The fatal blow to the Head of Islam

Heartfelt condolences to you on the anniversary of a doleful day. Today is the 19th of fasting Ramadhan, on the morning of which a cowardly act of terrorism by a dastardly khwarej or renegade from Islam, plunged the Muslim Ummah into grief.

It was on this day in 40 AH that the Barometer of Belief, the Commander of the Faithful, the Leader of the Pious, the Epitome of Justice, the Symbol of Magnanimity, the Pride of the Valorous, and the Gateway of Wisdom, was struck a fatal blow by a poisoned sword on his head while engrossed in the ritual prayer in the Grand Mosque of Kufa, on the morn of the first of the three Grand Nights. He was none other than Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the dearest cousin, ward, son-in-law, and divinely Designated Heir of Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny), who decades earlier in his famous sermon on the advent of the blessed month of Ramadhan had predicted:

“O Ali, I weep for that which will befall you in this month. (visualizing myself) 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 (the tribe of) Thamoud (which was proof of Prophet Saleh's divine mission) will strike you on your head and your beard will be dyed in blood.”

Now we have a special feature in this regard.

In the first five opening ayahs of Surah an-Naba’ of the holy Qur’an, God Almighty says:

“What is it about which they question each other;

“[Is it] about the Great Tiding;

“The one about which they differ.

“No indeed! They will soon know!

“Again, no indeed! They will soon know!”

During one of the battles of the protracted several-month-long Siffin War near Raqqa in Syria, a soldier from the camp of the rebel, Mu’awiyya ibn Abu Sufyan, entered the field against the army of the Imam Ali (AS) – wielding his sword and reciting the above mentioned ayahs of the holy Qur’an.

Imam Ali (AS) happened to be on the battlefield at the moment, and on hearing the neo-Muslim Syrian recite what he had some three decades earlier diligently written down (along with explanatory notes) as the Prophet’s personal scribe on revelation of these ayahs of Surah Naba, he asked the person whether he knew the meaning of these Words of God Almighty, and Who is “Naba’ il-Azim” or the “Great Tiding” regarding whom people differ?

The Syrian replied: No, I do not know.

To the surprise of the Syrian, Imam Ali (AS) answered: “I am the Naba’ il- Azim” and it is concerning my “Wilayah” (or God-given authority – proclaimed by the Prophet) about which you differed amongst yourselves and rose against me in the matter of my position of (the Prophet’s) Vicegerent, after having acknowledged it (on the Plain of Ghadeer-Khom). On the Day of the Resurrection once again you will understand it (when everything becomes manifestly clear).”

These words of guidance from the Epitome of Valour who instead of explaining the ayah of the holy Qur’an could have easily cut down the Syrian with a flashing stroke of his redoubtable twin-bladed sword, Dhu’l-Feqar, may have enlightened the Syrian.

But despite the earnest efforts of the Paragon of Magnanimity, the charlatan Mu’awiyyah and his misled forces, made their ears deaf to the call of the Emblem of Justice to decide the fate of the battle through a single combat with him, instead of bleeding thousands of unsuspecting Muslims to death.  

We are on the threshold of the tragic martyrdom of the only person that was ever born in the Holy Ka’ba, the symbolic house of the Omnipresent God, Who is far too glorious to have any form, shape, place or time zone. Those who differ about Imam Ali (AS) and his prime position as the Prophet’s Heir, do so at their own peril.

A famous hadith says that a believer will never cease to love Imam Ali (AS), while a hypocrite will never give up enmity to him – preferring the eternal fires of hell rather than the bliss of paradise.

As a matter of fact, Imam Ali (AS) is the barometer for testing one’s faith. Like the Ka’ba his position is pivotal. He is the noblest person created by God after his cousin, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). His entire life was in the service of Islam, and those who turn against him, have in fact, turned away from the Prophet and God.

It was not for no reason that the Prophet of Islam, while elaborating to his companions the virtues of his cousin, son-in-law, and divinely-designated Vicegerent, has said:

“O Ali! Allah has created me and you from His Light. He created Adam and put that light into Adam. This light reached Abdul-Muttalib and then it split; so I was in Abdullah and you were in Abu Taleb. Nubuwwah (Prophethood) does not befit anyone other than me, while Wilayah (vicegerency) does not befit anyone other than you. Whoever denies your vicegerency denies my prophethood, and whoever denies my prophethood Allah will throw him down on his nose into the Fire…”

The statements of the Prophet, though they guided many a companions of the Prophet, whether Arab, African, or Salman Farsi the Iranian, to the right path, for those who had sold their souls to the devil, like Mu’awiyyah and Abdur-Rahman ibn Muljam, had no effect. The wretch Ibn Muljam who was a member of the seditious terroristic cult called “Khwarej: or renegades – the progenitors of modern day Takfiri cannibalistic terrorists – decided to martyr the Imam of mankind.

As he later confessed to his fatally wounded victim, when he was caught while trying to run after committing the blasphemous act of terror in the mosque and that too against a fasting worshipper engrossed in the worship of God: The pull of the fires of hell was too irresistible.

For almost three days, Imam Ali (AS) writhed in pain before attaining immortal martyrdom, expressing gratitude to God Almighty till the last moment of his life. His death not just ended the only instance in history of the model government of social justice, but made the faithful realize the magnitude of the misdeed of the murderer Ibn Muljam in doing irreparable harm to Islam and the path of the Prophet, because the caliphate ceased to be the prime Islamic institution and became the prerogative of the tyrants, of the drunkards, of the lecherous, and of the Godless.

The Prophet in his famous sermon of Ramadhan had rightly foretold:

“O Ali whoever kills you has (in fact) killed me, whoever annoys you has annoyed me and whoever slanders you has slandered me, because you are to me like my soul. Your spirit is my spirit, and your nature is my nature. Surely, Allah the Praised and the Glorious created me then you; chose me then you; and selected me for Prophethood and selected you for Imamate. Whoever denies your Imamate has (in fact) denied my Prophethood.

To end this brief radio programme, here is a famous statement from the Imam himself, in whose direct progeny is the Prophet’s 12 and Last Infallible Heir, Imam Mahdi (AS), who will reappear in the end times to usher in the global government of peace, prosperity and justice, as the rightful successor to the Great Tiding: