By the Lord of the Ka’ba Imam Ali (AS) succeeded

Salaam everybody and heartfelt condolences to you all on the start of the mourning days of blessed Ramadhan.

Today, the 19^th of Ramadhan is that tragic day in history when the Supreme Symbol of Justice was fatally wounded while engrossed in the Morning Ritual Prayer. As a matter of fact, the Grand Man, after spending the first of the three Grand Nights of Qadr in prayer and worship, was struck in the Grand Mosque of Kufa by the poisoned sword of the renegade, Abdur-Rahman Ibn Muljam al-Moradi. Yet despite the severity of the wound, the first phrase that came to the lips of the Commander of the Faithful was: “Fuzto wa Rabb-il-Ka’ba. It means By the Lord of the Ka’ba I have succeeded. Let us try to present you a glimpse of the exemplary life of Imam Ali ibn Taleb (AS), the dearest ward, cousin, son-in-law and divinely-designated vicegerent of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

As the Barometer of True Belief, Imam Ali (AS) kept his pledge with God Almighty by tasting the elixir of martyrdom and departing in dignified manner from the mortal world. As the Holy Qur'an says in ayah 23 of Surah Ahzaab:

"Among the Believers are men who fulfil what they pledge unto Allah; of them some have fulfilled their pledge, and of them are some who still wait; and they have not changed in the least."

Once, during his discourse from the pulpit of the Grand Mosque of Kufa, when Imam Ali (AS) was asked to explain this particular ayah, he replied: "This ayah was revealed in my honour, and that of my uncle Hamzah, and my cousin Ubaydah ibn al­Hareth."

The Imam went on to say to say how the two had fulfilled their pledge with Allah by attaining martyrdom – Ubaydah in the Battle of Badr and Hamzah in the Battle of Ohad. "As for myself," added Imam Ali (AS), "I am awaiting a most painful death, when this (pointing to his beard) shall be drenched from the blood of this (pointing to his head)… and have never changed the least."

He said his source of information on the manner of fulfilment of his own pledge to Allah in such a tragic way, or in other words, his martyrdom, was his cousin and father-in-law, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), in whose lap he had been raised ever since a child. For further details our listeners could refer to the works of both Sunni and Shi'a Muslim scholars including the “Mustadrik as-Sahihayn” of Hakem Nishabouri and the exegesis of the holy Qur’an “Tafsir Majma' al-Bayan” of Tabarsi.

We are commemorating these days the anniversary of the tragic event that ended the only instance in history of the model government of justice. Imam Ali (AS), true to his pledge to Allah, attained immortal martyrdom two days later on the 21^st of the month of fasting in 40 AH in the very manner that a weeping Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) had prophesied decades earlier at the onset of a fasting Ramadhan with the following words.

“O Ali, I weep for that which will befall you in this month. (visualising) to be in your place when you will be praying to your Lord, and the most wicked person of all times, like the one who chopped off the feet of the camel of Thamoud (that was proof of Prophet Saleh's divine mission) will strike you on your head and your beard will be dyed in blood.”

So fatal was the blow on the morning of 19^th Ramadhan from the poisoned sword of that most wicked of the wicked persons, Abdur-Rahman ibn al-Muljam, that the Islamic ummah has still not recovered till this day from its disastrous effect, despite the passing of over a millennium and almost four centuries. The Muslims are still in a state of bewilderment because of their failure to heed the words of the person regarding whom the Prophet had said: "I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its Gateway."

In other words, in order to properly understand the “Sunnah” and “Seerah” or the behaviour and practice, as well as the genuine Islamic message of the Almighty's Last Messenger to mankind, we have no other choice but to approach him through the proper channel, that is, through Imam Ali (AS), regarding whose pivotal position in Islam, the Prophet had also said: "If there was no Ali (AS), it would have been impossible to identify true believers after me."

We are commemorating the anniversary of the tragic days that befell the Leader of the Pious, and this should awaken our conscience to the undeniable facts. On being struck the fatal blow that fulfilled his pledge to Allah, Imam Ali (AS) said in a calm and composed manner: Fuzto wa Rabb'il-Ka'ba, which means: By the Lord of the Ka'ba I have succeeded. There are immortal lessons to be learnt, not just from these words and other discourses of the Imam, but from all his actions and deeds spread over 63 glorious years, since the day he was born in the holiest of holies – that is, God's symbolic house, the Ka'ba – and departed from the world after being struck the fatal blow on his head while in prostration to the Almighty in the Grand Mosque of Kufa (also a house of God).

Imam Ali (AS) was about to die, yet he was as calm and confident of the path ahead as he was on the day he volunteered to sleep on the Prophet’s bed that fateful night of the Hijrah forty years ago when assassins hovered around the abode of divine revelation and it was vital for his cousin to migrate undetected towards Medina.

The bezels of wisdom bequeathed to humanity by the man who transcends history and historical developments are outside the scope of this brief radio programme, which we would like to end with food for thought by presenting you two passages mentioned as Letter no. 47 in the famous book Nahj al-Balagha, from his Last Will on his deathbed:

“I advise you to fear Allah. Do not go after this vicious world though it may try to entice you. Do not seek it though it may seek you and do not grieve over and pine for things which this world refuses you. Let the eternal Reward and Blessings of Allah be the prompting factors for all that you say and do. Be an enemy of tyrants and oppressors and be a friend and helper of those who are oppressed and tyrannized.

“Develop mutual liking, friendship and love, and help one another. Take care that you do not spurn and treat one another badly and unsympathetically. Exhort people to do good and abstain them from evil, otherwise the vicious and the wicked will be your overlords and if you willingly allow such persons to be your rulers then your prayers will not be heard by Allah."

AS/SS