Ali was the last rightly guided caliph, the cousin and the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). He was ten when he declared his faith and was the first child to enter into the fold of Islam. He was fortunate to be brought up under the guidance of the Messenger as his own father Abu Talib was of limited means and hence gave Ali to the Messenger and his brother Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) for upbringing. He was very beloved to the Messenger and that is why the latter gave his daughter Fatima to him in marriage. He was also among the ten who was foretold by the Messenger in his lifetime to be among the dwellers of Paradise (Ashra-e-Mubashshera).
Ali was one of the finest mixture of valour and worship. At one hand he displayed bravery and courage in the battlefields, fighting the enemies of Islam; and on the other he used to tremble and shiver at night, when before God, beseeching Him for mercy and constant guidance. After the migration of the Messenger to Madina, it was Ali who was entrusted with some of the unfinished business of the Messenger and it was he who slept at the place of the Messenger in the night of Hijra, in order to give the infidels an impression that the Messenger is sleeping, while he was on his way to Madina. As he was among the earliest followers of Islam, he took part in almost all the expeditions and major battles fought by the Messenger except the expedition to Tabuk, where the Messenger chose him to stay back and look after the affairs of the Muslims in Madina. However as per his valiant and fearless nature, he did not like the idea of missing a major expedition and staying back in Madina and questioned, “Do you want me to stay behind with women and children?” to which the Messenger replied, “Do you not like to be to me like Aaron was to Moses?”
Another example from the history which elaborates this special place for Ali in the eyes of the Messenger was at the time of the siege of Khaybar. The Muslim army besieged the Jewish tribe, which was known for their treachery and deception and the Messenger said, “The banner will be tomorrow to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and they (Allah and His Messenger) love him.” It was obvious that everyone hoped to get the banner, so as to get the privilege of being loved by Allah and His Messenger. However, the next day the Messenger handed the banner to Ali, hence granting him the honour in the battlefield.
Besides being undaunted and gutsy, Ali was a man of wisdom and intelligence. He was a sincere adviser to all the rightly guided caliphs who preceded him, and helped them in conducting the affairs of the Muslims in a better way. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was so convinced of Ali’s wisdom and sense that he chose him among the six to be elected caliph after his death. It is often said that a person’s words are the reflection of his mind and his wisdom. Same is true with Ali, as by reading some of his sayings, one can imagine and be overwhelmed by his sheer grip over the philosophy of Islam and his high level of intellect.
One of his sayings is, “A man should never expect anything save from his Lord. And have no fear except from his sins. A man who lacks knowledge should not shy away from asking about what he does not know, and a man of learning should never be too shy to admit his ignorance by saying: ‘Allah knows the best’. Patience and perseverance are to faith like the head to the body. He who has no patience and perseverance has no faith.”
Another saying is: “Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others. Before preaching to others he should first practise himself. Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others.”
The life of Ali is replete with examples wherein he displayed the epitome of character and morals. His whole life is an open book, which offers unending extraordinary solutions to the problems with which the humanity is grappling ever since and particularly today. Among the many stories that display the high character of Ali is the dispute over the coat of arms with a Jew. The dispute happened at the time when Ali was the caliph and a Jew stole the coat of arms that belonged to him. Being the ruler of the state, Ali could have settled the dispute then and there, but instead he himself took the Jew to the court for the settlement of the issue. There, in the court, the judge gave the decision in favour of the Jew and the caliph lost the case as he could not produce any witness to support his claim, as his only witness were his children and servant. Ali, after losing the case, did not criticise the decision and willingly accepted the judgment. It was this virtuous behaviour and strong regard for the law that made the Jew wonder in awe and finally after being impressed with the character Ali had displayed, he announced his acceptance of Islam and gave the coat of arms back to him. It must be kept in mind that the dispute happened between the head of the state and a dhimmi (non-Muslim citizen of the Islamic state) and despite the difference in the ranks of both and despite the knowledge of the character of Ali that he cannot lie, even then the decision went against him. The list of such exemplary character is endless, but the space constraint does not allow us to take the rest.
The world is yet to see the likes of Ali, the way he governed and how he secured the rights of the weak. Today, when the whole world is in the grips of exploitive capitalism, despotism, authoritarianism and strong-exploit-the-poor world order, a person who can be looked up to as the beacon for ethical and moral behaviour or as a role model, both at individual level and at the level of the head of the state is Ali. Ali played the role of a father, husband, fighter and ruler and therefore his life is as motivating and driving for a ruler of the state as it is for a common man.