chat room of Islamickorner

Create a Meebo Chat Room

Shaitan threatens u viv Poverty & orders u 2 commit Fahsha ....

"Shaitân (Satan) threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahshâ (evil deeds, illegal sexualintercourse, sins etc.); whereas Allâh promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower". [Baqara:268]

Allah's Apostle said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):

Narated By Ibn 'Umar : Allah's Apostle said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):

1. To testify that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
3. To pay Zakat. (i.e. obligatory charity)
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

Allah's Apostle Peace Be Upon Him was the most generous of all the people,

Narated By Ibn 'Abbas : Allah's Apostle was the most generous of all the people, and he used to reach the peak in generosity in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet him every night of Ramadan to teach him the Qur'an. Allah's Apostle was the most generous person, even more generous than the strong uncontrollable wind (in readiness and haste to do charitable deeds).

namaz e witar

IFTAR or IFTAREE (Breaking of Fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan)



http://www.ezsoftech.com/ramadan/dua/ramadan04c.gif
Iftar, refers to the evening meal for breaking the daily fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Or a meal served at the end of the fasting day during Ramadan, to break the day's fast. Literally, "breakfast." Iftar during Ramadan is often done as a community, with Muslims gathering to break their fast together.

The time for Iftar is 12 to 15 minutes after Sunset. It is better to offer 'Magrib Namaz/salat' and then break one's fast, preferably with water, milk or dates.

The following Dua may be recited at the time of breaking one's fast:

ALLAAHUMMA LAKA S'UMTU WA A'LAA RIZQIKA AFT'ARTU WA A'LAYKA TAWAWKKALTU

O my Allah, for Thee, I fast, and with the food Thou gives me I break the fast, and I rely on Thee

Ameer ul-Moomineen Ali Ibne Abi Taalib (A.S.) used to recite the following du'a before Iftaar:



BISMILLAAH ALLAAHUMMA LAKA S'UMNAA WA A'LAA RIZQIKA AFT'ARNAA FA-TAQABBAL MINNAA INNAKA ANTAS SAMEE-U'L A'LEEM

In the name of Allah, O Allah, we fast, and with the food Thou gives us we break the fast, an obligation we fulfill, and Thou art Hearer, Knower

While taking the first mouthful recite:



BISMILLAAHIR RAH'MAANIR RAH'EEM YAA WAASI-A'L MAGHFIRATI IGHFIR LEE

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, O He whose indulgence is boundless, forgive me

Recite Soorah Al-Qadr and give alms in the name of Allah (SWT).



Power of Dua at the time of Iftaar, Iftaree (Fast breaking during Ramadan)



Once Prophet Moosa / Musa / Moses (peace be upon him) asked Almighty Allah (SWT): O Allah! You have granted me the honor and privilege of talking to you directly, Have you given this privilege to any other person? Almighty Allah (SWT) replied, O Moosa / Musa / Moses during the last period I am going to send an Ummat / Ummah (Community or Nation), who will be the Ummat / Ummah (Community or Nation) of Muhammad (SAW) with dry lips, parched tongues, emaciated body with eyes sunken deep into their sockets, with livers dry and stomachs suffering the pangs of hunger - will call out to me (in dua) they will be much much closer to me than you O Moosa / Musa / Moses! While you speak to me there are 70000 veils between you and me but at the time of iftaar there will not be a single veil between me and the fasting Ummati of Muhammad (SAW). O Moosa / Musa / Moses I have taken upon myself the responsibility that at the time of iftaar I will never refuse the dua of a fasting person!

KEEP YOURSELF OCCUPIED WITH DUA BEFORE BREAKING YOUR FAST

Never underestimate the power of dua. When nothing helps only dua helps.



Every night of Islamic month of Ramadan do the following



Recite Soorah Al-Qadr 1000 times and Soorah Al-Dukhaan 100 times.
Recite



ALLAAHUMMA RABBA SHAHRI RAMAZ'AANAL LAD'EE ANZALTA FEEHIL QUR-AANA WAFTARAZ'TA A'LAA I'BAADIKA FEEHlS S'IYAAMA S'ALLI A'LAA MUH'AMMADIN WA AALI MUHAMMAD WARZUQNEE H'AJJA BAYTIKAL H'ARAAM FEE A'AMEE HAAD'AA WA FEE KULLI A'AM WAGHFIR LEE TILKAD'D'UNOOBAL I'Z'AAM FA-INNAHOO LAA YAGHFIRUHAA GHAYRUKA YAA RAH'MAAN YAA A'LLAAM


O Allah, the Lord, (this is) the month of Ramadan, in it Thou revealed the Holy Quran, and in it made obligatory "fasting" upon Thy servants, send blessings on Muhammad and on the children of Muhammad, and provide us with the means to go to Thy Sacred House for "Hajj" this year and every year; and in this month forgive my grave sins, verily, other than Thee, no one can liberate (me) from its consequences, O Beneficent, O Omniscient.

Recite Dua-e-Iftitaah. Download Dua-e-Iftitaah.

imam mahdi

“The subject of the Mahdi” is one that has always occupied an important place in the Islamic world, ever since the Age of Bliss. Hoping that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be instrumental in making the afflictions Muslims have been going through, the intellectual systems based on denial, unfair and unjust practices, conflicts and wars pervading the world to come to an end, believers have always awaited the coming of this blessed individual in their own times and sincerely prayed to Allah for it to come about.  
The hadiths of our Prophet (saas) speak of Muslims eagerly awaiting the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) ever since the time of the Ashab al-Kiram (Companions of the Prophet [saas]) and of their “begging Allah to be among the living at that time.” We are told that the old “will beg Allah to be young” in order to live to see the age of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as). In the hadiths, our Prophet (saas) also tells the believers who will live in that time “to find and follow Hazrat Mahdi (as), even by crawling over ice,” and advises those who live to see this happy age to strive to be worthy of this blessing from Allah:
Ibn Abi Shayba and Nuaim Ibn Hammad in Kitab Al-Fitan, and Ibn Majah and Abu Na’im quoted from Ibnu Mas’ud. He said that:
"... He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] owns the earth and fills the earth with justice which was previously filled with oppression and violence. WHOEVER OF YOU LIVES TO SEE HIM, LET HIM CRAWL OVER SNOW TO HIM AND JOIN HIM. Because he is Hazrat Mahdi (as).” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 14)
"In his [Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)] time, ADULTS WILL SAY "WISH I WAS YOUNGER," AND YOUNGER ONES WILL SAY "WISH I WAS GROWN UP." (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 48; Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 17)
"… THE LIVING (FOR OTHERS TO SEE THE GRACES THEY ENJOY) WILL WISH THE DEAD WERE ALIVE." (Al-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 437)
Nuaim Ibn Hammad quoted from Ibn Abbas: "Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a young man from the Ahl al-Bayt. OUR OLD MEMBERS WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE HIM, WHILE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HOPE FOR HIM." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 23)
Nuaim Ibn Hammad reported from Tawus: "I WISH I WOULD NOT DIE UNTIL HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WERE TO APPEAR. For then, in his period the good become even better, and even the wicked ones are treated well.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 17)
"His [Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)] time will be one of such justice that THE DEAD IN THE GRAVES WILL ENVY THE LIVING..." (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 22)
This blissful time, for which people have been deeply longing for hundreds of years will, according to the indications in the hadiths, last “for more than half a century.” And little time now remains until these historic glad tidings, of such great importance to the Islamic world, finally come about. By Allah's leave, the timing given by the Prophet (saas) in the hadiths for the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is now imminent. The century we are living in, or “Hijri 1400s”, is “the century of the Mahdi,” by Allah’s leave. “The coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as),” that people have been keenly awaiting and praying for over the centuries will, by His leave, take place in this century. Sincere Muslims living in this century and who eagerly, hopefully and enthusiastically await the coming of these historic individuals will, insha’Allah, be able to enjoy the honor of being among the Prophet Jesus’ (as) and Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) helpers, friends and close followers. They will be able to support the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) in their intellectual struggle against irreligious movements, in spreading the moral values of Islam across the world, in uniting the Islamic world and in causing the Christian world to follow the Qur’an and the true faith. Being among the supporters of these holy individuals, they will have the honor of being among those instrumental in the Muslim world attaining the peace, happiness, plenty and abundance for which it has longed for the last 14 centuries.
The hadiths of our Prophet (saas), books written by great Sunni scholars, and all the statements by worthy scholars who were mujaddids (revivers) and mujtahids (scholars who derive legal rulings) of their own times, all point to the present century. Almost all the events known as “The Portents of the End Times” have come about one after the other “like the beads on a necklace.” The developments taking place in the world on an almost daily basis show that we are living in “The End Times” and that “the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in this age, and the age that they will be instrumental in its being a most holy one is approaching.” 
Everyone, whether or not they take a great interest in this reality, is by now well aware of it; the subject of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is being discussed on domestic and foreign television and radio stations, on chat programs, in newspapers and magazines, at conferences and on web sites. There is no doubt that this is an important sign revealed in the hadiths and foretelling the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as):
"HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL APPEAR, EVERYONE WILL SPEAK ONLY OF HIM, DRINK OF HIS LOVE AND SPEAK OF NOTHING ELSE." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 33)
One of the aims in the preparation of this book is to enable both Muslims excitedly awaiting the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) and everyone interested in the subject to obtain the most accurate information and access the most trustworthy sources; it is for them to be able to learn important facts regarding these holy individuals from valuable hadiths that have been scrupulously transmitted from the Prophet (saas) and down the centuries to the present day. In this way, Muslims, the Islamic world and everyone on Earth will be able to follow these significant events of such great importance for human happiness and to ready themselves for these historic events both better and faster.
People have not had the honor of seeing a “Prophet” for the last 14 centuries. They have been unable to meet and see such a holy person and to witness his deep faith, fear of Allah and superior moral virtues. By Allah's leave, this time is now the age when people will be honored by a “Prophet” after 1400 years. Allah will send the Prophet Jesus (as) back to Earth to support Hazrat Mahdi (as) in his struggle against denial. On this second coming, the Prophet Jesus (as) will adhere to the Qur’an and will be instrumental in the whole Christian world also obeying the Qur’an. The Prophet Jesus (as) will follow Hazrat Mahdi (as) and they will establish the global dominion of Islamic moral values under Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) spiritual leadership. This is a great blessing from Allah for people living in the current century.
The “Mahdi of the End Times” awaited for hundreds of years will only come once, and people in this century will have the honor of seeing this Great Person. Our Prophet (saas) reveals in the hadiths that “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be the most virtuous person of his age.” We are told that his good manners and conduct will resemble those of our Prophet (saas). It is a great blessing from Allah for a believer to live in the same age as such a virtuous and holy figure. A Muslim must strive to find someone described as “the most virtuous person in the world” of his own day.
Allah's sending two such superior figures chosen by and beloved of Him at the same time is a great blessing. The information in this book will, by Allah’s leave, be instrumental in Muslims having a better understanding of this great mercy and these glad tidings from Allah, and getting ready in a much better way for the dominion of the moral values of Islam after so many centuries.

Relevation the Hadith sahih hadith

Revelation


Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."


Narrated 'Aisha:
(the mother of the faithful believers) Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's Apostle "O Allah's Apostle! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Apostle replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes ' off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day and noticed the Sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over).


Narrated 'Aisha:
(the mother of the faithful believers) The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read.
The Prophet added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists) has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then Allah's Apostle returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, "I fear that something may happen to me." Khadija replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones."
Khadija then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza, who, during the PreIslamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's Apostle described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while.
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari while talking about the period of pause in revelation reporting the speech of the Prophet "While I was walking, all of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw the same angel who had visited me at the cave of Hira' sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said, 'Wrap me (in blankets).' And then Allah revealed the following Holy Verses (of Quran):
'O you (i.e. Muhammad)! wrapped up in garments!' Arise and warn (the people against Allah's Punishment),... up to 'and desert the idols.' (74.1-5) After this the revelation started coming strongly, frequently and regularly."


Narrated Said bin Jubair:
Ibn 'Abbas in the explanation of the Statement of Allah. 'Move not your tongue concerning (the Quran) to make haste therewith." (75.16) Said "Allah's Apostle used to bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move his lips (quickly) with the Inspiration." Ibn 'Abbas moved his lips saying, "I am moving my lips in front of you as Allah's Apostle used to move his." Said moved his lips saying: "I am moving my lips, as I saw Ibn 'Abbas moving his." Ibn 'Abbas added, "So Allah revealed 'Move not your tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It is for us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad) the ability to recite it (the Qur'an) (75.16-17) which means that Allah will make him (the Prophet ) remember the portion of the Qur'an which was revealed at that time by heart and recite it. The Statement of Allah: And 'When we have recited it to you (O Muhammad through Gabriel) then you follow its (Qur'an) recital' (75.18) means 'listen to it and be silent.' Then it is for Us (Allah) to make It clear to you' (75.19) means 'Then it is (for Allah) to make you recite it (and its meaning will be clear by itself through your tongue). Afterwards, Allah's Apostle used to listen to Gabriel whenever he came and after his departure he used to recite it as Gabriel had recited it."


Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
Allah's Apostle was the most generous of all the people, and he used to reach the peak in generosity in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet him every night of Ramadan to teach him the Qur'an. Allah's Apostle was the most generous person, even more generous than the strong uncontrollable wind (in readiness and haste to do charitable deeds).


Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas:
Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Apostle had truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's question said to them, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group)."
Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was:
'What is his family status amongst you?'
I replied, 'He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.'
Heraclius further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?'
I replied, 'No.'
He said, 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?'
I replied, 'No.'
Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?'
I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.'
He said, 'Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?'
I replied, 'They are increasing.'
He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?'
I replied, 'No.'
Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?'
I replied, 'No. '
Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?'
I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that.
Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?'
I replied, 'Yes.'
Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?'
I replied, 'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.'
Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?'
I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.'
Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom.
I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I, then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle
which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants). (And I recite to you Allah's Statement:)
'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64).
Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)."
The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, 'At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror). Who are they who practice circumcision?' The people replied, 'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews).
'Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.'
While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.'
(After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e. embrace Islam).'
(On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience.
(When they returned) he said, 'What already said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith).

dua istakhara

introducing islam

I. ISLAM AND MUSLIMS
The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of the beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. It means more than that: submission to the One God, and to live in peace with the Creator, within one's self, with other people and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total system of living. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the Universe.
II. MUSLIMS AND ARABS
The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities.

An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any language.

While there are one billion Muslims in the world there are about 200 million Arabs. Among them, approximately ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world.
III. ALLAH THE ONE AND THE ONLY GOD
Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others.

He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and others. Muslims worship God whose name is Allah. They put their trust in Him and they seek His help and His guidance.
IV. MUHAMMAD
Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He was born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted with the Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he received is called the Qur'an, while the message is called Islam.

Muhammad is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of Jesus, Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teaching of the Qur'an.
V. SOURCE OF ISLAM
The legal sources of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. The Qur'an is the exact word of God; its authenticity, originality and totality are intact. The Hadith is the report of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet's sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings of followers of Muhammad about the life of the Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for Muslims.
VI. SOME ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES
A. Oneness of God:

He is One and the Only One. He is not two in one or three in one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of trinity or such a unity of God which implies more than one God in one.

B. Oneness of mankind:

People are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another. God made us of different colors, nationalities, languages and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others. No one can claim that he is better than others. It is only God Who knows who is better. It depends on piety and righteousness.


C. Oneness of Messengers and the Message:

Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind. All came with the same message and the same teachings. It was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them.

Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. The Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets of Islam.


D. Angels and the Day of Judgment:

Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such as angels created by God in the universe for special missions.

Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgment when all people of the world throughout the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to be brought for accounting, reward and punishment.


E. Innocence of Man at Birth:

Muslim believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others. However, the door of forgiveness through true repentance is always open.

F. State and Religion:

Muslims believe that Islam is a total and a complete way of life. It encompasses all aspects of life. As such, the teachings of Islam do not separate religion from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are under the obedience of Allah through the teachings of Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as well as educational and political systems are also part of the teachings of Islam.
VII. PRACTICES OF ISLAM
God instructed the Muslims to practice what they believe in. In Islam there are five pillars, namely:

Creed (Shahada): The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, is considered to be the Creed of Islam.

Prayers (Salat): The performance of the five daily prayers is required of Muslims.

Fasting (Saum): Fasting is total abstinence from food, liquids and intimate intercourse (between married couples) from dawn to sunset during the entire month of Ramadan.

Purifying Tax (Zakat): This is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslim's property which is distributed among the poor or other rightful beneficiaries.

Pilgrimage (Hajj): The performance of pilgrimage to Makkah is required once in a life time if means are available. Hajj is in part in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael.

VIII. OTHER RELATED ASPECTS
A. Calendar:

Islamic practices are based on the lunar calendar. However, Muslims also use the Gregorian calendar in their daily religious lives. Hence, the Islamic calendar includes both the common era and the migration (Higra) year of the Prophet of Islam from Makkah to Madinah in the year of 623 C.E.


B. Celebrations (Eid):

Muslims have two celebrations (Eid); namely, Eid of Sacrifice and Eid of Fast-Breaking. The Eid of Sacrifice is in remembrance of the sacrifice to be by Prophet Abraham of his son. The Eid of Fast-Breaking comes at the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan.


C. Diets:

Islam allows Muslims to eat everything which is good for the health. It restricts certain items such as pork and its by-products, alcohol and any narcotic or addictive drugs.


D. Place of Worship:

The place of worship is called Mosque or Masjid. There are three holy places of worship for the Muslims in the world. These are: Mosque of Kaaba in Makkah, Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Madinah, and Masjid Aqsa, adjacent to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

A Muslim may pray any where in the world whether in a Mosque, a house, an office, or outside. The whole world is a place of worship. It is preferable that Muslims pray in a congregation, however, he/she may pray individually anywhere.


E. Holidays:

The holy day of the Muslims is Friday. It is considered to be sacred and the Day of Judgment will take place on Friday. Muslims join together shortly after noon on Friday for the Friday congregational prayer in a Mosque. A leader (Imam) gives a sermon (Khutba) and leads the congregational prayer.


F. Distribution of Muslims in North America:

There are approximately five million Muslims in North America and are distributed in its major cities such as New York, Detroit, Boston, Toledo, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Windsor, Winnipeg, Calgary, and others.


G. Contributions in North America:

Muslims are established in North America. The Sears Tower and the John Hancock buildings in Chicago were designed by a Muslim chief architect, originally from Bangladesh. Muslims have established academic institutions, community centers and organizations, schools and places of worship. They live in peace and harmony among themselves and among other groups of people in the society. The rate of crime among Muslims is very minimal. Muslims in North America are highly educated and they have added to the success of American scientific and technological fields.

The Muslims of the early period of the Islamic era were pioneers in medicine, chemistry, physics, geography, navigation, arts, poetry, mathematics, algebra, logarithms, calculus, etc. They contributed to the Renaissance of Europe and world civilization.
IX. NON-MUSLIMS
Muslims are required to respect all those who are faithful and God conscious people, namely those who received messages. Christians and Jews are called People of the Book. Muslims are asked to call upon the People of the Book for common terms, namely, to worship One God, and to work together for the solutions of the many problems in the society.

Christians and Jews lived peacefully with Muslims throughout centuries in the Middle East and other Asian and African countries. The second Caliph Umar, did not pray in the church in Jerusalem so as not to give the Muslims an excuse to take it over. Christians entrusted the Muslims, and as such the key of the Church in Jerusalem is still in the hands of the Muslims.

Jews fled from Spain during the Inquisition, and they were welcomed by the Muslims. They settled in the heart of the Islamic Caliphate. They enjoyed positions of power and authority.

Throughout the Muslim world, churches, synagogues and missionary schools were built within the Muslim neighborhoods. These places were protected by Muslims even during the contemporary crises in the Middle East.

--- Ahmad H. Sakr, Ph.D.

For more information please contact:

The Institute of Islamic Information and Education P.O. Box 41129
Chicago, IL 60641-0129 U.S.A.

INTRODUCTION OF III&E

The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E) is dedicated to the cause of Islam in North America through striving to elevate the image of Islam in North America through striving to elevate the image of Islam and Muslims by providing the correct information about Islamic beliefs, history and civilization from the authentic sources. Enquiries are welcome.

NAAT (drood paak)

Sami Yusuf - Asma Allah - New Album 2009

Namrud

Last night’s sohbet included stories about Ibrahim (as) and Nimrud & Musa (as) and Firaun.

We might have heard these stories before but it is worth repeating. Nimrud was ruling the whole world at the time. And he declared war on Allah (jj). With his arrogance he denied Ibrahim (as) and the message. When Ibrahim (as) told him Allah (jj) was the only God, he said he was God. When Ibrahim (as) said Allah gives life and death, he ordered two prisoners, ordered one’s head cut off and the other be left free. He said he could also give life and death. But when Ibrahim (as) said Allah makes the Sun to rise from the East and challenged him to make it rise from the West, Nimrud was beat. Because of that, Allah will make the Sun rise from the West in the End Times, then set back West. The doors of forgiveness are open until that moment, and that moment on the doors will be closed.

Nimrud was stubborn and raised an army of 100,000 fully armored soldiers. He said he was ready for war with Allah (jj). The higher the arrogance, the smaller the thing with which Allah makes the tyrant fall. He sent an army of millions of mosquitos that went through the armor and ate the flesh of the soldiers. There was amongst them a crippled one. He was sad that Allah (jj) didn’t give him the opportunity to serve Him. So Allah ordered that little cripple legged mosquito to finish Nimrud. The cripple got in Nimrud’s glass made room through the key whole, avoided Minrud’s attempts of swatting, and entered his head through his nose. There he started eating away at his brain. The pain was so severe that it caused constant severe headaches. The only time he could rest was when he tapped his head and the mosquito quit eating. As the pain grew, Nimrud ordered one of his servants to hit his head with a stick. After a while, the stick turned into a hammer. One day, the servant got fed up and hit him so hard his head cracked open and a mosquito the size of a bird came out flying.

The only other tyrant to rule the whole world was Firaun. Sheytan knocked on his door one day. He asked who it was. Sheytan said, “O cursed one, you don’t know who lies behind the door and you claim to be the Highest God, saying: ‘Ana Rabbukum al-Ala.’ I don’t even claim that.” He asked Firaun why he claimed that. Firaun said he had lots of magicians with powers. “So what?” said Sheytan and raising his one hand he showed him the inventions and events of the past, and raising the other showed him those of the present and future. These included computers, rockets, televisions, phones, etc. He said he liked what Firaun was doing and told him to continue fooling the people and doing Sheytan’s work.

When Musa (as) challenged Firaun, a place and time was set where all the magicians of his dominion came out. They threw there canes and ropes and it appeared to the people like snakes. Musa (as) dropped his staff and it turned into a snake too. This snake started swallowing the other snakes one by one while not growing in size. The magicians went into prostration and said they believed in Musa (as) now. Firaun asked why they submitted to Musa (as). They said what they were doing was magic, a temporary veiling of the eye, but this other snake was real. Firaun threatened them with death. They said it was alright because they had seen the Truth and could not go back to their old ways.

firaun


A miracle, by definition, is a supernatural event beyond the laws of science; it is fulfilled only by Allah's will and power. It has significance and can be confirmed only by those who directly witnessed the event in time.

When Francisco Mitra became the president of France in 1981, France requested from the Egyptian government to host the mummy of Pharaoh. For the purpose of running laboratory and archeological examinations on the mummy of the most notorious dictator ever lived on earth. Upon arrival, very royal attendants were there including the French president himself and all ministers who bowed in honor for the Firaun Mummy.

When the ceremony ended, the mummy was carried to a specially-designed section at the Archeology Centre of France. Were it started to be tested by the greatest French archeological and anatomical scientists in order to discover more about such a great Firaun Mummy.

The scientists were headed by Professor Maurice Bucaille. The scientists were trying to restore the mummy while Professor Maurice Bucaille was mainly concerned with how did this mummy died? The final report of the scientists was released late at night which states that the remaining salt in the mummy is an overt evidence that it was drawn in the sea, and the body was rescued very shortly where it was immediately embalmed to be saved.

An amazing thing was still confusing Professor Maurice Bucaille is that how could this body possibly be safer than any other mummy despite being taken out of the sea up until this time. Professor Maurice Bucaille was writing his final report on what he thought would be a new discovery about saving Pharaoh's body immediately after his death and embalming it.

Note: The picture shown above is the dead body of Ramses II, the Egyptian King in the era of Prophet Moses (pbuh). Its age is approximately 3000 years old and it was found by the Red Sea, at the place called Jabalain, and is now on display in the Royal Mummies Chamber of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

And there, someone whispered to him that Muslims claim to know something about the drowning of this mummy. Yet Professor Maurice Bucaille firmly denied such thing saying that it's impossible to discover this without the development of science and without using his high-tech and complicated laboratories and computers.

To his surprise, he was told that Muslims believe in a book called "Holy Quran" and this Holy Quran narrates the story of Pharaoh's drowning and ensures the safety of his body after his death as to be a Sign to mankind.

Professor Maurice Bucaille couldn't believe his own ears and started to wonder: How can a book existed 1400 years ago speak about the mummy that was only found 111 years ago, in 1898? How can that be possible while the ancient Egyptian heritage was discovered only a few decades ago and no one knew about it before?

Professor Maurice Bucaille sat down pondering on what he was told about the book of Muslims, Holy Quran while his Holy Book (The Bible) narrates only the drowning of Pharaoh without saying anything about his body.

"Is it possible that this mummy in front of me is the one who was chasing Prophet Moses?" "Is it possible that Prophet Muhammad knew this 1400 years ago?"

Professor Maurice Bucaille couldn't sleep that night till they brought him the Old Testament where he read: "And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. (Exodus 14:28) But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:15) For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the Children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. (Exodus 15:19)"

Professor Maurice Bucaille was surprised that the Holy Book (The Bible) didn't mention about the destiny of the body and that it will be saved.

When the scientists were done with the mummy, France retuned it to Egypt, but Professor Maurice Bucaille couldn't rest for a moment since he was told that Muslims know about the safety of the body from Holy Quran. So, he decided to travel and meet anatomy Muslim scientists and there he spoke about his discovery of the safety of the mummy after its death in the sea and so on.

One of the Muslim scientists stood up and simply opened Holy Quran and pointed to the Professor at one verse: "We brought the Children of Israel across the sea and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point of drowning, he (Pharaoh) said, I believe that there is no god but Him in whom the Children of Israel believe. I am of those who submit (to Allah in Islam). What! Now! And indeed you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers. This day shall We save you in your body, that you may be a Sign to those who come after you! But verily, many among mankind are neglectful of Our Signs." (Holy Quran 10:90-92)

Professor Maurice Bucaille was struck when he read that and immediately stood in front of the crowd and said loudly: "I believe in Islam, I believe in Holy Quran."

Then he went back to France with a different face he traveled with. In France, he dedicated 10 years investigating the scientific discoveries and comparing them with Holy Quran and trying to come up with one scientific contradiction with Holy Quran. Finally he quoted one verse from Holy Quran to be his conclusion:

"No falsehood can approach it (this book) from before or behind it: it is sent down by One Full of Wisdom, Worthy of all praise." (Holy Quran 41:42)

As a result of all years of his research, Professor Maurice Bucaille wrote a book that shook all Europe, especially the scientists there "The Bible, the Quran and Science: The Holy Scriptures Examined in the light of Modern Knowledge."

Ariel Sharon still brain dead (Neither Dead nor Alive)

Ariel Sharon is lying in coma since years, and no doctor is able to find the correct disease. No life - No death, this is the result of killing thousands of innocent people in Palestine. What we do in this world, we have to taste, before we leave this on our heavenly abode as well. This is what the whole World is watching the result of assault of innocent Muslim in Palestine.

hazrat ibrahim

"Ibrahim was of the self-same faith (as Noah) and came to his Lord with a pure heart. He said to his father and to his people, 'What are these that you worship? Would you serve false gods instead of Allah? What do you think of the Lord of the Creation?'

He lifted up his eyes to the stars and said, 'I am sick!' Then, his people turned their backs and went off.

He stole away to their idols and said to them, 'Will you not eat your offerings? Why do you not speak?' With that, he fell upon them, striking them down with his right hand.

The people came running to the scene. 'Would you worship that which you have made with your own hands,' he said, 'when it was Allah who created you and all that you have made?'

They replied, 'Build up a pyre and cast him into the blazing flames.' Thus they schemed against him, but we balked their schemes.

He said, 'I will take refuge with my Lord; he will guide me. Grant me a son, Lord, and let him be a righteous man.'

We gave him news of a gentle son. And when he reached the age when he could work with him his father said to him: "My son, I dreamt that I was sacrificing you. Tell me what you think.'

He replied: 'Father, do as you are bidden. Allah willing, you shall find me faithful.' And when they had both surrendered themselves to Allah's will, and Ibrahim had laid down his son prostrate upon his face, We called out to him saying: 'Ibrahim, you have fulfilled your vision.' Thus did we reward the righteous. That was indeed a bitter test. We ransomed his son with a noble sacrifice and bestowed on him the praise of later generations. 'Peace be on Ibrahim!'

Thus are the righteous rewarded. He was one of Our believing servants.

We gave him Ishak, whom We made a saintly prophet, and blessed them both. Among their offspring were some who did good words and others who clearly sinned against their souls."

- Quran 37:83 to 37:113

Prophet Ibrahim is the Father of Monotheistic Faiths (Jewish, Christian and Islamic) and was named Khalil'ullah - Friend of Allah for his staunch faith in the Unseen God. He went against his father, Azar, and his community who were idol worshippers and upheld his belief in Tawhid - One God.

To uphold his belief and his dawa of the One God, he did not give in to Nimrud and his people who threatened to throw him into a blazing fire when they were confounded.

"Ibrahim's people replied: 'Kill him! Burn him!' But from the fire Allah delivered him. Surely in this there are signs for true believers." 29:24

"'Fire', We said, 'be cool to Ibrahim and keep him safe." - Qulna ya naru koonee bardan wasalaman AAala Ibraheema - Quran 21:69

Prophet Ibrahim's life is a sign and an example to us. His trust in Allah and willingness to submit to Him with the sacrifice of his dearest possession was a severe trial turned manifest example. If one sees the esoteric view of this series of events, it is readily evident that when Ibrahim was willing to fulfil Allah's command of giving up his dear son, Allah did not really need or want his son as Ismail had been granted to him in old age 11:69-71, - it was a test. And Ismail, by readily agreeing to his father's need to obey the command of Allah, relieved the burden Ibrahim must have felt. Both father and son submitted to the Will of Allah.

Then Allah gives a hundred-fold...

In reality, blood wasn't shed, but life was made even more valuable with the knowledge of Allah's pleasure in their willingness to comply. It is the same with our Dasond and other offerings made in the name of Allah. We are only offering back what was granted to us. After all, we are Ismailis!

This event in history gave birth to Eid-ul Adha - Festival of Sacrifice, where Muslims all over the world remember the tough sacrifice Hazrat Ibrahim had to make and was rewarded by Allah by sparing Ismail and making him an example for us to follow in our lives - when we choose to submit to His will, all ends well.

Eid-ul Adha is celebrated on the 10th of the month of Zul-Hijja after pilgrims complete their Hajj to Kabbah and follow the footsteps of Bibi Hajar when she was left in the valley of Mecca with Ismail by Hazrat Ibrahim. Families and Jamat get together to recite the morning prayers and then there is feasting, exchange of gifts and rejoicing.

I thought it would be helpful, here, to give the Muslim-Christian names of the Prophets believed by the Ahl-e Kitab as I build my web site with more and more stories from the Holy Quran. Quiz to follow soon... If I've missed any, please fill me in.

Inside AdSense: The AdSense revenue share

Inside AdSense: The AdSense revenue share

peace tv

hazrat Ali (R.A)

Hazrat Ali

We are categorizing this article. We are sorry for any inconvinence.
Name and Parentage

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was born some thirty years after the birth of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaiha wa Salam). He belonged the most respectable family of Quraish, the Banu Hashim (i.e. Hashmites). His father Abu Talib was the real uncle of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) who brought him up after the death of the Holy Prophet's grandfather. Ali’s mother was Fatimah bint Asad, who belonged to Banu Hashim. Hadrat Ali’s patronymic name was "Abul Hasan". The Holy Prophet gave him another name, "Abu Turab" which was most liked by Hadrat Ali. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Salaam) took Ali in his childhood from his father, Abu Talib, and brought up him like his own son.

First youth to accept Islam

When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) started revelations Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was about ten years old. The Holy Prophet disclosed his mission before Ali and he accepted it immediately, thus he became the first youth to enter the folds of Islam. When the Holy Prophet started to preach openly, he invited all of his family members to a feast and announced his mission before them. Nobody listened to him, but young Ali stood up and said. "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, 0 Messenger of Allah." Hearing this all the leaders of Quraish laughed but Ali proved his words to be true after supporting the Holy Prophet in his mission from the beginning till the end.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) loved him very much. The night when the Holy Prophet was migrating to Medina, his house was surrounded by the bloodthirsty tribesmen, who had plotted to assassinate him. They were ready to kill any person who came out of the house. In such a situation, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Sallam) asked Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to sleep in his bed. He followed the command gladly and immediately jumped in the bed.

Although the Meccans did not accept his mission, they considered the Holy Prophet the most trustworthy man of Mecca and continued keeping their trusts (cash and gold etc.) with him. It was Ali (R.A.) to whom the Holy Prophet gave the deposits to return to the owners, when he was leaving Mecca for Medina. Ali (R.A.) migrated to Medina after returning the deposits.

Life in Medina

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was very close to the Holy Prophet, and the closeness was changed to a permanent relationship when he married his most beloved daughter, Fatimah (R.A.) to Ali (R.A.).

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) also had the distinguished honour that the progeny of the Holy Prophet continued through Hadrat Ali’s sons from Fatimah (R.A.) namely Hadrat Hasan and Husain (R.A.). The two children were the most beloved of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam).

When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) went to the expedition of Tabuk in 9 A.H. he left Hadrat Ali in charge of Medina. On this some hypocrites remarked that the Holy Prophet did not like Hadrat Ali. On this the Holy Prophet remarked, "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."

His Bravery and the "Dhulfiqar"

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was a very brave man. He participated in almost all the battles against the non-believers during the time of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam). The stories of his bravery are famous in history.

In the first battle of Islam at Badr, he was holding the flag of Islamic army. When three famous warriors of Quraish challenged the Muslims, according to Arab tradition, Hadrat Ali (R. A. ) along with Hadrat Hamzah and Abu Ubaidah (R.A.) accepted the challenge. He killed his opponent, Walid only with one thrust of his sword and cut him in two pieces. Then he helped Hadrat Abu Ubaidah (R.A.) to kill the next Quraishi warrior.

In the battle of Uhud when Hadrat Mus'ab bin ‘Umair, the bearer of the Islamic standard, was martyred, it was Hadrat Ali (R.A.) who held it up. Seeing this one of the non-believers, Abu Sa'd challenged him. Hadrat Ali attacked him and he fell down on the ground naked. Ali (R.A.) felt pity on him and left him in that condition.

In the battle of the Trench, all-Arabia fame warrior, 'Abdwood challenged the Muslims after jumping on his horse across the trench. Nobody dared to accept his challenge except Ali. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) warned Ali about 'Abdwood but Ali insisted on going and fighting with him. Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) gave him his famous sword "Dhulfiqar" and put a turban on his head before he went to fight with 'Abdwood. A few minutes later people saw 'Abdwood’s head was cut off from his body by Ali.

The title of Asadullah

Because of his bravely Hadrat Ali was popularly called "Asadullah"(The Lion of Allah).

In the battle of Khaibar against Jews, the Muslims tried to conquer the strongest Jewish fort, Qumus, but were not successful in the beginning. Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) 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 desiring to be that fortunate man. The people were rather surprised when the next morning the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi we Salaam) called Ali who was sick and his eyes were sore. The Holy Prophet applied his finger, wet with his saliva, over the eyes of Ali (R.A.) and they were cured immediately. Then he gave the standard, and advised him. "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."

Following the advice of the Holy Prophet Hadrat Ali invited the Jews towards Islam. Instead of accepting the Right Path they sent their commander Marhab, the great warrior of Arabia and one of the bravest men of his time. He challenged Hadrat Ali to fight. Ali (R.A.) accepted the challenge and slew him in one attack. His famous sword cut Marhab's body into two pieces.

He showed great bravery in each and every battle he fought and earned fame. He was counted as one of the great warriors of Arabia.

Ali (R.A.) the great scholar of Islam

Ali (R.A.) was not only a great warrior but a great scholar as well. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) said about him, I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate." He was one of the great jurists among the Companions. The Holy Prophet appointed him as the Qadi (Judge) of Yemen during his life time. He was a master of Arabic and his writings were as effective as his speech. More about his scholarly services to Islam would be mentioned at the end.

Special Messenger of the Holy Prophet

In 9 A.H., the first Hajj of Islam took place. Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) was appointed as the leader of the Hajj group. After he left Medina revelation came to the Holy Prophet (Chapter IX. few verses in the beginning of the chapter) according to which the treaty with the non-believers had to be dissolved and they were given four month's notice. The announcement was to be made on the great day of Hajj. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) asked Hadrat Ali to carry the message of Allah on his behalf. He gave Hadrat Ali (R.A.) his own she-camel, Qaswa on which Hadrat Ali rode and went to Mecca to read out the message before the crowd on the occasion of Hajj.

Excellence of Ali

There are so many virtues and services of Ali (R.A.) that it is difficult to mention them all in this short book. On many occasions the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) had prayed for him. When he sent Ali to Yemen in Ramadan 10 A.H. he blessed Ali (R.A.) with the following prayer: "0 Allah put truth on his tongue, and enlighten his heart with the light of guidance." Then he himself put turban on his head and gave the black standard.

On one occasion the Holy Prophet said to Ali, "You pertain to me and I pertain to you, " He also said, "When I am patron of anyone, Ali is his patron also." Once the Holy Prophet said, "Only a hypocrite does not love Ali and a believer does not hate him."

According to a Hadith transmitted by Imam Ahmad the Holy Prophet said to 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."

Shock of the Holy Prophet's Death

The death of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) was a great shock to Hadrat Ali (R.A.). He had attended him day and night during his illness, and after his death he gave bath to the Holy Corpse and enshrouded it.

Pledge of loyalty (Bai'at) to the former Khalifahs

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) had taken pledge of loyalty on the hands of all the three past Khalifahs. However he was late in taking pledge at the hand of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.).

The reason why he was late in taking pledge on the hands of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) was the serious illness of his beloved wife, Hadrat Fatima (R.A.) and that he was busy in collection of the Holy Qur'an. It is mentioned in the famous history book, Tabaqat ibn Sa'd: When Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) enquired of Ali (R.A.) why he was so late in taking pledge of loyalty and whether he disliked his "Khilafat", Ali (R.A.) replied, "I do not dislike your leadership but the fact is that I had taken an oath after the death of the Holy Prophet not to put on my sheet (i.e. not to engage in any work) except for performing Salat until I have collected all the parts of the Holy Qur'an." The Hadrat Ali (R.A.) took pledge of loyalty on the hand of Abu Bakr and helped him throughout his Khilafat. He was very active during the time of Hadrat Umar and also married his daughter, Umm-i-Kulthum to him. In the matter of Hadrat Uthman's election he voted in his favour as has been mentioned before.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was one of the very important members of "Shura" (Advisory Council) during the time of the first three Khalifahs. He was also the great jurist (Mufti) of Medina during the time of past Khalifahs. He was among the panel of six persons who had to select the Khalifah amongst themselves after Hadrat Umar (R.A.). Hadrat Uthman had great regard for him and consulted him in all the matters. His sons were the main guards at Uthman’s residence when the rebels laid siege to his house.

Thus we conclude that Hadrat Ali (R.A.) gave his fullest possible support to all of his predecessors.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) as the fourth Khalifah

The insurgents' shameful act of assassination of the Khalifah could never have been imagined by Hadrat Ali or any other eminent Companion at Medina. It came as a total surprise to Hadrat Ali (R.A.) whose two sons, Hasan and Husain (R.A.) were guarding the gate of Uthman’s residence. The insurgents after climbing the back wall of the residence had assassinated the Khalifah. The assassination of Hadrat Uthman was really due to creation of faction among the Muslim Community which was the goal of ‘Abdullah Bin Saba and his followers (the insurgents), and they achieved it.

After the assassination of Hadrat Uthman, the insurgents virtually controlled the Capital, Medina for several days. The Muslims were frightened and sat behind closed doors. After the assassination of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) an unprecedented calamity had fallen on the Muslims and for three days, Medina was without any government.

Afterwards the insurgents approached Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to be the Khalifah. Egyptians led by Ibn Saba and Ghafqi were the main group of insurgents behind the proposal for the Khilafat of Hadrat Ali (R.A.) Hadrat Ali first declined to bear the responsibility of this great office. But the insurgents pressed him to accept it. As a matter of fact Hadrat Ali wanted to approach Hadrat Talha and Hadrat Zubair (R.A.) who were included in the panel of the six persons appointed by Hadrat Umar (R.A.) to select a Khalifah. He wanted to take pledge of loyalty (Bai'at) at the hands of any of these two gentlemen. But at the end, pressed by the threats of the regicides he decided to put the matter before Muslim public in the Mosque of the Holy Prophet(Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam). Most of the Companions in Medina considered him, to be the fittest person for "Khilafat" after Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). He then agreed to take the responsibility and gave his consent.

On 21st Dhul-Hijjah 35 A.H. pledge of loyalty took place at the hands of Hadrat Ali (R.A). First of all the leading insurgents took the pledge of loyalty on his hands, followed by the general public, at Medina. Hadrat Talha and Zubair (R.A.) did not want to take a pledge (Bai'at) until the case of Hadrat Uthman assassination was decided. Before that Hadrat Ali had offered the office of Khilafat to both of them but they had declined. However under the threats of insurgents they took the pledge of loyalty at Hadrat Ali’s hands, on the condition: "You (i.e.’ Ali) have to decide matters according to the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah (ways of the Holy Prophet) and would punish the guilty according to Islamic Law." Hadrat Ali (R.A.) agreed to their conditions. Hadrat Sa'd bin Waqqas said that he would take pledge when all the Muslims had done so. Following Companions did not take pledge at the hands of Hadrat Ali (R.A.): Muhammad bin Muslimah, Usamah bin Zaid, Hassan bin Thabit. Ka'b bin Malik, Abu Sa'id Khudri, Nu'man bin Bashir, Zaid bin Thabit, Mughirah bin Shu'bah and 'Abdullah bin Salam. Most of the members of Banu Umayyah (Uthman's family) also did not take pledge of loyalty at Hadrat Ali’s hands. Some of such persons who did not take Bai'at went to Syria.

However the majority of the Muslims in Medina took pledge at the hands of Hadrat Ali. According to "Ahli Sunnah wal Jama'ah", Hadrat Ali was the most suitable and the fittest person for Khilafat after Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). If some of the Companions did not take pledge on his hands, because of the political situation of that time, it did not mean that his Khilafat was not accepted by the Muslim majority. Besides Hadrat Ali (R.A.) nobody including Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.) claimed to be the Khalifah at that time. The difference between them was the question of punishment to the assassins, which took the shape of various battles. As it would be seen afterwards Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) declared his Khilafat only after the death of Hadrat Ali (R.A.). Hadrat Ali was declared to be the Khalifah not only by the insurgents but by the Muslim public as well including the leading Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajirin (Emigrants). This could also be noticed with the fact that in the first battle which took place between Hadrat Ali and Hadrat 'Aisha (and her group) about 800 of those Companions who had participated in the Treaty of Hudaibiyah were with Hadrat Ali besides other Companions. As a matter of fact Hadrat Ali was the most popular figure at that time and was the most appropriate person to be the fourth caliph.

Disobedience of Abdullah bin Saba and other Sabaites

On his third day as the Khalifah, Hadrat Ali asked all the Sabaites (insurgents) to return to their places. Some of them started to go back but a party headed by Abdullah bin Saba did not obey the Khalifah pretending all the while to be his friends. In the history of Islam this was the first incident of disobedience of a Khalifah. Their aim was to be with him in order to create mischief as it would be observed later.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.), faced a very difficult situation. His three main problems were:

(i) To establish peace in the State and to set right the deteriorating political situation.

(ii) To take action against the assassins of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) who had gone underground after he took the office. Actually some of them were among the persons who requested Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to take office of the Khilafat, but neither he nor any other Muslim at that time knew the real assassins. It was the hardest job at that time to find out the real assassins because the persons who recognised them had already left Medina, and those among the Sabaites, who were present there did not tell Hadrat Ali the truth. All of the Sabaites told Ali (R.A.) that they did not want to assassinate Hadrat Uthman, that was done only by some of the wicked persons whom they did not recognise. Some time, therefore, was required to investigate the matter and that was possible only after peaceful atmosphere was restored in the state which, unfortunately, never occurred during the caliphate of Hadrat Ali as the situation continued to worsen.

(iii) The third problem was the attitude to be adopted towards those Companions (R.A.) who would not pledge loyalty at the hands of Hadrat Ali unless he either handed over the assassins to them or punish them according to Islamic Law. Though we cannot criticise the sincerity of their intention but in fairness to Ali, it has to be said that it was rather an impossible job for Ali (R.A.)to fulfil their demands immediately in that situation.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was a very straight-forward man who considered the "Khilafat" (Caliphate) as a great trust. His aim was to establish peace in the State which should be the first aim of every good ruler in such a place where certain elements try to destroy the order. According to leading Islamic Jurists it is quite right for a Muslim ruler to delay the cases of murder etc. in order to establish peace in an Islamic State (as mentioned by Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi in his book "Ahkam-ul-Qur'an'?. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was quite right in his decision to tackle the assassins on restoration of normally. The Majority of the Muslims, specially Ahli Sunnah wal- Jama’ah had agreed with him on this point.

The events which took place during the caliphate of Hadrat Ali in the form of various battles will be discussed in the light of the above facts.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) seeks to ascertain the names of Hadrat Uthman assassins

After assuming office, Hadrat Ali (R.A.) tried to find out the assassins of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). He called Marwan bin al-Hakm, the chief secretary of Hadrat Uthman, who was present, in the house at the time of assassination, but he had already left for Damascus along with a number of Banu Umayyads.

The only other witness was Hadrat Nailah, wife of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). But she was a housewife who used to live under "Hijab" (Pardah) in accordance with Islamic custom and as such she could not tell the names of the persons present at that time except the-features of some of them. She could only name Muhammad bin Abi Bakr who had entered the house but as stated before he had left the house before Hadrat Uthman assassination. Moreover Muhammad bin Abi Bakr took an oath (in accordance to Islamic Law) that he was not an assassin and he had left the house as soon as Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) recognised him and said, "0 my dear nephew, if your father (Abu Bakr) were alive you would have not committed this." Hadrat Nailah gave her evidence in favour of Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and had confirmed that he was not one of the assassins. In spite of his efforts Hadrat Ali could not locate the assassins.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) dismisses the governors

In the opinion of Hadrat Ali (R.A.) the governors appointed by Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) were basically responsible for all the events. They did not pay much attention to check the subversive activities of the insurgents. So he dismissed all the governors appointed by Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). Some of the Companions did not agree with Hadrat Ali (R.A.) on this. Among such persons were Hadrat Mughirah bin Shu'bah and Hadrat Ibn Abbas (R.A.). They advised Hadrat Ali not to take such a hasty action. According to them it was not wise to dismiss them unless they pledged loyalty to Hadrat Ali, because Uthman’s assassination could be an easy excuse for them to refuse the pledge of loyalty to Hadrat Ali’s. Hadrat Ali did not listen to their advice because he believed that expediency should not be the guiding factor. Hadrat Mughirah bin Shu'bah (R.A.) was totally against Ali’s action. He left Medina and went to Mecca.

He appointed Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas as the governor of Yemen; Uthman bin Hanif as the governor of Basrah; Ammarah bin Hassan of Kufa, and Qais as the governor of Egypt. Hadrat Sahl Bin Hanif was asked to take charge of governorship of Syria from Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.).

When the governors went to take charge they were faced with difficulties. Egypt was one of the provinces in favour of Ali (R.A.)but when the new governor, Qais reached there the public was divided in three groups. Some of them accepted him but others demanded that the assassins must be punished first. There was a third group, belonging to Sabaites and the insurgents, who demanded that the assassins must not be punished in any case. Same difficulty was faced by the newly appointed governor of Basrah. A group of people was in favour of the insurgents while the other was against them. While the governor of Kufa was on his way a spokesman of Kufis came and asked him to return to Medina because they did not want to change their governor Hadrat Musa Ash’ari (R.A.) in any case. So Hadrat Ammarah bin Hassan(R.A.), the governor designate, returned to Medina. The new governor of Yemen, Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas did not face any difficulty because Ya'la, the old governor had already left Kufa for Mecca before Hadrat Ibn Abbas reached there. When Hadrat Sahl bin Hanif, the governor designate of Syria, reached Tabuk (the out-post of Syria), Amir Mu'awiyah's cavalry men stopped him from proceeding any further and asked him to go back to Medina. Thus Kufa and Syria were the two provinces which had openly flouted Hadrat Ali’s authority.

Hadrat Ali sent his special messengers to Kufa and Syria. The governor of Kufa, Hadrat Abu Musa Ash'ari (R.A.) sent a satisfactory reply and assured Hadrat Ali of his loyalty to him. Not only this he also wrote to him that he had already taken pledge of loyalty for him from the people of Kufa.

The case of Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.) was entirely different.

Hadrat Amir Muawiyah's demand for assassins

After the assassination of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) his family except his wife Nailah, reached Damascus and told Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) the details. They also carried with them the blood stained shirt of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) and the chopped off fingers of his wife Hadrat Nailah. Amir Mu'awiyah, a kinsman of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) was shocked on hearing the news, and when it was made public, all the Muslims of Syria were greatly perturbed. Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) was a great statesman and was in Syria for about 20 years. He hung the blood stained shirt and the chopped off fingers of Hadrat Uthman's wife on the "Mimber" (pulpit) of the Jami' Mosque of Damascus because of which the Syrian Muslims got inflamed. This was the situation of Syria when Sahl bin Hanif, the governor designate of Syria was forced to return to Medina from Tabuk.

On receiving the special messenger from Hadrat Ali, Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) did not reply for about three months and detained the messenger. Then he sent his own messenger to Hadrat Ali (R.A.) in Rabi'ul Awwal, 36 A.H. The messenger handed over the letter to Hadrat Ali addressed as "From Mu'awiyah to Ali". When the letter was opened it was a blank paper on which only "Bismilla-Hir-rahmanir Rahim "(In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful) was written. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was amazed to see the letter, which was in fact, an insult to the office of the "Khalifah". The messenger also told Ali (R.A.) that 50,000 sheikhs of Syria were bemoaning the death of Hadrat Uthman and were determined to fight until the assassins were handed over to them. Hadrat Ali replied, "0 Allah! You know it well that I am free from any charge of Uthman’s assassination. I swear by Allah that the assassins have escaped . "

The Sabaites pretending to be friends of Hadrat Ali, tried to create another disturbance by trying to kill the messenger, but Hadrat Ali (R.A.) did not allow it. However exchange of hot words took place between them and the messenger.

Amir Mu'awiyah's reply was a clear indication of his intention. The matter was not going to be settled without force. Therefore Hadrat Ali decided to use force against Mu'awiyah (R.A.) and started preparations for it. Hadrat Ali's elder son, Imam Hasan (R.A.) was a man of rather mild temper. He requested his father to give up the Khilafat and not to think of fighting against Muslims (i.e., to start a civil war). But there was no other way and Hadrat Ali (R.A.) had to handle the situation with an iron hand in order to keep the provinces under the centre as they were since the time of Hadrat Abu Bakr (R.A.).

This was the first time in the history of Islam when the Muslims were preparing to fight against each other. As a Khalifah Hadrat Ali was quite right in his decision. Not to pledge loyalty was an open revolt against his authority and he had to deal boldly with any type of internal rebellion. Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.), as a matter of fact, was over-excited on the tragic assassination. The family of Uthman (R.A.) which had reached there after the assassination was also a cause of this attitude. Moreover some of the Sabaites, whose only aim was to divide the Muslim community, had reached Syria and incited the Muslims against Hadrat Ali. They were playing double role. On the one side a group of them was with Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to stir him up against Mu’awiyah; (R.A.), while on the other side some of them went to Syria only to inflame the feelings of Muslims over there. Under such conditions Mu'awiyah (R.A.) had no alternative but to insist upon his demand for punishment of the assassins before pledging loyalty to Hadrat Ali (R.A.).

Hadrat 'Aisha's demand for chastisement of assassins

While Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was preparing for war against Amir Mu'awiyah another difficulty arose. After the assassination of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) some members of his family went to Hadrat Aisha (R.A.) who was in Mecca to perform the Hajj. They and a number of Medinites informed her about the tragedy while she was on her way from Mecca to Medina after the Hajj. Hearing the news of assassination of Hadrat Uthman she returned to Mecca and appealed to the people over there to avenge the death of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). Hundreds of people including the governor of Mecca came out at 'Aisha's call. The governor of Yemen, Ya'la bin Munabbah also joined her in Mecca. Among Banu Ummayyads who joined Hadrat ‘Aisha in Mecca were Sa'id bin ‘As, Walid bin ‘Uqbah and Marwan bin Hakam.

In the meantime Hadrat Talha and Zubair (R.A.) demanded Hadrat Ali to punish the assassins. He told them, "Please wait. I will do my duty as soon as conditions allow me." Hadrat Talha and Zubair were not satisfied with Hadrat Ali’s reply and left Medina for Mecca to join Hadrat Aisha (R.A.). They had not correctly assessed the delicate situation in Medina. The city was not free from the grip of Sabaites and there was a general feeling against Umayyads in the public. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was anxious to restore peace first so that the assassins could be punished.

In Mecca Hadrat ‘Aisha (R.A.) started to march to Medina at the head of about two thousand men with the object of dealing with the assassins. Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Zubair was also there. They also asked him to join but he declined to do so and remained neutral.

When Hadrat ‘Aisha was about to march to Medina, proposals came to visit Basrah first to collect more supporters. She decided to go to Basrah.

Hadrat ‘Aisha goes to Basrah

While Hadrat 'Aisha was on her way to Basrah more people joined her in the way. By the time she reached Basrah, there were three thousand men under her flag.

The governor of Basrah, Uthman bin Hanif (appointed by Hadrat 'All), sent some men to find out the object of her visit. She and other Muslims told them that they wanted to tell people of their duty towards the late Khalifah so that proper action would be taken to punish the assassins. The messenger of the governor asked Hadrat Talha and Zubair for what reason they were breaking the Bai'at on the hands of Hadrat Ali. They told them that the pledge (Bai'at) was taken from them at the point of sword, and that they would have kept the pledge if Hadrat Ali had avenged Uthman’s assassination.

The governor of Basra decided not to allow them to enter the city till he got help from Hadrat Ali. He called a public meeting and asked people to fight against them. In the meeting some people favoured the governor while some of them supported Hadrat 'Aisha, Talha and Zubair. The supporters of Hadrat Ali (R.A.) and the governor came out to fight.

Hadrat 'Aisha takes over Basra

Hadrat 'Aisha gave a stirring speech before the Muslims. It was so impressive that half of the supporters of the governor left him and joined Hadrat 'Aisha. Seeing this she tried to settle the matter peacefully instead of fighting. But there were same agents of Abdullah bin Saba (Sabaites) specially his famous disciple, Hakim bin Hublah, who did not allow any settlement. He attacked Hadrat 'Aisha's army before the governor gave him permission to do so.

The fight took place but no result came out till the evening. In the meantime the governor got instructions from Hadrat Ali to resist Hadrat 'Aisha's army if they did not agree to pledge loyalty to him. Then a furious battle took place in which Uthman bin Hanif, the governor, was defeated and captured. Hakim bin Hublah and some of his followers were killed, and Basra was occupied by Hadrat Aisha and her supporters.

March to Basrah

The capture of Basrah by Hadrat ‘Aisha (R.A.) made the situation very grave. The Islamic state was really on the verge of serious civil war. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) never wanted to start war against the Muslims but the internal situation at that time compelled him to do so. War was unavoidable.

The Khalifah, therefore, postponed his march to Syria for the time being in order to set things right in Iraq. He decided to march on to Basrah. A number of Ansar and other Companions were not in favour of Hadrat Ali (R.A.) leaving Medina, instead they asked him to send his army. When Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was leaving Medina, Abdullah bin Salam (R.A.) took hold of his camel and said, "0 Amirul-Mu'minin (Leader of the believers) don't leave Medina. If you leave it at this moment, you would never come back and the Capital would be changed." But he decided to go ahead with his mission because of the seriousness of the situation.

Some of the Companions remained neutral and did not join Hadrat Ali (R.A.) even though he asked them to do so. Among such persons were: Abdullah bin Umar, Muhammad bin Muslimah, Sa'd bin Waqqas and Usamah bin Zaid (R.A.)

Hadrat Ali started for Basrah towards the end of Rabi’ul Awwal, 36 (A. H.) i.e. Nov. 656 A.D. Abdullah bin Saba and his followers were accompanying Hadrat Ali.

Help from Basrah

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) asked Abu Musa Ash'ari to send help but he got no response because Hadrat Abu Musa (R.A.) dreaded a civil war. Therefore Hadrat Ali (R.A.) sent his eldest son, Hasan (R.A.) to Kufa who addressed the people and pleaded for Ali (R.A.). The people were stirred on the appeal and about nine thousand men marched on to join Ali (R.A.).

Ali (R.A.) seeks peace

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) assured all the people accompanying him that he would try his best to avoid blood-shed and to set the things right peacefully. On reaching Dhi Oar, a place near Basrah, Hadrat Ali, with his characteristic aversion to blood-shed sent his cousin 'Abdullah bin Abbas and Qa'qa bin Amr (R.A.) to negotiate peacefully with Hadrat 'Aisha, Talha, and Zubair (Rid. A.) who were preparing to face Hadrat Ali (R.A.) with a big army.

The messengers of Hadrat Ali (R.A.) assured Hadrat 'Aisha, Talha, and Zubair (Rid. A.) that Hadrat Ali would avenge the assassins of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) as soon as peace was established in the state. Hearing this they were satisfied and there were hopes for a peaceful settlement.

But in the army of Ali (R.A.) there were Abdullah bin Saba and his henchmen to whom peace was fatal. At the possibility of peaceful settlement they were much disturbed. They met in a secret council and whispered to each other that Ali (R.A.)was prepared to avenge the death of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). They were determined to make the peaceful settlement a total failure. They sent their agents to Basrah to incite the Muslims population by saying that if Ali (R.A.) entered Basrah he would enslave all the inhabitants and would kill all the youths. The Basrites, therefore, must check and fight him back.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) hoping for a peaceful settlement, marched towards Basrah to talk personally with Hadrat Talha and Zubair (R.A.). The two armies were facing each other. Hadrat Ali gave an address to Basrites in which he said, "I am but your brother........I will avenge Uthman's assassins," Hadrat Talha, Zubair and Basrites were fully satisfied with what Hadrat Ali (R.A.) told them. Ali (R.A.) also returned to his camp very satisfied. He gave strict orders to his men not to fight in any case, and prayed all the night to Allah.

But Ibn Saba and his henchmen had planned otherwise. In the darkness of night they made a sudden attack on Hadrat 'Aisha's army. Hadrat Talha and Zubair were startled by the sudden attack and said that Ali (R.A.)could not desist from shedding Muslim blood and he has ordered a night attack. On the other hand Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was shocked when he was told by Sabaites that Talha and Zubair had taken them by surprise. He also remarked in the same way that they did not stop from taking the blood of Muslims. According to Tabari the following Sabaites were the leaders behind this plan: Ashtar Nakh'i Ibn Sauda, Khalid bin Muljam, Alba bin Haitham and Shuraib bin Aufa. Ibn Saba was the ring leader.

The Battle of Camel (Jamal)

Soon a full scale war started. Hundreds of Muslims fell on each side. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was greatly pained at the situation. He tried to stop the battle but the battle had already flared up.

In the dawn the troops of Hadrat 'Aisha (R.A.) apprised her of the situation and suggested that she should mount on a camel in Hijab (Pardah) so that the situation might ease. But it worked the other way and Basrites thought tfiat Hadrat Aisha came in the field to fight with them. During the fight Hadrat Ali reminded Talha and Zubair(R.A.) the words of the Holy Prophet: "One day you (Talha and Zubair) will fight Ali wrongly." They remembered the saying and left the battlefield but when Talha was leaving the field somebody rained arrows on him and he was killed.

When the fight did not come to an end Hadrat Ali (R.A.) ordered one of his men to cut the hind legs of the camel on which Hadrat 'Aisha was mounting in a "howdah". The order of Hadrat Ali was carried out and the camel fell on its forelegs. Hadrat 'Aisha was taken out of the "howdah" with due respect. The battle came to an end in favour of Hadrat Ali (R.A.). Hadrat Aisha (R.A.) was sent with due respect to Medina escorted by her own brother, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. In this battle about ten thousand Muslims on both sides lost their lives. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) felt deeply moved because of the loss of Muslim blood. Hadrat Zubair who had already left the field after remembering the Holy Prophet's saying was going to Mecca. He stopped in a valley to perform his Salat, but was slain by a man, named Amr bin Jarmoz while he was busy in his Salat. When Hadrat Ali came to know, he rebuked the murderer by saying: "I have seen him fight for the Prophet of Allah several times. I give the murderer the news of hell-fire."

After the battle he took pledge of loyalty from the people of Basrah and appointed Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas as the governor of Basrah. He gave general amnesty to all those who fought against him including Marwan bin Hakam and other persons of Banu Umayyah family. The address which Hadrat Ali (R.A.) gave at Jami' Mosque of Basrah before the Bai'at (pledge of loyalty) moved the Muslims, and they were convinced that Ali (R.A.) was a just Khalifah.

Change of Capital

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was very much grieved on seeing the disrespect of the "Haram" (Forbidden Place) of Medina when the insurgents laid siege to the late Khalifah's house and then assassinated him. He wanted to change the Capital to save Medina from future political disturbance. After staying for a few days at Basrah, Hadrat Ali (R.A.) went to Kufa. There he was given a warm welcome. He got more supporters at Kufa and thought it to be a more suitable place as the Capital of his Khilafat. Therefore in Rajab 36 A.H., he decided to transfer the capital from Medina to Kufa.

Hadrat Ali’s Final Invitation to Hadrat Mu'awiyah

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) now turned his attention towards Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.). He was then ruling over the whole Islamic State with the exception of Syria. The peace minded Hadrat Ali (R.A.) wanted a peaceful settlement. He, therefore, wrote a letter to Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.) asking him to take pledge of loyalty at his hand in the interest of Islam and the unity of the Muslims. But Hadrat Mu'awiyah again demanded of him to avenge Hadrat Uthman’s assassins first.

The show of Hadrat Uthman's blood-stained shirt and the chopped-off fingers of his wife, Hadrat Nailah, was still going on in the Jami' Masjid of Damascus. The powerful Syrians had rallied round Hadrat Mu'awiyah. On the other hand Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was still unable to overcome the insurgents. When Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah's messenger came to Hadrat Ali to put the demand to hand over the assassins, 10,000 men of Hadrat Ali’s army said with one voice: "All of us are the assassins of Uthman (R.A.)." Hadrat Ali (R.A.) then said to the messengers, Hadrat Muslimah, "You can see for yourself the situation. I am still unable to find out the real assassins." But Hadrat Mu'awiyah was determined not to give up his demand. Hadrat Ali (R.A.), finding no other way, was compelled to declare war against Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.).

The Battle of Siffin

The above situation forced Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to march out against Syria. In the beginning there was not much response for Hadrat Ali’s call. But when Hadrat Ali explained the position to the Muslims, a large army gathered around Hadrat Ali and 50,000 Muslims came out under his banner to fight the Syrians. When Mu'awiyah (R.A.)came to know about Hadrat Ali’s advance, he too proceeded with a vast army and occupied a better position in the field. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) encamped at Siffin, and Amir Mu'awiyah on the other side of Siffin.

Hadrat Ali’s intention was not to shed Muslim blood in vain. He therefore again tried and sent a deputation of three men on peace mission to Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.). Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) again demanded that the assassins of Hadrat Uthman must be slain before any compromise can be reached and that he was demanding this as a "Wall" (next of kin of a murdered person) of Hadrat Uthman. The demand was again refused by Hadrat Ali (R.A.) on the ground that he was not able to locate the real assassins and it would need some time, and that the Pledge of Loyalty must be taken without any condition.

In the month of Dhul Hijjah 36 A.H., Hadrat Ali (R.A.) ordered his troops to take positions. But there seemed unwillingness to fight on both the sides. Muslims were facing Muslims. However in the beginning fighting began with single combats followed by light encounters of single battalions. Thus the whole month of Dhul Hijjah ended without any big fight. When the moon of Muharram appeared Hadrat Ali and Mu'awiyah made a truce for one month. During this time he again got an opportunity for renewed peace talks. Hadrat Ali(R.A.) sent another mission led by 'Adi bin Hatim Tai to Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.). But this time Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) took it as a threat and refused to recognise Hadrat Ali (R.A.) as the Khalifah unless he avenged Hadrat Uthman's assassination. In this way the last attempt proved to be fruitless.

On the evening of the last day of Muharram, 37 A.H. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) gave orders to his army to attack the Syrian forces because they had been given enough time to think. The war started the following morning. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) gave strict orders that no person should be killed if he left the field or ran away. Women and old people would be secure. Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) also gave the same order to his army.

The war started on Tuesday 1st Safari, 37 A.H. On the first day a battalion of Hadrat Ali’s army, led by Ushtar fought with the Syrians led by Habib bin Muslimah. On the second day another battalion led by Hashim bin 'Utbah from Hadrat Ali’s side fought with the Syrians led by Abul A'war Salama. On the third day the battalion from Hadrat Ali side was led by Hadrat Ammar bin Yasir and the Syrians were led by 'Amr Bin As (R.A.). During the battle Hadrat Ammar bin Yasir (R.A.) was martyred but no result came out. The martyrdom of Hadrat 'Ammar bin Yasir, however, proved that Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was right because of the following Hadith mentioned in Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and other authentic books of Hadith: According to this Hadith the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) said, "'Ammar bin Yasir would be killed by a group of rebels." Since Hadrat 'Ammar (R.A.) was fighting in favour of Hadrat Ali, and was killed by the army of Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.), Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was in the right and his opponents were the rebels.

For seven days the battle continued in this way. A new battalion used to fight from each side under a new commander. On the 8th day the whole army of Hadrat Ali (R.A.) clashed with that of Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.). A fierce battle was fought but with no end in sight. According to most of the historians, Hadrat 'Ammar bin Yasir was martyred on that day. However no result came out till the evening. The death of Hadrat 'Ammar bin Yasir was a shock to Hadrat Ali (R.A.). The battle went on the whole night. At one time Hadrat Ali reached the tent of Hadrat Mu'awiyah and challenged him to fight personally with him instead of shedding Muslim blood, the winner would be the Khalifah. But Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.)did not accept the challenge because Hadrat Ali was a noted warrior of Arabia.

On the second day of the battle Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) was about to lose the battle. But, Amir Mu'awiyah was a shrewd person and had been the governor of Syria from Hadrat Umar's time. He had with him Hadrat Amr bin 'As (R.A.), the conqueror of Egypt and a recognised statesman of Arabia. Seeing the impending defeat he consulted Hadrat 'Amr bin 'As (R.A.) who advised Amir Mu'awiyah to give orders to the troops of the front ranks to fasten the Holy Qur'an to their lances as a sign that war would cease and that the decision would be referred to the Holy Book.

Seeing copies of the Holy Qur'an on lances, Hadrat Ali (R.A.) recognised it as a clever move of the enemy but a good many men of his army did not share his view and stopped fighting. Being helpless he ordered his troops to stop fighting.

Arbitration

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) sent his envoy to Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.) to find out what he meant by making the Holy Qur'an a judge. Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah told him that he wanted an arbitration through judges, one from his side and the other from Hadrat Ali’s side, and that both the parties should abide by the decision of the judge. Had rat Ali accepted it. He tried to make Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas as the arbitrator from his side, but some of his followers objected to it on the ground that he was related to Hadrat Ali. They proposed the name of Hadrat Musa Ash'ari (R.A.). Hadrat Ali accepted their proposal and he was appointed as the arbitrator of Ali’s (R.A.) side. Hadrat Mu'awiyah appointed 'Amr bin 'As (R.A.) as the arbitrator from his side, and none of his followers questioned his choice although he was related to Amir Mu'awiyah. This shows that the followers of Hadrat Mu'awiyah were more united than the followers of Hadrat Ali. There were many Sabaites in Hadrat Ali’s camp and they were the real cause of such differences. Whenever they saw the Muslims uniting they tried to create confusion with the aim of disuniting them.

In case the two arbitrators could not come to an agreement, the decision was to lie with eight hundred men (four hundred from Hadrat Ali’s camp and four hundred from Hadrat Mu'awiyah camp) and it would be settled by the majority. A place named Dumat-ul-Jandal, in between Syria and Iraq, was proposed for the talks. Both the judges with 800 would go there to finalise their award by the month of Ramadan, and to make it public. A temporary agreement was signed on 13th Safari, 37 A.H. between Hadrat Ali and Hadrat Mu'awiyah. The two armies then left for their homes leaving about 90,000 men dead in the field of Siffin, which number exceeded the total Muslim casualties in all the Islamic battles against the non-Muslims by the time.

"Khawarij" or Dissenters

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) who was almost winning the battle against Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) marched back from Siffin with a sense of loss. There was a tremendous loss of Muslim lives in Siffin. Never before in the history of Islam had the loss of Muslim blood been so heavy. Hadrat Ali after all wanted a peaceful solution, although the price was heavy.

When Hadrat Ali announced the agreement before his troops, formed of various tribes. Two brothers of the Tribe of 'Anza stood up and opposed appointment of Arbitrator ("Hakam" or Judge) between the two parties for Allah's commandments were with them in the form of the Holy Qur'an which is the best "Hakam". Other people also followed this example and a good many people were against the arbitration. According to them the Arbitration was against the spirit of Islam. Some of these men requested Hadrat Ali to throw away the agreement but he said, "I did not want any agreement at that stage but you forced me to do so. When 1 gave my word of honour, you are forcing me to give them up. I would never do it." The followers of Hadrat Ali split into two groups. One group stood by the agreement while for the other the arbitration was un-lslamic.

The second group, which was opposing arbitration, was known as Kharijites ("Khawarij" in Arabic). By the time Hadrat Ali returned to Kufa, their number reached 12,000. They did not stay with other Muslims in Kufa; instead, they encamped at Harorah and appointed Sheith bin Rabi'i as their commander-in-chief, and 'Abdullah bin Kawa as their Imam to lead Salats. They announced their policy which was as follows:

"The Bai'at (Pledge of Loyalty) 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 Khalifah 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 (i.e. the Holy Qur'an)."

Ali (R.A.) sends his emissary to "Khawarij"

After returning to Kufa Hadrat Ali sent 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas to remove the misunderstanding of the Khawarll (Dissenters). Instead of returning to the right belief, they started a lengthy argument with him. Seeing this Hadrat Ali himself went to them. He gave them all the assurances that the arbitration would only be accepted if it was based upon the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. He was successful in his efforts after a great difficulty, and the "Khawarij joined him again temporarily.

Verdict of the Arbitrators

The two arbitrators thought over the matter for six months then met at the frontier town of Dumat-ul-Jandal in Sha'ban, 37 A.H. (Jan. 658). Each of them was having four hundred men with him. The commander of men from Hadrat Ali’s side was Shuraih bin Hani, and the Imam Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas. The four hundred men from Mu'awiyah's camp were under Surjil bin Samah. Besides these some neutral Companions like 'Abdullah bin Umar, 'Abdullah bin Zubair, and Sa'd bin Waqqas were also present there.

Hadrat 'Amr bin 'As, the judge appointed by Hadrat Mu'awiyah, was a famous statesman and diplomat of Arabia. On the other hand Abu Musa Ash'ari, the judge from Hadrat Ali’s side, was a simple Muslim, unacquainted with diplomatic tactics. In the beginning a discussion between the two judges took place. A scribe was ordered to write down the points of agreement during the discussion. They reached on the following agreement after a long discussion:--

"All and Mu'awiyah both withdraw their right for the Khilafat. The Muslims should appoint a third person as their Khalifah."

According to some historians the discussion was not recorded and the agreement was reached verbally. However they could not reach an agreement on the choice of the most suitable person to be approved as the Khalifah in place of Hadrat Ali or Hadrat Mu'awiyah.

After the agreement Hadrat Amr bin 'As asked Hadrat Abu Musa Ash'ari to make it public by announcing it in the mosque before the Muslims. Hadrat Abu Musa (R.A.) announced: "We have agreed that neither Ali nor Mu'awiyah would be considered as the Khalifah. You may elect any other man you think fit." After this Hadrat Amr bin 'As (R.A.) stood up and said, "I do not consider Ali fit for the Khilafat, but in my opinion Mu'awiyah is fit for it." The statement of Hadrat Amr not only showed the split of opinion between the Arbitrators but also meant one sided decision according to which Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was supposed to lose his power but not Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.).

Hearing the statement of Amr ibn As (R.A.) there was a big uproar. The result of the arbitration was a mere confusion. In this way the arbitration proved to be a futile and the hopes of peace were gone. Both the parties left the place in great disgust. The acceptance of such arbitration, really proved to be disastrous to Ali. Hadrat Ali lost the case before it opened.

When Ali (R.A.)heard the result of the arbitration he said, "The judgement is not based upon the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah which was the condition for arbitration. Therefore it cannot be accepted." He then delivered a lecture in the Jami' Masjid of Kufa and asked the Muslims to prepare to attack Syria.

Split in Muslim Community

As soon as the "Khawarii " knew the result of arbitration they again separated and this time rose in an open revolt. A new group was thus created in the history of Islam which proved to be more dangerous than any other group existing before then.

As it has been discussed in connection with the assassination of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.), the Muslim community was divided into four main groups viz, Uthmanis, Shi’an-i Ali, Marhabah and Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah. Marhabis were absorbed in other groups. The remaining three groups were still existing. Now the fourth group of Kharijites ("Khawarij was formed. Before proceeding further let us see the main beliefs of these groups:

(i) Uthmanis: They were now confined to Syria under the banner of Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.). They demanded that until the assassins of Hadrat Uthman were punished or handed over to them, they would not accept the Khilafat of Hadrat Ali. But after the so called judgement of the arbitrators, they totally rejected the Khilafat of Hadrat Ali and took Bai'at (Pledge of Loyalty) at the hand of Amir Mu'awiyah after declaring him as the Khalifah. It would be discussed in more detail later on.

(ii) Shi'an-i Ali (or Shia's): They called themselves as the friends of Ali (R.A.) in the beginning but later on they developed their own beliefs and considered Hadrat Ali as "Wasi" i.e. Administrator of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam), and the only fit person for the Khilafat. They not only criticised and condemned Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) but also Umar, Abu Bakr, and Uthman (R.A.) and discarded the authority of the first three Khalifahs. However they did not criticise the first two Khalifahs openly during the time of Hadrat Ali (R.A.). As years passed this group became an exponent of a separate school of thought in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence and they wrote their own books of Hadith, History of Islam and Commentaries of the Holy Qur'an based upon their beliefs. They disagreed with most of the works produced by Sunni Scholars.

(iii) Ahl-i-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah: The majority of the Companions, and Muslims at the time were not only in favour of Hadrat Ali but all the preceding Khalifahs i.e. Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman (R.A.). They believed that the "Right Path" was to follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet .(Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) and the traditions of his pious Jama'ah (i.e. all the Companions), especially the first four Khalifahs who set examples to solve various problems according to the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. This group was in great majority not only at that time but in all the periods of Islamic History.

They fully supported Hadrat Ali (R.A.) during his Khilafat. According to them Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) was not right in not accepting Hadrat Ali authority. But they considered that mistake based upon "ljtihad". After all, he was a pious Companion and the sincerity of a Companion must not be questioned. Hadrat Shah Waliullah, in his famous book, Izalar-ul-Khafa writes: Amir Mu'awiyah(R.A.) was an excellent Companion of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam).Do not criticise or condemn him otherwise you would be committing a "Haram"(unlawful) act because in a Hadith the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) said: Do not criticise and condemn my Companions. I swear by Allah, Who holds my life, gold equal to mountain Uhud, spent by you for the sake of Allah, cannot be equal even to the handful of grains spent by a Companion. (Abu Da'ud). According to a number of Ahadith, it is forbidden for a Muslim to criticise a Companion. In a number of Ahadith the virtues of Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.) have been mentioned. Once the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi we Salaam) prayed for Amir Mu'awiyah as follows: "0 Allah, make him a Muslim who would be on Your Guidance and such a Muslim who may guide others." Ibn Sa'd says that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) prayed for Amir Mu'awiyah as follows: "0 Allah, give him the knowledge of the Book (i.e., the Holy Qur'an)and make him ruler(king) of the countries, and save him from the punishment (of the Hereafter)." Moreover Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) was one of the scribes of the Revelation (i.e., the Holy Qur'an) during the time of the Holy Prophet. It is necessary, therefore, that we must not question his sincerity. Due to political conditions at that time, he was strict in his demand of chastisement of the assassins of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). Most of the historians agree on this point that he did not declare himself a Khalifah during the life of Hadrat Ali although people took Bai'at on his hand.

(iv) The "Khawarij': The Khawarij were more political group than theological. They accepted the authority of Hadrat Abu Bakr and Umar (R.A.) but denounced Hadrat Uthman, Ali, and Mu'awiyah (Rid. A.). They said that the "Hakam" (Arbitrator or Judge for the dispute between Hadrat Ali and Mu'awiyah) was against the principles of Islam. Only Allah had to be obeyed through the Holy Qur'an and not the Hakam. They also formulated a number of other beliefs as well. In the later period of Islamic history this group became almost extinct.

The Kharijite Trouble

The "Khawarij " set up their centre at Nahrwan and began to preach their cult. Many people gathered around them and they gained sufficient strength. They were very harsh to those who differed from them and regarded such Muslims as rebels against Islam and murdered them. Loyalty to the Khalifah was a great crime in their eyes and they called it "the cult of personality".

The Khariljites seemed to be very pious as far as their appearance was concerned. They used to offer long Salats, wore simple dress and were honest in their dealings. But they were misguided in beliefs and killed all those who said that they were the followers of the Khalifah.

After the failure of arbitration Hadrat Ali (R.A.) wanted to march to Syria but the Kharijite movement diverted his attention. It was a great danger not only to the Muslim unity but to the Islamic beliefs and practices as a whole. It was an urgent need to wipe out such a movement in its early stage. Therefore he set out for Nahrwan, the centre of "Khawarij" instead of Syria.

Reaching there Hadrat Ali tried to negotiate with them peacefully. He sent some prominent Companions to persuade Khariii leaders but they did not listen to them. Then Hadrat Ali asked them to hand over such people who have murdered innocent Muslims. He told them that he would leave the rest if they handed over the murderers. To this he replied to the Khalifah, "All of us are murderers and we want to murder all of your followers. We would never stop from this."

The stage reached when there was no other way than to fight with them. Before declaring war against them Hadrat Ali declared that those who would be loyal to him or those who left Nahrwan and did not fight would be given amnesty. On his appeal 3000 Kharijites repented and again took Bai'at at his hands. The rest did not move from their position.

The battle began. A fierce fight took place. Kharijites fought desperately but were defeated. Most of their leaders were slain. After the battle Hadrat Ali searched the slain body of the man about whom the Holy Prophet had prophesied, and had given some of the signs which were, really the forecast of Khariiite trouble. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) found the body with all the signs told by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) and remarked, The Holy Prophet was very true in his prophecy."

Unwillingness to march to Syria

After the battle at Nahrwan Hadrat Ali (R.A.) wanted to march on to Syria but his men were in no mood for that. They asked for some rest when he was encamping at Nakhila, some miles away from the Capital. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) allowed them to take some rest over there but they started to slip away to their homes, and only a few of them were left with him. Seeing the situation Hadrat Ali was also forced to return to Kufa.

After some time Hadrat Ali again asked the Kufis to march on to Syria. He gave a stirring address in the Jami' Masjid of the Capital but the leaders of Kufa did not show any inclination. Despite many efforts Hadrat Ali was not successful in raising another army against the Syrians.

Loss of Egypt

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) appointed Qais bin Sa'd (R.A.) as the governor of Egypt. He took pledge of loyalty from the Egyptians for Hadrat Ali (R.A.). The inhabitants of the town of Khartaba were not loyal to Hadrat Ali. He left them alone on the condition of a peaceful conduct. Some friends of Hadrat Ali, who were having an eye on the governorship of Egypt, started to doubt loyalty of Qais to Hadrat. They told Hadrat Ali that Qais was more sympathetic to Hadrat Mu'awiyah and must be sacked.

When Hadrat Mu'awiyah noticed that the position of Qais was doubtful in the eyes of Hadrat Ali, he declared him as his man. Hearing this Hadrat Ali (R.A.) dismissed him and appointed Muhammad bin Abi Bakr as the governor of Egypt. Muhammad bin Abu Bakr was a young man and was not able to control the Egyptians in a tactful way. He forced the people of Khartaba to pledge loyalty for Hadrat Ali and remained busy with them for a long time. In the meantime the battle of Siffin took place but he was so busy with the internal affairs of Egypt that he could not send any army to help Hadrat Ali (R.A.).

After the battle of Siffin Hadrat Ali appointed Malik bin Ushtar as the governor of Egypt. Ibn Ushtar was a strong man, but he could not join his duty and passed away in the way. Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, therefore, continued as the governor of Egypt.

After the award of the arbitration, the Syrians declared Hadrat Mu'awiyah as their Khalifah and took Bai'at on his hands. According to a number of historians, Amir Mu'awiyah did not declare himself as the Khalifah during the life of Hadrat Ali (R.A.). However he tried to extend his control over the Islamic state after the award. The first step was to send his army under the command of Hadrat 'Amr ibn 'As to attack Egypt. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, the governor of Egypt wrote to Hadrat Ali for help. But before he got any help 'Amr ibn 'As (R.A.) reached Egypt with six thousand men. Ten thousand inhabitants of Khartaba also joined his army. They easily beat back two thousand men of Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. He himself took shelter in a house but was caught and slain. In 38 A.H. Hadrat Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.) became the master of Egypt. He appointed Hadrat Amir ibn 'As as the governor.

Unrest in Basrah and Iran

Hadrat 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (R.A.) was the governor of Basrah controlling the whole of Persia and other parts of the Islamic State in the East. Basrites were pro-Ali but there were Uthmani (pro-Mu'awiyah) elements as well over there. In 38 A.H. Hadrat Abdullah ibn Abbas went to Kufa to pay a visit to the Khalifah. Abdullah ibn Hadrami, and Uthmani (pro-Mu’awiyah) was in Basrah in those days. In the absence of Ibn Abbas he saw his chance and incited the people to avenge the assassination of Hadrat Uthman. He got support and was able to raise an army which invaded Basrah. The governor's deputy, Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, could not face him and fled. Hearing the rising Hadrat Ali sent Jariah ibn Qudamah who belonged to Bani Tamim tribe. He went to Basrah with fifty people and negotiated with Basrites, most of whom were from Bani Tamim tribe. He was successful in his mission and the rebellion was put down. Ibn Hadrami and seventy of his followers shut themselves in a house which was burnt by pro-Ali Basrites.

When the people of Eastern Persia and Kirman heard the burning of Ibn Hadrami they refused to pay Kharaj Revenue in protest. However their rising was put down by police action.

After consulting with 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (R.A.), Hadrat Ali appointed Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan as the governor of Basrah to control Persia and other Eastern parts of the State.

Pro-Mu’awiyah parties invade various parts

After the award, Uthmanis tried to create general unrest in the country. During the year 39 A.H. strong parties were set out from Syria. Hadrat Ali (R.A.) tried to stir his friends in Kufa but they would never come out at Ali’s call. Neither they were prepared to fight the Syrians again nor they tried seriously to check the invading parties of Uthmanis.

One of such parties went to 'Ain al-tamr under the command of Nu'man ibn Bashir but he was defeated by Ali’s governor, Malik ibn Ka'b. Another party of six thousand men under Sufyan ibn 'Auf went to Ambar and Mada'in (Midian). They killed the officer in charge of Ambar. Hadrat Ali sent Sa'id ibn Auf with an army but they ran away. Another party of three thousand men under Dahak ibn Qais came as fairest as the neighbourhood of Basrah. Hadrat Ali sent four thousand men under Hajar ibn 'Adi. A fight took Place in which 19 Syrians (Uthmanis) were killed. Rest of them ran away in the darkness of the night.

In the same year (i.e., 39 A. H.) Had rat 'A ii sent his deputy ibn 'Abbas, to lead Hajj. Amir Mu’awiyah also sent his deputy, Yazid ibn Sanjar to lead the Hajj. A tussle between the two men took place. At the end it was settled that a third person, Shaibah ibn Uthman ibn Abi Talha, would lead the Hajj. In this way Hadrat Ali lost this symbol of Khilafat as well.

Hadrat Ali’s hold weakened day by day. His most effective and eloquent speeches could not arouse his friends to action. Each day that passed witnessed the Khalifah growing more and more helpless.

A number of other incidents between pro-Mu'awiyans and pro-Alis also took place in the same year the details of which are ignored here.

Loss of Hijaz and Yemen

Hijaz and Yemen were still under the control of Hadrat Ali (R.A.). In the year 40 A. H., Amir Mu'awiyah sent Busr ibn Abi Artat with three thousand men to Hijaz. First of all he went to Medina. The governor of Medina, Abu Ayyub was not able to check the Syrians and he left for Kufa. Busr took pledge of loyalty from the Medinites forcibly for Amir Mu'awiyah (R.A.), and exclaimed, "Had Mu'awiyah not forbidden me, I would not have left a single adult in Medina alive."

After taking over Medina, Busr reached Mecca and occupied it unopposed. There too he took the pledge of loyalty from the Meccans for Amir Mu’awiyah forcibly.

From Mecca Busr went to Yemen. At that time Hadrat 'Ubaidullah ibn 'Abbas was the governor of Yemen. Hearing of the Syrian army he fled to Kufa. Busr occupied San'a, the capital of Yemen and killed two little sons of Ubaidullah. He also slew a number of Ali’s supporters in Yemen.

Hearing the cruelty of Busr Hadrat Ali sent Jariah ibn Qudamah with two thousand men. But before he reached Yemen, Busr fled to Syria. He also sent Wahb ibn Mas'ud with another two thousand men to Hijaz. Jariah ibn Qudamah, after establishing Ali’s rule in Yemen, was advancing to Mecca. As soon as he reached the Holy city, he received the news of Hadrat Ali’s assassination which ended his campaign.

According to Ibn Jarir at the end of the year 40 A.H. a treaty was signed between Amir Mu'awiyah and Hadrat Ali, on the request of Amir Mu'awiyah to avoid blood shed among the Muslims. Under that treaty Syria and Egypt remained under the control of Amir Mu'awiyah and the rest of the state under the control of Hadrat Ali. Thus the conflict between the two parties ended. This civil war which ended to the detriment of Hadrat Ali was the end of Islamic democratic rule.

But according to some other historians, no treaty took place between Hadrat Ali and Mu'awiyah. While Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was preparing to attack Syria, (for which he had issued an ordinance compelling each and everyone under him to march to Syria) he was assassinated.

Victories

The civil war did not allow Hadrat Ali (R.A.) to launch Jihad (Holy War) and the Islamic Empire saw no further extension. However some parts of Sistan (near Kabul) were conquered during this period. According to some histories Muslims made a naval attack on Kohan (near Bombay, India) in the year 38 A.H

Assassination of Hadrat Ali (R.A.)

After the battle of Nahrwan the "Khwarij" had gone underground. As a matter of fact they were as much against .Hadrat Ali (R.A.)as they were against Hadrat Mu'awiyah (R.A.). They were still working against the Khilafat and they were greatly disgusted with the civil war that seemed endless.

To end this state of affairs, they worked out a dangerous plot. According to them Muslims were divided because of differences between Hadrat Ali and Amir Mu'awiyah. They also disliked 'Amr ibn 'As and considered him as chief planner for Amir Mu'awiyah. They decided, therefore, to assassinate all the three of them. It was planned that the three personalities would be struck at the same time on the same day.

Three persons, appointed to assassinate Ali, Mu'awiyah, and 'Amr ibn 'As (R.A.) were Abdur Rehman Muljam, Bark ibn 'Abdullah, and 'Amr ibn Bark respectively. Early hours of the 17th of Ramadan, 40 A.H., was fixed for the assassination.

After the Fajr Salat of the 17th Ramadan in :he year 40 A.H. (661 A.D.) the three appointed Kharljis struck the three men. Amir Mu'awiyah escaped with a scratch, Hadrat Amr ibn 'As did not turn out for the Imamat because he was sick that day, thus was unhurt, but Hadrat Ali (R.A.) was mortally wounded with the poisoned sword of Ibn Muljam. He passed away in the evening of Ramadan 20, 40 A.H.

Ibn Muljam was caught by the people after he had struck Hadrat Ali. Hadrat Ali asked the Muslims to slay him if he died. At the same time of his death Hadrat Ali called his sons and advised them to serve Islam and to be good with the Muslims. When somebody asked him should the Muslims take pledge of loyalty at the hands of his elder son, Hadrat Hassan, he replied, "I leave this decision to the Muslims." He also advised people not to kill any person other than the assassin to avenge him.

He was sixty three years old at the time of his death and had ruled for four years and nine months as the Khalifah.

According to a number of historians his real grave is not known because his son Hadrat Hasan took out his body from the grave after he was buried because of the fear of Kharijis and buried him at an unknown place.

Period of his Khilafat

The period of Hadrat Ali’s Khilafat extending to four years and about nine months, was marked by civil war. His rule was characterised by a series of revolts for the first time in the history of Islam. He was elected as the Khalifah in the most critical period of Islamic history. The martyrdom of Hadrat .Uthman was an extraordinary event about which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) had already prophesied. Hadrat Ali was in a very difficult situation. On the one hand the assassins and the insurgents were creating endless trouble for him, and on the other hand Banu Umayyah (Uthman's family) fled to Syria and incited Amir Mu'awiyah to stick to his demand for avenging HADRAT Uthman’s assassins. Hadrat Ali faced these problems and difficulties with extraordinary courage and presented before us an exemplary character. He never had full support even from his friends in Kufa but still remained firm in his position.

As it has been described before, he could never locate the real assassins of Hadrat Uthman and this could not be achieved until peace was established. Therefore his first task was to create an atmosphere of peace in the state. But the Sabaites (insurgents) never wanted peace. They worked on both sides. On the one side they made it difficult for Hadrat Ali to find out the assassins, and on the other hand they sent their agents to Syria to incite the people (especially Umayyads) against Hadrat Ali. Their main aim was to let the Muslims fight among themselves so that they might prosper. Although Hadrat Ali knew all this but he was unable to take any firm action because of the civil war.

The third problem faced by Hadrat Ali (R.A.)was the Kharijite movement. They were extremists and misled a number of innocent Muslims. They did not hesitate to use sword against persons who do not agree with them. They developed many beliefs foreign to Islam, although they appeared to be very pious but very politically, they were corrupt. Hadrat Ali dealt with them with an iron hand. He realised that if they were not wiped out in the beginning they would mislead future generations. He was successful in destroying their strong hold. However some of them, who escaped, went underground but they were never in a strong position.

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) tried his utmost to unite the Muslims and bring them back on one platform but he was not successful. The tragic death of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) signal for blood shed among the Muslims. The Companions were not to be blamed for it at all. This was caused by anti-Islamic elements in the form of Sabaites, ('Abdullah ibn Saba and his followers). Historical facts bear it out that Abdullah ibn Saba became the greatest enemy of Islam. It was he who shattered the unity of Muslims forever. After completing their mission the Sabaites made a pretence of being Ali’s friends but they never helped him nor the cause of Muslim Unity. No sooner had Hadrat Ali assumed Khilafat than a group of the same miscreant Sabaites who had brought about the cold-blooded assassination of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.) began to demand due retribution for the murder of the Khalifah and started to incite Muslims only to create division among them. Thus they played a double role. A group of them showed themselves as friends of Ali and another group (much smaller than the first) went to Syria and other parts of Islamic State to incite the Muslims against Hadrat Ali (R.A.).

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) faced all these problems with courage and never lost heart. He was a man of strong will power and determination and was quite right in his decisions.

Tasawwuf (Mysticism or Spiritual Science) and Hadrat Ali

The genealogical chain of "Sufis" (Islamic Mystics) ends at Hadrat Ali (R.A.) and through him it is linked to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi was Salaam) in most of the orders. Thus Hadrat Ali (R.A.) has been considered as the great Imam of Tasawwuf (Spiritual Science or Mysticism).

As it has been mentioned in the Urdu book of the author, "Tasalsulat-i-Imdadiah", Hadrat Shah Wali-'ullah of Delhi holds the view that the genealogical chain of the great "Sufis " is linked to the Holy Prophet through all the first four Caliphs among whom Hadrat Ali (R.A.) stands like a gateway between the "Sufis" on the one hand and the first three caliphs and the Holy Prophet on the other hand. Spiritual secrets were transferred by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam) to Hadrat Abu Bakr. From Abu Bakr (R.A.) the secrets were transferred to Hadrat Umar; and from Umar (R.A.) to Hadrat Uthman; and from Uthman (R.A.) to Hadrat Ali and from Hadrat Ali to "Sufis" through Imam Hasan Basri (R.A.) as it is believed in most of the Schools of Thoughts of Tasawwuf.

Historically there are not enough proofs that Hadrat Hasan Basri had only tutelage under Hadrat Ali. However it has been confirmed that Hasan Basri met Hadrat Ali at the age of 15. In the science of Tasawwuf training under the Shaikh ("Murshid" or "Pir" or Spiritual Guide) is not necessary and spiritual secrets can be transferred even in a single meeting from the "Shaikh to the "Murid"(the spiritual disciple). Therefore the great "Sufis" do not doubt the fact that Hadrat Ali (R.A.) transferred spiritual secrets to Hasan Basri (R.A.), from whom they were passed on to the succeeding generations.

Therefore Hadrat Ali (R.A.) and Imam Hasan Basri are the most important links in the genealogical orders ("SHAJRAHS") of most of the Schools of Thought of Tasawwuf.

Wives and Children

(a) Hadrat Ali’s first wife was the most beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet, Hadrat Fatimah (R.A.). He got three sons (Hasan, Husain and Muhsin), and two daughters (Zainab and Umm-i-Kulthum) from her. The youngest son, Muhsin died in childhood.

After the death of Hadrat Fatimah he married a number of wives from time to time:
(b) Umm al-Banin bin Hizam from whom he got 'Abbas, Ja'far, 'Abdullah and Uthman. All of these except Abbas were martyred at Karbala.
(c) Saila bint Mas'ud who gave birth to 'Ubaidullah and Abu Bakr. They were martyred at Karbala. (d) Asma bint Umais who gave birth to Yahya and Muhammad Asghar.
(e) Sahba bint Rabi'a who gave birth to Umar and Ruqayyah.
(f) Amamah bint Abil 'As: She was daughter of Zainab (R.A.), daughter of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alaihi we Salaam). Hadrat Ali got Muhammad Aswat from her.
(g) Khaulah bint Jalfar who gave birth to Muhammad ibn
(h) Umm-i-Sa'id who gave birth to Ummul Hasan and Ramlah Kubra.
(i) Mahyah bint Ummul Qais, she gave birth to a daughter who died in childhood.

He also had a number of slave girls from whom he bore the following daughters:
Umm-i-Hani, Maimunah, Zainab Sughra, Ramlah Sughra, Umm-i-Kulthum Sughra, Fatimah, Umamah, Khadijah, Umm-i-Salama, Umm-i-Ja'far, Jamanah and Nafisah, According to Ibn-i-Jarir, Hadrat Ali had 17 daughters and 14 sons. His family continued through five sons: Imam Hasan, Imam Husain, Muhammad ibn Ali, Umar bin Ali, and 'Abbas ibn Ali.

General Administration

Hadrat Ali (R.A.) followed the administrative pattern set by Hadrat Umar (R.A.) and did not make any noticeable changes. He tried to improve the administration of those places where it was not proper during the time of Hadrat Uthman (R.A.). He usually gave useful advice to his governors at the time of their appointment. When he appointed Hadrat Ka'b ibn Malik for supervision of various officers in various provinces he gave him the following instructions: "Check officers of each and every district of Iraq thoroughly so that they may not act wrongly".