In the name of Allah
The All Compassionate, the All-Merciful
1st Rabiul Awwal 1446 (14th August 2026)
Islamic Universal Association
20 Penzance Place, Holland Park
London, W11 4 PG
Imam Ali (a.s.)’s advice in the Nahjal-Balagha – Part 147
I quote below Imam Ali (a.s.)’s Sermon 131 from the Nahjul Balagha, which highlights the grounds for accepting the Caliphate and the qualities of a good Islamic ruler and governor, which I will study in my forthcoming session:
“O’ (People of) differing minds and divided hearts, whose bodies are present but wisdom is absent. I am leading you (amicably) towards truthfulness, but you run away from it like goats and sheep running away from the howling of a lion. How hard it is for me to uncover for you the secrets of justice, or to straighten the curve of truthfulness.
O my God! Thou know that what we did was neither to seek power nor to acquire anything from the vanities of the world. We wanted to restore the signs of Your religion and to usher prosperity into Your cities so that the oppressed among Your creatures might be safe and your forsaken commands might be established. O My God! I am the first who leaned towards You and who heard and responded to the call of Islam. No one preceded me in prayer (salat) except the Prophet.
You certainly know that he who is in charge of honor, life, booty, (enforcement of) legal commandments and the leadership of the Muslims should not be a miser as his greed would aim at his wealth, nor should he be ignorant as he would then mislead them with his ignorance, nor should he be of rude behavior who would estrange them with his rudeness, nor should he deal unjustly with wealth thus preferring one group over another, nor should he accept a bribe while taking decisions, as he would forfeit (others) rights and hold them up without finality, nor should he ignore sunnah as he would ruin the people.” (Sermon 131) To be continued.
Second Sermon
Hijrat of the Holy Prophet (s.a.)
After 13 years of his mission in Mecca, the Holy Prophet (s.a.) left his home and migrated to Medina which is known as Hijrat and it is a very significant event in Islamic history.
This migration was carried out on account of a conspiracy by the leaders of Quraish to murder the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and to obliterate the truth and the laws against tyranny, oppression and injustice which the Holy Prophet (s.a.) was in the process of establishing. Their plan was, however, unsuccessful as Allah (s.w.t.) had informed the Holy Prophet (s.a.) about their plan to kill him and ordered him to leave Mecca and for Ali (a.s.) to sleep on his bed. Ayah 30 of Surah Al-Anfaal was revealed clearly indicating that the plots of the enemies of Islam and/or the disbelievers to kill or imprison the Holy Prophet (s.a.) would be foiled by Allah (s.w.t):
“And when the disbelievers plotted against you (O Mohammad) to imprison you, or slay you, or drive you away, they devised plans and God too had a plan; God is the Best of planners.”
It has been reported in the book, Manaqib V:1 P:183, that the Holy Prophet (s.a.) informed Ali (a.s.) about the dangerous situation and his plan to migrate to Medina forthwith as instructed by Allah (s.w.t) and asked him if he would sleep on his bed and carry out some errands for him and accept the danger to his life. Ali (a.s.) replied with a counter question, “If I sleep on your bed, will your life be saved?” The Holy Prophet (s.a.) said that Allah (s.w.t) had promised him a safe journey to Medina. Ali (a.s.) was pleased to hear this and he thanked Allah (s.w.t.) and immediately prostrated on earth. This was the first sajdah of appreciation (shukr) that was performed by man. Ali (a.s.) knew that the enemies of Islam wanted to murder the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and if he slept in his bed, his life would be at risk and yet he did not hesitate to do so and to protect the Holy Prophet (s.a.). As narrated by Ibne Abbas his sacrifice was so sincere that during the Holy Prophet (s.a.)’s journey to Medina, Ayah 207 of Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed referring to the devotion of Imam Ali (a.s.):
“Among men is he who trades his life for the pleasure of God and verily God is affectionate to his faithful servants.”
It has also been reported in the Manaqib that the Holy Prophet (s.a.) advised Ali (a.s.):
“Allah tests the faith of the believers but the messenger is tested to a far greater degree. Since you are from me and I am from you, we will try together, so be patient.” Ali (a.s.) replied: “May my life be ransomed for you and your mission.” Hence, while the Holy Prophet (s.a.) left his house for Mecca under Allah (s.w.t)’s protection, Ali (a.s.) slept peacefully on his bed despite the swords of the enemies being flashed around him. Moreover, it has been reported that Gabriel descended to visit Ali (a.s.) that night with Makaiel and expressed his admiration and exclaimed:
“O Ali! You are in a very good position because Allah and his angels are proud of you.”
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