Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib
The Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)
He is the master of the successors, the brother of the master of prophets, the fulfillment of Abraham’s prayer, the station of Aaron, the keeper of secrets, the source of lights, the divider of Paradise and Hellfire, the inheritor of the knowledge of God’s prophets and noble messengers (peace be upon them all). He is the father of the pure Imams, the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib. In him the two pure lineages met: the lineage of the Prophet and the successor (waṣī).
The Messenger of God (may God bless him and his family) appointed him in his place when he left for the Hijra in the first year, and in that same year he made brotherhood among the Muslims and told them that Ali was his brother, his successor, his cousin, and the gate to his city of knowledge.
He (peace be upon him) was pledged allegiance on Friday, the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah, year 35 A.H. On this same day was the event of Ghadir Khumm, which bears an astonishing significance.
In year 36 A.H was the battle against the “Oath-Breakers” (al-Nākithīn) – the people of the Camel: Ṭalḥa, al-Zubayr, ʿĀʾisha and their followers. About thirty thousand were killed.
In year 37 A.H was the battle against the “Oppressors” (al-Qāsiṭīn) – Muʿāwiya, the people of Syria, and their allies – at Ṣiffīn. Its clashes ended with seventy thousand dead. Among them was the “Night of al-Harīr,” when the successor (Ali) killed six hundred men with six hundred strikes, and with each strike he proclaimed the takbīr (“God is greatest”).
In year 39 A.H was the battle against the “Renegades” (al-Māriqīn) – the Khawārij at Nahrawān. These are but glimpses of the mighty scenes of the Prophet and his successor (peace be upon them).
His Description (peace be upon him)
In al-Masābīḥ, from Imam Zayd ibn Ali (peace be upon them both), who said: I heard my father say:
“Commander of the Faithful was a man with a sturdy belly, large black eyes, his face as beautiful as the full moon, broad-bellied, with a prominent chest line of hair, thick-palmed, large-boned, with a neck like a silver pitcher, bald with only a little hair at the back of his head. His shoulders were like those of a lion. When he walked, he leaned slightly, and his limbs blended seamlessly – one could not distinguish his arm from his forearm. Whenever he grasped the arm of a man, the man could not free himself. His complexion was brownish, his nose slightly curved, and when he walked to battle he moved briskly, supported with divine might. Peace be upon him.”
His Children (peace be upon him)
Imam Abu Ṭālib in al-Ifāda said:
Al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon them), al-Muḥsin (who died young), Zaynab al-Kubrā, and Umm Kulthūm al-Kubrā – their mother was Fāṭima, daughter of the Messenger of God (may God bless him and his family).
Then: Muḥammad Abu al-Qāsim (d. 81 AH), al-ʿAbbās, ʿUthmān, Jaʿfar, and ʿAbdullah – all martyred at Karbala with al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon him).
And: Abu Bakr, ʿUbaydullah, ʿUmar, ʿUmar al-Aṣghar, Muḥammad al-Awsaṭ, Muḥammad al-Aṣghar, another ʿUmar al-Awsaṭ (per some reports), al-ʿAbbās al-Aṣghar, Jaʿfar al-Aṣghar, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān – whose mother was Ummāma bint Abi al-ʿĀṣ, daughter of Zaynab (the daughter of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family). And Yaḥyā and ʿAwn, both of whom died in childhood.
Those who left descendants were five: al-Ḥasan, al-Ḥusayn, Muḥammad, al-ʿAbbās, and ʿUmar.
As for the daughters, they were twenty-two in total.
A Scene from the Battle of the Camel
Al-Mundhir ibn al-Jārūd said: When Ali (peace be upon him) came to Basra, he entered from the side of al-Ṭaff and came to al-Zāwiya. I went out to see him, and behold, a procession of about a thousand horsemen came, led by a rider on a gray horse, wearing a cap and white garments, girded with a sword, carrying a banner. Their turbans were mostly white and yellow, fully armored. I asked: Who is this? They said: Abu Ayyub al-Anṣārī, companion of the Messenger of God, and these are the Ansar and others.
[The text continues with a detailed description of the contingents of Khuzayma ibn Thābit, Abu Qatāda, ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir, Qays ibn Saʿd ibn ʿUbāda, ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbās, ʿUbaydullah ibn ʿAbbās, and others, until finally:]
Then came a procession with many armed men, at its head a man strong of arms, looking down more than up, surrounded by youths and elders, with Hasan and Husayn on his right and left, Muhammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyya before him carrying the great banner, and ʿAbdullah ibn Jaʿfar behind him, and the youths of Banu Hāshim around him. This was Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). He prayed four units at al-Zāwiya, rubbed his cheeks in the dust with tears flowing, and prayed:
“O Allah, Lord of the heavens and what they shade, Lord of the earths and what they carry, Lord of the Mighty Throne – this is Basra. I ask You for its good and seek refuge with You from its evil. O Allah, make our dwelling in it the best of dwellings, for You are the best of hosts.”
From the Battle of Ṣiffīn
Among the scenes of Ṣiffīn is what happened between the tribes of ʿUk and Hamdān, when the fighting was intense. The Commander of the Faithful said:
“How long will you leave these two tribes to annihilate each other while you stand watching? Do you not fear God’s wrath?” Then he unsheathed his sword and charged, striking in the ranks, reciting verses of courage. The fighting left four thousand dead that day.
ʿAmr ibn Ḥuṣayn al-Sukūnī tried to strike Ali unawares, but Saʿīd ibn Qays al-Hamdānī intercepted him and killed him, then recited poetry exalting Ali and humiliating the enemy.
Ali himself recited his famous ode praising the tribes of Yemen, especially Hamdān, for their valor and loyalty, saying:
“If I were the gatekeeper of Paradise, I would say to Hamdān: Enter in peace.”
He also said to them: “O people of Hamdān, you are my shield and my spear. You have only supported God and His Messenger, and none other.” They answered: “We supported God and His Messenger, then you. We fought alongside men not like you, so lead us wherever you wish.”
His Martyrdom (peace be upon him)
The Guardian and Imam of the believers, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), was struck down by the most wretched of later generations, Ibn Muljam (may God curse him), on Friday, the 18th of Ramadan, year 40 A.H. He passed away on the night of the 21st of Ramadan.
His grave: in the sacred shrine in Kufa.
His age: like that of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) – sixty-three years.
Poets lamented him bitterly, condemning his killers and their allies, and declaring loyalty to him, to Hasan, and to Husayn after him, against the enemies who bore hatred in their hearts.