Hadhrat Ali - Superiority and Excellence

 [A detailed description of the superiority and excellence of Hadhrat Ali and the outcome of hating him.  A beautiful writing of Hadhrat Muhaddith-E-Deccan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) whose very life became a guiding light for millions, revolutionized their lives and transformed those who were lost yesterday into the guides of today]

 

If you want to see a model of the friends of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala), come I will show the leader of all the friends of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala);

 

His blessed name is Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

His name is the very purpose of this mouth and is the adornment of the tongue.  His name gives relief to the heart and solace to the soul.

 

His titles Amir Un Nahl, Haidar e Karrar.

 

His Kuniyyah is Abul Hasan and Abu Turab.

 

I want to describe him to you, who knows that when you visualize him, you may see the blessed face of Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

He was not too tall.  His eyes were big and his pupils were dark.  His blessed face was very beautiful like the full moon.  He had less hair on his head but had a thick beard.  To the onlookers, his delicate neck would seem as if fashioned out of silver.

 

His birth

 

When his mother started having labor pains, Abu Talib took her inside the Ka'aba.  There, she delivered easily.  Thus, he was born inside the Ka'aba.

 

He was born on Friday, the 10th of Rajab in the 10th year of the elephants.

 

Hadhrat Ali's (May Allah be well pleased with him) embracing Islam

 

Abdullah bin Abdullah, Anas bin Malik, Zaid bin Arqam, Salman Farsi and a group of Sahabah agree that among the children Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and among the women, Hadhrat Khadija (May Allah be well pleased with her) were the first to embrace Islam.

 

Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) himself said that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) declared His Prophethood on and I embraced Islam on .  There is only one night in between.

 

Superiority and excellence

 

Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) is that person whose love is an indication of Iman and whose hate is an indication of disbelief and denial.

 

Translation of Hadith: Once the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) held the hands of the Imams Hadhrat Hasan and Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them) and said: Whoever loves me should love them and should love their mother and father and that person will be with me in Jannatul Firdaus tomorrow on the Day of Judgment.

 

Hadith:

 

Once the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was seated when Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) arrived.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) kissed him between his eyes.  Hadhrat Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) was present at the time. He asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam): O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! You love him?  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Yes uncle! I love Ali very much.  I do not know of anyone who loves him more than I do.  Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) has placed the progeny of every Prophet in their backs, but my progeny is in the back of Ali.

 

Then He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) prayed: O Allah! Take the one as your friend who loves Ali and be the enemy of that person who hates Ali.

 

Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) says: The love of Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) eats up the sins the way fire eats up fuel.

 

Hadhrat Anas (May Allah be well pleased with him) says: I and Hadhrat Bilal (May Allah be well pleased with him) went to the market along with Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) bought many cantaloupes (Urdu-Kharbooza).  When all of us returned home, Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) cut a cantaloupe and tasted it.  It was bitter.  He told Hadhrat Bilal (May Allah be well pleased with him): Brother! You please exchange this cantaloupe and I will tell you a Hadith.

 

The Hadith:

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: O Ali! The promise to love you was taken from every human being and every tree.  The tree which made this promise and kept your love in your heart became tasty (i.e. its fruit) and pure and the one which did not accept your love became bad and bitter.

 

Then Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: I think that this bitter cantaloupe must have dropped of from that tree which did not love me.

 

Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) on the bed of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

One day before Hijrat, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) called Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and said: O Ali! This night I got the command to migrate from Makkah to Madinah.  O Ali! It is also Allah's command that you should lie down on my bed, so that the disbelievers see you and think that Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is still lying on the bed.  You keep yourself covered with my rug until I am far off.

 

Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) accepted this happily.  When night fell, the disbelievers, armed with swords, spread around the house of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) to martyr Him whenever He came out of His house.  They also discussed among themselves that how this person (i.e.  Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)) lies to us, He says that O Makkans, if you follow me and embrace Islam, then in this world you will become the kings of the world and in the hereafter, you will get lovely gardens, fruits and beautiful women.  If you do not follow me, then in the hereafter you will burn in a raging fire.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) listened to all this and said: Ignorant folk! Whatever I am saying is true.

 

At midnight, another command came thus: O Beloved Prophet! Now get up! This is not the time to sleep.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Jibreel!  The disbelievers have gathered around us.  How can I go out? Jibreel (Peace be upon him) entreated: Recite the beginning verses of Surah Yasin untill "Fahum La Yubisrun"….

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) recited these verses and blew on a handful of sand and threw that handful of sand at the disbelievers.  That 1 handful of sand landed on the head, face and in the eyes of 70 men.

 

But the wonder is that instead of hurting, everybody went into a deep sleep.  Everybody's head was resting on their chests and they were in deep sleep.  In this way, Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) took out the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) from among them.

 

Nonetheless, by that 1 handful of sand, the disbelievers slept, the devils (Shayateen) also slept and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went away safe and sound.  Even if a small bit or some dirt goes into the eyes, it hurts a lot, but here, a handful of sand falls into the eyes of the disbelievers of Makkah and all of them go into a restful sleep.

 

O Muslims!  We have been given that Merciful Prophet, who when angrily throws a handful of sand on the disbelievers, it gives them solace and comfort.  Just think! What will be their effect, when they are raised lovingly to ask for forgiveness of the Muslims!

 

Thus, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went away in peace and Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) lay on the bed of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) wrapped in His rug.  Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) asked Jibreel and Mikail (Peace be upon them): I have made you both brothers.  Now tell Me, who among you will give your life for the sake of others.  Both the angels said: If it is Your command we are ready, otherwise life is dear to everybody.  We can't give our life for others.

 

Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) then ordered: Look at Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him). To sacrifice his life for the sake of Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), he lay on His bed.  You go and protect him.

 

Both the angels went there.  One stood at the head of the bed and the other at the foot of the bed and protected Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) for the whole night.  They kept saying: Wonderful O Ali! Wonderful! What greatness if yours! Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) mentioned you among the angels: Look! How My worshippers are!

 

Punishment on hating Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

A saint says: I saw a dream that it is the Day of Judgment.  The whole creation is being judged, they are crossing the Sirat.  Suddenly, I saw that people are crowded round the Houz-e-Kauthar and the Imams, Hadhrat Imam Hasan and Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) are distributing the water.  I also went before them and requested: O Imam! Please give me also some water.  But they did not give me water.  I went to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and entreated: O Prophet of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)!  I am very thirsty.  Hadhrat Imam Hasan and Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them) are not giving me water.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: How can you get the water?  Although you yourself are a lover of Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him), but in your locality, there is a person who is an enemy of Ali, who keeps abusing Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and you don’t stop him.  I said: O Prophet of Allah! Whatever you order be, I am ready.  He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) ordered: Take this knife and kill him.  In the dream itself, I took the knife and killed that person.  Then I presented myself before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and said: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! I have fulfilled your wish.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him)! Give him water.  Amir Ul Momineen Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave me water.  I took water from his blessed hands, but I don’t remember whether I drank it or not.  Then I woke up, I was still nervous.  I performed Wuzu and started offering Salaat.  When morning came, the sound of people crying came from the house that somebody came and killed him in his own bed.

 

Police came and arrested the innocent neighbors.  I said: Subhanallah! What a dream! How true! I rose and went to the chief and told him that I had done this and he need not trouble innocent people for it and I told him the entire incident.  The chief said: The person who disrespects the cousin and the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) deserves this punishment.

 

The son of Hadhrat Imam Zain-Ul-Abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) says: Every Friday, the governor of Madina, Ibrahim bin Hisham, would gather all us Ahle Bait near the pulpit and speak ill of Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).  One Friday, as per his custom, he was speaking ill about Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and I was dozing.  In a dream, I saw that the blessed grave of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has split and a person wearing a white garment emerged from it.  You should not be sad on what this governor says.  Open your eyes and see what has been done to him.  I opened my eyes and saw that the scoundrel was insulting Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and suddenly he fell from the pulpit and died.