The Saqifa

A Strict Stand

The Imam was very much serious to compaign to regain his right. At the very face a reader can judge this from the Imam's behavior with them and from his sayings.

For instance, in his speech of SHAKH SHAKHIA he says: "I swear upon Him who opens a grain and creates people51, had not there stood the obligation for me and had not there been those present before me and the existence of a helper, I would have thrown the reins upon its neck52 and squenched the last of it by the cup of its first. God has forbidden the men of knowledge to concur with the gluttony of a tyrant and with the hunger victim."

How meaningful the words! He purports to say that his piety persuades him to leave off his right the last time too as he left at the first. But the difference is great between these two circumstances.

In the first one lie did not demand to fight because he lacked the help. But this time he had to fight and to squench the circumstance by the cup of the first one, which he turned his face from and endured the thorn.

Ali used to say: "Had I found forty men of determination I would have raised against them." Mawiya took these words and taunted Ali. Once he wrote to Ali: "Whatever I forget I wouldn't your word to Abi Sifyan that you would have raised against the tyrants had you found forty men of determination." Ali did not deny this in his answer to Mawiya.

In the history of YAKHOBI it is recorded that the companions of Ali demanded him to rise against the tyrants and that they would support him. Ali asked them to come to him the next day with their heads shaved. The next day came to him only three.

When he lacked forty supporters what could he do? Let us hear what he has to tell himself (from the speech of SHAKH SHAKHIA): "I raised my head to see either to reach with an amputated hand or to endure the dark pit wherein a grownup becomes senile and an infant becomes old and toils a faithful till he meets his Lord." Then a little further he proceeds to tell: "I saw there is no helper to me except my own household members and I preserved them from death."

There was no third to him; either to risk his household members or to accept the things as they were. In the first case he had to preserve them in order to preserve Islam. If his household members were killed then the earth would be deprived of God's authority and Quran would be deserted without its parallel.

Guidance would have been missed. The Prophet had said: "You will not go 51- It is a swearing purporting God. To be honest with the text I have translated the phrase as it is.(TRANSLATOR)

52- When a rider reaches a station and makes a brief halt, he ties the horse to a tree or a pole or anything else in order to keep the animal far the rest of his journey. But when he is no more in need of the animal he leaves the reins upon its neck-a sign to the horse to go. The Imam has used this elegant simili referring to the caliphate. He purports that he has no business with caliphate. But at the same time, the obligation upon him and the people who finally gathered around him with an importunity to persuade him to accept the caliphate made him & concede. Those words are spoken after he agreed to become their caliph. (TRANSLATOR)

astray as long as you adhere to these two." He had also said: "These two will not separate from each other till they return to me at the fountain on the Day of Judgment. So, he had to choose the second, to endure what the tyrants afflicted upon him."

In the protection of Islam which one is the best; the Imam knows better as it is his duty and incumberant upon him. He chose to yield as others did. In his words: "I saw the patience better." He shook his shirt from any dust of incongruous conclusion. The very survival of Islam stood above all to him.

While we look at the other side of the coin we see Ali has gained public sympathy. Had he campaigned without the needed help he would certainly have lost the whole issue. Today no one would have even remembered him. History would have mentioned him as a rebellion -- one that rebelled against religion and was, therefore, killed by the sword of Islam.

His wise judgment and a salubrious decision kept him alive and the ball ultimately halted at his feet. As he is alive so the conspiracy against him too remains disclosed and known to all.

To quote his words addressed to his uncle Abbas and Abu Sifyan: "It will not fall down which flies with wings. He who surrenders is at ease. To pluck a fruit not in its season is to spoil it -- like a peasant without his field." The interest of Islam was the prime factor of consideration with him. Nothing attracted him except the public prosperity and Islam's safety.

To put it in his own words, "One who eats bites upon the morsel?" Footwear that would not cost more than a shilling is a matter of importance to Ah if it happened to be the outcome of injustice. He advises to Abu Sifyan and Abbas: "Squelch the waves of mischief by a boat of safety, and do pace the path of argument and crown yourselves with distinction and honor."

Abbas and Abusifyan treated the matter with a parochial view, which did not go beyond a tribe. Therefore, surrendering to a fellow man of Teem -- a small district in Quraish did not appear to them a matter of any complexity. But, Ali made them to comprehend the prestige and the honor -- an issue far beyond the myopic tribal one. Ali in his letter to Mawiya says: "Lowliness is not for a Muslim. If one is armed with Faith he can not remain a victim."

According to Abil Hadeed(3:1)Omar told Abubaker that he did not take the funds from Abu Sifyan and asked him to keep it for himself (i.e. Abusifyan). This he had to do to avoid his mischief. Abusifyan had recently returned having had collected ZAKAT (charity tax) from the surrounding districts.

Ali was aware of this fact that Islam had not yet spread its roots into the soil of the hearts. Every neck had lengthened itself to overlook where a chance resides and to overpower the circumstance for personal fulgor and eclat. He feared not upon his life but for the life which was yet infancy to Islam.

He saw in the officing every evil and mischief had he to contest for his right. He did what was the best -- not to him but to the newly introduced religion. According to him; "I never doubted the right ever since I saw it." He saw the right and he was a boy often years. Hence, he was well qualified to protect the right and the cost whatever dear to him was cheap. "One who is sure of water will not become thirsty."

Once Abusifyan told Ali: "By God, if you want I will fill the grounds with men and horses." Ali replied to him "By God, you purport a mischief out of this. You had rebelled against Islam and we do not need your sympathy." This shows the straightforwardness of Ali. He rejects the help in order to avoid the bad for Islam.

4. HIS BEHAVIOUR WITH THE CALIPHS

As we told he persuaded the path of patience. He remained to respond where the need called him and the interests of religion obliged him.

Some historians, among the ancients and among the recent ones, have interpreted his stand as a total surrender to the existing authority and with an absolute willingness and desires. The facts are ignored. In a review let us see the facts. He did not recognize Abubaker as long as Fatima was alive.

Ibn Atheer, Bukhari and Muslim -- all have estimated the period of his abstenance six months. This period he stayed at home, never attended a meeting, nor entertained a delegation, nor obeyed, nor ordered, nor took part in a battle. In the nights he used to knock the doors of Ansaar and the men of age. He did this and with him his wife, Fatimah, and his two sons, Hassan and Hussain, were.

He reminded them what the Prophet has told and said. He did this so that there should not be left any excuse on anyone's part that they did not know or that no one remarked the point to them. He kept open what was already an open fact to all.

He as an Imam deemed upon him the obligation to mention to them the mistake they did and remark them the need to turn to right. He says: "O, God, you know it is not a contest for power nor a search for gain. It is to show the good in your religion and in Your domain."

Abubaker taunted him in one of his speeches: "They depend upon the weak and seek succor from women like Om Tahal, the dear to her family. If I want I would say you will be ruined. I am silent. I leave it aside." In this there is a taunt to Ali and a threat too. What he wanted to say; nobody knows.

If he said, havoc and a ruin would have hailed on Ali, How and why? No one ever knew. I do not think even today any one could be there to presume what actually the purport was. Abubaker was not a man to not disclose a thing had he known it and that too pertaining to Ali. There was nothing. So, he disclosed nothing.

It was just to create doubt and doubt does not rest; it roams about. But Ali's personality was so open and so known to all that every attempt fails to harm the reputation. A threat in itself is the outcome of weakness.

As long as Fatima was alive he boycotted them and remained at home. Fatima herself was a great support to him. Her stand had a great influence upon people. Her immortal speech still rings into our ears the facts that surround her and her husband Ali. After her death he recognized Abubaker. As the situation demanded, he extended his compliance. By this he safeguarded Islam. He says in his letter to Egyptians... "I feared. So I help Islam. Else, the calamity was even greater." His help was in his silence.

His advice and his admonishment to the people was his obligation which he discharged as the situation demanded. He remained aloof for twenty years. It is a great sacrifice. All this shows than an obligation upon him demanded the sacrifice from him. For Islam he stood and for Islam he underwent every bitter.

One might say that the caliphs did not invite Ali to participate with them in the battles or in the government as it was the case with all the Hashimies. The caliphs were afraid of Bani Hashim people. They remained a constant dread to the caliphs. They were not given any post in the government because they feared they might act that not to their interest. A conversation between Omar and Ibn Abbas is recorded in MUROWAJ AL-ZAHAB (427:1):

Omar: "There is something in me which I don't see in you." He further says: "I am afraid, Ali would come and you in your post. I saw the Prophet left you and utilized the services of others." Ibn Abbas: "We did not see that."

Omar: "I am afraid of your station in the society.

This conversation occurred when Omar wanted to give Ibn Abbas a post in Humz (Syria). Ibn Abbas did not accept. This shows that Bani Hashim were a dread to the Caliphs. Ali was accordingly no exception to them.

Othman asked Omar to send Ali to conquer Persia. Omar communicated the idea to Ali. After a long argument Ali rejected the mission. This shows the limited co-operation that too because of the common interests of Islamic society that had come into being. His co-operation only at needed situations was so prolific that on several occasions Omar had declared: "If there was not Ali, Omar had died."

The End

Major Resourses and References

1- SAHEEH AL-BUKHARI Egypt. Prtd. 1320 Hijra 2- SAHEEH MUSLIM Egypt. Prtd. 1390 Hijra (In the page 52 we have reverted to the Prt. of 1313 Hijra.) 3- MASNAD AHMAD Egypt. Prtd. 1313 Hijra 4- AL-AQD AL-FAREED Egypt. Prtd. 1353 Hijra 5- MOSTADRAK AL-HAAKEM (meaning;the document of AL-HAAKEM) 6- AL-JAM BAIN AL-SAHEEHAIN

(Meaning; Circumlouction between The two books SAHEEH means book; the writings of the scholar Bukhari and the scholar MUSLIM are known by this name)

7- KANZUL AMMAAL (meaning; Treasure of deeds) 8- History by JABARI 9- History by Ibn al-Atheer 10- History by M-KHAMIR 11- History by AL-YAKHOOBI 12- Politics and Imamat by Ibn al-Qatoba 13- History of the Caliphs by Siyoti 14- History by Ibn Khaldoon 15- MOROWAT AL-ZAHAB (meaning; the standard gold) 16- AL-AIRAT AL-HALBIYA (meaning; The Halbiya Conduct 17- SAIRAT IBN HUSHAM (meaning; Conduct of Ibn Husham) 18- SAIRAT DAHLAN (DAHLAN'S CONDUCT) 19- TABAQAAT IBN SA'AD 20- AL-ASABA (meaning; the injury) 21- AL-ISTIYAAB (meaning; The Comprehension) 22- AL-JAHZEED by Ibn Asaker (The Civilization) 23- ASAD ALGHABEH (meaning; Lion of the Forest) 24- MIZAN AL-ETEDAAL (meaning; Balance of the moderation) 25- NAHAJ AL-BALAGHEH (meaning; Tone of the eloquence 26- Commentary of NAHAJ AL-BALAGHEH BY ABI ALHADEED 27- MINHAAJ AL-SUN NAT BY Ibn Tamima 28- AL-AWAIQ ALMOHRAKHA LAHU[The burning thunder lightenings ] 29- Articles of the Islamic Scholars by Abil Hasan al-Ash'ari 30- Al-Milal wal Nahal by Shaliristani [meaning; the nations and the process] 31- The chapter by Ibn Hazarn in AL-MILA WAL Nahal 32- AL-Biyan Wal Tabiyan by Jahiz (meaning; the commentary and the explanation) 33- MOJAM AL-BOLDAN 34- The Tongue of Arabs 35- The Life of Mohammed by Dr. Mohammed Hussain Haikal