Charity Changes People

Once Imam `Ali (a.s) had four Dirhams. He divided them into four. He gave away one dirham for the sake of Allah by night and one dirham by day. He gave away the third dirham secretly and the fourth openly. The following holy verse was revealed on the same occasion,

الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلاَنِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (274)

As for those who spend their property by night and by day, secretly and openly, they shall have their reward from their Lord and they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve (2:274)

Charity Changes People

On the above-mentioned story, ibn `Abbas, commenting on the following holy verse, “Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah… without measure (24:37-38)” says: The occasion of the revelation was that one day the Holy Prophet gave `Ali three hundred Dinars, which they had given to him as gift. `Ali said: I took the money and said to myself by Allah, I will give such a charity with these Dinars that Allah will accept. When I completed the night prayer with Allah’s Messenger, I took a hundred Dinars and left the mosque. On my way, I came across a woman to whom I gave one hundred Dinars. The following day, people said, “`Ali has given charity to a corrupt woman!” It was a grant sorrow for me. The night of that day, I performed the night prayer, took a hundred Dinars in my hand, left the mosque and said to myself, “By Allah! I will give a charity which will be accepted by my Lord. I saw a man and gave away the one hundred Dinars to him.” The following day, the people of Medina said, “`Ali has given away a hundred Dinars to a thief.” Again a great sorrow came to me but said to myself, “By Allah! I will give a charity tonight that Allah will accept from me.”

So, I performed my night prayer with Allah’s Messenger and then left the mosque having a hundred Dinars with me. I saw a man to whom I gave the money. The next day, the people Medina said, “Last night, `Ali gave a hundred Dinars to a rich man.” Again, a great sorrow came to me. I went to Allah’s Messenger and told him the story. The Holy Prophet said: O `Ali! Gabriel says to you: Allah has accepted your charity and purified your acts: The one hundred Dinars you gave as charity was put at the disposal of a corrupt woman who repented to Allah and used the money as earnings for her living. She also intends to get married with this money. The charity of the second night went to a thief who repented thereafter and used the money for running business. The charity of the third night went to a rich man who had not paid alms for years. He went home and blamed himself saying, “How miser I am! This is `Ali ibn Abu-Talib who gave away a hundred Dinars to me while he has nothing whereas I am a rich man who has not paid his obligatory alms!” So, he reckoned his alms and put it aside. It was for this reason that Allah revealed the above-mentioned verses.[19]

Altruism

Both Shi`ite and Sunni scholars report: One day `Ali was extremely hungry so he asked for food from Fatimah who said, “There is no food except the one I preferred to give to you than to myself as well as Hasan and Husayn two days ago.” `Ali asked, “Why didn’t you tell me to prepare a food for you?” Fatimah said, “O Abu’l-Hasan! I was ashamed to charge you with what is not in your power!” `Ali left the house, went to the Holy Prophet and borrowed one Dinar to buy food. On his way, he met al-Miqdad who said, “Whatever Allah wills (will come to pass)!” `Ali gave his one Dinar to him, went to mosque, lay down and went to sleep! Allah’s Messenger went to the mosque and found `Ali in that position. Awakening him, the Holy Prophet asked, “What did you do?” `Ali told him the story and then prayed with the Holy Prophet. When Allah’s Messenger completed his prayer, he asked, “O Abu’l-Hasan! Do you have any food to share with you?” `Ali kept silent and gave no answer out of shame. Allah revealed to the Holy Prophet to have the dinner with `Ali that night. So they both set out for `Ali’s house. When they entered the house, Fatimah was engaged in prayer and behind her was a big bowl steaming. Fatimah brought that big bowl which was replete with food and placed it before her father and her husband. `Ali asked. Where has this food come from? She said: From Allah’s Favor and Benevolence,

إنَّ اللّهَ يَرْز ُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ (37)

Surely, Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure (3:37)

The Holy Prophet put his hand between the two shoulders of `Ali saying, “O `Ali! This is in lieu of your Dinar.” Then he was choked with tears saying, “Thanks Allah that I have not died to see in my daughter what (Prophet) Zachariah saw in (Saint) Mary.”[20]

An Extraordinary Example of Altruism

The Battle Of Camel

Imam `Ali (a.s) made his utmost effort not to enter battle so that no one would be killed. When he was informed in Medina that the leaders of the Camel Army have left Mecca for Basrah, he quickly left Medina to hold talks with them. He sent them a letter through Sa`sa`ah, a great man of Basrah. In that letter, he gave them advice with the utmost degree of kindness and magnanimity. Once again, he sent Ibn `Abbas to al-Zubayr to talk to him saying, “Do not go or speak to Talhah, for it will be useless. Speak to al-Zubayr who is softer. Tell him, your cousin says: In Hijaz you were my friend. How come you have become my enemy in Iraq?” Then, he sent a letter to Talhah and al-Zubayr through `Imran al-Khuza`i which reads, “Though people may deny, but I did not go to people rather they came to me to pledge allegiance with me. Their allegiance with me was not out of fear, force or allurement. If your allegiance has not been out of fear, repent quickly and turn to Allah. You claim that I have killed `Uthman! I leave the judgment to unbiased people. Anyone who is condemned should be punished. You two elderly men of Quraish! Stop behaving like this before this disgrace will be accompanied with Hellfire.” When Imam `Ali arrived in the land of Zaviah on his way to Basrah, he performed a four-Rak`ah prayer saying, “O Lord of heavens and what cast shadow on them! O Lord of the earths and what they have on shoulders! O Lord of the Great Throne! This is Basrah! I ask You to put the good of this people in my hand and I seek refuge in You from their evil. O Lord! These people have disobeyed me, rebelled against me and broken allegiance with me. O Lord! Preserve the blood of Muslims and let not any blood be shed!”

When `Ali was placed against the army of Basrah, he called, “O people! Do not make haste!” Then the Imam called Ibn `Abbas ordering him to go to Talhah, al-Zubayr and `A’ishah and call them to Allah. Then `Ammar ibn Yasir, the great companion and elderly man of truth, stood between the two armies, addressing the army of Basrah as such, “O people! It is not fair that you have kept your wives behind curtains while you have brought the Holy Prophet’s wife to be faced with arrows and swords.” Then he went to `A’ishah, asking, “What do you want?” `A’ishah said, “I am here to seek the revenge of `Uthman!” `Ammar said, “May Allah on this day kill the oppressor, perish the rebel and destroy falsehood.”

Then, addressing the army of Basrah he cried out, “O people! Do you know which of the two parties has had a hand in killing `Uthman?” The arrows were coming towards `Ammar. The answer was arrows! `Ammar came to `Ali saying, “O Amir al-Mu’minin: What are you waiting for? They have no goal but killing arrows showered on the army of `Ali. There was no permission for battle yet!” Imam `Ali (a.s) addressed his army as such, “Who is here to take this Qur’an to the people and call them to it? Whoever does this will be killed but I will guarantee his going to Paradise.” A young man by the name of Muslim rose up, saying, “O Amir al-Mu’minin: I will take the Qur’an to them and do what you said.” He took the Qur’an, went to the enemy and called them to the Qur’an. They pierced his body with spear. He fell on the ground and was martyred. Was killing with spear an answer to logic?

`Ali told his army to be prepared for battle but not start it. Ibn Badil, a brave soldier, brought the dead body of his brother saying: O Amir al-Mu’minin! Until when should we wait? Should they kill us and we look on?” The dead body of another soldier was brought to `Ali but he still did not give the permission to fight. He just said, “O Lord! You are the Witness.” Then, he turned to his army saying, “Have mercy on the people!” Then, he took off his armor, rode on the mule of the Holy Prophet, went to the battlefield and cried out, “O Zubayr! Come to me.” Al-Zubayr came to the field with full arms. Seeing that `Ali called al-Zubayr to the field, `A’ishah said to herself, “Woe to me, my sister Asma’—al-Zubayr’s wife—will became a widow!” When `A’ishah was told that `Ali has come to the battlefield without arms, she calmed down.

In the battle field, `Ali hugged al-Zubayr, saying, “Why have you rebelled against me?” Al-Zubayr said, “I have come to take the revenge of `Uthman!” `Ali said, “May God kill either of us who has had a hand in the killing of `Uthman.” Then he spoke softly to him reminding him of Allah’s Messenger, who had said, “You will fight `Ali and you will be the wrong party.” Al-Zubayr said, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness. If I had not forgotten this word, I would not have rebelled.” The Imam said, “Zubayr! Now, go back.” Al-Zubayr said, “How can I go back? My going back would be considered as fear, a disgrace which cannot be washed away.” The Imam said, “Go back before disgrace is accompanied with Hellfire.” Al-Zubayr went back and as soon as he intended to go out of the Army of the Camel, his son `Abdullah cried out, “Where are you going?” Al-Zubayr said, “My Son! `Ali reminded me of something I had forgotten.” The son said, “This is no the case, you are afraid of the swords of the Hashimites!” The father said, “No, I remembered what the time had made me forget. Are you blaming me for fear?” He took the spear and attacked the right wing of `Ali’s army. Addressing his soldiers, `Ali said, “Let no one fight him. Open the way for him. They have provoked him!” Al-Zubayr so attacked both sides of the army. No one fought him or resisted against him. Returning to his army he said to his son, “Does a timid man act like that?” Then he took his way and left.

`Ali’s kindness towards the enemy made a hero of him in the battlefield. Did the Army of the Camel realize that what the Holy Prophet had foreseen was not particular to al-Zubayr alone but everyone who fought `Ali would be a wrongdoer?

Again `Ali came to the battlefield and called Talhah saying, “Why did you rebel against me?” Talhah claimed that he wanted to take the revenge of `Uthman. `Ali said, “May Allah kill either of us who has had a hand in killing `Uthman. Haven’t you heard the words of the Holy Prophet saying: (O God) Befriend one who befriends `Ali and bear enmity to one who bears enmity to `Ali. Were you not the first man who swore allegiance with me and breached your allegiance? Allah says:

فَمَن نَّكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنكُثُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ

Whoever breaks his faith, he breaks it only to the injury of his own soul (48:10)”

Expressing his regret, Talhah said, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness.” He went back. Sensing that Talhah intends to leave the battlefield, Marwan ibn Hakam threw an arrow towards him. Talhah died immediately without having a chance to inform the people of Basrah of their treacherous and unjust act which he and al-Zubayr had planned.

Addressing his army, `Ali said, “When you defeat the Army of the Camel, do not kill the wounded and the captives, nor follow the deserters, nor expose people’s private parts, nor cut anyone’s ears or noses, nor loot anyone’s property except what they leave in the battlefield.”

The enemy’s defeat was certain. Yet, no order of attack was issued. The Army of the Camel attacked the right wing of `Ali’s army, pushing them back. It was at this moment that the order of attack was issued and the Army of the Camel suffered a disgraceful defeat, this is `Ali’s kindness towards the enemy and his mercy on people in the battlefield. Does history remember a ruler to have behaved like this towards the rebels?

The Battle of Siffin

Siffin was a region by the river Euphrates. When the army of `Ali reached it, he was told to block the army of Mu`awiyah from having access to the river, but `Ali did not accept the idea. Mu`awiyah took advantage of this situation, seized all the ways leading to the river and blocked the army of `Ali from having access to the river. By his command, the army opened ways to the river. To retaliate, Imam `Ali’s companions decided to block Mu`awiyah’s army from access to river, but again `Ali did not permit. The Battle of Siffin lasted for eighteen months. The offensive by `Ali’s army was started hoping that the Syrians would give up and less blood would be shed!

The Battle Of Nahrawan

The best definition we can use in describing the Kharijites is that they were people afflicted with the disease of enmity with `Ali and they did not stop this enmity until they killed him. If we use the word disease, it is because enmity with anyone needs a reason. A person bears enmity to someone for personal reasons, for being jealous of that person’s position, for having been hurt or harmed by that person, for having experienced a tyranny, a family feud or religious differences. None of those reasons existed for those who were hostile to `Ali. They simply could not see `Ali alive and victorious.

These people were in the army of `Ali in the Battle of Siffin but when he overcame the enemy, they drew their swords against him and deprived him of victory. They did not accept the intelligent arbiter Imam `Ali had chosen and selected the arbiter who was `Ali’s enemy! They were the enemies of Mu`awiyah too but unknowingly assisted him and compelled `Ali to accept the mediation of the arbiters.

When the treachery of mediation became clear, they started to disagree with `Ali so much so that they disrespected him in his presence and absence. `Ali too had left them to themselves showing no reaction to what they said and did.

`Ali’s friends who could not tolerate hearing their sarcastic and insulting remarks would often ask `Ali to suppress and imprison them or check their activities. However, `Ali would not agree, saying, “As long as they do not do anything against us, we will not harm them nor will we cut their stipend from the public fund. We will allow them to come to the mosque but if they kill anyone, we will retaliate.”

The inner disease of Kharijites was being intensified. Hence, they could not stay in Kufah, for they saw `Ali there. So, they left it for Nahrawan. Still `Ali let them act freely and had nothing to do with them. When he set out to suppress Mu`awiyah, he wrote a letter as such, “We are going to suppress your enemies, a common enemy; come long with us.” The Kharijites did not accept the offer and declared war against him! Still `Ali did not go to them and set off for Syria. `Ali was asked to put an end to the enmity of Kharijites first and then set out for Syria. It was not accepted and the order to move to Syria was issued.

`Ali’s army was or the way to Syria when news reached that the Kharijites have become active, forcing people to curse `Ali and anyone who does not comply with it, is killed. `Ali headed for Nahrawan, the Kharijites base. He still refused to enter battle against them. So, he started to admonish and guide them. He managed to dissuade many of them from fighting though they refused to assist `Ali in suppressing Mu`awiyah. Those Kharijites who were dissuaded to fight `Ali returned to Kufah but remained `Ali’s enemies.

The seeds of Kharijites in the history of Islam were sown by same people and the rest did not accept any option but fighting and preferred death to living with `Ali. So they attacked `Ali’s army with the motto of ‘we are going to Paradise’. Still no order of counterattack was issued until one of `Ali’s soldiers was killed. It was then that Imam `Ali said, “It is now the right time to fight them.” `Ali’s army started its attack which put the Kharijites to flight.[21]

A Light Diet

Suwayd ibn Ghaflah reports: I went to see Imam `Ali while he was in governor’s seat. Before the Imam was a bowl of sour yoghurt the smell of which I could feel. A loaf of bread of barley the husk of which I could see was in his hand. The Imam was breaking the dry bread either with his hand or with his knee!

At this time, I said to Fiddah, his slave-girl who was standing by him, “Don’t you fear Allah for treating this old man as such? Don’t you sieve the barley flour?” Fiddah said, “He has asked me not to sieve the flour.” `Ali asked, “What are you talking about?” I told him the story. At this time, `Ali said, “May my parents be ransom for the one for whom the flour was not sieved, nor did he ate fill bread of wheat for three straight days until he passed away.”[22]

[19] Al-Manaqib: 74/2.
[20] Al-Manaqib: 76/2.
[21] The path of `Ali: 53.
[22] Kashf al-Yaqin: 86.