If you want to see knowledge of Adam, the piety of Noah, the devotion of Abraham, the awe of Moses and the service and abstinence of Jesus, look at the bright face of Ali.

ALI, THE MAGNIFICENT 

The life of Hazrat Ali stands out as a beacon, radiating its light into the darkness of this world. A world torn asunder by strife, struggle and wan, a world in which the value of human life is regarded as next to nothing.

It must be borne in mind that it was Ali who gave a distinctive outlook to the intellectual, social, cultural and political concepts of his times. Ho was the Warrior-Saint of Islam, who spent his entire life fighting the holy wars and who in spite of his multifarious activities lit the torch of knowledge that gave unprecedented impetus to learn­ing-a marvel of the times in which he lived. The wonderful personality he possessed has made him the greatest hero of all times.) In the world of today, his many-sided spiritual precepts might help to solve some of the problems with which the world is faced today. His ideas were conciliatory and his message was always one of peace. He lived for justice and was very firm in his belief that every one should have a right to live in security, that there should be food, shelter and clothing for all. Humanity he consi­dered as one family where there should be tolerance for all irrespective of race, creed and color and irrespective of wealth or adversity.

Nowhere was his humane attitude more apparent than when he was dispensing justice. He had the strictest ideas of duty and responsibility and even the poorest and most insignificant of suitors always found him ready to give his case a fair and prompt hearing. He was quick to forgive an offender as he was slow to resent an injury, a human attitude which too many of his contemporaries were prone to interpret wrongly as a weakness; it was this humane attitude which above all stamped Ali as the ideal man.

In order to keep his finger on the pulse of the people, Ali often disguised himself as a traveler, perambulating the lanes of the city at night to find out for himself the condition of the poor and the needy, and to lend succor to them and at the same time to bring the delinquents to book. His tremendous physical energy thus found an outlet in the performance of many a philanthropic deed, but even so, his sense of responsibility to his people was so great that he was frequently struck with remorse for what he had left undone. Hence the bitter tears of self-deprecation which he so often shed at his prayers.

He sought always to prevent those civil wars in which blood would be shed in vain, but in his fight against the forces of evil and barbarity he showed extraordinary determination, unwavering purpose and an iron will. He was at once a recluse and a warrior, a thinker contemplating in the wastes of the desert and a commander fighting the Lord’s battle against heretical foes. In his personality he combined a pious resignation to God with the greatest heroism in combat.

In his attempts to establish God’s kingdom on earth, he was constantly beset by enemies who wanted to extinguish the torch of Islam, and whose activities were the more resented as they were carried out in the name of God and religion. Pitched as he was against envy, hatred and malice, he never permitted himself to falter or to stray from the path of right, even though this singleness of purpose was to coat him his life.

In the words of Gibbon, “The birth, the alliance, the character of Ali which exalted him above the rest of his countrymen, might justify his claim to the vacant throne ci Arabia. The son of Abu TaIib was in his own right, the chief of Bani Hashim and the hereditary prince or guardian of the city and temple of Mecca. Hazrat Ali had the qualification of a poet, a soldier and a saint; his wisdom stilt breathes in a collection of moral and religious sayings; and every antagonist, in combats of the tongue or of the sword was subdued by his eloquence and velour. From the first hour of his mission to the last rites of his funeral, the Apostle Muhammad were never forsaken by a generous friend, whom he delighted to name his brother, his vicege­rent, and a faithful Aaron of a second Moses.”

Ali’s piety

When Ali offered his prayers he was frequently observed to be in a strange physical condition. When asked to account for the pallor of his face and the way in which his body trembled he replied, “I present myself to the Al­mighty to render an account of the various obligations that devolve on me and I do not know whether I have discharged them dutifully by protecting the defenseless and aiding the oppressed.” His humility before God was one of the reasons why he was regarded as a saint of saints. Another factor which made him exceptionally pious was the important part which he assigned to prayer in his daily life.

One day when the Holy Prophet was sleeping with his head in Ali’s lap, the time of “Asr” (afternoon prayers) had passed. Informed by Divine revelation that he had caused Ali to miss his prayers; the Holy Prophet said, “Verily, Ali was busy in the service of God and His Apostle. O Lord! Command Thy sun not to set yet and to come back into the world again so as to enable Ali to perform his prayers.” The Sun re-appeared forthwith until Ali had finished his prayers.

In one of his many battles Ali is said to have been pierced by the head of an arrow, which could not be extracted and which caused him great pain for many months. One day, he was holding communion with God, he went into a state of reverie and on emerging from this trance he found that the head of the arrow had conic out of its own accord, through the intercession of Divine Favors.

Because Ali was considered to be the most pious and most holy of all the believers in faith, the people also began to feel that God must have rewarded him by granting him the power to perform miracles. Tales abound of mira­culous happenings. A withered tree grew again at Ali’s touch; pebbles turned into pieces of gold at his command, so that a believer in faith could find money to pay back a Jewish usurer; Ali was gifted with divine qualities.

His greatness

Muslim scholars unanimously agree with the fact, “that none of the companions of the Holy Prophet was so widely praised by God (through the verses of the Quran) and His Prophet for his virtues and excellence as was Hazrat Ali.”

Ahmad ibn Hanbal says, “There hath not come down to us regarding the merits of any one of the Companions of the Apostle of God what bath been transmitted con­cerning Ali. At times they are represented as so astound­ing that it was for this reason that the Bani Umayyah were jealous of him and came to hate him. That he did enjoy the special confidence of Muhammad is acknowled­ged by all.”

Numerous sayings of the Holy Prophet exalting the virtues and personal attributes of the first Apostolical Imam have been quoted both by Shia and Sunni scholars. “After the Holy Prophet,” says Allama Ibne abil Hadid aI-Motazali, ‘it was Hazrat Ali who devoted most of his time to the worship of God and spent the nights in silent devotion and the days in fasting. He was brave and forgiving, strong and understanding, religious and secular. He was the only person of his time who mastered the Holy Scriptures. Wise men from East and West came to quench their thirst from his unfathomable spring of Divine Know­ledge.”  

RECOGNITION OF ALI’S SUPERIORITY

Ibn-e-Hajar Makki in Sawaiq-e-Muhariqa reports that Abubakr once said:

“It would be difficult indeed for any one to pass over the bridge of ‘Sirat’, on the Day of Judgment without getting a permit from Au, because this is what I have heard from the Holy Prophet.”

Omar related that once the Holy Prophet said, “If the faith of the inhabitants of the seven worlds be put on one side of the scale, and that of All alone on the other side, verily Mi’s side will weigh heavier.”

Imam Shafai’s famous verse: “Ali will judge mankind and allot them either paradise or hell. He was the leader of men and Jinns, the true Testator of the Holy Prophet. If the followers of Ali are ‘Raffizhes’ (the heterogeneous sect of Shias) verily I am one of that sect. Ali at the time of the breaking of the symbols in the Kaaba put his feet on that shoulder where God had put His hand on the ‘Night of Meraj’ and verily Ali was that man into whose eyes shone the light of God.”

Once, Imam Ahmad asked his father, Imam Hanbal, who was superior, Muawiya or Ali, to which query Imam Hanbal replied, “Ali had numerous enemies and all of them tried to find fault with him but they searched in vain and could not find any flaw in him. At long last they joined hands with Muawiya and declared war on Ali. When they failed to defeat him by fair means they took to trea­cherous and deceitful courses to harm him.”

Ibn Athir says, “Ali was the first Caliph whose parents were pure Hashimites and who was so judicial minded that he could not put up with the dishonesty even if his friends or relatives were to indulge in it and was so much engrossed in piety that at the time of his marriage with Fatima, he did not possess anything save a camel skin, which he converted into a bed sheet at night. The Prophet in his sayings has not extolled any of his companions as much as he has Ali. Surely Ali never spoke a lie in his life time.”

Some one asked the Umayyad Caliph, Omar bin Abdul Aziz (717-20 A.D.) whom he considered the most pious man in the world, to which query he replied, “Ali excelled mankind in piety. Not only this, but he tried zealously to reform his friends, associates, acquaintances and all those who came in contact with him.”

Ibn Masud used to say that throughout Arabia there was no more impartial judge than Ali.

Abu Saeed Khudiri held that he could easily detect a hypocrite by his enmity towards Ali.

Abdullah Ibn Abbas used to say, “Should schism seep into Islam, it would be the bounden duty of the believers to attach themselves fast to Ali (i.e. his teachings) and the Quran for I have heard the Prophet say, ‘Ali was the first to believe in me, he will be the first to meet me in Paradise and will be the greatest discriminator of truth from falsehood, he is the leader of all the believers, he is the ‘Sadiq-i-Akbar’ (the great truthful one) and is that door (of faith) the entry through which will lead to Paradise.”

Ali’s views on charity

Ali was always extremely poor, yet he was as renowned for his charity as he was for his piety. Because he never owned any money or goods of his own, he had to be exemp­ted from the Zakat, the obligatory alms tax levied on every male and female Muslim of means, but whenever his share of the “Ghanima” (booty) or “Fay” came into his hands, he immediately distributed it amongst the poor and destitute, giving not a proportion of it but all till nothing remained for himself or his family. His deeds of charity were oil the lips of every one.

‘A beggar once received a ring while Ali lay prostrate on his prayer-mat.’ There are confirmed traditions that the angel Gabriel appeared to the Holy Prophet at that time and revealed the following verse of the Quran

“Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and the Believers who observe prayers and charity, even in prostration when worshipping God alone.” (5:55)

Another story relates how somebody presented 300 gold coins to the Holy Prophet who made a present of them to Ali. Ali immediately decided to give them away in three installments of 100 pieces. On his way home, after finishing his night prayers, he saw a harlot, to whom he gave the first one hundred coins. Early next morning the whole town was gossiping about Ali’s misplaced charity and how he had squandered money on a woman or ill repute. Returning home the next night, after prayers he met a man, who was to all intents and purposes a thief, yet he gave him the money. Again the people started to gossip, saying that this time Ali had given the money to a worthless and good for nothing person. On the third night he met a rich man to whom he gave the remainder of the money. At this the people again murmured against Ali saying that he had wasted the money on a worthless miser. Now no money was left and Ali repaired to the Holy Prophet, to whom he related what had transpired. The Holy Prophet told Ali that the angel Gabriel had visited him and informed him that God had accepted Ali’s charity on all the three occasions. The harlot after getting the money had given up prostitution and had resolved to lead a chaste life; the thief after getting the money had resolved to give up larceny and had entered into honest business, and the rich man had been so ashamed at receiving alms from someone as poor as Ali that he had decided to cease hoarding wealth and give all he possessed to the poor.

That Ali’s charity had proved acceptable to the Almighty God was also revealed in the following Quranic Verse

“Men; whom neither merchandise nor business diverts from the remembrance of Allah and the observance of the prayers and the giving of alms. They fear a day in which hearts and eyes will be agitated.”  (24:37)

On another occasion as related by Tabrani, Wahidi in Tafseer-e-Kashaf page 286 and Suyuti in Dur-e-Mansoor Vol. 1 page 363, Ali had Dirhams (about rupees two and fifty paise), with a view to spending it in a manner most agreeable to God, he gave one Dirham in charity at night in a hidden manner and one Dirham in the night openly and one Dirham in the daytime hiddenly and one Dirham openly. According to the same authority, God praised Ali in verse 274 of Surah Baqar approving all the four manners of his charity.

Not only did Ali practice charity himself but he preached it to others. A great many of his sermons stress the importance of alms giving. In one of these he said, “Of the various meritorious acts of a Believer, one of the most acceptable is “Zakat”. It behooves every one to give charity because from amongst the acts of worship this is the one most pleasing to God.” In another sermon he emphasized that God had sent men in this world only to test them. When a man dies his relatives ask how much wealth he has left, while the angels look to see how much he had given in charity, in the path of God. “O thou people! Send a part of your wealth in the way of God so that it may stand you in good stead in the next world. Do not leave your entire wealth here so as to be a source of annoyance to you (in the world to come).”

Whenever Ali learned that someone was hungry or thirsty, without clothes or in debt, he would provide food, water, clothes and money for him. He would go to the houses of the sick, nurse them and give them money and medicines. Although Ali’s shirts, wearing apparel and shoes were full of patches, yet he felt the greatest pleasure in providing others with clothes. Whenever Ali used to visit the bazars of Kufa, he would help the travel­ers, the aged and the infirm. He was particularly kind to the elderly who could not support themselves and the widows who were left destitute.

Once Ali saw a woman who was carrying on her shoulders a water skin which was too heavy a load for her feeble body. Ali took the load on to his own shoulder and accompanied her to her house. She had a number of children who awaited her arrival anxiously. In the course of talks, Ali came to know that her husband was a Kharijite who had fallen in a battle fighting against him (Ali). The widow tended the destitute children and earned her living by doing odd jobs and working for others. The next day Ali again repaired to the hut of the widow with a basketful of eatables. On his way towards her house, Ali met a number of people who wanted to carry the basket for him but the Caliph refused to take any one’s help saying, “You will share my burden today but who will be there to share it on the Day of Judgment.” Thus carrying the basket on his shoulders the Caliph reached the widow’s house, knocked at her door and put the provisions before her. The poor woman was overjoyed and in great excite­ment said, “May God blesses you. Let the Almighty decide between me and Ali”. At this Ali said,

“Either let me bake you some bread with this flour that I have brought you or you bake it and I will play with your children and try to cheer them up.” The woman replied, “I will do the baking if you will light the oven for me.” Ali, who had been distributing dates to the children immediately, apologized for his discourtesy in not having offered to light the fire. When it flamed up and he felt the heat of the oven scorching his face, he said, “Taste the heat of this fire; imagine what punishment awaits one who has neglected the widows and orphans.” In the meantime the next door neighbor had come in and had recognized Ali as the Caliph. “Cursed be thou”, she said, reprimanding the widow, “How dare you talk so insolently to the Commander of the Faithful?” The widow in great shame fell prostrate to the ground, begging forgiveness, but Ali said, “It is Ali who must feel ashamed at having neglected you.”  

Ali’s humility

Ali was humble and hated pomp and arrogance. Even as Caliph he used to sweep the floor of his own house, chop wood for fuel, carry water on his shoulders, mend his own shoes, wash his own clothes and milk his goat. Ali’s wife Fatima did similar domestic jobs with her own hands, grinding wheat in the hand-mill, baking bread, lighting the oven, washing the dishes and tending to her children.

Returning one day with some dates from the bazaar he received many offers from people anxious to carry them for him. Ali refused them all, saying. “Whosoever is responsible for looking after his children, has the big­ger responsibility of carrying the burden himself.” Ali was often seen walking barefooted and on one occasion when he happened to be riding a horse he was distressed to find people following him on foot. Asking them what they wanted, he was told that they felt elated by walking in his retinue. To this Ali replied, “Go back to your business. By walking behind a rider, you will breed feel­ings of inferiority in yourselves and infect me with arrogance.

On another occasion when Ali was discussing the essential qualities of a ruler in a sermon, a member of the congregation rose and praised Ali for his eloquence. Ali said that his subjects ought not to praise him, for he wanted no flattery, being all too conscious of his own unworthiness. Concluding his sermon he said, “To a person who has been influenced by the superb Majesty of God, everything else appears petty and frivolous. He looks upon all other things as shallow and trivial. The worst ruler is one who is given to pride and arrogance and hears flattering words from other. Ali praise is due to God. You should not praise me because I herewith declare before God and all of you that are here that I have many responsibilities which still lie un-discharged. In the face of this how can any one applaud me and con­sider me praise worthy? You should not accord me that treatment which is only befitting to tyrants. Neither become afraid of me nor ever hesitates to tell the truth. Do not show any consideration to me if you feel that I am wanting in justice, and never conceal the truth from me. I cannot trust any flatter because he might mis­lead me and his tempting talk might beguile me into vainglory. I pray to God to save me from an erroneous path. We men are all alike and there is no other Master than God.”

Ali’s submission to law

The fame of Ali’s impartiality as Chief justice spread far and wide. Had circumstances allowed him to reign peacefully the world would have witnessed a unique com­bination of divine and secular justice. In the cases which were brought to his court, Ali made no distinction between friend and foe, between his own relatives and persons unknown to him.

An interesting story is told of a case in which Ali was himself the plaintiff. It concerned a coat of mail, lost by Ali at Siffin and picked up by a Christian who then wore it himself. Ali recognizing his armor on the Christian took the miscreant to the Qazi of the city, demanding that the culprit should be dealt with according to the law. When the Qazi asked the Christian if it be­longed to him, he pleaded “not guilty” saying, “My po­ssession of it is a clear proof of my ownership.”

The Qazi then asked Ali to substantiate his charge by producing a witness. Ali produced his son Hasan as a witness but the Qazi refused to accept his evidence saying that he was a close relative of the plaintiff. Ali did not do anything more than saying that it was surprising that the Qazi did not accept the evidence of one who was pronounced by the Prophet as the Head of the Youth of Paradise. The Qazi was now in a great fix for he was loath to accuse Ali of having brought a false charge against the Christian yet unable to convict the accused for lack of proof. Seeing the dilemma in which the Qazi found himself, Ali however said, “The judge ought not to be influenced by the dignity of any party; merit alone as the judge takes it to be, should be the criterion for deciding the issue.” The Qazi then pronounced judgment as follows: In the absence of any conclusive evidence, and this the Caliph has failed to produce, the suit is dismissed.”

The Christian merrily walked out of the court, but after going only a few paces he turned back, and going up to Ali, said, “O Commander of the Faithful, verily the coat of mail is yours. I got it on the battlefield of Siffin. I only wanted to see how judicial cases are decided in your courts. My Lord, pray stretch forth your hand for I intend to take the oath of allegiance and accept Islam at your hands.” So saying he took the oath of fealty to Ali, and accepted Islam. Ali then presented to him that same coat of mail and also a horse, saying, “Blessed art thou indeed. Previously thou wert a soldier of a secular king but henceforth thou hast accepted enlistment as a soldier of God.” The new convert is said to have joined Ali’s army, fighting in all the battles in which Ali was involved until on the battlefield of Nahrwan he was killed, thus obtaining a martyr’s crown.

Ali was also very particular that his magistrates should also follow the principle of strictest impartiality issuing very strict instructions that they should never take bribes and never pronounce judgments until they were fully satisfied with the merits of the case.

Ali’s role in Meraj

The most amazing instances of the exaltation of Ali are to be found in the descriptions of the Meraj or As­cension of the Prophet to Heaven, in accordance with the Verse of the Quran (xvii.1): “Glory to him who carried His servant by night from the sacred temple (of Mecca) to the temple that is more remote, whose precinct We have blessed, that We may show him our signs.”

The second volume of Majlisi’s Hayatu-l-Kulub has been translated into English under the title the ‘Life and Religion of Muhammad,’ by Rev. James L. Merrick, Majlisi says (P. 190) that both Shia and Sunni traditions declare that the Ascension was bodily, and not merely in the Spirit; itt the state of wakefulness, not of sleep. On this point, among the old Ulama of the Shias there is no disagreement. The doubts which sonic have entertained on whether the Ascension was in body or merely in spirit have arisen from lack of knowledge of the subject, or from lack of belief in its Divine Attestations, and from listening to people who are without faith themselves. In his portrayal of all that the Holy Prophet Muhammad heard and saw on this great night journey through the seven heavens, Majlisi mentions what was heard and soon of Ali:

“It is related that Muhammad declared that on the night of Ascension, the Most High commanded me to inquire of the past prophets for what reason they were exalted to that rank, and they all testified, “We were raised up on account of your Prophetical Office, and the Imamate of Ali Ibn Abu Talib, and the Imams of your posterity”. A divine voice then commanded, ‘look on the right side of the empyrean’. I looked and saw the similitude of Ali, and Hasan, and Husain, and Ali ibn al-Husain, and Muhammad Bakir, and Jafar as-Sadiq, and Musa Kazim, and Ali ibn Musa-ar-Reza, and Muha­mmad Taki, and Ali Naqi, and Hasan Askhari, and Mahdi ­all performing prayers in a sea of light. ‘These’, said the Most High, “are my proofs, Vicegerents, and friends, and the last of them will take vengeance on my enemies.”

‘The Prophet declared that when he performed the Ascension, the angels inquired very particularly about Ali. ‘When I arrived,’ he continued, ‘at the fourth heaven, I saw the angel of death, who said that it was his office to take the soul of every creature by God’s command; but in the case of you and Ali, I will have to take your consent.’ When I came under the empyrean, I saw Ali ibn Abu Talib standing there, and said to him, ‘O Ali have you got there before me?’ ‘Whom are you add­ressing’, asked Gabriel. ‘My brother’, I replied. ‘This is not Ali,’ said he, ‘but an angel of the Merciful God, whom he created in the likeness of Ali and when those of us pri­vileged to approach near the Deity wish to behold Ali, we visit this angel.”

And so Jesus and Moses and Abraham all inquired about Ali and congratulated Muhammad on having left so good a Caliph in his place. The Apostle further related, “On the night of MERAJ, on every one of the curtains of light and on every one of the pillars of the empyrean to which I came, I saw written; there is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Apostle of God, and Ali ibn Abu Talib is the commander of the Faithful.”  

His greatness

Muslim scholars unanimously agree with the fact, “that none of the companions of the Holy Prophet was so widely praised by God (through the verses of the Quran) and His Prophet for his virtues and excellence as was Hazrat Ali.”

Ahmad ibn Hanbal says, “There hath not come down to us regarding the merits of any one of the Companions of the Apostle of God what bath been transmitted con­cerning Ali. At times they are represented as so astound­ing that it was for this reason that the Bani Umayyah were jealous of him and came to hate him. That he did enjoy the special confidence of Muhammad is acknowled­ged by all.”

Numerous sayings of the Holy Prophet exalting the virtues and personal attributes of the first Apostolical Imam have been quoted both by Shia and Sunni scholars. “After the Holy Prophet,” says Allama Ibne abil Hadid aI-Motazali, ‘it was Hazrat Ali who devoted most of his time to the worship of God and spent the nights in silent devotion and the days in fasting. He was brave and forgiving, strong and understanding, religious and secular. He was the only person of his time who mastered the Holy Scriptures. Wise men from East and West came to quench their thirst from his unfathomable spring of Divine Know­ledge.”

Ali the first In many fields

Ali was the possessor of unique virtues and was the first and foremost person in a number of things. He had no match in the following attributes, to mention only a few:

1.             He was of noblest birth for both his father and mother were Hashimites.

2.             He was the only person to be born in the Kaaba (the house of God).

3.            He was the only Divinely authorized witness and Attester that Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of God. (Surah Raad Verse 43, Surah Hood Verse 17 and Surah Saha Verse 6.).

4.            He was the first to offer prayers after the Holy Prophet.

5.            He was the only one to offer his assistance to the Holy Prophet at the gathering of Dawat-e-Asheera.

6.            Ali was the only one (except the Holy Prophet) whom God inspired with Divine Secrets.

7.            He was the first to compile and codify the Quran.

8.            He had the distinction of being styled as “Brother” by the Prophet on both the occasions of “before Hijrat” at Mecca and after Hijrat at Medina.

9.            Ali was the only one named by the Holy Prophet to bathe his body after his death.

10.         Ho was the only warrior to stick to his post on the battlefield in all battles and who never once turned his back.

11.         It was he who was appointed Commander in all the battles in which the Holy Prophet did not partici­pate personally and was the Standard Bearer when the Prophet participated.

12.         He was the great warrior who succeeded in killing all adversaries who fought against him.

13.         It was Ali who caught and conquered pagan ‘Jinns’ many of whom accepted Islam.

14.         The honor of the propagation of the Quranic Surah “Al-Baraat” (the Immunity) fell to Ali’s lot, the Prophet saying that either he himself or Ali could do it and no one else, thereby raising him Supreme above all others.

15.         It was he on whom the Holy Prophet bestowed the title “a Second Aaron.”

16.         The privilege of removing the symbols of Arab paganism from the Kaaba (after the conquest of Mecca) was also reserved for Ali.

17.         Ali had the good fortune to have the sublimest woman of the world Fatima as his wife and a unique father-in-law like the Prophet and sons like Hasan and Husain.

18.         Ali had the honor of being nominated by the Holy Prophet as his Successor, Testator and Vicegerent.

19.         Ali was also honored by being styled “Moula” (Master) of the “Ummah” (nation) by the Holy Prophet, by the mandate of God.

20.         Ali is the one who (long before the creation of the universe) came into being along with the Holy Prophet each of them being a fragment of the same ‘Noor’, (Light), Muhammad having the Prophethood and Ali having the ‘Vilayath’. (Authority).

21.          Ali while in the stage of ‘Noor’ has been the Divine Professor who imparted knowledge to Gabriel and other angels - hence known as the Teacher of Gabriel.

22.          Ali is the only one who continues in himself the attributes of all the Prophets put together.

23.          Ali is the Head of all the Spiritual Lines of the Ahl­e-Tariqat and Sufis.

24.          Ali is the replica of the Holy Prophet and is to him what the head is to a body.

25.          The Prophet and Ali alone could come to the Mosque when under the obligation of a bath.

26.          Ali’s door, like that of the Prophet, that opened in the Mosque was retained while the doors of all others were closed under a Divine Mandate.

27.          Ali is the one who was ordained to assist all Mess­engers of God from Adam to Jesus, hiddenly and to come out openly to assist the Holy Prophet.

28.          Ali is the sole one divinely designated as the Hand of God, Face of God, Eye of God, Ear of God, Tongue of God and Symbol of God.

29.          He is the only one, acknowledgment of whose ‘Vilayath’ (authority) along with the Prophethood of Muhammad is the basic requisite for the Pro­phethood of any Messenger of God.

30.          Like the Holy Prophet, Ali was bestowed upon with miracles, such as on two occasions he made the sun come back from the west when it had already set.

31.          Besides the Holy Prophet, Ali is the only one, de­parture of whose soul depends on his own will.

32.          He is the distributor of Kausar and will allot Heaven or Hell as deserved.