21st Ramdhan..Martyrdom of 4th Caliph, Ali (r.a)

Amongst  the descendants of Prophet Ibrahim (a.s), Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) belonged to the line of Quraish. He was the son of Abu Talib , son of Abdul Muttalib of the distinguished tribe of Bani Hashim.  Only one step above his lineage coincided with that of the Prophet of Islam (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).The latter being Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib. and the former Ali bin Abi Talib bin Abdul Muttalib.. It was his father Abu Talib who had nourished and brought up the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). His mother Fatima binte Asad was also a noble lady belonging to the tribe of Bani Hashim whom the Prophet (saw) regarded as his own mother. When the Prophet of God (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was 30 years old, Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) was born on 13th of Rajab in the 30 th year of Aamul eel (The Elephant Era) inside the sacred Kaba.

The responsibility for bringing him up devolved directly on Muhammad Mustafa (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) who devoted all his time and attention towards nurturing him with utmost love and affection, instilling in him both knowledge and noble morals. Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) was 10 years old when Muhammad Mustafa (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was formally called upon to convey the divine message. The Prophet had embarked upon a mission which was against the trend of the times, the prevailing environment, the practice of  the entire city and of his own people and tribe. No one was prepared to extend a helping hand and cooperate with him. It was Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) alone who was foremost in testifying the claim  of the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and in reposing full faith in his mission.The other personality was that of Khadijatul Kubra (radyAllahu`anha) who acquired the honor of precedence in embracing Islam among the women.

The moment the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) proclaimed his prophet hood every particle under the sun turned against him. Those very people who used to acclaim his truthfulness and trustworthiness began calling him a lunatic, a sorcerer and what not ? Thorns were laid in his path, stones were pelted at him , and garbage was thrown on his head. In these hard times only a child was there to share his misery. This child was the same Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) who never lost his courage in collaborating with his cousin and in professing his love and loyalty towards  him. On every occasion he acted as a shield to the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) against all odds.

The demise of Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) loving uncle Abu Talib broke the Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) heart. He made up his mind to migrate to Madinah because the enemies unanimously decided to surround the house of the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) at night and finally kill him. At night the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) left Makkah for Madinah and Ali ibne Abi Talib (radyAllahu`anhu)  slept on his bed. Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) stayed at Makkah for 3 days. During this period he returned to their owners all the articles that were left in trust with the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)

The first thing that the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did on his arrival to Madinah was to solemnize the marriage of his only daughter, Fatima Zahra (radyAllahu`anha) with Ali (radyAllahu`anhu). The Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) deeply loved his daughter and had so much respect for her that whenever she came to him he used to stand up in reverence. The life of Fatima and Ali presented an unparalleled ideal for domestic life. It was an example of how a man and woman can prove to be the real life partners, what should be the distribution of duties between them and how they can be helpful to each other.
Besides participating in Jihad Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) was never averse to do anything for the sake of Islam.The tasks that he had to perform were of diverse nature. He was responsible for writing down treaties and letters.  He was also the custodian of the recorded portions of the Quran.  Besides, he was deputed to Yemen by the Prophet (saw) for the propagation of Islam.As a result of his successful preaching,the entire Yemen embraced Islam.

When the Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) soul left his body Ali's (radyAllahu`anhu) hand was still on his chest.After the Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) demise how could the man who had been with him for the whole of his life, leave his body unattended ?So, the duty of washing of the body, wrapping it in shroud and other funeral rites were performed by Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) It was he who laid the Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) body in the grave. After the Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) burial.

In addition to this he was, on his own, ever busy in the service of Islam in the spiritual sphere as well as in the dissemination of knowledge.  He compiled the Quran in order of revelation of the verses, specifying the verses which were later canceled and those which canceled them; the verses which are clear and those which are obscure. He generated in the educated class of the Muslims an interest in writing and compilation of  books land also a longing for research in various branches of knowledge.  He himself produced a body of learned works comprising Quranic exegesis, philosophical reasoning, Islamic jurisprudence and commandments. He trained a large number of disciples who helped build in future a society of learned scholars amongst the Muslims. In order to preserve the Arabic language, Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) laid the foundation of Arabic grammar and elucidated the principles of etymology and literature.  In this way Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) set an example that one must not forget one's duties even when facing adverse conditions, deprived of authority and compelled to lead a life of neglect and seclusion. The interest of the society is not to be harmed for the sake of personal aggrandizement or to gain official position. One should in all circumstances continue to serve the society. the community and the religion as far as possible.

For 25 years after the Prophet's (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) demise Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) led a life of seclusion. In 35 A.H. the Muslims offered the office of Islamic Caliph to Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) At first he refused. But when the insistence on part of the Muslims increased , he accepted it on the condition that he would rule strictly in accordance with the precepts laid down in the Quran and the Sunnah (practice) of the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) without favour and partiality towards any body. The people agreed to this condition and thereupon he accepted the office of the Caliph. But the people could not tolerate his purely religious rule. and rebelled against him on one or the other excuse.

He wore patched clothes, sat in the company of poor people on ground and partook food with them. The p;proceeds of the Baitul Mal (public treasury) were distributed equally amongst the deserving .

Alas! this protagonist of peace, equality and Islamic values could not escape the malicious designs of the worldly people. In the morning of 19th of the month of Ramdhan 40 A.H. while offering prayer in the mosque he was fatally wounded by a  sword dipped in poison . His mercifulness, kindness and regard for equality of all human beings was such that when his assassin was brought before him with a pale face and tears rolling down his eyes, he was touched with compassion even for him and and addressing his two sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (radyAllahu`anhu) , said : " He is your prisoner. Do not treat him harshly. Give him the food that you yourself eat. If I recover, it will be upto me to punish him or to forgive him. But if I do not survive and you decide to avenge his crime, then strike him with sword only once as he had struck me once and in no case his hands or legs or any other part of his body should be cut off as it is against the teachings of Islam." Ali (radyAllahu`anhu) spent  two  restless days on his sick bed in extreme  pain and distress. Eventually the poison spread all over the body and he breathed his last on 21st of Ramdhan at the time of morning prayer.  Hasan and Husain (radyAllahu`anhu) performed the funeral rites and that prince of humanity was buried at Najaf at the back of the city of Kufa (Iraq).