CHAPTER NO.4 DISTINCTIONS OF HAZRAT ALI (R.A)

CHAPTER NO.4 DISTINCTIONS OF HAZRAT ALI (R.A)

 MAN OF MANY DISTINCTIONS

Hadrat Ali was a man of many distinctions. He owed his distinctions to his relationship with the holy Prophet, his valour, his knowledge and his spiritual attainments.

HIS BIRTH

• He had the distinction of being a Hashimite both on the side of his father as well as his mother.
• He had the distinction of having a name which was derivative of the name of Allah. No other person before him bore the name of Ali.

HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOLY PROPHET

• On opening his eyes after his birth, the first person who he saw was the holy Prophet.
• The holy Prophet gave him his name.
• As an infant he had the honour of sucking the tongue of the holy Prophet.
• He was the first cousin of the holy Prophet. He became a ward of the holy Prophet, and was brought up as a family member of the household of the holy Prophet.
• He received his training under the loving care and guidance of the holy Prophet.
• When the holy Prophet declared his mission, he was the first teenager to be converted to Islam.
• Hadrat Khadijah and Hadrat Ali were the first two persons to pray behind the holy Prophet.
• When the holy Prophet invited the Hashimites to a dinner, and aked them to aid him in his mission, Hadrat Ali was the only person to respond to the call of the holy Prophet.
• He risked his life for the sake of the holy Prophet and slept on his bed when the holy Prophet left for Medina and the Quraish youth besieged the house with a view to killing the holy Prophet.
• When the holy Prophet left for Medina, he entrusted to Hadrat Ali the task of returning the belongings of the people. They had placed their belongings in the custody of the holy Prophet for safekeeping.
• When the holy Prophet joined the Muhajirs and the Ansars in fraternity in Medina, he allied himself in fraternity with Hadrat Ali.
• The holy Prophet married his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra to Hadrat Ali.
• He was commissioned by the holy Prophet to write the agreement which came to be known as the Hudaybia Pact.
• After the conquest of Mecca, he had the unique distinction of standing on the shoulders of the holy Prophet and destroying the idols in the Ka'bah.
• He was entrusted by the holy Prophet with the special mission of announcing the Quraish Sura "Al Bara'at" (Immunity) to the people on the occasion of the pilgrimage.
• He was the only person to whom the holy Prophet referred to as the "Maula" [Master] of the Ummah
• When the holy Prophet proposed "Mubahala" [a special kind of debate] with the Christians and the Najran, he chose Hadrat Ali as his "second man."
• The progeny of the holy Prophet descends through Hadrat Ali.
• He was the only person to whom the holy Prophet imparted "inward knowledge."
• The holy Prophet conferred many appellations on Hadrat Ali such as Hidar-iKarrar, Abu Turab, Asad-ullah, Syedul Arab, etc.
• The holy Prophet declared his relationship to Hadrat Ali as that of Moses and Aaron.
• When the holy Prophet died, Hadrat Ali washed him and prepared his dead body for burial.

HIS VALOUR

• He participated in all the wars of early Islam which were fought under the command of the holy Prophet.
• In all the battles, Hadrat Ali was the flag-bearer for the forces of the Muslims.
• He was the greatest man among the Muslims. For his unusual bravery, he won such titles as "Asad Allah," (the Lion of God) or "Haidar-e-Karrar" (the warrior who nobody could match.)
• During his lifetime, he killed over 1000 enemies. In the Battle of Badr alone killed two dozen people.
• He fought over a hundred duels and in all the duels, his adversaries, however strong, were killed.
• He was the conqueror of the Khyber.

HIS KNOWLEDGE

• He was the most learned man of his age. He was a living encyclopaedia of knowledge and learning.
• After the holy Prophet, he was the most eloquent person of the age.
• Because of his knowledge and wisdom he is known as the "Second Solomon."
• His wise sayings and aphorisms have attained the status of classical proverbs.
• He was the first person to write a grammar of the Arabic language.
• Among the early Muslims, he was the only person whose collections of writings have come down to us and this collection [is] preserved under the title of Nahj-ul-Balagha. 
• He was a distinguished poet.
• He enjoys fame as the "father of rhetoric."
• He was an authority on Mathematics.
• He was a master of the science of Physics.
• He had a deep medical knowledge.
• After the holy Prophet, he is regarded as the greatest philosopher of Islam.
• He was a calligrapher and wrote in a beautiful hand.

HIS SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENTS

•  He was the first person to learn the Qur'an by heart.
•  According to the commentators, there are at least 300 verses in the holy Qur'an which have an implied reference to Hadrat Ali
•  After the holy Prophet, he was the Chief Judge among the early Muslims. He is regarded as the "father of fiqh." [jurisprudence]
•  He is the first revivalist among the Muslims. He interpreted the doctrines of Islam and systematized them.
•  He is regarded as the "father of Sufism." All schools of Tasawwuf [authentic Sufism] trace their origin to him.

HIS APPELLATIONS

Because of his multidimensional greatness and outstanding qualities, Hadrat Ali is known by many appellations, and each appellation illuminates one particular aspect of his excellence.

Some of these appellations are as follows:

(1) Murtada - he with whom God is pleased
(2) Maula - the master
(3) Haidar-i-Karrar- the brave warrior against whom no one could stand
(4) Asad Allah - the lion of God
(5) Al-Ghalib - the victorious
(6) Sher-i-Yazdan - the bravest man of the age
(7) Mushkil Kusha - wine whom resolves the difficulties of the people
(8) Shah-i-Awlia - the king of saints
(9) Shah-i-Mominin - the king of the pious
(10) Abu Turab - father of the earth
(11) Amir-ul-Momineen - leader of the faithful
(12) Amin-ul-Momineen - the trustee of the faithful
(13) Imam-ul-Muttaqeen - the leader of the God-fearing
(14) Sayyid-ul-Arab - the chief of the Arabs
(15) Al Wasi - the beneficiary under the Prophet's 'testamentary statement'
(16) Al Hadi - the guide
(17) Al Zahid - the chaste
(18) Al Abi - the pious
(19) Al Salah - the reformer