In Praise of Imam Ali – From Qur'an and Hadeeth(7)
(Collected from a number of books and websites, presented by Syed-Mohsin Naquvi)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ
وَمَن يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفًا لِّقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزًا إِلَىٰ فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
(Q.8:15,16)
Translation: O people of the faith, when you confront the Kuffaar at the battlefield, do not turn away showing your backs (to them), and anyone who did turn away on such a day showing their backs, except as a stratagem of war, or trying to meet up with another Muslim party (in battle), ideed, such a person has incurred Allah's anger on him and his place is in Jahannum, and what a miserable home that would be.
After writing six articles on this topic, we want to pause and take account of what we have been writing so far and why have we embarked on this writing mission.
Basically the question was: Among the senior Companions Imam Ali has a far superior position than any other person. Is that statement true are not? Our contention was and still is that if we look at the event of the Battle of Uhud, that will suffice as an answer to that original question.
The very fact that many senior Companions, including three very senior ones, who became Khaleefas #1, #2 and #3, in later years, were seen running away from the active battlefield, while Imam Ali had stood fast protecting the person of the Prophet and giving everything he had to the mission of Islam. We presented many reports to support that claim. We also presented the verse of the Qur'an mentioned above at the top of this message, which shows very clearly that any Muslim soldier who runs from the Battlefield is considered to have gone back on his promise of La ilaha Illa Allah and his abode is Hell fire.
A counter argument was presented saying that those who had fled from the battle of Uhud, did actually return to the Prophet and they were all forgiven by Allah.
There is no doubt that the runners at the Battle of Uhud did eventually return to the Prophet and they were forgiven for that lapse – Qur'an attests to that.
However, forgiveness also implies that the offender will not repeat the offence in future. We see that people in the Prophet's company showed cowardice again and again, at Khandaq, Khybar (of which we will write more in coming posts) and again more seriously at the Battle of Hunayn.
However, Let us leave all that aside for the moment.
Let us consider the following questions:
(1) Has the Prophet said for any of his Companions that "you are my brother in this world as well as in the hereafter," as he did for Imam Ali?
(2) Has the Prophet said anything close to the following, for any of his Companions anywhere anytime?
<<< This time Mohammed accepted Ali's offer. He drew him close, pressed him to his heart, and said to the assembly: "This is my wazir, my successor and my vicegerent. Listen to him and obey his commands." >>>
(3) Has any of the Companions of the Prophet said anything philosophical or intellectual about any aspect of Islam, anywhere nearing the collection of Nahjul-Balgha? The basis of Islam is the concept of TAWHEED. Has any Companion ever, after the Prophet of Islam, said anything on that concept, anywhere nearing Imam Ali's profound discourses on the concept of Tawheed?
(4) Has any verse been revealed for any of the Companions anywhere such as the verse 207 of Sura BAQARA (there are those who sell their souls for pleasure of Allah).
If the answer to these questions is in the negative, then, what on earth makes any other Companion superior to Imam Ali?
Thank you
Sincerely,
Syed-Mohsin Naquvi
P.S. This is not the end of this series, at least, not yet
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