Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I would like to know your belief and understanding of religious position of Hazrat Ali.Where do you place Hadarat Ali A.S. (son-in-law to Rasullullah saws) in  relation to Islam and it's Revelation to mankind? This is a question that matters to the Shia sect and your answer will be an interesting one.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Makaam of Hadrat Ali

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol,  no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

One of the attributes of Allah, is that He is the Al-Muizz, The Bestower of Honor.  We, as mu’mins, are commanded to believe every word of Allah in the Holy Quran and believe and follow every word of our beloved Prophet Mohamed (saws),  who spoke nothing but the absolute truth.   Thus the best way to realize the position and ‘makaam’ of Ameer ul Mu’mineen Hadrat Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is to see what our Prophet (saws) had to say about him and his qualities:

When Allah's Messenger (saws) arranged brotherhoods among his companions (between the Muhajireen from Makkah and Ansar of Medina), Hadrat Ali (r.a.) came weeping to him (saws) and said, "You have arranged brotherhoods among your companions, but you have arranged no brotherhood between me and anyone."  He (saws) replied, "You are my brother in this world and the next."

The Prophet (saws) said in one of the battles: “Tomorrow, I (saws) will give the banner (make him the commander of the army) to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and  Allah and His Messenger love him.”  The Prophet (saws) gave the banner to Hadrat Ali the following day.

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Paradise is desirous (waiting anxiously) of three people: Ali (ibn Abu Talib), Ammar (bin Yassir) and Salman (al Faarsi)."

When Allah's Messenger (saws) alighted at the pool of Khumm, he took Ali by the hand and asked those present, "Do you not know that I am closer to the believers than they themselves?" They replied, "Certainly."  He then asked, "Do you not know that I am nearer to every believer than he himself?" They replied, "Certainly."  He then said, " O Allah, he whose ‘maula’ I am, has Ali as his ‘maula’. O Allah, be friendly to those who are friendly to him and hostile to those who are hostile to him." 

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "O Allah, show mercy to Ali! O Allah, cause the truth to accompany him wherever he goes!"

The Prophet (saws) said, "The most learned in legal matters, is Ali."

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “Ali, verily I like for thee what I like for myself, and I disapprove for thee what I disapprove for myself.”

The Prophet (saws) said to Hadrat Ali (r.a.), "Will you not be pleased from this, that you are to me, like Haroon was to Moosa?"

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "He who reviles Ali has reviled me."

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "A hypocrite does not love Ali and a believer does not hate him."

Ali said: “By Him Who split up the seed and created something living (Allah), the Prophet (saws) gave me a promise that no one but a believer would love me, and none but a hypocrite would nurse grudge against me.”

It is evident from the above authentic narrations of the Prophet (saws) what position and ‘maqaam’ Hadrat Ali ibn Abu Talib is held in Islam.   He was one of the most noble companions of the Holy Prophet.  It has been reported that he was probably 10 years old and the first male to embrace Islam, when the Prophet (saws) announced his mission.  He migrated from Makkah to Medina for Islam.  He was known for his courage and bravery, and fought all the major battles of Islam with the Prophet (saws).   He was, without a doubt, one of the most noblest companions of the Prophet (saws).  

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 59 Surah Hashr verse 8, in appreciation of the early companions of the Holy Prophet who migrated for Islam, and Hadrat Ali (r.a.) was definitely amongst them:They (the companions who migrated from Makkah to Medina) seek Allah’s bounty and His goodwill,  and are ever ready to succour Allah and His Messenger.  They indeed are the truthful.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 100:Allah was well pleased with those Muhajirs and Ansaar who were the first to respond to the invitation of the Faith, and with those also, who followed them in their righteous conduct, and they too, were well pleased with Allah.   Allah has got ready for them Gardens, underneath which, canals flow,  and they will abide therein for ever.   This is the Greatest Success.

And Hadrat Ali (r.a.) is definitely amongst the first of the Muhajirs to accept the Faith!.   Allah and His Messenger (saws) have themselves praised Hadrat Ali (r.a.) and his ‘maqaam’ in Islam.  

This ‘maqaam’ was given because Hadrat Ali (r.a.) loved Allah and His Messenger (saws), feared Allah Alone, and spent his whole life, and gave unlimited sacrifices with the Prophet (saws) in the propagation and for the victory of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saws) himself, gave the good news of Paradise to Hadrat Ali (r.a.) during his own lifetime. This honor was given only to 10 companions of the Holy Prophet (saws), who were told in their life time that Allah has granted them Paradise.  And our beloved Prophet (saws) never spoke anything from himself, but it was revealed to him by Allah, the All Wise, All Knowing.

Allah's Messenger (saws) said to Hadrat Ali (r.a.): "You have a resemblance to Jesus, whom the Jews hated so much that they slandered his mother, and whom the Christians loved so much that they placed him in a position not rightly his." Ali said afterwards, "Two people will perish on my account, one who loves me so excessively that he praises me for what I do not possess, and one who hates me so much that he will be impelled by his hatred to slander me."

During his reign there rose a band of misguided so called muslims who were later termed ‘Khawarij’.   They were extremists in religion and labeled most of the companions of the Holy Prophets (saws) as renegades and ‘kafirs’.  May Allah curse and take retribution from these people on the Day of Judgement!

And there also rose a band of people, who loved Hadrat Ali (r.a.) so much, that they began to revere him as god!, and took him to a position in reverence which did not rightly belong to him.  They revered him so much, that in their love, they positioned him equal to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and even gave him some of the attributes that belong to none other than Allah Alone! 

They started invoking Hadrat Ali (r.a.) like they invoke Allah, and gave him all kinds of names like ‘mushkil kusha’ (The Reliever of Peril), and ‘haajat rawaa’ (The Provider or Fulfiller)!!   They started calling out his name in invocation and saying “Yaa Ali…” whilst sitting, standing and lying down!!  Allah Alone is the Reliever of all Peril and the Provider and Fulfiller of the believers’ prayers.    In their reverence and love of Hadrat Ali (r.a.), they became misguided just like the Christians who elevated Jesus to a position which did not belong to him, and thus earned Allah’s Wrath.   It has been reported from the traditions of Hadrat Ali (r.a.), that during his reign, some people who loved and revered him as a demigod, came to him and expressed their opinion and wanted to bow down in prostration (sajdah) to Hadrat Ali (r.a.).   Hadrat Ali (r.a.) warned them that no one had the right to be bowed down to except Allah Alone, but they did not pay heed to his warnings.  It has been reported that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) then sentenced them to death.

These misguided muslims not only revered and invoked Hadrat Ali (r.a.), but started worship and invocation at his grave and the graves of all his noble children.  They later formed sects in the Muslim Ummah due to their reverence and love for Hadrat Ali (r.a.)  and his family.  They thus elevated him to the position of a demigod, which is absolutely against the principles of the Holy Quran, and Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134:They were a people who passed away.  They shall receive the reward of what they earned and you shall have the reward of what you will earn.   And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

The correct view should be that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) was an obedient slave of Allah.   He was one of the most ardent followers of the Prophet (saws).  He was a soldier of Islam,  and spent his life in the service of Allah and His Messenger (saws).   He always kept his mission of Paradise and the Mercy of Allah in view,  and never cared much for the luxuries and wealth of this world.   He used to earn his meager livelihood as a water drawer and lead a very simple life,  even when he was elected the Leader of the Faithful or Ameer ul Mu’mineen, and had half of the then known world  under his leadership.   That was the noble character of our leader and Imam, Ameer ul Mu’mineen, Ali ibn Abu Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him).   We should love him for what he was and what he did in the service of Allah, His Messenger, and the propagation and victory of Islam.   

May Allah reward Hadrat Ali (r.a.) with the highest degree in Paradise.   May Allah make us to follow the traditions of noble companions of our beloved Prophet (saws) like Hadrat Ali (r.a.).   May Allah guide us to the Straight Path of Islam, as followed by our Prophet (saws), and his noble companions like Hadrat Ali (r.a.).  Ameen.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan