Exploring The Lifes Of The

Ten Promised ParadiseAl-Falah MosqueWeek 4: 22nd November 2011

By Ust Saif-ur-Rahman

Week 1 i) General Introduction ii) Abu Bakr as-Siddiq

Week 2 i) ‘Umar ibn Khattab ii) ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan I

Week 3 i) ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan II ii) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib I

Week 4 i) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib IIii) Talha ibn `Ubaydillaah

Week 5 i) Zubayr ibn al-Awwaam ii) ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf

Week 6 i) Sa’d ibn Abu Waqqaas ii) Sa’id ibn Zayd

Week 7 i) ‘Aamir ibn ‘Abdillaah ibn al-Jarraah

ii) (spill-overs, if any)

Week 8 i) Summary & Lessons ii) Conclusion

Syllabus

Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib

The Caliph

Name & Patronage ‘Ali was born 30 years after the birth of the

Prophet Belonged to most respectable family of Quraish:

Banu Hashim Father: Abu Talib (paternal uncle of Prophet who

brought him up after death of his grandfather) Mother: Fatimah ibn Asad, also of Banu Hashim Known as Abul Hassan. Prophet gave him

another name which he preferred: “Abu Turab” Prophet took ‘Ali in his childhood from his father

and brought him up like his own son

First Youth To Accept Islam ‘Ali was only 10 years old when Prophet received

revelations Prophet disclosed his mission to ‘Ali and he

accepted it immediately – 1st Muslim youth When Prophet preached publicly, he invited all

family members to a feast. All mocked him except ‘Ali: “Though my eyes are sore, my legs are thin and I am the youngest of all those present here, yet I will stand by you, O Messenger of Allah”

Prophet loved him very much: night of Hijrah Gave to ‘Ali to return deposits of Meccans upon

Hijrah

Life in Medina ‘Ali was very close to the Prophet and

closeness became permanent when he married his most beloved daughter, Fatimah

‘Ali also had the distinguished honour that the progeny of the Prophet continued through his sons from Fatimah, Hassan and Hussain – two children most beloved by the Prophet

Tabuk Expedition: “You are in the same position in relation to me as Aaron was with relation to Moses. But the only difference is: there is no prophet after me”

Bravery and “Zulfiqar” Stories of his bravery was well-known. Participated in

almost all battles Badr

He was holding flag of Islam Uhud

When Mus’ab was killed, ‘Ali took over holding the flag

Trench Famous Abdwood challenged after jumping on

his horse after the trench. Prophet warned him but he insisted. Prophet gave his turban and the “Zulfiqar”, and he eventually beheaded Abdwood

“Asadullah” Due to his bravery, named “Asadullah” (The Lion of

Allah) Khaibar: Muslims tried to conquer the strongest

Jewish fort, Qumus, but were not successful. Prophet said: “I will give the command and the standard tomorrow to such a brave person who loves Allah and His Prophet and whom Allah and His Prophet love”

Everybody was hoping to be that person: Prophet called on ‘Ali who was sick and his eyes were sore. Prophet wet his finger with his saliva and put on ‘Ali’s eyes and was cured immediately

“First of all call them towards Islam. Even if one man is guided towards Islam because of you, it would be better than red camels”. In one slew, Marhab was dead

Great Scholar

‘Ali was not only a great warrior but a great scholar

“I am the city of knowledge and ‘Ali is its gate” One of the great jurists amongst the

Companion Prophet appointed him as a Qadi Master of the Arabic language and his writings

were as effective as his speech

Special Messenger of the Prophet

In 9 AH, the first Hajj of Islam took place. Abu Bakr was appointed as the leader of the Hajj

After Abu Bakr left for Medina, revelation came to the Prophet wrt treaty with the non-believers had to be dissolved. To give them 4 months’ notice. Announcement to be made during Hajj

Prophet sent ‘Ali to carry the message of Allah on his behalf. He gave ‘Ali his own she-camel “Qaswa” which he rode to Mecca to read out the message to the people

Excellence of ‘Ali When Prophet sent ‘Ali to Yemen: “O Allah, put

truth on his tongue, and enlighten his heart with the light of guidance.” Then he himself put a turban on his head and gave the black standard

“You belong to me and I belong to you” Of ‘Ali: “You have a resemblance to Jesus whom

the Jews hated so much that they slandered his mother and whom Christians loved so much that they placed him in a position not rightly his.” Ali afterwards said: “Two (types of) 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”

Pledged to all Caliphs The demise of the Prophet shocked him as he

had attended to him day and night. He even bathed the Prophet and enshrouded it

‘Ali took pledge of loyalty on the hands of all Caliph. However, he was late in taking pledge at the hand of Abu Bakr as Fatima was seriously ill and busy in the collection of the Qur’an

When asked by Abu Bakr: “I do not dislike your leadership but the fact is that I had taken an oath after the death of the Prophet not to put on my sheet (engaged in any work) except for performing prayers until I have collected all the parts of the Qur’an

Pledged to all Caliphs Then he took the bay’ah of Abu Bakr and

helped him throughout his Caliphate. He was very active during the reign of ‘Umar and also married his daughter (Ummi Kulthum). He voted for ‘Uthman

Was a great jurist (Mufti) of Medina during the Caliphates

Was one of the 6 members to chose a Caliph after ‘Umar

‘Uthman had great regard for him and consulted him in all matters. His sons were the main guards at ‘Uthmans’ house during the siege

‘Ali as the 4th Caliph

Death of ‘Uthman was a shock to ‘Ali Insurgents then virtually controlled

Medina Insurgents approached ‘Ali to be the

Caliph Put the matter before the public 21st Dzulhijjah 35 AH: bay’at taken

from ‘Ali Some refused

‘Ali as the 4th Caliph

Disobedience of Abdullah bin Saba ‘Ali seeks to ascertain assassins of

‘Uthman ‘Ali dismisses the governors Mu’awiyah’s demand for assassins ‘Aishah’s demand for chastisement of

assassins ‘Aishah goes to Basrah ‘Aishah takes over Basrah

Civil War Ali seeks peace

Tried to avoid bloodshed Sent cousin, Abdullah ibn Abbad and Qa’qa

ibn Amr to negotiate peacefully with Aisha, Talha and Zubair

Assured them that Ali would avenge assassins of Uthman once peace was established in the state. Initially they were satisfied with the response

But Abdullah ibn Saba was in the army. He sent spies to Basrah to incite Muslims by saying that Ali would enslave inhabitants and kill all youths if he entered Basrah

Civil War

Ali seeks peace (cont’d) Ali then entered Basrah: “I am but your

brother… I will avenge Uthman’s assassins” Returned to camp satisfied Ibn Saba made a sudden attack on Aisha’s

army saying that Ali had ordered the attack. On the other hand, he told Ali that Aisha’s army was preparing an attack

Reflection?

Civil War The Battle of the Camel (Jamal)

Full scale war started. Hundreds of Muslims fell on both side

Ali was greatly pained by the situation. Tried to stop but battle had already flared up

Advisor advised her to put on the purdah and mount a camel to the battlefield to ease the situation. Instead, troops thought that she had joined the battle and it became more intensed

During the battle, Ali reminded Talha and Zubair of the Prophet’s words: “One day, you (Talha and Zubair) will fight Ali wrongly”

They remembered but when Talha was leaving, he was killed

Civil War The Battle of the Camel (Jamal) – cont’d

Zubair was on his way to Mecca. Murdered while praying. Ali rebuked: “I have seen him fight for the Prophet of Allah several times. I give the murderer the news of the Hellfire”

As the fight did not come to an end, Ali ordered his men to cut off the camel’s hind legs which Aisha was on

Aisha was then carried out of the howdah with due respect

The battle came to an end and Aisha was sent with due respect to Madina escorted by her own brother, Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr

10,000 Muslims were slained He then took bay’ah from the people of Basrah and

gave amnesty to all who fought against him He gave an address which moved everyone and

won their support as a Caliph

Reflection?

Change of Capital

Ali was very grieved on seeing the disrespect of the Haram of Medina when insurgents laid siege to the Caliph’s house and assassinated him

Wanted to protect Medina from future political disturbance

With more support he received from Kufa, he decided to transfer the capital to Kufa in Rajab 35 AH

Reflection?

Invitation to Mu’awiyah By now, Ali was in control of the whole Islamic

State except Syria. He next turned his attention to Mu’awiyah

He sent a letter seeking support for the unity of the Muslims. But Mu’awiyah again demanded the punishment of Uthman’s assassins

The showing of the blood-stained clothes of Uthman and 3 fingers of Nafia was still going on. Syrians rallied around Mu’awiyah

When he sent messenger to take the assassin, 10,000 of Ali’s army unisonly replied: “All of us are the assassins of Uthman”. Ali said: “You can see for yourself the situation. I am still unable to find the assassins”

Since Mu’awiyah refused to give up, Ali had no choice but compelled to declare war against Mu’awiyah

The Battle of Siffin Intially lacked support for fighting Muslims, but

after Ali explained, he garnered 50,000 troops Both encamped at Siffin, on each side Again peace missions sent out For 7 days, single combats followed by light

encounters of single battalions. Truce in Muharram

Last attempt for peace failed – refusal to recognise Caliphate

On the 8th day, whole army clashed. Fierce battle. 90,000 Muslims died

At one time, Ali reached Mu’awiyah’s tent and challenged him one to one to avoid bloodshed

The Battle of Siffin

Mu’awiyah refused as Ali was a noted warrior On the 10th day, Mu’awiyah was about to lose

the battle but he was advised to fasten the Qur’an to their lances as a sign that war would cease and that decision would be based on the Qur’an

Ali recognised the plot, but his men were not willing to fight seeing the Qur’an

Ali was helpless as he ordered his troops to stop the fighting

Arbitration Ali sent envoy to find out meaning. Was

told that Mu’awiyah wanted arbitration by 2 judges, one from each side

Choice of Abdullah ibn Abbas was rejected by Ali’s own people as they were related

Choice of Amr ibn As for Mu’awiyah, despite being related

In case there’s a deadlock, it shall be put before 800 men, 400 from each side for their decision

The Khawarij (Dissenters) Ali went back from Siffin with a sense of loss:

never before in history of Islam the loss of Muslim blood is so heavy. Worst, this was a war between Muslim brothers

When Ali informed them about the decision, many opposed to the appointment of Hakam as the best arbitrator to them is the Qur’an

Some requested Ali to renege on the agreement to which he replied: “I did not want any agreement at that stage but you forced me to do so. When I gave my word of honour, you are forcing me to give them up. I would never do that.”

Reflection?

The Khawarij (Dissenters)

The followers of Ali was split into 2 camps: those who were for the agreement and the other who treated the agreement as un-Islamic

The latter group was known as the Khawarij By the time Ali returned to Kufa, their

numbers reached 12,000 They lived totally separate from the other

Muslims: had their own commander, imam etc

The Khawarij (Dissenters) Their policy is as follows:

“The bay’at is only for Allah, and He alone is to be obeyed. To spread good and forbid evil according to the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah is our foremost duty. There exists neither a Caliph nor an Amir. Both Ali and Mu’awiyah are in error. Mu’awiyah in error because he did not accept Ali while Ali is in error because he agreed on arbitration. After gaining power, we will set up a social order based on Allah’s Book”

Reflection?

Emissary Sent to Khawarij

Ali sent an emissary to remove the misunderstanding of the Khawarij. Instead they started a long debate

Ali then went himself and gave them all the assurances that the outcome of the arbitration would only be accepted if they conform to the Qur’an and Sunnah

Ali was successful initially and the Khawarij joined him temporarily

Verdict of Arbitrators

The 2 arbitrators thought over the matter for six months

Mu’awiyah’s representative, Amr ibn As, was a famous statesman and diplomat of Arabia. On the other hand, Ali’s representative, Abu Musa Ashari, was a simple Muslim, unacquainted with diplomatic tactics

Outcome: “Ali and Mu’awiyah both withdraw their right for the Caliphate. The Muslims should appoint a third person as their Caliph”

Verdict of Arbitrators Amr ibn As asked Abu Musa Ashari to make the

announcement in the mosque before the Muslims Abu Musa: “We have agreed that neither Ali nor

Mu’awiyah would be considered as the Caliph. You may elect any other man you think fit”

Amr ibn As stood up to add: “I do not consider Ali fit for the Caliphate, but in my opinion Mu’awiyah is fit for it”

Confusion entails. Acceptance of arbitration proved disastrous to Ali

“The judgment is not based on Qur’an and Sunnah which was the condition for arbitration. Therefore it cannot be accepted”. Order made to attack Syria

Reflection?

Split in Muslim Community

1. Uthmanis2. Shi’ites3. Ahl Sunnah wal-

Jamaah4. Khawarij

Split in Muslim Community1. Uthmanis

Confined to Syria under Mu’awiyah Initially called for punishment of assassins of

Uthman before accepting the Caliph, but after arbitration, they totally rejected the Caliphate of Ali and took the bay’at from Mu’awiyah

2. Shi’ites Called themselves friends of Ali in the

beginning but later on developed their own beliefs and considered Ali as Wasi (Administrator) of Prophet only

Not only condemned Mu’awiyah, but also Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman and discarded the authority of the first 3 Caliphs

Disagreed with most of the works produced by Sunni scholars

Split Within Muslim Community Laa ilaaha illaahu Muhammadur Rasulullaah wa

Ali waliyullah, wa Khomeni Hujjatulillaah To support their claims, ahadeeth were

“invented” in which the Prophet made all of his followers and companions swear an allegiance to Ali that he would be their leader after the Prophet’s death. This incident was supposed to occur at Ghadir Khum on the way back to Madina after the farewell Hajj

Claimed that only certain blood descendants of the Prophet by way of only Ali and Fatimah who had the right to be leaders of Muslims

They attribute their Imams some of God’s unique qualities and elevate them above the Prophets

Split Within Muslim Community“The Imam has an exalted position, an elevated rank and a creational vicegerency (caliphate) to whose sovereignty and dominion all of the atoms of the universe yield and obey. And among the basic tenets of our Shi’a madhhab is that the Imams have a station which cannot be attained by either an angel close (to God) or a commissioned Prophet. And furthermore, based on the narrations and ahadeeth which we have, the greatest Prophet (Muhammad) and the (Twelve) Imams existed before this world (was created) as lights which Allah made to encircle His Throne” … Ayatullah Rohullah Khomeini, al-Hukoomah al-Islameeyah

Split in Muslim Community

3. Ahl Sunnah wal-Jamaah Majority of Companions and Muslims. In

favour of Ali and all preceding Caliphs Believed that the right path was to follow

the Sunnah of the Prophet and the traditions of his pious Jamaah, esp the first 4 Caliphs

Mu’awiyah was not right in not accepting Ali’s authority, but that mistake was based on Ijtihad.

Most historians agree that Mu’awiyah did not declare himself as a Caliph although people took bay’ah from him

Split in Muslim Community

4. Khawarij More of a political group that

theological Accepted the authority of Abu Bakr and

Umar, but denounced Uthman, Ali and Mu’awiyah

Hakam was against the principles of Islam

Become almost extinct

The Kharijite Trouble Centre set up at Nahrwan and they began to preach

from there They were very harsh to those who differed from them

and regarded such Muslims as rebels against Islam and murdered them

They seemed to be very pious as far as their appearance was concerned – offering long prayers, wore simple dress and honest in dealings. But they were misguided in beliefs and killed all those who said they were the followers of the Caliph

Ali tried to negotiate with them but there seemed no way out. Ali then declared that he would give amnesty to those give their bay’ah to him. 3000 responded

Battle ensured and they were defeated. Most of their leaders slained

Assassination of Ali

After the battle of Nahrwan, the Khawarij went underground

They were as much against Ali as they were against Mu’awiyah and were working against the Caliphate

Plot to assassinate Ali, Mu’awiyah and Amr ibn As – at the same time on the same day: 17th Ramadhan 40 AH after Fajar prayers

Assassination of Ali

Mu’awiyah escaped with a scratch

Amr ibn As did not turn out for jemaah prayers as he was sick that day, thus was unhurt

Ali was mortally wounded with the poisoned sword of ibn Mujam. He passed away in the evening of 20th Ramadhan 40AH

Assassination of Ali Ibn Mujam was caught by the people. Ali

asked them to slay him if he died Ali called his sons and advised them to

serve Islam and to be good with Muslims Of taking bay’ah to Hassan: “I leave this

decision to the Muslims” Ali advised the people not to kill any

person other than the assassin to avenge him

He was 63 years of age and had ruled for 4 years and 9 months as Caliph

Reflection?

Background to Ali’s Caliphate

Period of his Caliphate was not easy Civil war Revolts Appointment of Caliph at a difficult time –

assassination of Uthman and inability to determine who they were

Assassins were underground and in the army and causing trouble

Emotional incitement by Mu’awiyah Khwarijite movement Ali faced all these problems with extraordinary

courage and presented before us an exemplary character

Ali’s Legacy Character, piety and excellence

Model of simplicity and self denial Did not have a servant Wise counsellor, true friend and generous

foe No desire for Caliphate, but when

entrusted, did his best “The Caliph has a right in Muslim

property only to the extent sufficient for him and his family”

Generous Piety Kind: Aisha etc

Ali’s Legacy Tasawwuf

Considered the Great Imam of Tasawwuf – all genealogical chain of Sufi orders ends with Ali to the Prophet, except for one

“The Gate of the City of Knowledge” “I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its gate” “I could tell for each and every verse of the

Holy Qur’an why and when it was revealed” Spent 30 years with the Prophet, then Abu

Bakr Was a great Mufti during the 3 Caliphates

Ali’s Legacy

General administration and discipline of civil officers

Administration of Baitul Mal Kindness to non-Muslims Just to Muslims and non-Muslims Preaching of Islam

Downfall of the Pious Caliphate

“For 30 years after me, there would be Caliphate after which it will change to Kingship”

Decision to abdicate in favour of Mu’awiyah by Hassan marked the downfall

Features of the Caliphate

Foundation of Caliphate Election of Caliph by Shura and general

consent Caliph was bound to follow Qur’an and

sunnah Establishment and use of Shura Council Freedom of opinion Baitul Mal was not the property of the Caliph Supremacy of Law The Government was treated as a Trust

REFLECTIONS

Group Discussion

Group 1:Share with the class some aspects of Abu Bakr & ‘Umar which inspired your group. Elaborate

Group 2: Share with the class some aspects of ‘Uthman & ‘Ali which inspired your group. Elaborate

Group Discussion

Group 3:Through the last 4 weeks of discourses, what in your opinion, caused the downfall of the Caliphate? How has these stories impacted your life so far?

Group 4:The course adopts a particular narrative. How do you deal with narratives that differ from each other while you are doing your research/readings?

Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn ‘Abi Talib

Student’s Group Presentation