Faith Freedom International

[baqar]

(1) It was a very hot day. Hazrat Ali was passing through town when he saw a young girl sitting at the roadside, weeping. He stopped and asked her what the reason was. She said she worked for a certain person and her master had sent her to the shops to get some dates. When she brought the dates to him, he did not like them and asked her to return them and get the money. The fruit-seller refused to take back the dates. And she had been going back and forth between the two, even having been treated rudely by them both. Hazrat Ali took her to the fruitier and asked him to take the dates back. The man was new in town, did not realize he had been approached by the head of state and refused to listen. Neighboring shop-keepers intervened and told him who he was talking to. Immediately, the man was overtaken with fear, begged Hazrat Ali for forgiveness, took back the dates and returned the girl’s money. Hazrat Ali told him it was wrong for him to have treated his reasonable request disdainfully, and later to have cowed down to authority. The girl’s master was also informed and ran to the scene with his apologies and was told “you have no mercy for a person under your authority, how do you expect forgiveness from your Lord’.

(2) One day he was passing a certain house when he heard the voice of a poor woman mournfully trying to put her hungry children to sleep. He immediately went forth and brought back some flour, knocked at the door and gave it to the woman, saying that the caliph had sent it for her. He asked her if she wanted any more help. She said it would be difficult for her to bake the bread and keep the children at peace at the same time. So he ventured to sit and play with her kids, while she made the bread. When she had finished, he took leave and departed. As he left, a friend of the woman’s came by and asked her if she knew who her visitor was. She replied it was somebody who had brought flour from the caliph. The other woman said ‘It was the caliph himself’.

(3) His servant Qambar related that it was only very rarely that he had to do anything for his master. ‘He (Hazrat Ali) would do all his chores himself, do his washing, patch his clothes, mend his shoes and draw water from the well. He would feed us properly while he himself would eat and dress like a very poor man. Let alone hurting us in any way, he never even got angry with us. He never used his cane even on his horse, camel or mule. His animals apparently understood him and would trot or walk as he wished them to. Once and only once, he was slightly annoyed with me. This was when I showed him some of the money, which I had been gradually stacking up. It was not much, barely 100 dirhams. When I showed it to him, he looked disappointed and sad. I asked him what the matter was, he replied ‘Qambar, if you had no use for the money, were there not people in town who could make use of it. Some are in need of food, others are ill. The money could have been great help for them. I never thought you would love wealth for its own sake. Qambar, take this money out of the house and give it to the needy’.

(4) Another servant, Saeed, related the following story: “It was a very hot day, Hazrat Ali was at his writing desk. He called me out a few times, to send me on some errands. He called me once, twice, thrice…I remained intentionally quiet. Finally he got up and found me sitting still. He asked me if I had heard him. I replied ‘Sir, I wanted to see how and when you would get angry’. A smile played on his lips. And he said ‘You cannot arouse my anger with such childlike tricks’”.

(5) Some people had some grievances against one of his governors by the name of Obaidullah ibnay Abbas. Hazrat Ali wrote to the governor ‘You should not behave like a beast with your subjects. They should be treated respectfully. Your first consideration should be the welfare of the people and to treat them with respect and consideration”.

To another governor he wrote ‘They may belong to other religions, but being human beings under your care, you should not treat them harshly or contemptuously”.

(6) Talha ibnay Talha met Hazrat Ali in man to man combat in the battle of Ohad. In the heat of battle, Talha lost his sword. Hazrat Ali had had a very good opportunity to strike him, but sheathed his sword. When asked why he did that, he said ‘I cannot strike a defenseless man’.

(7) In the heat of the battle of Jamal, Qambar brought some cold refreshment for Hazrat Ali. He looked around and exclaimed ‘Shall I refresh myself while there are hundreds of people around me lying wounded or dying of thirst? Take it to them.’ Qambar replied, ‘But sir, they are our enemies’. Hazrat Ali replied ‘May be so but they are human beings first, go and give them to drink’.

(8) Hazrat Ali was once passing through the town of Ambaz. The well to do of the town came out to greet him. They offered him expensive presents and offered to be hosts for his entourage. Hazrat Ali met them courteously but politely declined the gifts and the invitation, saying ‘You have paid your taxes, to get any more from you would be a crime against the state.’

(9) Once during his tenure as head of state, Hazrat Ali was working late and was using his oil lamp for light. A certain man appeared and asked for permission to see him. He asked if it was a matter of the state or a personal matter that he needed to discuss. The man said it was personal. Hazrat Ali immediately put off the lamp, as the lamp and the oil were state assets and therefore it would not be right to use them for personal matters.

(10) A certain person by the name of Abdullah ibnay Zurare relates as follows:

“I went to see Hazrat Ali on Eid day while he was about to have his breakfast. He asked me to join in. I accepted. Then the food was set before us – an extremely sparse meal. I told him ‘Sir, you are the caliph. I was expecting that game would be served before us, but what do I see?’ He replied ‘Ibnay Zuraray, you have heard of mighty kings lead lives of luxury. Let me live the life of a humble laborer’.

(11) A certain Haroon ibnay Anzaa relates as follows :

Once I accompanied my father to meet Hazrat Ali and we found him wrapped in a thin sheet of cloth in the cold winter chill. Anzaa asked him, “Sir, you have a claim to a share in the state revenues. Why do you not use it? Hazrat Ali replied ‘I have never taken anything from the state coffers. This sheet of cloth is my personal belonging I had brought it with me from Madina’.

(12) Hazrat Ali was once seen in ragged clothes with visible patch marks. Somebody taunted him. He replied ‘What do you find so objectionable in my dress. It is the kind our masses can afford. I shall change my style when I have succeeded in improving theirs’.

[adnan]

[baqar]

Used wisely, a man's tongue could be a great asset. Unwisely, well... we see it around all the time and the consequences should not be so difficult to figure out.

[youth of 'ali]

[adnan]

[youth of 'ali]

[adnan]

Remember, wine was not forbidden suddenly. It was allowed by Islam at one time. I remember we were told that the day Mohammed forbade wine, wine flowed in the city.
Second, we were talking of "those days", which was not restricted to Islamic rule. Those days, meant, that era.
Anyway, guys, chill out (especially Baqar) and take it easy:
“Humor is the ability to see 3 sides to one coin.” -Ned Rorem
Life is short, laugh sometimes.

Was it Hazrat Umar who could lift 2 men while walking on a wall, or Hazrat Ali?

Adnan
_________________
O Muslims, Leave Islam. When Allah asks you "Why did you leave Islam?", tell him "Because, You said in Quran 2:256,'there is no compulsion in religion'."

[youth of 'ali]

[adnan]

:d you can laugh at blair while they're thinking of banning halal meat:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/2977678.stm

so, who was stronger, hazrat ali or umar?
_________________
O Muslims, Leave Islam. When Allah asks you "Why did you leave Islam?", tell him "Because, You said in Quran 2:256,'there is no compulsion in religion'."

[youth of 'ali]

[adnan]

he beat her beucase she converted to islam, right.

anyway, have you people realized its irrelevant and it doesnt make sense to post biographies of Ali posted in a section explicitly named Mohammed.

Adnan