First of all, to all believing men and women, on the occasion of the blessed birth of the Commander of the Faithful, we offer congratulations and greetings. This article is being written on the birth and personality of the Commander of the Faithful, the Leader of Religion, and the Imam of the Pious. His essence is to such an extent high and magnificent that short-sighted individuals like us, what praise can we do of him? Because he is that being whose praisers are God and His Messenger (peace be upon him); there, no human has the power that he could equal him, or the bird of his thought could pass over the peak of his greatness. But so that our some share also may be included in the expression of devotion, from this perspective some points are presented, so that his gaze of kindness may be upon us (Insha'Allah).
Imam Ali (as), on Friday, 13 Rajab, in the year 30 of the Year of the Elephant, was born inside the House of Kaaba in Mecca the Honored. Regarding the Commander of the Faithful being born in the House of Kaaba, along with all Shia scholars, most Sunnite scholars also have agreement. Among the Shias: Syed Radhi, Sheikh Mufid, Qutb al-Rawandi, Ibn Shahr Ashub; while among the Sunnis: Hakim Nishapuri, Hafiz Ganji Shafi'i, Ibn al-Jawzi Hanafi, Ibn Sabbagh Maliki, Halabi and Masudi consider the birth in the House of Kaaba to be a matter of successive testimony (Tawatur)1.
Hazrat Ali (as), first of all, brought faith in the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him). According to the Shias, the Commander of the Faithful, on the basis of the command of God and the Messenger (peace be upon him), is the immediate successor of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him)2. Verses of the Holy Quran provide evidence of his infallibility and purity3. On the basis of some sources of the Shias and also the Sunnis, approximately 300 verses of the Holy Quran were revealed in your excellence; furthermore, you are the husband of Hazrat Fatima and the Father of the Imams4.
At the time when the people of Quraish made the intention to kill the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), at that time Hazrat Ali (as) slept on his bed so that the enemy might be deceived; in this way, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) performed a secret migration5. When the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) established the bond of brotherhood among the companions in Medina, then for himself, he selected you (Ali (as)) only. He participated in all battles with the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) except for Tabuk. He was a pride-worthy commander of Islam6.
After the passing of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), a group, in Saqifah Bani Sa'idah, performed allegiance to Abu Bakr in the title of Caliph; in this way, the Imam remained away from the Caliphate for 25 years. You, after the initial three Caliphs, on the insistence of the Muslims, accepted the Caliphate and government for the establishment of justice7. The Commander of the Faithful, during his short Caliphate, faced three internal wars and finally, in the prayer niche of the Kufa Mosque, in the state of prayer, was wounded and martyred at the hands of a Kharijite and was buried secretly in Najaf8.
Up to here was a brief summary of the life of this world-renowned personality, but if we wish to cast light on the various angles of his life, then the matter will become very lengthy. However, we will try to cast light on a few important aspects to the extent of this article’s capacity. Imam Ali, besides Legislative Authority (Wilayah al-Tashri'i), was the possessor of Universal Authority (Wilayah al-Takwini). This spiritual station is the station of the Universal Divine Vicegerency; therefore, all particles of the universe are humble and submissive before the Divine Guardian of the Command, and he can exercise authority over the cosmos by the permission of God. From this perspective, your Imamat and Caliphate were unique and distinct from all other previous caliphs.
This personality, who remained with the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) in every condition, learned knowledge and wisdom from him alone; therefore, you (Ali (as)) knew the context and conditions of the revelation of the Quranic verses. He was the Gate of the City of Knowledge; the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) opened a thousand gates of knowledge for Imam Ali (as), from each gate of which you opened a thousand more gates9.
Love for worship and lengthy intimate supplications, and the praying of a thousand units of prayer in a day and night, was not within the capacity of anyone besides Hazrat Ali (as). All Jinn and mankind, and even the "Malak" meaning the angels do not have the strength to bear (the weight/power of) Ali saying a single 'La Ilaha Illallah'.
Imam Ali's (as) life was extremely simple; his food was not more than bread, vinegar, olives, and salt. You lived life like the people of the lower level of society. When buying clothes, he would grant the good clothes to his slave Qambar. If the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) had handed over the society only to Hazrat Ali (as), it would have been enough for his truthfulness; and if the philosophy of his mission had been the training of a single person like Hazrat Ali (as), that too would have been enough.
Imam Ali (as), in the very initial days of his Caliphate, stood up against that wrong tradition which had been previously made prevalent that they used to distribute the Public Treasury among various individuals based on non-Islamic standards whereas you said: 'Distribute the Public Treasury among the people equally, because I have studied the Quran, but from beginning to end, I did not find any superiority of the children of Ishmael (Arabs of Mecca) over the children of Isaac (non-Arabs)10.
You (Ali (as)) had appointed Ammar Yasir and Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan as the officials in charge of the Public Treasury, who were instructed that Arab and non-Arab, and every Muslim regardless of whichever nation or tribe they may belong to should all be given an equal share of the Public Treasury11.
Every one of the above-mentioned qualities is at such a high level of morals and humanity that a human seeker of these qualities whether they be Muslim or non-Muslim always appears humble before Hazrat Ali (as). Whether it be Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu'tazili or George Jordac the Christian, all, being absorbed in these praiseworthy morals, appear eloquent in singing the praises of this great human.
The prayer is that Allah the Almighty may grant us also the opportunity to gain grace from the praiseworthy qualities of the Imam of the Pious.
1Al-Ghadir fil Kitab wa Al-Sunnah wa Al-Adab, Vol. 6, pp. 21-23
2The Holy Quran, Surah Al-Ma'idah (5):67
3The Holy Quran, Surah Al-Ahzab 33
4Al-Suyuti, Tarikh Al-Khulafa (History of the Caliphs), p. 189
5Bihar Al-Anwar, Vol. 19, p. 59
6Al-Mustadrak 'ala Al-Sahihayn, Vol. 3, p. 16
7Ibn Abi al-Hadid Al-Mu'tazili, Sharh Nahj Al-Balagha, Vol. 6, p. 5
8Bihar Al-Anwar, Vol. 42, p. 290
9Jawahir Al-Usul, Vol. 4, pp. 500-501
10Sheikh Mufid, Al-Ikhtisas, p. 151
11Ma'arif wa Ma'arif, Vol. 7, p. 457