Imam Ali (as) insight - Nahjul-Balagha's brief covering of authenticity.

Assalamu Alaykum Dear readers

I congratulate you upon the luminous day and birth of our Moula Imam Ali (as). This brief lecture is regarding the gaining of knowledge on Imam Ali (as). We would like to sight in this lecture, some of the commentators and the compilers of the sermons, letters and the ahadith of Imam Ali (as). This basically covers the authenticity of the book Nahjul Balagha.

Women in Glance - Wording of Imam Ali (as) Part 6

The second point which must be mentioned is that in many of the
verses of the QurÁn we see that humanity on a whole has been
condemned – for example:

Indeed man has been created covetous: anxious when an ill befalls him and grudging when good comes his way.

In another place in the QurÁn we read:

إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ ظَلُومً۬ا جَهُولاً۬ 

Indeed he (the human being) is most unjust and senseless.

In yet another place in the QurÁn we read that the human being is one whose rejection of the bounties of God is transparent and apparent for everyone to see: 

إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَكَفُورٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ

Man is indeed a manifest ingrate.

In one more place, the human being has been considered as a creation that anytime a blessing reaches him, he goes into a state of rebellion: 

كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ (٦) أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ (٧)

Indeed man becomes rebellious, when he considers himself without need.

There are many more such verses as well in the QurÁn. 

Without a doubt the human being is not, within his nature, to be a 

manifest ingrate, nor is he most unfair and senseless, nor is he rebellious.

Rather, apparently what is meant here is that these verses are talking 

about human beings who have – willingly – not gone under the training 

and nurturing of the Divinely appointed leaders, and just like plants, 

allow themselves to grow on their own. They do not have a guide, nor 

do they have anyone to help them wake up from their spiritual slumber, 

and thus they are caught up in their own whims and desires. 

It is for this reason that in the QurÁn there is praise for those people 

who possess God-consciousness and submit to the orders of AllÁh, and 

principally [the existence of] humanity themselves have been introduced 

as the ultimate purpose behind the creation of the universe: 

Certainly We have honored the Children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with all the good things, and given them an advantage over many of those whom We have created with a complete preference.

When we speak about the female gender as well, we see that the same
rules apply (as mentioned above in these verses of the QurÁn).
Amongst women, there are those who are noble such that it is even
difficult to find men who have reached their caliber; but the opposite of
this is also true that there are many women who have gone astray and
are the source of many of the societal evils.


By keeping this introduction in mind, let us now begin the
interpretation and clarification of the sermon mentioned (about the
“deficiencies in women”) and at the end of our discussion, we will bring
up some final points in this regards.

Imam Ali (as)'s sermon of Faith

In this sermon, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) refers to faith and its supports and aspects, and atheism and its supports and aspects.

When God began the matters, He chose for Himself what he willed and extracted what He liked. Within the matters that He liked was faith. He accepted it; therefore, he derived the name of faith from His Name and gifted it with whomever He loved among His creatures. He then showed it. Hence, He made its springs within reach for whoever wants to have it and made its supports difficult for the opposites to penetrate. He also made faith the fort of him whoever is loyal to it, the security of him whoever wants to enter into it, the guidance of him whoever betakes himself to it, the adornment of him whoever wants to have its beauty, the religion of him whoever braces it, the refuge of him whoever seeks its refuge, the bond of him whoever clings to it, the evidence of him whoever speaks of it, the honor of him who knows it, the wisdom of him whoever utters it, the light of him whoever seeks light from it, the proof of him whoever discusses about it, the claim of him whoever advances it as plea, the knowledge of him who understands, the narration of him who relates, the rule of him who judges, the forbearance of him who recounts, the reason of him who ponder over things, the understanding of him who meditates, the conviction of him who recognizes, the insight of him who determines, the sign of him who scrutinizes, the lesson of him who learns lessons, the salvation of him who believes in it, the Lord’s love for him who is virtuous, the nearness of him who seeks nearness, the confidence of him who depends (upon God), the rest of him who entrusts (with God), the color of him who does charitably, the welfare of him who takes haste steps (toward God), the shelter of him who endures, the dress of him who fears (God), the purification of him who seeks right guidance, the safety of him who submits (to God), and the spirit of the honest.

Faith is the principal of right. Right guidance is the way of the principal of right. Righteousness is its quality and glory is its feat. The course of faith is bright. Its signpost is brilliant. Its lights are luminous. Its extreme is high. Its racetrack is easy. Its milking is ready. Its prize is very precious. Its people are old. Its knights are noble. The virtuous deeds are its signboard. Chastity is its lights. Death is its extreme. The world is its racetrack. The Resurrection is its milking. Paradise is its prize. Hell is its punishment. God-fearing is its equipage. The charitable are its knights. By way of faith, the virtuous deeds are shown. By way of the virtuous deeds, the understanding is gained. By way of understanding, death is feared. Death is the seal of the world. Through the world, the other life is approached. Through the Resurrection, Paradise is loomed. Paradise is the regret of the people of Hell. Hell is the admonition of God-fearing. God-fearing is the origin of charity. God-fearing is a purpose the follower of which will never lose. Likewise, he who applied God-fearing to himself will never be regret because it is the course through which the winners achieved triumph. The losers were beaten because of disobedience. Will the intelligent learn and the God-fearing ones remember?

Faith stands on four supports: on endurance, conviction, justice, and jihad.

Endurance again has four aspects: eagerness, fear, abstention (from the world) and anticipation (of death). So, whoever is eager for Paradise will ignore the passions; whoever fears the Fire (of Hell) will refrain from prohibited acts; whoever abstains from the world takes hardships lightly; and whoever anticipates death will hasten towards good deeds.

Conviction also has four aspects: prudent perception, intelligence and understanding, drawing lessons from instructive things and following the precedents of past people. So, whoever perceives with prudence, wise knowledge will be manifest to him, and to whomsoever wise knowledge becomes manifest he appreciates instructive objects, and whoever appreciates instructive objects he is just like past people.

Justice also has four aspects: keen understanding, deep knowledge, good power of decision and firm forbearance. Therefore, whoever understands comes to acquire depth of knowledge; whoever acquires depth of knowledge drinks from the spring of judgment; and whoever exercises forbearance never commits evil actions in his affairs and leads a praiseworthy life among the people.

Jihad also has four aspects: to ask others to do good, to keep away others from doing evil, to fight (in the way of Allah) sincerely and firmly on all occasions, and to detest the vicious. So, whoever asks others to do good provides strength to the believers; whoever desists others from evil humiliates the unbelievers; whoever fights sincerely on all occasions discharges all his obligations; and whoever detests the vicious and becomes angry for the sake of Allah, then Allah will be angry in favor of him and will keep him pleased on the Day of Judgment.

Unbelief stands on four supports: on lechery, exaggeration, doubt, and sedition.

Lechery has four aspects — coarseness, blindness, inadvertence, and rebellion. The coarse will disgrace the believers, hate the jurists, and insist on guilt. The blind will disregard the remembrance, have ill mannerism, challenge the Creator, and be stirred by the Shaitan. The inadvertent will aggrieve themselves, turn over their backs, regard their seductions as rightness, be deceived by expectations, be befallen by regret, be uncovered, and will suffer what he has not supposed. He who rebels against God will doubt. God will exalt on anyone who doubts. Then He will humiliate him by His power and disgrace him by His Majesty. This is because he neglected and disregarded the Generous Lord.

Exaggeration has also four aspects: hankering after whims, mutual quarreling  deviation from the truth, and dissension. So, whoever hankers after whims does not incline towards right. Except sinking in the whims, he will not obtain anything more. Whenever a seditious matter leaves him, another will cover him. He is living in confusion. He whoever quarrels and disputes will be befallen by failure and his affairs will be ragged. He whoever deviates from truth, for him good becomes evil and evil becomes good and he remains intoxicated with misguidance. He whoever makes a breach (with Allah and His Messenger), his path becomes difficult, his affairs become complicated, and his way of escape becomes narrow. He who takes a course other than the believers will surely be apostatizing his religion.

Doubt has also four aspects: unreasonableness, fear, wavering, and undue submission to every thing. So, about which of the bounties of your Lord can the disputers persistently dispute? He who is afraid of what befalls him has to run on his heels. He who wavers in doubt the tardy will left him behind, the last will catch up with him, and the Shaitans will trample him under their feet. He who submits to the destruction of this and the next world will perish in them both. Only the bearers of conviction may be saved.

Sedition has four aspects: fondness of the adornment, self-enticement, crooked interpretation, and confusion of the right and the wrong. Adornment will preclude evidence. Self-enticement leads to passion. Crookedness takes its adopter to a twisted inclination. Confusion is complicated groups of darkness. This is atheism and its supports and aspects.

Hypocrisy stands on four supports: whims, carelessness, rancor, and greed.

Whim has four aspects: oppression, aggression, passion, and insubordination. For those whoever oppress, their problems will be increasing and they will be disappointed and defeated. For those who aggress against other, they will not be secured against misfortunes, and their hearts will not be sound. He who does not stop against his whims will plunge into griefs. He who disobeys (God) will be intentionally deviating lacking any excuse or evidence.

The aspects of carelessness are arrogance, pride, negligence, and excessive expectation. Arrogance takes away from the right. Taking pride in the present leads to negligence of the coming. Negligence is an involvement in blindness. Because of expectation, man will have knowledge of the account of his present manners. If he knows the account of his present manners, he will die secretly due to the horror and fear that he concludes.

The aspects of rancor are conceit, boast, zeal, and tribalism. The conceited will fall behind. The boastful are dissolute. The zealous are stubborn. The tribalist is unfair. How bad is the matter that is lying among falling behind, dissolution, and stubbornness.

The aspects of greed are complacency, fun, disputation, and haughtiness. Complacency is abominated for God. Fun is vanity. Disputation is misfortune for it drives to sinning. Haughtiness is ill amusement, play, engagement, and substituting the bad for the good.

That was hypocrisy with its supports and aspects.

God is prevailing over His servants. His mentioning is exalted, His authority is upright, His power is firm, His blessing is widespread, His wisdom is luminous, His claim is evident, His religion is pure, His word is accurate, His ranks are present, His attribution is wholesome, His scales is fair, His messages are conveyed, and His keeping angels are attendant. He then made the sin as guilt, the guilt as sedition, and the sedition as profanity. He also made kindness as profit, apology as repentance, and repentance as purity. He whoever repents to God will be guided. He whoever follows seditious matters will surely be deviant unless he repents to God, confesses of his guilt, and believes in the kindness. God will not ruin except the perishing.

What great is God! How extensive are his repentance, mercy, good tidings, and forbearance! How intense are the fetters, fire, power, omnipotence, and vengeance the He has! He whoever wins obedience to God will choose for His honor, and he whoever is keeping himself in disobedience to Him will taste the harsh torture of His punishment. There is lying the blissful end.

• Located in Tuhaful-Uqool and also Nahjul-Balagha

Women in Glance - Wording of Imam Ali (as) Part 5

At other times they had been thought of as being nothing more than a 
mere slave; in other instances, they were considered as the superior sex 
and the concept of ‘female domination’ of society was brought forth as 
the ideal notion! In regards to each of these views, it can be said that all 
of these extreme interpretations have had immense repercussions on 
one another. 
In today’s society, especially in the Western societies, or those who 
emulate “The West” and claim to follow democracy, we see the same 
sorts of discussions in regards to women. 
During election times, politicians realized that they needed to gain the 
vote of the women, as men and women tend to vote in similar patterns; 
in addition, the capitalist system heavily required that women enter the 
workplace - especially considering the fact that most often, women are 
paid less than men and are given less opportunities than men to excel in 
the work environment. As well, the entire system of marketing and 
advertising which makes up a large part of the political and economic 
propaganda also requires the use of women [to market and sell their 
products]. 
It is due to all of these reasons that in their speeches, various nations 
continuously “defend” women’s rights and do their utmost to elevate 
the character of women; however in their practical actions, we don’t see 
any attempt in sincerely and honestly working to elevate their honour 
and status; thus the women of today have been caught up in many levels 
of frustration and disappointment – the same things which they were 
also deprived of in the past. 
This same thing can also be seen when you wade through the religious 
texts in which some groups maintained women’s rights as merely 
slogans to promote and defended them due to some act of pretension;
______________________________________________________________
The Wicked Woman - Part 7: “For from garments cometh a moth, and from 
women wickedness. Better is the churlishness of a man than a courteous 
woman, a woman, I say, which bringeth shame and reproach.” (Eccles. 42:13-14) 


they interpreted the religious texts in such a way as to paint a picture 
that a majority of the women would relate to and would – albeit in a 
dishonest way – show the women as having some predisposition [which 
they do not possess].

The sermon narrated above and other similar limited statements which 
are contained in Nahjul Balagha have not remained un-touched from 
being discussed and commented upon. 
Sometimes, the chain of narrators (sanad) has been called into question, 
and sometimes the explanation of the text has been discussed such that 
the smallest amount of filth of weakness can be attributed to women. 
Another one of the plots has been to go to an extreme (in discussing 
this sermon) such that some state that women in general are the 
complete totality of deficiencies and incompetency!
However, in the midst of this discussion, there are two things which we 
cannot deny – the first is that this sermon was delivered after The Battle 
of Jamal and we know that the person who was at the center of that war 
was the wife of the Noble Prophet - Àyesha who had been 
encouraged by two companions of the Prophet - namely Talhaa and 
Zubayr and in an unprecedented move entered the battlefield, resulting 
in the spilling of the blood of many innocent and uninformed 
individuals. Some scholars state that the number of people killed in this 
one battle exceeded 17,000! 
Indeed it is true that after the army of Àyesha , ÓalÎa and Zubayr lost 
the war, this wife of the Prophet expressed her remorse (at what she had 
done), and that the Commander of the Faithful Ali , simply due to 
the respect [which he had for] the Prophet  honorably returned her 
back to Madina, however the ill-effects which this war left on the 
Muslim society will remain forever in the annals of history.

Women in Glance - Wording of Imam Ali (as) Part 4

Imam Ali (as) wished to speak of her and her actions in an indirect
manner to open the eyes of the people and therefore, the method which
he chose was to explain the religious rulings (ahkam-Shahr'i) which are
specific to women and the rulings highlighted the “limitations” and
“restrictions” in the rights and privileges of women and men and to
show us that they are not equal (in all areas of life – and that this too is
for a reason). Through this, he wanted to show the people that Àyesha
is the same as other women in these certain issues and to make them
question themselves as to why they should have followed her and
listened to her advice (over that of Allah i and the Noble Prophet. (1)

1
 Written by the Translator


The sermon at a glance 

As it has been mentioned in the discussion concerning the transmission
of this sermon (as seen below), Imam Ali delivered this sermon
after The Battle of the Camel (Al-Jamal) which took place in Basrah
(Iraq) in the year 656 CE/35 AH and the subsequent defeat of the army of
Àyesha b. Abi Bakr.
In this sermon, he reproaches women, and of course the meaning of
him ‘reproaching women’ are only those types of women who had
launched (such calculated) attacks - those who were responsible for
instigating The Battle of the Camel. Imam Ali referred to such
women as having a “deficiency” and it was because of this shortcoming
that they engaged in such detrimental activities. Therefore, he
reprimanded them and warned the believers to steer clear of their
inductions.
Arabic text of the sermon
مَعَاشِرَ النَّاسِ، إِنَّ النِّسَاءَ نَوَاقِصُ الْإِيمَانِ، نَوَاقِصُ الْحُظُوظِ، نَوَاقِصُ الْعُقُولِ: فَأَمَّا نُقْصَانُ إِيمَانِهِنَّ فَقُعُودُهُنَّ عَنِ الصَّلاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ فِي أَيَّامِ حَيْضِهِنَّ، وَأَمَّا نُقْصَانُ عُقُولِهِنَّ فَشَهَادَةُ امْرَأَتَيْنِ مِنْهُنّ كَشَهَادَةِ الرَّجُلِ الْوَاحِدِ، وَأَمَّا نُقْصَانُ حُظُوظِهِنَّ فَمَوَارِيثُهُنَّ عَلَى الْإِنْصَافِ مِنْ مَوارِيثِ الرِّجَالِ; فَاتَّقُوا شِرَارَ النِّسَاءِ، وَكُونُوا مِنْ خِيَارِهِنَّ عَلَى حَذَرٍ، وَلاَتُطِيعُوهُنَّ فِي المَعْرُوفِ حَتَّى لاَ يَطْمَعْنَ فِي المُنكَرِ.

O’ people! Women are ‘deficient’ in faith, ‘deficient’ in shares, 

and ‘deficient’ in intelligence. In regards to the ‘deficiency’ in 

their faith, it is their abstention from prayers and fasting 

during their menstrual period. In regards to their ‘deficiency’ 

in their intelligence, it is because the evidence of two women is 

equal to that of one man. As for the ‘deficiency’ of their shares, 

it is because of their share of inheritance being half that of 

men. So beware of the evils of women. Be on your guard even 

from those of them who are (reportedly) good. Do not obey 

them even in good things, so that they may not attract you to 

evils things. 

The Transmission of this Sermon 

It is documented that this sermon is a portion of a letter which Imam 
Ali wrote after Umro Às took over the reins of the rule of Egypt 
after the martyrdom of Muhammad b. Abi Bakr. In that letter, the 
Imam related the painful events which transpired after the passing 
away of the Noble Prophet. The Imam ordered that his letter be 
read publicly so that the masses would know what transpired and so 
that the satanic whispers which were prevalent in the community at that 
time would not impact the people. 
It is not improbable to believe that the Imam spoke the words in 
this sermon [which we will be reviewing] more than once - the first time 
being after The Battle of Jamal – the war in which Àyesha played the 
principle role as one of the leaders in that major act of sedition; and 
that he repeated his words in another lengthy letter which he wrote.

Ibn al-Jawzi has stated: 
The scholars of biography (sirah) have related that when Ali, 
peace be upon him, had concluded The Battle of Jamal, he 
ascended the pulpit in Basrah (Iraq) and delivered this sermon. In reality, his words point to the instigation for The Battle of Jamal and the misdeeds of Àyesha. (2)
As for those who have narrated this sermon before Sayyid al-Razi the 
list includes Abu Talib al-Makki in his book, Quwwatul Qulub; the late 
Shaykh al-Kulayni in volume five of Furu al-Kafi; Ibrahim b. Hilal al Thaqafi in his book al-Gharat; Ibne Qutyabah in his book al-Imamah 
wal Siyasah; and al-Tabari in his book al-Mustarshid (with some 
variations) – this list of references has been derived from Masadir 
Nahjul Balagha, vol. 2, pg. 86.

Amongst the commentators on the text of Nahjul Balagha – specifically 

the contemporary writers – much has been said in regards to the 

explanation of this sermon, and it is for this reason that we begin with 

the following introduction to ensure that the discussions in regards to 

this sermon are made clear. 

During the course of history, the character of the woman has gone 
through much discussion and many extreme things have been stated as 
pass judgement on women. Sometimes their status as a human being 
has been diminished, and at other times, their very nature of being 
considered a human being has been called into doubt! (3)
___________________________________________________________

2 - Note that what Ibn al-Jawzi has stated and that which Sayyid al-RaÐi have 

stated in regards to the delivery of this sermon differ from one another. 

3 - Refer to the following passes of the Old and New Testament (Bible) - [added 

by the translator]: 

Burn The Daughter: “And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by 

playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.” 

(Leviticus 21:9) 

Cut Off Her Hand: “When men strive together one with another and the wife 

of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: then 
thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.” (Deuteronomy 25:11-
12) 
Female Births Get Penalty: “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a 
woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean 
seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she 
be unclean.” (Leviticus 12:2) … “But if she bear a maid (female) child, then she 
shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the 
blood of her purifying threescore and six days.” (Leviticus 12:5) 
Female Inferiority: “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is 
Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” 
(I Corinthians 11:3) 
Female Inferiority: “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the 
man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the 
man.” (I Corinthians 11:8-9) 
Jesus Will Kill Children: “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and they that 
commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their 
deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know 
that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every 
one of you according to your works.” (Revelation 2:22-23) 
Kill The Witches: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Whoever lieth with a 
beast shall surely be put to death. He that sacrificeth unto any god, save to the 
LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.” (Exodus 22:18-20) 
Rape My Daughter: “Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his 
concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them 
what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. But the 
men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought 
her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the 
morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.” (Judges 19:24-25) 
Silence The Woman: “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But 
I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be 
in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, 
but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (I Timothy 2:11-14) 
Stone The Woman: “If a man be found lying with a woman married to a 
husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;” (Deuteronomy 
22:22) Stone The Woman: “Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that 
city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she 
cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his 
neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 
22:24) 
Wives, Submit Yourselves: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own 
husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as 
Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as 
the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in 
everything.” (Ephesians 5:22-24) 
Women Shall Not Speak: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for 
it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under 
obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask 
their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” (I 
Corinthians 14:34-35) 
Women’s Sorrow: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow 
and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire 
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16) 
Rip Up Pregnant Women: “Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath 
rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be 
dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.” (Hosea 13:16) 
The Wicked Woman - Part 1: “Give me any plague, but the plague of the 
heart: and any wickedness, but the wickedness of a woman.” (Eccles. 25:13) 
The Wicked Woman - Part 2: “Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and 
through her we all die.” (Eccles. 25:22) 
The Wicked Woman - Part 3: “If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut 
her off from thy flesh, and give her a bill of divorce, and let her go.” (Eccles. 25: 
26) 
The Wicked Woman - Part 4: “The whoredom of a woman may be known in 
her haughty looks and eyelids. If thy daughter be shameless, keep her in 
straitly, lest she abuse herself through overmuch liberty.” (Eccles. 26:9-10) 
The Wicked Woman - Part 5: “A silent and loving woman is a gift of the 
Lord: and there is nothing so much worth as a mind well instructed. A 
shamefaced and faithful woman is a double grace, and her continent mind 
cannot be valued.” (Eccles. 26:14-15) 
The Wicked Woman - Part 6: “A shameless woman shall be counted as a dog; 
but she that is shamefaced will fear the Lord.” (Eccles.26:25)

Merits of Ali

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)[1] ḥadīth from the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), where he described the many faḍā’il (merits) of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام).

قال حدثنا أبو جعفر محمد بن علي بن الحسين قال حدثني أبي قال حدثني محمد بن يحيى العطار قال حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن علي بن الحكم عن هشام بن سالم عن سليمان بن خالد عن أبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد الصادق عن آبائه ع قال قال رسول الله ص لعلي ع

يا علي أنت مني و أنا منك وليك وليي و وليي ولي الله و عدوك عدوي و عدوي عدو الله يا علي أنا حرب لمن حاربك و سلم لمن سالمك يا علي لك كنز في الجنة و أنت ذو قرنيها يا علي أنت قسيم الجنة و النار لا يدخل الجنة إلا من عرفك و عرفته و لا يدخل النار إلا من أنكرك و أنكرته يا علي أنت و الأئمة من ولدك على الأعراف يوم القيامة تعرف المجرمين بسيماهم و المؤمنين بعلاماتهم يا علي لولاك لم يعرف المؤمنون بعدي

He (al-Mufīd) said: Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn[2] has narrated to us. He said: his father[3] has narrated to me. He said: Muḥammad b. Yaḥya al-`Aṭṭār[4] (the perfumer) has narrated to me. He said: Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa[5] has narrated to us from `Alī b. al-Ḥakam[6] from Hishām b. Sālim[7] from Sulaymān b. Khālid[8] from Abī `Abd Allāh, Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Sādiq (عليه السلام) from his fathers (عليهم السلام) said, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to `Alī (عليه السلام),

“O `Alī, you are from me, and I am from you. Your friend is my friend, and my friend is the friend of Allāh. Your enemy is my enemy and my enemy is the enemy of Allāh.

O `Alī, I am at war with whoever is at war with you, and I am at peace with whoever is at peace with you.

O `Alī, for you there is a treasure in al-Jannah, and you have both its sides[9].

O `Alī, you are the divider of al-Jannah and the fire (i.e. Hell). No one enters al-Jannah, except whoever recognizes you and you recognize him. No one enters the fire, except whoever denies you and you deny him.

O `Alī, you and the A’immah from your children are upon al-`Arāf on the Day of Judgment, you will recognize the criminals by their marks, and the believers by their signs.

O `Alī, if it was not for you, the believers would not be able to be recognized after me”[10]

---

[1] al-Shāhrūdī says this ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) (See: al-Shāhrūdī, Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl, vol. 4, pg. 129-130).

[2] Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh, commonly known as al-Ṣadūq, isthiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 389, person # 1049), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 442, person # 710 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 439, person # 6275), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 147, person # 44).

[3] Abū al-Ḥasan, `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh, father of al-Ṣadūq, is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 261, person # 684), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 273, person # 393 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 432, person # 6191), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 94, person # 20).

[4] Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. Yaḥya al-`Aṭṭār (the perfumer) al-Qummī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 353, person # 946), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 157, person # 110).

[5] Abū Ja`far, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa al-Ash`ari al-Qummī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 82, person # 198), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 60-61, person # 75 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 351, person # 5197), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 13-14, person # 2).

[6] `Alī b. al-Ḥakam al-Kūfī al-Anbārī is thiqah according to al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 263, person # 376) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 93, person # 14).

[7] Abū al-Ḥakam, Hishām b. Sālim al-Jawālīqī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī,al-Rijāl, pg. 434, person # 1165) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 179, person # 2).

[8] Abū al-Rabī`, Sulaymān b. Khālid b. Dahqān b. Nāfilah is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 183, person # 484) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 77, person # 2).

[9] According to al-Ṣadūq, the saying وأنت ذو قرنيها (And you have both its sides) refers to al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥussayn (See: al-Ṣadūq, Ma `ānī al-Akhbār, pg. 206)

[10] al-Mufīd, al-Amālī, Majlis # 24, pg. 213 ḥadīth # 4

Bibliography

al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.

al-Mufīd. al-Amālī. Qum: al-Mu’tamar lil-Shaykh al-Mufīd, 1413.

al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.

al-Ṣadūq. , Ma `ānī al-Akhbār. Ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1379.

al-Shahrūdī. Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl. 1st. 8 vols. Tehran: Ibn al-Mu'alif, 1412.

al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.

—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.

Ali in the Quran - Part 4

 تِلۡكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ وَڪِتَابٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ

We recite this blessing-full verse in Chapter Naml (Ants), in chapter 27, verse 1. In some cases, this verse troubles me thoroughly, to the extent of my knowledge, it makes, supreme sense, to you, it might take time... The confusing thing about this verse is the fact that, why is Allah using the word:  ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ over here, when in Chapters like Yusuf (Joseph), and Shu'ra (The Poets), he states the exact Aya'ah except this word highlighted in red above. 

Confusing isn't it? Is Allah trying to specify the book ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ as the مُّبِينٍ book? Of course he is, but through this, we learn something fabulous and staggering. Quran has this style of symbolizing plurals with great affect, it manifests the words and climates of the words in such strategies, that the reader is testified, of the fact that there isn't just one man, but several, there isn't just one prophet, but several! But is Allah, over here, trying to emphasize something really catchy? Something valuable? Something informative? Maybe, maybe not... This man you see my viewers and readers, is posted on my blog, not upon inspiration or any liking opinion, but primarily due to his interpretation of the Quranic verse, which goes something about this: 

وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعً۬ا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواْ‌ۚ

"Hold on to the rope of Allah tightly!" (3:103)

And Dr. Zakir Naik says: That rope of Allah, is nothing but the Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) Ahadith

and also the correct Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) as well as the Quran it-self.

By the closest margin of error, a hadith, Ṣaḥīḥ one is certainly available, which goes something about the type below:

علي مع القرآن و لقرآن مع علي! 

Ali is with the Quran, and the Quran with Ali!

The above is the Prophet's ahadith, it's located in Hakim Mustadrak, and several other references, with the label Sahih, and Hasanun beside... 

If this man Ali, is with ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ, he can't make a mistake, can he? Because, if someone is attached to the Quran, that firmly, that strongly, no way can he make such a mistake, can he? What mistake? No mistake, he is a Ma'sum! And Ma'sum are born with that natural gift of mind by Allah, which doesn't deviate even for a single moment from the true path! 

Before this magnificent Aya'h, there was the one stated in Surah Al-Yusuf, which just says: These are the verses of the book, which makes things clear. 

In this case, Allah's being precise, and clear, he's being Mubin, in this attitude, in this verse, as well, glorifying the status of this book, he's also glorifying, and auctioning the status of Ali, at the peak of all supremacy! Which has no price like both Ali and the Quran do!

Listen O ye believe, Allah in Surah Al-Yusuf wa Qassas, is just saying: These are verses of the book, which makes things clear, though over here, he (Allah) names the book, which makes things clear, Quran, and Allah, also in the same manner, wants you to also apply that knowledge upon Ali! Ali is a word not used in the Quran, to indicate that man, but Allah, through the caption of Ali - Quran, symbolises, that believe in Ali too! 

Quick answer: Through the unadventurous word of Quran used here, Allah specifies Quran with the association  and the specification, of Ali, that yes, I'm using the word Quran, so that you can specified, that Quran is the book which makes things clear, as well as that, if you engage your brains, it's also Ali, being referred to, when you see Allah's great might.

And Allah knows best!  

Did Imam Ali Give Allegiance to Abu Bakr?

AYATOLLAH SAAFI GULPAYGANI

In relation to the issue of the oath of allegiance of the Commander of the Faithful that is said was taken from him – whether this be something that is verified or denied, and also, this noble personality remaining quiet and not participating in any type of activity of rebellion and not picking up arms to go against (those who stole his rights), and the pleasure and approval of this personality in relation to what had occurred: these are all things that are not established (according to the recorded events of history).

The reluctance of those pure souls (the Companions) and the other great personalities – who in the beginning did not give the oath of allegiance; however, later on (as some people mention) did give the oath of allegiance – and also the large number of people who, in those specific and particular conditions gave the oath of allegiance in a particular way (as has been mentioned in history) is also neither confirmed nor established.

With his sword drawn out of the sheath and with the help and support of his gang, Umar roamed the streets of Medina threatening the people with death and forced them to give their oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr. 

Please note the following points:

1. The belief of the Shia, who are of the People of the Text – through the utilization of the logical and related proofs – is this: the Imamate is a position that one is appointed into by Allah, and after the Prophet, that individual whose persona possesses all of the characteristics embodied in Islam except for Nubuwwah (prophethood) and who shares in the continuation of the same divine blessings of that personality (the Prophet) in all ways and forms is the one whose Wilayah(mastership) over all affairs of the society must be designated and appointed by Allah the Most High. The Commander of the Faithful, according to the countless texts (ahadith) and other proofs was the appointed caliph and the true Imam, and deviation from him to anyone else – even if all of the people are in agreement over that other person – is not permissible and is a case of: "Giving preference to one whom Allah has relegated low and leaving behind the one whom Allah has given preference to."

Just as the Prophet is not permitted to grant the station or position of prophethood to anyone else, so too the Imam is not permitted to grant the station or position of Divinely-appointed leadership to anyone else. Therefore, supposing that after Imam Ali was refused (the station of caliphate) and then later on, the oath of allegiance was taken from him, or this noble personality – due to events that came up later on (which will be mentioned ensuing) – was rendered helpless to pledge the oath of allegiance, then the true meaning and significance of this sort of oath of allegiance was not achieved by this (forced act), and the correctness of the actions of the other party is not accepted.

2. If the caliphate (of Abu Bakr) was based on the truth, then this would imply that the hesitance of Imam Ali and Sayyidah Zahra (peace be upon them) and a large number of people and revered companions was not proper and that they were not on the path of the truth. 

It is known that there are definite and decisive narrations from the noble Prophet of Islam which state that Ali is on the Truth, and the Truth is with Ali, and these two will never separate from one another. Therefore, if someone says that Imam Ali was not with the truth in this event or did not speak the truth or did not act upon the truth, then he is belying the Prophet.

Thus it is with no uncertainty that we say that Imam Ali, in this event and all other events and circumstances, was always on the truth, and his refusal to give the oath of allegiance was also not the refusal to be on the truth; rather, his refusal was the denial of falsehood.

3. The refusal of Imam Ali and a group of others to give oath of allegiance to the caliphate from the point of view of history is not something that can be denied, and even one of the contemporary poets from Egypt who was known by the title of "Poet of the Nile" in his poems has also admitted this. The refusal (to give the oath of allegiance) was so commonly accepted and indisputable such that in one of the letters that he wrote to Imam Ali, Muawiyah has mentioned this fact and in reply, Ali did not deny that he had not given the oath of allegiance; rather, the rightfulness and legitimacy of his denial and refusal and the oppression that he faced is mentioned in his own words in this writing (to Muawiyah) when he wrote: "You also want to taunt me by saying that when I refused to accept the caliphate of the First Caliph, I was dragged like a camel with a rope round my neck, and every kind of cruelty and humiliation was leveled against me." (Nahj al-Balagha, letter 28)

To summarize our point, not only is there no room for doubt or skepticism that Imam Ali and the rest of the clan of Bani Hashim and a large number of the companions refused to give their oath of allegiance to the caliph, rather, their refusal was known and evident for all to see.

However, if it is claimed that after those harsh and coarse events that took place, Imam Ali and those who supported him gave their oath of allegiance and that their oath of allegiance was by way of their own inward pleasure and their pure heart and intention, then it is not possible to substantiate this (claim), since the hadith (of this event) is a single narration (khabar-e-wahid), and in the terminology of the science of hadith, it is doubtful (mashkuk). In this hadith, many contrasts and irregularities can also be seen, which this point in time is not the place for discussion. Anyway, we are not able to classify their oath of allegiance as an authentic oath of allegiance that would have any basis in the Islamic legislation.

At this point we mention some reasons that IF indeed this oath of allegiance did occur in history, then why it may have taken place.

1. It was seen (by Imam Ali) that to stand up to what had occurred (the events of Saqifah) would not be possible except by resorting to an armed struggle, which was not conceivable, since it would have resulted in an internal war between the Muslims. The condition and situation (that the Muslim Ummah was in) was such that very recently, through the pains and troubles of the Noble Prophet and through the assistance of Imam Ali and others, the seed of true faith and conviction in the Oneness of Allah had just been sown in the hearts of the believers, and an internal war would not have served the cause of Islam. It would be through this act that the very foundations of Islam would be put at in danger and would force the Muslims to stand up in ranks against one another, whose outcome or conclusion would never be reached.

It was Imam Ali who had helped the Prophet in the establishment of this foundation (of Islam). It was through his truthfulness and sincerity and by putting his life in his own hands and through his self-sacrifices at all places and all times from the very first day (that built the religion). His heart throbbed for this religion, and he saw that if the defense of his own self meant the desolation and annihilation of these foundations, then for sure he would choose to save Islam and try to maintain the unity of the Muslims in face of the opposition of the Kuffar and would give this precedence to the adjudication of the truth. This would allow Islam to progress and advance, even though such a progress would be slower and take much longer.

Allah forbid that the religion come to a complete standstill and the movement that the Prophet had brought forth with the help of the people should stop for even one moment (if a war would take place amongst the Muslims) just so the groundwork could be laid down for the advancement of the religion of Islam and in order for the mandate and establishment of the Wilayah and Caliphate of Ali to take root in the future, just as happened later on.

With the passing of time, the truthfulness of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) and the blunders and mistakes of deviating from the (true) Imam that had been appointed was made apparent, and on their own, the people developed an attraction for the Noble Qur'an and the Ahlul Bayt and the true belief in the Imamate.

The opportunity also arose for the Ahlul Bayt to guide the people to the pure springs of Islam, the teachings of the religion, the exegesis of the Qur'an, and the true religion of Islam with all of its rules and regulations, political teachings, societal and ethical instructions, and guidelines. More important than all of this, the correct divine theological beliefs were conferred to the people.

However, if an internal war had taken place in Medina, then the corruption, deviation, sedition, and revolts that would have stemmed from this act would have put all things in danger of complete annihilation, and it was because of this reason that Imam Ali rejected the advice from Abu Sufyan for him paying oath of allegiance to Imam Ali, and considered this as an act that would initiate sedition and revolt.

2. The second reason for Imam Ali (hypothetically) giving oath of allegiance is that, just as can be deduced from a study of history, this noble personality had fear or concern for the life of himself and that of his family, and this fear or concern was something that Abbas, his uncle, was able to discern. It was his uncle who advocated him to pay the oath of allegiance, since if he was to be killed, then it would be Islam and the Muslims, who at that time were desperately in need of knowledge and enlightenment, who would have been in disadvantage and loss.

It was in such a circumstance in which it was not possible to have recourse in force and also one in which complete submission was also not in the best interest to deal with the situation that Imam Ali was very careful and critical (in how he dealt with the situation).

This noble personality, by choosing the path that he did, fulfilled a very heavy responsibility that was upon him; he exposed the truth, and at the same time, observed what was best for Islam in its entirety. His precious soul, which was ready to sacrifice its self in the path of Islam, was also protected, so that his blood would not have been shed uselessly simply to affirm the power of truth, and so that the fire of revolt, through which all things are scorched, would not be lit, and so that the opportunity (of Imamate and leadership of the community) whose acquisition was expected in the future would not go away.

In summary, Imam Ali acted according to the testament that was left by the Prophet and did not even cringe in carrying out the will by the amount of the head of a needle. The arena or environment that would cause the feelings or emotions of any brave, courageous, powerful person to be stirred or stimulated were all witnessed; however, he did not perform any act that he should not have performed, nor did he utter any words that should not have been issued. He acted with complete knowledge and by observing and weighing all angles of the situation.

However, all of these conditions and situations prove the truthfulness of Imam Ali and his desire for Islam and his acting not for his own sake. It is clear that this noble personality was completely annihilated and drowned in the Truth, and that which was important to him and had any value to him was Islam, the endurance of the code of Islam, and the interests of the Muslims. 

In the conditions that he was put in, neither his staying quiet nor giving oath of allegiance by force and through coercion would give any credence to the rightfulness of the state of affairs at that time. Such an oath of allegiance would not absolve anyone of their religious responsibility, nor would it pardon anyone of their code of conduct.

Ayatollah Saafi Gulpaygani is a Marja Taqleed of the Shia world. He lives and teaches in the holy city of Qom.

Editor's Note: This article is the first of many questions on a variety of religious topics that were answered by Ayatollah Gulpaygani and translated into English by Shaikh Saleem Bhimji. The entire series is available online at al-mubin.org.