might be and whatever services they might
have rendered to the nation had no share in the wealth,
and were doomed to poverty and abjectness unless they
flattered the caliph and humiliated themselves before him.
As a consequence of this two classes of people came
into being. There was a vast difference between these two
classes. People belonging to one class rolled in wealth
whereas those belonging to the other class, however skilled
and efficient they might be, remained indigent and poor,
and led very miserable lives. The revenues and income of
the government were spent by the caliph, his relatives and
courtiers, to lead lives of pleasure. They spent millions on
their associates, flatterers, slave-girls and eunuchs.
From the point of view of wealth the caliph, the
princes, the nobles and government officers belonged to
the highest class. The tradesmen came next. Although
their lives and property, too, were in constant danger on
account of the high-ups, but as regards wealth they
enjoyed a position next to the nobility. The only things
which fell to the share of the common man were, however,
abjectness, helplessness, hunger and death. In Baghdad the
lofty palaces of the rich and the dilapidated huts of the
poor stood side by side. It might be said that they presented
a scene of paradise and hell. A poet of that time says about
Baghdad:

"This Baghdad is fit for only rich people to live in,

and not for the poor and the indigent.

If a rich man like Korah happens to come to Baghdad

he too would be filled with sadness and perplexity.

Baghdad is the very paradise which has been promised

us, but it has come prematurely into the hands of those

who possess sufficient to eat and to wear.

In Baghdad there are houris and young servants and

there is everything which you may desire. The thing which

is not found here is human being".

A pleasure-loving rich man says: "Have you ever seen

a city like Baghdad in the whole world? This Baghdad is

the paradise on earth.

In Baghdad the fountain of enjoyment is pure and the
tree of pleasure is green. At other places, however, life
is neither pure nor happy.

One enjoys longer life in Baghdad. Its food and water
is delicious and dainty. There is no doubt about the fact
that the food and water of some lands is better than that
of others".

It is not objectionable that Baghdad had been a
paradise on earth during the Abbasid period or for that
matter during all periods. It is also not something wrong
that the fountain of pleasure in that city had been pure
and the tree of happiness had been green. There is also no
harm in the lives of the residents of that city being long.
Nothing out of these things is wrong, man always seeks
to live a life in a paradise, where there are all means of
comforts - fruits and flowers and every good thing.
But all these things can be good only if they have not been
acquired by exploiting the poor and the helpless or by
snatching away from the orphans and the widows. Where
did these means of pleasure come from when there were
thousands of indigent persons who did not eat to their
fill even once throughout their lives in that city?
The famous poet Abu'l Atahiya addresses the caliph
of his time thus expressing the sentiments of the people:
"Is there anyone who should convey my frequent counsels
to the caliph? I see that the cost of living of the people
is very high and their incomes are very low. Their needs are
innumerable and they are attacked in the morning and in
the evening by calamities and hardships.

The orphans and the widows are sitting empty-
handed in their lonely homes. The men as well as the
women are stretching their hands towards you so that you
may do them some favour.

All complain of the hardships of life, and are raising
cries in low tones. They hope for your kindness so that
they may get rid of difficulties and see the face of comfort.
Mothers, with children in their laps, go without meals during
night and fast during day time. Who is there who should
fill their empty bellies and dress their naked bodies? I am

informing you about true facts on behalf of your subjects".
A man came to see the caliph Wathiq Billah. He draws
a picture of the pomp of the caliph and the magnificence
and grandeur of his palace in these words. (It should be
remembered that this is about the magnificence of one
palace only):

"One servant entrusted me to another and the second
entrusted me to a third one. Having passed in this manner
through the hands of many servants I arrived in a building,
whose courtyard and walls were covered with painted
brocade. Then I arrived in the royal court. Its ground and
walls were also covered with brocade. In the middle of the
hall Wathiq was sitting on his throne. The throne was
bedecked with pearls. His slave-girl Farida was sitting with
a guitar in her hand. Wathiq as well as the slave-girl were
wearing costly brocade dresses.
This luxurious life and capitalistic pomp was a con-
tagious disease from which all including the caliph, his
relatives and courtiers as well as some businessmen were
suffering. As regards other indecent acts which were done
in the royal palace it is better not to mention them.
The purchase and sale of slaves and slave-girls for
money which was not permitted either by the prophet or

by Imam Ali 1 was so much in progress that in every city
there used to be separate bazar for this particular trade.
In Baghdad, which was the capital of the Abbasides
Dar-al-Raqiq road is a well-known place which was used
for this purpose. The dealers in slaves had slaves and slave-
girls of every race and colour. Black coloured slaves were
brought from the south to the Abbasid Cities and sold at
two hundred dirhams (about fifty to fifty-five rupees)
per head. White coloured slaves and slave-girls were

brought from Samarkand which was a big market for the
slaves of this type. There were many kinds of slave-girls.
Some of them belonged to Kandharand Sind. They were
slim and had black eyes and long hair, Some of them were
those who had been trained in Madina. They were coquettish
and adept musical performers. Those brought up in Mecca
were matchless in their elegance and bewitching looks.
Some slave-girls also came from the western countries.
The middleman Abu Uthman who possessed full
information about the attributes of the slaves and slave-
girls of that time says: "A slave-girl should be born in
Barbary and should quit her country at the age of nine
years. She should spend three years in Madina and three
years in Mecca. At the age of sixteen years she should go
to Iraq and learn social manners there. She should be sold
when she attains the age of twenty five years. S uch a slave-
girl will combine in herself her inherent charm, the coquetry
of Madina, the elegance of Mecca and the decency and
manners of Iraq.

Unfortunately Abu Uthman has failed to mention as
to how much price such a slave-girl would have fetched.
Besides the slave-girls who belonged to Barbary
there were also Ethiopian, Turkish, Cypriot, Roman and
Armenian slave-girls whose attributes need not be men-
tioned here. The slave-girls belonging to each country
had their particular qualities and characteristics which have
been mentioned in detail by the experts of that time.
Not to speak of the poor people in the Abbasid
period even the rich did not feel that their lives and
property were secure. The lives of the people were in the
hands of the monarch and they were afraid that they
might lose their property or lives at any moment. Hence,
if on the one hand the generosity of the caliph and his
nobles knew no limits there was also no limit of the
exploitation of the people by them. If at one time the
caliph gave thousands of dinars to a person for his having
uttered a beautiful verse, at another time he ordered that
a person might be beheaded immediately and his property
might be confiscated.
Attabi has drawn a very realistic picture of the

conditions prevailing in his time. He was asked as to why
he did not try to seek some position in the royal court

when he was a man of letters. He replied: "I see that at
one time the caliph gives thousands of dinars to a person
without any justification and without his having deserved
it, and at another time he orders that an innocent man
may be thrown on the ground from the roof of his palace.
If I join the royal court I do not know which of these two
fates I shall meet".

Once the caliph Mehdi summoned Mufazzal Zabi
to his court. When the caliph's messenger approached him
he feared that possibly some one had spoken ill of him
before the caliph. He, therefore, wore a shroud under his
clothes and reached the royal court fully prepared for his
death. He saluted the caliph and the latter replied to his
salutation. Then he stood quietly. After sometime he
realized that the caliph had no intention of killing him
and, therefore, became calm, Mehdi asked him: "Which
Arab poet has composed the best verse on the subject of
taking pride and glorying?" He also asked him some other
questions and Mufazzal gave appropriate replies. Mehdi
was pleased with his replies and questioned him about his
personal affairs. Mufazzal told the caliph that he was
indebted and thereupon the caliph ordered that he might
be given thirty thousand dirhams.
Mamun executed his minister Fazal bin Sehl and
then offered the ministership to Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid,
but he declined to accept the post. On having been asked
as to why he rejected the offer Ahmad replied: "My
experience is that whoever has held this office has
eventually lost his life".

The result of affluence was that revelry knew no
bounds and had spread like a contagious disease. In every
house there were innumerable slave-girls who were experts
in singing, dancing and coquetry. 2When the rich persons
got tired of one means of enjoyment they invented
another. At times when they were overjoyed on hearing
a good song and did not know how to express their
pleasure they were beside themselves and struck and
wounded their own heads with anything they could lay
their hands on. Abu'l Faraj Isfahani in his Wghani 1 and
many other historians have narrated numerous such
incidents. The reason of their becoming beside themselves
was that they did not know to express their mirth and joy;
hence they invented new devices everyday.

On the other side there were innumerable indigent
persons, who living in misery and abjectness, were fed
up with their lives. One group was leading an extremely
luxurious life, while the people of the other group were
fed up with their very existence. They despised their life as
well as their society and culture. They had no hope of the
condition of the society being better off. Abu'l Atahiya
expresses the feelings of those people in these words:
"The dry bread which you eat sitting in a corner and
the narrow house in which you spend your days; or the
corner of a Masjid in which you can live in seclusion are
better than the moments which are spent under the shade
of lofty palaces. This is a counsel from one who knows the
real position fully well. Happy is he who hears my advice.
I swear by my life that this piece of advice is sufficient for
him. Lend your ears to this advice of your well-wisher who
is called Abu'l Atahiya".

Both the conditions of committing suicide by drown-
ing oneself in joy and mirth or by abandoning the world
are opposed to human nature. The Almighty God has not
created man either for this mode of life or for that,
however, during the Abbasid period these two evils were
very common.

*N^^ ^X^ S ^S S ^S
^^S ^^^ ^^^ ^^^

What has been stated above is a glimpse of the condi-
tions of the people during early days of the Abbasid
rule.Later their lives became so miserable that it is not

possible to imagine their abjectness. The rich became
richer and the poor became much poorer. The rich were
small in number but the indigent were innumerable.
However, the lives and property of neither of them were
secure. Only a few persons viz. the monarch and his
relatives and associates felt secure and satisfied. None of
the other rich persons enjoyed peace of mind. They were
constantly afraid that the caliph might get annoyed with
them at any time and this might result in confiscation of
their property and loss of their life. This type of cruelty
began during the time of Mutawakkil - the man who
constructed hell side by side with paradise.

The rich had become absolutely shameless. They
drank wine and became devoid of their senses. They
arranged feasting and drinking in their palaces and became
riotously festive. They at times tore their clothes and
rolled on the ground. They lost all sense of decency and
indulged in all sorts of evil deeds. While intoxicated some
of them thought that they had made the earth tremble by
striking their feet on it. Many such stories have been
narrated by Abu Hayyan Tauhidi in his book entitled
V A1-Mata v a wa al-Mawanisah'.
The number of the slave-girls in those times was
unprecedented. Mutawakkil, who insulted the wise and
zealous persons as much as possible, tried his best to
drown Imam Husayn's grave in water and allowed the
ruffians in his court to ridicule and insult Imam Ali, had
thousands of slave-girls in his palace. Some Abbasid
caliphs had as many as ten thousand slave-girls. Besides
the slave-girls there were innumerable eunuchs in their
palaces. Wealthy persons and those belonging to the aristo-
cratic class kept eunuchs in their houses for the protection
of their females. During the days of Amin the number of
the eunuchs increased very much. The caliph Muqtadir had
as many as eleven thousand eunuchs. The middle class also
possessed many slaves who were very immodest. The
masters took shameful services from their slaves.
The root cause of all these evils was that the nobility
and the rich persons had ignored the principles laid down

by the prophet and Imam Ali. They did not consider
human being equal to one another. The rich and the
persons in high positions considered themselves to be
superior to the ordinary people and led luxurious lives by
exploiting the poor.

We would like to talk once again about the habits and
morals of the people during the Abbasid period to throw
light on the luxurious and voluptuous life led by the
nobles and the rich, and the indigence and helplessness
to which the poor were subjected. The fact is that in a
society whose members are usually indigent there two
things viz. affluence and indigence are bound to occur. We
may notice this fact in the light of what Imam Ali said:
"1 have not seen excessive wealth with anyone except when
side by side therewith I have seen a right being violated".

Magnificent palaces were constructed and on them
enormous amount of money was spent. Mutawakkil got
constructed many palaces, whose beauty and splendour
was beyond description. In one of these palaces a big
swimming pool was constructed for the ladies and the
slave-girls. When the famous poet Behtri saw that palace he
was so much impressed by its grandeur that he thought
that it had been constructed by the fiends and the genii.
Describing the palace he says:
"It appears as if the genii subordinate to prophet
Suleiman had constructed this palace and worked hard
on every detail.

If Bilquis, the queen of Sheba were to pass through
this palace she would have mistaken it for Suleiman's
palace on account of great resemblance of the two.
When you look at this pool at night and see the
reflection of the stars in it you will think that the pool is
the sky and the stars are studded in it. The fish cannot
reach the bank of the pool, because there is a great
distance between its beginning and end".
Yaqut Hamavi writes in Mu v jam al-Buldan: "None
of the other caliphs built such magnificent buildings in
Samarrah as were built by Mutawakkil. Besides other
buildings there were a number of palaces namely Qasr

al- v Arus which cost thirty million dirhams, Qasr al-Ja v fari,
Qasr al-Gharib, Qasr al-Shaidan, Qasr al-Burj and Qasr
al-Bustan Aitakhyah which cost ten million dirhams each,
and Qasr al-Maleeh and Qasr al-Subh which cost five
million dirhams each".

After giving a long list of the palaces Yaqut Hamavi
says that a sum of three hundred million dirhams was
spent on them.

Praising Mutawakkil's Qasr al-Ja v fari the poet Ali son
of Jehm says: "There are such masterpieces of art in this
palace as must not have been seen by the Roman and
Iranian emperors during their long rule.
There are such spacious court-yards in it that the
eyes must travel long to see their rarities and curiosities.
And there are such high domes that it might be said
that they are chatting with the stars.
Ibn Mu v tiz got built a palace, whose roof was cons-
tructed with bricks of gold, and trees were planted around

it. Bahtri praises the palace in these words:
"Its roof was made of gold and was bright and
luminous. Its light prevailed everywhere.
The breeze loitered in it and the fruitless trees and
fruit trees were always swinging.
They were like delicate maidens who come out for
a walk - some of them having ornaments and others being
without them".

One of the palaces got built by the caliph Mu v tazid
was called Qasr al-Surayya. It was very spacious and was
very finely decorated, so much so that Ibn Mu v tiz, who
had built this palace himself, considered it to be the
workmanship of the genii.

The historian Khatib Baghdadi has drawn a compre-
hensive picture of this palace while describing the meeting
of the Roman ambassador with the caliph. He says:
"Muqtadir had eleven thousand eunuchs and thousands
of Sicilian, Roman and Ethiopian slaves. This was one
aspect of the palace. There were also other innumerable
items which contributed to its beauty and elegance.
Muqtadir had ordered that the ambassador should be taken

round the entire palace and should also be shown the
store-houses wherein very valuable articles had been
stored in a very beautiful manner. Costly pearls had been
set in cases which were covered with black-painted silken
cloth. The ambassador was brought in a hall wherein stood
a tree made of pure silver which weighed five hundred
thousand dirhams. There were also many birds made of
silver which were fixed to the branches of the tree and as
and when the wind blew they began to whistle. The
ambassador was wonder-struck to see all this.
The curtains suspended on the walls of this palace
numbered thirty eight thousand. All these curtains were
made of silk and brocade. They were painted in various
ways and contained pictures of animals and boats. The big
curtains were the best specimens of the workmanship of
the Armenians and the Venetians. Some of them were
plain and others were painted.
Thereafter the ambassador was taken to the stable.
The porch of this building rested on marble pillars. In the
right half of the stable there were five hundred horses fully
equipped with bridles and saddles but without saddle-

covers and in the left half there were also five hundred

horses which were equipped with bridles, saddles and

silken saddle-covers. For every horse there was a servant

clad in a costly uniform.

Then the ambassador was taken to the building

wherein tamed wild animals were kept. They used to come

to the visitors and smell them, and also ate things from

their hands.

Then the ambassador was brought to another building

wherein he saw four elephants covered with painted silken

sheets. Many servants were posted there to look after the

elephants. When the ambassador saw the elephants he was

struck with terror.

Thereafter the ambassador was taken to a building

where one hundred ferocious animals were kept. Fifty of

them were kept in one portion of the building and fifty

in another.

Then he was brought to a place called v Josaq\ This

place was surrounded by gardens and in the middle of it
a pool made of pewter had been built. A canal which
was also made of pewter had been built around this pool.
This pool, which was thirty cubits long and twenty cubits
wide was more beautiful than one made of silver. It
contained four boats in which golden chairs had been
placed to sit in. There were four hundred trees in the
garden situated around the pool and each of those trees
was five cubits in height. Every tree was covered from top
to bottom with painted ebony wherein bronze rings were
fixed. On the right bank of the pool there were fifteen
statues of mounted soldiers, clad in silk, who held spears in
their hands as if they were going to attack an enemy.
Fifteen more statues had been installed on the left bank.
After the ambassador had been taken round twenty
three magnificent palaces he was brought in a court-yard
which was called "Tas v eeni". In this court-yard young
slaves were standing and all of them were fully armed.
Then he was brought before the caliph Muqtadir in Qasr
al-Taj which was situated on the bank of the river Tigris.
He was wearing a crown which was called Taweela and
was dressed in silk and brocade from head to feet. His
throne was made of ebony and its carpet was made of
painted silk and brocade. Nine strings of very precious

pearls were suspended on the right side of the throne

and as many on its left side". (Sakhi al-Islam, vol. 1,

page 100 - 102).

The Abbasid caliphs continued to spend large sums of

money in this manner. Every caliph who ascended the

throne tried to excel his predecessors in the matter of

extravagance till the turn of Muhtada came. He was a

devout person, but he was not destined to live long, for he

was killed by his own kinsmen.

The ministers too did not lag behind in the matter

of extravagance. Mutawakkil's minister Fateh bin Khaqan

built such lofty palaces that their minarets appeared to

touch the sky. The poet Behtri says: "The minarets which

are as lofty as the sky appear like the plumage of white

pigeons flying in the space".

The minister lbn Maqla had collected so many wild

animals and birds in his palace that it is not possible for a

government treasury to bear their expenses.

The minister lbn Furat owned vast tracts of land and

possessed enormous wealth. He took his meals with

crystal spoons. He used one such spoon for one morsel and

did not use it again. More than thirty spoons were placed

on his dining-table.

The minister Mohlabi was fond of flowers. A person

who had seen him says: "Red roses worth one thousand

dinars were purchased for Mohlabi in three days. The same

were strewm in his assembly and in the spacious pool of

his palace. Strange fountains had been built in the pool.

The flowers were thrown into the pool and the fountains

scattered them in the assembly of Mohlabi where they fell

on the heads of those present. When the assembly dispersed

the flowers were looted by the people".

A thick silken cloth called Thiyab al-Na v al used to

be purchased for the shoes of the mother of the caliph

Muqtadir. Same silk was used for the upper part and

the sole of the shoes, and they were joined by means

of melted musk and ambergris. The queen-mother did not

use these shoes for more than ten days. Thereafter the

servants appropriated them, extracted the musk and

ambergris and utilized them.

The ministers and high officials also endeavoured not

to lag behind the caliph in the matter of pomp and wealth.

Ali bin Ahmad Razi the Governor of Jundishapur,
Sus, and Mazaria left behind, on his death, gold, silver,
pearls, precious stones and other articles which were so
costly that if they had been distributed among the poor all
of them would have become rich. Moreover, he left behind
so many eunuchs and black and white slaves that if they
had been sent in the capacity of an army to some country
they would have conquered it.
The quantity of wealth possessed by other governors
can be guessed from what has been stated above about the
wealth of Ali bin Ahmad Razi. The rich merchants also
lived a luxurious life. The lives of poor people depended

on the will of the caliph, his chamberlains and ministers.
They were safe and secure only so long as the persons at
the helm of affairs were not displeased with them.
Where did the affluent persons get all this wealth
from? What reply can be given to this question except that
they accumulated all these riches by exploiting the
common people, who were reduced to penury and help-
lessness? A most cruel system was adopted to realize
government taxes and to collect wealth. The caliph and his
ministers and agents sold the entire land revenue and
other taxes to a single person. That person paid a few
millions of dirhams or dinars into the government treasury
and then realised as much money from the people on
account of taxes as he liked. This was like the system
introduced by the Turkish Sultans in the Islamic countries
which were ruled by them.

The Justice Department, too, was topsyturvy. The
dignitaries of the state constantly interfered with the
working of the courts and no judge could dare give a
judgement against the wishes of the rulers.
Bribery was rampant. The indigence of the people
was on the increase and their difficulties and afflictions
were multiplying. So much so that if a person died he
deserved congratulations rather than condolances.
lbn Luknak of Barah says: We are witnessing strange
vicissitudes. If we were to see in a dream what we see while
awake we would wake up in a state of distress".
He prays to God that He may grant Job's patience to
the people. He himself cries for them like Jacob and says:
"The people are so much afflicted that when one of them

dies he deserves to be congratulated".

He adds: "By God we are caught in the clutches of

cruel and oppressive time and pray to the Almighty to

grant us Job's patience. The world has become devoid of

its beauty. So cry like Jacob".

The wise, learned and distinguished persons about

whom Ali had made recommendations to his sons Hasan

and Husayn (for the guidance of the people) that they

should associate with them, hear their words carefully

and recognise their status. He had also instructed the
governors to consult and honour them as they are light
amongst the Muslims and shall remain till the world lasts.
They were in an enviable condition during the Abbasid
period, except those who had sold themselves to the rulers.
Abu Hayyan who was a great scholar and author of
many valuable books says in his book entitled Al-Amta v
wal Mawanisah: "I have been obliged to sell my faith and
compassion and to resort to hypocrisy and to do such
indecent deeds that no gentleman may like to record them".
He got so much fed up with the world during the last
days of his life and was so disappointed with the govern-
ment of the time that he burned up all his books.
Abu Ali Qali was also compelled to sell his books
which were his dearest capital. He says: "For twenty years
these books were a source of solace for me and I was
immensely grieved when I had to sell them. I had never
thought of selling them even though I might have had to
remain in prison continuously on account of my being in
debt. However, owing to indigence and with a view to feed
my small children I was obliged to sell these books".
Khateeb Tabrizi had a copy of Azhar's book entitled
v Tehzib-al-lughat' which was in many volumes. He wished
to hear its contents from an expert and to investigate them.
The people advised him to contact Abu'l v Ala Muarri.
He put the book in a sack and proceeded to Muarratul
No v man on foot carrying the sack on his back as he did not
have enough money to hire a conveyance. During the
journey he perspired so much that all the volumes of the
book were spoiled. Complaining against adversity he says:
"Others may get tired of journeying but I am tired of
standing. In Iraq I had to live among people who are mean
and the descendants of mean persons".

Complaining against the unsound judgement of time
and its maltreatment of noble-minded person Ibn Lunak
of Basrah says: M time! you have made the noble persons
wear the dress of humiliation and abjectness. I do not
consider you to be v time\ You are paralysis. How can any
one expect anything good from you when you consider

ability and perfection to be a shame. What is the reality of
your condition as we see it? Is it insanity, shamelessness
or impudence?"

During the entire period of the Abbasids 2 the people
remained divided in two groups. One of them was that of
the rich and the other of the poor. Both the groups
suffered from numerous moral evils according to their
respective environments. Moral degradation prevailed to
the same extent during the last days of their rule as in the
beginning. Rather it was at a higher level.
The rich led a life of luxury and pleasure and indulged
in unlimited debauchery. As regards the poor enmity,
envy, falsehood and deceit were rampant among them.
Owing to indigence the people resorted too much to asceti-
cism and mysticism. It was not, however, the mysticism,
which emanates from good morals and from considering
the world to be transient. It was the mysticism which is
the consequence of helplessness, failure and despair.
Owing to indigence many other bad habits like love
for magic, jugglery, and superstition, developed in the
people. This was because when a person fails to earn his
livelihood by honest means he resorts to foul means.
The governments which were established after the
decline of the Abbasid empire had more class differences
and their moral degradation was more dreadful.
From the time when the hand of the oppressor
(Ibn Muljim) was stretched towards Imam Ali son of Abu
Talib and that supporter and defender of human rights was
martyred, these calamities became the fate of the Arabs
and befell them constantly in new forms.
In short the people of the East were permanently
subjected to these sufferings and hardship.

1 Islam permits enslaving of only infidels deserving to be fought

with, or prisoners who are captured as a consequence of jihad.
During the period of the caliphs and thereafter, however, the condi-
tions became such that whenever the ruffians found any unprotected
person in an Islamic city they caught and sold him.
2 Islam does not permit enslaving a Muslim or a Zimmi or
a non-believer with whom a pact has been concluded. It so
happened, however, that during this period most of the slaves and
slave-girls belonged to these categories.
2 No doubt, most of the Abbasid caliphs led lives of luxury and
pleasure and were ill reputed on account of their having oppressed
their subjects. However, there were a few amongst them who were
just. Some of them promoted literature and industry and worked for
public welfare in many ways. They constructed many observatories
the like of which were not known to the Romans and the Greeks.
They also established big hospitals and trained doctors and scholars.
All these facts are recorded in the pages of history.

The two families of Quraysh

The prophet had said very correctly: "My followers
will meet destruction at the hands of the youngsters of
Quraysh". These youngsters mentioned by the prophet
who were to create trouble and to conspire, were born at a
place which served as a cradle for the shameless persons
like Yazid son of Mu v awiya.

The prophet could see that this party was waging war
at one time to safeguard its chiefdom and authority, and
was surrendering and making a show of Islam at another
time to acquire chiefdom and authority. When he glanced
at different parts and saw these people he said with much
grief and anxiety: "My followers will meet destruction at
the hands of the youngsters of Quraysh".
The readers are requested to keep before their eyes
the history of the Quraysh, which I am going to narrate, so
that it may be possible to identify each of them.
The enmity between Bani Umayyah and Bani Hashim
was very old. They were opposed to each other, before
struggle for rulership and authority had cropped up between
them and even before Islam had gained predominance.
Their enmity with each other was based on various
reasons. In fact all the strong internal and external reasons
for opposition had combined. Among them were included
tribal party spirit, superiority complex, old grudge, desire
for vengeance of the murder of kinsmen, political views,
personal sentiments, difference in ways of life and manner
of thinking etc. Bani Umayyah and Bani Hashim were the
chiefs of Mecca and held high offices even during the age
of ignorance. However, the chiefdom of Bani Hashim was

spiritual 1 whereas that enjoyed by Bani Umayyah was
political and they were also tradesmen and possessed
enormous wealth.

All the Muslim historians and European Orientalists
agree that before the advent of Islam Bani Hashim were
not habituated to cunning and deceit like the idolatrous
priests. They did not deceive the simple-minded people
on the pretext of their religious and spiritual leadership.
They neither exploited others nor kept their personal
benefit in view. They had faith in the Lord of the Ka'abah

and sincerely believed in what had been permitted or
disallowed by the Almighty God. Accordigng to their code
helping the oppressed, sympathising with the helpless,
warding off injustice, and meeting the needs of the
indigent, was compulsory. They were sincere in their
belief. They did not deceive anyone and did not consider
hypocrisy to be permissible. For example, it was possible
that Abdul M uttalib, the grandfather of the prophet and
AN might have slaughtered one of his sons in the path of
God because he had firm faith in his Lord and had vowed
that if his ten sons survived he would slaughter one of
them for the sake of God on the threshold of the Ka'abah.
He was not satisfied about the fulfilment of his vow until
he was convinced in the light of his faith that killing his
son would not be a means of pleasing God.
His faith was so firm and he was so keen to assist the
poor and the needy that he concluded a pact with some
families of Quraysh to achieve this end. (Bani Umayyah
did not become signatories to this pact). One of the special
conditions of this pact was that they would side with the
oppressed person and make the oppressor restore his right,
help one another in financial matters and restrain the
powerful persons from molesting the weak. The incident
which led to the conclusion of this pact was as follows:-
A Qurayshite purchased some articles from a person
belonging to another place and promised to pay the price
after a fixed time. He did not, however, make payment on
the due date. He was confident that on account of his
family dignity and the support of his kinsmen none would
compel him to make payment. Furthermore, the person
from whom he had purchased the articles was a non-Meccan
and belonged to an ordinary family, and did not enjoy
support from anyone. However, Bani Hashim decided to
assist him. They made a mutual pact whereby they decided
to realize the price of the articles purchased by the
Qurayshite and to enforce justice. However, as this pact
did not accord with the nature of Bani Umayyah they
opposed it vehemently.

The religious and spiritual leadership inherited by
Bani Hashim from their ancestors generation after genera-
tion, accorded with their nature. They had inherited pure
disposition and nobleness from their ancestors. Every
generation of theirs displayed the virtues inherited by it

and Bani Hashim continued to maintain dignity and ex-
cellence till Almighty God appointed Muhammad to the
prophetic mission and also created AN son of Abu Talib as
respresentatives of the morality and perfection of the
Hashimite Family.

Have a look at the history of Bani Hashim (i.e. the
descendants of Abu Talib) after the passing away of the
prophet, and you will find that, whether that history
covers one hundred years or two hundred years or five
hundred years, they have always been a specimen of the
noble qualities and virtues. The manliness, bravery, piety
and truthfulness which was possessed by their forefathers
can also be observed in their sons and grandsons. History
continued to turn its leaves, but whoever from amongst
them came was a specimen of his forefathers.
If this family had not been virtuous and noble by
nature it would not have become a specimen of piety and
purity, because in those times egotism, selfishness, flattery
and ambitiousness were so rampant that all were morally
degraded and these vices were very common among them.
It is much easier to go down into an abyss as compared
with ascending or standing firm at one's place. However,
notwithstanding the fact that the atmosphere was unfavour-
able and corruption was prevalent everywhere Bani Hashim
were not affected by these things and their noble qualities
and virtues remained intact.
However, Bani Umayyah were quite the reverse of
this. During the age of ignorance they were traders and
politicians; and it is evident that whoever is engaged in
trade and politics possesses wealth and authority and
endeavours to continue to possess these things and make
them remain within his family. No intelligent person can
deny the reality that when a person is engaged in trade and
his near ones are also tradesmen he can do anything which
serves his interests. He can at least defraud his customers,
hoard wealth, indulge in deception, and dilly-dally in the
performance of his duties.

Bani Umayyah chose these things for themselves as
they accorded with their nature. It was just as Bani Hashim
chose purity of nature, honesty and chastity for them-
selves as they accorded with their nature and disposition.
Bani Umayyah were addicted to these abominable acts,
because they had been engaged in their habits for long and

they had become their second nature. They did not assist
the oppressed because this did not bring them any profit
and in fact entailed great expenditure. They did not join
the said pact (which - condemned the oppressors) because
this meant involving themselves in trouble.
Umayyah, the ancestor of Bani Umayyah was not as
noble-minded and chaste as Hashim so he could not
desist from molesting gentle women. When a dispute took
place between Abdul M uttalib, the grandfather of AN and
Harb son of Umayyah, the grandfather of Mu'awiyya,
they referred the matter to Nafeel bin Adi. Nafeel decided
the matter in favour of Abdul M uttalib and praised him.
Addressing Harb he also recited a verse wherein he drew a
complete picture of Umayyah and Hashim. The verse is as
follows: "Your father was an adulterer and his father was
chaste. He (Abdul M uttalib) compelled the army of
Abraha to go back from Mecca".
In this verse Nafeel referred to the event of Abraha
who, mounted on an elephant and accompanied by a large
army, had come to demolish the Ka'abah. He also de-
nounced the vices of Umayyah, the father of Harb and
the ancestor of Bani Umayyah, who had earned an ill
fame in the matter of women. Once, owing to this evil
habit of his, he escaped death. He outraged the modesty of
a woman belonging to the tribe of Zohra. The people of
that tribe attacked him with swords but the injury sustained
by him was not very effective. Many surprising stories have
been narrated about his voluptuousness.
When Muhammad, the distinguished son of the
Hashimite Family was appointed to the prophetic mission
he met opposition from most of the people. However,
foremost among his opponents was Abu Sufyan, who was
at that time the chief of the Umayyah Family. He instigated
all the polytheists against him. He was the central figure in
all the conspiracies and the mobilization of forces against
the prophet. It was he who invented different kinds of
torture for the prophet and his companions and supporters.
If Abu Sufyan's opposition to the prophet had been
on account of religious faith and if he had done all that he
could to defend his old principles and beliefs, there could
be some justification for it, because when one sincerely
believes in something, whether it be right or wrong, he
is justified in defending his belief. However, that was

not the case with Abu Sufyan. He never considered himself
justified in opposing the prophet nor did he make any such
claim with his tongue. His opposition to the prophet was
not on account of any religious sentiments. What he really
wanted was that the predominance and authority of
Bani Umayyah should not be affected - the same predo-
minance and authority which was based on monopolizing
trade, profiteering, personal interests and enslaving the
weak. He decided to oppose the prophet when he saw that
the power and authority of his family which had already
been weakened and become shaky was going to be des-
troyed by the prophet.

On account of his profiteering nature, which it will
be right to call Umayyad nature, Abu Sufyan did not
believe in Islam sincerely even after he had embraced it.
He always weighed it in the scale of wealth and power and
thought that Islam was nothing except that authority had
been transferred from Bani Umayyah to Bani Hashim.
He could not appreciate the character of the prophet
and his companions and the sacrifices made by them, and
had never even thought of the human values for the pro-
motion of which the prophet had come in this world.
When at the time of the conquest of Mecca he saw a
large army consisting of the devotees of the prophet he
said to Abbas, the uncle of the prophet: "0 Abul Fazal!
your nephew has acquried a very great kingdom". He
uttered these words because he could not even imagine the
sublime objects and the spiritual teachings for which the
prophet had come. It was those very sublime objects and
spiritual teachings which Bani Hashim had understood very
well and in propagating them they even sacrificed their lives.
After the conquest of Mecca the Family of Abu
Sufyan did embrace Islam but it was a very bitter pill for
them to swallow. In the eyes of Abu Sufyan and his wife
Hind Islam meant their own humiliation. For a long time
after embracing Islam Abu Sufyan continued considering
the predominance of this religion as his personal defeat.
He did not consider the success of Islam to be the result of
its being a true faith. He thought that it was due to the
weakness of his own people. One day he glanced at the
prophet in the masjid like a perplexed man and said within
himself: "0 that I could know on what account M uhammad
has gained victory over me".

The propet perceived the meaning of Abu Sufyan's
look. He touched his shoulder with his hand and said:
"0 Abu Sufyan! It has been on account of God that I have
gained victory over you".
The prophet tried to console Abu Sufyan before
the conquest of Mecca as well as thereafter. Before the
conquest of Mecca he married his daughter Umm Habibah,
and after Mecca was conquered he declared his house to be
a place of refuge by saying that whoever entered his house
would remain unmolested. The prophet placed his name at
the top of "muallefa-tul-qulub 1 (those persons who were
given a larger share of the booty as compared with other
Muslims, so that they might be consoled and the hatred
which they entertained in their hearts for Islam might
vanish) and granted him many concessions. In spite of all
this the M uslims did not rely upon him. They were careful
in dealing with him and refrained from associating with
him. Abu Sufyan was worried on this account and wished
that the M uslims might have a soft corner for him and his
fmaily in their hearts. He, therefore, requested the prophet
to appoint Mu'awiya as his scribe. When the prophet
breathed his last and differences arose about the caliphate
between the Muhajirs and the Ansarand later between the
Muhajirs themselves Abu Sufyan considered it a good
opportunity to exploit these differences and acquire the
chiefship of Quraysh himself. He thought that after this
achievement it would not be difficult for him to become
the head of the entire Muslim nation. He, therefore,
approached Abbas and AN instigating them to oppose the
caliph by assuring them of his own support. He said: "0
AN and Abbas! How has the caliphate been assumed by
a family (i.e. the Family of Abu Bakr) which is the meanest
as well as small in number? I swear by God that if I so
desire I can fill the streets of Madina with horsemen and
foot-soldiers".

Abu Sufyan had not realized that he was talking to
that AN who would not be reluctant to give away the
entire world to comply with one true order, and who was
not unaware of the fact that his (i.e. Abu Sufyan's)
annoyance was not on account of Bani Hashim having
been deprived of the caliphate, because if it had remained
with Bani Hashim he would have been annoyed all the
more, and might have made his family, his tribe, and the

entire world, against them.
AN reproached Abu Sufyan and said to him! "0
Abu Sufyan! The believers are the well-wishers of one
another and as regards the hypocrites they are deceitful
and insincere, although their houses are adjoined and their
bodies are connected with one another. Abu Sufyan
belonged to the aristocratic class - the class which considers
itself to be superior to others and the common people to
be its slaves. He looked at Islam from this point of view.
According to him the prophet's invitation to Islam was
only a means of attaining to authority and power. Accord-
ing to him there was no difference between the principles
and fundamentals of Islam and the idols, and both of them
were sources of profit. He considered the principles of
Islam to be a source of income for the founders of that
religion in the same way in which the idols were the source
of income for the idolatrous priests. He could not think on
any line except that the people were to obey their elders
and chiefs - whether they be the priests of the Ka'abah or
the dignitaries of Islam.

According to Abu Sufyan the only difference between
Islam and idolatry was that Islam was more profitable and
in it there was a greater possibility of the people belonging
to the lower class submitting to the nobility and the aris-
tocratic class. In case, however, the common people were
not submissive to the aristocrats in Islam this system,
according to him, was worthless and deserved to be replaced
by a more useful and profitable one.
When after Abu Bakr and Umar the caliphate was
assumed by Uthman who was an Umayyad, Abu Sufyan
thought that the power and authority which belonged to
Bani Umayyah previously had returned to them. The grudge
and rancour which he had in his heart for Hamzah made
him go to his grave. He kicked the grave of Hamzah with
his foot and said; "0 Hamzah! Rise and see thatthe
rulership for which we had been fihgting with each other
has once again returned to our family". The bitterness and
animosity which this sentance contains is self-eivdent. This
is how he expressed his sentiments.
So long as the caliphate remained with Abu Bakr and
Umar, Bani Umayyah could not disclose what was hidden
in their hearts and the plan according to which they had
made a show of the embracement of Islam viz. that as soon

as they got an opportunity they would convert the Islamic
government into a kingdom. They got this opportunity
when Uthman attained to the caliphate.
Nobody can believe that Bani Umayyah were aware
of the true concept of caliphate. According to their view-
point there was no difference between caliphate and
kingship and they could not visualize the good points of
Islamic caliphate. Their faith in Islam was extremely
superficial and they had embraced it reluctantly. Their
party-spirit of the age of ignorance instigated them to
readopt the ways and practices of that age. They could not
forget that the prophet did not belong to their family but
was a member of Bani Hashim and they had always been
inimical to that family. They were, therefore, looking for
an opportunity to grab the rulership. The caliphate of
Uthman opened the way for the fulfilment of their desires.
As soon as he became caliph all the Umayyads gathered
round him and secluded him from the public. None could,
therefore, see him and acquaint him with his problems.
The Islamic government now became the Umayyad govern-
ment. Only Bani Umayyah could benefit from it. It was
only Bani Umayyah and their friends who could aspire to
become governors and to hold other key posts. Marwan
son of Hakam headed them. He was the first person who
instigated the Muslims against the Muslims and incited the
people to rise against the caliph. He was the first person
who declared that kingship was better than caliphate, and
only Bani Umayyah were entitled to become kings. He
compelled Uthman to dismiss the governors who were
holding offices since the days of Abu Bakrand Umar and
to replace them by the Umayyads. Wealth and sovereignty
became the exclusive property of Bani Umayyah. None
else could hope to benefit from it or to hold property
and position.

We shall mention in the next chapter how vicious and
ill-natured Marwan was, what malpractices he committed
when he was in power, and how many innocent persons he
slaughtered to satisfy his personal desires. It was the same
Marwan bin Hakam who had suggested to the governor of
Madina to kill Imam Husayn and had reproached him
for not complying with his wishes when he (the governor)
failed to take that heinous step.
Marwan coveted power, sovereignty and luxuries,

just as his ancestors had coveted them during the age of
ignorance, and was keen that even if he did not possess
authority himself it should remain with any other
U mayyad, but should not go out of their family. The
methods which he adopted to acquire authority and
rulership go to show that he did not possess even one
quality which might create least love for him in the hearts
of the people.

1 Shamsu'l Ulema Shibli No'mani writes thus in the twelfth
volume of his book entitled Seerat al-Nabi. "He had vowed that if
he saw his ten sons fully grown up he would slaughter one of them
in the path of God. The Almighty God granted this wish of his. He
then brought all his sons in the Ka'abah and asked the worshipper to
draw lots. It so happened that the lot fell upon Abdullah. He then
proceeded along with Abdullah to the place of sacrifice. Abdullah's
sisters who were present began to cry and suggested that ten camels
might be sacrificed instead of Abdullah.
Abdul Muttalib asked the worshipper to draw lots to find out
whether the lot fell on Abdullah or on the camels. By chance the lot
fell on Abdullah. Abdul Muttalib increased the number of the camels
to twenty but the lot again fell on Abdullah. He continued to
increase the number of the camels and the lot fell on them only
when their number reached one hundred. Abdul Muttalib then
slaughtered one hundred camels and the life of Abdullah was saved.
H istorians say that Abdul M uttalib was not satisfied even when the
lot fell on the camels and said: "I swear by God that I shall not agree
(to one hundred camels being slaughtered instead of Abdullah)
unless the lots are drawn thrice and everv time they fall on the
camels". This was done and Abdul Muttalib was satisfied only when
the lot fell on the camels thrice.

Mu awiya and his successors

Mifawiya son of Abu Sufyan was a perfect specimen
of the qualities and characteristics of Bani Umayyah.
When we study the characteristics of Mu v awiya carefully
we come to know that he did not possess even an atom of
Islamic human values and did not have any quality of the
Muslims of that neat and clean age. If we consider Islam to
be a revolt against the ways and manners of the Arabs of
the age of ignorance (for example acting with personal
interests in view and treating common people to be
animals and a source of income for the nobility and
aristocracy) it can be said with certainty that, as we shall
explain later, Mu v awiya had nothing to do with Islam.
And alternatively if Islam is the name of the religion
whose orders apply to evey individual it is quite clear that
Mu v awiya had also no connection with Islam of this type.
This was admitted by Mu v awiya himself. He used to wear
silken dress and eat his food in gold and silver vessels.
Abu Darda, a companion of the prophet objected to this
and said: 'T have heard the prophet saying that hell-fire
will be poured into the belly of one who takes his meals
in gold and silver utensils". Mu v awiya, however, replied
unconcernedly: "I do not consider it to be objectionable".
When we find that the early Muslims were very strict in
religious matters, paid due respect to what was ordered or
prohibited by the prophet, and sacrified even their lives
for the sake of their faith, and then look at the impudent
reply which Mu v awiya gave to Abu Darda in clear defiance
of the prophet we are convinced that Mu v awiya never
joined the group of those Muslims who sincerely believed
in the moral and spiritual teachings of Islam.
The conduct of Mu v awiya after embracing Islam was
identical with that of his father Abu Sufyan during the age
of ignorance viz. that of an aristocrat who took forced
labour from the people and treated them like slaves. He
became a Muslim reluctantly and also continued to remain
a Muslim reluctantly.

Who can be more aware of the mentality of Mu v awiya
and the worth of his faith in Islam than his contemporaries
who had seen him with their own eyes. Did all his contem-

poraries not accuse him of the things which we shall
mention later? Did Ali not know him more than anyone
else and did he not draw a true picture of his when he said
in his letter: "You are imitating your forefathers in making
false claims, deceiving the people, claiming to enjoy a
position higher than that which you possess and grabbing
things which are prohibited?"

Was there even one among the Muslims of the days of
the prophet or the orthodox caliphs who was a false
pretender or a liar and was called a Muslim? Was there a
Muslim during that pure period of the Muslims about
whom Ali had said? "All those members of your family
who embraced Islam embraced it reluctantly".
As regards some qualities of Mu v awiya like forbearance,
softness, and generosity, it may be said that they were all
means to achieve his selfish ends. He had realized it on
account of his intelligence that to realize his objects and to
attain to kingship these things would be very useful for him.
I think that Mu v awiya had understood it very well
that the people did not like the characteristics and
chracter of his forefathers and those of the Umayyads of
his own time, and the power and authority, which his
ancestors once wielded, had ceased to be of any value.
He endeavoured to beguile the people by making a show of
forbearance and generosity so that the people might not
know the facts and get enamoured of his farbearanc
and generosity, because if competence magnanimity and
nobility of birth had been treated to be the criterion for
rulership Bani Umayyah could not at all compete with
Bani Hashim. He showed forbearance in order to gain
support of the people, and thus acquire powers and what
could be a more effective plan to win the people and hide
the evils of his family than to bestow gifts on them?
The supporters of Mu v awiya praised him much for his
forbearance and generority but in fact his policy was the
one adopted by the oppressor with the oppressed it was
the policy of cruelty, oppression, tyranny and looting
which he left as a legacy for the Umayyad rulers who
succeeded him.

What sort of forbearance and generosity of Mu v awiya
is praised by his supporters when he sent Busr bin Artat
with instructions to loot the people telling him: "Go on
plundering and pass through Madina, and put the people to

flight, loot on your way every habitation whose people
are supporters of Ali M .

What kind of courtesy and forbearance was that when
he sent Abu Sufyan son of Ghamadi to Iraq on a plundering
expedition and gave him these instructions: "March on by
the bank of the Euphrates and reach Hait. If you meet
there the troops of Ali attack them, otherwise move on
and reach Anbar and plunder its citizens. If you do not
meet any resistence even there then march on till you
reach Ctesiphon (Mada'en). You should know that attack-
ing Ctesiphon and Anbar is as good as attacking Kufa
itself. O Sufyan! these attacks will terrify the people of
Iraq and those among them who are our supporters will
become happy. Invite people to us and put those people
who do not agree with you to sword. Loot every village
you pass through, and snatch away every property that
you can by your hands and plundering the property is like
murder, rather more heart-rendering". (Commentary on
Nahj al-Balaghah by Ibn Abi'l Hadid, p. 144).
Zuhhak bin Qais Fehri was sent by Mu v awiya to
attack some cities, which were under the control of Imam
Ali and was given these instructions: "Proceed and reach
Kufa. Attack on your way all those Arabs who are suppor-
ters of Ali and loot their arsenals, if any".
Zuhhak carried out Mu v awiya's orders in the same
way in which Busr bin Artat and Sufyan bin Ghamadi had
carried them out. He massacred and plundered the people
and treated them with extreme brutality.
Mu v awiya made a strange display of his forbearance
and kindness when he expressed his views about millions
of non- Arabs. He said about them. "I find that the non-
Arab Muslims are going to outnumber us, and if this
state of affairs continues I am afraid that the day is not far
off when they will obliterate the names of our forefathers.
I feel like letting only half of them to live so that the
bazars and the highways may remain in tact". If Akhnaf
bin Qais had not dissuaded him from acting on his program
in this behalf, Mu v awiya would have killed thousands of
innocent persons whose only offence was that they were
non-Arabs.

Mu v awiya was kind and forbearing only when he had
to face a powerful person who, he feared, might curb his
power and topple down his government. He tolerated

whatever such a person said, flattered him and agreed to
whatever be suggested.

Whenever he was sitting among his friends and
associates and some distinguished person rebuked him he
immediately showed meekness and forbearance lest the
other person might attack him. He also asked his scribes to
write down the words of rebuke saying; "It is a piece
of wisdom". However, if the other party was not powerful
and influential, Mu v awiya did not show any meekness.
And even if that person had not said anything harsh he
wished to kill him in a most ruthless manner.
Mu v awiya became meek, kind and forbearing when he
expected some benefit from the other party. He agreed to
whatever the other person said, even though he might
be oppressive and unjust, provided that he assisted in
making his rule stable. To such a person be could present
Egypt and the inhabitants of Egypt as he did in the case of
v Amr bin v Aas.

On the one hand Mu v awiya's kindness was so
extensive that he bestowed Egypt and its inhabitants upon
Amr bin Aas and on the other hand it was so limited that
he took away the right of Egypt and the Egyptians to live
and made a gift of them to one person. If this is what is
called kindness and forbearance Nero. Genghiz (Changez)
Rawan and Halagri (Halaku) were also very kind and
forbearing.

When a person studies Mu v awiya's policy carefully
he is stunned to find what means he employed to win the
people. The duplicity practised by him in statecraft was
cent per cent Machiavellian. Murder, plunder and terrorism
formed his basic policy and making attractive promises and
administering threats were also parts of it. It also included
murder of good and innocent persons, holding rogues
and vagabonds in esteem, false propaganda and seeking
assistance of cruel and characterless persons.
Mu v awiya admitted several times that his politics was
devoid of equity and justice and he did not on any occasion
lend support to truth. The incident narrated below throws
light on his politics and explains his views about equity
and justice. Mutraf bin Mughira bin Sho v ba says:
"I accompanied my father Mughira to see Mu v awiya.
My father visited him every day and praised him very
much on his return. When he came back one night he was

very sad and he did not even take his dinner. On my having
enquired about the reason for his sadness he said: My son!
Tonight I have come after meeting the most evil person.
On my having enquired as to who he was he said: "I told
Mu v awiya in seclusion: You have achieved all your desires.
It will now be in the fitness of things if you behave with
the people kindly. You have grown old now. You should
behave well with Bani Hashim who are your kith and kin.
There is no reason for you to be afraid of them now!
Mu v awiya replied: v Never! Never! The man belonging to
the Family of Taym (Abu Bakr) became caliph. When he
died he was no longer talked about. Now he is called only
v Abu Bakr' by the people. After him Umar became caliph
and ruled promptly for ten years. With his death he also
ceased to be talked about and people now call him v Umar\
Then our brother Uthman became the caliph. He belonged
to the noblest family. He ruled justly but when he died
he too ceased to be talked about. However, the name of
the son of Bani Hashim (i.e. Muhammad) is announced
five times during the day and night (i.e. everyone says:
I acknowledge that Muhammad is the prophet of God).
Now what else can be done with his name except that
I should destroy it Completely". (Murooj al-Zahab, vol. 2,
page 241).

Mu v awiya was brought up in an atmosphere of people
who denied prophethood. He belonged to a family which
hated religion. From his very childhood he had seen his
father preparing to fight against the Muslims, leading big
armies against them, and planning to kill the companions
of the prophet as well as the prophet himself, in order to
safeguard his chief ship, authority and material gains. He
had seen that his father wanted to remain a chief even
though this might result in the annihilation of the spirit of
justice created by the prophet and the death of the prophet
and his companions, and the misfortune of entire Arabia.
In all these matters Mu v awiya had inherited the spirit
of his great grandfather Umayyah son of Abd al-Shams.
Just as Abu Sufyan's nature had a great influence on
the character of Mu v awiya, who was a true picture of his
father in the matter of selfishness and greed for power,
in the same way his mother Hind, the liver-eater, made
a strong impression on his disposition. Both of them
greatly influenced his nature and habits.

In the entire history of Arabia it is not possible to
find another woman who may equal Hind in egotism,
harshness, savagery and villainy. She was so hard-hearted
that even the most blood-thirsty person cannot equal her.
The polytheists of Quraysh had come fully prepared
to fight against the prophet at Badr and a severe battle
was fought. Many polytheists were killed. The women of
Mecca mourned the death of their relatives for one month.
Then they came to Hind, mother of Mu v awiya and said to
her "Why don't you mourn like us?" She said in a tone full
of grudge and rancour not found in any other woman:
"Why should I weep? Should I weep so that the news may
reach Muhammad and his friends, and they may feel happy
and the women of the Ansar may also be happy? By God I
shall not weep until I have taken revenge on Muhammad
and his companions and I shall not oil my hair unless a
battle has been fought against them". Thereafter she
continued to instigate the polytheists against the Muslims
and eventually the Battle of Uhad took place. The sentences
quoted above show how cruel and hard-hearted she was.
She did not believe in relieving herself of grief by weeping
and mourning. Women are tender-hearted by nature, but
she was of a different disposition. She saw things with the
eyes of a man. She believed that chiefship and sovereignty
meant enduring hardships of warfare to keep the standard
of one's superiority and dignity high.
When the polytheists of Mecca proceeded to Madina
making full preparations to fight the Battle of Uhad,
Hind also prepared a detachment of women and reached
the battlefield accompanied by them to instigate men to
fight bravely, so that she might satisfy her desire of
vengeance by looking at the flowing blood and the dead
bodies of those who were killed.
A man objected to the women going to the warfront.
However, Hind shouted in reply: "We will certainly go and
see the fighting with our own eyes".
Hind stuck to her decision and went to the battle-
field along with other women. She did all she could to
satisfy her desire of taking revenge. When severe fighting
began she along with other women went to each row of
the army of the polytheists. They played on tambourines
and sang the following verses:
"O descendants of Abd al-Dar! make haste there are

at your back those persons (i.e. women) whom you must
defend; unsheathe your swords".
"If you move to the battlefield we shall embrace you
and shall place soft pillows under your heads. But if you
fly away from the battlefield we shall forsake you, because
in that case we cannot love you".
Hind had made many promises of reward with the
Ethiopian slave named Wehshi if he killed some Muslim
especially the prophet's uncle Hamzah for whom she
nursed an extreme grudge. In this battle the polytheists
fared better and the Muslims had to sustain severe losses.
Hind was very much pleased. One of those martyred at
Uhad was Hamzah who was killed by Wehshi. When he was
killed Abu Sufyan shouted: "Today we have taken the
revenge of the Battle of Badr. We shall meet again next
year". His wife Hind was not however, satisfied that a
valiant man like Hamzah had been killed. She approached
the dead bodies of martyrs along with other women of
Quraysh. They cut off the hands, feet, noses and ears of
those killed and made necklaces out of them and thus
manifested brutality, which even the most cruel tyrants
could not think of. Then she tore off the belly of Hamzah
like a butcher, and pulled out his liver. She wanted to
munch and swallow it but could not do so. This act of hers
was so abominable that even her husband Abu Sufyan
expressed disgust at it. He said to a Muslim: "The dead
bodies of your men, who were killed, were amputated. By
God I was neither pleased nor displeased on this account.
I neither ordered that this thing might be done nor forbade
it". On account of this incident Hind began to be called
the liver-eater.

When Abu Sufyan embraced Islam reluctantly at the
time of the conquest of Mecca his wife Hind addressed
Quraysh loudly in these words: "O Quraysh! Kill this evil
and dirty man who does not possess any virtue. I have
never seen a worse defence force than you people. Why
have you not defended your city and your lives?"
Hind was not at all impressed by the kind treatment
which the prophet meted out to her husband and her
children. It was the same Abu Sufyan and the same Hind
who brought up Mu v awiya. Furthermore, he possessed the
special traits of his forefathers by birth (viz. love for power
and authority, use of all fair and foul means to achieve

one's purpose, which is called "diplomacy' in modern
terminology, bribery, simulation, oppression etc.) In short
he was a perfect specimen of his forefathers. He had been
brought up by, and had imbibed the ideas of the people
about whom Ali the Commander of the Faithful said:
"They are corrupt and treacherous persons who lead a life
of debauchery at the expense of others. If they are allowed
to rule the people they would oppress them, consider
themselves superior to others, display domination, indulge
in violence and create trouble on the face of the earth".
The Umayyads continued their nefarious activities to
promote their family interests as in the age of ignorance
even during the life time of caliph Umar but they did all
this secretly and with great dexterity under the cover of
flattery. However, when Uthman, who belonged to their
family assumed the caliphate their machinations became
apparent. From that time onwards they endeavoured their
best to ensure that the government should become their
family government and should be inherited by their sons
and grandsons. They had no regard either for the caliphate
or for Islam. They grabbed as much wealth as possible.
They also recruited a large army. They treated the public
treasury, which belonged to all the Muslims, to be their
personal property. They bribed the influential persons
with public money and won their support. They were
awaiting an opportunity to secure rulership for themselves
and their descendants. They were waiting to establish a
kingdom for the family in the sense in which their ancestor
Abu Sufyan had interpreted v prophethood' when he said
to the prophet's uncle Abbas: "Your nephew has
established a grand kingdom". He considered the prophet-
hood of the prophet to be kingship, while he (the prophet)
had never even thought of establishing such an institution.
The murder of Uthman provided another opportunity to
the Umayyads. We shall show in the following pages that
Mu v awiya himself had a hand in the killing of Uthman.
From that time onwards the Mu v awiya's cunning, deceit,
and conspiracy, was known to all, and from that time
onwards contention started between two natures which
were opposed to each other. On the one side there was
virtue, steadfastness and purity of nature and on the other
side there was greed for authority, egoitism, fascism,
corruption and other vices Ali represented the first set of

qualities and Mifawiya and his kith and kin the second

one. Ali's mottoes were: "I shall not deceive anyone nor shall I do any ignoble
or improper act.

Like for others the same thing which you like for
yourself.

Do not like for others what you do not like for
yourself.

Do not oppress others just as you do not like to be
oppressed by others.

In comparison with the maltreatment ofyour brother,
you should be competent enough to do good to him".
On the other hand Mu v awiya used to say: "The army
of God is in honey". By v honey' he meant the poisonous
honey with which he used to do away with his enemies, so
that the path might be cleared for his attaining to rulership.
Mu v awiya treated all those good and pious persons to be
his enemies who stood in the path of his achieving ne-
farious ends.

As and when Mu v awiya feared that a person could
become an obstacle in the achievement of his desires he
finished him, even though he might have been a virtuous
and pious man. So much so that he did not spare even his
fast friends who had been his supporters. He killed Imam
Hasan with the same honey. He purchased friends and
bribed influential persons with the money of public
treasury which ought to have been spent for purposes of
public welfare.

When he went to Mecca to compel the people to take
oath of allegiance to Yazid he kept a strong army on one
side and stocks of gold and silver on the other and said to
the Meccans: "I only want that Yazid should be a caliph
only in name. Authority to appoint or to dismiss the
officers or to incur expenditure will remain with you".
However, when the people did not agree to accept
Yazid as their caliph he (i.e. Mu v awiya) said to them
threateningly. "I have informed you of the consequences
for which I take no responsibility. I am going to address
you. If any person stands up to refute me his neck will be
severed before he utters a word. So you should take care
of your lives".

When Mu v awiya was reproached for squandering away
the money of the public treasury - the same money which
Ali used to spend for purposes of public welfare - he

(Mifawiya) used to utter this Umayyad sentence: "The
earth is God's property and I am His representative.
Whatever I take is mine and I am also entitled to take that
which I do not take".

When he was asked to allow freedom of opinion and
beliefs to the people he used to reply: "So long as a persor.
does not stand between me and my sovereignty I have
nothing to do with him".

In his book entitled v Islam and Political Dictatorship'
Prof. Muhammad Ghazal while commenting on the dicta-
torial policy of Mu v awiya says: "It is the greatest offence
to be selfish and obstinate. If a person attains to rulership
he should hold that office and the people should lend him
support only till such time that he fulfils the needs of the

people and works according to their wishes "

At another place he writes: "Obstinacy and fascism
of the kings is disliked by God and his prophets as well as
by the people. It is an undeniable fact that in all ages the
way of thinking of the kings has remained the same. These
kings do not forsake their egotism even if their supporters
and well-wishers may love them beyond measure".
Mu v awiya grabbed sovereignty by means of his
Machiavellian policy. He converted the caliphate into
kingship and left it as a legacy for his descendants.
In this regard Mu v awiya was a perfect specimen of the
selfish nature of Bani Umayyah-the same Bani Umayyah
who were ill-natured during the age of ignorance and
remained so even after embracing Islam. After Ali met
martyrdom at the hands of Ibn Muljim, Mu v awiya began
planning to do away with any person who was not prepared
to accept him as the caliph of God. He said openly: "We
shall leave the people to themselves only when we have
enslaved them". He also said: "We have nothing to do with
a person unless he stands between us and our sovereignty.
He told the people in clear terms: "Sovereignty belongs to
me and after me it will belong to Bani Umayyah. People
are free so long as they do not become an obstacle between
Bani Umayyah and their rulership". He began arresting and
punishing people on mere suspicion, although this had
never happened during the period of the former caliphs.
He began killing relentlessly the companions of the
prophet, the companions of the companions and other
believers, who represented public opinion and pursued the

right path.

As soon as he gained control over the state he began
registering the wealth and property of the people as
inheritance for his wicked son. He used thousands of
means to obtain oath of allegiance for Yazid by force.
We narrate below an incident which will go to show on
what bases the governments of Yazid and some other
Umayyad caliphs were founded.
Mu v awiya decided to remove Mughira son of Sh v oba
from the governorship of Kufa and to appoint Sa v id bin Aas
in his place. When Mughira came to know about it he went
to see Mu v awiya and suggested to him that he should
nominate Yazid to be the caliph after him. Mu v awiya was
pleased to hear this suggestion and said to Mughira:
"I allow you to continue as Governor of Kuta. You should
go back and put this proposal before the persons whom
you consider reliable. Mughira came back to Kufa and
placed the proposal before some such persons. They con-
curred; Mughira selected ten persons out of them and sent
them to Mu v awiya in the form of a deputation. He also
gave them thirty thousand dirhams and appointed his son
Musa as their leader. These persons saw Mu v awiya and
highly praised the proposal regarding Yazid' s succession.
Mu v awiya asked Musa: "What, has your father paid these
persons to purchase their religion?" Musa told him that
Mughira had paid thirty thousand dirhams for the purpose.
Mu v awiya said: "It is a good bargain".
Mu v awiya then sent the proposal to all the governors
and directed them to send deputations to him from every
town and district. Many deputations came and exchanged
views on the subject. Then Yazid son of Muqanna stood
up and said pointing to Mu v awiya: "He is the Commander
of the Faithful". Then pointing to Yazid he said: "When
he (i.e. Mu v awiya) passes away he (i.e. Yazid) will be the
Commander of the Faithful". Then he pointed to his own
sword and said: "This is for him who does not agree
with us". Then Mu v awiya said, "Come, sit down you are
the chief of the orators".

The compulsion and force, which Mu v awiya used
to obtain the oath of allegiance for Yazid from the people
of the Hijaz is surprising as well as astonishing. In order to
obtain their concurrence he went to them with an army
as well as with many bags of dirhams and dinars. However,

when they were not intimidated by the army and were not
ensured by wealth, Mu v awiya said: "I have done my duty.
So far the practice has been that whenever I delivered
a speech and some one from among you rose and refuted
me I tolerated it and forgave him. However, I am going to
deliver a speech now and I swear by God that, if anyone of
you utters a sentence against what I say, a sword will reach
his head before he utters the second sentence. You should,
therefore, take care of your lives". Then he ordered his
police-officer to post two persons by the side of each one
of the audience and ordered that if any person spoke
anything in support of or against what he (i.e. Mu v awiya)
said they should sever his head.

Mu v awiya and other members of the Umayyad Family
put into practice the fascist authority of the age of
ignorance. They were despots who owned everything, and
the Muslims were as good as their slaves, who were not
expected to raise any objection. They beheaded those who
declined to take the oath of allegiance to Yazid. As regards
those who took the oath their hands were tattooed, as it
was a special sign of the person concerned being a slave.
The successors of Mu v awiya were even more crooked
and perverted. Some of them excelled him in matters of
crimes and perverseness, but did not possess in the least
the apparent qualities which were possessed by him. The
people therefore, suffered much during their time. They
were compelled to place their wealth as well as their necks
at the disposal of the rulers. Their agents and employees
were cruel and corrupt. They oppressed the people wher-
ever they were deputed. They humiliated the non- Arabs
who had embraced Islam. They also maltreated the Zimmis
with whom good and kind behaviour has been enjoined
by Islam. They did not spare even the Arabs and killed
those who declined to feed them with their flesh and
blood. They appointed as their rulers the persons who
imposed heavy taxes on them and realized the same with
extreme high-handedness and in a very shameful manner.
That is why Sa v id bin Aas who was appointed by Uthman
as the Governor of Iraq used to say: "Iraq is the garden of
Quraysh, we shall take from it what we desire and leave
what we do not desire". And when a Zimmi enquired from
Amr bin Aas as to how much tax they had to pay he
replied: "You are our treasure" (i.e. we shall realize from

you whatever we wish).

The Umayyad caliphs were keen to appropriate the
public treasury to themselves and to make their friends
and associates as wealthy as they could. The officers
appointed in Islamic territories grabbed whatever they
could and also realized large sums of money from the
people as a proof of their faithfulness to the rulers. For
example, Khalid son of Abdullah Qasra, who was one of
the governors of Hisham son of Abdul Malik, used to take
one million dirhams from the public treasury every year.
He also took millions of dirhams besides this amount.
The edifice of justice erected by Islam and Imam Ali
was pulled down by the Umayyads. Two classes viz. the
rich and the poor appeared among the people. Consequently
some of them were rolling in wealth whereas others could
not make both ends meet. One of the Umayyad caliphs
gave twelve thousand dinars to a singer named M v abad,
because he liked his performance, while there were innu-
merable persons who longed to live as free men. Before
Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik became caliph the number of
slaves had reached hundreds of thousands. This is proved
by the fact that seventy thousand slaves and slave-girls
were set free by him.

During the period of Bani Umayyah party- spirit had
become acute to an extent which was not at all sanctioned
by Islam, the prophet and Ali. An inhabitant of Yemen
did not enjoy the rights which were enjoyed by a member
of the tribe of Qais, and a non-Arab did not have the
privileges available to an Arab.
It was during the Umayyad period that the number
of pleasure-loving courtiers had increased by leaps and
bounds. They did not do any work but got huge stipends
from the public treasury as is the practice even now in
some Arab countries. History tells us that Walid son of
Abdul Malik stopped payment of stipends which were
being given to as many as twenty thousand persons.
The Umayyad rulers also committed grave atrocities
to keep their hold on various cities. Abdul Malik was an
absolute despot who ruled in a very shameful manner.
He got the wells and springs of Bahrain filled with dust so
that the people might become helpless and indigent and
consequently submissive to the rulers (Vide Ibn Rayhani's
books entiteld v Muluk al-Arab' vol. 2, p. 206) and

al-Nukabat p. 64. He entrusted the government of Iraq and
the Hijaz to the despicable and bloodthirsty person known
as Hajjaj bin Yusuf.

It would be sufficient to quote one example (that of
Yazid son of Abdul Malik) to show what value the
Umayyad kings attached to the common man and how
they descreated the caliphate as well as looked down upon
the people. One day he drank too much wine and became
over-intoxicated. His favourite slave-girl Hubaba was sitting
by his side. He said to her, "Let me fly away" she asked,
"And to whom are you entrusting the Muslims?" "To
you" was his reply.

Writing about Bani Umayyah Amin Rayhani says:
"Administration of justice to the subjects is the foundation
of a government. Those who occupied the throne, however,
thought otherwise. As you have come to know there were
among the Umayyad rulers worthless persons, drunkards
and tyrants". (al-Nukabat page 70).
It should also be not forgotten that the Umayyad
rulers introduced the shameful practice of abusing Ali and
his descendants. However, the noblest among them was
Umar son of Abdul Aziz who gave dignity to the rulers of
the East as well as to mankind. As soon as he ascended the
throne he relieved the people of oppression, restored their
rights, appointed just officers, and instructed the governors
to deal with the people justly and leniently. He introduced
real equality between the Arabs and the non- Arabs and the
Muslims and the non-Muslims. As a mark of respect to
human dignity he stopped further conquests. He abolished
all taxes except those which were paid by the people
willingly. He also stopped the abusing of Ali which had
continued for long. He took back from the nobles and the
aristocrats the property and wealth, which had been
grabbed by them illegally, and advised them to work for
their living. The rule of this great man did not continue
for long and he fell a victim to the conspiracies of the
Umayyads themselves and lost his life. They killed him just
as they had killed Mu v awiya son of Yazid earlier - his only
offence being that he had mentioned their evil doings,
expressed displeasure over their violating the rights of the
people, admitted that his father and grandfather had been
at fault and preferred secluded life to ruler ship.
It is very surprising that some modern writers are very

active in justifying the acts of the tyrannical and obstinate
Umayyad rulers and their agents. They say things with
which they themselves must not be satisfied. They do so
only to support their ancestors and, therefore, put forth
very funny and meaningless defence on their behalf.
Were the contemporaries of Bani Umayyah who were
eye-witnesses of their rule not more true? Do their state-
ments not belie those of the modern writers and provide
a true picture of the conditions during the Umayyad rule?
What will these modern writers say after reading the
following narration?

One day Ubaydah bin Hilal Yashkari met Abu Harabah
Tamimi, Ubaydah said to Abu Harabah: "I want to ask
you some questions. Will you give me correct replies?"
Abu Harabah replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the
following conversation took place between them:
Ubaydah: What do you say about your Umayyad caliphs?
Abu Harabah: They used to shed blood without any
justification.

Ubaydah: How did they utilize wealth?
Abu Harabah: They obtained it illegally and spent it
illegally.

Ubaydah: How did they behave with the orphans?
Abu Harabah: They grabbed the property of the orphans,
deprived them of their rights and outraged the modesty
of their mothers.

Ubaydah: Woe betide you O Abu Harabah! Are such
persons fit to be followed and obeyed?
Abu Harabah: I have told you what you enquired about.
Now you should not censure me.
Abu Harabah's words "you should not censure me"
go to explain incidentally that during the rule of Bani
Umayyah and their agents it was not possible for any
person to form an opinion of his own and express it.
How will the modern defenders of Bani Umayyah
explain the views of the people of Madina which they
expressed before the Kharijite Abu Hamzah? After expell-
ing the Umayyads from Madina Abu Hamzah enquired
from the residents of that city as to what hardships they
had to bear at the hands of the Syrian caliphs and their
agents. They said in clear terms that they used to kill them
on mere suspicion, and considered those things to be
lawful which had been declared to be unlawful by Islam,

and which are also unlawful in the eyes of reason, con-
science, and human dignity. In the speech delivered by
Abu Hamzah on this occasion he also said these words:
"Don't you see what has happened to the divine
caliphate and the Imamate of the Muslims? So much so
that Bani Marwan have been playing with it like a ball.
They devoured God's property and played with His religion.
They enslaved God's creatures. Every elder of theirs made
the younger ones his successors for this purpose. They
grabbed rulership and stuck to it like self-made gods. Their
hold was the hold of the tyrants. They took decisions
according to their whims and caprices. If they got annoyed
they killed the people. They arrested the people on mere
suspicion and suspended punishment on recommendations.
They made dishonest persons the trustees and disobeyed
those who were honest. They realized revenue from the
people even if it was not due from them and spent it for
unlawful purposes".

How will these defenders of Bani Umayyah explain
the verse of Bakhtari in which he has expressed the thoughts
of the people of that age and drawn a true picture thereof:
"We consider that group of Bani Umayyah to be infidels
who acquired the caliphate through fraud and deceit.
The evil doings, oppressive administration, and nefa-
rious designs of Bani Umayyah which were certainly known
to the earlier people were also known to those who came
later, and the non-Arab writers have mentioned their atro-
cities and crimes in the same manner in which they have
been described by the Arab writers. It is a reality which is
admitted even by the Egyptian and other writers who
actively support Bani Umayyah. They say: "Most of the
eastern and western historians vehemently attack and
unsure Bani Umayyah only the attitude of Polios Wilharzan
is moderate to some extent".
It will be observed that the attitude of the single
orientalist who is not in agreement with others is also not
v moderate' but we can call it v moderate to some extent'.
This remark of the Egyptian writer is a clear acknow-
ledgement of the fact that this solitary orientalist could
not lay hands on sufficient evidence on the basis of which
he could support Bani Umayyah more openly and his
attitude towards them should have been moderate rather
than moderate to some extent. However, we would like to

tell the Egyptian writer that there is also another orientalist,
who has supported Bani Umayyah fully. He is the French
historian La Mius who has lent complete support to that
family for some special motive. We shall comment on the
writings of this historian later. With the exception of these
two orientalists most of them have drawn a picture of the
son of Abu Sufyan and the descendants of Marwan, which
will not be liked by their supporters. Among these orien-
talists the most prominent is Kazanofa who says:
"The nature of Bani Umayyah was composed of two
things: Firstly love for wealth to the extent of avari
ciousness; and secondly love for victory to plunder and for
chiefship to enjoy worldly pleasures".
However, whether they are the Arab historians or the
orientalists none of them has drawn as true a picture of
Bani Umayyah as has been drawn by the Umayyad caliph
Walid bin Yazid in the verses translated below.
"Do not mention the people of Sa v di's Family. We are
superior to them in the matter of numbers as well as
wealth. We wield power over the people and humiliate
them in every manner and torture them in various ways.
We humiliate them and bring them on the brink of
ruination and destruction and there too they meet with
only humiliation and annihilation".
Even if the supporters of the Umayyads reject all that
has been said by the old and modern historians and orien-
talists about Umayyad mentality, can they reject what has
been said by Walid son of Yazid?

Husaynand Yazid

All those events which Husayn had to go through
prove that from the point of view of morality he occupied
the highest place of glory and all the events through
which Yazid passed are an evidence of the fact that he
was at the lowest ebb of ignominy. The tragedy of Karbala
is a sufficient proof for it. This event speaks volumes for
his stark wickedness.

Yazid was a drunkard. He used to wear silken clothes
and played on a tambourine.

Husayn son of Ali and Yazid son of Mu v awiya were
the persons who came in the world as perfect specimens of
the qualities of the two families viz. the Hashimites and
Umayyads. Husayn was a perfect Hashim of his time as
Yazid was Abd al-Shams. If the special qualities of a man
can be the true picture of the environments in which he is
brought up there is no doubt about the fact that Husayn
and Yazid were the true models of their families. Husayn
represented the Hashimites and Yazid the Umayyads. The
only difference was that Husayn was the best specimen of
the Hashimite virtues and excellences whereas Yazid was
devoid of even the good qualities which were possessed by
Bani Umayyah.

Husayn was the son of the prophet's daughter Fatima
and Ali son of Abu Talib. When he was born the prophet
took him in his lap and pronounced v Azan' in his ears so as
to infuse his own spirit into the spirit of his grandson,
make him a part and parcel of his own being, and to
impress upon him that he was born to perform a special
mission, and that purpose of life had been fixed for him.
On the seventh day of his birth the prophet said with
great happiness: "I have named this son of mine Husayn".
The child grew up day after day in such a condition
that he had in him the soul of his grandfather, the beatings
of the heart of his father, and a deep impression of
prophethood on his mind. All the virtues and excellences
of his forefathers had combined in his person. And as he
continued to grow up these virtues and qualities of his also
continued to become more apparent.
Transmission of the qualities of forefathers to their

children is a law of nature about which there cannot be
any doubt whatsoever. Just as the children inherit the
colours, facial appearances, material qualities etc. from
their ancestors they also inherit their characteristic virtues.
Husayn remained under the supervision of his grand-
father till the age of seven years. After the prophet's
demise his companions continued to imitate him in the
matter of love for Husayn. A special reason for their
displaying love for him was that his features very much
resembled those of the prophet. This is borne out by the
statements of those persons who had seen the prophet
as well as Husayn.

The great names of the ancestors and their achieve-
ments have a great deal to do with the development of
their children and the making of their future bright. When
the child hears about the achievements of his ancestors
from his very early age a picture of theirs is drawn on his
brain, and consequently he acquires the qualities of his
ancestors. A child naturally inherits the qualities of his
forefathers, but his living with them at the same place
casts a great influence on them.
Besides the prophet Husayn also saw his revered
father. He saw his perseverance, steadfastness, justice,
sympathy, help for the oppressed and anger for the
oppressors as well as good treatment and kindness shown
to the enemies. He accompanied his father in the Battles of
Camel, Siffin and Nahrawan, and saw his astonishing
bravery, and learnt from him the ways of fighting for the
sake of goodness, and also knew from him how to sacrifice
one's life to protect the oppressed and helpless from
tyranny.

Husayn's revered mother was a very tender-hearted
and kind lady. On account of this very tender-heartedness
she was always grieved to see the hardships to which her
father, the prophet, and his companions were subjected by
the Quraysh. She was extremely sad on the day of the
Battle of Uhad when many Muslims were killed at the
hands of the polytheist Quraysh and their dead bodies
were cut to pieces. It was a very depressing scene for her to
see her father weeping for his uncle Hamzah.
It is said that after the death of the prophet, Anas bin
Malik went one day to see lady Fatima and requested her
to control her grief in the interest of her own health.

She said only this reply: M Anas! How did you tolerate

to entrust the pure body of the prophet to the grave?"

Then she burst into tears, and Anas too began to

weep. He came back with a heart, which was shattered by

the grief of Fatima.

Husayn used to see his grief- stricten younger sister

Zainab and felt extremely sad for her.

Husayn looked at his mother and sister and then

imagined the sufferings and hardships which time had in

store for himself, his sister and their descendants. He felt

that very soon he and his sister would have to shed tears

on the death of their mother and then to mourn the

martyrdom of their father, and their descendants would

have to face great hardships.

A few days later Husayn heard his mother making

the following recommendations to his sister Zainab: "Do

not leave Hasan and Husayn. Take complete care of them.

After me perform the duties of their mother".

His mother breathed her last after three months of

the death of her father. Husayn was standing by her side

and saying goodbye to her. At times he glanced at his sister

who was stunned with grief. Then he looked at his father

and brother who were crying bitterly on the passing away

of lady Fatima.

Husayn spent his childhood in such an atmosphere of

sorrow and grief. When he grew up he saw the people

contending with, and blocking the way of his revered

father at every step. The attitude of the mother of the

Faithful Ayesha and her supporters made him all the more

sad. He also saw the treachery committed by Mu v awiya,

Amr bin Aas, and their henchmen with his father. This

increased his grief all the more and he felt that unless evil

was suppressed with that bravery and force with which his

father endeavoured to suppress it, life would be meaningless.

The most grievous day was that on which the hand

of a criminal and a sinner wounded the forehead of his

illustrious father when he was offering his prayers in the

Masjid Kufa. Imam Ali could not survive this injury and

breathed his last after two days. Thus the impediment in

the path of the oppressors and tyrants to establish their

authority was removed.

After some time his brother Hasan met martyrdom

due to poisoning. And his grief and wonder knew no

bounds when he saw that Bani Umayyah and their suppor-
ters were shooting arrows on the funeral bier ofhis brother.
He also came to know that Mu v awiya had ordered that
Husayn's father and brother should be abused from the
pulpits. In fact he heard Mu v awiya doing so himself. In
short new causes for his grief continued to appear. These
were the very causes which culminated in the tragedy of
Karbala-the place where the most heinous crime was
committed with the co-operation of mean Soldiers of
Yazid and his wicked officers. They committed atrocities
on Husayn and a small group of his companions and
members of his family which one shudders to imagine.
This was how Husayn was reared from the point of
view of inheritance and training and these were the causes
of his grief which he had to experience from the very time
of his birth. As he had observed the sufferings of his grand-
father, father and mother, grief and sorrow were ingrained
in his nature.

It was on account of the qualities inherited and
acquired by Husayn that he used to say: Forbearance is
a ladder, fidelity is manliness, pride is folly and weakness
and association with the wicked is something which makes
one doubt and waver.

Try to acquire that thing which you deserve. It is
humiliation and abasement to live with the oppressors.
Truth is dignity and falsehood is helplessness.
Who was Yazid?

Yazid was a man who had inherited all the bad
qualities of the Umayyad Family. His disposition, beliefs,
way of thinking and the manner of looking at various
matters were exactly the same as those of Bani Umayyah
in general. Besides the evils inherited by him from his
ancestors he had other mischievous tendencies and satanic
qualities as well. He did not possess the apparent qualities
ofhis father which are considered to be his (i.e. Mu v awiya's)
merits although they were only tools to strengthen his
rule. In fact it may be said that whereas all the bad
qualities of his family had combined in him he did not at
all possess any good quality. There has been no other
reveller amongst Bani Umayyah like Yazid and it was on
account of his being wildly festive that he lost his life.
It is said that one day, while mounted on a horse, he was
trying to out-pace a monkey. During this competition,

however, he fell down from the horse and died. His
contemporaries have drawn a very precise and concise
picture of his in these words: "He was a drunkard. He used
to wear silken clothes and played on a tambourine".
If Husayn proved to be a model of virtue and good
morals Yazid proved to be the worst specimen of his
ancestral vices. If Husayn was sympathetic towards others
as magnanimous persons usually are, Yazid had no human
sentiments and was absolutely shameless.
Yazid had been brought up in a family which consi-
dered Islam to be a political movement. According to Bani
Umayyah the prophethood of the prophet was only a
pretext to acquire power and authority and Islam meant
transfer of power from the hands of Bani Umayyah to the
hands of Bani Hashim. Yazid considered his countrymen
to be only an army whose duty it was to remain faithful to
the ruler. In his eyes the object of the existence of his
countrymen was that they should pay land revenue and
taxes and increase the wealth of the treasury which was to
be spent according to the sweet will of the ruler.
As Yazid was born and brought up in such a family it
was necessary that he, too, should adopt the ways which
were adopted by his forefathers and other members of his
family during the age of ignorance and after the advent of
Islam. Furthermore, he was brought up in the house of a
father who spent large sums of money of the public
treasury at his pleasure. When wealth and ignorance are
combined the result can be nothing else except profligacy
and debauchery.

It was for this reason that like every ignorant person
who possesses wealth Yazid was a drunkard and was fond
of a life of pleasure and played with dogs. As soon as he
ascended the throne he began spending money lavishly
to lead a life of debauchery and sensual pleasure. He gave
enormous sums to his asociates, slaves, slave-girls, singers
etc. He had a large number of dogs who slept by his side
and were made to wear ornaments of gold and silver and
silken dresses, while the poor people, from whom taxes
were realized under coercion, starved and suffered hard-
ships. He ruled for three and a half years only but during
this short period he combined in him all the disgrace,
absurdity and impudence which were the result of
Umayyad politics.

Besides the above-mentioned revelry and debauchery
which Yazid inherited from his ancestors he also committed
other most heinous crimes. During the first year of his
reign he murdered Imam Husayn and his companions and
made the people of his family captives. During the second
year he plundered Madina without caring in the least for
its sanctity. He permitted his soldiers to do whatever they
liked with the people of the city for a period of three days.
Consequently eleven thousand persons including seven
hundred companions of the prophet from amongst the
Muhajirs and Ansar were killed and the modesty of more
than one thousand virgins was outraged.
It was the natural disposition of Imam Husayn that
he should fight against injustice and oppression following
the example set by his grandfather and father. He used to
say: "It is humiliation and disgrace to live with the
oppressors". On the contrary Yazid always bestowed
honours on cruel and wicked persons and gave them large
presents for committing heinous crimes. He also asked
others to respect and honour such persons. For example,
one day when he was engaged in feasting and drinking
along with his friends and Ubaidullah Ibn Zaid, the chief
actor of the tragedy of Karbala, was sitting on his right
hand side he addressed the cup-bearer as under:
"Give me such a wine that it should make my heart
cool. Then give the same wine to Ibn Ziad who is my
confidant and trustee and the source of my acquiring war
booty and winning the battles".
(This incident took place only a few days after the
martyrdom of Imam Husayn).
The honouring of Ibn Ziad by Yazid resembles the
honouring of the greatest tyrant and criminal, Hajjaj.
In short if during the time of Mu v awiya v divine army'
consisted of poisoned honey the v divine army' during the
days of Yazid was only poison without the admixture of
honey. During the reign of Yazid the Umayyad party- spirit
of the days of ignorance was fully revived. None of the
events of history can produce a man more ignorable than
Yazid - the same Yazid who was the author of the tragedy
of Karbala. And similarly none of the events of history can
produce a person who should possess as lofty a character
as Husayn - the same Husayn who was the martyr of
Karbala. The pages relating to Yazid are absolutely black

whereas those relating to Husayn are replete with dignity
and honour. On the one side there were the trade and
chiefship of Umayyah and his slaves and executioners; and
on the other side there were the lofty character and bravery
of the Family of Abu Talib and their free and zealous
persons and martyrs in the path of truth and justice.
Logic and reasoning are not so successful to prove a
reality as are the events which are related to it. As events
contain conclusive arguments within themselves there is no
doubt about the fact that all those events which Husayn
had to go through prove that from the point of view of
moral character he occupied the loftiest rank, all the
events through which Yazid passed are an evidence of the
fact that he was at the lowest layer of degradation. The
tragedy of Karbala is a sufficient proof for this fact. This
event speaks volumes for, and shall always be pointing to
the most noble character of Husayn, and the wickedness of
the vilest of the vile Yazid.

Before the tragedy of Karbala there occurred another
event, in which there was on one side Husayn the model of
sincerity and human sympathy, and on the other there was
Yazid who was an embodiment of debauchery and licen-
tiousness. This event, besides bringing to light the respective
characters of Husayn and Yazid, also reminds one of the
pact made by Bani Hashim, which was called v Hilfal-Fuzul\
This pact was made by them with the co-operation of some
Arab tribes. One of its items purported to say that the
signatories of the pact would support the oppressed, and
realize their rights from the oppressors, and would restrain
the powerful persons from doing injustice to the weak and
helpless. The ancestors of Yazid had opposed this pact and
those of Husayn had lent it whole-hearted support.
Of course, one character of this event is Husayn and
the other is Yazid. Yazid son of Mu v awiya came to know
about the beauty of Urainab daughter of Ishaq who was
the wife of the Qurayshite Abdullah bin Salam. Urainab
was the most beautiful and accomplished woman of her
time and possessed enormous wealth. Yazid fell in love
with her without having seen her. He lost all patience
and mentioned the matter to Mu v awiya's favourite slave
named Rafiq. The slave informed Mu v awiya about this love
and told him that his son was very keen to marry Urainab.
Mu v awiya called Yazid and enquired from him about the

matter. Yazid admitted that whatever Mu v awiya had been
told was correct. Mu v awiya said: "Be calm and patient.
Something will be done in this behalf". Yazid said: It is no
use consoling me now because the matter is already
finished. She has already been married. Mu v awiya said: My
dear son! Keep the secret to yourself, because if it is
divulged it will do you no good. God completes what He
ordains and what has already happened cannot be helped.
Mu v awiya began thinking of solving the problem and
meeting the wish of Yazid to marry Urainab. Abdullah son
of Salam, the husband of Urainab was at that time the
Governor of Iraq. Mu v awiya wrote a letter to him saying:
"I have an urgent business with you. Please come and see
me as early as possible. The matter is beneficial to you"
On receiving Mu v awiya's letter Abdullah proceeded to
Syria at once and met Mu v awiya. The latter received him
with great honour and respect. At that time Abu Darda
and Abu Huraira, two companions of the prophet were
also available in Damacus. Mu v awiya called for them and
said to them: "Such and such daughter of mine is now of
age and I am anxious to give away her hand in marriage.
I think Abdullah son of Salam is a good man and I wish
that she may marry him".

Both of them praised Mu v awiya for his intelligence
and devoutness and said that whatever he had thought of
was absolutely proper.

Mu v awiya said to them: "Both of you should meet
Abdullah and mention the matter to him and find out his
opinion about it. Although I have authorised my daughter
to marry a man of her choice, but I am sure that she will
like Abdullah bin Salam and will not refuse to marry him"
Abu Darda and Abu Huraira went to see Abdullah.
In the meantime Mu v awiya went into his palace and said to
his daughter: "Dear daughter! Just hear what I have to say.
When Abu Darda and Abu Huraira come to you and tell
you that I want to get you married to Abdullah bin Salam,
you should say: "Of course, Abdullah is a good man and a
near relative and of equal status with us. However, he has
already married Urainab daughter of Ishaq and I am afraid
that if I marry him I may also become jealous of her like
all other women. If, in that event, I say something un-
becoming about Abdullah I am afraid that I may invite
the wrath of God by doing so. However, if Abdullah

divorces Urainab I am agreeable to marry him".
When Abu Darda and Abu Huraira conveyed the
Message of Mu v awiya to Abdullah bin Salam he was over
joyed and told them to inform Mu v awiya that the proposal
was acceptable to him. When they informed Mu v awiya of
the developments he said to them: "As I have already told
you I would like this marriage. However, I have authorised
my daughter to marry a man of her own choice. You
should, therefore, go to her and ask her whether she is
ready to marry Abdullah bin Salam".
When they approached the girl she gave them the
same reply which Mu v awiya had taught her to give. They
then conveyed her reply to Abdullah.
When Abdullah son of Salam came to know that it
was not possible to marry Mu v awiya's daughter unless he
devorced his wife he was overpowered by avarice and
divorced Urainab. He said to Abu Darda and Abu Huraira:
"Bear witness to the fact that I have divorced Urainab.
You should inform Mu v awiya about this and also convey
my proposal to him".

When they came to Mu v awiya and told him what had
happened he said: "Oh! What has Abdullah done? Why has
he divorced his wife? He should not have been so hasty.
Had he waited for a few days I might have arranged his
marriage with my daughter without allowing things to
come to such a pass. Anyhow, you should go now and ask
my daughter whether she is agreeable to this marriage".
Abu Darda and Abu Huraira approached Mu v awiya's
daughter once again and told her that Abdullah had
divorced his wife. They also stated that Abdullah was a
very noble-minded and competent person and enquired
from her whether she was prepared to marry him.
Mu v awiya's daughter replied: "Abdullah no doubt
enjoys a high position amongst the Quraysh. However, as
you are aware marriage is not something trivial so that
one may agree to it without seriously pondering over the
matter. It is a contract for one's whole life. You gentlemen
may, therefore go now. I shall think over the matter and
give you a reply later".

Both of them blessed her and departed. They then
went to Abdullah bin Salam and informed him about
what the girl had said. Abdullah said: "All right. Let us
wait. If it is not settled today, it will be settled tomorrow'.

It was the talk of the town that Abdullah bin Salam
had divorced his wife and had proposed to Mu v awiya's
daughter. As all were aware of the cunning of Mu v awiya
and the loose character of Yazid they blamed and censured
Abdullah for having divorced his wife without first winning
the consent of Mu v awiya's daughter.
After a few days Abdullah sent Abu Darda and Abu
Huraira again to the daughter of Mu v awiya. They advised
her to give a final reply whereupon she said: "I am sure God
has decided well for me, because He does not forsake one
who relies upon Him. I have pondered over the matter and
have come to the conclusion that my marrying Abdullah
bin Salam will not be a successful one. I have also consulted
my well-wishers in the matter. Some of them have approved
the marriage but others have opposed it".
When Abdullah came to know about the reply which
had been given by Mu v awiya's daughter he became sure
that he had been duped. This grieved him very much. The
news spread was the talk of the town. The people blamed
Mu v awiya for having defrauded Abdullah and making him
divorce his wife so that she might later marry Yazid.
Mu v awiya was successful at the first stage of his
scheme to fulfil the desire of his son but eventually the
divine will frustrated his program. His plan failed owing
to the interference by Husayn who had grown up on the
pattern of life of his illustrious father. Helping the oppressed
had become his second nature.
When the waiting period (Idda) of. Urainab expired
Mu v awiya sent Abu Darda to her to convey to her proposal
for marriage on behalf of Yazid. Abu Darda left Damascus
and reached Kufa. It so happened that Husayn son of Ali
was also in Kufa at that time. Abu Darda considered it
proper to pay his respects to the son of the prophet in
the first instance. He, therefore, presented himself before
the Imam. Imam Husayn enquired from him the reason for
his visiting Kufa. Abu Darda informed him that he had
been sent by Mu v awiya to propose to Urainab daughter of
Ishaq on behalf of his son Yazid. He then related to the
Imam in detail the events which had already taken place.
Imam Husayn said: 'T also thought that Urainab would
marry some other person and intended to propose to her
after her "Idda" ended. Now that you have arrived here it
will be better if you convey my proposal to her. She may

choose whomsoever she likes. However, I am prepared to
give her dower equal to that which Yazid has promised her"
Abu Darda promised to convey the Imam's message
to Urainab. Then he took leave of Imam Husayn and
reached her house. He said to her: "Madam! It was destined
that Abdullah son of Salam should divorce you. You are
not going to be a loser on this account. Yazid son of
Mu v awiya and Husayn son of Ali wish to marry you.
Both of them have conveyed their proposals to you
through me. You may choose whomever you like".
Urainab kept quiet for some time and then said:
"If some other person had brought these two proposals to
me I would have called you for consultation and would
have acted according to your suggestion. Now that you
yourself have brought these proposals I leave the final
decision to you".

Abu Darda replied: "It was my duty to convey the
proposals to you, but you are yourself the best judge in
the matter". Urainab said: "No; that is not so. I am your
niece and cannot act in this matter without your advice".
When Abu Darda saw that she was bent upon
obtaining his opinion he said: "I feel that the son of the
prophet is a better choice". Urainab said: "I agree with
you. Also I like him".

Imam Husayn then married Urainab and paid her the
stipulated amount of dower.

When Mu v awiya came to know what had happened he
was very angry and abused Abu Darda. Then he said to
himself: "Abu Darda has not been at fault. It was my own
mistake. If a person entrusts such a difficult task to a
simpleton he must fail".

At the time of his departure for Damascus Abdullah
bin Salam had entrusted a large sum of money to Urainab.
Later when he divorced her and Mu v awiya's daughter also
refused to marry him it became known to the people that
Abdullah had been deceived by Mu v awiya and made to
divorce his wife. This was a matter of disgrace for Mu v awiya
and he held Abdullah responsible for it. He, therefore,
dismissed him from service and stopped his stipend.
Abdullah became penniless. He, therefore, returned to Iraq
with the hope that he might get back from Urainab the
money which he had left with her. He was, however, afraid
that she might decline to return the money on account of

his misbehaviour and for his divorcing her without a

just cause.

After his return to Iraq he met Imam Husayn and

said: "As you must be aware I was duped and made to

divorce Urainab. While leaving for Damascus I left some

money with her as a trust".

Then he praised Urainab much and said: "I shall be

grateful if you speak to her and ask her to return that

money to me. It is possible that with that amount in hand

I may be saved from indigence".

Imam Husayn went to Urainab and said: "Abdullah

bin Salam came to see me. He praised you very much for

your honesty which pleased me much. He also told me

that he entrusted some money to you at the time of his

departure for Damascus. It will be only proper that you

should return that money to him because I think that what

he has stated is correct".

Urainab replied: "It is true that he left some bags

with me, but I don't know what they contain. They are

still lying sealed, as they were. I shall bring them to you

and you may return the same to him".

Imam Husayn praised Urainab on hearing this and

said: "Will it not be better if I call him here so that you

may return the bags to him yourself?".

Then he met Abdullah bin Salam and said to him:

I have conveyed your message to Urainab. She admits

your having left some bags with her; they are still lying

sealed, as they were. It will be better if you come to

Urainab and take back the bags from her".

Abdullah felt very much ashamed and said: "I would

request you to make arrangements for the return of

money to me", (i.e. I feel ashamed to face Urainab). Imam

Husayn replied: "No. That cannot be. You should take

back the money from her in the same manner in which

you gave it to her".

He, therefore, brought Abdullah to his house and

then said to Urainab: "Abdullah son of Salam has come

and demands the things which he entrusted to you. Return

the same to him in the same manner in which you took

them from him".

Urainab brought the bags and placing them outside

the curtain said to him: "Here it is what you entrusted to

me". Abdullah thanked Urainab and praised her for her

honesty. Imam Husayn then left the place leaving them
alone. Abdullah broke the seal of the bag, took out some
dinars from it and presented them to her requesting her to
accept the same from him. Thereupon tears trickled from
their eyes and they began to cry loudly. Imam Husayn
heard the sound of their crying. He then re-entered the
room and said with great kindness: "Just hear me. I call
God to witness that I have divorced Urainab just now. I
call God to witness that I did not marry her for the sake of
her beauty or wealth.What I had desired was that it might
become lawful for her to re-marry her first husband.
Thus Urainab became the wife of Abdullah bin Salam
once again and Mu v awiya's scheme failed.
After re-marrying Urainab Abdullah said to her:
"You should return the amount of dower which Imam
gave you".

She brought the money and gave it to Abdullah to
give it to the Imam. However, Imam Husayn declined to
accept the mnoey and said: "The spiritual reward which
I shall get in the Hereafter for this good deed is much
better than worldly wealth".

The Hashimite Ali son of Abu Talib said: "I swear by
God that I have not accumulated a treasure from your
world like others and have not collected wealth and
property. I have not used any dress other than this worn
out cloak. If I had desired I could have eaten honey
and wheat and could also wear silken dress. However, it
is impossible that passions may overpower me and greed
may make me eat dainty food. It is possible that there
may be a person in the Hijaz and Yamama who may not
hope for even one morsel of food and may not have eaten
his fill throughout his life. Should I satiate myself with
food and sleep a sound sleep when there may be around
me many persons who may be starving? Should I be the
Commander of the Faithful only in name and should not
share the difficulties and sorrows of the people.
He wrote to the Governor of Ahwaz: "I swear by
God that if I come to know that you have misappropriated
anything big or small which belongs to the Muslims I shall
award you such a severe punishment as will make you
indigent, burdened and disgraced".
On the contrary Mu v awiya son of Abu Sufyan used
to say: "The earth belongs to God and I am His caliph.

I may take whatever I like out of the property of God and
am also entitled to what I leave".
Mu v awiya, Yazid, Marwan son of Hakam and other
Umayyad rulers spent public money on their supporters
and friends in order to strengthen their government and
perpetuate their authority. They cut off the heads of the
people. They had an army of honey mixed with poison
and also of poison without honey. Both the parties i.e.
Ali and his descendants as well as Mu v awiya, Yazid and
other Bani Umayyah had their respective supporters.

Supporters of the two parties

The chief characteristic or the best attribute of the
supporters of the Family of Abu Talib was their magnani-
mity. The object of their lives was that they should always
help the oppressed, promote true beliefs and sacrifice their
lives in the path of truth. Their number was no doubt
small. This did not, however, constitute a shortcoming,
because magnanimous and noble-minded persons are
always small in number, but the deep impressions which
they leave behind are never obliterated and the result of
their efforts is always far-reaching. The smallness of their
number is a proof positive of the greatness of their object,
and the loftiness of their aim. At times it so happens that a
single person performs a feat which cannot be performed
by thousands combined together. The supporters of the
descendants of Abu Talib too were firm in their beliefs,
and steadfast in promoting them, although their number
was small.

These very friends of Imam Ali were offered wealth
and positions by Mu v awiya so that they might abuse Ali
and his descendants, but they declined to do so. He then
threatened them with torture. They however, preferred to
bear all hardships rather than abuse Imam Ali.
One day Mu v awiya was sitting with his associates and
Ahnaf bin Qais was also present. In the meantime a Syrian
came and began delivering a speech. At the end of his
speech he abused Ali. Thereupon Ahnaf said to Mu v awiya:
"Sir! If this man comes to know that you are pleased if the
prophets are cursed, he will curse them also. Fear God and
don't bother about Ali any longer. He has since met his
Lord. He is now alone in his grave and only his acts are
with him. I swear by God that his sword was very pure and
his dress too was very clean and neat. His tragedy is great".
The following conversation then took place between him
and Mu v awiya:

Mu v awiya: O Ahnaf! You have thrown dust in my eyes and
have said whatever you liked. By God you will have to
mount the pulpit and curse Ali. If you do not curse him
willingly you will be compelled to do so.
Ahnaf: It will be better for you to excuse me from doing

this. However, even if you compel me I will not utter any

such words.

Mu v awiya: Get up and mount the pulpit.

Ahnaf: When I mount the pulpit I shall act justly.

Mu v awiya: If you act justly what will you say?

Ahnaf: After mounting the pulpit I shall praise the Almighty

God and shall then say this:

M People! Mu v awiya has ordered me to curse Ali. No

doubt Ali and Mu v awiya fought with each other. Each

one of them claimed that he and his party had been

wronged. Hence, when I pray to God all of you should say

v Amen\ Then I shall say: O God! curse him who, out of

these two is a rebel and let Your angels and prophets and

all other creatures curse him. O God! shower Your curses

on the rebellious group. O People! say v Amen\ O Mu v awiya

I shall not say anything more or less than this even if

I have to lose my life.

Mu v awiya: In that case I excuse you (from mounting

the pulpit and cursing). ( v Iqd-al-Farid, vol.2 p. 144 and

Mustatraf, vol.1, p.54).

At times it so happened that Mu v awiya, in order to

express his hatred against Ali, persecuted his supporters.

Those persons could not tolerate this (i.e. cursing of Ali)

and abused Mu v awiya and his descendants. They did so

in spite of the fact that at that time Ali was in his grave,

and no benefit could be expected from him, and the cruel

and despotic Mu v awiya was the ruler of the time.

History has recorded many incidents which go to

show that the people hated very much this attitude of

Mu v awiya. He executed Hujr ibn Adi, a distinguished

companion of the prophet and his friends for the only

reason that they refused to curse Ali and his descendants

from the pulpit. We shall give details of this incident later.

The followers of Ali zealously kept on looking after

the high morality and good qualities which were planted

by him in their hearts till they bore fruit. All of them,

whether men or women, big or small, were alike.

During his rule Mu v awiya once came to Mecca to

perform Hajj. He enquired about a woman named Darmiyah

Hajuniyah who belonged to the tribe of Kananab and was

informed that she was alive. Darmiyah was a black-coloured

well-built woman. He called her and on her arrival the

following conversation took place between them:

Mifawiya: O daughter of Ham! 1 How have you come here?
Darmiyah: If you are calling me "daughter of Ham 1 by way
of ridicule I may tell you that I am not a descendant of
Ham. I belong to the tribe of Kananah.
Mu'awiya: You are right, however, do you know why
I have summoned you?
Darmiyah: Only God knows the hidden things.
Mu'awiya: I have called you so that you may tell me why
you loved AN so much and were inimical towards me.
Darmiyah: I would request you to excuse me from answer-
ing this question.

Mu'awiya: No; that cannot be. You must give me a reply.
Darmiyah: If you insist on having a reply then hear what
I say. I loved AN because he was a just ruler and gave
every person what was his due. And I was against you
because you contended with a person who was more
deserving than yourself to be ruler, and you desired a thing
which you did not deserve. I obeyed AN because the
prophet had appointed him as our Amir and ruler. He
loved the poor and the needy and respected the true
believers. And I despised you because you shed the blood
of the Muslims without a just cause, give unjust judgements
and decide matters arbitrarily.

Mu'awiya: Is it on this account that your belly is swollen,
your breast is protruding and your buttocks have grown
so fat.

Darmiyah: I swear by God that these things are said
proverbially about your mother and not about me.
Mu'awiya: J ust wait. I have said something good. When the
belly of a woman is big she gives birth to a healthy child.
When her breast is big she can suckle her child properly.
And when her buttocks are fat she looks beautiful while
sitting. Well, tell me: Did you ever see AN?
Darmiyah: Yes, by God, I saw him.
Mu'awiya: How did you find him?
Darmiyah: I swear by God that I saw him in such a condi-
tion that sovereignty had not made him proud like you
and the office of the caliphate had not made him proud
like you.

Mu'awiya: Did you hear him talk?
Darmiyah: Yes, by God I did, with his words he used to
remove the darkness of the hearts and brighten them in the
same manner in which gilding brightens a utensil.

Mifawiya: That is true. Now tell me what can Ido for you?
Darmiyah told him of her requirement. Thereupon
M u'awiya asked her: "If I meet your need will you treat
me at par with AN?" Darmiyah retorted: "You stand no
comparison with him". Mu'awiya met her need and said:
"By God, if AN had been alive he would not have given
you so much wealth". Darmiyah replied: "You are right.
He never gave even a penny out of the property of the
Muslims to any one unless he was entitled to it". (Balaghat
al-Nisa, p. 72 and N lqd-al-Farid, vol.1, p. 216).
Once Adi son of Hatim came to see Mu'awiya during
the period of his rule. Mu'awiya asked him ironically:
What has happened to Tarafat?' 2 Adi replied: "They were
killed supporting AN. Mu'awiya said: "AN has not been just
to you. Your sons were killed but his own sons remained
alive". Adi replied: "I, too, have not been just. AN has
already been martyred but I am still alive. Mu'awiya was
cut to the heart on observing this love and devotion of
Adi for AN. He said in a threatening manner: "One drop
of Uthman's blood still remains. It can be washed away
only with the blood of one of the nobles of Yemen,
(i.e. Adi).

Adi did not care for M u'awiya's threat and said:
"I swear by God that the hearts with which we remained
your enemies still exist in our bosoms, and the swords with
which we fought against you are still on our shoulders. If
you step forward towards us treacherously even to the
extent of a finger we shall proceed towards you to the
extent of a span. It is easier for us that our heads are cut
off and our chests are trampled upon as compared with
our hearing even a word against AN. G ive the sword to the
executioner (so that he may sever my head)".
Mu'awiya then resorted to flattery as was usual with
him. Addressing those present he said: "These are words of
wisdom. Write them down". (Murooj-al-Zahab v.2, p. 309).
Mu N awiya once proceeded to Mecca to perform Hajj.
When he reached Madina and metSa'd son of Abi Waqas
he asked him to accompany him. Sa'd agreed. After per-
forming the ceremonies of Hajj both of them went to
Dar-al-Nadwa and conversed there for a long time. As Sa'd
had come to perform Hajj on the suggestion of Mu'awiya
the latter thought that Sa'd supported him. In order to
find out as to how far Sa'd supported his attitude towards

AN he began cursing and abusing AN and asked Sa'd flatter-
ingly: "Why don't you curse and abuse AN?" Sa'd got
annoyed and said: "You have made me sit on your carpet
and then you began abusing AN. I swear by God that if
I had possessed even one of the many attributes possessed
by AN it would have been dearer to me than anything else
on earth. I swear by God that I shall not come to see you
so long as I live". Then he left that place in a state of
extreme anger". (Murooj-al-Zahab, vol.2, p. 317).
Amr bin H umq was also one of the staunch supporters
of the Family of Abu Talib. Ziad bin Abih killed him for
the only offence that he loved AN. After killing him he
severed his head and sent it to M u'awiya. In the history of
Islam it was the first head which was sent to any one
as a present.

Another sincere supporter of AN was Maitham
Tammar. He was a close companion of AN and was aware
of the dignity and high position of the Imam. He remained
associated with AN for quite a long time. It has been said
that AN usually frequented his shop and if he went on
some business leaving AN in the shop he (AN) even sold
dates on his behalf.

When the Comannder of the Faithful AN and Husayn
were martyred and Ibn Ziad had nothing to fear any longer
in Kufa he threatened Maitham saying that if he continued
to love AN and praise him for his equity and justice he
would kill him. He tried to coax him by saying that if he
became a supporter of the Umayyad regime his name
would be recommended to the king for his being awarded
alarge amount of money and other presents.
This happened at a time when Ibn Ziad heard Maitham
delivering a speech and was very much impressed by his
eloquence and sagacious reasoning. Amr son of Haris, a
flatterer of Ibn Ziad's court asked him whether he knew
who the man was; and upon his expressing ignorance about
him he (Amr) said: "He is the liar Maitham, supporter of
the liar AN son of Abu Talib". Ibn Ziad became attentive
and said to Maitham: "Do you hear what Amr says?"
Maitham replied: "He is telling a lie. My Imam AN was a
truthful man and the true caliph and I, too, am truthful".
Ibn Ziad became angry and said: "Dissociate yourself from
AN and abuse him and express love for Uthman and praise
him, or else I shall amputate your hands and feet and hang

you". Maitham replied to this threat by narrating publicly
the virtues of AN and began crying recalling his justice and
kindness, and then censured and blamed Ibn Ziad and
Bani Umayyah for their rebellion and opposition.
Ibn Ziad flew into a rage and said to Maitham:
"I swear by God that I shall cutoff your hands and feet
but shall spare your tongue so that I may prove that you
are a liar and your Imam AN was also a liar".
The hands and feet of M aitham were cut off and he
was sent to the gallows. Even then he said loudly: people!
Whoever desires to hear the prophet's Hadith about AN
should come to me".

The people gathered round him and he began to
narrate the superior merits and virtues of AN. In the mean-
time Amr bin Haris passed that way and enquired as to
why the people had gathered there. On having been
informed that they were listening to the traditions of AN
being narrated by Maitham he hurried to inform Ibn Ziad
about the matter and said: "Please send some one imme-
diately to cutoff the tongue of Maitham, for I am afraid
that if he continues to narrate the virtues of AN the people
of Kufa will turn against you and revolt".
Ibn Ziad sent a man to cutoff the tongue of Maitham.
He arrived at the place and asked Maitham to take out his
tongue so that it might be cut off in compliance with the
orders of the governor. Maitham said: "Did not that son of
a whore say that he would prove me and my Imam to be
liars? Now you may cut off my tongue". The executioner
cut off his tongue and the blood flowed from it so pro-
fusely that Maitham passed away. Ibn Ziad then crucified
his dead body.

Another devotee of Imam AN and martyr in the path
of God was Rashid Hujari who was a close companion of
his. His story also resembles that of Maitham. Ibn Ziad
told him that his life would be spared if he dissociated
himself from AN. He flatly refused to do so. Ibn Ziad
enquired of him as to how he would like to die. Thereafter
he got his hands and feet amputated.
The greatness and sincerity of the friends of AN
can be assessed from the fact that they loved him whole-
heartedly and held him in great reverence without any
pressure or coercion. They did not seek any reward or
praise for doing so. Their only wish was that they should

live and die supporting truth. Their love for AN was similar
to that the early Muhajirs and the Ansarforthe prophet.
AmmarYasir, a zealous supporter of AN, on seeing the
large army of Mu'awiya in the Battle of Siffin truly men-
tioned the sentiments of the Shias of AN in these words:
"I swear by God that even if they fight with their arms
and push us back upto a far off place we shall remain
convinced that we are following truth and they are follow-
ing falsehood".

The companions and supporters of Imam Husayn
were also like those of his father AN. They had before
them the same lofty object which the devotees of AN
had in view.

During the night of N Asbura when the only alternative
left before Husayn was to fight and meet martyrdom and
when only a few hours were left before this was to happen
he addressed the small group of his friends and said to
them: "These people want only my head. It is not, there
fore, necessary for you to lose your lives. You may depart
in the darkness of night so that nobody can see you". It is
possible that he had suggested to them to depart at night,
so that they might not feel ashamed of leaving him alone
in the broad day light, or that they might not be located
and arrested. This was a manifestation of Imam Husayn's
sublime character. However, his companions said with one
voice: "We shall lay down our lives at your feet".
Muslim bin Awsajah Asadi said: "Should we desert
you? Why should we not make our excuse clear before
God tomorrow by doing our duty to you? I swear by God
that I shall not leave you till I break my lance in the
breasts of the enemies. So long as the sword is in my hand
and I possess strength I shall go on striking them. If I do
not have any arms I will stone them and will continue to
fight till I lay down my life before your very eyes".
Muslim proved what he had said. He laid down his
life bravely before the Imam.
When Muslim, having been wounded grievously, fell
down from his horse Habib ibn Mazahir came by his
side and said: "If I had not known that very shortly I am
going to join you I would have asked you to make a will".
Thereupon Muslim replied and those were his last words:
"The only will I have to make is that you should sacrifice
your life for the sake of this Imam". When Hoor bin Yazid

al-Riyahi saw the evil deeds and malpractices of Yazid and
his supporters and observed the lofty character of Imam
Husayn and the faith and steadfastness of his companions
his conscience was awakened and he forsook worldly gains
and offices.

This Hoor was one of those commanders of the army
of Bani Umayyah who had been promised great rewards
forfighting against Imam Husayn and killing him and his
supporters. Ubaidullah son of Ziad, the Governor of Kufa
had specially entrusted this task to Hoor. However, when
he approached the camp of Imam Husayn he showed such
perplexity and anxiety that his companions became doubt-
ful (of his fidelity to the Umayyah regime). Eventually he
galloped his horse, reached in the presence of Imam
Husayn and said: "0 son of the prophet of God! I am very
much ashamed for what I have done and pray to God to
forgive me. I shall fight for you till I lay down my life
at your feet".

Hoor achieved his martyrdom before Imam Husayn.
All the supporters and companions of Imam Husayn were
of the same calibre. Their number was very small but they
faced the enemies who were thousands and thousands in
number. They were overpowered by thirst and were in
peril of their lives but the only thing they were fond of
was the death of a martyr. These valiant persons laid down
their lives at the feet of Imam Husayn. Everyone of them
longed to achieve martyrdom. They considered this death
to be a great honour for themselves.
Husayn son of AN was martyred and the government
of Yazid and his associates became an established fact.
There was now no hope that the caliphate would return
to the Family of Abu Talib. Their supporters became
sure that the bounties of the earth would no longer be
distributed among the people through them. However, the
Family of Abu Talib and their helpers and supporters
neither sat still nor was their spirit curbed. In fact it got
more awakened that before, and they became more active.
For example, when the news of the martyrdom of Imam
Husayn and his companions reached Kufa Ibn Ziad collected
the people for congregational prayers. In a speech after
offering prayers he said: "Praised be God who has mani-
fested truth and granted victory to the truthful people. He
helped the Commander of the Faithful Yazid and his

people and killed the liar son of the liar father- Husayn
son of AN and his associates".
He had not yet completed his sentence when an old
man named Abdullah son of Afif Azadi, who was a com-
panion of AN and had fought valiantly along with him
in the Battles of the Camel and Siffin, got on his feet and
said loudly: "0 son of Marjana! You kill the descendants
of the prophets and then dare stand on the pulpit, which is
the place meant for the truthfulness! You are a liar and
your father was a liar and he too is a liar who conferred
rulership on you and your father". Although as a result of
this the old man was hanged the following day in the
ground of Kufa, this incident goes to prove that the
cruelty and oppression of Bani Umayyah did not curb the
spirit of the supporters of AN. Rather their will and
determination gained momentum all the more.
The well-known poet Farazdaq recited openly and in
the very presence of Bani Umayyah, the qasidab (panegyric)
which he had composed in paise of Imam Zain-al-Abedin.
At the time the rule of Bani Umayyah was at its zenith and
none could dare utter even a word against them. However,
Farazdaq did not care for his life. He did not praise the
Imam to get a reward or to win favour. It was only a
manifestation of love and an ardent desire for obedience to
him, which roused him to compose the panegyric. The
story runs as follows:

The Umayyad caliph Hisham son of Abdul Malik
went to Mecca to perform Hajj when he was a prince.
After circumambulation of the Ka'abah he wished to kiss
the Black stone but could not reach it. Partly it was due
to the hatred which the people had in their hearts for
Bani Umayyah thatthey did not make a way for Hisham,
and partly it was because the number of the Hajis (pilgrims)
was so large that he could not reach there. Hisham had,
therefore, no alternative but to go back and sit in a chair.
In the meantime Imam Sajjad son of Husayn came and
proceeded towards the Black stone. The people immediately
stepped back and made way for him and he kissed the
Black stone without any inconvenience. Those who had
come with Hisham from Syria asked him as to who that
respectable person was. Who was he for whom all the Hajis
had stepped back? Hisham knew who he was, but fearing
that the Syrians might be influenced by the Imam he said:

"I don't know who that man is". Farazdaq could not
tolerate this disrespect for the Imam by Hisham. He,
therefore, stood up and said: "I know him". Then he
occupied an elevated place and recited with great zeal and
courage the entire qasida which will for ever remain a
lasting monument in the literary history of Arabia. Its first
verse says: "He is that great personality whose foot-prints
are known to Mecca, the Ka N abah, the Harem and its
surroundings".

Hisham was very much annoyed to hear the qasida
and imprisoned Farazdaq. While in prison Farazdaq wrote
a satire against Hisham and Bani Umayyah without caring
for the atrocities they might let loose on him. In that satire
he said about Hisham: "He turns the head which is not
the head of a chief. He is squint-eyed and his defects
are evident".

We have mentioned only a few instances which throw
light on the conduct of the supporters of the Family of
Abu Talib. They, however, show very clearly that they
were steadfast in their love and reverence for that
illustrious family and were prepared to lay down their
lives for the sake of AN.

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However, as regards the supporters of Bani Umayyah
they could be divided into two groups. To the first group
belonged those whose consience had been purchased by
the Umayyads through bribes. And the second group
consisted of those who were born criminals. Mean persons
are by their very nature inimical towards those who are
noble-minded and magnanimous. As they lack good qualities
they nurse a grudge against those who are virtuous and
befriend and support those who are base and ill-natured
like themselves.

The persons who became the adherents of Bani
Umayyah by means of bribes were the helpers and suppor-
ters of Abu Sufyan. The concept of bribe is different in
respect of each individual. Each person is bribed in accor-
dance with his position and status. Abu Sufyan bribed
some persons by means of wealth and others by promising
them freedom. For example, he promised Wahshi, an

Ethiopian slave (the murderer of Hamzah) that he would
be granted freedom if he killed anyone of Muhammad, Ali,
and Hamzah.

Some persons were offered high position as bribe.
There were many who sided with Bani Umayyah and
fought against the prophet and his companions with the
hope that the offices and position held by them during
the age of ignorance would remain in tact.
One of the supporters of Mu v awiya was Amr son of
Aas who was his right hand. We shall speak about him in
detail later.

The Syrian soldiers whom Mu v awiya sent to S if fin to
fight against Ali also belonged to this group. Their object
was to serve the man who paid them their wages and made
attractive promises of wealth and position in the event
of victory.

To this group also belonged the army of Yazid. These
persons had been bribed heavily by Yazid and his courtiers,
who had promised them security of life in case they sided
with them. Many of these soldiers had come to fight
against the Family of Ali because they feared that if they
declined to do so they would be subjected to harassment
and torture. Evidently every person does not possess the
spirit of sacrifice.

History records that while going from Mecca to Kufa
Imam Husayn met the poet Farazdaq and enquired from
him about the attitude of the people of Kufa. Farazdaq
replied: "The hearts of those people are with you but they
will draw their swords against you tomorrow".
Husayn made a similar enquiry from Majirfa son of
Ubaid Aamari, Majm v a replied: "The distinguished and
influential persons have been bribed heavily. They are your
fell enemies. As regards others they are your supporters in
the heart but their swords will be drawn against you
tomorrow".

As regards the other group of the supporters of Bani
Umayyah i.e. those persons who sided with them on
account of their inherent meanness their number was very
large. Had these sinners and criminals been the enemies of
the descendants of Abu Talib for the only sake of pleasing
their chiefs they could be excused to some extent, and it
could he said that these were worldy-minded persons who
fought against the descendants of Abu Talib for wordly

gains. Their enmity with this family was not, however, on
account of wealth or position which they wanted to acquire.
Their enmity was basic and natural just as darkness is
opposed to light, deviation is opposed to guidance and
falsehood is opposed to truth, and oppression and tyranny
is opposed to justice and equity. They were more hard-
hearted and cruel than the ferocious animals. They were
the deadly enemies of every virtuous person on account of
their inherent wickedness. Only such mean persons can
amputate the bodies of the dead, slaughter the children
and harass the helpless women.
One of these tyrants was Busr son of Artat who has
been given the name of executioner by the historians.
When one studies his character the mentality of the second
group of the supporters of Bani Umayyah can very well be
realized. He was the right hand of Mu v awiya in the matter
of tyranny and oppression. He committed atrocities which
one shudders even to imagine. He killed old men whose
backs were bent. He pulled out children from the laps of
their mothers and slaughtered them. And all this was done
by him to strengthen Mu v awiya's rule. When Mu v awiya
sent him to Yemen with an army to loot and plunder he
displayed such tyranny and cruelty as is unparalleled in
history. Before his departure Mu v awiya called him and
said: "Adopt the Hijaz route and reach Yemen passing
through Mecca and Madina. If you pass through a place
whose residents are supporters of Ali threaten them so
much that they may become convinced that their lives are
not going to be spared. Then compel them to take oath of
allegiance to me. Kill those who decline to do so. Kill
the supporters of Ali wherever you find them".
Having obtained these instructions Busr departed and
reached Madina. The Governor of Madina was Abu Ayyub
Ansari, the first host of the prophet in that city. Finding it
difficult to oppose Busr he left Madina. Busr entered the
city and delivered a speech. He hurled abuses on the
people and said: "May your faces become black! " Then he
addressed the Ansar in particular and said: "O Jews and
descendants of slaves! I shall torture you in such a way
that the believers will come to their senses. He then
put many houses to fire. Thereafter he reached Mecca.
Qasham bin Abbas, the Governor of Mecca, ran away.
There also Busr abused and threatened the people.

Kalbi says that on his way from Madina to Mecca
Busr killed and plundered a large number of people. When
the people of Mecca came to know about it they flew
away from the city. Two sons of Ubaidullah bin Abbas
also left the city. Busr caught them and put them to death.
Some women of the tribe of Kanana also came out. One of
them said: "I can understand the killing of men but I do
not know what offence the children have committed. The
children have never been killed either during the age of
ignorance or after the advent of Islam".
Then, passing through Taif, Busr reached Najran
where he killed Abdullah bin Abdul Madan and his son
Malik. This Abdullah belonged to the family of the in-laws
of Ubaidullah bin Abbas. Then he assembled together the
people of Najran and addressed them thus: "O Christians!
O brothers of apes! If I am informed of any such act of
yours as I do not like I shall mete out such a treatment to
you that your race will become extinct, your fields will be
destroyed and your houses will become desolate".
Thereafter he reached San v a and killed a large number
of people in the city. A deputation of Ma'arib waited on
him but he killed all its members. On departing from
San v a he again killed thousands of the inhabitants of the
city. He again came to San'a and killed some aged persons
who belonged to Persia. (Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, Ibn
Abi'l Hadid vol. l,p.271).
Historians say that Busr killed as many as thirty
thousand persons. They do not include those whom he
burnt alive. (Ibn Abi'l Hadid vol. 1 , p. 30). The poets
composed many verses about the atrocities committed by
this hard-hearted criminal. Yazid son of Muzr v a says:
"To whichever place Busr goes he plunders it and sets
it on fire. His entire life history is full of such crimes".
Another criminal belonging to this group was Ziad
bin Abih who massacred and plundered the people of Iraq
in a very dreadful manner. In the first instance Mu v awiya
acknowledged him to be his brother and gave him the
name of Ziad son of Abu Sufyan to win his support. Then
he appointed him as the Governor of Basra. On reaching
Basra he delivered his well-known speech called v Khutbah-
al-Batra'. Then he busied himself in strengthening the
Umayyad rule. He killed some and awarded punishments
to others on mere suspicion and doubt.

There was nothing easier for the supporters and
agents of Bani Umayyah than to amputate the hands and
feet of their opponents, to hang or imprison them, to
plunder their property, burn them alive, and to humiliate
them during their life and also after their death. During
the rule of Ziad people suffered untold miseries and
hardships. None excelled him in cruelty and tyranny from
among the deputies and agents of Bani Umayyah except
Hajjaj who was even a greater criminal than he.
Commenting on his own policies and modus operandi
Ziad said thus in the above-mentioned Khutbah-al-Batra.
"I swear by God that I shall arrest the master in lien of his
slave, the person available instead of one who has run
away, the obedient one instead of the disobedient, and the
healthy one instead of the invalid till one of you will say
to the other: "O Sa v d! Run away for Sa v id has been killed.
I shall not eat or drink anything till I set you right and
destroy Basra and burn and pull down its houses. Beware!
None of you should come out of his house during night.
Whoever does so shall be beheaded. I swear by God that
many of you will be killed at my hands. Everyone should
take care that his blood is not shed by me".
After Basra he became the Governor of Kufa. On the
very first day sitting at the gate of the Masjid and got the
hands of eighty persons cut off. He followed the policy
of oppression and terrorism to please Mu v awiya. Madaini
writes: "He kept searching the Shi v a of Ali and, as he had
been one of them during the time of Ali, it was easy for
him to find them out. He found them out from everywhere.
He harassed and intimidated them, amputated their hands
and feet, made them blind, hanged them on date-palm
trees and expelled them from Iraq. The result was that no
distinguished Shi v a remained there. We shall shortly narrate
the story of Ziad and Hujr Adi, who was one of the
supporters of Ali".

To this very group of criminals belonged Ubaidullah
son of Ziad, the founder of the tragedy of Karbala and
murderer of Amr son of Hamq, Maitham Tammar, the
aged Abdullah son of Afif Azdi and thousands of other
innocent persons. It was the most ordinary thing for him
to arbitrarily hang, kill and amputate others. Muslim son
of Aqil said about him: "Merely on account of anger,
enmity and suspicion he kills those whose killing has been

forbidden by God. And this does not affect his merry-
making and enjoyment. He feels as if he had done nothing.
The worst type of cruelty and hard-heartedness manifested
itself on the day on which he martyred Imam Husain.
Even after the holy Imam's martyrdom Ibn Ziad's shame-
lessness, wickedness and meanness knew no bounds".
Shimr son of Zil Jaushan, too, was as nasty in his
meanness and wickedness as his master lbn Ziad. He had
a distinguishing quality of nursing grudge and enmity
against all noble and magnanimous person. He made many
small children of Husayn die of thirst, although the
Euphrates was flowing just in front of them. He ordered
his soldiers to trample the body of Imam Husayn with
the hooves of their horses as a consequence of which his
back and many of his ribs were broken to pieces. His dress,
which was torn on account of arrow shots and strokes of
the swords, had already been looted. If the small children
of the Imam's family had come out of the tents, the
Syrian soldiers would have cut them also to pieces.
Another such criminal was Hasin ibn Numayr. Imam
Husayn had been deprived of water since the seventh day
of Muharram. On the tenth of Muharram he reached the
bank of the Euphrates after fighting with the enemies
and took some water in the palm of his hand to drink and
quench his thirst. This despicable person suddenly shot
an arrow which struck the Imam's mouth and as a conse-
quence of this his mouth and palms were filled with blood.
On observing this the wicked person laughed shamelessly
and went back.

Another such sinner was Amr Sa v d. He obeyed his
wicked master Ubaidullah bin Ziad and made his best
efforts to carry out his orders, although he could choose
not to participate in the tragedy of Karbala (because
Ubaidullah had not compelled him to assume the command
of the Umayyad forces but had told him that he was pre-
pared to entrust the expedition to some other commander).
After the martyrdom of Imam Husayn and his com-
panions Amr Sa v d made the ladies of the prophet's family
captives and made them pass by the dead bodies of the
martyrs whose heads had been severed.
Amr Sa v d was the first to shoot an arrow on Imam
Husayn's forces and initiate the battle. He then said
to the soldiers: "Bear witness to the fact that the first

arrow has been shot by me".
Amongst these criminals was also a Syrian who
pointed towards Fatima daughter of Husayn and said:
"This slave-girl may please be given to me".
Another supporter of Bani Umayyah was Muslim bin
Uqbah who committed the most dreadful and abominable
atrocities. Yazid sent him to Hijaz in the capacity of
the commander of an army. He displayed extreme savagery
there. In Madina he killed so many persons that blood
began to flow in the streets of the city. He made it lawful
for his soldiers to commit any unlawful act in Madina for
three days.

As a consequence of this men and women were
killed indiscriminately and their property was looted. The
modesty of the women was outraged. Children were pulled
away from the laps of their mothers and thrown on the
walls so that their bones cracked and they died. Houses
were razed to the ground. The descendants of the Muhajirs
and the Ansar of the prophet were not spared. During
these three days seventeen hundred Muhajirs and Ansar
were killed besides ten thousand other men and women.
Here we reproduce some sentences of the letter which
Muslim bin Uqbah wrote to Yazid after this event. In this
letter he has indulged in self-glorification on account of
his achievements and has surprisingly enough associated
all his crimes and atrocities to the will and determination
of God. He says: "I have to inform the Commander of the
Faithful - may God preserve him - that I left Damascus.
The preparations which we made before departure were
seen by you. Marwan bin Hakam also returned from
Damascus and accompanied me. He proved to be very
useful for combating our enemies. May God accord dignity
to the Commander of the Faithful. Marwan behaved
excellently and was so harsh with our enemies that I hope
that his services will not remain unrewarded by the Imam
of the Muslims and the vicegerent of God.
May God keep the supporters of the Commander of
the Faithful hale and hearty! None of them was inconve-
nienced and none of the enemies faced them during day
time. I did not offer my prayers in the Masjid of Madina
until thousands of persons had been killed and their
property had been freely looted. Every person who came
before us was put to sword. Whoever tried to escape was

pursued. He who was dying of wounds was done away
with. As the Commander of the Faithful had ordered we
plundered Madina for three days. I thank God who cured
me of my worry when I killed the old opponents and
hypocrites. Their stubbornness had exceeded all bounds
and they were old rebels".

The greatest criminal amongst the supporters of Bani
Umayya was Hajjaj bin Yusuf Saqafi.
In compliance with the orders of the Umayyad
caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan, Hajjaj proceeded to the
Hijaz to fight against Abdullah bin Zubayr. He besieged
Mecca where Abdullah had taken refuge. He threw stones
and fire on Mecca by means of catapults and consequently
a part of the Ka v abah was burnt. When he achieved victory
he cut off the heads of many opponents of Bani Umayyah
and sent them to Abdul Malik at Damascus. He severed
Abdullah's head and then sent him to the gallows. Not
only this but he allowed the dead body to remain on the
gallows for many days. Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr,
who was the mother of Abdullah was very old at that time
and her son's death had grieved her much. Her eyesight
had also grown weak. She came to the place where the
dead body of Abdullah was hanging and said: "Has the
time not yet come when this rider should dismount?".
This displeased Hajjaj much and he insulted and rebuked
the poor old woman.

As a reward for this achievement Abdul Malik
appointed Hajjaj as Governor of Hijaz. He then killed
innumerable persons and inflicted very harsh punishments
upon others. Hajjaj praised himself in these words: "I am
very quarrelsome, extremely revengeful and highly jealous".
It is not possible to asses how much this man hated
mankind.

After some time Abdul Malik appointed him as
Governor of Iraq to suppress disturbances in that region
and restore law and order. Hajjaj reached Kufa accom-
panied by only twelve soldiers. However, he sent one man
in advance so that the people might become aware of his
impendingarrival. Everyone began waiting for him in the
masjid. It was the month of Ramazan. While the people
were expressing their displeasure and hatred on his
appointment as the governor, he arrived on the scene. He
was wearing a red silken turban on his head with which

a large part of his face was covered, and was holding a
sword and a bow in his hand. He walked on step by step
silently. The gathering was also silent. Eventually he
mounted the pulpit and ordered the people to be called.
The people of Kufa came into the masjid.
Hajjaj kept sitting silently on the pulpit for quite
some time. The people got tired of waiting and began
abusing him in low tones. Some of them even picked up
pebbles to throw on him. Suddenly, however, he began
speaking and the pebbles fell down from the hands of the
people on account of fear.

Removing his turban from his head Hajjaj said: 'T am
the son of a very brave and terrible person who plunged
himself into dangers with closed eyes. When I remove the
turban from my face you will come to know who I am.
"By God I am observing the raised looks, and stubborn
necks, and the heads the time for whose chopping off has
arrived, and it is I who will chop them off. I can see only
blood between the heads and the beards. Look here! The
Commander of the Faithful (Abdul Malik bin Marwan)
spread his quiver and examined its wood. Then he found
me to be the most solid wood and has sent me to you.
"O people of Iraq! I swear by God that you are the sources
of rebellion and treachery; you are the people of most
immoral character. I shall peel you in the same manner in
which a wood is peeled and shall beat you as the alien
camels are beaten. You are like the people of a village
whose inhabitants were leading comfortable lives and had
enough to eat and drink, and when they showed ingratitude
in respect of God's bounties, He subjected them to fear and
hunger. O people of Iraq! O slaves of sticks and sons of
slave-girls! I am Hajjaj bin Yusuf. I swear by God that
when I swear to do something I do it. Now these groups
are before me. You should follow the right path for I
swear by Him who controls my life that I shall make you
such that everyone of you will remain busy with his own
body (i.e. I shall give you such a beating that it will take
you sufficient time to recover from its effects). You
should, therefore, accept justice and forsake injustice
before I mete out such a treatment to you that your
women should become widows and your children orphans.
I swear by God that if all of you do not go and join
Mohlab's army within three days I shall kill those who are

found here and shall confiscate their property and demolish
their houses". These were not empty threats. He treated
the people of Kufa more harshly than what he had threa-
tened them with.

Hajjaj was an equal partner in all the heinous crimes
committed by Bani Umayyah as detailed above. He killed
innumerable innocent persons. He himself used to say:
"The thing which I enjoyed most was bloodshed, and
doing things which none else can pick up courage to do,
and which have not been done by anyone earlier. (Murooj-
al-Zahab Mas v udi, Vol.3, p.67).
As soon as his name is mentioned one automatically
is reminded of cruelty and oppression. It appears that
Hajjaj and injustice are concomitants of each other.
The historians say: After Ubaidullah ibn Ziad, - the
murderer of Imam Husayn, came Hajjaj bin Yusuf. He
killed the supporters of Ali one by one on mere suspicion
and groundless charges. He liked it more that a person
might be called an infidel and an atheist in his presence
rather than a supporter of Ali. In fact in his view the
infidels and atheists deserved indulgence and even presents
and prizes, but the supporters of Ali were fit to be killed.
Hajjaj began his rule in this oppressive manner and
was never satiated with the horrible atrocities which he
indulged in.

In Kufa he conscripted the people into the army for
three days and sent everyone of them to the theatre of
operations. There was none who did not go to the battle-
field. So much so that children who had not yet come of
age were also recruited and sent to fight. In the meantime
Umayr bin Zabi Hanzali came to him and said: "May God
bless the Amir! I am an old man. My son is young and
quite strong". Hajjaj said: "This son will prove to be
better than his father". Then he asked: "Who are you?"
Umayr replied: "I am Umayr bin Zabi Harzali". Hajjaj
said: "Are you not the same man who fought against
Uthman bin Affan?" Umayr said: "Yes. I am that man".
Hajjaj said: "O enemy of God! Why did you do so?"
Umayr replied: "I did so because Uthman had imprisoned
my father who was old and weak. He did not release him
till he died in the prison". Hajjaj said: "Did you not
compose this verse: "I wished to kill him but I did not.
O that I had done so, so that Uthman' s wives might have

mourned his death". Then he added: "I think the two
cities namely Basra and Kufa will benefit, if you are killed.
Your excuse is quite clear and your senility is evident.
However, I am afraid that if I spare you others may also
have the courage of disobeying my orders".
He was then beheaded in accordance with the orders
of Hajjaj, his property was looted and his house was razed
to the ground.

Hajjaj appointed Abdur Rahman bin Ubayd Tamimi,
who was a very harsh person, to serve as his deputy in
Kufa. When he was satisfied with the conditions prevailing
in Kufa he proceeded to Basra. At Basra great opposition
prevailed against Bani Umayyad dynasty and the city was
in a riotous condition. There he delivered a speech and
abused the people of Basra very much. He also threatened
them in the same manner in which he had threatened the
people of Kufa. He told them that if they did not join
Mohlab's army within three days they would be punished
severely. When he descended the pulpit it so happened that
an old man named Sharik bin Amr Yashkari who was
one-eyed and was suffering from hernia came to him and
said: "May God bless the Amir! I am a patient of hernia.
Bushr bin Marwan, the brother of the caliph and the
former Governor of Basra, had also excused me from
military service". Hajjaj said: "I think you are speaking
the truth". However, immediately after saying this he
ordered his head to be chopped off. The result was that
every young and old man of Basra joined Mohlab's army.
One day this very Hajjaj was taking his meals and
some associates of his were also present at his dinning
table. In the meantime the police-men brought a man and
said that he was disobedient. The man was trembling with
fear. He said to Hajjaj: "For God's sake do not take my
life. I swear by God that I have never borrowed money
from anyone nor have I joined any army. I am a weaver
and I was arrested and brought here while I was at my
loom". Hajjaj ordered the man to be beheaded at once.
When the poor man saw the sword he prostrated himself
and his head was severed while he was in that posture.
Hajjaj continued eating as if nothing had happened.
However, his associates stopped eating. They were asto-
nished to see this cruelty. Hajjaj got annoyed and said.
"What has happened to yon? Why has the colour of your

faces changed and why have the morsels of food fallen
from your hands? Is it because one single person has been
killed? A disobedient person sets an example for others to
disobey. The ruler is entitled to kill him or spare him".
According to Hajjaj the people of Kufa and Basra
could be brought to their senses only when they were
subjected to tyranny and cruelty of this kind.
What we have mentioned here is only a very brief
account of the atrocities committed by him, otherwise a
voluminous book is needed to record his cruel acts and the
murders which he committed in different ways.
Ibn Jarood revolted against the cruelty and oppression
of Hajjaj but the revolt did not succeed and Hajjaj was
victorious. He cut off the heads of a large number of the
rebels and sent them to Mohlab asking him to display them
extensively so that those who might be thinking of rebellion
might ponder over the consequence of such an act.
Then he conscripted hundreds of thousands of the
people of Kufa and Basra to fight against the enemies of
Bani Ummayyah. By doing so he wanted to take revenge
on the followers of Ali, and at the same times he used
those soldiers to serve his own interests. As a consequence
of this there was not a single young man left in those two
cities who was not compelled to meet death. They were
killed either at the hands of Hajjaj or with the swords of
his enemies.

The people of Iraq revolted against Hajjaj time and
again but these revolts were weak and the rebels were soon
overpowered by Hajjaj and became target of his indignation.
Most of them were killed, their houses were set on fire,
and their properties were confiscated. I Hndereds of people
were put to death evcrvday. The men and women who
were imprisoned in the prisons of Iraq were subjected to
extreme torture and awaited their turn to be killed. If
Hajjaj or his soldiers did not find time to do away with
them they died of hunger.The people were spending
their days in great distress.Their condition became worse
when Hajjaj was victorious in the Battles of Zawiah and
Dayr Jamajam. As a consequence of the Battle of Zawiah
in which Hajjaj was victorious and Muhammad bin Ash'ath
was defeated he captured eleven thousand Iraqis. In the
first instance he promised that their lives would be spared,
but, when thev surrendered their arms, he beheaded all

of them. As a result of the Battle of Dayr Jamajam the
Iraqis were completely vanquished. Besides there being
shortage of food plague also broke out. All the rebels were
captured by Hajjaj and he did not spare even one of them.
Even after all this widespread destruction, havoc,
and loot, Kufa and Basra did not enjoy peace. Hajiaj
continued to harass them and the number of those killed
increased day after day. Before killing them he wildly
insulted and humiliated them and ridiculed their views and
beliefs. Just as his slaughtering the people knew no bounds,
his insulting and humiliating them also was at its extreme,
so much so that whenever people met in the masjids and
bazars they did not talk of anything except that such and
such person was killed the other day, such and such
would be sent to gallows that day, and how someone was
maltreated before his being put to death.The well-known
sentence of Hajjaj: "Soldier! chop off his head" was
common talk of the town in Iraq.
He had such a spite against the Shi'a of Ali that he
killed those persons who bore the names of anv of the
members of the Family of Abdu Talib) (e.g. Ali, Husayn)
Many persons came and offered excuse for their names.
It is said that a man came before him and said: "O Amir!
My parents have been very unjust to me. They named me
Ali, although I am a poor and helpless man and need your
kindness and assisstance".

In short the cruelty of Hajjaj had become proverbial
and the supporters of Ali were his special target. When
those who were killed in compliance with his orders were
counted, it transpired that they numbered 120 thousand.
At the time of his death fifty thousand men and thirty
thousand women were in prisons.
However, the Umayyad caliph - Abdul Malik bin
Marwan made this recommendation to his sons: "Honour
Hajjaj, because it is he who has trampled upon the pulpits,
destroyed the cities and subjugated the enemies for your
sake". This recommendation was fully acted upon. After
Abdul Malik's death his son Walid allowed Hajjaj to continue
as Governor of Kufa, Basra and the eastern regions.
Before ending this chapter it seems necessary to
mention an extremely tragic event. This event shows appa-
rently the traits and characteristics of Bani Umayyah and
the descendants of Abu Talib and of their respective

supporters. If on the one hand it displays the greatness and
dignity of the supporters of Ali it manifests on the other
hand the meanness and wickedness of Bani Umayyah.
Briefly the story is this: Hujr bin Adi Kandi was a
sincere devotee of Ali. When Imam Hasan was obliged to
make peace with Mu v awiya Hujr also along with others
took oath of allegiance. But this did not make him forsake
his love for Ali, and express hatred for him. Rather he
wished to follow in the footsteps of Ali. He wanted his
character to be a specimen of Ali's character.
Hujr was was a very sincere and upright person. He
liked peace and hated fighting and conflict. He whole-
heartedly supported social justice. He did not consider
authority to be anything other than a source of public
service. In all these matters his views were the same as
those of Ali. If a ruler helped the people he supported him,
but otherwise he was his sworn enemy. Hence it was
natural that he should not like Bani Umayyah abusing Ali
from the pulpits and should openly express his resentment
against this practice even though he might have to suffer
hardships at the hands of the ruler of the day.
History says that once Mughayrah bin Sho v ba, the
Governor of Kufa abused Ali from the pulpit. Hujr bin Adi
rose to his feet and said loudly: "What is all this extra-
vagant talk. Pay us the stipends which you are withhold-
ing. The money is not for you, and the previous governors
never coveted it. You abuse the Commander of the
Faithful and praise and eulogize the criminals. Many other
persons supported Hujr and consequently Mughira had to
descend the pulpit without finishing his speech. Hujr
continued to criticize Bani Umayyah and did not sit quiet
as and when he saw the religious laws being infringed.
In the meantime Mughayrah died and was succeeded
by Ziad bin S umayyah. At one time Ziad and Hujr were
friends, but their friendship came to an end on account
of an incident. It so happened that a Muslim Arab killed a
Zimmi unbeliever. The case came before Ziad who decided
that the Muslim need not be punished for the crime but
should pay blood-money. The heirs of the Zimmi declined
to take blood money. Their stand was that:
In Islam all the people are the family of God.
Every human being is the brother of another human
being whether he likes it or not.

No Arab is superior to a non-Arab. It is only piety
and doing good which can make one superior to others.
Hujr believed in the justice which Imam Ali had made
his motto and for the sake of which he laid down his life.
He, therefore, disliked Ziad's decision. He could not keep
silent. He insisted that in the matter of retaliation the
Muslims and the non-Muslims were equal. Many other
Muslims lent support to Hujr. Ziad and his men feared that
a disturbance might take place. Ziad, therefore, ordered
reluctantly that the criminal might be awarded punish-
ment. Thereafter he wrote to Mu v awiya complaining about
the conduct of Hujr and his companions. Mu v awiya advised
Ziad to watch the activities of Hujr and his companions
so that he might find something done by them which
might serve as a proof against them. From that time
onwards the differences between the two parties increased.
Ziad sent some residents of Kufa to Hujr so that they
might advise him to refrain from his activities. They came
back after meeting Hujr and said that he was adamant in
his views. Ziad then summoned Hujr but he declined to
come. Eventually Ziad deputed a police-officer to arrest
Hujr. A fight however took place between Hujr and the
police-party, and Hujr went underground.
Ziad was very much annoyed. He called Muhammad
bin Ash v ath bin Qais who was a supporter of Hujr and a
distinguished personality of the Kandi tribe and threatened
him that if he did not introduce Hujr he would put him
into prison, and his hands and feet would be cut off and he
would be executed. Hujr did not like that another person
should suffer on account of him. He, therefore, came
before Ziad but before doing so he obtained an undertaking
from him that he would not molest him but would instead
send him to Mu v awiya with whom he would settle the
affair himself.

however, as soon as Hujr came he was arrested and
thrown into the prison. Thereafter a search was made for
his supporters. After some bloodshed some of them were
arrested and also put into the prison.
Ziad then called the people of Kufa and asked them
to give evidence against these persons and threatened
them. Some of them however deposed that Hujr and his
friends loved Ali and none else, and they criticized
Uthman and abused Mu v awiyah. Ziad was not satisfied

with what they said because he required some decisive
evidence. In the meantime Abu Burdah bin Abu Musa
Ash v ari prepared an evidence deed against Hujr: "This is
the evidence which Abu burdah son of Abu Musa Ash v ari
has given for the sake of God. He deposes that Hujr and his
companions have ceased to be obedient and have left the
paty. They have ceased to have any affinity with the
caliphate of Mu v awiya and have decided to start fighting
once again".

When Abu Burdah finished writing the deed, Ziadasked
the people of Kufa to affix their signatures on it.
About seventy persons signed it. Ziad fraudulently wrote
on it the names of some such persons who were neither
present at that time nor had affixed their signatures. One
of them was the Judge Shurayh. He at once sent a message
to Mu v awiya dissociating himself from the evidence deed
and said in clear terms: "I testify that Hujr is a pious person
and is one of the distinguished personalities of the age".
Hujr and his friends were then taken to Mu v awiya.
Ziad's letter and the evidence deed also reached him. He
read out the two documents before the people. Thereupon
some persons advised him to imprison the persons con-
cerned. Others suggested that they might be kept in
different cities of Syria and might not be allowed to go
back to Iraq. Mu v awiya corresponded with Ziad on the
subject. He replied: "If you want to keep Iraq in your
hands you should not let them come back here".
After a few days Mu v awiya sent a man to Hujr and his
companions and offered that if they dissociated themselves
from Ali and abused him and praised Uthman, their lives
Would be spared, but those who declined to do so would
be killed".

Hujr and his friends turned down the offer and were
consequently put to death. This tragic story is also recorded
in all the history books. It shows the loftiness of character,
the steadfastness ot these brave men, for they could see
their graves with their own eyes and the swords hanging on
their heads and yet they could not for a moment forsake
their love for Ali.O What Mu v awiya and his men had done in
their case was that they had dug a grave in front of each of
them so that whoever declined to show disgust against Ali
might be beheaded and thrown down into the grave.
Some historians have also stated with regard to these

persons that two of Hujr's companions were terrified when
they saw the swords and the graves and asked Mu v awiya's
guards to take them to the caliph, saying that they had no
difference with Mu v awiya about Ali and Uthman. They
were, therefore, taken to Mu v awiya. One of them expressed
hatred against Ali outwardly, but the other praised Ali and
his companions, abused Mu v awiya and his supporters and
said extremely harsh words about Uthman, which Mu v awiya
could not tolerate. He ordered the man to be sent back to
Ziad with instructions that he should be killed in a manner
in which none had ever been killed in the Muslim world till
that time. Ziad buried him alive.
It is said that when Hujr was going to be killed he
uttered only this sentence: "There is God between us and
these Muslims. The Iraqis gave evidence against us and the
Syrians killed us".

There is no doubt about the fact that the example of
despotic and dictatorial rule set by the Umayyads dynasty
and the atrocities committed by them were unparalleled
and the lives of Ali and his descendants were on the other
hand the best specimens of purity of intellect and action,
and of democracy. They did not exploit the people like
the Umayyads but considered the produce of the land to
be the right of common men rather than that of the rich
and the influential persons.

The nature of the followers and supporters of Bani
Umayyah had a sharp contrast with that of the descendants
and followers of Ali. The worldly-minded influential
persons, therefore, inclined towards Bani Umayyah for the
sake of material gains and the common people also became
their adherents in large numbers. This happened because at
that time the people did not assess the moral values and
did not understand what would be beneficial for them in
future and what would be harmful to them. They, therefore,
thought of immediate gains and did not realize what sort
of people they were supporting. And when they did realize
it the time had already passed and it was too late.
On the other hand the persons whose nature, morals
and ways and manners resembled those of Ali and his
descendants, inclined towards them, and remained stead-
fast on the path of truth. They were subjected to severe
persecution and torture by Bani Umayyah and their
supporters but they never wavered or faltered. Following

the example of their Imam, the Commander of the Faithful
Ali, they laid down their lives but did not tolerate the
extinction of social justice.

Just as the supporters and friends of Ali and his des-
cendants became virtuous and acquired the high qualities
of magnanimity, mercy and piety, in the same manner the
followers of Bani Umayyah became the victims of vices
like egotism, obstinacy, oppression and exploitation.

*N^^ ^X^ S ^S S ^S ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ S ^S
xls Sy* Sy* <|^ ^|> ^|S Sy+ ^|>

It will be better if we mention once again the views
expressed by some Arab writers without commenting on
them because what we have said in this chapter completely
refutes their idle talk. Out of these Arab writers we may
take Muhammad Kurd Ali and what has been stated by
him about the importance and greatness of Bani Umayyah
may be treated as a specimen of the praises showered upon
them by others.

Praising Mu v awiya and his blood thirsty army officers
who committed innumerable atrocities as detailed in the
foregoing pages Muhammad Kurd Ali says in his book
entitled M A1-Islam wa al-Hazarat al-Arabiyah M : "The most
important action which Mu v awiya took was that he
increased the salaries of the army and due to his good luck
he also acquired the support of some very efficient persons
like Ziad bin Abih, Mughira bin Sho v ba, Zuhhak bin
Qais, Muslim bin Uqbah, Busr bin Artat etc".
Praising these blood thirsty persons Kurd said that
they were very efficient and great personalities of the
country although it was necessary for him to explain that
Islam has nothing to do with such tyrants and oppressors
and all civilized people, whether Arabs or non- Arabs, hate
such cruel persons.

It is very surprising that Muhammad Kurd Ali does
not feel the prick of conscience while writing such things,
nor does he do justice with those living in the 20th century
by falsifying historical facts. He also fails to remember
that earlier he himself has written in his book: "During the
days of Mu v awiya a pious person was asked: "In what
condition have you left the people?" He replied: "I have
left them in two conditions - the oppressed who do not

get justice and the oppressors who are not tired of
injustice".

1 Prophet Noah had three sons named Ham, Sam, and J apheth.
The black-coloured races are the descendants of Ham. Mifawiya
called her "daughter of Ham 1 by way of ridicule on account of her
black colour.

2Tareef, Tarif and Turfa, the sons of Adi.

Murderers of Uthman

The brief account which we have given of the nature
and habits of Bani Umayyah and the descendants of Ali
and their respective supporters shows clearly that love for
authority and sovereignty, and egotism and selfishness
had taken deep roots in the hearts of Bani Umayyah, and
their followers, who possessed habits and nature similar to
their masters were also as ambitious as they.
As we have stated earlier Bani Umayyah and their
supporters opposed the prophet and Islam, because they
possessed the mentality of the chiefs of Quraysh who
could not tolerate that Islam should restrain them from
their evil acts and destroy their social laws which were no
doubt beneficial for the traders and the rich persons, but
were death warrants for the poor and the helpless.
From the day on which the prophet announced his
appointment to the prophetic mission till the conquest
of Mecca the chiefs and dignitaries among Quraysh had
embraced Islam but the hopes and objects of each of them
were different. The events show that these persons can be
divided into three categories as detailed below:
Firstly there were persons who considered Islam to be
a true religion and embraced it willingly. Their number
amongst the chiefs of Quraysh was the smallest.
Secondly there were those who were watching as to
which of the two parties - the Muslims and Quraysh was
going to succeed. They wanted to join the successful party.
To this category belonged Amr Aas. We shall explain later
the circumstances in which he embraced Islam.
Thirdly there were persons who embraced Islam
reluctantly. They had lost their dignity and honourable
position and had joined the ranks of the Muslims with the
intention of replacing Islam by ignorance as soon as an
opportunity arose. To this category of the chiefs and
elders of Quraysh belonged Mu v awiya's father Abu Sufyan
bin Harb and those tribal chiefs who became apostates
immediately after the death of the prophet.
The chiefs and elders of Quraysh who belonged to the
first category remained steadfast in their faith but their
Islam was unconsciously mixed up with their sentiment of

belonging to high families.

As regards the persons belonging to the other two
categories the pivot of their politics was only the economic
aspect and its social aggression. The chiefs of Quraysh
belonging to these categories united for their personal
advantages. If their interests were common they helped
one another but if they were divergent they worked
separately.

The responsibility for corruption and mischief devolves
on the chiefs belonging to all the three categories although
the chiefs belonging to the last two categories had a larger
hand in it. They did not wish to miss any opportunity of
gaining wealth and money and did not care as to how
many responsibilities rested in those days on the shoulders
of the Muslims in connection with the promotion of Islam.
Signs of love for wealth and profit had begun appearing
from beginning of the period of the caliphate of Abu Bakr.
An evidence of this is the incident of Khalid bin Walid and
the harsh words exchanged in that connection by Abu
Bakr and Umar. The story in short is that Khalid killed
Malik bin Nuwaira cruelly and unjustly to acquire booty,
and outraged the modesty of his wife, who was very
beautiful. When the news reached Abu Bakr he was asto-
nished and also felt grieved and uttered this well-known
sentence. "War booty has made the Arabs greedy and
Khalid has disobeyed my orders".
When Khalid came to see Abu Bakr he had three arrows
in his turban. When Umar saw him he said: "O enemy of
God! All these acts of yours are hypocritical. By God if I
gain control over you I shall stone you to death. He then
pulled the arrows from Khalid's turban and broke them.
Khalid could not pick up courage to say anything as he
was under the impression that Umar was acting in accor-
dance with the instructions of Abu Bakr.
Later Khalid saw Abu Bakr and put up excuses before
him. Abu Bakr believed him and accepted his excuses.
When Umar came to know about this he incited Abu Bakr
against Khalid and suggested that Khalid must be punished
for killing Malik. Abu Bakr said: "O Umar! You had better
keep quiet. Khalid is not the first person who has committed
a mistake in the matter of interpretation (of law)".
During the days of Umar the distinguished persons of
Quraysh also coveted worldly gains and there are innumer-

able instances which go to prove this fact. The best proof
of it are the verses which a poet composed and sent to
Umar. In those verses it had been said that in some cities
and provinces the distinguished persons and dignitaries
misappropriated public property and took care that he
(Umar) should not come to know about it. It was added
that the people were very much distressed owing to this
exploitation.

The poet says: "When they determine we also deter-
mine. When they perform jihad we also perform jihad.
Then where have they acquired wealth from, while we are
empty-handed?

When an Indian trader brings musk it is found flowing
in the heads of these dignitaries. Obtain God's property
from whomever you can. These persons will remain
satisfied even if you let them retain half of their wealth".
Umar ordered some of these persons not to leave
their places or residences and dismissed others from their
posts. He also made some of them render accounts of their
earnings and confiscated their wealth.
Uthman gave complete freedom to the dignitaries and
the curbs which had been imposed by Umar on their greed
were removed. These dignitaries became victorious under
the leadership of Bani Umayyah which appeared at one
time and disappeared at another. The result was that the
people had to suffer great hardships and the dignitaries
indulged in such nefarious activities as had never been
observed during the time of prophet or during that of Abu
Bakr and Umar It will not be out of place to mention here
what Ali said about Uthman and Bani Umayyah before
Uthman became caliph. He had said to his uncle Abbas:
"I am sure the Quraysh will make Uthman occupy the
caliphate, and Uthman will introduce innovations. If he
lives I shall remind you of these words of mine and if he is
killed or dies Bani Umayyah will keep the rulership revolve
around themselves". How true the prediction of Imam Ali
proved in the matter of Uthman!
When Uthman occupied the caliphate he had to face
problems which were very intricate. Bani Umayyah,
instead of assisting Uthman in solving them, made them
more complicated. Furthermore, they took as much
advantage of Uthman's mildness as they could, and based
their policies on family bias, personal influence and

authority and disregard for public welfare. Utilizing all
resources of governmental authority they reserved all posts
and positions for themselves and converted the Islamic
system of government into a pure capitalistic system and
the caliphate into kingship. All resources of the State
became the monopoly of their friends and slaves.
Immediatelty on assuming the caliphate Uthman
began making the people subservient to Bani Umayyah.
He made Bani Umayyah rulers of all Islamic cities and
provinces and gave them large tracts of land. He made the
property of the Muslims a plaything for the wealthy, and
openly supported the capitalist class which had been
crushed by Islam earlier. The result was that the dignitaries
and powerful persons grew much richer and the common
men became their slaves.

We narrate below a few instances which will go to
show what position Bani Umayyah enjoyed during the
days of Uthman and how the state had become a plaything
in their hands.

Uthman gave one-fifth of the war booty received
from the conquest of African countries to his cousin
Marwan bin Hakam. This innovation was resented very
much by the people! Abdur Rahman bin Hanbal represent-
ing the views of the public says: 'T swear by God that God
has not left anything in vain, but you O Uthman have
created a mischief for us. It is a test for you or maybe
a test for us".

Fadak, which had in fact been inherited by Fatima,
was given by Uthman to Marwan. Uthman also gave him
one hundred thousand dirhams out of the public treasury.
The Umayyad - Abdullah bin Khalid bin Usayd requested
him for assistance and he gave him one hundred thousand
dirhams, although there was no justification for such extra-
vagance. He was specially kind to Hakam bin Aas who was
a sworn enemy of Islam, and the prophet had expelled him
from Madina. Uthman gave him one hundred thousand
dirhams.

There was a bazar named Mehzool in Madina which
was endowed by the prophet upon the Muslims. Uthman
gave it away to Harth bin Hakam.
There were around Madina pasturages, which had
been declared by the prophet to be the common land for
grazing the animals belonging to all Muslims. Uthman

snatched away those pasturages from the Muslims and
reserved them exclusively for Bani Umayyah. From then
onwards only the camels belonging to Bani Umayyah
could graze there. The entire amount of taxes received
from the African region i.e. from Egypt to Tangiers was
given by him to Abdullah Bani Sarah. The day on which
he gave one hundred thousand dirhams to Marwan bin
Hakam, he also gave two hundred thousand dirhams to
Abu Sufyan bin Harb. Upon this Zaid bin Arqam, the
treasurer, came to Uthman and, with tears in his eyes,
threw the keys of the Public Treasury before him. Uthman
said: "Why are you weeping? I have shown regard to these
persons on account of our kinship". Zaid said: "Even if
you had given one hundred dirhams to Marwan it would
have been too much, but you have given him one hundred
thousand dirhams!" Uthman said: "Let the keys remain
here. It will be possible for me to find many treasurers".
A large quantity of wealth was received from Iraq.
The whole amount was distributed by Uthman amongst
Bani Umayyah. When he gave his daughter Ayesha in
marriage to Harth bin Hakam he gave him one hundred
thousand dirhams besides what he had already given him.
He also gave Harth a large number of camels which were
received from various Islamic countries. He also deputed
him to collect zakat from the tribe of Qaza v ah and gave
him the entire amount collected by him. It was three
million dirhams. (Sharh Nehjul-Balaghah, Vol. 1, p. 98).
Once some distinguished companions who were headed
by Ali met Uthman and had a talk with him about Harth.
Uthman said: "He is my near relative". The companions
said; "Did Abu Bakr and Umar not have near relatives?
Why didn't they bestow favours on them?" Uthman
replied: "Abu Bakr and Umar sought recompense from
God by keeping their relatives deprived, whereas I seek
recompense from God by bestowing favours on them".
The companions said: "We prefer their conduct to yours".
Uthman did many such things as encouraged the
persons in position to accumulate wealth by unlawful
means. He left the influential persons free to do whatever
they liked; rather he made matters easy for them so that
they might become participants in the crimes of Bani
Umayyah and might not get any occasion to criticize
their activities.

Talha bin Abdullah erected a lofty palace in Kufa
which became known amongst the Arabs, after three
centuries, as Dar al-Talhatain. As regards his income
Mas v udi has said in Murooj al-Zahab that only from Iraq he
received daily grains worth a thousand gold coins, rather
more than that. An equivalent amount was received from
Kanas. The income from Sirat and its suburbs was even
larger. In Madina he built a magnificent palace which
resembled that of Uthman.
Abdur Rahman bin Auf erected many large and
spacious palaces and buildings. He had many stables and in
everyone of them one hundred horses were kept. He also
owned one thousand camels and ten thousand goats.
Besides all this wealth he had three million gold coins.
Zaid bin Thabit left behind so much gold that it had
to be cut into pieces with an axe to be distributed among
his heirs. Besides this he left behind a large quantity of
other properties.

Laila bin Umayyah left behind half a million gold
coins. Mas v udi writes about Zubayr bin A warn that during
the time of Uthman he owned one thousand slaves and
one thousand slave-girls. He built splendid palaces at
various places like Basra, Kufa and Alexandria and owned
fifty thousand gold coins in cash and one thousand horses.
After writing all this Mas v udi says: "It needs volumes
to narrate how the wealth of the rich increased during the
period of Uthman. This was not the position during the
days of Umar.

The wealth of a person with whom Uthman and other
Umayyads were pleased knew no bounds. The common
people starved while the relatives and friends of Uthman
rolled in wealth. They collected so much wealth that the
people had never seen or heard of it. He himself was also
very rich. At the time of his assassination his treasurer had
one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins and thousands
of dirhams. He had property worth about one hundred
thousand dirhams in the valley of Qura' and Hunayn.
He also possessed innumerable camels and horses (vide the
book entitled v Uthman' written by Sadiq Arjun, printed
in Egypt).

Jewels and ornaments of the Iranian emperors which
were acquired as war booty during the time of Umar were
kept in the Public Treasury. During the time of Uthman,

however, they were seen shining on the bodies of the
daughters of Uthman. The people saw with their own eyes
their rights being trampled upon. The persons in authority
ridiculed the poor subjects who could not dare say any-
thing in reply.

Mas v udi says about Uthman in Murooj al-Zahab:
"Uthman was very prodigal. His governors and other
persons also followed his example. Uthman built in Madina,
a palace, whose doors were of teak wood. He also acquired
large properties, gardens and springs in Madina.
Uthman gave an open licence to Bani Umayyah to
appoint or remove the officers. They accumulated wealth
and created zones of influence and authority for perpe-
tuation of their rule. The source of all these evils was
Marwan bin Hakam who was appointed by Uthman as his
minister. Uthman followed his advice in all matters.
Similary Uthman divided the people financially into
two classes. One class consisted of the officers and relatives
of Uthman who rolled in wealth and committed all sorts of
atrocities, and the other class belonged to the common
people who were deprived and helpless.
Previously the practice was that the revenue which
was collected from a certain city or province was spent in
the first instance to assist the needy persons belonging to
those very places and the surplus amount was sent to the
capital, so that the caliph might spend it on the needy
persons there. Uthman ordered that the entire amount
should be sent to the capital. The self-seekers took much
advantage of this change in policy".
Dr. Taha Husayn says: "The first trouble which arose
on account of this practice was that capitalism spread in
Iraq and other provinces on a large scale. This practice
benefited those who were big capitalists and could purchase
the property of the persons belonging to less priviledged
class. Thus Talha and Marwan bin Hakam purchased large
properties. From then onwards began the practice of
purchase and sale, mortgage, lease etc. not only in Hijaz
and Iraq but also in other Arab countries and conquered
areas, and the large estates came into existence. In the
circumstances all sorts of people got engaged in making
money as a result of which a class of rich rulers came into
existence. It was more distinguished than the class which
possessed ancestral estates.

The second trouble which arose was that the persons
who purchased properties in the Arab cities in general
and in Hijaz in particular endeavoured to gain maximum
profit from their lands. They purchased a large number of
slaves. Very soon Hijaz was like a paradise. Thus a class
of landlords came into existence in cities like Madina and
Ta'if. They did not work themselves, and spent their time
in merry-making, and the entire work was done by their
slaves. All the affairs of these masters were managed by
their servants. These masters were in fact the slaves and the
slaves were the real masters. On the other side there were
the bedouin who were deprived of all amenities of life.
TheyO did not possess any land in Hijaz which they might
sell to purchase land in Iraq and they did not also have any
land in Iraq which they might sell to purchase land in Hijaz.
These actions, resorted to by Uthman of his own,
or on the suggestion of his advisers, produced very evil
political and social results.
The political result was that only a few persons
became the owners of enormous wealth. Every capitalist
drew the people towards himself by means of his wealth,
organized a group of his adherents and began thinking of
becoming a ruler. Such persons endeavoured to take advan-
tage of the disunity of the people.
From the social point of view the people got divided
into various classes.To one class belonged the persons who
were wealthy and enjoyed influence and authority and to
the other class belonged the poor and the helpless. Persons
belonging to the former class had big estates and slaves
and servants who worked for them on their lands and
rendered other services. In between these two classes was
the middle class. Those who belonged to this class lived in
far off cities. They attacked the enemies and defended the
frontiers. The lives and property of the people were safe
because of this class.

The rich persons made these middle class people their
tools. They created dissensions among them and divided
them into various groups. The history of the Muslims shows
that dissensions first appeared among the affluent persons.
In the first instance the capitalists opposed one another,
and later differences appeared between the middle class
people and the rich people. As regards the third class those
belonging to it served the rich and worked on their lands.

Apparently they did not wield any influence in the
society and did not take part in the dissensions of others.
Their differences appeared at a later stage. (AI-Fitnatul
Kubra, Vol.1, v Uthman'p. 105 - 109).
Till that time the Arabs were not accustomed to class
distinctions and none had been seen enjoying a distinctive
position or receiving special gifts without proper justifica-
tion. It had also not happened till that time that the welfare
of particular persons should have been given priority over
the welfare of the masses. The character of the prophet,
his justice and generosity were deeply imprinted on their
minds. They were habituated to the government which was
the government of the people and not of a few persons,
the government of justice and not of tyranny - the
government which shared the woes of the people and not
the one which created disorder and chaos.
When Uthman succeeded Umar as caliph and adopted
the policies mentioned above the people were greatly
perturbed. They complained against these policies to
Uthman time and again and also expressed disgust against
the Umayyad governors and officers who followed those
policies. At times it so happened that Uthman felt
ashamed on account of the malpractices of the Umayyad
rulers, heard the complainants patiently and promised to
remove the corrupt officers. Soon afterwards, however,
those officers prevailed upon Uthman and continued to
occupy their positions, indulged in greater malpractices
and ruthlessly took revenge on their opponents.
Very often the Arabs approached Uthman in the
form of deputations and complained against the Umayyad
officers. Uthman promised them that their grievances
would be redressed. However, when they returned to their
home-towns, the governors and officers concerned put
their leaders to death. Those who escaped punishment
went to Madina again and complained to the distinguished
companions of the prophet. The companions approached
Uthman and supported the cause of the complainants.
Uthman issued orders dismissing the oppressive ruler and
appointing a new one in his place. However, before the
new nominee proceeded to his place of duty a messenger
was sent to the dismissed ruler with a letter containing
instructions that the new appointee as well as the persons
who had approached the caliph in the form of adeputation

should be put to death as soon as they arrived. Conse

quently the old ruler remained at his post and carried out

the orders of the caliph meticulously and bec!e more

violent in his oppression.

These were the policies which Uthman adopted on

the advice of influential persons to ensure their welfare and

safeguard their interests. The common people were subjec

ted to great oppression during his period. Some times they

remained silent and at other times they opposed and criti

cized the regime openly. Some poets have drawn very true

pictures of the capitalists of that time.

There were some magnanimous persons also in the

society, who possessed enlightened minds and speaking

tongues and enjoyed great respect among the Muslims.

They were also extremely frightened like other persons on

account of the prevailing conditions. However, they strongly

opposed the plutocracy of Bani Umayyah and the policies

adopted by Uthman and his associates. Their opposition

was, nevertheless, based on principles and without any bad

intentions whatsoever. Their objections were quite sensible

and free from personal bias.

We shall see later how cruelly these well-intentioned,

truthful and pious critics were dealt with.

The volley of criticism

As we have explained above, Bani Umayyah and their
supporters and the wealthy and influential persons of the
time were responsible for the shortcomings in the adminis-
trative, political and financial policies of Uthman which
resulted in great evils, disturbances, and chaos. Uthman
himself was responsible for this state of affairs in no lesser
a degree because he relied on Bani Umayyah and favoured
them, ordered whatever they desired and forbade what
they disliked. In fact they were the real rulers and Uthman
was their obedient servant. Imam Ali has drawn a very true
picture of the caliph by saying: "He is like a man who is
choked by drinking water" (because the remedy for being
choked is drinking water, but if a person is choked owing
to drinking water there can be no remedy for him). He
further says: "A person whose favourites and confidants
are corrupt is like one who is choked by drinking water".
Just as Uthman had given complete freedom to Bani
Umayyah to acquire influence and authority and allowed
the dignitaries to accumulate and hoard wealth by exploiting
the common people, he had also permitted his advisers to
curb the freedom of the distinguished companions of the
prophet if they raised any objection, and asked them to do
justice to the public. It so happened very often that only
placing restrictions on the truthful and justice-loving
believers was not considered sufficient but Uthman awarded
them severe punishment either of his own accord or on the
suggestion of Marwan. He considered them to be his
enemies as if they wanted to deprive him of the goodness
of Marwan and his brother Harth. Uthman in all matters,
whether big or small followed the advice of Bani Umayyah
who were his chief advisers and had eventually lost his life
on account of them. They took all powers in their own
hands, whether with or without Uthman's willingness, and
made him helpless. They really wanted his death, and
secretly revolted against him, so that another Umayyad
might become the caliph. All their supporters helped them
in this matter and when Uthman got encircled by his
enemies they (i.e. Bani Umayyah) flew away leaving him in
the lurch just as his other supporters had slipped away.

Uthman kept away from himself all those well-
wishers of his with whose help the conditions could
improve, and made Bani Umayyah his confidants and
advisers. They advised him to keep at arm's length all
those persons who were considered to be his enemies
although in fact they were not his enemies.
A mischievous and ill-natured person, Marwan, was
his chief adviser, but he did not consider Ali fit to be
trusted, although if his views had been accorded weight he
would have given Uthman sincere and far-sighted advice
and would have stopped him from nepotism and showing
special favour to his friends. He would have set the govern-
ment on a stable and profitable path, and preference
would have been given to welfare of common people, who
have been protected from oppression and tyranny.
Marwan enjoyed such an influence on Uthman that
he never acted then, went up to Uthman and told him that
Ali and other distinguished companions were conspiring
against him. He used to say: These people are instigating
the public against you. The only way to maintain law and
order and to save the caliphate is that you should kill
Ali and all other distinguished companions of the prophet
so that the affairs of the State should be set up according
to the advice of Bani Umayyah. It is they who are your
relatives and real well-wishers who would like your rule
to continue.

When general revolt against Uthman took place in all
the cities he called a conference to consider ways and
means to restore law and order. Only Bani Umayyah and
their supporters were invited to attend this conference.
It was these very Bani Umayyah against whom the
companions of the prophet and the public had complaints
and it was on account of them that the people had
revolted. However, instead of calling the companions of
the prophet and holding consultations with them to
improve the situation Uthman called those, who were the
root-cause of all troubles, and because of whom the people
had became the enemies of Uthman.
All those who participated in the conference expressed
their views and suggested ways and means of tackling the
situation. It would appear that some of them wanted
disturbances to continue because their interests could be
served better by this. Others wanted the trouble to flare

up for the same reason. Still others wanted improvement
of the situation provided that their own influence and
authority did not suffer.

All those who participated in the conference were
inimical towards Ali. They were afraid that his justice,
truthfulness and piety might spoil their own game and
repress their oppressive activities, and his policy of equity
and equality might make their capitalist government fall
to the ground. The most active members of the conference
were Mu v awiya, Marwan and Amr Aas. It can, therefore,
well be imagined what the result of those consultations
should have been.

Ali did not care if Uthman did not consult him in
those difficult circumstances. He was anxious that the
conditions of the Muslims should improve and justice and
equity should be established, even though Uthman and his
supporters might become his enemies. He continued to
advise Uthman till the last moment to redress the grievances
of the people and compensate them for the oppression
suffered by them so that his caliphate might not be endan-
gered. Once when the people became furious and wanted to
attack Uthman he pacified them, and also advised Uthman

in these words: 1 "People are waiting for me outside and
they have sent me to you to settle the differences between
you and them. I swear by God that I cannot understand
what to tell you when I do not know anything of which
you are not aware, and have not to communicate to you
any news which has not already reached you. I know what
you know. I did not know anything which I might tell you
nor have I heard anything in private of which I might
inform you. You saw as I saw and you heard as I heard.
You have been in the company of the prophet as we have
been. The responsibility to act rightly did not rest more on
the sons of Abi Quhafa and Khattab than it rests on you.
In fact you are nearer to the prophet on account of
kinship than they were, and you are in a way the son-in-law
of the prophet, while they were not so. You must feat
God, I swear by God that I am not tendering you this
advice because you cannot see anything and I am not
telling you all this because you do not know it. And there
is no question ot your ignorance because the path of
religious law is quite evident and clear. Take it to your
heart that out of His slaves God likes most the just ruler,

who is a guided person himself and guides others also,
strengthens known practices and destroys unknown
innovations. And the most despicable of the people before
God is that unjust ruler who remains misguided and others
too are misguided on account of him. I have heard the
prophet saying that on the Day of J udgment an oppressor
will be brought in such a manner that there will be none
who will help him or intercede for him and he will be
thrown into the Hell straightaway". (Nahj al-Balaghah)
Uthman was nonplused when he heard logical remarks
of AN. He only said: "I have done nothing wrong. I have
been only kind and benevolent to my kith and kin".
Truth was intermingled with falsehood and good with
evil. The malpractices of Bani Umayyah went on increasing.
Uthman gave them plenty of rope and himself became
helpless before them. AN has drawn a concise and precise
picture of the caliphate of Uthman in these words: "He
supported his kinsmen in the most absurd manner".
About his Umayyad Kinsmen he says: "With him
stood up Bani Umayyah, the descendants of his father, and
they began to munch God's property just as a camel
grazes spring grass".

Thus Bani Umayyah and their supporters brought
Uthman on a path which was the path of annihilation and
ruin. It was for his nepotism that he lost his life. His wife
Na'ela also knew to what direction Bani Umayyah were
carrying him. S he also knew that AN was the most sincere
and truthful person and the real well-wisher of Uthman.
She, therefore, insisted upon him persistently that he
should consult AN. However, the wicked and mischievous
advisers who were constantly hovering around Uthman
opposed Na'ela's suggestion and said that she was an
imprudent woman and he should not lend ears to what
she suggested.

Once Marwan said to Uthman: "I swear by God that
it is better to stick to your sins and apologize to God, than
that you should repent with fear".
It means that Marwan admitted that Uthman's policy
was wrong and his methods were the methods of wrong-
doers, but according to him (i.e. Marwan) it was better to
stick to one's sin and evil-doing than to feel ashamed and
repent of it.
No advice could reach the ears of Uthman except that

which was uttered by Marwan. Uthman agreed imme-
diatley to what Marwan said but did not listen to what was
said by others.

Marwan spoke to the people in the name of the
caliph and what he said consisted of nothing except
censure, threats and obstinacy, and was sufficient to create
an uproar against Uthman. Once he said, addressing the
insurgents who had besieged Uthman's house: "What has
happened to you people? Why have you gathered here?
Do you want to take away the government from us?"
This sentence of Marwan is sufficient to indicate the way
of thinking of all the Umayyads, according to them all
those oppressed persons who had come to get their
grievances redressed had come only to loot and plunder.
Demand for the restoration of usurped rights and a
just government, and stopping oppression and taking
action against those, who had violated the rights of the
people, and similar other things in connection with which
the people had come to lodge their complaints, were things
which, according to Marwan, did not deserve any attention.
According to him the caliphate, sovereignty and rulership
were the means of displaying power and authority and had
nothing to do with the protection of the rights of the
people or the safeguarding of the faith and the religious
law. According to him it was the kingship of Bani Umayyah
which they had been waiting for a long time to sieze, and
thus re-establish their power and authority which had been
destroyed by Islam. And that being so he could not
understand why the people should endeavour to deprive
Bani Umayyah of their hereditary government.
All those persons who disliked the financial and
administrative policies of Bani Umayyah and criticized
them sincerely became the target of Uthman's wrath on
the suggestion of Marwan and his other associates and
advisers. One of those persons who opposed these policies
and methods was Abdullah bin Mas'ud, a distinguished
companion of the prophet. In order to explain how much
the people were grieved on account of the oppression to
which this companion of the prophet was subjected, it
appears necessary to give a brief account of his life history.
Abdullah bin Mas'ud was one of those persons who
embraced Islam first of all. It is said that his number was
sixth on the list. He had the honour of migrating twice

in the first instance to Ethiopia and then to Madina. He
always remained in the company of the prophet. He was
one of those whom the prophet loved and respected for
their truthfulness, honesty and piety.
The Muslims of the early era considered Ibn Mas N ud
to be one of the greatest scholars. It was on account of his
profound knowledge that U mar sent him to Kufa to guide
and educate the people of that city, although he himself
needed his advice in Madina. While sending him to Kufa
U mar sent a letter to the citizens of Kufa. He wrote:
"I am sending Abdullah bin Mas N ud to educate you. By
sending him to Kufa I have given you preference over
myself. You should acquire knoweldge from him".
Many Kufans benefited from Ibn Mas N ud. The number
of his pupils increased day after day and they became
renowned scholars. The famous Tabe N i (companion of the
companions of the prophet) Sa v id bin J aybar used to say:
"The pupils of Abdullah bin Mas N ud were the lamps of this
city", (i.e. Kufa).

All the Muslims acknowledged Abdullah bin Mas N ud
to be an erudite scholar. So much so that during the time
of U mar it was he to whom the Kufans referred their
religious problems and only his judgments were accepted
by them.

In the matter of exegesis also he was one of the top-
most authorities, and his rank was almost equal to that of
Abdullah bin Abbas. He had many pupils who distinguished
themselves in this branch of learning, such as Qatada and
Masrooq ibn Ajda\

In short Abdullah bin Mas N ud was the most respectable
personality of his time. He was honoured in all Islamic
cities more than every other companion of the prophet.
How did Uthman behave towards this distinguished
companion? Ibn Mas'ud was one of those distinguished
companions who openly disapproved and fearlessly criti-
cized the policies and the modus operandi of Bani Umayyah.
On every Friday he used to say in Kufa: "The most correct
word is the Book of God and the best guidance is that
provided by prophet M uhammad and the worst things are
innovations. Every innovation is deviation and every
deviation leads one to Hell".
The above statement of Ibn Mas N ud contained clear
criticism of Uthman and the actions which he took for the

benefit of only Bani Umayyah and the wealthy and
influential persons ignoring the welfare of the common
man.

He said many things criticizing Uthman, for example,
he said: "In the eyes of God Uthman does not have even
as much value as the feather of a fly".
Walid bin Uqbah, the Governor of Kufa, resented
very much the remarks of Ibn Mas'ud about Uthman.
This Walid was a brother of Uthman from his mother's
side and was a great drunkard and a licentious person.
Uthman had appointed him as the Governor of Kufa not-
withstanding the displeasure of the residents of that city.
Walid wrote to Uthman informing him that Ibn
Mas N ud criticized and abused him (Uthman). Uthman
asked him to send Abdullah to him. It has been narrated
that when Abdullah left Kufa for Madina many persons
came to bid him farewell. Everyone of them requested him
not to leave Kufa and assured him that they could not let
him suffer any harm. He, however, replied: "There is
something which must happen soon".
Abdullah bin Mas'ud reached Madina on Friday night.
When Uthman came to know about his arrival he made
the people gather in the masjid and said to them: "J ust
see a mean animal is coming towards you who tramples
on his food, vomits and excretes". Ibn Mas N ud said: "I am
not like that. Of course, lama companion of the prophet.
I was with him in the Battle of Badr and also participated
in BaPat al-Rizwan (the oath of allegiance taken under a
tree atHudaibiya).

Ayesha said loudly from her house: "Uthman! You
are saying these words about a companion of the prophet! 1
Others also disliked these remarks and expressed their
resentment. As ordered by Uthman his officials and slaves
turned Ibn Mas N ud out from the masjid in a very rude
manner. They dragged him to the gate of the masjid and
there they threw him down on the ground. Then they beat
him so mercilessly that he broke his bones and from there
he was carried home like a dead body.
Uthman was not satisfied with the beating and
insulting to which this great companion of the prophet
was subjected. He stopped the stipend which he used to
get from the P ublic Treasury and deprived him of all his
sources of livelihood. He also ordered the people not to

visit him to enquire about his health. Eventually Ibn
Mas N ud passed away and AmmarYasir offered his funeral
prayers and buried him secretly. When Uthman was
informed about it he became very furious.
Another respectable person who became the target of
Uthman's wrath was AmmarYasir. He was one those great
personalities of Islam who are well-known for their virtues,
high morals and piety. His worth and value was best
known to the prophet and he knew what great merits he
possessed. That is why he paid him glowing tributes which
he amply deserved. For example he said about him: "When
dissensions take place between the people the son of
Sumayyah (i.e. Ammar) will be on the side of right"
Many differences arose between the Muslims during
the early days of Islam and Ammar always sided with AN.
It was on account of these qualities and virtues that the
Muslims loved him and Bani Umayyah and their supporters
were his sworn enemies.

The first action of Uthman which Ammar disliked
was that he made wealth a plaything in the hands of the
affluent persons. As explained by Ammar himself he used
to meet Uthman very often and advised him to administer
justice, avoid nepotism and refrain from making Bani
Umayyah the overlords of the people. Consequently
Uthman got annoyed with him as he was annoyed with
other virtuous people. It has been narrated that there was
a casket in the Public Treasury which contained ornaments
and gems. Uthman removed this jewellery from the treasury
and gave it to one of his wives to wear. The people objected
to this and criticized him severely which made him furious.
Speaking in a public gathering he said: "I shall take what-
ever I like out of the war booty, and damn care if some
one dislikes it". Thereupon AN said: "In that event you
will be restrained from doing so and a wall will be raised
between you and the Public Treasury". Ammar said: "I call
God to witness that I am the first person to dislike this
misappropriation". Thereupon Uthman said: "0 Ammar!
How dare you speak against me? Arrest him".
Suddenly Marwan got up and said to Uthman:
"0 Commander of the Faithful! This slave (Ammar) has
instigated the people against you. If you kill him others
will learn alesson".

Uthman got ready immediately to act on Marwan's
suggestion. He picked up his stick and beat Ammar
mercilessly. His slaves and other members of the Umayyad
Family also helped him. Uthman also kicked him in a very
insulting manner and inflicted him so many kicks on his
belly below the navel that he developed hernia. Thereafter
he was thrown on the road while it was raining and
thundering, and he became almost dead.
The third distinguished companion of the prophet
who was subjected to dreadful torture by Uthman and
other members of the Umayyad Family was the great
reformer Abu Zar G hifari. It was the same Abu Zar who
is renowned for his philanthropy and love for justice.
He was a supporter and most devoted follower of AN.
In order to explain the true position of the opponents
of Uthman's policies and the conduct of Bani Umayyah we
give below a brief account of the life history of Abu Zar
who was one of the greatest men of his time.
During the age of ignorance Abu Zar was an indigent
person but in spite of that he was the chief of his tribe.
When he heard about the prophet he came to Mecca in
such a condition that he was wearing a worn out and
tattered cloak. On reaching Mecca he began roaming about
on the streets. At last when he got tired he lay down on
the ground near the Ka'abah, placing his cloak under his
head. In the meantime AN chanced to pass by him and
took much pity on him, because it appeared that he was
a poverty-stricken stranger, who was not acquainted with
anyone in the city. They got themselves introduced to
each other and AN took Abu Zar to his house. Later he
took him to the prophet. On meeting the prophet Abu Zar
immediately embraced Islam. He was the fifth to adopt
this religion.

Abu Zar was so sincere and brave that after
embracing Islam he stood near the Ka'abah where a large
number of Quraysh - the fell enemies of Islam - were
assembled. There he ridiculed the idols and invited those
present to Islam. Till then none had been able to show
such a valour. Quraysh assaulted him and beat him so
much that he was almost dead.
Abu Zar was the most favourite and dear companion
of the prophet on account of his foresight, prudence,
wisdom, zeal for reform, and love for the poor. The people

also relied upon him and respected him very much. All the
companions held him in great respect. AN has said about
him: "Abu Zar has such vast knowledge that none has
been able to equal him".

When Uthman attained to the caliphate Abu Zar's
astonishment knew no bounds. He could not understand
why Uthman had been made caliph in the presence of a
learned and pious person like AN. However, he did not
open his lips against this selection because AN did not
want that any disturbance should take place for his sake.
Soon afterwards, however, Abu Zar saw that whereas the
common people were leading very miserable lives Bani
Umayyah were amassing wealth and living in luxury. He
felt that Uthman showering wealth upon his relatives by
depriving the common people of their rights, and this
disturbed him very much. He openly criticized this policy
which had divided the people into two groups - the
affluent and the indigent. Abu Zar often addressed the
people in these words: "Such things are taking place as
were never seen or heard of previously. I swear by God
that such actions are neither sanctioned by Qur'an - the
Book of God nor supported by the Sunnah of the prophet.
I swear by God that I see that truth is being suppressed
and falsehood is being encouraged. Things which are right
and true are being refuted and impious persons are being
preferred. Almighty God says: "Tell those who hoard gold
and silver and do not spend their wealth in the path of
God that their foreheads, flanks and backs will be branded
with fire".

He added: "You have adopted silken curtains and
seats and have become habituated to lying in azrabi silk
whereas the prophet used to sleep on a mat. You eat food
of various kinds whereas the prophet did not eat even
barley bread to his fill".

Abu Zar demanded from the party in authority to do
justice to the poor people who had been deprived of their
rights. He encouraged the people to wrest their rights by
force and to put an end to indigence which is the source of
humiliation and an enemy of virtue. He used to utter the
following sentences often:
* "I wonder as to why a person who has nothing in
his house to eat, does not draw a sword and attack the
people".

* "When poverty proceeds towards a town infidelity
asks it to take it with itself".
He was so much disgusted with the egotism and
profiteering of Bani Umayyah that he left Hijaz and went
away to Syria, so that he might not see the extravagance of
Uthman and Marwan with his own eyes. However, on
reaching there he found that the activities of Mu'awiya
were even more objectionable than those of Uthman and
Marwan. (The fact is that Abu Zar did not go to Syria of
his own free will. He was exiled there by Uthman). There
he said that M u'awiya's extravagance had far exceeded that
of Uthman and Marwan. He saw that Mu'awiyah had
become the master of the P ublic Treasury as well as of the
lives and property of the people. He observed that he
squandered away the property of the P ublic Treasury,
grabbed the earnings of the Muslims and killed whomsoever
he wished to. All this made him too furious. When
Mu'awiya constructed the Green Palace Abu Zar sent him
a message saying: "If you have built this palace by spending
the property of God you have been guilty of misappropria-
tion and if you have spent the money from your own
pocket you have been very extravagant".
Bani Umayyah could not tolerate such a truthful,
freedom loving and out-spoken person, nor could they
permit him to mix up with the people. Marwan instigated
Uthman every now and then to get rid of him. Uthman
asked Mu'awiya to take repressive measures againt Abu Zar.
Mu'awiya turned Abu Zar out of his court and issued
orders that none should associate with him. It was at
Uthman's behest that M u'awiya said to that distinguished
companion of the prophet: "0 enemy of God! You
instigate people to be against me and do whatever you like.
If I had killed any companion of the prophet without the
prior permission of the ruling caliph it would have been
you". Abu Zar replied: "I am not an enemy of God or of
His prophet. Rather it is you and your father who have
been the enemies of God. Both of you embraced Islam
only outwardly and infidelity still lies hidden in your
heart".

Abu Zar did not attach any importance to Mu'awiya's
threats, and continued reforming the Syrian society
with so great a zeal and enthusiasm, that M u'awiya was
out of his wits. The rich people of Syria were as scared of

his reformative activities as the people of Madina were.
They feared that the common people might attack them.
They, therefore, considered it necessary that Abu Zar
should be turned out of Syria as early as possible, and
should also be restrained from making any speeches so
that he might not bring their malpractices to light. In the
meantime a man named J undab bin Fehri came to
Mu'awiya and said as a sincere adviser and in a meek tone:
"Abu Zar will create trouble for you in Syria. If you need
Syria, you should take care of it immediately".
M u'awiya thought of killing Abu Zar but feared that
the people might revolt. As said by Hasan Basri:
"Mu'awiya did not refrain from killing a distinguished
companion like Abu Zar, because he feared Uthman's
displeasure. He did not kill him, because he was afraid of
the displeasure of the public. He therefore, wrote to
Uthman and sought his advice. Uthman replied: "Send
Abu Zar to me mounted on a vicious animal along with
a man who should subject him to as much trouble as
possible on the way".

Mu'awiya did as he was advised by Uthman. He made
Abu Zar mount a camel with a saddle on which there was
no cover. By the time he reached Madina pieces of flesh
were cut off from his thighs and owing to the long journey
he had broken his back. From Damascus to Madina he was
accompanied by cruel and savage soldiers who did not care
either for the hot weather or for his fatigue. He was very
much tired and had become lean and weak when he reached
before Uthman.

Immediately on seeing Abu Zar Uthman protested
against his activities. Abu Zar replied: "I wished you well
but you decieved me. Similarly I wished your friend
(Mu'awiya) well but he also deceived me".
Uthman said: "You are a liar. You want to create
trouble. You have turned the entire country of Syria
against us".

Abu Zar said with great confidence and composure:
"You should follow in the footsteps of Abu Bakr and
Umar. If you do so none will say anything against you".
Uthman said: "May your mother die! What have you
to do with this matter?"

Abu Zar replied: "So far as I am concerned I had no
alternative but to order the people to do good and to

restrain them from evil".

Ite contention between Abu Zar and Uthman

became much more serious. Abu Zar accused Uthman of

being subservient to his wishes was disobedient to God,

and unkind to His creatures. Uthman got very much

annoyed and cried out: "0 people! Tell me how to deal

with this aged liar. Should I beat him or kill him or banish

him from the Islamic territories? He has created a split

among the Muslims".

At that time Ah was also there. He was very much

grieved to see the treatment meted out by Uthman to a

great reformer and distinguished companion like Abu Zar.

He turned towards Uthman and said: "I heard the prophet

saying that between the earth and the heavens there is

none more truthful than Abu Zar".

Uthman continued harassing Abu Zar. He ordered the

people not to associate with him. Then he thought of

becoming reconciled with Abu Zar. He, therefore, sent him

two hundred gold coins to meet his needs. Abu Zar asked

the man who had brought the money to him: "Has Uthman

given the same amount to every Muslim?" The man replied

in the negative. Abu Zar returned the money to Uthman

and said, "lama member of the M uslim society and

should, therefore, get only as much as others get". When

he returned the gold coins there was nothing in his house

to eat except a stale loaf of barley bread!

In the first instance Uthman handed over Abu Zar to

the executioners. On reconsideration, however, he decided

to banish him to Rabazah. It was a barren region where

neither man, nor animal norvagetation could sun'iie.

When the time of Abu Zar's departure drew neat

Uthman prohibited the people, in order to grieve, insult

and humiliate him, to see him off. None except five

persons, therefore, picked up courage to see him off. Itese

five persons were Ah, his brother Aqil, Hasan, Husayn ind

AmmarYasir.

The responsibility to supen7ise the departure of

Abu Zar rested with Marwan who was the source of

367

all evils. It was he who had enforced Uthman's order that

none should converse with Abu Zar and the members of

his family or see them off. He was so bold as to prevent

AN and his companions from seeing off Abu Zar. Ali

rebuked him, struck him with his stick and shouted:
"Be off from here! May God throw you into the Hell".
Then he bade farewell to Abu Zar in these words: "0 Abu
Zar! You were annoyed with these people for the sake of
God. So you should expect your recompense also from
H im only. They feared you because on account of your
activities they might lose the world (i.e. worldly gains)
and you were afraid of them because you wanted to safe-
guard your faith. So leave to them that thing on account
of which they feared you (i.e. worldly gains) and keep
aloof from them along with your faith. See how much
they need that faith on which you did not permit them to
gain control, and see how much independent you are of
the world of which they have deprived you! You will
come to know tomorrow (i.e. on the Day of J udgment)
who has been the winner and who has displayed envy.
Even if a person is precluded from the earth as well as
from the heavens but he fears God, the Almighty certainly
opens a path for him. You will always remain in love with
truth and will shun falsehood. If you, too, had accepted
their world they would have liked you and if you had
borrowed from this world they would have provided you
asylum". (Nahj al-Balaghah).
Then AN asked Aqil and Ammarto bid farewell to
their brother and also asked Hasan and Husayn to say
goodbye to their uncle.

When Uthman came to know about this incident he
was very much annoyed with AN.
One may ask as to how it happened that AN saw
Abu Zar being subjected to torture and oppression but
took no steps to save him from the tyranny of the caliph
of the time? Abu Zar was a distinguished companion of
the prophet and a great supporter of AN and was opposing
the caliph not for any personal gain but to ensure the
welfare of the people. Then why did AN remain quiet?
If he had so desired he could restrain Uthman from
banishing Abu Zar and could use all his resources to make
the people stand up in opposition to Bani Umayyah.
And there is no doubt about the fact that the M uslims
would have supported AN whole-heartedly. Then what was
the reason for this silence of AN?
J ustas this question occurs to everybody's mind, it
occurred to my mind also. I thought that whereas one

aspect of Ali's remaining quiet on this occasion is quite
clear and evident and the other is very intricate and not
understandable by everyone.
The intricate aspect is that Ali's time was not the
present one. He lived more than 1300 years ago. Circum-
stances and conditions which existed at that time cannot
be assessed properly in the present twentieth century
nor can we understand all their aspects. P robing the real
causes has not been possible in spite of deep investigations
conducted by many researchers. AN knew and understood
many subtleties of his own time which were not visible
to others, and his line of action was based on the
exigencies of the time which were known to him only.
However, the aspect of his quietness which is quite
evident is that the spirit of sacrifice was present in the very
nature of AN and he was prepared to suffer any hardship
for the sake of the welfare of the people. He was so
mindful of the safety of Islam that he did not care for
anything except that. The more deeply we study the
conduct and character of AN, and examine all aspects of
his life, the more we are convinced of this reality. He could
not tolerate that the advancement and propagation of
Islam should slacken in the least. He knew very well the
mentality of Bani Umayyah before and after their embrace-
ment of Islam, but he was afraid that if the M uslims
arrayed themselves against them dissensions would take
place among the followers of Islam and they would be
harmful for this religion.

AN knew that Bani Umayyah wanted to kill all the
true believers who constituted the real support for Islam so
that they might free themselves from the restrictions
imposed by Islamic law and there should be none left to
object to their activities.

Is it not a factthatMarwan bin Hakam instigated
Uthman to kill AN and other distinguished companions
like Abu Zar and Ammar? His object in making this
suggestion was that with the removal of these persons from
the scene Bani Umayyah should be free to do what they
liked, because while these pious and dauntless companions
of the prophet were present Bani Umayyah could not
create mischief and act as despotic ruler.
Had Marwan's desire been fulfilled it cannot be
assessed how much trouble Bani Umayyah would have

created. It was, therefore, the height of Ali's foresight and
prudence that he expressed only so much resentment in
the matter of injustice done to Abu Zar as he used to
express in connection with the oppression to which he
himself was subjected.

He did this so that the Muslims might not become the
enemies of one another.

This had happened earlier also on the occasion of
Saqifa. Umar came to Ali's house and dragged him atthe
point of sword to take oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr.
The Muslims were gathered round AN at that time. Some
of them were astonished whereas others were beside them
selves with rage. All were expecting a hint from him so that
They might fight for his defence. No doubt AN, who was
rhe pillar of Islam, the citadel of justice, and the Imam of
all the people, but what did he do for himself?
When the people saw Umar taking AN before the
caliph at the point of the sword, they were much surprised.
However when they looked at his face they did not find
any sign of anger on it. He neither incited the people nor
raised his voice, nor allowed them to draw their swords.
The people were surprised all the more when a few moments
later they saw AN standing before them (i.e. Abu Bakr,
Umar etc.) very calmly and arguing his case with a view to
convincing them about his right. None dared to open his
mouth in reply. He was establishing his right with solid
arguments but tolerated the usurpation of his right in
the interest of the people. AN was justified in proving his
right through protests and arguments, and was also justified
in showing patience, calmness, forbearance and forgiveness.
He knew himself very well.
The supporters of AN were surprised atthe attitude
adopted by him. But there was one thing which AN knew
but others did not know. And that was the thing which AN
aimed at and which was the source of his peace of mind.
This refers to the fact that he had worked with the
prophet to lay the foundation of Islam. He equally shared
the responsibility of propagation of Islam. How could he
tolerate that this religion should suffer destruction?
That was the reason why he sacrificed his own rights,
and he acted in the case of Abu Zar in the same manner in
which he had acted in his own case.

*N^^ ^X^ ^*^ ^*^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^*^
^|s ^|x <|x ^|x xl> x|> ^|> ^|x

What happened to Abu Zar after his banishment?
The aged and great companion of the prophet died of
hunger. He and the members of his family lived in
extremely hard conditions and had to suffer unprece-
dented miseries. Their children also passed away due to
lack of food.

It has been narrated that after the death of their
children Abu Zar and his wife grew very weak on account
of hunger. One day Abu Zar said to his wife: "Let us go
upto that mound. It is possible that we may find some
wild fruits there". They went upto the mound. Inclement
winds were blowing and they could not find anything to
eat. Abu Zar began to faint. Although very cold wind was
blowing but Abu Zar was perspiring and wiped his sweat
again and again. When his wife looked at him she realized
that he was going to die. She began to weep. Abu Zar
asked her why she was weeping. She replied: "Why should
I not weep? You are breathing your last on this barren
land, and I don't have even a piece of cloth which maybe
used as a shroud for you and me". Her words grieved Abu
Zar very very much. He said to her: "Go and stand by the
side of the road. It is possible that you may meet a believer
who may be passing that way". She replied: "Who will
pass this way now? The caravan of the pilgrims has already
passed and the road is deserted".
Abu Zar recalled the words which the prophet had
uttered about him. He said to his wife: "Go and see
carefully. If you find someone coming you will be relieved
of your worry. And if you don't find anyone you should
cover my dead body and place it by the side of the road.
As and when you chance to meet the first rider tell him:
"Abu Zar the companion of the prophet has died. Now
assist in bathing and shrouding him".
Abu Zar's wife ascended the mound time and again
but could not find any human being. After some time,
however, she saw some riders at a distance and beckoned
them by moving her cloth. They came up to her and said:
"O bondwoman of God! What is the matter?" She replied:
"Here is a Muslim who is dying ;please arrange for his
bathing, shrouding and burial. God will recompense you

fo this". They asked: "Who is the man?" She replied:
"His name is Abu Zar Ghifari".
The men could not believe that such a distinguished
companion of the prophet could die in the desert. They,
therefore, asked her: "Who is this Abu Zar? Is he the
companion of the prophet?" She said "Yes". They said:
"May our parents be his ransom! God has granted us a
great honour". They then hurried to the place where
Abu Zar was lying. Abu Zar was feeling the pangs of death.
He fixed his eyes on their faces for some time trying to
recognise their faces, and then said: "By God I have not
told a lie. By God if I had sufficient cloth for my and my
wife's shroud I would certainly have been shrouded in that
cloth. I ask you in the name of God that if anyone of you
has been a ruler or a government employee or a messenger
or a chief at any time he should not shroud me".
Those present were bewildered to hear these words
because almost all of them had held these offices at one
time or another. Suddenly a young man from amongst the
Ansar stepped forward and said: "O uncle! I shall shroud
you with this mantle which I had purchased with the
money that I had earned through hard work. I will shroud
you with this cloth whose thread was spun by my mother
so that I might use it as Ehram (pilgrims garb)".
He said to the young man: "Shroud me with these
pieces of cloth, for they are pure". Now he was happy and
satisfied. Then he cast a glance at them again and passed
away peacefully. Then the dark and thick clouds covered
the sky. Strong and severe winds began to blow and the
desert sand sprang up and darkened the atmosphere. It
might be said that the desert of Rabazah got converted
into a roaring ocean.

The Ansari young man stood by the grave of Abu Zar
and prayed in these words (The historians have attributed
them to Malik Ashtar): "O God! This Abu Zar is one of
the companions of Your prophet. He worshipped You
amongst the worshippers. He performed jihad against the
idol- worshippers. He did not alter any Sunnab (practice)
of the prophet nor did he tamper with any law. He saw
bad and indecent things being done and expressed his
disgust at them with his heart and tongue. As a result of
this people oppressed and insulted him and turned him out
of his house. They deprived him of his rights and humiliated

him and eventually he passed away in a helpless condition.
May God break the feet of the person who deprived him
(of the amenities of life) and banished him from the sacred
city of Madina to which he had migrated".
All those who were present said "Amen!" very
sincerely. Blessed be Abu Zar who rose and endeavoured,
to establish truth till he breathed his last. He had faith in
the greatness of man and his rights. He was a magnanimous
and kind man. He was never afraid of death, nor was he
never enamoured by life.
The tragic events of Abu Zar and his wife and
children stirred the blood of the people and everyone of
them sympathised with the oppressed family. While many
other actions of Uthman had raised the people against him
this one incident added to their resentment against him
and Bani Umayyah. It was considered to be a very wicked
policy that anyone who objected to nepotism and family
bias should be treated savagely as was done in the case of
Abdullah bin Mas v ud, Ammar Yasir and Abu Zar. They
were insulted and beaten and their pensions and stipends
were stopped. On the contrary, Bani Umayyah were
showered with all the benefits, wealth, and ranks. Uthman
bestowed honours on them and gave them enormous
wealth, although it was necessary for him that he should
have ousted them from important positions on account of
their nefarious activities.

Another action of Uthman which aroused the anger
of the people was his maltreatment of the persons who
went to him to complain against Walid bin v Uqba. The
details of this incident are as follows:
Uthman dismissed sa v d bin Abi Waqas from the
governorship of Kufa and replaced him by Walid bin v Uqba,
who was Uthman' s brother from the side of his mother.
The people of Kufa were very much displeased on account
of this appointment. It is said that when Walid arrived in
Kufa and passed by the house of Umar ibn Zararah Nakh v i
Umar stood up and said: "O Bani Asad! Uthman has
treated us very badly. Was it just on his part to remove
from amongst us Sa v d bin Abi Waqas, who is a mild and
well-behaved person, and to oppoint in his place his
brother Walid who is an idiot, a madman and an old
debauchee. After the appointment of Walid it was
commonly said by the people of Kufa that Uthman had

humiliated the followers of prophet Muhammad and had

tried to honour his brother.

Many complaints were lodged with Uthman against

Walid but he did not remove him from the governship,

although most of the complainants were the companions

of the prophet. Uthman's conduct in respect of Walid was

the same as it was with regard to his kinsfolk. Just as he

did not accept any suggestions, or entertained any

complaint against his near relations, he never paid any

heed to the complaints against Walid as well.

Allama Bin Abd Rabbih quotes Sa v id bin Musayyab

in his book entitled v Iqd al-Farid as saying that the

companions of the prophet disliked the caliphate of

Uthman very much because most of the officers appointed

by him belonged to Bani Umayyah and they did things

which were abhorred by the companions. Complaints

were lodged against these officers with Uthman but he

did not remove those officers.

The poet Hati'ah says about Walid:

"Hati'ah will give evidence on the Day of Judgment that

Walid is innocent".

"When the prayers was finished he asked the people in

a loud voice: "If you say, I may increase it".

"He wanted to make an increase upon something

good. If the people had agreed he would have led the dawn

prayers which would have exceeded ten rak v ats (units)".

"But O Abu Wahab, the people refused to agree. If

they had accepted your suggestion you would have

combined Shaf with Witr".

"You moved on, but the people held your bridle.

If they had released it you would have walked on and on".

A number of men came from Kufa and complained

to Uthman against Walid. Uthman, however, rebuked and

threatened them instead of paying any heed to their

complaints and flogged those who gave evidence against his

malpractices, although their only offence was that they

brought the evil deeds of Walid to the notice of Uthman.

The most severe treatment meted out by Bani

Umayyah to their opponents or to those whom they

considered to be in the category of their opponents

(because they desired that the masses should have a right

in caliphate, and it should not become property of Bani

Umayyah) was seen in their treatment with Muhammad

bin Abi Bakr and the Egyptians who were going to Egypt.
As this incident has a very close connection with the
murder of Uthman we shall discuss it in detail in the
following chapter.

1 In order to Make the bitterness of advice palatable Imam AN
spoke at the outset in such a way that instead of getting irritated
Uthman should feel his duties and responsibilities. AN wanted to
draw his attention towards his obligations, and with that purpose in
view he mentioned his (Uthman's) companionship of the prophet as
well as his importance and proximity to the prophet on account of
kinship. Otherwise this was evidently no occasion to praise him and
these words should not be treated to be a panegyric ignoring the
latter part of the remarks of AN. The opening words simply go to
show that whatever Uthman did was done by him intentionally.
It was not that he committed unintentionally mistakes, which might
be overlooked. If it be a virtue that even after remaining in the
companionship of the prophet and knowing all the rules and regula-
tions of Islam a man should act in such a way that the entire world
of Islam should begin to cry on account of his oppression, these
remarks may be treated to be a praise. If it is not a merit, then its
being mentioned cannot be termed as praise. In fact the words that
have been used as praise are a proof of the seriousness of his
offences. An offence committed intentionally is much more serious
than the one committed inadvertently.
It is said that Uthman is entitled to great honour in the
capacity of the son-in-law of the prophet as the prophet married
to him, his two daughters named Ruqayya and Umm Kulthum
one after the other. Before considering these matrimonial alliances
a source of honour, however, the nature of this son-in-lawship
should be looked into. History tells us that Uthman did not enjoy
precedence in the matter. Ruqayya and Umm Kulthum were
previously married to Atba and Ateeba, the son of Abu Lahab.
In spite of this these two persons were not treated to be entitled to
any honour or respect even before the advent of Islam. In the
circumstances how can this relationship be treated to be a source
of honour for Uthman without taking into account his personal
qualities?.

Furthermore, it is also not an established fact that the two
ladies were the real daughters of the prophet. There are some who
do not admit them to be his real daughters but say that they were

the daughters of lady Khadijah's sister named Hala or her own
daughters from her former husband.
Alkuti (died 352 A.H.) says: "A short time after lady Khadijah
getting married to the prophet her sister Hala died and left behind
two daughters named Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum. They were
brought up by Khadijah and the prophet. It was customary before
the advent of Islam that if an orphan was brought up by someone it
was called his son or daughter". (Kitab al-lstighatha, p. 69).
"Before marrying the prophet lady Khadija was married to
Abi Hala bin Malik and had one son named Hind and one daughter
named Zainab from him. Earlier than that she was married to
N Atiq bin N Aa'ez and had one son and one daughter from him".
(Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol.4, p. 293).
This shows that lady Khadijah had two daughters before she
married the prophet. As mentioned above, according to the custom
then prevailing, they were to be called the prophet's daughters and
their husband was to be called his son-in-law. However, his position
as son-in-law would be commensurate with the position of the
daughters. Hence, before treating these marriages to be a source of
honour the actual position of the daughters (i.e. their real parentage)
must be kept in view.

Facts about Uthman's murder

Eleven years and many months passed. The resent-
ment of the people against the policies of Uthman went on
increasing day after day. The citizens of all Islamic
territories were deadly against Uthman, so much so that
there was tension all round. The thing which frightened
the Muslims most was that during Uthman's rule all the
ways and practices prevalent in the days of the prophet
and Abu Bakr and Umar which they liked most, were
made topsy-turvy and nothing of the past period remained
intact. They were used to see that the caliph protected
their rights and promoted their interests. As and when the
governors and the officers oppressed someone or mis-
behaved, the caliph dismissed them and redressed the
grievances of the people. However, as soon as Uthman
became caliph he ignored the rules and regulations based
on justice, and founded his government on the policy of
nepotism, which the people had never previously seen,
and which they could not tolerate.
The thing which disgusted the people most was that
Uthman's relatives usurped their rights and became richer
day by day and the common man was deprived even of
the necessities of life. They also resented the treatment
meted out by the caliph to their deputations which
approached him to complain against the governors and
other officers.

The people were also very much annoyed on account
of the insults and humiliation to which the distinguished
companions of the prophet like Abu Zar, Ammar, and
Ibn Mas v ud, were subjected. They also disliked his policy
of removing reliable and popular governors and officers
and replacing them by the persons who were unjust
and oppressive.

The pious Muslims did not also like that the rulers
should oppress the Zimmis, because, after all, they too
were human beings. They did not wish that the society
should be poisoned with discrimination and egotism, and
incompetent persons should be given preference over
honest and competent ones.
During the last days of the caliphate of Uthman the

people became so impatient that they revolted against him.
This was quite natural because the seeds of revolt were
present in his own policies. It is said that one day Uthman
chanced to pass by the house of a man named Jabala bin
Amr Sa v di. Jabala was sitting amongst the people of his
tribe and held a chain in his hand. Uthman saluted them
and those present replied to his salutation, with the excep-
tion of Jabala. He said to his tribesmen: "Why have you
replied to the salutation of a man who has done such and
such thing". Then he addressed Uthman saying: "I swear
by God that unless you turn away your wicked favourites
like Marwan, Ibn Aamir and Abi bin Sarah, I will put this
chain round your neck".

Allama Ibn Abil Hadid says that the people had
become so daring that one day when Uthman was address-
ing the people holding in his hand the stick which was held
by prophet and Abu Bakr and Umar while delivering
sermons, a person named Jehjah Ghifari snatched the stick
from his hand, pressed it on his knee and broke it.
In the beginning the people did not pick up enough
courage to misbehave towards Uthman. However, when
the malpractices of Marwan and others continued to
increase and Uthman, instead of restraining them from
their evil deeds showed indulgence to them the disturbances
and rebellion also became widespread. Till then only the
people individually opposed and criticized Uthman and
only one or two persons misbehaved towards him. However,
as time passed on the entire Muslim nation became his
enemy. The people of Madina wrote letters to the Muslims
of other cities on these lines: "If you are desirous of
undertaking jihad you should come here, because the
religion of Muhammad is being made corrupt by your
caliph. Come and remove him from the caliphate".
The residents of all the cities turned against Uthman.
By the year 35 A.H. the events took such a turn that the
inhabitants of various cities wrote letters to one another
suggesting that something should be done to get rid of
Bani Umayyah and Uthman and all his governors and
officers should be removed from their offices. The news
about these activities reached Uthman also. He wrote
letters to the residents of different cities and tried to
reconcile them. Then he called his governors and senior
officers and held consultations with them. Some of them

suggested to Uthman that he should rule justly and adopt
the policies of Abu Bakr and Umar. Others minced their
words and did not give any clear-cut advice. One of those
belonging to the latter group was Mu v awiya ibn Abi Sufyan.
There were still others who were not fit to tender any
sincere advice because their suggestions were always based
on selfishness. One such person was Sa v id bin Aas who said
that the state of affairs then prevailing was only transitory
and the only remedy for them is the unsheathing of
the sword.

The conference ended without taking any unanimous
decision to tackle with the situation. The reason for this
was that all the governors and officers of Uthman liked
his policy through which they could encroach upon the
people's rights and make as much money as they could.
They did not, therefore, give any sincere advice. There
were some amongst them however, who thought that their
interests would be best served if they could get rid of
Uthman and were, therefore, endeavouring secretly, and
some of them even openly, to achive this end. Reasons for
this attitude of the persons concerned will be explained
later. And the most important thing about the conference
was that Marwan was keeping a very close watch on all
the participants. Hence, even if some of them had made
good suggestions they would have been of no use because
the last word on the subject was to be that of Marwan.
Uthman always acted on his advice.
Eventually rebellion broke out. The Muslims of all
the countries and provinces had turned against Uthman's
administration, policy, and caliphate, which were virtually
in the hands of Marwan and his associates.
In the meantime some persons from Egypt approached
Uthman to complain against lbn Abi Sarah, the Governor
of Egypt. Uthman heard them attentively, reproached Ibn
Abi Sarah for his malpractices and promised those people
that their grievances would be redressed. Then he wrote a
letter to Ibn Abi Sarah asking him to mend his ways and
threatened him that if he disobeyed his orders he would
be punished. Marwan did not like these developments.
When the complainants came out of the caliph's palace he
too came out and rebuked them. Then he insisted that the
caliph should ignore the promises made by him to those
persons and should not take any notice of their complaints.

The Egyptians returned with the letter and handed it
over to Ibn Abi Sarah. He was very much displeased on
reading it and declined to obey the caliph's orders. He
became so furious that he killed one of the members of
the deputation. This arrogance of Ibn Abi Sarah was due
to the fact that he was the foster-brother of Uthman and it
was on account of this relationship that he had appointed
him the Governor of Egypt.
The people of Egypt resented the treatment meted
out to them by Ibn Abi Sarah. They decided to send
another deputation to Madina consisting of one thousand
persons. They stayed in the masjid of the prophet and
proclaimed that they would not interfere with those who
remained within doors and did not take up arms against
them. Thereafter some of their distinguished persons met
the companions of the prophet. They explained to them
the atrocities committed by Ibn Abi Sarah including the
murder of an innocent person whose only offence was
that he was a member of the deputation which had waited
on Uthman earlier. Some companions saw Uthman and
discussed with him the state of affairs prevailing in Egypt.
Thereafter many other persons headed by Ali met Uthman
in this behalf. They spoke to him in a very rational and
logical manner and said: "These people only want that you
should remove Ibn Abi Sarah from governorship and
appoint some other person in his place. Earlier also they
had complained about the murder of an innocent person.
You should remove Ibn Abi Sarah from office and also
take a decision on their complaint. If Ibn Abi Sarah proves
to be guilty you should punish him and thus provide
justice to these people".

Uthman swore before the people and assured them
that he would try his best for the good of the people. He
also asked them to suggest the name of a person who
might be appointed Governor of Egypt in the place of Ibn
Abi Sarah. The Egyptians after due deliberations suggested
the name of Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. Uthman appointed
him as governor and sent with him a party consisting of
the Muhajirs and the Ansar to investigate the malpractices
of Ibn Abi Sarah.

Three days after their departure from Madina
Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and his companions saw on the
way an Ethiopian slave who was driving his camel hastily

towards Egypt. These people felt surprised. They, there-
fore, stopped him and enquired of him why he was
running so fast and what was the purpose of his journey.
After some questioning he said: 'T am the slave of the
Commander of the Faithful Uthman and have been sent to
go and see the Governor of Egypt". The people said to
him: "The Governor of Egypt is here with us". The slave
replied: "I don't mean him". When Muhammad bin Abi
Bakr was informed of the matter he called for the slave
and asked him as to who he was. He said: "I am a slave of
the Commander of the Faithful". Then contradicting
himself he said: "No, no. I am a slave of Marwan". He thus
went on saying contradictory things. Then Muhammad
asked him: "Where are you going?" He replied: "I am
going to Egypt to see the governor". "What for?" asked
Muhammad. The slave replied: "I have to convey a message
to him".

Upon Muhammad asking the slave whether he was
carrying a letter he replied in the negative. Thereupon
Muhammad ordered his person to be searched. After a very
minute search a letter was found with him which was
addressed by Uthman to Abdullah lbn Abi Sarah.
Muhammad opened the letter in the presence of the
Muhajirs and the Ansar who were accompanying him. It
read as follows: "When Muhammad son of Abu Bakr and
other such and such persons arrive in Egypt you should kill
them on one pretext or another. Consider the letter which
Muhammad is bringing to you as cancelled and continue
to occupy your office until further orders. Imprison any
person who approaches you with a complaint and then
await instructions from me".
When the letter was read out all those present were
bewildered and complete silence prevailed. No one could
imagine that the caliph could make such a wicked plan
to take the lives of his subjects including the Muhajirs
and the Ansar.

Muhammad bin Abi Bakr closed the envelope again
and affixed on it the seals of the Muhajirs and the Ansar.
The party then decided to return to Madina and to show
the letter to the companions of the prophet. When the
letter was read out in Madina before the companions,
including Imam Ali all of them were deeply grieved. This
conspiracy against the Muslims and Islam which was unpre-

cedented made them furious. The wrath of the people who
were already annoyed on account of the treatment meted
out to Abu Zar, Ammar Yasir, etc. knew no bounds. A
deputation headed by Ali which included Sa v d bin Abi
Waqas and Ammar Yasir was formed and they went to see
Uthman. They also took with them the letter, the slave
and the camel on which he was mounted. The following
conversation took place between Ali and Uthman:
Ali: Is this your slave?
Uthman: Yes

Ali: Is this camel also yours?
Uthman: Yes

Ali: Is the seal affixed on the letter also Yours?
Uthman: Yes

Ali: Then does it mean that this letter was sent by you?
Uthman: No. I swear by God that I neither wrote this
letter myself nor ordered anyone else to write it, nor sent
this slave to Egypt.

The companions got the impression that Uthman was
telling the truth. On further scrutiny they realized that the
letter was in the hand- writing of Marwan. They, therefore,
asked Uthman to call Marwan before them so that they
might inquire into the matter, and ask him as to why he
wrote the letter. Uthman declined to summon Marwan.
Although Marwan was then present with him in the capital
he did not have the moral courage to appear before those
persons, admit his fault, and thus prove the innocence of
Uthman. The companions, therefore, returned to their
house in consternation. They believed that Uthman could
not swear falsely, but some of them said that they would
consider him to be innocent only when he handed over
Marwan to them so that they might question him and
investigate the matter, and find out the real facts about the
letter. They also said that if the letter had been written by
Uthman they would depose him, but if it had been written
at his behest by Marwan they would ponder over the
matter and decide as to how Marwan should be dealt with.
However, Uthman did not agree to surrender Marwan.
The insurgents now began insisting all the more vehemently
that Marwan should be handed over to them, so that they
might question him and inquire into his activities. Uthman,
however, flatly refused to agree to this demand.
Thereafter many developments which are recorded in

the books of history took place. Imam Ali tried his level
best to bring about reconciliation between the insurgents
and Uthman so that bloodshed might be avoided. He saw
Uthman again and suggested to him that he should come
before the public and deliver a speech which should be
heard by all, and in that speech he should confirm the
promises made by him with the people so that they might
be satisfied. He also said to Uthman: "I swear by God that
all the Islamic territories have turned against you. I am
afraid the people of Kufa and Basra may also come to
Madina like the Egyptians and you may be obliged to ask
me to cool them down".

Uthman came out of his house and delivered a speech
before the gathering. He expressed his regret for his past
lapses and promised that such things would not happen in
future. He also promised that their demands would be met
and Marwan and his associates would be cast aside.
Uthman's speech had a salutary effect. While he was
speaking tears trickled from his eyes. Others also began
to weep and their beards became wet with tears. When he
dismounted from the pulpit of the masjid and went home,
he saw Marwan, Sa v id bin Aas, and some other members
of the Umayyad Family waiting for him. They had not
been present when Uthman was speaking but had become
aware of what he had said. When Uthman sat down
Marwan asked him: "O my chief! Should I say something
or keep quiet?" Uthman said: "Say what you want to
say". Marwan then said in a reproaching manner: "You
have only encouraged these people and done nothing else".
Uthman replied somewhat regretfully: "I have said what
I have said. I cannot take back my words". Marwan said:
"The people are crowded before the gate of your house
like a mountain and this is so because you have encouraged
them. If one of them complains of oppression the other
demands the dismissal of a governor. You have been very
cruel to your caliphate. It would have been better for you
if you had remained patient and quiet".
Uthman said: "I feel ashamed of going back on my
words. You may, however, go and talk to them".
Having got the permission Marwan came at the gate
of the house and said to those who were gathered there:
"What is all this crowd? It appears that you have come to
plunder the house. May your faces be blackened! Have you

come to wrest the government from us? By God, if you
intend doing harm to us we shall deal with you in a
manner that you will never forget. Go to your houses.
We cannot tolerate interference with our authority by
anyone".

The people went away in despair, abusing and
threatening the rulers. Some one informed Ali about the
new development. As Uthman had ignored his suggestion
and acted on the advice of Marwan, Ali could very well
refrain from going to Uthman again and tendering him any
advice. However, pity for the aged caliph, heart- felt desire
for reconciliation among the Muslims, and a slight hope
that Uthman might follow the path of prudence compelled
him to advise Uthman once again. When night fell and
Uthman came to see Ali for consultations on the suggest-
ion of his wife Na v ela, Ali said to him: "After making
a speech from the prophet's pulpit you went home and
then Marwan came out and abused the people. Thereafter
what is left to be done and what can I do for you?"
Uthman cursed himself much for his lapse. Ali then
said to him: "I swear by God that I have endeavoured
more than anyone else to keep the people away from you.
However, whenever I suggest to you something which
I hope will please you Marwan intervenes. And unfortu-
nately you accept what he says and ignore what I suggest".
Ali was quite correct in saying this because this time also
Marwan had spoiled the case.

The insurgents began insisting on their demands once
again. They wanted the fulfilment of all the promises made
with them. They also demanded that Marwan, who was the
root-cause of all the mischief, should be surrendered to
them so that they might take revenge on him. However,
Uthman's attitude hardened and he sternly refused to hand
over Marwan to them. The insurgents also became adamant.
The disturbance and rebellion became acute and the
insurgents besieged the house of Uthman.
In fact the insurgents did not want to harm Uthman.
All they desired was that he should repent for his lapses
and abdicate. This is proved by the fact that a man named
Nayyar bin Ayaz who was one of the companions of the
prophet took his place in the first row of the insurgents
and said to Uthman loudly: "You should abdicate and
I assure you that you will remain unhurt". While he was

saying this Kathir bin Salat Kandi, who was a supporter
of Uthman and was in his house at that time shot an arrow
and killed Nayyar bin Ayaz. The insurgents cried: "Hand
over the murderer of Ibn Ayaz to us". Uthman replied:
"How can I surrender to you a man who is defending me?"
The insurgents attacked the gate of the house which
was closed immediately. They then put it on fire and their
archers began to shower arrows on the caliph's palace.
Eventually Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and his two
companions entered the house from the side of the house
of Muhammad ibn Abi Khurram Ansari. When they
reached near him they found his wife Na v ela with him.
The two companions of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr attacked
him with a sharp weapon and put him to death. 1 Then
they escaped through the way they had entered the house.
Na v ela cried: "The people have assassinated the Commander
of the Faithful!"

Uthman met his death in this manner. The people
who were responsible for his murder were of two kinds.
To one group belonged those who became furious for the
sake of truth. They asked Uthman to repent of his lapses
and when he declined to do so they besieged his house and
killed him. Amongst them were included the people of the
Hijaz, Egypt and Iraq and all the Islamic cities. To the
second group belonged those who were mad after the war
booty. With them there was a leader who was obeyed
and these people left Uthman in the lurch. We have already
written about the persons belonging to the first group.
As regards the second group we shall speak about them in
the chapter entitled. "The greatest conspiracy" because
these people are closely concerned with the treatment
which was meted out to Ali and the fraud and deception
to which he was subjected.

1 Although it is said that Ali tried to save Uthman and sent his
two sons Hasan and Husayn to guard the gate of his house but the
factual position is that Ali was not present in Madina when Uthman
was killed and the assertions made in this behalf are not correct.
Refuting a similar narration Allama Haithmi says: "It is quite clear
that this narration is not authentic. Ali was not present in Madina
either when Uthman's house was besieged or when he was killed.

(Majma v al-Zawaid, Vol.7, p. 63).

Uthman had himself asked AN to go to his estate atYanb'a

so that people might not suggest his name for the caliphate. S uch

a request had already been made many times as has been mentioned

by AN in Nahj al-Balaghah: "Uthman treats me like a camel which

carries water to and fro. At times he tells me that I should go to

Yanb N a. When I go there he calls me back to solve some problems.

And when I have relieved him of his difficulties he again asks me to

go back to YanbV.

Some false statements

There are some writers in the world who do not care
either for the historical facts or for the conditions and
environments of life. They mention strange causes for the
revolt which the oppressed persons made agaist Uthman
and insist that the events of that time were the result of
the will and desire of a particular person who had toured
all the Islamic territories and instigated the people to
rise against Uthman and his government.
The explanations put forth by these writers will no
doubt make you laugh, because their only object is that
the persons who were actually responsible for the murder
of Uthman should not be censured, or else the people
would begin to doubt the very faith of these writers. These
writers are like those who try to reverse the direction of
the water falling from above. They consider their readers
to be simpletons and ignorant.

One of these writers is Sa v id al- Afghani, the author of
"Ayesha wa al-Siyasah M . He has tried his best to make his
readers believe that the events which took place in the
Islamic territory leading to the murder of Uthman and
thereafter were due to the activities of only one man

namely Abdullah bin Saba. 1 This claim and accusation
leads one to the conclusion that the government of
Uthman and his minister Marwan was an ideal one and
Bani Umayyah and their governors and officers were the
standard-bearers of human brotherhood and social justice
in Arabia, but unfortunately one single person named
Abdullah bin Saba brought all their capabilities and good
deeds to nought. He toured all the districts and provinces
and instigated the people to rise against the governors and
officers who were very pious as well as great reformers.
Butforthis man (Abdullah bin Saba) the people would
have led happy and peaceful lives under the auspices of the
bounties of Marwan, the justice of Walid and the for-
bearance of Mu'awiya.

Such a claim amounts to distortion of facts, injsutice
to the people and an indecent attempt to support certain
points of view. It also amounts to misguiding the people in
respect of the basic truths on which history is based,

because the object of such a futile attempt is that the
responsibility for the events of a period, rather many
periods, should be placed on the shoulders of one man
who roamed about from area to area and the people of all
those areas rose against the government owing to his
vicious propaganda and not on account of anything else.
As regards the policies of the government, the deplor-
able condition of the economic and social system, the
refractoriness of those associated with the government,
misappropriation of public funds and adoption of dictato-
rial methods by Bani Umayyah and maltreatment of
respectable personalities like Abu Zar and AmmarYasir,
the author does not attach any importance to them and
does not think that these things were the cause of general
revolt of the people. According to him all the uproar
against Uthman was due to the activities of Abdullah bin
Saba who restrained the Muslims from obeying the religious
leaders of Islam and created disturbances and dissensions.
What a dangerous mentality it is that important events
which were continuos and correlated with one another and
had a great bearing on the society and the economic and
social system of that time should be explained away by
saying that the root-cause of all these things was the
conspiracies of one man who according to Sa N id Afghani,
roamed about from town to town and sowed the seeds of
dissension and mischief in a pure society. And by pure
society he evidently means the society which was headed
by Marwan bin Hakam.

It deserves notice that Sa N id Afghani attaches such a
great importance to Abdullah bin Saba or Ibn al-Sawda in
his above mentioned book and he elevates Mu'awiya un-
consciously and degrades Abu Zar, though Mu'awiya was
Mu'awiya and Abu Zar was Abu Zar. Afgani writes:
"Abdullah bin Saba toured the Islamic territories and
visited every place. He commenced his nefarious activities
in Hijaz and then went to Syria. At that time Syria was
ruled by an experienced and far-sighted person namely
Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, who sensed the danger imme-
diately and expelled him from there. However, his mischief
did cast some effect on him. Ibn Saba assessed the situation
and sowed the seeds of mischief. He instigated a distin-
guished companion of the prophet to rise against Mu'awiya.
Abu Zar was a man whose words were believed

by the Syrians. Mifawiya, who was a forbearing person as
well as a diplomat, was very much upset. He, therefore,
requested Uthman to remove that man from Syria, that
distinguished companion was Abu Zar whose story is well
known (Ayesha wa al-Siyasah).
What this author purports to say may be summarised
thus: During the caliphate of Uthman the people in various
provinces were leading very happy and prosperous lives.
The province of Syria, in particular, was then governed by
a very farsighted and experienced person namely Mu'awiya.
As regards the great reformer Abu Zar he was a nonentity
and would have remained so if Abdullah bin Saba had not
contacted and awakened him. And when he awakened him
he did so to make him create mischief, because, according
to the author he (i.e. Abdullah bin Saba) was the source
of all troublesand his object in touring the Islamic terri-
tories was to create mischief. The result was that Abu Zar
did what Abdullah bin Saba desired i.e. he created mischief,
misguided the people and made them rebel against the
leaders.

According to the said author the activities of Abu Zar
were dangerous for the Arabs, Islam and history, because
he incited the poor to rise against the rich. For this very
reason Mu'awiya got fed up with him and he showed
kindness to the newly-converted Muslims as well as to
history by expelling Abu Zar from Syria.
As is evident the logic of Sa'id Afghani reminds one
of the logic of those rulers who declare all truth-loving
persons to be rebels and mischief-monagers. Is it not
something odd that whereas the old historians should
be aware of the reasons of the disturbance, the modern
historians should not be able to know it although the
sources of information of the latter are much larger. The
author of "Ayesha wa al-Siyasah" attributes the revolu-
tionary movement against Uthman to the activities of
Abdullah bin Saba, whereas Tabari and the historians
of the earlier and the later period explained the events
correctly and give their causes which are quite convincing.
While enumerating the causes of the movement
Tabari says: "Those persons who did not enjoy precedence
in the embracing Islam, nor had any position in Islam,
could not be equal to those who embraced Islam at its
early stage and enjoyed great dignity and importance.

These very early M uslims found fault with the bestowal
of large gifts and considered it to be injustice, as their own
share used to be very small. When new converts to Islam
or the bedouin Arabs or freed slaves met them they were
very much impressed by what they said. The result was
that the number of the opponents of Uthman went on
increasing. So much so that those who opposed Uthman
became larger in number than those who were pleased
with him. The result was that the disturbances prevailed.
It is surprising that other contemporary writers have
also committed the same mistake. Among others was
Ahmad Amin, the author of "Fajr al-lslam". He thinks
that Abu Zar Ghifari was a simpleton who was enticed by
Abdullah bin Saba into believing in Mazdakite (communist)
ideas so that he might prove useful for spoiling the
atmosphere of various cities.
And even more surprising is the fact that in order to
prove that Abu Zar was influenced by Mazdakite ideas he
has mentioned his (Abu Zar's) remark which is quoted by
Tabari. Abu Zar is reported to have said, addressing the
people of Damascus: "0 wealthy people! Sympathise with
the poor. Those who hoard gold and silver announce to
them a painful chastisement" (Fajr al-lslam p. 110).
Ahmad Amin may very well be asked whether sympa-
thetic treatment with the poor by the rich is only a Mazda-
kite theory and not a pure Islamic injuction and whether
Abu Zar's remark "0 wealthy people! Behave sympatheti-
cally with the poor" is not closely related with the Quranic
verse: "Those who hold up gold and silver and do not spend
in God's way, announce to them a painful chastisement".
At another place in Fajr al-lslam Ahmad Amin
treating Abdullah bin Saba to be the root cause of mischief
says: "This man prompted Abu Zar Ghifari to propagate
communism, and he was the ring-leader of the insurgents
who came from different places to attack Uthman. It was
he who endeavoured to corrupt the faith of the Muslims.
He toured Hijaz, Basra, Kufa, Syria and Egypt extensively.
Hence it is possible that he might have acquired the
Mazdakite ideas from the Mazdakites of Iraq or Yemen
and Abu Zar too might have liked these ideas and adopted
them".

It is very unfortunate that the author of Fajr al-lslam
does not ponder as to what new thing appeared in the

Islamic beliefs of Abu Zar. Does Islam itself not announce
that the poor enjoy certain rights over the rich and all
Muslims are equal and does the Qur'an not say that the
foreheads, flanks and backs of those who hoard gold and
silver will be branded in the Hell with the same gold and
silver? Then what are those Mazdakite ideas in which Abu
Zar began to believe? The fact is that Abu Zar was fighting
against those persons with whom Islam itself fought and
promised them the fire of Hell.
The question also arises as to whether Abu Zar, who
was a distinguished companion of the prophet, foremost
among the ShPah of AN, and the fifth person to embrace
Islam, did not know himself that all the M uslims were
entitled to share the wealth of the nation and not that a
few one should hoard it. And could he not realize that
during the caliphate of Uthman the public property had
been appropriated by a few persons and the people were
being subjected to tyranny and oppression and as these
things are opposed to the teachings of Islam it was the
duty of the Muslims to rise against them?
And then the question is: Was Abu Zar such a
simpleton that he had to depend on Abdullah bin Saba
to tell him that Uthman was practising nepotism and going
the ways of Kaiser and Kisra? Did Abu Zar and the people
come to know only on Abdullah bin Saba telling them
that the rulers had gone astray and the people had been
deprived of their rights and consequently Abu Zar and
others expressed resentment?
These writers have understood Abdullah bin Saba
and Mazdak's creed but they have not understood Abu Zar
and Islam! They have found the rebellious movement of
Abdullah bin Saba and his instigating the people to rise
against the caliph to be dreadful. But they have not found
to be dreadful those acts of Uthman which annoyed the
Muslims - acts which annoy all nations during all ages viz.
nepotism, favouritism and adopting a discriminating policy.
Researchers differ about the causes which led to the
murder of Uthman. The most prominent event about
which there is difference of opinion between them is the
letter written from Madina to Ibn Abi Sarah, the Governor
of Egypt, who was directed to kill the governor-designate-
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr on his arrival in Egypt. This
event has been mentioned in detail earlier.

As regards those who do not consider it to be a true
incident it appears necessary to mention the views of one
of them namely Dr. Taha Husayn, because he enjoys great
respect as a research scholar of the history of Islam and the
Arab world. He says thus in the first volume (entitled
Uthman) of his book Al-Fitnatu'l Kubra:
"Here the story of the letter is related. The tradi-
tionists say that when the Egyptians were returning after
having been satisfied with the promises of Uthman they
were able to lay their hands on the way on a slave who was
carrying a letter to Ibn Abi Sarah. I think this story is
fabricated. The greatest proof of this is that the compa-
nions of the prophet contended with the Egyptians on this
point and asked them: "When you and the people of Kufa
as well as those of Basra were going your respective ways
how did the people of Kufa and Basra come to know that
you had found such a letter? "To this the Egyptians could
not give any reply and they said: "Whatever you may be
thinking we do not need this man (Uthman). We shall
certainly remove him from his office and appoint a new
caliph in his place".

"It cannot be believed that Uthman could deceive the
Muslims by removing the Governor of Egypt and replacing
him by another and then writing a secret letter to the
governor to kill them on their arrival".
"It cannot also be believed that Marwan could dare
write a letter purporting to be from Uthman and affix his
seal on it and then send it through his slave mounted on
his camel".

"The matter is, however, quite simple. Uthman might
have promised to accept the demands of the insurgents of
Kufa, Basra and Egypt and they believed in him. Later
they came to know that he had not fulfilled his promises.
They, therefore, became furious and returned with great
anger to finish the matter and not to return to their homes
until they had removed Uthman from his office or killed
him and made some other arrangement for the caliphate.
When they reached Madina they found that the companions
of the prophet were ready to fight with them. They,
however, refrained from fighting with the companions and
returned from Madina deceitfully. When they became sure
that the companions had laid their arms aside and were
resting in their houses they (the insurgents) returned and

assumed the control of Madina without any bloodshed".
(Al-Fitna tu'l-Kubra, Vol.1, N Uthman').
It is time that the historical events about which the
writers differ deserve to be doubted, especially those events
which serve sectarian interests or support any particular
creed. This doubt cannot be removed unless history itself
provides a conclusive proof or it is analysed and interpreted
in a way which by itself serves as a sufficient proof. The
incident of the letter in question is no doubt such that it
should make Dr. Taha Husayn doubt its authenticity and
the reasons for his treating it as doubtful may also be
accepted, provided that certain facts which stand in the
way of accepting those reasons as sufficient do not exist.
Dr. Taha Husayn says that when the companions of
the prophet asked the people of Kufa and Basra as to how
they came to know that the Egyptians had acquired such
a letter when each party was going its own way they could
not give a reply. This is not, however, something which
may make one deny the incident of the letter outright.
According to the narrations as well as the sequence of
events it is an established fact that Uthman had appointed
Muhammad bin Abi Bakr as the Governor of Egypt and
had also sent a party of the M uhajirs and the Ansar with
him. Muhammad and his companions had complete reliance
on the letter which Uthman had given them and they,
therefore, left Madina for Egypt. However, before reaching
their destination they returned to Madina. Now the
question arises as to why those people returned very much
annoyed? And why did they await an opportunity to enter
the city without bloodshed? Neither history nor those who
deny the existence of any such letter mention any cause
for the return of Muhammad and his companions to
Madina. Only one cause is mentioned and that is the letter
in question.

Furthermore, the M uhajirs and the Ansar who were
sent with Muhammad to Egypt to investigate the activities
of Ibn Abi Sarah and to make the atmosphere favourable
for the governorship of M uhammad were all obedient to
Uthman and some of them, if not all, enjoyed the position
of Uthman's supporters and associates. How can one
imagine that these persons who were the well-wishers of
Uthman, could forge a letter signed by him? And if it is
said that the letter was not forged by the M uhajirs and the

Ansar but it was signed by someone else, then the question
arises as to how these people accepted it as having been
written by Uthman. And if it is said that no such letter
was found then it must also be admitted that M uhammad
bin Abi Bakr and his companions did not return to Madina
on account of any letter and the story of the letter was
fabricated by the enemies of Uthman after his murder.
In that case the question arises as to why Dr. Taha Husayn
and other historians and narrators admit the existence
of such a letter and say that the companions of the prophet
contended with the insurgents on account of the letter and
enquired as to how the people of Kufa and Basra came to
know about the Egyptians having located the letter when
each of the three parties was going its own way?
In the circumstances the existence of the letter cannot
be denied. The question, therefore, remains as to who
wrote that letter and engineered a plot to kill Muhammad
bin Abi Bakr, the Muhajirs and the Ansar accompanying
him, and the opponents of Ibn Abi Sarah?
As mentioned above Dr. Taha Husayn does not
believe that Uthman could write such a letter and deceive
the Muslims. This view of Dr. Taha Husayn is correct.
Uthman could not practise such a deception. Itis, however,
a fact that Uthman was of a very mild nature. This very
mildness occasionally made him surrender to the wishes of
Bani Umayyah and deceit and cunningness of Bani Umayyah
is too well known. We learn from the life history of Uthman
that at a certain time he issued some orders, later withdrew
them, expressed regret for having issued them, and began
weeping.

The treatment meted out by Uthman to Abu Zar is a
clear example of the way in which Bani Umayyah prevailed
upon him to do things opposed to justice and good
conscience and then he had to express regret. He subjected
Abu Zar to extreme humiliation and torture and then did
his best to reconcile him. Soon afterwards, however,
he got annoyed with Abu Zar again and banished him
as a result of which he and the members of his family died
of starvation.

Another such instance was the insult to which
Uthman subjected the distinguished companion of the
prophet namely Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. In compliance
with his orders a man picked up Abdullah and threw him

on the ground as a result of which his bones got broken.
He also stopped his stipend. Soon afterwards, however,
he felt ashamed and apologized to Abdullah.
Uthman's biography also shows that he asked AN
to leave Madina and then sent messengers asking him to
return. This happened many times. So much so that AN
had to say: "Uthman wants to make me a camel which
carries water so that I may continue to come and go.
He asked me to leave Madina and then called me back.
Now he again wants me to go away from here".
Uthman gives general licence to Abdullah Ibn Abi
Sarah to deal with the people of Egypt as he liked. Ibn Abi
Sarah subjects the Egyptians to severe oppression. The
Egyptians come to Madina and complain to Uthman.
Uthman addresses them. He praises them, expresses regret,
and repents for the past deeds. So much so that he begins
to weep and promises that he would replace Ibn Abi
Sarah by a governor of their choice. Then he returns to
his palace where he meets Marwan. Marwan makes him
go back on his word and he does not keep any promise
made to the Egyptians!

For Uthman the matter of Abu Zar and Ibn Mas'ud
was not easier than that of M uhammad bin Abi Bakr or
the Egyptians. The admonitions made by both of them to
his kinsmen were more painful to him than the Egyptian's
attack once on the capital of Madina and once on the
Governor of Egypt. When he could misbehave with Abu
Zar and Ibn Mas'ud to comply with the wishes of his own
kinsmen, Muhammad and Fgyptians were evidently of no
consequence in his eyes. Furthermore, it is an established
fact that M uhammad bin Abi Bakr was an opponent of
Uthman's politics whereas Ibn Abi Sarah was one of his
confidants and liked very much his policies and methods
of Government. In the light of these facts it is possible
that Uthman might have regretted the appointment of
Muhammad bin Abi Bakr instead of Ibn Abi Sarah as well
as the promises made by him with the Egyptians and might
have decided to go back upon his word under the pressure
of Marwan and other Umayyads.
By mentioning the incident of the letter we do not
mean to support those who claim that the letter was
written by Uthman himself. What we mean to say is that
Uthman had such a mild nature that Marwan and the

descendants of Hakam who were all in all in Uthman's
administration could prevail upon him and dupe him very
easily to achieve their own ends. Hence if it cannot be
accepted that Uthman could deceive the M uslims it can
very well be accepted that Marwan could exert pressure
on Uthman to get things done according to his desire.
Now we turn to Dr. Taha Husayn once again. He
thinks that for two reasons which we have mentioned
earlier the story of the letter is fabricated and baseless.
Then he advances another reason in support of his claim
which, in our opinion, is very weak. He says. "It is not
something rational and acceptable that Marwan might dare
to write a letter as if it was written by Uthman, affix his
seal thereon, and send it through his (Uthman's) slave".
We say in reply that it is not surprising that Marwan
should have taken such a step. What suprises us is that
Dr. Taha Husayn considers Marwan's action to be beyond
reason. He holds this view notwithstanding the fact that
it was the same Marwan who considered himself to be the
master and the people to be his servants and slaves, whom
he could allow to live or put to death at his own free will.
Now we should like to comment on Dr. Taha's
view that these narrations do not stand to reason. There
are narrations which tell that the letter was written by
Marwan and the entire plot was the outcome of his policies
and methods of administration, because he was the de
facto ruler of the Islamic territories.
In this connection it is necessary to keep some points
in view.

Firstly all the narrations unitedly say that a depu-
tation headed by AN waited on Uthman. It included
Ammar, Talha, Zubayr and Sa N d bin Abi Waqas. AN held
the letter in question in his hand. He also took with him
the slave and the camel. He had a talk with Uthman about
the letter and then the companions came to know that the
letter had been written by Marwan. They then asked
Uthman to call Marwan before them so that they might
question him. Uthman did not agree to this and the com-
panions went away very much annoyed. We have already
quoted this narration at length in the foregoing pages.
Secondly Marwan's opinion about Uthman's caliphate
must also be kept in view. In this connection the question
arises whether, in his eyes Uthman was a caliph like Abu

Bakr and Umar or an Umayyad through whom Bani
Umayyah were to regain the power and authroty which
had been destroyed by Islam.
Marwan was a perfect model of Umayyad opportu-
nism. According to him the Caliphate had nothing to do
with the fact that Uthman was a Qurayshite, a Muhajir, a
companion of the prophet and a believer in his prophethood.
Rather he only considered Uthman to be a member of the
Umayyad Family.

According to Marwan the caliphate was not something
which meant a just government based on the principles of
public welfare and which was expected to follow the
S unnah of the prophet and the conduct of the previous
caliphs. It was a kingship which slipped away from the
hands of Abu Bakr and Umar because they did not nominate
their children as their successors. It was, however, incum-
bent upon Uthman, who was an Umayyad, not to repeat
this mistake so that the people might imagine that the
caliphate belonged to Bani Umayyah only. It was therefore
necessary for Uthman that he should behave towards the
people in the same manner in which a careful monarch
behaves towards his subjects. If Uthman was notable to
rule in this way there was Marwan to guide him. The
sentences uttered by Marwan while addressing the insurgents
which have been reproduced earlier, depict a true picture
of his mentality. He had said: "Why have you people
gathered here? Do you want to snatch our kingdom?"
During those days the caliphate was in fact the king-
dom of Marwan. The subjects were not entitled to raise
their voice and claim their sustenance and freedom from
the king. Marwan was a king belonging to the Umayyad
Family and people were his slaves.
How could a person, who viewed the caliph and the
caliphate in the manner explained above and issued orders
according to that conception, be expected to tolerate that
the people should put up their demands before the govern-
ment of his relative Uthman (which was as good as Marwan's
own government) and the king should surrender before
their wishes and dismiss the governor who was an impor-
tant member of the U mayyad regime and appoint in his
place Muhammad bin Abi Bakr who was an opponent
of Uthman's government and a staunch supporter of
Imam AN?

We cannot also ignore the fact that it was the
insurgents and the companions of the prophet who were
annoyed with Uthman and had recommended the name of
Muhammad for appointment as governor and Marwan had
not been consulted in the matter. Of course, Marwan
could not tolerate that his authority should be violated
in this manner.

When Marwan's views about the caliphate are known
it becomes evident that he could not ignore the superiority
which had returned once again to the Umayyad Family.
And when it is realized that instead of considering Uthman
to be the caliph of the Muslims Marwan treated him to be
member of the Umayyad Family and a representative of
Umayyad Government it should not be difficult to under-
stand that he could be presumptuous vis-a-vis Uthman.
However, if he was presumptuous he was so from our
view-point. So far as Marwan himself was concerned he
was only acting for protection of his rights.
Dr. Taha Husayn's saying that Marwan could not dare
write a letter in the name of Uthman and affix his seal on
it, does not stand to reason. History tells us of many ins-
tances in which he showed presumption and boldness. For
example, he suggested to Uthman to kill those companions
of the prophet who criticized his government (viz. AN,
Ammar, Abu Zaretc).

He suggested to Uthman that he should not give
a chance to Ibn Mas N ud to turn Syria against him as he had
already made the people of Kufa his opponents. Uthman
readily accepted his suggestion.
He tried to obstruct AN, his sons, and Aqil and Abbas
from saying good bye to Abu Zar, and did not desist from
doing so until AN struck his animal of riding and was about
to strike him also.

He was presumptuous on very delicate occasions.
He abused and turned out of the capital members of
various deputations which had come from other places.
Uthman heard and saw what he did but said nothing.
He openly suggested to Uthman to kill Ammar.
In many other matters also Marwan was much more
presumptuous. He spoke impudently to Na N ela, Uthman's
wife, in the presence of her husband, but Uthman kept
silent. This incident was as follows:
Na'ela was a wise woman. She disliked Marwan's

policies very much and repeatedly suggested to her husband
to acton the advice of Ali. When Uthman delivered a
speech before the representatives of Egypt, Basra and Kufa
he promised them to accede to their demands and then
returned to his house, Marwan said to him: "0 Commander
of the Faithful: "Should I speak or keep quiet?" Thereupon
Uthman's wife said: "You better keep quiet. I swear by
God that you people will kill Uthman and make his
children orphans. It is not proper that Uthman should go
back on and violate the promises made by him". Marwan
said to her: "What have you to do with these matters. By
G od, your father who is now dead did not know how to
perform ablution correctly".
Evidently when Marwan could speak in such an
impudent manner to the caliph's wife in his presence one
should not be suprised on his having written a letter with
the name of the caliph without his knowledge.
During the period of Uthman's caliphate also people
knew how Marwan misbehaved towards him and how
presumtuous he was in dealing with the caliph. The people
did not conceal his presumptuousness but reprimanded
him and also warned Uthman against him. Even then
Uthman did not disregard the suggestions made by M arwan.
Representing the views of the public Imam Ali had said to
Uthman: "You will be pleased with Marwan and he will be
satisfied with you only when he deprives you of your faith
and reason and drives you to any place he likes like a tame
and weak camel".

Marwan's presumptuousness also encouraged others
to misbehave towards Uthman. We have already narrated
in the foregoing pages the story of J abalah ibn Umrah
Sa'edi. It was the presumptuousness of Marwan which
encouraged J abalah to tell Uthman: "I swear by God that
I shall put this chain round your neck unless you turn
away your wicked kinsmen from around you".
Dr. Taha Husayn may well be asked whether this
presumptuousness of J abalah is more against reason or that
of Marwan who wrote a letter as if it was written by
Uthman when he was a favourite son-in-law of Uthman
and enjoyed great influence on him!

1 In the book entitled "Abdullah bin Saba" (in three volumes)

written recently by an erudite scholar namely Allama M urtaza

al-Askari (which has fortunately been translated into Urdu, English

and Persian as well) justice has been done to the subject in a very

competent manner and the veil has been removed from the

ambiguous face of this mythical person who has been the real hero

of the concocted stories written against the Shia during the span

of the last thirteen centuries.

In this book Allama al-Askari has, as a true researcher adopted

a correct method for showing the real face ofthis mythical personality.

He has commenced his study with the well-known documents like

Kamil Ibn Athir, Tarikh Ibn Khaldun, Tarikh Tabari, Ibn Kathir,

Ibn Asakir and Zahabi and has endeavoured to find out the source of

this story. After complete research and study he has found that it is

now more than a thousand years that the historians have quoted the

story of Abdullah bin Saba and his activities from a person named

Saif bin Umar. Many of them like Tabari have quoted from directly

and other writes of recent, past and present have quoted this story

from Tabari and other historians mentioned above.

Thereafter he has directed his research to the identification

of Saif bin Umar because all talks about Abdullah bin Saba

culminate in him. As a result of this research he has introduced

Saif bin Umar to us in the following terms in the light of clear

documentary proof.

He was a person who died after 170 A.H. and handed down

two books namely "al-Futuh-wal-Raddah" and "al-J amal-wa-Masiru

Ayesha-wa AN".

The study of the particulars of Saif in books on biographies

and of what has been written about him by scholars from 3rd

century upto 10th century Higira shows that he was a forger, a

writer of mythical stories and a coiner of Hadith who was sometimes

referred to as "Saif bin Umar Zindiq" (Atheist or Dualist) as well.

Study of his two books also confirms the fact that he

possessed those qualities, because most of his narrations do not

tally with any historical documents and have a perfect air of fiction.

All the documentary evidence collected in this behalf goes to

show that Saif bin Umar created a number figures and it is also

not improbable that he was commissioned to do so. One of these

fictitious figures is this very Abdullah bin Saba.

In this manner we find with the deepest regret that this man

(Abdullah bin Saba) who has, for more than one thousand years,

served as a pretext for propaganda against the Shia and has been

introduced as a J ew and the founder of Shi'ite Islam has had in fact

no real existence and was the creation of the brain of a forger and a
visionary person named Saif bin Umar!
We invite the enlightened conscience of the Muslim sages for
arbitration and ask: Is it proper that a religion whose root has been
watered by the purest sources of inspiration viz. the Family of the
holy Prophet should be subjected to such calumnies and unholy
remarks may be passed against it on the authority of fictitious
stories without any research or study? Is this the justice to which the
holy Qur'an invites us to adhere? And is this the meaning of the
commandment which we have been given regarding acceptance of
statements? "0 faithful! whenever a sinner or a libertine brings you
a news, verify it, lest you may subject a community to adversity on
account of ignorance and repent thereafter." (Sura al-Hujurat:6)
Further details on the subject may be a reference made to
Allama Murtaza Askari's masterpiece research work "Abdullah
bin Saba".