Ali’s Good Temper

Beyond doubt, Imam `Ali’s good temper was superior to all people in a way that his enemies and his friends recognized his humor which was motivated by his good temper.

One night, Imam `Ali came across a poor widow whose small children were weeping. This scene greatly impressed Imam `Ali’s kind heart, for the woman, to keep her hungry children calm, had put a pot of water on the fire. Being informed of this, Amir al-Mu’minin went along with Qanbar to her house, putting some dates, oil and bread in a basket and carried them on his shoulder. Qanbar said: O master! Let me do this work! Imam `Ali said: I deserve more to carry food for the poor. Reaching the house of the woman, Imam `Ali asked permission of the woman to enter. The door was opened. Imam `Ali personally undertook to prepare the food. So, he put some water, rice and oil in the pot and waited for the food to be cooked. When it was ready, he called the children for eating. The children were happily engaged in eating the food. To amuse them after eating, Imam `Ali started imitating the bleating of lambs, making them laugh. Qanbar who was witnessing the scene said: O my

فَرَكِبَ بَغْلَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَخَرَجَ والنَّاسُ مَعَهُ حَتَّى أَتى شاطِئَ الفُراتِ فَنَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَأَسْبَغَ الوُضوءَ وَصَلّى مُنْفَرِدا بِنَفْسِهِ وَالنَّاسُ يَرَوْنَهُ. ثُمَّ دَعا اللهَ بِدَعَواتٍ سَمِعَها أكْثَرُهُمْ. ثُمَّ تَقَدَّمَ إلَى الفُراتِ فَتَوَكّأَ عَلَى قَضيبٍ بِيَدِهِ حَتَّى ضَرَبَ بِهِ صَفْحَةَ المَاءِ وَقالَ: أُنْقُصْ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ وَمَشِيَّتِهِ. فَغاضَ المَاءُ حَتَّى بَدَتِ الحِيتانُ فِي قَعْرِ الفُراتِ. فَنَطَقَ كَثيرٌ مِنْهَا بِالسَّلامِ عَلَيْهِ بِإمْرَةِ المُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَمْ يَنْطِقْ مِنْهَا أصْنافٌ مِنَ السُّموكِ وَهِيَ الجِرِّيُّ وَالمارْماهِي والزُّمَّارُ. فَتَعَجَّبَ النَّاسُ لِذَلِكَ وَسَأَلوهُ عِلَّةَ نُطْقِ مَا نَطَقَ وَصَمْتِ مَا صَمَتَ. فَقالَ: أُنْطِقَ لِي مَا طَهُرَ مِنَ السُّموكِ وَأُصْمِتَ عَنّي مَا حُرِّمَهُ وَنُجِّسَهُ وَبُعِّدَهُ.

فِي حُسْنِ الخُلُقِ:

لاَ خِلافَ بَيْنَ العُقَلاءِ فِي أنَّ أمِيرَ المُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ أشْرَفُ النَّاسِ خُلُقاً. حَتَّى أنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ نُسِبَ إلَى الدُّعابَةِ لِطيبِ أخْلاقِهِ وَلُطْفِ سيرَتِهِ مَعَ أصْحابِهِ.

رُوِيَ أنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ اجْتازَ لَيْلَةً عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ مِسْكينَةٍ لَهَا أَطْفالٌ صِغارٌ يَبْكونَ مِنَ الجُوعِ وَهِيَ تُشاغِلُهُمْ وَتُلْهيهِمْ حَتَّى يَناموا، وَكانَتْ قَدْ أشْعَلَتْ ناراً تَحْتَ قِدْرٍ فِيهَا ماءٌ لاَ غَيْرَ، وَأوْهَمَتْهُمْ أنَّ فِيهَا طَعاماً تَطْبُخُهُ لَهُمْ. فَعَرَفَ أمِيرُ المُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ حالَها فَمَشى وَمَعَهُ قَنْبَرُ إلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَأَخْرَجَ قَوْصَرَةَ تَمْرٍ وَجَرابَ دَقيقٍ وَشَيْئاً مِنَ الشَّحْمِ وَالأرُزِّ وَالخُبْزِ، وَحَمَلَهُ عَلَى كَتِفِهِ الشِّريفِ. فَطَلَبَ قَنْبَرُ حَمْلَهُ فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ. فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ إلَى بابِ المَرْأَةِ اسْتَأْذَنَ عَلَيْها فَأَذِنَتْ لَهُ فِي الدُّخولِ. فَرَمى شَيْئاً مِنَ الأرُزِّ فِي القِدْرِ وَمَعَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الشَّحْمِ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ نُضْجِهِ غَرَفَ لِلصِّغارِ وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِأَكْلِهِ. فَلَمَّا شَبِعوا أَخَذَ يَطوفُ فِي البَيْتِ وَيُبَعْبِعُ لَهُمْ فَأَخَذوا فِي الضَّحِكِ. فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قَـالَ لَهُ قَـنْـبَـرُ: يَا

master, I saw a strange scene from you which was imitating the bleating of lambs. Carrying the food was certainly aimed at winning God’s pleasure, nearness to Him and a reward in the hereafter. Imam `Ali said: When we entered the old woman’s house, her children were crying from hunger. I intended to make them happy in addition to feeding them. I found no way better than that for making them happy.

Dirar ibn Damarah reports: Following the martyrdom of Amir al-Mu’minin, I headed for Syria to see Mu`awiyah. Knowing that I was a devotee of Imam `Ali, Mu`awiyah said: Describe `Ali for me. I said: accept my excuse, for my tongue cannot possibly describe him. Mu`awiyah said: Your excuse is not accepted. You have to describe him to me. I said: Now that you refuse to accept my excuse, listen carefully! `Ali was sharp-sighted, prudent, powerful, and strong in the way of Allah. What he said was a criterion to distinguish between what was just and unjust. His judgments were fair. He was abounding in knowledge. Wisdom was evident in all dimensions of his character. His intuition satiated those who had a thirst for it. He feared the ornaments of the world. He was devoted to the nightly supplications. Pondering on the tumultuous future made him cry ceaselessly. Wearing coarse garment was pleasant for him. He loved plain food. He was not pretentious but was like one of us. If we had any question, we would pose it to him and he would immediately answer it. If we asked for any help, he would immediately help us. Although he was very intimate, he was so awesome that we would never dare to say anything in vain. He was so dignified that we would never open our eyes on his face. He honored people of religion and pleased the poor by fondling them. No man of authority dared to misuse his power in his presence so as to get his approval for the unjust act he had done. No common man was made disappointed by his justice, thinking that since he had no power, he would be deprived of his justice.

Dirar ibn Damarah then said: I take God as witness that in the middle of night and also when the stars were about to disappear, I saw him holding his beard in his hands, and like one bitten by a snake, he wept bitterly, saying: O world, go and deceive someone else, for I am not fond of you. Nevertheless, if you are offering yourself

مَوْلايَ، رَأَيْتُ اللَّيْلَةَ شَيْئاً عَجيباً، قَدْ عَلِمْتُ سَبَبَ بَعْضِهِ وَهُوَ حَمْلُكَ الزَّادَ طَلَباً لِلثَّوابِ. أمَّا طَوافُكَ فِي البَيْتِ عَلَى يَدَيْكَ وَرِجْلَيْكَ وَالبَعْبَعَةُ فَما أدْرِي سَبَبَ ذَلِكَ. فَقالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: يَا قَنْبَرُ إنّي دَخَلْتُ عَلَى هَؤلاءِ الأطْفالِ وَهُمْ يَبْكونَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الجُوعِ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ عَنْهُمْ وَهُمْ يَضْحَكونَ مَعَ الشَّبْعِ، فَلَمْ أَجِدْ سَبَباً سِوَى مَا فَعَلْتُ.

وَقالَ ضِرارُ بْنُ ضَمَرَةَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى مُعاوِيَةَ بَعْدَ قَتْلِ أمِيرِ المُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ، فَقالَ: صِفْ لِي عَلِيَّاً.

فَقُلْتُ: إعْفِنِي.

فَقالَ: لاَ بُدَّ أَنْ تَصِفَهُ.

فَقُلْتُ: أمَّا إذْ لاَ بُدَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَإنَّهُ كَانَ وَاللهِ بَعيدَ الْمَدَى، شَديدَ الْقِوَى، يَقولُ فَصْلاً، وَيَحْكُمُ عَدْلاً، يَتَفَجَّرُ العِلْمُ مِنْ جَوانِبِهِ، وَتَنْطِقُ الحِكْمَةُ مِنْ نَواحِيهِ، يَسْتَوْحِشُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَزَهْرَتِهَا، وَيَأْنَسُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَوَحْشَتِهِ، غَزيرَ العَبْرَةِ، طَويلَ الفِكْرَةِ، يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّهُ، وَيُخاطِبُ نَفْسَهُ، وَيُناجي رَبَّهُ، يُعْجِبُهُ مِنَ اللِّباسِ مَا خَشُنَ وَمِنَ الطَّعامِ مَا جَشُبَ، وَكَانَ فينا كَأَحَدِنَا، يُجيبُنا إذَا سَأَلْناهُ، وَيَأْتينا إذَا دَعَوْناهُ، وَنَحْنُ وَاللهِ مَعَ تَقَرُّبِهِ لَنا وَقُرْبِهِ مَنَّا لاَ نَكادُ نُكَلِّمُهُ هَيْبَةٍ لَهُ، يُعَظِّمُ أهْلَ الدِّين، وَيُقَرِّبُ المَساكِينَ، لاَ يَطْمَعُ القَوِيُّ فِي باطِلِهِ، وَلا يَيْأَسُ الضَّعيفُ مِنْ عَدْلِهِ.

فَأَشْهَدُ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ فِي بَعْضِ مَواقِفِهِ وَقَدْ أَرْخَى اللَّيْلُ سُدولَهُ وَغارَتْ نُجومُهُ وَهُوَ قائِمٌ فِي مِحْرابِهِ قَـابِضاً عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ يَتَمَلْمَلُ تَمَلْمُلَ السَّليمِ وَيَبْكي بُكـاءَ الْحَزينِ وَيَقـولُ: يَا

to me, you are quite mistaken, for I have divorced you three times, giving you no chance of recourse. O world, know that your life is short, your worth little and your pleasure transient. Then he heaved a sigh, saying: Woe to little provision, long journey and a path full of horror. Hearing this, Mu`awiyah was deeply impressed and started weeping. Those who were present burst into tears and wept. Then Mu`awiyah said: May God bless you Abul Hasan `Ali ibn Abi-Talib. He is the very same you described, but Dirar, to what extent is your sorrow for `Ali? Dirar said: the sorrow of a woman whose child is beheaded in his lap, for neither her eyes become dry of tear nor her sorrows will come to an end.[147]