A look at the governmental way and methodof Imam Ali (peace be upon him).

by montazer · 2025-07-11

After him, he shined in every virtue, he got light from him and he followed him and walked in his path. (1)

We also confess helplessly and say with Attar Nishabouri:

O son, you have no address from Ali

Ain and Lam or you know about Ali (2)

The biography of the Shia innocents is full of attention to reforms in various fields. These flag bearers of reform movements have always faced hardships so that they can guide the Islamic society towards goodness and salvation in the light of their lives. It is proof that all of them have been martyred or faced a lot of persecution in this way by the rulers of their time.

The reforms in the government of Hazrat Ali (peace be upon him) had a special crystallization; Because the spread of all kinds of corruption in the Islamic society after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was reminiscent of the era of ignorance. When the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) accepted the leadership of the Islamic society following the insistence of the people who were fed up with these corruptions and atrocities, he declared his goal to reform the corruptions and from the very first days to the last moment of his rule he kept this promise. remained firm.

The respected researcher, Mr. Mohammad Hassan Abdullahi, has tried to reveal the hidden aspects of the reforms in the government of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in order to represent and re-educate the gift of Ali. This work is the result of the scientific collaboration of the Center for Islamic Research of Radio and Television

P.: 4

1- Izz al-Din Abdul Hamid Ibn Abi al-Hadid Madaini, Commentary on Nahj al-Balagheh, Research: Muhammad Abolfazl Ibrahim, Qom, Manifesto of Ayatollah Azami al-Marashi al-Najafi School, 1404 AH, Ch 8, Vol. 1, p. 17.

2- Farid al-Din Attar Neishabouri, Logic of Al-Tir, edited by Seyyed Sadegh Goharin, Tehran, Scientific and Cultural Company, ch. 9, p. 31.

Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, may God have mercy on him. With thanks to the valuable researcher and experts of the center, we hope that this collection will be useful for the readers and program makers of the national media.

He is Wali al-Tawfiq

After him, he shined in every virtue, he got light from him and he followed him and walked in his path. (1)

We also confess helplessly and say with Attar Nishabouri:

O son, you have no address from Ali

Ain and Lam or you know about Ali (2)

P.: 4

2- Farid al-Din Attar Neishabouri, Logic of Al-Tir, edited by Seyyed Sadegh Goharin, Tehran, Scientific and Cultural Company, ch. 9, p. 31.

He is Wali al-Tawfiq

After him, he shined in every virtue, he got light from him and he followed him and walked in his path. (1)

We also confess helplessly and say with Attar Nishabouri:

O son, you have no address from Ali

Ain and Lam or you know about Ali (2)

P.: 4

2- Farid al-Din Attar Neishabouri, Logic of Al-Tir, edited by Seyyed Sadegh Goharin, Tehran, Scientific and Cultural Company, ch. 9, p. 31.

He is Wali al-Tawfiq

General Directorate of Research

Center for Islamic Research of Radio and Television

Everyone wants perfection based on his nature, and he calls anything contrary to it corruption. So he fights with it and tries to destroy it. Therefore, correcting corruption has always been a desirable thing in human eyes.

Throughout history, rulers and those in power considered their goal to gain power, correct corruption, and create a favorable situation for the masses of people. In the meantime, each group has seen the improvement in something and has shown a way to achieve it. Some have considered the source of human problems as “religion” and thought that the reform of affairs is to remove religion from society. Accordingly, they have started to fight against religion or locked it in the corners of the churches.

On the other hand, some others have seen the source of all human problems and corruptions in people moving away from spirituality and religion and have tried to introduce religion into all matters related to humans, including personal, political and social.

Reformism has always been prominent in Islamic and especially Shiite society, and many true or false claimants, based on their views and visions, have proposed different solutions to reform society and in some cases have implemented them.

In the meantime, what is very important and has led or misguided people and human society throughout history is the knowledge of reform and corruption and real reformers and corrupters. Throughout history, many corrupters have presented themselves as reformers and misused

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They have tried to deceive and mislead people with this desirable and sacred human desire. The Holy Qur’an describes the hypocrites and says: And when it is said to them: Do not corrupt the earth, they say: We are only reformers. (Baqarah: 11)

The greatest reform movement of the 20th century was also led by the great man of history, Imam Khomeini, may God have mercy on him, and he was able to eliminate the corruptions that had taken root in the Islamic land of Iran due to the long-term domination of corrupt rulers.

It is natural that the dynamism and growth of the Islamic Revolution lies in the fact that it will always continue its reform movement, which has been the case until now with the grace of God and under the shadow of the attention of Hazrat Wali Asr (AS). In the era after the victory of the revolution, the issue of reform has always been raised within the system and society, and reformers have pursued this lofty goal and have pushed the overall process of the revolution in this direction.

During these few years, the Islamic Revolution has always been exposed to all kinds of obstacles and threats imposed by the enemies. One of these dangers is the slogan of reformation by the enemies. Throughout the history of the revolution and especially in recent years, the foreign and domestic enemies of the Islamic Revolution and some ignorant domestic friends, by raising the slogan of reformism, introduced corruptions in deceptive forms, in the name of reform, and with wide possibilities. The internal and external forces that they had at their disposal tried to mislead the people, especially the young generation of the revolution. In the meantime, knowing and introducing real reform and corruption to the masses of people, especially the young generation, insures the revolution against such conspiracies.

The short reign of Amir Momenan Ali (peace be upon him) is the only era in which the position of government

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The Islamic society has been in the hands of Imam Masoom after the beloved Messenger of Islam. (1) With the slogan of reformation, he started extensive activities to reform the Islamic society and remove existing corruptions. This era is the best model for understanding reform and corruption and the most appropriate guide for true reformers.

One of the important and necessary needs of the people of the Islamic society, especially the officials and elites, is to get acquainted with this era and put it at the top of their work. It should be known that the sensitive situation of our time has increased the importance of this issue. Therefore, in this research, we intend to explain the place of reforms in the government of Amir al-Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) and explore its various angles.

Considering that Ali (peace be upon him), the goal of accepting the government was to reform the Islamic society, the most important issues in this field are:

What is the position of “reforms” in Imam’s view and why does he insist on this matter? What were the axes of reforms of Amir Momenan Ali (peace be upon him)? In other words, what things did he consider to be “corruption” and he set the goal of his government to correct those things?

How did the reformation of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) take place in various areas and what were the governing criteria for it?

In what areas were the first reform measures of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and what was the reason for their priority?

To what extent was Imam Ali (peace be upon him) successful in this task and was he able to eliminate existing corruption? What were the obstacles and problems facing Imam Ali (peace be upon him)?

P.: 8

Imam Hassan Mojtabi (peace be upon him) was also in the position of apparent caliphate for a very short time, but these days were so short and the enmity of the enemies and the ignorance of the people were so wide that the Imam did not succeed in carrying out extensive activities during these days.

In this article, first, we examine the corruptions in each of the axes of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) reforms. Then, by explaining the factors and contexts of its growth and expansion according to numerous historical evidences, we will evaluate the method of Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) dealing with each type of corruption. Finally, we enumerate the principles governing the reforms desired by Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the obstacles to the said reforms.

At the end of this speech, I must express my sincere gratitude to all those who helped in all stages of this writing. Dear friends of Islamic Research Center of Radio and Television and Imam Khomeini Research Institute, may God have mercy on him; Also, I would like to express my gratitude to the respected professors Mr. Hojjat al-Islam, Mr. Mahdi Peshwai and Mr. Hojjat al-Islam, Mr. Jabari, for their scholarly reminders and guidance.

1. The place of reforms in the way of life of the innocents (peace be upon them) and religious governments

One of the existential philosophies of true religions in human society has been reforming and freeing society from corruption. The Messengers of God and the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them) as the messengers of the divine religions and executors of religious orders, introduced one of their main goals as the implementation of religious reform orders, and wherever they could, they took over the government and power.

By telling parts of the life history of some prophets, the Holy Quran shows their efforts to reform their nations and remove the corruptions of their time. For example, the prophet Shoaib says:

I don’t want anything but correction – as much as I can – and my success is only due to God. I put my trust in Him and I will return to Him. (Hood: 88)

In continuation of the reformation movement of the divine messengers, the Shia imams have carried the banner of the reformation movements on their shoulders and by means of the methods appropriate to the situation and conditions of that time, they have used all their power to remove the Islamic society from corruption and for the better. And they force salvation.

They once engaged in political and military activities; In another era, with the cultural revolution and sometimes with the publication of spiritual and moral knowledge, they have taken steps to achieve this lofty goal. For this reason, they did not want government and power except for this purpose. The best evidence for this statement is that all of them were martyred or persecuted by the cruel and corrupt rulers of their era

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Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him), states his main goal of taking over the government as follows:

Lord, you know that what we did was not to acquire property and royalty, nor to obtain something from the low state of the world, but it was to restore the lost signs of your religion and to bring peace and Let us reveal health in your cities so that your oppressed servants will be safe and the forgotten laws and regulations will be implemented once again. (1)

Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) also in his famous will addressed to his brother, Muhammad bin Hanafiyah, corrected his actions and called himself a reformer:

My uprising is not the uprising of an ambitious or greedy individual or rioter or oppressor. I have stood up in search of reforming the work of my ancestor’s nation. I have decided to enjoin what is good and forbid what is bad and to behave according to the way of my grandfather and father. (2)

Also, Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) introduces reformism in the way of all the infallible imams and their sincere followers, and in a hadith addressed to one of his companions, he says:

I will tell you something that all my fathers (may God’s peace be upon them) emphasized, and that is: without a doubt, truth has supporters and falsehood also has supporters. Righteous people are those who pray to God to reform the Muslim community through us and that God raise us up as a mercy to support the weak and masses of people. Those who ask for social reform under our leadership and guidance from God, from the followers

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1- Mohammad Jafar Emami and Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Nahj al-Balagheh with a clear translation and a compact description, Qom, Madrasa al-Imam Amir al-Momenin, 1377, ch 11, vol. 2, p. 113, sermon 131.

Mahmoud Madani and others, Encyclopaedia of the Words of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), Qom, Dar al-Maruf, 1415 AH, p. 291.

2. The situation of Islamic society before the caliphate of Amir al-Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him)

After the death of the beloved Prophet of Islam, extensive changes took place in the Islamic society.

In the meantime, powerless and power-hungry people were able to infiltrate the body of the Islamic government and take positions. Those who never deserved such positions, gradually played the Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Holy Sharia and based on their selfish thoughts, they made innovations and changes in the Sharia of Islam. They considered the halal of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as haram and his haram as halal, and they implemented whatever they wanted and could in the name of Islam in the society. The deterioration of the situation progressed to the extent that the agent of the Caliph of the Muslims waited until the morning, and in the morning he stood in the mosque’s mihrab to lead the prayer. So he prayed four rakats in the morning prayer and said to the worshipers: “If you want, I will add more rakats to the prayer!” And in a drunken state he vomited in the altar of the mosque. (2)

When such people dominate public property, it is clear how they act. First, in order to consolidate the foundations of his government by giving zakat and

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1- Mohammadreza Hakimi and others, Al-Hiyah, Beirut, Al-Dar al-Islamiya, 1410 AH, Ch. 6, Vol. 2, p. 34.

Ali bin Hossein Masoudi, Moruj al-Dhahab, translated by: Abolqasem Payandeh, Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company, Ch. 4, Vol. 1, p. 691.

Muslims clapped their hands and little by little it reached the point where he answered in front of the protestors that I am giving money to my relatives for God’s sake!(1)

In acquiring power and status, they did not seek to reform and grow and elevate values, but they saw it as a means to gain worldly benefits and pleasure. Abu Sufyan’s will to his family shows his attitude towards the government: “O children of Abd Manaf, pass power and government like a ball, there is no mention of hell and heaven.” (2)

The emergence of inequalities and undue privileges and the pouring of huge sums of public wealth into the pockets of a particular group created a severe class gap and spread the spirit of greed and greed in many elders and properties of the society. A number of those who fought for the preservation of Islam for years at the feet of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and even after his death, drew swords to guard the house of the daughter of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his guardian. they turned

It is natural that in such a society, there is no room left for the growth of virtues, spirituality and human dignity. Corrupt rulers and greedy and worldly personalities on the one hand and the abundance of property and spoils of war of the Army of Islam on the other hand lead the general spirit of the society to worldliness and distance it from virtues and spirituality day by day. In such a situation, when the masses of the people were fed up with the oppression of the government and the greed of public property in the hands of its agents, they demanded a deep transformation and true justice.

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1– Muhammad bin Jarir al-Tabari, History of the Nations and Al-Muluk, research: Muhammad Abulfazl Ibrahim, Beirut, Rua’e al-Tarath al-Arabi, vol. 4, p. 226.

2– Ali bin Hossein Abul Faraj Esfahani, Al-Aghani, Beirut, Darahiya al-Tarath al-Arabi, 1415 AH, Ch. 1, Vol. 6, p. 529.

3. The beginning of the caliphate of Ali (peace be upon him) and the necessity of reforms

After the rebellion against Uthman and his murder, the people, who had tried various people, realized the fact that only Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) could correct the existing chaotic situation. The unique personality traits of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) shined so brightly among the other companions that no one else could see them. Therefore, by appearing in front of his house and with great insistence, they demanded allegiance to him.

Hazrat Ali (peace be upon him) was well acquainted with the situation of nearly a quarter of a century of Islamic society, such as many heresies and corruptions, baseless interpretations and ijtihads, corruption of governors and society’s properties, and the masses of people moving away from values. He considered the society of that day too corrupt to be able to lead it and implement his criteria and demands in it. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) knew very well that reforming the society and acting according to the prophetic way and God’s book in these conditions is a very difficult task and will lead to many seditions and dissatisfactions. Therefore, against the insistence of the people to accept the pledge of allegiance, he said:

leave me and ask for another; Because we welcome something that has different faces and different directions. Hearts are steadfast on this matter and intellects do not remain stable. The face of truth has been covered by the dark clouds of corruption and the straight path of truth has remained unknown. Be aware that if I accept your invitation, I will deal with you based on what I know and I will not listen to this and that and blamers. If you let me go, I will be one of you. Maybe I am more obedient and obedient to the head of the government than you. While I am your advisor, it is better to be your leader. (1)

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Nahj al-Balagha with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 2, p. 251, sermon 92.

Because the people did not give up on him, that imam asked them to pledge that they will follow him completely and submit to his will. (1)

Later, the Imam said the following about the Day of Pledge of Allegiance:

Until you opposed Uthman’s caliphate and killed him, you turned to me to swear allegiance to me, and I refused and was against it. You struggled with me to open my hand, and I would block it, and you would pull my hand, and I would not let go. So you crowded around me so much that I thought you were going to kill each other or me. You said that we pledge allegiance because we do not find anyone but you and we do not give pleasure to anyone but you, and when we pledge allegiance, we will not be scattered nor will any conflict arise between us. Inevitably, I pledged allegiance to you and called people to my allegiance. Whoever pledged allegiance willingly, I accepted from him, and whoever did not want to, I did not discourage him and left him to his own devices. (2)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) agreed to accept the caliphate only on the condition that he corrects the actions and corruptions based on the book of God and the prophetic tradition. He also announced that he will not pay any attention to the unwarranted protests of deviant and high-minded people and clearly expressed his goal of accepting the government and power and reforming the Islamic society:

be aware! I swear to God; The God who split the seed and created man, if not for the fact that a large crowd surrounded me and helped me rise.

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1- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 428.

Ebrahim bin Mohammad Thaqfi Isfahani, Al-Gharat, Research: Abdul Zahra Hosseini, Qom, Darul Kitab al-Islami, 1411 AH. Q, ch 1, p. 205.

and for this reason, the proof against me is over and if it were not for the promise and responsibility that God has taken from the scholars not to remain silent in the face of the oppression of the oppressors and the hunger of the oppressed, I would have abandoned the caliphate and renounced it. (1)

In another statement, the Imam states the purpose of accepting allegiance as follows:

O God, you know that I was not eager to rule and be president, but I was only looking to establish boundaries and implement the Sharia, to put things in their place, to give rights to those who have rights, to follow the path of your Prophet and to guide the astray. (2)

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1- Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact commentary, vol. 1, p. 79.

Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 20, p. 299.

Hint

Every corrective movement faces the risk of deviation; There are so many reformers and leaders who, seeing the deviations and corruptions of their society, embarked on a reform movement, but because they did not have precise principles and plans to adhere to, they themselves fell into deviations and corruptions.

Even though Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) was far from any error and mistake, according to his “imamate” duty, he based his reform program on a solid foundation, which consisted of following the Book of God and the Prophetic Sunnah. In the first days of his rule, that Prophet clarified this matter:

Seditions have come like a dark night, and no one can bear the burden of government except a man of perseverance, visionary and aware of the ins and outs of government. I will make you follow the way of your Prophet and I will implement what I am assigned to do among you; If you persevere with me. (1)

In another place, the Imam pays attention to turning people to the Qur’an and says:

Now, the Book of your Lord is among you. The halal (permissible) and the forbidden are clear, and the duties and mustahabs, abrogated and abrogated, permissible and forbidden, specific and general, and… all of its rulings and analogies are known… (2)

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) considers the revival of the Sunnah as one of the duties of the “Imam” (3) and the change in the Prophetic Sunnah is beyond the competence and merit of the position of government and

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1- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 7, p. 36.

2- Nahj al-Balagha with descriptive translation and compact commentary, vol. 1, p. 67, sermon 1.

The same, vol. 2, p. 105, sermon 105.

The province knows. (1)

During the entire period of his rule, he has always insisted on the Sunnah of the Prophet and not violating the way of the beloved Messenger of Islam, and he has emphasized this in his sermons, words and letters.

According to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), the best of God’s servants is a righteous leader who upholds the Sunnah of God, and the worst of them in the eyes of God is the one who destroys the Sunnah: (2)

The saints of God are those who revive the Sunnah of God and His Messenger (3) and the misguided ones are those who abandon the Sunnah. (4)

In practice, he made this principle the standard and implemented all his reform programs based on it:

When the government came to me, I commented on God’s book and his laws, I followed every order he gave and everything he said. I paid attention to the Sunnah and method of the Prophet and followed it… (5)

Practical examples of the behavior of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) can be seen in various reform principles based on the Book of God and the Sunnah of the beloved Messenger of Islam.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) who was the best interpreter of the Qur’an and the most familiar person with the prophetic tradition (peace be upon him), obtained the principles of his government from these two fundamental pillars of Islam and moved based on them. In the following, we will take a quick look at some of these principles.

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1- Ibid., p. 113, sermon 132.

2- Ibid., pp. 204 and 205, sermon 164.

3- Ibid., p. 239, sermon 192.

4- Ibid., p. 165, sermon 154.

Ibid., p. 379, sermon 205.

1. The principle of the central right

Right-centered and right-wing is spreading throughout the government of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). Looking at the Imam’s performance during his rule, it can be boldly said that he did not take steps except to promote “right”. He did not think about anything other than the right and he had no song except the right. His cry was for the right and his silence was to protect the right.

Nothing could stop the Imam from the “right”; Worthless material benefits or its troubles and problems did not stop him from his right for a moment. He was committed to it. Even if it was not for the benefit of himself, the government, his friends or his children. There was a leader who shouted at his treasurer why he gave his daughter a pearl necklace as a guarantee, that too for a short period of time? (1)

When Ibn Abbas suggested to that Imam to be a little tolerant with the corrupt officials appointed by the previous caliph and to remove them after the foundations of the government were solidified, the Imam said:

You said to leave them for now, I swear to God, I have no doubt that this is useful for improving the fleeting life of the world, but what is “right” is my responsibility and with the knowledge I have of Uthman’s agents, I swear to God that no one I will never put them in charge. (2)

There are many people who claim to be “rightist”, but when the “right” is in conflict with their personal or group interests, they forget the right. In the eyes of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), everything pales and becomes worthless in front of “right”. He even considered his own government as respectable and valuable when he was doing “right” through it.

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1- Abi Jafar Mohammad Toosi, Tahzeeb al-Ahkam, correction and suspension: Ali Akbar Ghafari, Maktaba al-Sadooq, 1376, ch. 1, vol. 10, p. 173, number 601.

2- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, p. 440.

1 to 185

When he was moving towards Basra with his army to suppress the treaty breakers, he landed in one of the villages of Madinah called Rabzah. The survivors of the caravan of pilgrims came to his tent to hear his words. Ibn Abbas says: I came to Ali (peace be upon him). I saw the imam patching his shoes. I told him: We need you to fix things, more than what you are doing. He didn’t say a word until he finished patching the shoe and put it next to the other shoe. Then he said to me: “Put a price on them.” I said: They have no value. He said: “Whatever it’s worth!” I said: Half a dirham. He said: “By God! These shoes are dearer to me than ruling over you, unless I am wearing the right one or stealing the wrong one.” (1)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) considered everyone equal before the right and advised his governors to observe it equally:

Respect the “right” about them, whether relatives or strangers, and be patient about it and put it to God’s account! (and ask him for the reward of this work) even if this work causes pressure on your close companions and bear the burden of this path for the sake of its good end. (2)

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1- Abi Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Nu’man Akbari, known as Sheikh Mufid, Al-Arshad fi Ma’rifa Hajj Allah Ali Al-Abad, Research: Al-Al-Bayt Institute of Heritage, Qom, Al-Anqar Al-Alami Lalfiyyah Al-Sheikh Al-Mufid, 1413 AH-.Q, Ch 1, Vol 1, p. 247.

2- Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 3, p. 173, letter 53.

2. The principle of seeking justice

“Justice” is a popular sign of Alavi rule, and the name of Ali (peace be upon him) is associated with justice; Throughout the life of Ali (peace be upon him) you will be justice and he was martyred in this way.

In the vision of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), “justice” is the best policies and managements (1), which on the one hand causes the stability, order and reform of citizens (2) and makes religion easy for them (3). And on the other hand, it is the key to stability and stability of governments. (4)

The standard of justice in the administration of the people is to the extent that the laws must be subject to justice and the merits must be respected in all matters and any discrimination should be removed from the society.

The meaning of justice in the administration of affairs is not that people do not have any differences with each other and that everyone is treated the same in everything; Because in some cases this is the same as oppression. The meaning of justice in the administration of affairs is that differences and privileges are based on qualifications and merits and that everyone and everything is placed in its proper place.

Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) used justice as a criterion in political issues and the selection or removal of governors and agents or economic affairs and the equal use of public property by the people:

I swear to God! If I spend the night awake on the thorns of “Saadan” or if I am tied and dragged in shackles and chains, it is more dear to me than meeting God and His Messenger on the Day of Judgment while he has oppressed some of his servants and I have usurped something from the property of the world.

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1- “Khair al-Siyasat al-Adl.” Jamal al-Din Mohammad Khawansari, Commentary on Gharral al-Hakm and Darr al-Kalam, Tehran, Tehran University Press, 1373, Ch. 4, Vol. 3, p. 420, no. 4948.

2- “Al-Adl al-Qawam al-Bariyah”. The same, vol. 1, p. 203, no. 806, vol. 3; “Hossein al-Adl of the order of al-Bariyya”. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 385, No. 4819; “The people are not righteous except for justice”. The same, vol. 1, p. 354, number 1342.

3- “Glory be to God… Glory be to God… Tasniyyah to Islam”. The same, vol. 3, p. 374, number 4789.

“I act justly, God blesses the queen.” The same, vol. 5, p. 355, No. 8722; “Edel Tamlek”. The same, vol. 2, p. 173, number 2253.

How can I do injustice to someone, that too for a body that quickly progresses to old age and stays in the soil for a long time… By God! If I were to be given the seven climates and what is under the heavens to disobey God by taking barley husks from the mouth of an ant, I will never do so, and this world of yours is more contemptible to me than a chewed leaf in the mouth of a locust. And it is worthless. (1)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) always called his governors and agents to implement justice in the administration of affairs, to the extent that he advised them not to forget justice and equality in looking after their subordinates, that Imam in his testament to Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr, when he took over the government of Egypt, wrote:

Spread the wings of your love for them and put your softness and gentleness on you. Open your face to them and observe equality between them even in your looks so that the powerful people of the country do not get greedy in supporting them and the weak do not despair of you in doing justice. (2)

Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) did not like injustice even towards his enemies. Obaidullah bin Harr Jaafi was one of Uthman’s companions. His wife was in Kufa and he himself was staying with Muawiya in Shamat. Because he was away for a long time, his brother-in-law married his wife to a man named Ikrama bin Khabis. The report of this work reached Obaidullah. He came from Syria and complained to the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him). Ali (peace be upon him) said to him: Did you help our enemy [and now] you are angry? Obaidullah said: Does this prevent you from justice? He said: No. Then he explained his story to Ali (peace be upon him). Imam also ruled that Obaidullah’s wife should be returned to him. Obaidullah returned to Syria and stayed there until the Imam was martyred.

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1- Nahj al-Balagheh with a clear translation and a compact description, vol. 2, pp. 427-429, sermon 224.

2- The same, vol. 3, p. 55, letter 27.

3. The principle of honesty in politics

Honesty is one of the characteristics of the rule of Amir al-Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him). Most of the politicians, throughout history, because they have been seeking power, have first forgotten honesty and truth to the extent that the ignorant have considered the meaning of politics to be the same as lies and tricks, and the entry of pure and true reformers into the field of politics. They have found it against their real policy.

As long as they seek power, politicians try to attract people’s hearts with popular slogans. When they come to power, forgetting their past promises and slogans, they only pursue their interests. Contrary to this practice, Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) considered honesty and truthfulness with the people as the main principles of his rule and insisted on this during his rule.

In the very beginning days of the government, the Imam announced his goals and reform plans, although it caused dissatisfaction and opposition from some people. He was pursuing those plans until the last moment of his life, and by enduring all the difficulties, he never resorted to trickery.

“Honesty” is a clear boundary between Alevi politics and Umayyad politics. In the Umayyad culture, honesty is meaningless and lying and deception are the essence of their politics. On the other hand, in Alevi culture, dishonest, worthless politics and reaching the goal with trickery are condemned. Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) says:

I swear to God! “Muawiya” is not more political than me, but he tricks and commits all kinds of sins. If trickery was not obnoxious and inappropriate, I would be the most politicized person, but every trick is a sin and every sin is a form of disbelief. In the Day of Judgment, every treacherous person will have a special flag by which they will be recognized.

P.: 23

Abul Hasan Ali ibn Abi al-Karam ibn Athir, al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, Beirut, Darahiya al-Tarath al-Arabi, 1408 AH, ch. 1, vol. 3, p. 25.

In the vision of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), faith is that a person prefers telling the truth even when it harms him, over lying even when it is beneficial (2) and this is one of the necessary conditions for leading the society. is. (3)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was also honest in his actions and said:

O people, loyalty is the cognate of truthfulness; I don’t know a stronger and more protective shield than that. The one who is aware of the state of resurrection does not betray. We are living in a time when most people consider betrayal and trickery as wisdom and the ignorant call them scheming people, how do they think. May God kill them!

Perhaps a person is aware of all future events and knows the way of cunning and trickery well, but the divine command and prohibition of the Lord prevents him and even though he has the power to do it, he clearly abandons it, but the one who He doesn’t care about sin and disobedience to the right command, he uses this opportunity. (4)

P.: 24

1- Nahj al-Balagheh with a clear translation and a compact description, vol. 2, p. 371, sermon 200.

2- The same, vol. 3, p. 395, Hikmat 458.

3- The same, vol. 2, p. 165, sermon 154.

The same, vol. 1, p. 145, sermon 41.

4. The principle of irreconcilability

To uphold God’s right and command, one must be firm and decisive. Only those who can uphold the right and defend the sanctity of religion and make reforms in the society who do not become weak and compromise in this way. They must bear all hardships and problems, blames and slanders and remain steadfast.

In the Holy Qur’an, God Almighty describes the characteristics of this group as follows:

Surah Ma’edah: verse 54

O you who have believed, whoever of you turns back from his religion (does not harm God); God brings a people that he loves and they (also) love him; They are humble in front of the believers and stubborn and strong in front of the unbelievers. They fight in the way of God and are not afraid of reprimanding anyone.

From Imam’s point of view, those who compromise and are short on divine commands, can never be true reformers. Reformation and establishing the truth can never be achieved by following the ways of the people of falsehood and satisfying the desires and greed of the heart and seeking wellness. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says:

God’s command can only be implemented by someone who does not compromise and does not act in the way of falsehood and does not follow the command of greed. (1)

And in this way, who can be found more stable than the Prophet himself? The Holy Prophet of Islam says in his description:

Remove your tongue from [objection to] Ali bin Abi Talib. It is true that he is strict about God Almighty and there is no compromise in his religion. (2)

P.: 25

Nahj al-Balagha with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 3, p. 263, Hikmat 110.
1- Al-Arshad, vol. 1, p. 173, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 21, p. 385, h 10.

Ali (peace be upon him) when the people surrounded him and asked him for allegiance, he said:

be aware! If I accept your invitation, I will treat you based on what I know and I will not listen to the words of this and that and those who blame. (2)

Hushab, who was one of Muawiya’s troops, addressed Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in the battle of Safin: O son of Abi Talib, leave us alone. We ask you to consider God in our blood and yours; We will leave you with the land of Iraq and you leave us with the land of Syria and save the blood of Muslims.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) replied: “Never!” O son of Umm Zalim, I swear to God, if I had found a place for compromise in God’s religion, I would have done so and the pain would have been less for me, but God does not like the followers of the Qur’an to compromise and remain silent, while God is sinning. be”. (3)

Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) says in another sermon: “I will not make compromises in my religion and I will not humiliate my profession in my work.” (4)

Again, the determination of Hazrat Ali (peace be upon him) in religion is the best example for all Muslims.

P.: 26

1- Al-Arshad, vol. 1, p. 173, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 21, p. 385, h 10.

2- Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 2, p. 251, sermon 92.

3- Abi Naeem Ahmad Esfahani, Haliya al-Awaliya and Tabaqat al-Asfiya, Beirut, Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi, 1407 A.H., ch. 5, vol. 1, p. 85.

Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 306.

Hint

When Amir al-Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) came to power at the request and insistence of the masses of the people, he made it his goal to revive the forgotten principles of the religion and the tradition of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). He tried hard to achieve this goal and achieved a part of his goals that had favorable conditions. In some areas of reforms, he could not fully achieve his desired goals.

During this period, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was facing many problems, which sometimes caused his reform movement to slow down in some cases or stop it in other areas. Here, we intend to evaluate the main obstacles to the reforms of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) with a brief look at the reign of that Imam.

1. Lack of correct recognition of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)

One of the problems of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) reforms was the lack of people’s insight and correct Islamic knowledge, not knowing the place of Imamate in Islam and the necessity of following Imam and the Amir of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him).

After the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the territory of the Islamic government expanded a lot and many people converted to Islam. However, the hadiths of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which expressed the position of Imamate, guardianship, and virtues of Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him), were forgotten and many Muslims were deprived of this valuable source.

During these days, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was not very present in the social and political scenes. All these factors caused many people to acquire the teachings of Islam through those who did not know Islam and Imam Ali (peace be upon him) correctly. In the society of that time, only a few people were aware of the high position of that imam and followed him in any situation.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in a sermon, stating the consequences of implementing all the reforms he wants, says:

If I return the affairs to my correct channels and the Sunnah of the Prophet’s era, my troops will disperse from around me until I am left alone or a small number of my special helpers remain around me; Those who know my virtue and have understood the book of God and the Sunnah of the Prophet and the obligation to obey me. (1)

If the soldiers and people of that time knew the Imam like Abu Dhar Ghafari, Salman Farsi, Moqdad, Malik Ashtar and Ammar Yasir, the hardships and fatigue of successive wars would never have stopped them from accompanying and helping him. If they were aware of the high position of the Imamate, when the Imam gave the order to put aside some heresies, they would not stand in front of that Imam and would not raise a cry of protest (2), rather they would submit to the order of the Imam of their time.

It should be mentioned that among the people of the Islamic society at that time, there were a number of companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and the people of Madinah, who, although they were a little familiar with the virtues and status of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), but they were worldly, seeking welfare and interested He did not allow them to eat forbidden things with the Imam.

P.: 28

1- Abi Jafar Muhammad bin Yaqub Kilini, al-Rawzah Man al-Kafi, edited by: Muhammad Jafar Shamsuddin, Beirut, Dar al-Taarif for the Press, 1413 A.H., vol. 8, pp. 58-63.

The same, pp. 58-63.

2. Negative performance properties

Hint

One of the serious problems facing the reforms of Amir al-Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him) was the opposition and enmity of a number of elders and members of the society of that day who, for various reasons, did not have the patience to tolerate the rule of that Imam and were hostile to the Imam. Those who had different motivations and the only common point was their enmity and opposition to Ali (peace be upon him), formed a united front and started their opposition from the very first days of the Imam’s rule. Among them, Talha, Zubair, Mu’awiya bin Abi Sufyan, Abdullah bin Umar, Obaidullah bin Umar, Marwan bin Hukm, Saeed bin As, Zaid bin Thabit, Waleed bin Uqbah and a number of other Quraysh and Umayyads and corrupt officials of the time of Uthman. be able to name

In the very first days of his rule, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) outlined the main lines of Alawite reforms in two sermons and promised the people to implement social justice, abolish unfair privileges and return looted property. (1)

He is for

To stabilize this situation, with a previous announcement, he ordered the balance of Baitul-Mal to be divided equally between Muhajireen and Ansar. (2)

When the Qureshi and Umayyad nobles realized that their interests would be jeopardized by the implementation of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) plans, they took a front against him. (3)

Those who wanted to change the methods and principles of the reforms of the Amir of the Faithful (peace be upon him), because they saw their efforts fruitless and knew that the Imam would not give up his principled positions despite their protests, they reached Mecca and prepared themselves for rebellion and They prepared a war with the nascent government of Amir al-Mu’minan (peace be upon him). (1) The Jamal war was their first armed rebellion against the Alawite government.

Mu’awiya, who was the leader of the kingdom in Syria and was never willing to pledge allegiance to and follow Ali (peace be upon him), played an effective role in fighting against him and inciting and supporting the internal opposition. Throwing a war against the Imam. (2)

After the defeat of the enemies of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in the Battle of Jamal, some of them joined Muawiya. This time, under the pretext of seeking the blood of Uthman, they ignited the battle of Safin and once again turned to armed struggle with the Imam. (3)

The enemies of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), after the battle of Safin and the affair of al-Hakemit until his martyrdom, did not fail to engage in sedition and chaos. Sham, which was the center of Muawiya’s rule, had turned into a safe fence for them and a base for enmity with Imam Ali (peace be upon him). By supporting internal hypocrites, launching troops to kill and loot, and creating insecurity and terror in the lands under the rule of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and creating a psychological war against him and his companions, they are seriously undermining the foundations of the Imam’s government. They tried. (4)

In this way, during the short period of his rule, the Imam was busy defending the right and justice and fighting with the properties that caused internal rebellions. Therefore, he did not find the opportunity and possibility to fully implement parts of his intended reforms.

P.: 30

1- Abi Abdullah Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Nu’man Akbari, known as Sheikh Mufid, the works of al-Sheikh al-Mufid, al-Mu’tamar al-Alami Lalfiyyah al-Sheikh al-Mufid, 1413 AH-.Q, ch 1, vol. 1, p. 288.

2- Commentary on Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 1, p. 231.

3- Nasr bin Muzahim Manqari, Waqqa al-Safin, suspension and description: Abdussalam Mohammad Haroun, Qom, Basiri Bookstore Publications, 1382, Ch. 7, pp. 82, 221 and 417.

Al-Gharat, pp. 134, 184, 311 and 1288.

The opponents and enemies of the Imam did not have the same motive in enmity with him, but different motives had led them to enmity with Imam Ali (peace be upon him).

Motives of opposition and enmity of Khawas with Amir Momenan Ali (peace be upon him)

A) Past grudges

By examining the background of some properties, it can be seen that they had grudges against Ali (peace be upon him) in their hearts from the distant past.

Amir al-Mominan Ali (peace be upon him) had fought with the polytheists of Quraysh in the presence of the beloved Messenger of Islam and at his feet, and many of their leaders had been killed by Amir al-Mominan (peace be upon him). Most of the enemies of Ali (peace be upon him) that day were the children and relatives of the slain polytheists of Badr, Hanin, and Uhud.

In the first days of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) rule, when the people were busy receiving their share from the treasury, a group of Umayyads and Quraish hypocrites raised their first whispers of opposition. After the morning prayer, they discussed with each other in a corner of the mosque. In the meantime, Waleed bin Uqbah separated from them and came to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and said: “O Aba al-Hasan! You have made everyone mourn [and you are responsible for our blood]. As for me, you killed my father in the battle of Badr and yesterday in the battle of Uthman’s house, you did not help my brother and made a fool of yourself and you killed the father of Saeed bin As – who was the bull of Quraish – in the battle of Badr. You also called Marwan’s father humble when Uthman brought him back [from exile] to Medina and called him to him. However, we are the descendants of Abd Manaf, brothers and people like you… and if we become afraid of you, we will leave you and go to Syria”. (1)

P.: 31

Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 7, pp. 38 and 39, Waqqa al-Safin, p. 417.

b) Jealousy and power seeking

After the death of the Prophet of Islam, the caliph of the Muslims was determined based on tribal and racial privileges or in the form of “Istkhlaf” and Shura. This caused those who did not see themselves less than the caliphs to consider themselves worthy of gaining power. When they saw that after the killing of Uthman, the people had sworn allegiance to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), they were jealous of him and opposed and enmity with the Imam to gain power.

Talha and Zubair were among these people. When Imam saw their enmity, oppositions, and disruptions, he called for them and had a conversation with them. Jealousy and power-seeking were evident from their words.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said to them: “I swear to you by God, wasn’t it the case that you two came to me willingly to pledge allegiance and called me to rule, and yet I did not like it?” They said: “Yes, it was so.” Then he said: “You pledged allegiance to me without being forced?” They said: “It is so.” The Imam said: “Then what made you see this situation after that?” They said: “We pledged allegiance to you, on the condition that you do not complete the work without our knowledge and consent, and that you consult with us in every matter, and that you do not exercise tyranny over us, and that you know that it is a great virtue to make us superior to others; “However, you divide the property and do things without consulting us.” Imam replied:

I swear to God! I had no desire to rule and you (the people) called me to it and appointed me to the caliphate, and I was afraid that if I did not accept your offer, the Ummah would fall into dissension. When the government came to me, I looked at the Book of God and the Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). I followed the orders of those two, and I did not see the need for your and others’ opinions in that case, and if something happens that is not clarified in the Book of God and the Sunnah and needs to be consulted, without hesitation, I will consult with you two. I will consult someone. (1)

Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 7, p. 41.

Talha and Zubair, who were opportunistic in the hope of gaining power, had pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and asked him to be the governor of some regions. When they were faced with the Imam’s negative answer, they opened their mouths to protest and voiced opposition to the Imam little by little. (2) Zubair said in the crowd: “This is our reward from Ali.” When Uthman was killed, we stood up for him until he was killed, and when he achieved what he wanted with our help, he made those whom we were superior to superior to us.” Talha also said: “We are not to blame except ourselves.” There were three of us left from the council. One of us (Saad bin Abi Waqqas) turned away from Ali. Two of us pledged allegiance to him (Ali) and gave him what we had in our hands, but he withheld from us what he had in his hand”. (3)

Muawiyah, who was seeking the position of Muslim caliphate and who knew Talha and Zubair’s power-seeking spirit well, wrote to them in a letter: “I have taken allegiance for you two, from the people and the Syrian Army.” Thus, he asked them to rebel against Imam Ali (peace be upon him). Talha and Zubair were also deceived and united with each other to oppose Ali (peace be upon him) and started the Basra affair.

c) Material benefits

One of the main axes of Amir Momenan Ali’s (peace be upon him) reforms was financial and economic reforms. The Imam strictly prevented the looting of the treasury and divided the treasury equally. He abandoned all the privileges that were established during the time of the previous caliphs and tried to return the looted wealth to the treasury.

P.: 33

1- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 7, p. 41.

2- The same, vol. 1, p. 231.

3- Ibid., vol. 7, p. 42.

The same, vol. 1, p. 231.

This revolutionary behavior of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was not liked by those who had filled their pockets from the treasury and were used to that situation, and they used all their efforts to return the situation to the previous state.

From the very beginning, when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) ordered his agent to divide the treasury equally and give each one three dinars, a group of Quraish nobles did not participate in protesting this work (1) and their objections. started When Imam saw their protests, he said in a sermon:

be aware! This world, which you are so interested in and long for, and which sometimes pleases you and sometimes angers you, is not the house you were created for and invited to. In this income and property, no one is superior to another, and the property belongs to God and you are His Muslim servants. This is God’s book to which we have confessed and surrendered, and the covenant of our prophet is between us, and whoever is not satisfied with it, he can do whatever he wants. (2)

In a conversation with Talha and Zubair, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: “Which one of my deeds have you become so heartbroken that you have opposed me?” They said: “Your opposition to Omar Ibn Khattab in the quality of property distribution!” You made our rights equal to others and established equality between us and those who are not the same as us. God provided these properties under the protection of our swords and spears and the hard work of our horsemen and footmen, and He won our call and we gained those lands and properties with strength and hard work, and we should not be with those who hate to Islam has believed, let’s be the same.” Imam Ali (peace be upon him) replied:

P.: 34

1- The same, vol. 7, p. 38.

Ibid., p. 40.

Regarding the property and this method of parting, I have not ruled or acted on this matter; You and I witnessed that the Prophet gave the same ruling and behavior. And God’s book is clear about this matter… Regarding what you say: You made our benefit from what was obtained under the shadow of our swords, like the benefit of others, since a long time ago, a group overtook a Muslim and spread Islam with swords. And they have helped with their spears, and the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not give them priority over others in the division of wealth… God Almighty will reward the pioneers and mujahids on the Day of Judgment. (1)

In this context, Muawiyah, who knew very well that allegiance to Ali (peace be upon him) would never be compatible with the king’s carpet and his colorful tables and his generosity from the Treasury, used all his efforts to antagonize him.

3. Degeneration of society

Worldliness, the spread of moral corruption, the dimming of virtues and spirituality, the forgetting of the Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and the many heresies that were institutionalized in the religion of God made it impossible to reform the society. The Imam, who was well aware of the situation of his time, refused to accept the government and said:

leave me and ask for another; Because we welcome a situation that has different faces and different directions. Hearts are steadfast on this matter and intellects do not remain stable, the horizon of truth is covered by dark clouds of corruption and the straight path of truth remains unknown. (1)

P.: 35

1- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 434; Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 1, p. 251, sermon 92.

He accepted the government only when he was afraid of the division among Muslims and realized that by accepting it, he could return a right to its owner.

In such a society, the views of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the people about government were fundamentally different.

Although after the assassination of Osman, the masses of people insisted on pledging allegiance to the Imam, but a large part of them, especially some of the leaders of that movement, such as Talha and Zubair,

They did not seek to return the society to the way and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Injustices, party monopolies, and tribal decisions of the Umayyads in the government made them fed up, and some of them were treated by Uthman’s disrespect and were excluded from the distribution of treasury properties or government positions. .

In other words, people are motivated by worldly and material pressures and efforts, and Ali (peace be upon him) is motivated by righteousness, seeking God, and the concern of reviving religious values.

This is how Imam said:

Your and I’s goal is not the same, I want you for “God” and you want me for yourself. (2)

In such a situation, with the insistence of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) on the principles and values of Islam, the people who were looking for material benefits, left him alone in the way of achieving his lofty goals and went after their own goals. As the conditions became more difficult and the divine manifestations of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) rule became more apparent, the support and support of the people also decreased. Basically, the corrupt society and the worldly and cowardly people who knew nothing about Islam except its appearance, how can they be expected to rise up to support God’s religion and divine values?

P.: 36

1- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 434; Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 1, p. 251, sermon 92.

Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact commentary, vol. 2, p. 133, sermon 136.

The sermons and complaints of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) from the masses of the people of his time are the best evidence for this claim:

I have been informed that Basr (1) has captured Yemen. I swear to God, I knew they would dominate you soon; Because they are united in helping their falsehood and you are divided in the way of truth. You disobeyed your leader on the path of truth, but they obeyed their leader in their falsehood. They are loyal to their leader and you are treacherous. They are engaged in reforms in their cities and you are engaged in corruption! If I hand over a glass to one of you, I am afraid that you will steal its handle.

O Allah, (I advised and admonished enough) I made them tired and sad and they also made me bored. So instead of them, give me better people and instead of me, make them dominate them worse than me. (2)

Amazing! Amazing! I swear to God, this truth kills the human heart and creates sadness that they are so united in their false path and you are so scattered in the right path.

Shame on you and may you always be sad that you have been the target of the enemy’s attack. They attack you one after another and you don’t counterattack. They fight with you and you don’t fight; This is God’s disobedience and you consent to it (by your actions).

P.: 37

1- Basr bin Abi Arta’ah was one of the relatives and commanders of Muawiya’s army. He, who was a hard-hearted and ruthless man, was assigned by Muawiyah to go to areas such as Hijaz, Mecca, Medina and Yemen that were under the rule of Ali (peace be upon him) and threaten, loot and kill the Shiites of Ali (peace be upon him). to create insecurity in the territory of His Holiness’s government. He did the same. See: Al-Gharat, p. 382.

Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 1, p. 113, sermon 25

When I gave you the order to move towards the enemy in the summer, you said: Give us a little time so that the heat subsides, and if I gave you this order in the cold of winter, you said: The weather is extremely cold now; Let the cold be calm! All these were excuses to escape from the cold and heat! You who run away from cold and heat, by God, you will run away from the (enemy’s) sword even more!

O you who are like men, but you are not men! O children of your foolish attributes and O brides sitting in a veil (who do not think of anything but pleasure and drink)! How I wish I had never seen or known you; …. May God kill you for causing so much blood to my heart and making my chest full of anger and making me drink the cups of sadness and sorrow; By disobeying and not helping, you ruined my plans and plans (to suppress the enemy and build a prosperous Islamic society)… (1)

Curse on you! I blamed you enough, I’m tired! Have you settled for the temporary life of this world instead of the (enjoyable) life of the Hereafter? And instead of honor and pride, have you chosen misery and humiliation?… I never, ever trust you; There is no trust in you to rely on you (in repelling the enemy) and you are not an honorable tribe or companions to reach out to you in need… By God! I think that if the war gets hard and the heat and sting of death reaches you, you will be separated and dispersed from around Abu Talib’s son like the separation of the head from the body… (2)

Whatever I invite you, you do not respond; I have been caught by people who do not obey when I command them, and when I invite them, they do not respond.

P.: 38

1- Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact commentary, vol. 1, p. 119, sermon 27.

The same, vol. 1, p. 135, sermon 34.

You have no ancestry! What are you waiting for in the help of your Lord? Don’t you have a religion that brings you together or a zeal that makes you angry?

I have risen among you! No matter how much I shout and ask you for help, you do not listen to my words and do not obey my order so that the true face of bad deeds is revealed.

Blood revenge cannot be taken with you, nor can a goal be achieved with your help… (1)

4. Absence of prominent companions

One of the important and essential needs of a community leader to achieve the government’s goals and overcome problems is to have coordinated, powerful and accompanying forces by his side; Those who wholeheartedly believe in the goals and motivations of the community leader and sincerely devote all their efforts to achieve those goals. The effective and efficient role of people such as Malik Ashtar, Ammar Yasir and Hashim Marqal during the reign of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), especially in the battle of Safin, is a proof of this claim.

As stated earlier, since Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was far from the political scene during the time of the previous caliphs and had limitations, it was less possible to train elite and efficient political forces. With the beginning of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) rule, the lack of outstanding helpers in this field was clearly visible to the extent that sometimes he was forced to appoint those who did not have the full and desired qualifications to the governorship of some places.

With the passage of time and the increase in enemy attacks and the martyrdom of a number of the Imam’s companions and followers, the Imam became more and more lonely until after the martyrdom of Muhammad bin Abi Bakr in Egypt, Malik Ashtar, the most important arm of his government, was forced to His presence in the center of government required him to be sent to Egypt as a governor. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) wrote in a letter to the people of Egypt:

P.: 39

Ibid., pp. 141 and 143, sermon 39.

But then, I sent one of God’s servants to you who does not sleep when he is afraid (people of war)… I put you ahead of me when I sent him to your governorship. He is righteous and benevolent towards you and strict towards your enemies. (1)

Unfortunately, at the end of his reign, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not have the same small number of his special companions. The most prominent companions of the Imam, who had eloquent languages and were sincerely under the command of the Imam, and who sacrificed their lives, wealth, and honor for the sake of the Imam, were no more. The place of Malik Ashtar, Ammar, Hashem Marqal, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, Abdullah bin Badil, Zayd bin Sohan, etc. among the Imam’s companions was empty.

On the other hand, the disruptions and riots of the enemies and the disloyalty of the people were increasing day by day. In a sermon addressed to his troops, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) complained about their disobedience and disloyalty and mentioned his special companions as follows:

Who should I fight with?

And who should I trust? (Wow!) I want to treat “diseases” through you, but you are the disease yourself! I am like one who tries to pull out a thorn with a thorn, even though he knows that a thorn is like a thorn.

P.: 40

The same, vol. 3, p. 111, letter 38.

Thank God, the doctors are tired of this pain. Where are the people who were invited to Islam and accepted? They recited the Qur’an and knew it as they should; They were motivated towards Jihad and set out towards it with love like the love of a camel (female camel) for her children. They threw away the scabbards of the swords and surrounded the ground in groups and rows. Some became martyrs and some were saved; They were never happy that someone survived in the middle of the war, and they did not need to condole the death of martyrs. Their eyes were sad because of crying (from the fear of God) and their stomachs were empty of food because of long fasting. Many prayers, dry lips and night vigils had changed their faces and the dust of humility had settled on their faces. They were my brothers who left. We deserve to be thirsty for their meeting and to be sorry for their parting… (1)

In the last days of his painful life and in his last sermons, Imam said:

where are my brothers The same ones who were riding and walking on the right path. Where is Ammar? Where is Ibn Tihan(2) and where is Dhu al-Shahadtin?(3) Where are their brothers like them who made a covenant of war and their heads were sent to the oppressors.(4)

P.: 41

1- The same, vol. 2, pp. 89-91, sermon 121.

2- Malik bin al-Taihan Ansari was one of the great companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, who was present in the battles of Badr and Uhud and was martyred in Safin at the foot of Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him). Reference: Abi Umar Yusuf Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Qurtubi, Al-Istiyab fi Ma’rifa al-Ashab, research: Adel Abd al-Mawati, Beirut, Dar al-Kutb al-Alamiya, 1415 AH, ch. 1, vol. 3, p. 404.

3- Khuzima bin Thabit Ansari, who was present with the Messenger of God, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in Badr and the wars after that, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, considered his testimony to be equal to the testimony of two people, and for this reason, he was known as “Dhual Shahadatin”. Khuzima was martyred in the battle of Safin and in the footsteps of Amir Momenan (peace be upon him). See: Ibid., vol. 2, p. 30.

4– Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 2, p. 263, sermon 182

Then the Imam gave up on his noble virtues and cried for a long time. Then he said:

Alas for my brothers; Those who recited the Qur’an and applied it, were careful in their duties and followed them. They keep traditions alive and heresies die. They were invited to Jihad and they eagerly accepted. And they trusted their leader and sincerely followed him. (2)

Amir Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him), in spite of many enmities, the lack of faithful companions, the weakness of faith and the disobedience of his troops, until the last moments of his life, he sought to achieve his lofty goals.

In the continuation of this sermon, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) called the people to Jihad and said:

Servants of God, Jihad! Jihad! Be aware that I am moving the army to the camp today! The one who wants to migrate to God should come out with us. (3)

Then he started organizing his army. Ten thousand people under the command of Hussein (peace be upon him), ten thousand people under the command of Qais bin Saad and ten thousand people under the command of Abu Ayyub were ready to return to Safin. Friday had not yet arrived when the great man of Islamic history was beaten by Abdurrahman bin Muljam Moradi and was martyred. (4)

P.: 42

2- Ibid., p. 263.

3- The same, vol. 2, p. 263.

the same

1. The state of political and administrative affairs of the governments before the caliphate of Amirul Momineen Ali (peace be upon him).

Hint

A brief look at the political situation of the Islamic society and the performance of some officials of the governments before Imam Ali (peace be upon him) will clarify the situation of that era.

A) Khaled bin Walid, commander of the army and ruler of Egypt

Khaled bin Waleed bin Mughirah was one of the nobles of Quraish during the Jahili period, who participated in wars against Muslims. He became a Muslim in the seventh year of Hijrah. The Prophet of Islam sent him on a mission to one of the Arab tribes. When Khalid reached there, due to the darkness and enmity he had with them during the Jahiliyyah, he took up the sword and killed and looted a lot. When this news reached the ears of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him), he turned to the Qiblah and said: “O God, I seek to avoid what Khalid has done.” Then he ordered Ali (peace be upon him) to go to that tribe and to compensate for Khalid’s ugly behavior, to pay the ransom of the dead and the looted property. (1)

Khalid bin Waleed was apparently a strong person, but he was devoid of moral values and he had committed grave mistakes during the time of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). During the time of Abu Bakr, Khalid was sent to different places at the head of military forces to suppress apostates and false prophets.

(1) Khalid’s crimes in these missions show his lowliness and weak moral character

P.: 43

Ahmad Yaqoubi, Tarikh Yaqoubi, translated by: Mohammad Ebrahim Aiti, Tehran Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company, 1371, Ch. 6, Vol. 2, pp. 422 and 423; Mohammad Hossein Alami, General Shia Encyclopaedia, Beirut, Al-Alami Press Institute, 1413-H. Q, ch 2, vol. 9, pp. 40 and 41.

Abul Hasan Ali ibn Abi al-Karam ibn Athir, al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, Beirut, Dar al-Ahaya al-Tarath al-Arabi, 1408 AH, ch. 1, vol. 2, p. 24

One of the crimes of Khaled bin Waleed in the “Raddah” wars was the murder of Malik bin Nuweera. Malik bin Nuweera was one of the elders and nobles of the Bani Yarbu tribe of the Bani Tamim tribe, who converted to Islam during the time of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He was appointed by that Prophet to collect zakat in his tribe. (2) He was a proverb among the Arabs in his courage, boldness and other human qualities. He refused to pay zakat. Khalid also cut off his head from his body under the pretext of apostasy and non-payment of zakat and put food under the pot and slept with his beautiful wife that same night. (Evidences show that Khalid’s main goal of killing Malik was to get his beautiful wife).

(4) This was while Malik was saying shahadat and praying. (5) However, the heads of the government kept him at the head of the military forces with the justification that “Khalid has done ijtihad and therefore does not deserve to be blamed.” they left

P.: 44

1- Abul Hasan Ali ibn Abi al-Karam ibn Athir, al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, Beirut, Dar al-Ahaya al-Tarath al-Arabi, 1408 AH, ch. 1, vol. 2, p. 24.

2- Izz al-Din Abi al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Athir al-Jazri, Asdal Ghabah fi Ma’rifah al-Sahaba, Beirut, Dar al-Ahiyya al-Tarath al-Arabi, 1390 AH-. Q, vol. 5, p. 53.

3- Abdul Hossein Sharaf al-Din, Al-Nas and Al-Ijtihad, Qom, Eswa Publications, 1413 AH-. Q, ch 1, p. 100.

4- Some of the mentioned evidences are as follows: a) The caliph had ordered Khalid and his army to refrain from killing those who offer prayers. Malik bin Nuweera was one of the worshipers and he clarified this matter himself. However, Khalid insisted on killing him. Even Khalid did not pay attention to her suggestion that he said “take me to the caliph so that he can make whatever decision he wants about me” and immediately went to bed with his wife after her murder. (Ismail bin Ali Abu al-Fada, Al-Mukhtasar fi Akhbar al-Bashr, research: Muhammad Diyoub, Ch. 1, Beirut, Dar al-Jalil, 1408 AH-.Q, Vol. 1, pp. 157 and 158) b) Malik, when he saw Khalid’s insistence on killing him, motivated He pointed to Khalid’s murder and, referring to his wife, said to Khalid: “This is the cause of your murder”; “This is what killed me.” (Ibid., vol. 1, p. 158) c) Waqadi, while saying that the immediate marriage of Khalid with Malik’s wife is a consensus among scholars, quotes poems by Abu Zuhair Saadi in which Khalid’s heart is attached to Malik’s wife. It refers to a long time ago. In the verse that contains this content, he says: Ada Khalid Baghiya against Larseh and Kan Le Fiha, before Zalak, Khalid raped Malik’s wife, and he had the love and desire of that woman in his heart before. See: Muhammad bin Omar Waqidi, Kitab al-Rada, Jordan, Dar al-Furqan, p. 163.5- Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 33. 1 to 185 p44

Once Khalid burned some of the captives he had taken from the apostates.

When Umar protested to the first caliph about this and demanded his dismissal, the caliph replied: “O Umar, I will not sheathe the sword that God has placed on the heads of the infidels.” (2) Also, the first caliph about him. He used to say: “No mother can give birth like Khalid.” (3)

b) Succession agreement and the principle of “designating a successor”

In the final moments of his life, Abu Bakr consulted with two noble figures of Quraysh, Uthman bin Affan and Abdul Rahman bin Auf, to determine his successor. (4)

And then he obliged Uthman, who was with him throughout his illness, to write the contract of Omar’s succession. After writing the opening sentences of the treaty, Abu Bakr fell into a coma and Uthman, who knew his duty, wrote the treaty to the end and included Omar’s name in it. After regaining consciousness, Abu Bakr asked him to read what he had written, and he did so, and Abu Bakr confirmed his writing. (5)

With the appointment of Omar to the caliphate by Abu Bakr, the principle of “appointing a successor” became a legitimate principle in Sunni political jurisprudence.

P.: 45

2- Abu al-Qasim Ali bin Hussain bin Asaker, Tarikh Damascus al-Kabir, Beirut, Dar al-Ahiya Al-Tarath al-Arabi, 1421 AH, Ch 1, Vol. 46, p. 279.

3- Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 54.

4- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 3, p. 428.

Abu Zayd Omar Shabbe Nimiri, Tarikh al-Madinah al-Munaura, Qom, Dar al-Fikr manifests, 1410 AH-.Q, vol. 2, p. 667.

Mughira was the ruler of Basra for a while before he became the ruler of Kufa. During that period, four people testified that he committed adultery with a married woman named Umm Jameel from the tribe of Qays. Witnesses appeared before the Caliph to testify. The testimony of Abu Bakra and Nafee bin Harith, who were among the companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him), was clear, explicit and the same as the testimony of Shabul bin Mabad. When Ziyad bin Samiyyah came to testify before the Caliph, the Caliph said: “I see a man whose language God will not disgrace one of the companions of the Prophet of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him).” Then he asked him about what he had seen. Ziyad Bin Sumiya refused to testify completely and was freed in this way. Then Umar ordered that the other three witnesses were subjected to the Hadd (Qazf) for the crime of accusing Mughirah. It was after this that the Caliph removed him from the province of Basra and after some time he entrusted him with the province of Kufa. (1)

Among the caliph’s agents, except for Mughira, there were other immoral people, one of whom was Qudameh bin Mazoun, who drank wine. For this reason, he was flogged. (2) Numan bin Adi was another governor who wrote khumriyat (poems describing wine and drinking). (3)

e) Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan, the ruler of Syria

Hind, the mother of Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, was famous for prostitution and corruption during Jahiliyyah (4) and in the battle of Uhud, she impersonated the body of Hazrat Hamza, the Prophet’s uncle. From that time on, he became known as the “Liver-eating Indian” (Akleh al-Akbad). (5) From his father’s side, he was accused of having an illicit relationship with four people.

P.: 47

1- Jacob’s history, p. 30; Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 159; Al-Aghani, vol. 16, pp. 94-100.

2- History of al-Madinah al-Munaura, vol. 3, p. 842.

3- Musab Zubiri, Nasab Quraysh, Dar al-Ma’arif Lal-Tabaa’ and Al-Nashr, p. 328.

4- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 336.

In his book, after bringing the events of the Uhud war, Ibn Athir writes: After the war of India, the liver-eater and his friends threw themselves on the dead (Muslims) and tore their bodies to pieces. They cut their ears and noses, and India made handcuffs from their ears and noses and gave them to their slaves as “savages”. He split open Hamza’s chest, took out his liver and put it in his mouth, but he could not chew it, so he threw it out. See: Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 1, p. 555.

(1) The Prophet had cursed him several times. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) heard the voice of Muawiya and Amro bin As while singing, he cursed them like this: “O God, make them hard to get caught in fitna and overthrow them in the worst condition in hell.” (2) Another time, the Prophet of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) sent someone after Muawiya to come to him several times.

But Muawiya, who was busy eating at that time, did not stop eating and did not come to the Prophet of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). At this time, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) cursed him: “May God never fill his stomach.” He was hungry.

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) describes Muawiya as follows:

God did not give him a background in religion and a clear background in Islam. Freed, freed son… He and his father were always enemies of God and the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and Muslims until they reluctantly became Muslims. (4)

The Holy Prophet of Islam met Abu Sufyan on a road, while he was riding a donkey and his sons were coming from the front and the other behind the donkey. When the Prophet caught sight of them, he said: O God, curse the one who is advancing, the one who is following, and the rider.” (5)

The second caliph appointed and supported such a person as his governor and governor in the important and extensive area of Sham.

P.: 48

1- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 336.

2- “Oh God, they are both in the fitna, and they are praying to Hellfire.” The location of Safin, p. 219.

3- Ibid., p. 220.

4- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 5, p. 8.

“Allah Al-An Al-Qa’id, Al-Bakeer, and Al-Raqib”. The location of Safin, p. 220.

Even though it was quoted many times from the beloved Messenger of Islam that: “If you see Mu’awiya giving a sermon on the pulpit, kill him.”

(1) When one of the Ansar wanted to follow the order of the Prophet of God and kill Muawiya, they told him not to do this until we write this order for Umar. So they did so, but Umar did not answer until he died. (2)

Mu’awiyah had spread the kingdom in Syria;

In such a way that when the caliph entered Syria, he was surprised to see the organization of his kingdom and said: This is the Arab deficit”. (3)

Qazi Abdul Jabbar – one of the Sunni elders – says: “Even though Umar was very careful about his agents and changing them, he never dealt with Mu’awiyah in this way.” (4) Some reports also confirm this statement of Qazi Abdul Jabbar; Including the news that the caliph said to Muawiya: “I will never command or forbid you.” Also, they once talked to the caliph about Mu’awiya and he replied: “Leave the young man and the eldest son of the Quraish and do not blame him.” (5)

P.: 49

1- Ibid., p. 220.

2- My sentence Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 5, p. 136.

3- Abi Umar Yusuf Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Qurtubi, al-Istiyab fi Ma’rafa al-Ashab, research: Adel Abd al-Mojood, Beirut, Dar al-Kutb al-Alamiya, 1415 AH, ch 1, vol. 3, p. 471.

4- Abdul-Jabbar Ahmad Hamdani, Taqfiq al-Daliy al-Nabwah, research: Abdul Karim Othman, Beirut, Dar al-Arabiya, p. 593; The beginning and the end, vol. 8, p. 133.

The beginning and the end, vol. 8, p. 133.

f) Amr As

Amr As was one of the agents of the era before the caliphate of Amir al-Mu’minan Ali (peace be upon him), who was not so strict about him. When he was born, his mother attributed him to five people. Then, when there was a fight between Abu Sufyan and As, his mother attributed him to As. They told him: Abu Sufyan is higher in terms of lineage. In response, his mother said: “As gives me more alimony, while Abu Sufyan is a stingy and greedy person.” (1)

His growth and development took place in the house and under the hand of someone who insulted and harassed the Prophet a lot and the Qur’an had called him “Abtar” (2).

In Makkah, Amr wrote many poems against the Prophet and he hurt the beloved Prophet of Islam so much that the Prophet cursed him like this:

By God, Amr As is criticizing me [by writing poems] and you know very well that I am not a poet. So you curse him with the number of verses of the poems that he said in his condemnation of me (3.

He provoked the children of Makkah to recite those poems loudly to annoy the Prophet. (4)

When a group of Muslims migrated to Abyssinia on the orders of the Prophet of God (peace be upon him).

P.: 50

1- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 6, p. 285.

2- Ibid., p. 282.

3- the same

the same

Quraish sent Amr along with Amara bin Waleed as his ambassador to Najashi to bring them back, but he did not succeed.

(1) He fought against Muslims in many wars together with polytheists (2) and when he realized the power of Islam, he became a Muslim in the eighth year of Hijri, before the conquest of Mecca. (3) After the death of the Messenger of God ( (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was chosen as the commander of the Islamic Army in Egypt and then as the governor there. (4)

Many reports indicate that he was honored and respected in the government of that time. (5)

At the beginning of the conquest of Iraq and Syria, although the commanders were not chosen from among the great Companions, the selection of commanders did not go beyond the boundaries of the Quraysh and their allies, such as Thaqif and sometimes the Ansari who were trusted. When Utbah bin Ghazwan (founder of the city of Basra) complained about Saad bin Abi Waqqas’ command and prohibition, he was told: “Why don’t you want to accept the command of a Qureshi?” (6)

g) Council for appointing the Caliph

The formation of the Caliph selection council and how to arrange its members is one of the issues of the era before the rule of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), which deserves careful attention from various aspects. The second Caliph chose six people to consult each other choose from among themselves. He determined how the council works; They had to gather in a house and fifty people from Ansar took care of them. If five people chose someone and one person disagreed, they should have cut off his head.

P.: 51

1- Ahmad bin Hanbal, Al-Masnad, Beirut, Dar al-Fikr, 1414 AH, Ch 8, Vol 1, p. 431.

2- The beginning and the end, vol. 8, p. 133.

3- Asdal Ghabah fi Ma’rafa Sahabah, vol. 4, p. 245.

4- Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 174.

5- Jamal al-Din Yusuf bin Taghri Berdi, Al-Nujum al-Zahrah fi Maluk Misr va Al-Qahira, Misr, Al-Hiyeh Al-Masriyyah Al-Ama Lalkatab, 1392 AH-.Q, vol. 1, pp. 63 and 64.

Shahab al-Din Yaqut Hamvi, Majam al-Baldan, Beirut, Dar Sadir, 1399 AH, vol. 1, p. 433.

If two people disagreed with the vote of four, they should have been killed. If there were three people on one side and three on the other side, they should be satisfied with the arbitrariness of Abd Allah bin Umar, and if they were not satisfied, there was a group in front of which Abd al-Rahman bin Auf was among them. If the other three had opposed them, they would have been killed. The members of the council were Uthman, Abdul Rahman bin Auf, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Talha, Zubair and Imam Ali (peace be upon him). (1)

Once the composition of the council was chosen, the result of the work of the council was clear as to who would be elected. The arrangement of the members of the council and their selection were designed in such a way that the result was nothing other than Uthman’s caliphate. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) analyzed it like this before forming the Shura:

Usman and I are in this group and the majority must be obeyed; Saad will not oppose his cousin Abd al-Rahman bin Auf. Abdul Rahman is the husband of Othman’s sister, and they will not disagree with each other, and Abdul Rahman will choose her. In this case, even if two people remain; It means that if Talha and Zubair are with me, it will not be useful; Because the group of three of them is preferable due to the presence of Ibn Auf. (2)

After Omar’s death, the members of the Shura gathered together. Abd al-Rahman declared that he did not want the government (3) and others were not natural candidates for the caliphate. So Saad left the task to Ibn Awf. (4) Therefore, the matter of caliphate was exclusive between Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and Uthman.

P.: 52

1- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, pp. 228 and 229; Abi Jafar Mohammad Tousi, al-Mali, Qom, Dar al-Thaqafa, 1414 AH, ch 1, p. 545, h 4.

2- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 191.

3- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 231.

Jalal al-Din Abdul Rahman Siyuti, History of the Caliphs, Beirut, Dar al-Jalil, 1408 AH, p. 158.

Abd al-Rahman, who was the head of the council, consulted with the commanders of the army and nobles for a while, and they recommended Uthman. (1) After three days passed, Abd al-Rahman appeared among the people in the mosque and announced that the people did not compare anyone to Uthman. (2) After Abd al-Rahman’s words, there was a dispute among the people who were present in the mosque, and a group supported Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and a group supported Uthman. (3)

At this time, Abd al-Rahman called Ali (peace be upon him) and said: “Do you have a covenant and commitment with God that if you become a ruler, you will follow the book of God, the life of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) and the life of the Sheikhs?” The Imam said: “Among you, I act according to the book of God and the way of His Prophet and my own ijtihad.” Abd al-Rahman called Uthman and he accepted the conditions and in this way, he chose Uthman as the caliphate and pledged allegiance to him. (4)

One of the negative consequences of the formation of the council was that people from Quraish, who had the spirit of seeking power and tribal rivalry, thought that the caliphate of the Muslims was attainable and that it could be achieved by making preparations. But the bad effects of this idea were revealed later in the Islamic society.

For example, Zubair used to say to Omar: “When you reach the caliphate, we can also be caliphs; Because we are not inferior to you in terms of being Qureshi and our records.” (5)

It is natural that the issue of the Council increased his expectations.

Muawiya also analyzed that the Shura has caused differences among Muslims; Because Talha, Zubair and Saad bin Abi Waqqas thought that they deserved the caliphate. (6)

P.: 53

1- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 231.

2- Al-Mansaf, vol. 5, p. 447.

3- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, pp. 232 and 233.

4- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 31, p. 399.

5- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 185.

Al-Aqd al-Farid, vol. 4, p. 265.

Ibn Abi al-Hadid quotes from his master: “Each of the members of the council had such a feeling inside that they have the background of the caliphate.” This caused subsequent disputes”. (1)

Sheikh Mufid writes about Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas: “He was not a person who considered himself equal to Ali (peace be upon him), but from the time he entered the council, he felt that he had the authority to caliphate and that’s it. It ruined his religion and world”. (2)

After the transfer of power and allegiance to Ibn Auf and other council members, Ali (peace be upon him) was still against and did not pledge allegiance. Ibn Awf said to him: Pledge allegiance, otherwise I will cut your neck. Imam went out of that place and a group followed him and said: Pledge allegiance or we will fight with you. Then the Imam came with them and pledged allegiance to Uthman. (3)

The Imam later declared clearly: “I pledged allegiance to Uthman out of hatred.” (4)

Osman was actually a representative of the Umayyad family and had a strong interest in them. He himself was a long-time aristocrat. For this reason, the government during his time moved towards the rule of the Umayyad aristocracy and many Umayyads reached key positions.

h) Hakam bin Abi al-Aas, rejected by the Prophet

Hukam bin Abi al-Aas bin Umayya, the uncle of Uthman bin Affan, was a neighbor of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Makkah during the Jahili period, and after the advent of Islam, he harassed him more than other neighbors.

P.: 54

1- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 9, pp. 28 and 29.

2- Abi Abdullah Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Nu’man Akbari known as Sheikh Mufid, the works of Al-Sheikh Al-Mufid Al-Jamal, Al-Anqar Al-Alami Lalfiyyah Al-Sheikh Al-Mufid, 1413 AH, Ch 1, Vol 1, p. 97.

3- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 9, p. 55.

4- Al-Gharat, p. 204.

After the conquest of Mecca, he came to Medina and apparently converted to Islam. In Madinah, he used to walk behind the Prophet and make prayers by moving his mouth and nose. When he stood to pray, he stood behind him and mocked with his finger movements. One day (as a result of the curse of the Prophet who said: Stay still!), he remained trembling in the same way and fell ill. (1)

One day, when the Prophet was at the house of one of his wives, he was secretly looking, and when the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recognized him, he came out with a small spear and said: “Who is this cursed chalpasa from me?” to give.” Then he said: “By God, he and his son should not be in the same place with me.” So he exiled them to Taif. He was cursed by the Prophet many times. (2)

After the death of the beloved Messenger of Islam, Uthman spoke to Abu Bakr interceding for him and asked Abu Bakr to bring them back, but he refused and said, “I do not give refuge to those who were driven out by the Prophet.” Umar also did not accept this request of Uthman during his caliphate and when Uthman became the caliphate, he returned them to Medina. (3)

People saw how he entered the Caliph’s house with torn and old clothes, and after a while wearing a fur shirt and an aristocratic robe, he left with respect and dignity. (4) After this, Ibn Abi’s decree Al-Aas became responsible for collecting the alms of the Khozaa tribe. (5)

P.: 55

1- My sentence Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, p. 135.

2- Ibid., pp. 255 and 256.

3- the same

4- Tarikh Yaqoubi, vol. 2, p. 56.

Jamel Man Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, p. 137.

i) Harith bin Hakam, the ruler of oppression

The two sons of Hakem, Harith and Marwan, who were among the exiles, got positions after returning from exile and marrying the two daughters of the Caliph. (1)

Harith bin Hakem was chosen as the ruler of Madain.

During that time, he oppressed the people so much that it caused people to protest and sent representatives to Uthman to express their protest. (2) Harith was also the governor of Medina market. His bad performance in Madinah market also caused people’s dissatisfaction. Of course, their complaint was also not accepted. (3)

j) Marwan bin Hakam, a corrupt agent

Marwan was the other son of Hakkam bin Abi al-Aas who returned to Madinah with him from exile. He had no belief in Islamic culture and customs and was cursed by him during the time of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him). 6) Marwan gradually became the most important person in the government body. As the caliph’s secretary, he answered the letters sent to Uthman and had the caliph’s seal at his disposal. Osman used to listen to him on many issues and had complete trust in him.

In the story of the people’s rebellion and the killing of Osman by the rebels, the factor that caused their anger again was Marwan’s mischief. When the rebels were returning from Madinah with the mediation of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), they saw Ghulam Uthman, who is quickly going to Egypt.

P.: 56

1- Al-Ghadir in Al-Kitab and Al-Sunnah and Al-Adab, vol. 8, pp. 257 and 267.

2- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 28, p. 872.

3- Jamel Man Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, p. 160.

4- Al-Ghadir in Al-Kitab and Al-Sunnah and Al-Adab, vol. 8, p. 263.

Tarikh Yaqoubi, vol. 2, p. 58.

They kept him and got a letter from him. The letter had the seal of Uthman and was addressed to Abdullah bin Saad, the governor of Egypt. In that letter, Abdullah bin Saad was ordered to kill and imprison the rebels. This angered the rebels and they returned to Medina. They first went to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) who was the mediator of peace. Imam took the letter to Uthman, but Uthman swore that he did not write it and was unaware of it. It is clear from the handwriting that it was written by Marwan and stamped by Uthman. The rebels asked Uthman to hand over Marwan, who so fearlessly ordered the killing, but Uthman refused to do so. People also surrounded Osman’s house. (1)

k) Walid bin Uqbah, the ruler of Kufa

The government of Kufa was entrusted to Walid bin Uqbah (who was the maternal brother of the Caliph) for a while. (2)

A Waleed is someone whom God has identified as a transgressor, and the honorable verse “In Ja’akum Fasq, Banba’i Fatbayannwa” (3) was revealed about him. Al-Mustalaq sent to them. After some time, Walid returned and falsely informed the Prophet of God that they refused to give Zakat. At this time, the noble verse was revealed and called him a transgressor. (5) The Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also introduced him to Hell. Was.

P.: 57

1- History of al-Madinah al-Munaura, vol. 3, pp. 1151 and 1161.

2- Moruj al-Dahahab, vol. 1, p. 691.

3- “O you who believe, if a transgressor has come to you as a prophet, then understand that you will be afflicted by a people of ignorance, so they will rise up against us, and you will not regret what I have done; O you who believe! If a wicked person brings you news, investigate it, lest you harm a group out of ignorance and regret what you have done.” Rooms: 6.

4- Moruj al-Dahahab, vol. 1, p. 691.

Jamel Man Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, p. 145.

One morning, while he was drunk, he stood at the altar of the mosque and prayed the morning prayer for four rakats and said: “Today, my Lord, if you want me to pray four more rakats!” (1) when the witnesses testified to Walid’s drinking At first, their certificate was not accepted, but due to Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) reprimands, their certificate was accepted and they were removed from this position due to public pressure and protest. (2)

l) Said bin As, the ruler of Kufa

Walid’s successor in Kufa was Saeed bin As; (3) another Umayyad, whose father was killed in the Battle of Badr. (4) Saeed bin As, like Walid, had a good time and considered Iraq to be the garden of Quraish youth. During his rule, he caused a lot of harm to the people. When the people of Kufa complained about him to Dar al-Khilafah, they heard the following answer: “Whenever one of you sees oppression from one of our governors, you ask us to depose him, but we will not do such a thing.” (5)

Said bin As, married Hind, daughter of Farafsa Nasrani. When this news reached Osman, he asked him in a letter about his wife’s lineage and beauty. Saeed wrote in response: She is a white-faced and tall girl. Once again, Osman sent a letter asking for Hind’s sister, and Saeed proposed her to Osman. (1)

P.: 58

1- the same

2- The same, pp. 692 and 693.

3- The same, p. 693.

4- Tabaqat al-Kabari, vol. 5, p. 23.

Ibid., p. 23.

Saeed bin As, Hashem Marqal, who was a famous companion of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and one of the commanders of the Islamic army in the battle of Yarmouk, and who had lost one of his eyes in the way of God, mocked him for testifying about the sighting of the crescent moon of Shawwal. and said: “Are you the only one among people who has seen you with this one eye?” The next morning, when Hashem broke his fast, Saeed beat him and set his house on fire. (2)

One of Saeed bin As’s misdeeds in Kufa was his ugly dealings with some of the pious and reciters of the Qur’an and elders of Kufa. Saeed considered the fertile lands of Iraq to be the excursion of the Quraysh and said: The fertile lands of Iraq are the recreation and garden of the Quraysh.” When they heard it, they protested and blamed him and Uthman. Said reported this protest to the Caliph. In a letter to Uthman, he wrote a group of people from Kufa – he mentioned the names of ten people: Malik Ashtar, Kamil bin Ziyad and… – they have found fault with you and me, and I am afraid that their supporters will increase. In response, Uthman issued an order to deport them to Syria (the region under the rule of Muawiya). (4)

After some time, as a result of the rebellion and widespread protest of the people of Kufa, Uthman dismissed Said and appointed Abu Musa Ash’ari, who was the ruler there before Omar, once again.

P.: 59

1- Al-Aghani, vol. 6, p. 383.

2- Tabaqat al-Kabari, vol. 5, p. 24.

3- The entire region of Mesopotamia, almost today’s Iraq, was called “Sawad”; Because it could be seen from afar because of the greenery and the many gardens and slaughterhouses. See: Majam al-Baldan, vol. 3, p. 272.

4- Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, pp. 322 and 323.

M) Muawiyah’s survival

Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan, who was already the governor of Damascus, remained in that region with all his bad history. (2) Muawiya also praised the caliph for appointing the Umayyads to government positions and said: “You are like the most generous people. People, you have rewarded us; And you made us the owners of the earth’s positions”. (3)

n) Abdullah bin Abi Sarh, the ruler of Egypt

The dismissal of Amr bin As from the government of Egypt and the appointment of Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh in his place was one of the events of this era. His writings inspired and distorted the Qur’an. Then he considered the distorted Quran a miracle for himself and claimed that he also speaks like Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and expresses God’s revelation and words to people. It was at this time that verse 93 of Surah An’am was revealed about him: (5)

Who is more unjust than the one who lies to God, or says that revelation has been sent to me, while it has not been revealed to him. And whoever says that I will reveal the same as what he revealed?

P.: 60

1- Moruj al-Dhahab, vol. 1, p. 695.

2- The same, p. 691.

3- History of al-Madinah al-Munaura, vol. 3, p. 1096.

4- Al-Kamal fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 235.

Then he apostatized and fled to Mecca. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) also ordered to kill him. Uthman, who was his foster brother, asked the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to intercede for him with great insistence. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Is there no one who will kill this dog before I save him?” (1)

Ibn Sarh’s oppression in Egypt made the people so angry that they rebelled and came to Medina and participated in the killing of Uthman. (2)

Q) Abdullah bin Amer, the ruler of Basra

After the dismissal of Abu Musa Ash’ari, Abdullah bin Amer, who was the son of the Caliph’s cousin, was appointed to work in Basra. Only 25 years old, he was too inexperienced to deliver a sermon. Ibn Atham narrates: On a Friday, Abdullah bin Amer, who had decided to deliver a sermon, went to the top of the pulpit and when he saw the crowd, he was terrified and it was difficult for him to speak. So he began the sermon in this way: Praise be to God who created the heavens and the earth in six years.” (3) And this was while many of the famous companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) were still alive. They were.

A) Inappropriate behavior with the elders of the Companions

Among the other regrettable issues of this era are the unpleasant interactions that took place with some of the elders of the Companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Abu Dharr, a great companion of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and one of the lovers of Ahl al-Bayt, seeing extreme deviations, heresies and the disgrace of the household, did not remain silent and enjoined the good and forbade the evil. This caused him to be exiled to Syria, but because Abu Dhar’s spirit was not compatible with silence and compromise against oppression and corruption, he did not sit quietly in Syria and criticized Muawiya’s wrongdoings.

P.: 61

1- Jamel Man Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, pp. 255 and 256.

2- History of the successors, pp. 186 and 187.

Abi Muhammad Ahmad bin Atham Kofi, Al-Futuh, Beirut, Daralandouh Al-Jadeedah, Ch. 1, Vol. 2, p. 101.

Muawiyah – the governor of Syria – who saw his existence as a danger to his rule, asked him to call Abu Dharr in a letter to the caliph. In this way, Abu Dharr went to Medina. He also pointed out the problems of the government in Medina. This time, they exiled Abu Dhar and his family to the desert region of “Rabzah” and prevented the Muslims from following him. Abu Dhar was in Rabzah until the end of his life and died there and was buried. (1)

Ammar Yasser was another great companion of the Prophet of Islam. His father, Yasir, and his mother, Sumia, were the first martyrs of Islam who were martyred under the torture of polytheists. He himself endured a lot of torture along with his parents and was one of the first to believe and emigrate. (2) The Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about him: “Undoubtedly, Paradise longs for three people: Ali, Ammar , Salman.”(3) It is also narrated from that Imam who said: “Ammar’s heart is full of faith”(4) and “Faith is mixed with his flesh and blood and he always follows the truth”.(5)

Ammar Yasser strongly disagreed with the performance of some officials of the then government. He, along with some of the Companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him), after seeing many problems and opposition to the Sunnah of the beloved Prophet of Islam, gathered together to correct the deviations that had arisen in the society. Write a letter and inform Osman. They all left for Madinah, but in the middle of the way, out of fear, they left him alone

P.: 62

1- Yaqoubi history, vol. 2, p. 69.

2- Ahmad Ibn Hajar Asqlani, Al-Asaba fi Tami’iz Sahabah, research: Ahmad Abd al-Mojood and…, Beirut, Dar al-Kutb al-Alamiya, 1415 AH, Ch. 1, Vol. 6, p. 500, number 9230.

3- My sentence Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 1, p. 182.

4- Waqqa Safin, p. 323.

5- History of Damascus al-Kabir, p. 279.

Ammar entered Uthman’s Dar al-Khilafah while Marwan bin Hakam and some of the Umayyads were present. After questioning Ammar, they found out that some other people were with him, but they left him alone out of fear. At this time, Marwan said: “This black slave (Ammar) has incited the people against the caliph. So if he is killed, it will be a lesson for others.” Then Marwan and some other people threw on Ammar’s head and beat him so much that he fell unconscious on the ground with an injured body. Then they dragged him to the ground and left him outside Osman’s house. At noon, when Osman had left the house for prayer, someone protested to him about the behavior of Osman’s entourage with Ammar. Uthman replied: “I wasn’t there when it happened!” (1) Ammar’s injury was so severe that its effects remained on his body for the rest of his life. (2)

After some time, Ammar Yasser, who was fed up with the corruption of the society, once again opened his mouth to protest. The Umayyads, who could not tolerate any kind of criticism, decided to exile Ammar, but Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not let him. (3)

Abd al-Rahman bin Hanbal, (4) another companion of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) who was with him in the battle of Khaybar, when he complained about the existing disorder, he was exiled to the Khaybar area. (5)

P.: 63

1- Al-Imamah and Al-Siyaseh, vol. 1, p. 51.

2- History of al-Madinah al-Munaura, p. 51.

3- Tarikh Yaqoubi, vol. 2, p. 69; My sentence Ansab al-Ashraf, p. 169.

4- In some versions, Abdurrahman bin Khatheil and Abdurrahman bin Jatheil are also mentioned. See: Mohammad Taqi Testari, Qamoos al-Rajal, Qom, Al-Nashar al-Islami Institute, 1415 A.H., ch. 2, vol. 6, p. 104.

5- Tarikh Yaqoubi, vol. 2, p. 69.

A group of reciters of Kufa such as Ka’b bin Abdah, Moqal bin Qais Riahi, Suleiman Sord Khaza’i and some others wrote a letter and complained about the course of affairs and sent the letter to Medina without signature. In the meantime, Ka’b bin Abdah sent a separate letter with his name. When Uthman saw the letter, he wrote to Saad, the ruler of Kufa, to bring Ka’b to me. When Ka’b reached Uthman, Uthman said to him: “Are you showing me the truth while I was reciting the Qur’an?”

When you were on the cross of a pagan man? Ka’b said: “O Uthman, do what the council – when you were appointed to the caliphate – made obligatory on you, which is the same as the way of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him), do it and do not fail…”

These words were of no use and Uthman ordered twenty lashes on Ka’b’s naked body and exiled him to Damavand. (1)

Also, when the nobles of Kufa, such as Malik Ashtar and Kamil bin Ziyad, protested against the ruler of Kufa (Said bin As), Uthman exiled them to Egypt and then to “Homs” (one of the cities of Syria). (2)

Abdullah bin Masoud was another famous companion of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) who taught people for a long time and was the treasurer of Bait Al-Mal. When Walid bin Uqbah (Uthman’s governor in Kufa) saw him as an obstacle in the path of pity and the desire of the treasury, he removed him from this position. When Abdullah bin Masoud gave Walid the keys to the treasury, he talked about heresies, distortions and corruption. Waleed also brought the news of this protest to the caliph in Medina, and after that, Abdullah bin Masoud was called to Medina.

When Abdullah left Kufa, the people who had learned the Qur’an, religious issues and various sciences from him and loved him, saw him off with great respect.

P.: 64

1- Jamel Man Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, pp. 153 and 154.

Ibid., pp. 155 and 156; Tarikh al-Umm and al-Muluk, vol. 4, pp. 322 and 323.

2. Political and Administrative Reforms of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him)

A) The Necessity of Political and Administrative Reforms from the Perspective of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)

Society is like a cone, where goodness and corruption flow like running water from the top to the body and from the body to the base. For this reason, in order to reform society, the political, social, cultural and religious elites and government officials who are the top of the cone must first be reformed.

Without reforming the elites and officials, society will not be reformed; because the elites of society and government officials, especially in religious governments, are considered behavioral and intellectual models of the people. When the models of a society themselves are not reformed, reform in that society will be impossible. For this reason, it is obligatory for reformers to guide reforms from the top down. In a word, it can be said that political reforms are the introduction to economic and cultural reforms.

From a theoretical perspective, the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) paid special attention to political reforms and emphasized them. In practical terms, his government reforms began with political and administrative reforms.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) believed:

The one who rules over the honors, blood, spoils, laws and Imamate of the Muslims should not be stingy so as to be greedy in collecting their wealth for himself; nor an ignorant so as to mislead them with his ignorance; nor a cruel so as to sever their ties and not respond to their needs; nor an oppressor so as to be stingy with their wealth and wealth and to give precedence to one group over another; nor a bribe-taker in judgment so as to destroy rights and fail to deliver the right to its rightful owner; And not the one who closes the Sunnah of the Prophet and thereby destroys the Ummah. (1)

Subjects are never reformed except by reforming the governors and rulers, and rulers are never reformed except by the subjects being on the right path. (2)

Therefore, one of the first actions of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) after accepting the government was to reform the political and administrative system of the government, and to achieve this goal, he undertook the following tasks:

Page: 66

1- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 2, page 113, sermon 132.

. Ibid., page 401, sermon 216.

One – Dismissal of corrupt officials

One of the first reform measures taken by the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.) to reform the political system of the Islamic society was to dismiss corrupt officials. The Imam dismissed all the previous officials (except Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman in Mada’in(1) and Abu Musa al-Ash’ari in Kufa)(2)(3). The Imam did not prefer any expedient to dismiss them, because he believed that if they remained in government positions, there could be no hope for the welfare and prosperity of the society and no reform movement could be carried forward. In a saying of the Imam, it is stated:

I am saddened that the leadership of the government of this nation falls into the hands of these ignorant and wicked people. They plunder the treasury, deprive the servants of God of their freedom and make them their slaves. They fight the righteous and make the wicked their allies. Among this group, there are some who have drunk wine and have been punished, and some of them did not accept Islam until a gift was determined for them… .1

Some people advised Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to at least refrain from dismissing some of the previous governors, such as Muawiyah, until he had established the foundations of his government. However, since the Imam considered government a means, not an end, and did not like resorting to illegitimate means to achieve his goal (which was the reform and prosperity of the Islamic society), he firmly rejected these suggestions.(1) Mughirah was among these proposers, to whom the Imam replied:

“Do you guarantee that I will live until his dismissal?” Mughirah said: “No!”

The Imam said:

God will never accept from me that even on a dark night, I would give Muawiyah to two Muslims as governors. And I will never take the misguided as my assistants.(1)

P68

Abdullah Muhammad bin Numan Akbari, known as Sheikh Mufid, Al-Ikhtasas, corrected and annotated by Ali Akbar Ghaffari, Qom, Publications of the Association of Teachers in the Al-Hawza Al-Ilmiyah, p. 150; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 40, p. 105.

I will send someone to him and invite him to accept my rightful guardianship. If he accepts, he will have the same rights and duties as other Muslims, and if he refuses, I will deal with him according to God’s will. (2)

It is also narrated from the Imam that two days after the assassination of Uthman, Mughira came to the Imam and suggested that he keep the government officials in their positions and, after the establishment of the government, keep whoever he wants and dismiss whoever he wants. The Imam said: “I will not compromise in my religion and I will not be a disgrace in my affairs.” (3)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was so determined in his own opinion that he considered this to be the boundary between religious and secular government. Addressing Ibn Abbas, who wanted the Imam to forgive Muawiyah and then dismiss him, the Imam said:

… As for you saying that I should re-appoint them, by God, I have no doubt that this is beneficial for the reformation of my worldly life, but as for what is in my power and with the knowledge I have of Uthman’s agents, I swear by God that I will never appoint any of them to the position of power.

If they accept this order, it will be better for them, and if they turn their backs, I will draw my sword upon them. (4)

P. 69

1- . «And you were not to take the disbelievers as members» Al-Kahf: 51.

2- . Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Shahr Ashub Sarwari, Manaqib Al Abi Talib, researched by Yusuf Beqa’i, Beirut, Dar al-Adwaa, 1412 AH-.Q, Ch. 8, Vol. 3, p. 226; Al-Amali, p. 87, H. 133.

3- “And Allah does not give anything in religion, nor do I give the religion in a matter.” History of the Nations and Al-Muluk, Research: Muhammad Abulfazl Ibrahim, Traditions of Al-Tarath al-Arabi, vol. 4, pp. 440 and 441.

The same, vol. 4.

2- Selection of competent officials

After dismissing the incompetent and corrupt officials appointed by Uthman, the Imam established his management system based on meritocracy. He entrusted the government to people who had the necessary competence and sufficient ability to correctly recognize and implement the rules and laws.

Looking at the practical behavior and letters and instructions of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) to his officials, we understand that the Imam made “meritocracy” in management one of the principles of his government and never neglected it.

In his letter to Malik Ashtar, the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) called ignoring criteria in the selection and selection of forces undesirable and advised him not to rely on his own optimism and alertness in this matter:

… Then, in selecting these secretaries, never rely on your own insight, optimism, and optimism; Because clever men know how to attract the attention and optimism of the rulers by pretending to be good at their service, while beyond this attractive appearance, there is no trustworthiness or benevolence. (1)

b) Criteria for selecting officials in the government of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him)

Note

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him), after warning his governors about deviating from principle in selecting officials, states the general criteria for their selection. Some of these criteria are:

K – Piety

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says: “Join the people of piety and honesty (and choose them).”(1)

Piety is the highest moral value and the highest human dignity, and nothing like it protects a person from falling, and the happiness of every individual depends on his piety. For this reason, an Islamic ruler must have sufficient benefit from it. How can a person who is not guided himself lead the people of the society under his rule to happiness?

On the other hand, the strongest factor that protects rulers from being infected with pride, corruption, and ruin and compels them to perform their duties accurately is piety. Therefore, the greater the responsibility of each person in society and government, the more pious he must be.

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Accordingly, the master of the pious, Ali (peace be upon him), made piety the criterion for selecting his officials(2) and constantly asked them to make piety to God the criterion for action.(3)

Two – Education

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) said:

Choose the pious and educated to supervise your affairs.(4)

Education – which is knowledge and education – is the highest virtue of man and the most efficient element in the administrative system; because the correct conduct of affairs depends on knowledge and morality.

1- . Ibid., p. 149, letter 53.

2- . Ibid., vol. 3, p. 149, letter 53.

3- . Ibid., letters 12, 25, 26, 27, 45, 53, 56 and… .

. Abu Muhammad al-Hassan bin Shu’ab Harrani, Tohf al-Aqool on Aal al-Rasul, Beirut, Al-Alami Press Institute, 1394 AH-Q, ch 5, p. 97.

P71

The more knowledgeable and educated the person in charge of society is, the more he will benefit from administrative etiquette and ethics and the spirit of service, and this is one of the most important things in the administrative system. A government can achieve lofty cultural, political, social and moral goals when it is managed by educated officials and employees. It has been stated in the enlightening words of Ali (peace be upon him): “Whoever educates and educates himself, understands politics and management.”(1) or “The highest virtue is wisdom.”(2)

Three – Having experience

Ali (peace be upon him) said:

“And choose from among them people who are experienced.”(3)

Experience is one of the most important factors for success in affairs, and those who have accumulated experience and used it well have emerged victorious from complex and difficult affairs. On the contrary, those who have not had enough experience have been confused in the face of problems and disorders. In the enlightening words of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) it is stated: “Whoever has much experience, he is less likely to be deceived.”(4) or “A person’s thinking is as much as his experience.”(5)

Four – Being wise

Imam Ali (a.s.) says:

“And from among them, choose those who are experienced and wise.”

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1- . “Whoever has made himself wise, he has understood politics.” Sharh Gharr al-Hikam wa Durr al-Kalim, vol. 5, p. 209.

2- . “Ras al-Fada’il al-‘Ilm.” Ibid., vol. 4, p. 49.

3- . Ibid., p. 159, letter 53.

. “Whoever has had much experience, his jealousy has decreased.” Ibid., vol. 5, p. 214.

One of the reasons for the success of an organization is that its manager is a modest person who preserves his own dignity and that of the community; maintains mutual respect for individuals and treats different people based on their own capacities. Such behavior has a significant impact on attracting individuals to the community and gaining the acceptance and popularity of the ruler. On the other hand, nothing is as far removed from shameless people as reforming affairs, doing right, and being pure; because the one who has no shame considers every action permissible for himself. Ali (peace be upon him) has said: “How far away is righteousness and righteousness from the shameless evildoer.”(2)

Managing shameless people is a destructive and destructive management of this world and the hereafter, in which there is no privacy.

“Being modest” has levels, the highest of which is modesty of the Almighty and His disobedience, and the lowest of which is modesty of “people.” The higher the level of modesty a person has, the more suitable he will be for leading and managing society.

Five – Family Purity and Health

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) has said:

“… Select government officials… from clean and pious families…” (3)

It has been proven in psychology that family health and purity have a significant effect on the upbringing of individuals and children. Those who are raised and raised in a lowly, narrow-minded, short-sighted, spiteful and ill-tempered family, whether they accept a responsibility or not, will behave with narrow-mindedness, short-sightedness and spiteful views towards their subordinates or superiors. On the contrary, those who have grown up in a high-ranking family that has human and moral virtues, generosity, foresight and lofty views, no matter what position or position they occupy, their good deeds will always reach their subordinates and higher positions. For this reason, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) has considered this point as one of the criteria for selecting the rulers of society and has emphasized it.

P73

1- . Ibid.

. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 149.

Six – Muslim background and religious commitment

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said:

“And choose from among them those who… are the most advanced in Islam.”(1)

He has listed devotion to Islam and having a history in Islam as one of the criteria for selecting rulers. It is not appropriate for the ruler and leader of an Islamic society to be from among the new Muslims; that is, from among those who, after the revolution and the resolution of problems, wars, and hardships, have assumed the face of Muslims and become revolutionary. Those who, under the pressure of the infidels and the tyrants, have found the truth and have enlightened their hearts with Islam and faith with satisfaction, have no thought other than raising the banner of monotheism and have sacrificed their lives, wealth, and honor for this path. These cannot be compared with those who, out of necessity, sit at the prepared table to protect their lives or to gain some benefit.

Seven – Efficiency and Effectiveness

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) said:

“; Trust those who have left better traces among the people.”(2)

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1- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 3, p. 159, letter 53.

.Ibid.

His Holiness emphasized efficiency in selecting employees and officials. He recommended that people should be selected who, given their talents and acceptance by the people, would be most efficient in managing affairs, because the purpose of employing them was their worthy services to the society and the nation.

Eight – Trustworthiness

The Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) said:

“… Trust those who… are most famous for being trustworthy.”(1)

It is natural that many vital issues of society, such as property, honor, reputation, religion, and culture, are placed at the disposal of the agent of society, and the duty of preserving them is entrusted to him. Even the position of guardianship and government entrusted to the agent is a trust that he must safeguard. If the person entrusted with the administration of society is trustworthy, he will not hesitate to do anything to protect the world and the hereafter of the society under his command, and will even sacrifice his life and property for this purpose. Accordingly, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) has considered trustworthiness as one of the conditions for a government agent.

Other characteristics

In addition to these criteria and conditions, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) has stated other characteristics for the agents of the Islamic society, some of which are: “not cooperating with oppressive governments”, “not cooperating in oppression and sin”, “not expecting anything in doing things”, “diligence and responsibility with all one’s being”, “candidness in speaking the truth and honesty”.(2)

p. 75

1- . Ibid.

. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 149.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) considered the health and well-being of the political and administrative body of the government to be so effective in the welfare and happiness of the society that he even considered special conditions for the selection of office officials, scribes and government secretaries. In his treaty addressed to Malik Ashtar, when he sent him to Egypt, he advised him to appoint the best and most worthy individuals who were endowed with moral virtues and honors, were far from transgression and pride, knew themselves and their society, and followed up on what was necessary in the implementation, termination and annulment of contracts, to his secretarial and office affairs. (1)

c) Utilizing existing forces

By dismissing the corrupt officials of the Uthman era, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) decided to select worthy individuals who had the necessary conditions as rulers and governors of various regions. Considering the political conditions before the rule of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him), the environment was not suitable for cultivating forces that were worthy of government positions in every respect. Therefore, when he took over the government, the number of loyal and worthy companions for the Alawi government cadre was very small. On the other hand, the territory of the Islamic government during the time of the previous caliphs had expanded to the regions of Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Iran, in addition to the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq. Therefore, the Imam, as the caliph of the Muslims, had to select and send rulers to each of these regions. For this reason, in addition to the few people who were considered his sincere friends, he was forced to use other people who did not have the desired level of conditions that he wanted. Sometimes he was even forced to use his relatives and advisors who were needed in the center of the government and send them to different regions against his will.

P76

. Ibid., p. 163.

From here, we can divide the government officials of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) into several groups:

A group of them had true faith and, in addition, due to their strong personalities, they also had managerial, administrative and political abilities. They remained steadfast with Imam Ali (a.s.) until the last moment and played an effective role in stabilizing his government. Among them, we can name Malik al-Ashtar, Ammar Yasir, Ibn Tayhan, Uday ibn Hatim al-Ta’i, Abdullah ibn Abbas and Qais ibn Sa’d.

Others were people who were pious and faithful, but did not have the necessary administrative and political abilities. Among these people, we can name Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. The other group were those who did not have a firm belief and deep faith, although they had political and managerial abilities.

Although Ali (peace be upon him) was inevitably forced to use this group of people (as we will explain), he prevented their misuse as much as possible by closely monitoring their performance and dealing decisively with violators.

d) Sending the first group of agents

At the beginning of the year 36 AH, Imam Ali (AS) sent Uthman ibn Hanif to Basra, Umar ibn Shihab to Kufa, Ubaidullah ibn Abbas to Yemen, Qais ibn Saad to Egypt, and Sahl ibn Hanif to Syria.(1)

Other agents of the government of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (AS) during his reign were Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr,(1) Abdullah ibn Abbas,(2) Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,(3) Yazid ibn Qais al-Arjabi,(4) Ziyad ibn Abiyyah,(5) Saad ibn Masood al-Thaqafi,(6) Ash’ath ibn Qais,(7) Abu Musa al-Ash’ari,(8) Kumayl ibn Ziyad(9) and Mundhar ibn Jarud Abdi(10).

Page: 77

. History of Nations and Kings, Vol. 4, pp. 434 and 442.

After the martyrdom of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr in Egypt, the Imam was forced to send Malik al-Ashtar to Egypt, even though he was one of the commanders of the army and one of his assistants in the center of the Islamic government, and his presence in the center of the government was necessary. (11)

e-) The Imam’s refusal to assign positions to incompetent individuals

The words of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) quoted earlier clearly show that the Imam was never willing to use traitorous and incompetent individuals in government positions. In a saying of the Imam, it is stated: “The disaster of affairs is the incompetence of the officials.” (12)

In a letter to Rifa’ah, his judge in Ahvaz, the Imam stated:

… Whoever employs treachery, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) will certainly hate him in this world and the Hereafter. (13)

p. 78

1- . Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 356.

2- . Ibid., p. 441.

3- . Ibid.

4- . Ibid., p. 394.

5- . Ibid., p. 441.

6- . Ibid., p. 362.

7- . Tarikh Ya’qubi, vol. 2, p. 77.

8- . Ibid., p. 79.

9- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, vol. 3, p. Letter 61.

10- . Al-Asaba fi Tamiz al-Sahaba, vol. 6, p. 209, no. 8353.

11- . See: Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, “… and you have favored me with your own self…” Letter 38, vol. 3, p. 111.

12- . “What deeds are incapable of the workers?” Sharh Gharr Al-Hikam Wa Durr Al-Kalim, Vol. 3, p. 109.

13- Abu Hanifa Nu’man bin Muhammad Tamimi, Da’im Al-Islam, Researched by Asif Fayzi, Egypt, Darul Ma’arif, p. 529, No. 1889.

Talha and Zubair are among those who, despite their long history in Islam, were refused by Ali7 because they did not have the necessary moral qualifications to hold government positions. Ibn Abi al-Hadid writes:

Talha is one of the members of the council and he made a great impression on him in the battle of Uhud in defending the Prophet and one of his fingers was cut off. He made his hand the shield of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) against the sword of the infidels… . Zubair, whose mother is the daughter of Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abdul Manaf, the aunt of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)… and he is one of the six members of the council. He is one of those who stood firm with the Prophet in the Battle of Uhud and worked hard. (1)

At the beginning of Abu Bakr’s caliphate, Zubayr did not swear allegiance to him and drew his sword against them, saying: “I will never swear allegiance to anyone except Ali.” (2) Despite all these characteristics, the Imam knew very well that if they achieved power and rule, they would devote their efforts to acquiring their own material and personal benefits and would squander the treasury.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said in response to the two who had asked the Imam to appoint them to a territorial government or a government job:

That you be content and happy with what God has allotted to you, so that I may think about it and know that I will not share my trust with any of my companions unless I am content and happy with his religion and trust and know his belief. (3)

Upon hearing these words, the two of them left Imam Ali (a.s.) in despair.

Page: 79

1- . Commentary on Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 1, p. 225.

2- . Ibid., vol. 2, p. 21.

Ibid., vol. 1, p. 231.

f) Warnings of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) to his officials

Note

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) was constantly concerned that the wicked and the foolish would take control of the affairs of the people. Therefore, with the correct selection and with the criteria that were stated, he chose righteous and capable rulers for the Islamic society, but this alone was not enough. It was necessary for him to continuously educate and guide them so that they would not deviate from the path of truth and moderation and take the path of corruption and mischief.

The collected collection of letters of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) is nearly one hundred and eighty-five letters(2), most of which have educational and training content and are addressed to government officials and officials. The collection of letters, treaties, instructions and letters of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) shows that he paid great attention to the issue of educating and training his officials.

Since a detailed and comprehensive examination of this collection requires an independent and detailed discussion, we will only mention some examples here.

One – Correcting the rulers’ vision of government

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said:

“Governorship is not a means for you to obtain bread and water.” (3)

One of the essential things for the ruler of a society is to understand his position and responsibility correctly. Until the vision of rulers and agents regarding the matter of governance and agency is not corrected, one cannot expect correct behavior from them. He who considers his power as “delegation”, his responsibility as “treasury”, his presidency as “service”, and his government as “trust”, will properly protect the rights of the people and act according to the standards of truth and justice.

Page: 80

1- . Ibid.

. Mohammad Baqir Mahmoudi, Nahjul-Saadah in the Context of Nahjul-Balagha, Tehran, Printing and Publishing Institute of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, 1417 AH-.QH, Vol. 1, Vol. 4, pp. 319-324; Vol. 5, pp. 363-366.

In a letter to Ash’ath ibn Qais, the ruler of Azerbaijan who had adopted the path of despotism, the Imam wrote:

The governorship is not a means of bread and water for you, but a trust on your neck; you must also be obedient to your superiors. You have no right to exercise tyranny over the people. Do not do anything except with caution and confidence regarding the treasury. A part of God’s wealth is at your disposal and you are one of His treasurers, so you can entrust it to me, and it is hoped that I will not be a bad leader for you. Peace be upon you.(1)

Two – Staying away from the world: Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: “Be afraid of the world that deceives you.”(2)

Although Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) advised all segments of society to stay away from the world and avoid attachment to it, he would give such guidance to the officials and governors of his government more often because of the heavy responsibility they had. In a letter to Abdullah ibn Abbas, the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote:

But then, a person sometimes becomes happy because of achieving something he thought he would never lose, and sometimes becomes sad because of losing something he thought he would never achieve! Whereas, your happiness should be about what you have achieved in the Hereafter, and your regret should be about the things that are related to the Hereafter and that you have lost.

Do not be so happy about what you achieve in this world, and do not be sad about what you lose in this world. Your zeal should be for what you will achieve after death. (1)

P. 81

1- . Ibid.

. Ibid., p. 183, letter 56.

Three – Worship and Expressing Servancy of God

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says: “Deceive your soul in performing worship.”(2)

Worship of God and expressing servitude to Him makes a person feel humble before the divine court and realize his poverty and helplessness. Therefore, he should not be proud of his responsibility and apparent position, which will give rise to rebellion and rebellion in his being. Worship cultivates the human spirit and prepares him to bear the hardships of responsibility. This is why Imam Ali (peace be upon him) always reminded his government officials and officials of this issue. He said in the Malik Ashtar Testament:

You should set aside the best times and best hours of your life for solitude with God. Of course, if you have pure intentions and the affairs of your subjects are going well, all your actions are worship and for God. (3)

Four – Prohibition of gifts and bribes

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) says: “If a ruler accepts a gift, he is a traitor, and if he accepts a bribe, he is a polytheist.”

P: 82

1- . Ibid., vol. 3, p. 45, letter 22.

2- . Ibid., p. 209, letter 69.

. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 169, letter 53.

His Eminence strictly prohibited his government officials from accepting gifts and bribes. He describes the truth of bribery by recounting an incident in which a person had presented him with a dish of food with special expectations:

…More amazing is the story of someone who brought a covered dish full of delicious and delicious halwa to our door at midnight, but this halwa was a concoction that I hated. It seemed to have been kneaded with the saliva of a snake or its vomit. I said to him: Is it a gift or zakat or charity, both of which are forbidden to us, the Ahlul Bayt. He said: It is neither this nor that, but a “gift”. I said to him: May the women of the dead child weep for you! Have you entered through the religion of God to deceive me? Have you lost your mind or gone mad or are you delirious? By God! If they give me the seven regions with what is under the heavens, I will never disobey God by taking the skin from the mouth of an ant… (2)

Five – The people-oriented nature of the rulers

Note

The people-oriented nature of the officials and rulers is one of the characteristics of the Alawi government. This becomes a reality when the officials and rulers consider themselves to be servants of the people and for the people. In the thought of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him), if the intentions of the rulers are correct and their actions lead to the improvement of the people’s affairs and their welfare and comfort, that action is divine. The Imam wrote in his treaty to Malik al-Ashtar as follows:

If you have pure intentions and the affairs of your subjects are going well, all your actions are worship and for God

P. 83

1- . Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 72, p. 345, hadith 42.

. Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and concise commentary, vol. 2, p. 429, sermon 224.

Now, to clarify this characteristic of the Alawi government, we will examine the manifestations of being a people in the words of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him):

First – Kindness and friendship with the people

Fill your heart with mercy, love and kindness towards your people and do not be like a predatory animal towards them that you consider their food a spoil; because they are no more than two groups: either they are your religious brothers or human beings like you. Sometimes they make mistakes and mistakes, they cause them inconvenience, and they do things intentionally or by mistake. (In these cases,) grant them as much of your forgiveness and forbearance as you would like God to grant you.(2)

Second – Humility towards the people

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) said in a letter to one of his governors:

… Spread your wings and wings for the people and face them with an open face. Make leniency towards them your goal… .(3)

Third – Direct communication with the people

In his advice to Malik Ashtar (the ruler of Egypt), the Imam says:

… Set a time for your clients when you will attend to their needs yourself. Organize a general and public assembly for them and do not close its doors to anyone. Be humble for the sake of God who created you and keep the soldiers and guards away from this assembly so that everyone can speak to you clearly and without fear or hesitation.

P: 84

1- . Ibid., p. 169, letter 53.

2- . Ibid., vol. 3, p. 143, letter 53.

. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 131, letter 47.

Imam Ali (a.s.) wrote in a letter to Qutham ibn Abbas, his agent in Mecca:

There should be no mediator or ambassador between you and the people except your tongue, and no special shield except your face. Do not deprive those who have business with you of meeting you. If they are initially turned away from your door, solving their problem later will not compensate for it.(2)

Fourth – Sharing in the hardships of the people

Should I be content with being told: I am the Commander of the Faithful? Should I not share with them in the hardships of the day and be their leader and follower in the bitterness of life? (3)

Fifth – Avoiding seeking privileges over people

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says in his testament to Malik al-Ashtar: “Avoid seeking privileges for yourself in what people are equal in.” (4)

In a letter to Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr, when he appointed him governor of Egypt, he wrote:

… And love for all your subjects what you love for yourself and your family, and do not like for them what you do not like for yourself and your family. (5)

Sixth – Administrative discipline

Ali (peace be upon him) said: I advise you… to fear God and to order your affairs.”

Planning and discipline are one of the conditions for human success in his behavior. Without order and planning, human success is not possible, even in personal work, and the heavier and more important a person’s responsibility, the greater and more necessary his need for planning and order. For this reason, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) always recommended and emphasized this point to his government officials:

(Be alert) Do the work of each day on the same day; because each day has its own special work.(2)

Beware of rushing about things whose time has not come, or laxity in things that are possible to do, or stubbornness in things that are unclear, or laxity in things when they are clear. Do everything in its place and everything in its time.(3)

The instructive orders and warnings of his Imam to government officials are numerous and very instructive, but explaining them all requires another opportunity and writing. Therefore, we will suffice with this.

Page: 85

1- . Ibid., p. 167, letter 53.

2- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and concise explanation, p. 203, letter 67.

3- . . Ibid., p. 125, letter 45.

4. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 177, letter 53.

g) Establishing inspection organizations to control the performance of agents

In order to prevent the emergence and spread of any corruption within the political body of his government, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not limit himself to considering the competence of agents when choosing them or advising and warning them. Throughout his reign, he kept a close and consistent watch and supervision over the behavior, relationships, and even the lifestyle of his agents, and by appointing secret observers, he became aware of the type of management they were in.

And he treated them in proportion to their performance. The phrase “balaghani” (I have been informed) that appears in a number of letters of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) to his agents indicates this.

Page: 86

1- . Nahjul-Balaghah with a clear translation and concise explanation, Vol. 3, p. 131, letter 47.

2- . . Ibid., p. 169, letter 53.

. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 177.

His Majesty’s supervision of the behavior of his agents was so meticulous that even his agent’s participation in an aristocratic party in Basra did not escape his notice. (1)

Uthman bin Hanif Ansari, the governor of Basra, attended a party of a wealthy man in Basra, where colorful dishes and large dishes of food were served to him one after another, and none of the poor people were allowed to attend the party. In a letter to him, he condemned the world and its practices, saying:

Be aware! Every agent has an Imam and a leader whom he must follow and benefit from the light of his knowledge. Know this! Your Imam has made do with these two old clothes from his world and two loaves of bread from his food. Be aware! You are not capable of being like this. At the same time, help me with piety, effort, chastity, purity, and following the right path. (2)

The interesting point in this case is that this matter occurred between the beginning of the Imam’s caliphate and the Battle of Jamal (i.e., in the first six months of the Imam’s (a.s.) caliphate); because after the Battle of Jamal, the Imam appointed another governor (Abdullah ibn Abbas) for this city. During those six months, the Imam was very busy and busy with organizing affairs, but despite his busyness, he did not remain unaware of this violation and did not ignore it. In another letter addressed to Musaqilah ibn Hubairah, the governor of one of the cities of Persia, he wrote as follows:

P. 87

1- . Ibid., p. 121, letter 45.

. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 123, letter 45.

I have been informed about you that if it is true and you have done this, you have angered your Lord and disobeyed the Imamate. (1)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in a letter instructed Ka’b ibn Malik (2) to take care of his agents in the region of Iraq:

After praising and thanking God, leave someone in your place and go out of the city with a group of your companions to reach the gardens and villages of Sawad (3); there inquire about my agents in the Tigris and Udhayb (4) regions and observe their behavior. (5)

He also wrote in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar:

… Then, by sending secret, truthful, and loyal agents, monitor their activities; because constant and secret inspection will encourage them to be trustworthy and tolerant towards their subordinates. Keep a close eye on your companions and relatives; If one of them committed treason and all your secret agents reported the same, be satisfied with the same amount of testimony and punish him with the whip… (6)

h) Dealing with the wrongdoing agents

Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who was openly and secretly vigilant about the performance of his governors and government officials, would deal with them decisively in proportion to their behavior if he observed any wrongdoing that was not worthy of the ruler of the Islamic society. If a warning was sufficient, that was enough, and sometimes he would force them to make up for that mistake by conducting a thorough investigation. Sometimes he would dismiss them or even imprison them, and there were no exceptions in this regard. The Imam would not tolerate any violation of the right from anyone and would deal with it. When he learned that his cousin, who was his agent in one of the regions, had committed a violation, he harshly questioned him and demanded a thorough investigation of his performance. He wrote to him as follows:

Page 88

1- . Ibid., Vol. 3, p. 119, letter 43.

2- . Apparently, Malik bin Ka’b must be correct; because Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not have an agent named Ka’b bin Malik, rather Ka’b bin Malik did not pledge allegiance to the Imam. Yes, Malik bin Ka’b was one of the trusted agents in the Ain Tamr region and the surroundings of Baghdad. See: Da’ir al-Ma’arif al-Shi’iyyah al-A’ma, Vol. 2, pp. 303 and 425.

3- . “Sawad” refers to the lands and villages of Iraq, especially Kufa and its surrounding areas, and it was called Sawad due to the abundance of trees and palm groves. See: Mu’jam al-Bulandan, Vol. 3, p. 272.

4- . “Udhayb” is the spring of Banu Tamim and one of the places that pilgrims reach when traveling from Kufa to Mecca. Ibid., vol. 4, p. 92.

5- . Tarikh Ya’qubi, vol. 2, p. 120.

6-. Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise commentary, vol. 3, p. 162, letter 53.

… By God, if Hasan and Husayn had done this, they would not have received any support or favor from me and would not have influenced my will until I had obtained the truth from them and removed the unjust oppressions they had committed. (1)

When Imam Ali (peace be upon him) learned of the repeated betrayal of Ibn Harma, the official of the Ahwaz market, he wrote a letter to Rifa’ah, the governor of Ahwaz, which shows his determination and seriousness in dealing with violators. The Imam wrote in that letter as follows:

When you read my letter, remove Ibn Harma from the market and arrest him for the sake of the people and then imprison him and announce the news publicly and write to your officials and convey my opinion to them. Do not neglect or overdo it regarding Ibn Harma, lest you become angry with God and I will remove you in the worst way. I warn you against this from the wrath of God. When Friday comes, take him out of prison, flog him thirty-five times, and parade him in the markets. If anyone accuses him and brings witnesses, make him swear an oath and pay him from the income of Ibn Hurmah.

Throw him into his prison for usury, obscenity, and cursing. Tie his feet with a rope and bring him out at prayer time. If someone brings him food, drink, clothing, or bedding, do not prevent him. Do not let anyone come to him who instils hostility in him or gives him hope of freedom. If it becomes clear to you that someone has inspired him with something that harms the Muslims, discipline him with a whip and imprison him until he repents. At night, bring the prisoners to the prison yard for air, except for Ibn Hurmah, unless there is fear that he will fall ill, in which case you should also leave him free at night. If you find him capable, after thirty days, give him another thirty-five lashes. Write me a report of the market and who you have chosen as a traitor after that. Cut off the rights of the traitor Ibn Hurmah. (1)

It is narrated that Sawda, the daughter of Ammar al-Hamadaniyah, who used to reproach Muawiyah with her poems and speeches during the Battle of Siffin, came to Muawiyah after the martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (a.s.). Upon seeing her, Muawiyah began to rebuke her and then asked her: What do you need? Sawda also complained to him about the oppression, murder, slaughter and plunder of Muawiyah’s governor, Busr ibn al-Urtah, and said to him: Your governor has descended on our country, killed our men and plundered our property… If you dismiss him, I will thank you, otherwise I will complain to God. Muawiyah said: Are you threatening me? I have decided to put you on a camel and return you to Busr so that he can carry out his command regarding you.

Sawda fell silent and sang:

May God’s blessings be upon the body that the grave embraced and justice was buried in.

Page: 90

. Da’im al-Islam, Vol. 2, p. 530, No. 1891.

He also swore by the truth and did not substitute anything for it. He was with faith and truth.

Muawiyah asked: Who is this person, Sawda? Sawda said: By God, this is the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib. I went to him to talk to him about the man who had made him the head of the taxes and had oppressed him. I found him standing, intending to pray. When he saw me, he stood up and came to me with an open face, kindness and tolerance and said: Do you have a request? I said: Yes, and I told him the story. He wept and said: “O God! You bear witness that I did not order them to oppress Your servants and abandon Your rights.” Then he took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and wrote on it:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. Therefore, give due measure and weight, and do not reduce anything from the property of others, and do not spread corruption on the earth after it has been set right. (1) When you have read my letter, complete the work that is in your hand, so that we may send someone to take it back from you. Peace be upon you.

Then he gave me this letter and I brought it and gave it to his governor, and he was dismissed. (2)

Asha’th bin Qays(3), Ziyad bin Ubayyah(4), Shurayh the judge(5), Masqala bin Hubairah(6), Mundhir bin Jarud(7) and

P. 91

1- . “There has come to you a vision from your Lord, so take away the weight and the balance, and do not spare the people their belongings, and do not spoil them on the earth after the peace. This is not good for me, but I am a believer.” Araf: 85.

2- Al-Aqd al-Farid, vol. 1, p. 335; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 41, p. 119, h 27.

3- Nahj al-Balagheh with descriptive translation and compact description, vol. 3, p. 21, letter 5.

4- Ibid., p. 43, letter 20.

5- Ibid., p. 17, letter 3.

6- Ibid., p. 119, letter 43.

Ibid., p. 211, letter 71.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (1) was among the other officials and governors whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) rebuked or reprimanded and warned them.

i) Tolerance of opponents to the point of conspiracy

Reference

Among the brilliant policies of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) is his tolerance and tolerance of political opponents of his government to the point of conspiracy and the destruction of the security of society. Now, with a brief discussion of three parts of the history of his government, we will become more familiar with this feature of the Alawi government:

One – Free allegiance

In the previous discussions, we became familiar with how governments before him dealt with their political opponents. Now, we will take a look at Imam Ali’s (a.s.) method in this regard.

In the political thought of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.), allegiance was a voluntary matter, and he strongly opposed forced allegiance and providing the grounds that would lead to forced allegiance. The people’s allegiance to him was the best example of political and governmental allegiance; the people pledged allegiance to him in complete freedom, with satisfaction, enthusiasm, awareness, and knowledge. His own words are telling in this regard: “The people pledged allegiance to me without compulsion or coercion, but with their own free will and willingness.” (2)

Although after the assassination of Uthman, the masses of the people pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (a.s.), a handful of them initially refused to pledge allegiance to him. (3) Considering that in the political culture of that time, not pledging allegiance to the caliph of the time was considered a form of opposition to the government, Imam Ali (a.s.) refused to coerce or force them to pledge allegiance.

P. 92

1- . Ibid., p. 219, letter 78.

2- . Ibid., vol. 3, p. 15, letter 1.

. There are reports in some historical sources that show that people such as: Abdullah bin Umar, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Muhammad bin Maslamah, Usama bin Zaid, Hassan bin Thabit, Ka’b bin Malik, Abdullah bin Salam, Marwan bin Hakam, Saeed bin Al-As and Walid bin Uqbah refused to pledge allegiance to Ali (a.s.). There are two opinions about their turning away from the pledge: one is that they were actually opposed to pledging allegiance to the Imam and did not do so. The second opinion is that they pledged allegiance to the Imam, but the pledge did not mean loyalty to him and they did not participate in the wars with him, or some of them, such as Marwan, Walid and Saeed bin Al-As, pledged allegiance for specific political purposes. Another possibility is that they refused to pledge allegiance in the general and comprehensive pledge that was made in the mosque under various pretexts, but after the pledge ceremony was completed and the caliphate of the Imam was established, they were also persuaded to pledge allegiance and did so. These things led to the illusion that they did not swear allegiance at all. Historical evidence indicates the strength and correctness of the second theory, and many historians have also accepted this theory. Among them, Al-Hakim Al-Nishaburi and Ibn Abi Al-Hadid have also accepted this second theory after discussing this matter.

P93

For further

research, see: Muhammad Al-Hakim Al-Nishaburi, Al-Mustadrak Ali Al-Saheehin, Beirut, Darul Kitab Al-Ilmiyah, 1411 AH- . Q, Vol. 1, Vol. 3, p. 124; Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 8, Vol. 4, pp. 9 and 10.

In the political culture of that time, not pledging allegiance to the caliph of the time was considered a form of opposition to the government. Imam Ali (a.s.) refused to be coerced or forced into pledging allegiance.

Baladhuri and Al-Khwarizmi have narrated that after the people pledged allegiance to Ali (a.s.), the Imam said to Saad bin Abi Waqqas: “The people have pledged allegiance to me, so you should also pledge allegiance.” Saad said: “Let everyone pledge allegiance.” The Imam said: “There is no need for you.” Then he said to the people: “Let him go free.”(1)

A group of people went to Abdullah bin Umar and asked him to pledge allegiance to Imam Ali (a.s.). He said: “I will not pledge allegiance until all the people pledge allegiance.” Malik Al-Ashtar said to the Imam: “Let me behead him.” The Imam said: “Let him go, I am his guarantor. I knew him to be bad-tempered at all times (in his childhood and adulthood). (2)

Ammar Yasir also came to the Imam and said: O Commander of the Faithful, now that the people have pledged allegiance to you willingly and not out of displeasure, send a messenger to Usama bin Zaid, Abdullah bin Umar, Muhammad bin Maslamah, Hassan bin Thabit and Ka’b bin Malik and invite them to what the Muhajirin and Ansar participated in. Ali (peace be upon him) said: “We have no need of those who do not show us willingness and willingness.” (1)

Among those who were initially unwilling to pledge allegiance to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), some, such as Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas and Abdullah bin Umar, withdrew and did not take any position in agreement or opposition to the Imam. The Imam left this group free and did not deal harshly with them.(2) Another group, such as Marwan ibn Hakam and Walid, conspired and joined Aisha, Talha, and Zubair in revolting against the Holy Prophet. The Imam confronted them and fought them.(3)

Page 93

1- . Jamal min Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 3, p. 9.

. . Ibid., p. 9.

Two – The Story of Talha and Zubair

Talha and Zubair, who had pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (a.s.) in order to gain power and had asked him for the governorship and leadership of areas of the Islamic lands, were deeply disappointed when they heard the Imam’s refusal. So they opened their mouths to complain and denounced the Imam. Zubair said to a group of Quraysh: “We worked for him (Ali (a.s.)) in the matter of Uthman, we considered Uthman guilty and prepared the ground for his murder; while he was sitting in his house. Now that he has achieved his goal through our efforts, he has brought those who are lower in status and status closer to him and deprived us.” Talhah also regretted his past actions and spoke ill of the Imam. (4)

The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.), who was well aware of the words, behavior, and even intentions of Talhah and Zubair, (5) did not deal with them in any way.

P95

1- . Al-Futuh, vol. 2, p. 256.

2- . The Works of Sheikh Al-Mufid Al-Jamal, p. 95.

3- . Ibid., pp. 239 and 240.

4- . Al-Imamah Wa Al-Siyasa, vol. 1, p. 71.

. Ibid.

Even when Talha and Zubair were on their way to Mecca with the intention of rebelling and fighting the Imam, under the pretext of Umrah, the Imam did not stop them and said: “By God! You do not intend to perform Umrah and you have no intention of anything other than breaking your covenant and creating discord among the Ummah.” (1)

Ibn Abbas asked Imam Ali (AS) that if you knew about the conspiracy of those two (Talha and Zubair), why did you allow them to leave? The Imam replied:

Ibn Abbas! You are ordering me to start oppressing and to commit a sin before they take any action. You are asking me to punish someone based on suspicion and to ask for it before the action is taken? Never! By God, I will not deviate from what He has promised me regarding governance and justice. Ibn Abbas! Indeed, I allowed them, although I know what they intend, but I have asked God for support against them. (2)

In this way, the Imam was tolerant of his opponents and only when they, along with Aisha and some of the Umayyads, conspired and rioted and occupied Basra, did he declare war on them and confront them. (3)

Three – The Khawarij Affair

The Khawarij group was one of the main opposition groups within the government of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). They were ignorant, narrow-minded and short-sighted people and at the same time very fanatical about a series of acts of worship. Although this group was the one who caused the sedition of arbitration in the Battle of Siffin and forced the Imam to accept arbitration, they returned from their beliefs after a short time.

P: 95

1- . Abi Mansur Ahmad Tabarsi, Al-Ihtajjaj, Researched by: Muhammad Baqir Mousavi Khorasani, Mashhad, Al-Murtaza Publishing, 1403 AH-.QH, Vol. 1, p. 161.

2- . Al-Jamal, pp. 166 and 167.

. Ibid., p. 239.

So, on their way back from the war, they asked the Imam to once again move towards the army of the Levant and start the war. Although Imam Ali (peace be upon him) had agreed to peace at their insistence and coercion, after the covenant and agreement he had made with the enemy regarding arbitration, he was not willing to break his covenant, and this caused them to withdraw from him and his companions, considering the Imam an infidel. Then, they began their gatherings and sabotage in the areas around Kufa and embarked on a series of destructive activities. (1)

First, some of them declared their opposition to the Imam in their meetings with him and even threatened to kill him. (2) Some of them, although they were present in the mosque, did not participate in the congregational prayers, and by this means they declared their protest and opposition to the government. Moreover, they formed a militia by leaving the city of Kufa and camping around it, which was a clear declaration of opposition and hostility to the rule of Imam Ali (a.s.).

One day, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) was delivering a sermon in the mosque when a Kharijite named Hakim ibn Saeed al-Baka’i entered the mosque. While he was putting his fingers in his ears, he recited this verse to Imam Ali (a.s.): “It has been revealed to you and all the previous prophets that if you associate others with Allah, all your deeds will be in vain and you will be among the losers.”(3) By reciting this verse, Hakim ibn Saeed actually called the Imam a polytheist in the presence of the Muslims and the worshippers. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not take any harsh action against this ugly behavior and only recited this noble verse:

Now that it is like this, be patient, for the promise of God is true, and let not those who do not believe anger you (or mislead you).

Page: 96

1- . Tarikh-i-Umm wa-Muluk, Vol. 5, p. 75.

2- . Ibid., p. 72.

4-. “And it has been revealed to you and to those before you that if you associate others with Allah, your work will be frustrated and you will be among the losers” Zumar: 65.

The next day, the Imam was busy talking and advising his companions and friends when suddenly one of the Kharijites shouted from a corner of the mosque: “There is no rule except for God!” Another person also stood up and repeated the same slogan. Similarly, a group stood up and repeated the same slogan. With this slogan, they actually wanted to say that the Imam, by accepting arbitration, had departed from God’s rule and acted arbitrarily, while he had no right to do so. The Imam replied to them:

It is a statement that appears to be true, but they are pursuing a falsehood. As long as you are with us, you enjoy three rights:

We will not prevent you from the mosques of God, where you can mention the name of God.

As long as your hands are with our hands, we will not deprive you of public property and we will pay your allowance from the treasury.

We will not fight you unless you start fighting us. (2)

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) not only tolerated all their ugly and objectionable behavior and tolerated them, but also did things to guide them. The Imam first sent some of his companions, such as Abdullah ibn Abbas, Sa’sa ibn Suhan Abdi, and Ziyad ibn Nasr al-Harithi, to them to discuss and dispel their intellectual doubts and prevent them from rebellion and rebellion. (3)

When the discussions between Abdullah ibn Abbas and the other companions of the Imam with the Khawarij group did not yield any results, the Imam himself went among them. After praying two rak’ahs of prayer in their camp, he discussed and talked with their leaders and convinced a group of them to return to Kufa with a special tactic. P: 97

1- . “So be patient, for Allah’s justice is true, and those who are not sure will not succeed you.” Al-Rum: 60

2- Ibid., p. 72.

Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, pp. 273-279.

Of course, they rebelled again due to the mischief of one of the local hypocrites and returned to their camp. (1)

A number of Khawarij gathered in the house of Abdullah bin Wahb al-Rabi and laid the foundation for an armed war and uprising. They wrote a letter to their like-minded people in Basra asking them to join their camp. (2)

The Khawarij who were stationed outside Kufa in the camp of Harura’a committed a series of criminal acts. Among them, they arrested Abdullah bin Khabbath bin Arat and his pregnant wife who were passing through that area and beheaded them for the crime of loving and accepting the guardianship of Imam Ali (a.s.). They also ripped open his wife’s stomach and beheaded her pregnant wife. (3)

Another group of Khawarij encountered a Muslim and a Christian on the way to Mada’in while they were passing through Nahrawan. The Christian was released because he was a member of the Dhimmah, but the Muslim was torn to pieces for accepting the guardianship of Imam Ali (a.s.). (4)

Imam Ali (a.s.), who had been tolerant of the Kharijites until then and was seeking their guidance, decided to deal with them seriously when he saw these conspiracies. So he set out for their camp with his soldiers. (5)

In the first step, the Imam asked them to hand over the murderers of Abdullah bin Khabbath and his wife to him, but they rejected this offer and declared that they were all his murderers. (6)

Page: 98

1- . Ibid.

2- . Tarikh-i-Umm wa-Muluk, vol. 5, p. 74.

3- . Ibid., p. 82.

4- . Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 2, pp. 280 and 281.

5- . History of Nations and Kings, Vol. 5, pp. 78, 81 and 82.

6- Ibid., p. 83.

1 to 185

By the Imam’s order, a flag was raised and it was announced that whoever repents and comes under this flag will be safe, and some did so and joined the Imam’s companions. (1)

Also, the Imam asked his companions not to start a war, not to start a war. (2)

In this way, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) tolerated them generously until the Khawarij’s conspiracy and chaos began and did his utmost to guide them. He tolerated their opposition and disrespect and did not fight them until the last possible opportunity. Of course, when they started conspiring, chaos and crimes and creating insecurity, and there was no other way left but to confront them with arms and fight them, he did so. (3)

Page: 99

1- . Ibid., p. 86 .

2- . Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 406.

. What has been mentioned are only examples of the Imam’s tolerance towards his political opponents. By examining the history of that Imam’s rule, other examples can be found; for example, during the Battle of Siffin, before the war began, the Imam took preventive measures to prevent the war and tried to prevent the opponents from becoming enemies with the government and return them to the path of truth. See: Nasr ibn Muzahim, The Event of Siffin

1. The financial and economic situation of the governments before the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS)

Reference

One of the problems that arose in the Islamic society after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and continued to spread was financial and economic problems. The era of the third Caliph was the peak of these problems, to the extent that this issue can be considered one of the most important factors in the people’s rebellion. In the following, we will examine the financial and economic situation of that era by explaining some of these problems.

A) Payment for silence

Based on historical evidence, some officials of the governments before the time of Imam Ali (AS) used to give gifts and donations from the Muslim treasury in order to attract the discontented and strengthen the foundations of their leadership.

When Zaid bin Thabit brought a gift for silence to a woman from the Banu Uday bin Al-Najjar family, the woman asked: What is this? Zaid bin Thabit said: It is a share that has been divided among the women. The woman, who had realized with special intelligence that this money was a bribe and a price for silence, said: “Are you giving a bribe to buy my religion? By God! We will not accept anything from him,” and she sent the gift back. (1)

Commentary on Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 2, p. 53.

From the answer that Zayd ibn Thabit gave to this woman’s question, it is clear that such property was also sent to other people and this is not the only case. Another example is when Abu Sufyan embarked on a series of subversive activities. Following this, the amount of zakat that Abu Sufyan had collected was given to him. This caused Abu Sufyan to stop opposing and become silent. (1)

b) Class divisions in society

With the expansion of the Islamic army’s campaigns and the abundance of war booty, circles were formed(2) and the names of the companions were included in them. After that, the war booty was divided among them.

This act itself was not bad, but the manner in which it was done caused many problems. The method and tradition of the Holy Prophet of Islam was such that he divided the war booty equally among the Muslims and made no distinction between them. Arabs and non-Arabs, whites and blacks, the Muhajireen and the Ansar all had an equal share. After the death of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the first caliph followed the same method as the Prophet, but the second caliph recorded the names of the companions based on religious background and tribal order and divided the spoils of war based on privileges.(3)

Umar gave the share of the Prophet’s wives the largest, and determined for them ten thousand dirhams. Of course, he separated Aisha from the others and gave her twelve thousand dirhams.(4)

The caliph arranged the shares of the others in the following order:

P98

1- . Ibid., vol. 1, p. 221 and vol. 2, p. 44.

2- . . This happened in the twentieth year of the Hijri.

3- . Abi al-Hasan Baladhari, Al-Futuh al-Buldan, Beirut, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah, 1398 AH, p. 435; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 3, p. 48.

. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 11, pp. 45 and 46.

The Muhajirs who participated in the Battle of Badr, five thousand dirhams; the Banu Hashim, five hundred dirhams; the Ansar who participated in the Battle of Badr, four thousand dirhams; those whose Islam was on the same level as the people of Badr, four thousand dirhams; the Abyssinian Muhajirs who participated in the Battle of Uhud, four thousand dirhams; the Muhajirs who migrated before the conquest of Mecca, three thousand dirhams; those who converted to Islam after the conquest of Mecca, two thousand dirhams; the sons of the people of Badr and the sons of the Muhajirs, two thousand dirhams; the women of the Muhajirs, one thousand dirhams.

After these, there were people who each had a specific share due to their status, recitation of the Quran, and participation in jihad. The Muslims who had come to the Caliph in Medina also had a share of 25 dinars. In the meantime, he separated some people from the rest and gave them a larger share. For example, Umar ibn Abi Salama, four thousand dirhams; Usama bin Zayd received four thousand dirhams and Safiya, daughter of Abdul Muttalib, six thousand dirhams. (1)

One of the most important consequences of this policy was the creation of class divisions within the Islamic society. Some people acquired enormous wealth under the privileges granted and turned to aristocratic life. The Quraysh, who had most of these privileges, used it as a means of seeking superiority.

The emergence of class divisions led to social groupings, examples of which can be seen during the reign of the second and third caliphs. Umar himself expressed regret for this act in the last days of his life and said: “If I live this year, I will equalize people and I will not give superiority to the red over the black and the Arab over the non-Arab, as the Prophet of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) and Abu Bakr did.” (2)

Page: 102

1- . Futuh al-Buldan, pp. 435 and 447.

. Tarikh al-Yaqubi, vol. 2, p. 42.

C) The Third Caliph, the Palace of Zura and His Assets

As many Shiite and Sunni scholars have pointed out, economic and financial disorders during the time of the Third Caliph became widespread, to the extent that these matters caused the people’s dissatisfaction and hatred of the caliphate, leading to their rebellion and the murder of Uthman.

Uthman had built a unique house with stone and lime and decorated its doors with teak and juniper wood.(1) Ibn Abi al-Hadid writes:

When Uthman built his lofty palace, which was called “Zura”, he prepared a lot of food and invited the people. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, who was among the guests, said, upon seeing the condition of the building and the food: “O son of Affan! We now affirm what we used to deny about you (extravagance and extravagance), and I seek refuge in God from pledging allegiance to you.” Hearing these words, Uthman became angry and said to his servant: Take him out of the assembly. (2)

Abdullah bin Amir says:

One night in the holy month of Ramadan, I was Uthman’s guest for Iftar. He brought us very good food and I had never seen Umar eat such food. I spoke to Uthman about this and Uthman replied: May God have mercy on Umar. Who can endure what Umar endured. (3)

P103

1- . Muruj al-Dhahab, vol. 1, p. 689.

2- . Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 196.

. Tarikh al-Umm wa al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 401.

Uthman had gold teeth made for himself and wore royal and luxurious clothes, some of which cost eight hundred dinars.(1) Uthman’s wealth with his treasurer on the day he was assassinated was thirty million five hundred thousand dirhams and one hundred and fifty thousand dinars. He also had one thousand camels in his herd.(2)

d) Uthman’s Donations

The third Caliph, Uthman, explicitly stated that he would use the public treasury for the personal use of his relatives. He said: (3) “Umar deprived his relatives and family of the treasury for the sake of God, but I give it to my family and relatives for the sake of God.” (4)

In the meantime, the Umayyads received many benefits. (5) The Caliph addressed a group of the companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family), among whom was Ammar Yasir, and said: “If I had the keys to Paradise in my hands, I would give them to the Umayyads until the last of them entered Paradise.” (6)

Here we will suffice with mentioning only a few examples: Hakam ibn al-Aas, the uncle of Uthman, was exiled by the Prophet. After his return from exile, (7) he was given a gift of one hundred thousand dirhams. (8) He was also entrusted with the responsibility of collecting the zakat of Qada’ah.

Page: 104

1- . Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 3, pp. 42 and 43.

2- . Ibid., p. 56.

3- . Jamal min Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 6, p. 133.

4- . Tarikh al-Umm wa al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 226.

5- . Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 1, pp. 198 and 199.

6- . Al-Musnad, vol. 1, p. 136, no. 439.

7- . The biography of Hukm ibn al-Aas has been mentioned earlier in this article.

. Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 198. It is worth mentioning that at that time, the value of one dinar was equal to the value of ten dirhams. The dinar was made of gold and the dirham was made of silver.

When he handed over the Qada’ah alms to Uthman, Uthman gave all of them to himself.(1) He also allocated the pastures of the Sharaf area(2) for grazing his camels.(3)

Uthman married his daughter (Aisha) to his cousin, Harith ibn Hakam, and gave her one hundred thousand dirhams from the treasury.(4) Umm Bakr also narrated from her father Maswar that she gave a camel to Uthman as alms and he gave that camel to Harith ibn Hakam.(5) In addition, he gave Harith ibn Hakam a place in Medina known as Mahrooz, which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had dedicated to the Muslims.(6)

Marwan ibn Hakam was another cousin of Uthman, who married Uthman, his other daughter, Umm Aban, and allocated one hundred thousand dirhams from the treasury.(7) Also, when Marwan, along with the army of Islam and with a lot of booty, which amounted to two million five hundred and twenty thousand dirhams, Dinar, returned from Africa to Medina, Uthman gave him a fifth of this booty. (8) The land of Fadak is also one of the gifts that Marwan received from the third caliph. (9)

Pg: 105

1- . Ibid., Vol. 3, p. 35; Futuh al-Bulandan, Vol. 9, p. 137.

2- . Sharaf was a very good land in Najd and one of the settlements of Banu Akul al-Marar, in which the Rabzah region was located. See: Mu’jam al-Bulandan, Vol. 3, p. 336.

3- . Sharh Nahjul al-Balagha, Vol. 3, p. 39.

4- . Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 199.

5- . . Ibid., Vol. 3, p. 35; Futuh al-Bulandan, Vol. 6, p. 137.

6- . Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Qutaybah Dinwari, Al-Ma’arif, Beirut, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah, 1407 AH-.Q., Vol. 1, p. 112; Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 1, p. 198.

7- . Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 199.

8- . Tarikh Ya’qubi, Vol. 2, p. 58; Mussannat al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Vol. 1, p. 183.

. Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 1, p. 198.

Uthman married his (other) daughter to Abdullah bin Khalid bin Usaid and ordered the governor of Basra to give him six hundred thousand dirhams from the treasury of Basra.(1) It is also narrated that Abdullah bin Khalid once asked Uthman for a favor and a reward, and Uthman gave him four hundred thousand dirhams.(2)

Abi Mukhnaf narrates: In the treasury of Medina, there was a chest in which gold and jewels were kept. Uthman took some of this gold and jewels for the use of his family members. Some people came to know about this and criticized him. At this time, Uthman angrily replied: “Against the wishes and displeasure of others, I take my needs from the treasury.”(3)

When Uthman gave one hundred thousand dirhams to Saeed bin Al-As, the people objected to this act. Uthman replied, “He is from my relatives and close friends.” (4) Abu Musa al-Ash’ari also brought a lot of wealth from Iraq and gave it to Uthman, who in turn distributed it all among the Umayyads. (5)

According to Ibn Abi al-Hadid, on the same day that Uthman gave Marwan ibn Hakam one hundred thousand dirhams from the treasury, he also gave Abu Sufyan another two hundred thousand dirhams. Abu Sufyan also gave his daughter to Uthman as a wife. (6)

P. 106

1- . Tarikh al-Ya’qubi, vol. 2, p. 62.

2- . Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 198; Al-Ma’arif, p. 113.

3- . Futuh al-Bulandan, vol. 6, p. 161.

4- . Ibid., p. 137; Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 3, p. 35.

5- . Commentary on Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 199.

Ibid.

Among the others who sat at the table of the treasury and seized huge wealth was Abdullah ibn Saad ibn Abi Sarh, against whom verse 91 of Surah An-An’am was revealed.(1) Uthman gave the fi’ee that was obtained from the conquest of West Africa (from Tripoli to Tancha) to Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh in one go without sharing this wealth with any of the Muslims.(2)

The wealth of Ya’la ibn Umayyah, the ruler of Yemen at the time, was fifty thousand dinars, and the value of his lands and livestock, which were in the hands of the people, was one hundred thousand dinars. When he heard the news of Uthman’s murder, he collected the property of the Yemeni treasury, which was four hundred thousand gold dinars, brought it to Mecca and gave it to Talha and Zubair to spend in the war against Imam Ali (a.s.). (3)

Walid ibn Uqbah, the governor of Kufa, borrowed one hundred thousand coins from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, the key holder of the treasury, and did not pay it back when it was due. When Abdullah demanded it, Uthman forgave Walid and ordered Abdullah not to do anything with him. (4)

Rabi’ah ibn Harith was Uthman’s partner during the pre-Islamic period. Abbas, son of Rabi’ah, asked Uthman to write to Ibn Amir, his governor in Basra, to give him one hundred thousand dirhams from the treasury. Uthman also accepted and Ibn Amir paid him this amount. (5)

Uthman also gave six hundred thousand dirhams of the property of Isfahan to Zubair ibn al-Awwam. (6) This was while Zubair had extensive lands in Egypt and Alexandria and houses in Basra and a considerable amount of the grains of Medina was also part of his income. (7)

p. 107

1- . The biography of Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh has been mentioned earlier in this article.

2- . Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 199.

3- . Tarikh al-Umm wa al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 443.

4- . Futuh al-Buldan, vol. 6, p. 140.

5- . Tarikh al-Umm wa al-Muluk, vol. 4, p. 404.

6- . Tarikh al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, vol. 3, p. 1021.

. Fatuh al-Baldan, vol. 6, p. 140.

Talha was also not left out of these gifts and received two hundred thousand dinars(1) from Uthman. Uthman also gave him a river in Iraq.(2) Ibn Abi al-Hadid narrates that during the siege of Uthman, he said: “Woe to Talha, I gave him such and such amount(3) of gold, but now he has come to shed my blood.”(4)

Zayd ibn Thabit was Uthman’s treasurer(5) and one of the other plunderers of the treasury. When the people revolted against Uthman, Zayd called on a group of Ansar to rise up in Uthman’s defense. At that time, Hublah ibn Amr addressed him as follows: “O Zayd! Why do you not defend Uthman, when he gave you ten thousand dinars and gardens, one of which you would not have inherited from your father? (6)

When Uthman gave one hundred thousand dirhams to Zayd bin Thabit, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, a great companion of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family), said: “Those who hoard gold and silver, give them good tidings of a painful punishment.” And he recited this noble verse: (7)

And those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend them in the way of God, give them good tidings of a painful punishment (At-Tawbah: 34).

Page: 108

1- . Ibid., p. 108.

. History of Medina, Vol. 3, p. 1021.

. “I gave him such and such a quantity of gold in gold.” A gold is a

measuring vessel that was equivalent to 300 pounds. Different measurements have been mentioned for a pound in lexicography. Among them, it is said to be half a pound. See: Ismail Jawhari, Al-Sahah, researched by Ahmad Attar, Cairo, Dar al-Ilm for millions, 1407 AH-.Q, Vol. 4, p. 599 and Vol. 4, p. 179; Ibrahim Anis and others, Al-Mu’jam al-Wasit, Daftar Nashr Farhang al-Islami, 1412 AH .Q, Vol. 1, p. 359.

4- . Sharh Nahjul al-Balagha, Vol. 9, p. 35.

5- . History of Ya’qubi, Vol. 2, p. 62.

6- Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 3, p. 8.

Fatuh al-Baldan, vol. 6, p. 166.

When Zayd ibn Thabit, the treasurer of Uthman, died, he left behind so much gold and jewels that they could be broken with an axe, and this was in addition to his gardens and other property, which were worth a hundred thousand dinars. (1)

Before Zayd ibn Thabit became the key-holder of Uthman, Zayd ibn Arqam had held this position. (2) When he saw Uthman’s many gifts, he complained and objected to him. Uthman replied, “You are our key-holder; whenever I tell you to give, do it, and whenever I am silent, you also remain silent!” The treasurer replied, “By God, you are lying. I am not the key-holder of you and your family; I am the key-holder of the Muslim treasury.” On a Friday, while Uthman was delivering the sermon, he came to the Muslims and shouted, “O Muslims! Uthman thinks that I am the key-holder of him and his family, while I am the custodian of the Muslim treasury,” and threw the keys at him. Uthman then entrusted this responsibility to Zayd ibn Thabit.(3) A similar incident occurred with the key holder of the Muslim treasury in Kufa (Abdullah ibn Masud).(4)

1- . Muruj al-Dhahab, vol. 1, p. 689.

2- . Sharh Nahjul al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 199.

3- . Tarikh al-Yaqubi, vol. 2, p. 62.

. Futuh al-Bulandan, vol. 6, p. 140.

2. Financial and Economic Reforms of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (AS)

Note

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (AS) knew, on the one hand, that without a healthy economic system, social justice cannot be achieved, and a society deprived of justice cannot walk the path of salvation and achieve its lofty goals. On the other hand, the philosophy of accepting government by his Imam was to provide the grounds for justice, the growth and flourishing of human talents, and the best possible guidance for people.

In addition, one of the reasons for the decline of states and governments is financial and economic corruption. The people who revolted against the current policies considered one of the reasons for their uprising to be economic instability, generosity, and excessive giving of public funds.(1)

Therefore, the Alawi reforms in dealing with financial and economic corruption began from the first days of the reign of Imam Ali (AS). The Imam promised fundamental changes and reforms in this regard to the people(2) and declared that no reproach would prevent these reforms.(3) We will now describe some aspects of these reform measures:

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A) Return of lost property

The first action of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to reform the economic and financial structure of the society was to return the wealth that had been taken out of the state treasury in various forms and had become the property of a specific group during the caliphate of Uthman. Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who did not give special privileges to anyone, gave a speech on the second day of his reign and said:

Here, O people! Every gift that Uthman gave and every wealth from the wealth of God that he gifted will return to the treasury; because nothing can nullify the rights of the past. If I find this wealth with which women have been married and scattered in the cities, I will certainly return it to its place; because in justice there is openness, and he who is restricted in the implementation of justice, oppression will be more restricted. (1)

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1- . History of Yaqubi, Vol. 2, p. 69 .

2- . Commentary on Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 1, p. 269 and Vol. 7, p. 37.

. Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 40; Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise commentary, Vol. 1, p. 240, Sermon 9

Then Imam Ali (peace be upon him) ordered that all the property that Uthman and his relatives and companions had taken from the treasury be returned, wherever it was. The weapons that were in Uthman’s house, the camels of zakat, and the public property of Uthman’s house were returned to the state treasury. (2)

b) Taking care of the Muslim treasury

Note

The way in which Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) used, distributed, and took care of the treasury is an example for all Muslims and governments after him. The Imam, who saw the government and the treasury as a trust in his hands, was always careful to implement justice, which was one of the basic principles of the Alawi government, in all aspects of his government and to eliminate the grounds for injustice and corruption. An evaluation of how the Imam performed with regard to the treasury will clarify this matter well.

One – Emphasis on the equal distribution of the treasury

The distribution of public property equally and equally among all Muslims was one of the policies of the government of Ali (peace be upon him). This type of performance was in contrast to what had been done to the people in the years before him. Therefore, it was very heavy for the beneficiaries of the previous government, the so-called “large grains”. In the eyes of the Imam, the color of the Muslims’ faces, their lineage and ancestors, and their group and social affiliation did not make a difference in the benefit of public property. Arabs and non-Arabs, immigrants and Ansar, whites and blacks, and even freed slaves and their former masters were the same in this regard and all benefited from public revenues equally.

On the third day of the reign of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), when the time came to distribute the property of the treasury, the Imam ordered his scribe Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi as follows:

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Start with the emigrants. Call them and give three dinars to each of them who come. Then do the same with the Ansar and then with each of the people who come, red and black. (1)

Sahl ibn Hanif brought a freed black slave to the Imam in protest and said: How much will you give this? Ali (peace be upon him) said: “How much did you take?” He said: Three dinars and the others have taken the same amount. The Imam said: “Allocate the freed slave as much as he did; that is, three dinars.” (2)

The problems and protests of those who saw their special privileges in danger began from the very first days. But the Imam never paid attention to their criticism and dissatisfaction and adhered to the Prophetic tradition.

A group of Shiites came to Ali (peace be upon him) and said: O Commander of the Faithful! [It is appropriate] to distribute these properties among the nobles and the great ones and give them precedence over us until you become the ruler of the affairs. Then return to the best qualities that God has accustomed you to, namely, equal distribution and justice among the citizens. Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) said:

Woe to you! Do you force me to seek victory by oppression and injustice against the Muslims over whom I have ruled?! No, by God, this will not happen as long as time lasts and as long as I see stars in the sky. By God, if these were my personal properties, I would treat them equally, let alone the properties of the public treasury.(3)

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1- . Sharh Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 7, P. 37.

2- . Al-Ikhtasas, P. 152; Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 40, P. 107, H. 117.

3- . Abi Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ya’qub Kulayni, Al-Faru’ min al-Kafi, edited by Muhammad Ja’far Shams al-Din, Beirut, Dar al-Ta’rif Publishing House, 1413 AH, vol. 4, p. 32, h. 3.

One day, while the Imam was distributing the treasury, two women came to the Imam; one was an Arab and the other a freedman. The Imam gave each of them twenty-five dirhams and a measure of food. The Arab woman said: “O Commander of the Faithful! I am an Arab woman and this woman is a non-Arab.” Imam Ali (a.s.) said: “By God, I do not see any superiority in this booty for the children of Ishmael over the children of Isaac.”(1)

After the Battle of Jamal, Imam Ali (a.s.) entered the treasury in Basra with a group of his companions. Then he sent for the treasurers and accountants, called them, and ordered them to open the doors of the chests. Then he distributed the wealth among his companions. Each received six thousand dirhams. His companions were twelve thousand, and he himself took the same amount as the others. At that time, a man came and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! My name has been dropped from the courts and I was suffering from such and such a problem. Ali (peace be upon him) gave his share to the man and said: Praise be to God who did not give me anything from this wealth. (2)

Two – Not delaying in distributing public wealth

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not consider it permissible to keep public wealth in the treasury of the state and tried to deliver it to the needy as soon as possible. The Imam’s life shows that he did not tolerate even a single night’s delay in this matter. He believed that what was for the people and belonged to them should be made available to them at the earliest opportunity.

Abu Salih Samman says: I saw Ali (peace be upon him) enter the treasury of the public treasury and see some wealth in it. He said: “This is here and the people are in need?!” So he ordered it to be distributed among the people and the place of the public treasury was swept and watered.

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1- . Al-Gharat, p. 46.

2- . Al-Jamal, p. 400.

Three – Saving Public Money

The way Imam Ali (peace be upon him) spent public money and the treasury of the Muslims is very instructive. On the one hand, by warning his governors and officials and on the other hand, by his personal behavior, the Imam forced them to be extremely economical with public money. In a part of a letter, the Imam asked them not to forget about saving even when writing letters to him, and emphasized as follows:

Sharpen your pens; make the lines close together; [in writing] for me, eliminate excesses and look at the meaning and avoid overwriting; because the treasury of the Muslims cannot be harmed.(1)

It is clear that the official, when he hears all this care in writing a letter, will no longer use public money to decorate tables, ride on such horses, and strive for maximum comfort.

Imam Ali (AS)’s personal thrift in spending the public treasury is also quite amazing. He was not willing to use the light of a lamp that belonged to public revenues even to answer those who approached him at night for personal matters. One night, when the Imam was attending to the affairs of the public treasury, Talha and Zubair came to him to discuss personal matters. He turned off the lamp of the public treasury and ordered that another lamp be brought from his house. The Imam was not willing to use the light of a lamp that came from public revenues for personal matters for even a few minutes.

. Seyyed Noorullah Hosseini Testari, Ahqaq al-Haq and Izhaq al-Batil, Tehran, Al-Muttabah al-Islamiya, 1384, p. 539.

The Imam addressed the people of Kufa:

O Kufans, if I leave you (after my rule and rule) except with a horse, a baggage, and my slave, then I am a traitor.(3)

One day, Qanbar, the Imam’s slave, went to the Imam and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I have hidden something precious for you. He said: What is it? He said: Come with me. Imam Ali (a.s.) got up and went to his house. At that time, he saw bags full of gold and silver cups. Qanbar said: O Commander of the Faithful, you do not leave anything unless you divide it. Therefore, I have stored these for you.

Ali (a.s.) said: “Did you want to bring a lot of fire into my house?” Then he drew his sword and lowered it on the cups, divided them into several parts, and ordered them to be divided. Then he said: “O white (silver), deceive another! O gold, deceive another!” (1)

Once, the Imam heard the sound of roasting meat in his house. He stood up and said: “Ali ibn Abi Talib and roasting the breast meat?!” (2) Hearing these words, the people of the house became angry and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! A camel has been killed in your wife’s tribe and her family has brought it as a gift. He said: “Eat, it is delicious and clean!” (3)

Abu Raja says: “The Imam brought a sword to the market and said: “Who will buy this from me? If I had the price of a garment, I would not sell it.” I said to him: “O Commander of the Faithful! I will sell you a garment and give you credit until your share [from the treasury] comes. So I sold it to him until the time came for the division of the treasury. When he received his share, he paid me my due.” (4)

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1- . Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 105, h 6

3- Al-Gharat, p. 44; Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, p. 200.

5-Al-Gharat, p. 40; Commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 2, p. 200.

Four – Special privileges for relatives

In the view of Imam Ali (AS), what is at the disposal of rulers and agents is “trust” and rulers can only use the facilities at their disposal for agency and service. They do not have the right to grant special privileges to certain people. The family and relatives of prominent political and social figures in the government of Ali (AS) and the relatives and children of that great man did not enjoy any special privileges. Beyond this, the Imam said about the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful! As a guaranteed loan that must be returned? He said: Yes; a guaranteed loan that will be returned after three days. So I gave it to her.

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The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.), found the necklace with him and recognized it. He asked, “Where did you get this necklace?” He said, “I borrowed it from Ali ibn Abi Rafi’, the treasurer of the treasury, to use it as an ornament during the Eid days and then return it.”

Ali (a.s.) sent for me. I went to him. He said to me, “O son of Abu Rafi’! Are you betraying the Muslims?” I said, “I seek refuge in God from betraying the Muslims.” He said, “How could you give the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful a necklace that was cut off in the treasury of the Muslims?”

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This word reached Umm Kulthum and she said to her father: O Commander of the Faithful, I am your daughter and a part of your body. Who is more deserving than me to hang it? Ali (peace be upon him) said to her: “O daughter of Ali bin Abi Talib, do not deviate from the truth. Do all the women of the emigrants adorn themselves with such a necklace on this Eid?” I took the necklace from the daughter of Ali (peace be upon him) and returned it to its place.”(1)

One day, Aqeel, the brother of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) entered upon the Imam and said to Hasan (peace be upon him): “Clothe your uncle.” Hasan (peace be upon him) covered him with a garment from his clothes and a cloak from his cloaks. When it was time for dinner, [the food] was bread and salt. Aqeel said: “Is there nothing but what I see?” The Imam said: “Isn’t this a blessing from God? He is greatly to be praised.” Aqeel said: Give me money to pay my debt and fulfill my request quickly so that I can leave you. He said: “O Abu Yazid, how much is your debt?” He said: One hundred thousand dirhams. The Imam said: “By God, I do not have this amount and I do not own such an amount, but be patient until my share [of the treasury] arrives and I will share half with you. If it were not for the need of my family and relatives, I would have given you everything.”

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. Abu Ja’far Muhammad Tusi, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, corrected and annotated by Ali Akbar Ghaffari, Maktaba al-Sadooq, 1376, Vol. 1, Vol. 10, p. 137, No. 601.

Aqeel said: The treasury is in your possession and you promise to divide the wealth? Now, how much is your share and if you give it all to me, how much will it be? He said: “You and I are like one Muslim in this wealth.”

Ali (peace be upon him) and Aqeel were talking to each other on the top of Dar al-Hukuma and they were looking over the chests of the market people. Ali (peace be upon him) said to him: “O Abu Yazid, if you do not accept my words, then come down and break the locks of those chests and take what is inside them.” Aqeel said: What is inside these chests? He said: “The wealth of the merchants.” Aqeel said: Do you order me to break the chests of the people who have put their trust in God and have put their wealth in them? The Imam said: “Do you order me to open the treasury of the Muslims and give you their wealth, while they have put their trust in God and have locked it? If you wish, take your sword and I will take mine and we will go to Hira (a city near Kufa), because there are rich merchants living there. We will ambush them and take their property.” Aqeel said: “Have I come here to steal?” The Imam said: “It is better to steal from one than from all the Muslims.”(1)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) narrated another story about his brother Aqeel in a sermon as follows:

By God! If I spend the night awake on the thorns of “Sa’dan”(2) or am tied and dragged in shackles and chains, it is more beloved to me than to meet God and His Messenger on the Day of Judgment while I have wronged some of His servants and have usurped some of the wealth of this world. How can I wrong someone, especially a body whose fibers and tissues are rapidly aging (and disintegrating) and remain in the soil for a long time?

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1- . Manaqib Al Abi Talib, Vol. 2, p. 125; Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 41, p. 113, p. 23.

. Sa’dan: The name of a thorny bush. See: Lewis Maalouf, Jesuit, Al-Munjad fi al-Laghah, Beirut, Al-Katholiqiya Press, 1972, vol. 5, p. 344.

By God! Aqeel, I saw my brother who had become extremely poor and he asked me to give him a manna of your wheat. I saw his children whose hair was disheveled from hunger and whose complexion had changed due to poverty; it was as if their faces had been dyed with indigo. Aqeel insisted again and repeated his request several times. I listened to him. He thought that I was selling my religion to him and walking according to his wishes and abandoning my ways and customs. (To awaken him and awaken him) I melted iron in the fire, then brought it close to his body, so that he might learn a lesson from its heat. He let out a groan like a patient groaning in severe pain, and he was about to be burned by its heat. I said to him: Look, Aqeel! Let the mourning women weep in your mourning! You complain about the iron that a person has made into a toy, but you drag me to a fire that the Almighty God has kindled with the flame of His wrath and anger! You complain about this suffering, and I do not complain about the burning fire? (1)

Five – The prohibition of giving from public property

If a ruler considers himself a “trustee” of the people and his government and guardianship a “trust”, he will never allow himself to give and give from the public property at his disposal under various pretexts and to waste the public treasury under titles such as gifts, ties of kinship and rewards. Giving and giving from every human being is a worthy and good thing, but not from the public treasury of Muslims and public property!

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. Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 2, pp. 427 and 429.

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) considered such dealings with public property to be tyranny: “The generosity of rulers in the public property of Muslims is tyranny and breach of covenant.”(1)

One day, Imam Ali (a.s.) was sitting and distributing wealth among the Muslims. An old man stood beside him and said: “O Amir al-Mu’minin! I am a healthy old man, as you see, and a slave of the scribes.(2) Help me with this wealth.” The Imam said: “By God! This wealth is not my handiwork. It is not my father’s inheritance either; it is a trust that has been entrusted to me for safekeeping and I will return it to its owners; but sit down!” The old man sat down; the Imam glanced at the people around him and said: “May God have mercy on the one who helps an old man.” The people also helped. (3)

Six – Dealing with the financial corruption of the officials

We said that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) continuously and carefully monitored the performance of his governors and officials by establishing supervisory organizations and dealt with it if he observed any irregularities. One of the most important duties that the Imam expected from them was to protect public property and the treasury of the Muslims. The Imam wrote in his letter to Ash’ath bin Qais, the governor of Azerbaijan:

The governorship is not a means of bread and water for you, but a trust on your neck… Do not act except with caution regarding the treasury! A part of God’s wealth is at your disposal and you are one of His treasurers, so entrust it to me, and I hope that I will not be a bad leader for you.

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1- . “The presence of a god in the presence of the Muslims is unjust and selective.” Sharh Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durr Al-Kalam, Vol. 3, p. 357.

2- . “Mukatib” refers to a slave who has made a contract with his owner that he will be freed if he pays the price. See: Yasin Isa Amili, Al-Istlahat Al-Fiqhiyyah, Beirut, Dar Al-Balagha, 1413 AH, Vol. 1, p. 206.

. Da’im Al-Islam, Vol. 2, p. 308, No. 1171.

When Imam Ali (a.s.) noticed a violation by Ash’ath, he told him: “Pay what is your duty, otherwise I will strike you with the sword.” He did so.(2)

Imam Ali (a.s.) wrote in a letter to Ziyad ibn Ubayyah, his deputy governor, Abdullah ibn Abbas in Basra:

I swear by God that if it is reported that you have taken too much or too little from the spoils and treasury of the Muslims, I will be so harsh on you that you will become poor, insignificant, and weak in life. Peace be upon you.(3)

Shurih ibn Harith, the judge of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (a.s.), during the reign of the Imam, bought a house for eighty dinars. When the report reached the Imam, he summoned him and asked him about the truth of this news. Shurahih replied: That is what happened, O Commander of the Faithful! Imam Ali (a.s.) looked at him angrily and said:

O Shurayh, soon someone will come to you who will neither look at your deeds nor ask your testimony. He will take you out of it and will only take you to your grave. O Shurayh, see that you did not buy this house with wealth other than your own or pay its price with anything other than lawful money, for you have caused yourself loss both in this world and in the Hereafter.(4)

Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) wrote in his letter to Qudamah ibn Ajlan, his agent in Kaskar(5):

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1- . Nahjul al-Balagha with a clear translation and concise explanation, Vol. 3, p. 21, letter 5.

2- . Nath al-Dur, p. 292.

3- . Nahjul al-Balagha with a clear translation and concise explanation, Vol. 3, p. 43, letter 20.

4- . Ibid., p. 17, letter 3.

A large city in Iraq located between Kufa and Basra and close to Umarah and Kut. See: Mu’jam al-Bulandan, vol. 4, p. 461.

After praising and thanking God, send to me what is in your charge from the divine wealth; for it is the common wealth of the Muslims and you are not more deserving or privileged than others. O son of Qudama, do not think that the wealth of Kaskar is permissible for you, like what you inherited from your parents. So send the wealth quickly and come to us yourself, God willing. (1)

The Imam was informed that Munzar bin Jarud, the governor of Istakhr(2) was generous in spending the treasury. The Imam wrote to him in a letter:

Your father’s kindness deceived me about you. I thought that you would follow his manner and behavior, but as I have heard from you, you do not abandon following your desires and whims, even though it harms your religion, and you do not listen to the [words] of well-wishers, even though they sincerely wish you well. I have been informed that you are doing a lot of work on the ground and that you are going out for fun and entertainment and hunting and that you are generous with the wealth of Allah towards the Bedouins of your tribe; as if it were the inheritance of your parents!

By Allah! If these reports are true, the camels of your tribe and the laces of your sandals are better than you. Allah does not like play and play, and betraying the Muslims and ruining their work angers Allah, and whoever is like this is not fit to guard the borders, collect public wealth, and be the trustee of public property. Whenever my letter reaches you, come to me.

Mundhir came to Imam Ali (a.s.) while a group complained to him that he had taken thirty thousand from the treasury. The Imam asked him and he denied it. He made him swear, but he did not take the oath. Then he imprisoned him.

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1- . Futuh al-Bulandan, p. 388.

. Istakhr, the Arabic form of Istakhr, is one of the ancient cities of Persia, and was the capital of the Persian kings of that time, and there are great monuments in it. The distance from this city to Shiraz is twelve farsakhs. See: Mu’jam al-Bulandan, p. 211. [Dinar] has been taken from the treasury.

C) Dealing with destructive economic factors

Note

Since the economic institution of any society is the lifeblood of that society and on the other hand, there are many grounds for the emergence of disorder in this institution, one of the most important works of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was to supervise economic affairs and deal with destructive economic factors. We will limit ourselves to giving a few examples of these measures:

One – Direct supervision of the market

The market presents the economic efforts of the society and all people are in contact with the market. It is natural that the health of the market can affect the entire society and any problem and corruption in the market will reach the people and affect other institutions of the society. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) supervised the market and the way of trading in it due to the importance of the market in the economy and livelihood of the people. Every day, that noble man would go to the market of Kufa and stand before the people of the market and say in a loud voice: “O merchants, fear Allah, the Almighty!”(2) and like a “teacher of children,” he would warn them and advise them:

Be charitable. Seek blessings from easy acceptance. Approach buyers. Adorn yourself with patience. Avoid swearing and refrain from lying. Stay away from oppression and help the oppressed. Do not approach usury and fill the weight and scale. Do not underestimate the wealth of people and do not spread corruption on earth.(3)

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1- . Futuh al-Bulandan, vol. 2, p. 391; Nahjul al-Balagha with a clear translation and concise explanation, vol. 3, p. 212, letter 71.

2- . Al-Fur’u’ min al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 151, h. 3.

Ibid.

Ali (peace be upon him) used to visit all the markets of Kufa, sometimes he would visit the market of butchers and fishmongers and sometimes the market of date sellers, and he would give special instructions to each group of marketers. (1) Then he would return and attend to the people’s affairs. (2)

Two – Eliminating opportunists and profiteers

In the view of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), one of the ways to reform the country’s economic system is for the government to not nurture opportunists and profiteers within its fold. Those who have found the opportunity to engage in such activities due to their proximity to rulers and officials or having special positions in society are considered a threat to the economic health of the society. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says in his instructions to Malik Ashtar:

… Then, it is for the ruler, the special ones and the owners of secrets who are selfish and long-handed and do not observe justice and fairness in dealing with the people. Uproot their oppression by cutting off their means, and do not lend any of your relatives or friends any land from the lands of the Muslims, and do not let them be greedy, so that you conclude a contract for their benefit that will be a loss to the people, whether in irrigation or any other common work, in such a way that they impose its costs on others. In that case, the benefit is for them, and the shame and disgrace is for you in this world and the Hereafter. (3)

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1- . Da’im al-Islam, Vol. 2, p. 536, No. 1912.

2- . Al-Fur’u’l-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 151, H. 3.

. Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 3, p. 171, Letter 53.

1. The Status of Legal and Jurisprudential Issues Before the Caliphate of Imam Ali (AS)

Reference

The eternal life of man and the effect of his behavior in this world on his eternal happiness and misery, and on the other hand, his lack of awareness of the secrets of the world and the consequences of his behavior in the hereafter, have made him in need of a complete plan for a correct life that will lead to his eternal happiness. Only someone can respond to this basic need of man who is aware of all the secrets of the world and the hereafter, the human soul and spirit, and the influence and impact, interests and corruptions of human behavior. Such a person is none other than God Almighty. This is where the secret of man’s need for prophethood and Imamate becomes clear.

The Holy Prophet of Islam, by presenting the most complete and progressive legal and moral plan that expresses man’s duties towards God Almighty, himself and others, met this human need.

He, who was a divine messenger, never spoke of himself or added anything to religion, and everything he presented in religion was the will and command of God. The Holy Quran describes the Holy Prophet of Islam as follows:

And he never speaks of his own desire, but what he says is nothing but what has been revealed to him. (Surah An-Najm: 3 and 4)

In this way, the collection of the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah, which is the most complete plan of life for all human generations, was presented. All human beings are also obliged to act completely in accordance with it, without any interference or manipulation; even if they have not understood all its benefits and secrets;

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Because it was sent by God, who is the most knowledgeable person about the secrets of the world and our interests and corruptions.

The Holy Quran says in this regard:

And it is not for a believer or a non-believer, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they should have the best of their affairs. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then he has indeed strayed into manifest error. (Al-Ahzab: 36)

It is not for a believing man or woman to have any choice (against the command of Allah) when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then he has indeed strayed into manifest error.

Therefore, it is essential that the jurisprudential and legal rules and standards of the religion, as explained by the Holy Lawgiver through the Holy Prophet of Islam, remain stable and that no differences or violations are allowed in them.

With the passing of the Holy Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family), we can find numerous cases where some Islamic rules differed from what was current during his time and Muslims disagreed on these cases. We will briefly give examples of these cases. First, we will look at one of the factors that led to these disagreements.

The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family), which was an eternal model of the behavior and speech of the Holy Prophet of Islam, who is the best divine prophet and the owner of the most perfect religion for all future generations, is proof for us. Therefore, that Prophet and the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) have recommended and encouraged Muslims to publish and spread hadiths.

After the death of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), this matter was not given the importance it should have, and even some officials not only did not take it seriously, but on the contrary, prevented the publication and spread of the Prophetic hadiths. (1)

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In his speech, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) exposed the faces of hypocrites in order to preserve the religion and save Muslims from seditions, and he interpreted some verses that generally spoke of the faces of forgery and hypocrisy. It is natural that people like Muawiyah, Al-Hakam and his sons, Khalid bin Walid, Amr bin Al-As, Walid bin Uqbah, etc., whom the Prophet had condemned and even verses from the Holy Quran had been revealed in condemnation of them, not only did not have the desire to spread and disseminate the Prophet’s hadiths, but they also sought to prevent it. (2) It has been narrated that the companions of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), who were the bearers of his sayings, were prohibited from narrating and disseminating his hadiths and sayings after his departure. When the people of Iraq asked Qarzah bin Ka’b, a companion of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), to narrate a hadith from the Prophet to them, he said that he was prohibited from doing so. He was even told not to engage people in the hadith of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)…! (3) Qarzah used to say that after that, I never narrated a word from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)! (4) In this way, many hadiths of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) were lost and the ground for the emergence of jurisprudential and legal differences and… was created in the Islamic community.

For example:

a) Taraweeh prayer

Taraweeh prayer is a recommended congregational prayer that Sunnis perform on the nights of the blessed month of Ramadan. During the time of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the companions performed the recommended prayers on the nights of the blessed month of Ramadan in their homes and individually, and the Prophet himself did the same.

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1- . Alaeddin bin Husam al-Din Muttaqi Hindi, Kanz al-Umal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa al-Afaal, Beirut, Mastsat al-Risala, 1409 AH, Vol. 1, p. 285, No. 29460; Muhammad Dhahabi, Tazkirah al-Hufaz, Dar Ihya’at al-Turaht al-Arabi, Vol. 1, p. 7; Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 1, p. 256.

2- . See: Muhammad Ali Mahdavi Rad, article “Prohibition of compiling hadith”, Scientific-Specialized Quarterly of Hadith Sciences, Vol. 2 and 3, serial number 8, p. 7.

3- . Al-Mustadrak ali al-Saheehin, Vol. 1, p. 183, No. 347/59.

. Abu Omar Yusuf bin Abdullah bin Abdul Bar Nimri al-Qurtubi, Jami’ Bayan al-Ilm wa Fadlah, Dar al-Kutb al-Islamiyyah, 1402 AH, Vol. 2, p. 453.

This tradition continued during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and the first year of the caliphate of Umar, and Shia and Sunni scholars agree on this matter.

In the second blessed month of Ramadan of Umar’s caliphate, he entered the mosque and saw a group of Muslims performing the recommended prayers. Some were bowing, some were prostrating, etc. The Caliph, who was upset by seeing this scene, ordered that the recommended prayers be performed in congregation during the nights of the blessed month of Ramadan early in the night and that all Muslims participate in them. Then he distributed this matter to all the lands.(1) In Medina, he also appointed two imams, one male and one female, and said: “This is an innovation, but a good innovation.”

B) Performing the entire prayer while traveling

One of the commands of Islam is that the four-rak’ah prayers should be shortened and performed in two rak’ahs while traveling. This is the command of God Almighty in the Quran(2) and the famous tradition of the Holy Prophet of Islam, and that Imam and the Imams (peace be upon him) have emphasized it.

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1- . “Innovation and the blessing of innovation; this is an innovation, but it is a good innovation.” Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Beirut Dar al-Qalam, 1407 AH, Vol. 1, Vol. 3, p. 100; Kitab al-Salah al-Taraweeh, Chapter 156, No. 265; Ahmad al-Qastalani, Irshad al-Sari li Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Baghdad, Maktaba al-Muthanna, Vol. 6, Vol. 4, p. 30; Sharh Nahjul al-Balagha, Vol. 12, pp. 283 and 285; Al-Nas wa’l-Ijtihad, p. 210.

2- . Verse 101 of Surah An-Nisa says: And when you travel in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten your prayer if you fear that the disbelievers will tempt you. Indeed, the disbelievers are to you a clear enemy. When you travel, there is no sin on you if you shorten your prayer if you fear that the disbelievers will tempt you. Indeed, the disbelievers are to you a clear enemy. Allamah Tabataba’i says under this verse: Although the apparent meaning of the verse suggests permissibility, this apparent meaning does not contradict the fact that the verse is used in the context of obligation and that you must break your prayer. In such a way that if you complete it, your prayer will be invalid. (Just as the Imams (peace be upon them) have interpreted the noble verse to mean “obligatory”). Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said in response to one of his companions who asked about this noble verse: “… According to this verse, breaking the prayer during a journey is obligatory…”; It is also clear from the noble verse that breaking the prayer was first legislated for fear of sedition and fear of the enemy, and this particularity of the case does not contradict the fact that it is legislated for the second time generally and for all legitimate journeys. Even if fear is not involved. Yes, the Book of God describes a type of broken prayer and the Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) makes it general for all forms, (just as many narrations describe the Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) in the same way); Among other things, it is stated in the book Dur al-Manthur that some people have narrated from Haritha bin Wahb al-Khuza’i that he said: I followed the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) in the noon and afternoon prayers in Mina with a very large crowd and in complete security, and he prayed two rak’ahs. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, vol. 5, pp. 63-67.

One of the rulings of ablution that can be derived from the apparent meaning of this verse and the clarification of some narrations of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) and the infallible Imams (peace be upon him) is that in ablution, the skin of the body must be wiped, and wiping on socks or shoes is not correct. After the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), there was a difference of opinion among Muslims regarding the validity of wiping on shoes, and some of the companions issued fatwas on its validity. (1)

Another difference of opinion that arose after the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) regarding ablution was the issue of washing the feet instead of wiping them. Uthman’s fatwa was that in ablution, instead of wiping them, the feet should be washed. He considered this method to be the method of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) and considered other hadiths narrated from him to be unknown. (2)

d) Difference of opinion regarding tayammum

One of the places where tayammum has become obligatory is when a person does not have access to water for prayer. The Holy Quran has clearly stated this ruling:

O you who have believed, when you stand up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet up to the ankles. And if you are in a state of impurity, then wash yourself (and perform ablution). And if you are sick or a traveler, or one of you comes from a place of impurity, or has touched women (and has sexual intercourse) and you do not find water (for ablution or ablution), then perform tayammum with clean earth and wipe your faces [= forehead] with it. (Al-Ma’idah: 6)

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1- . Muhammad ibn Mas’ud al-Ayyashi, Tafsir al-Ayyashi, corrected and commented by Hashim Rasuli Mahallati, Beirut, al-A’lami Press, 1411 AH-.Q, Vol. 1, Vol. 1, p. 326, No. 46; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 31, p. 36.

2- Muslim ibn Hajjaj al-Qushairi al-Nishaburi, Sahih Muslim, researcher: Muhammad Fuad al-Baqi, Beirut, Dar Ihya al-Turat al-Arabi, vol. 1, p. 207, chapter on the virtues of ablution and prayer, Aqaba, no. 8. For further explanation, see Ali al-Shahristani, ablution of the Prophet, p. 49.

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The Holy Prophet of Islam also emphasized this matter and there are many authentic narrations on this matter. However, there is also disagreement in this regard and some companions have issued a fatwa against this view. A man went to one of the companions and said: I have become junub and I have not found water, what should I do in this situation? He also replied: Do not pray. (1)

e) Temporary marriage

Temporary marriage was considered permissible during the time of the Holy Prophet of Islam and the companions practiced it and no Muslim scholar doubts its legality during the time of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family). According to the interpretation of most commentators, verse 24 of the blessed Surah An-Nisa also indicates the same matter, where it says:

And married women (are forbidden to you;) except those whom you have acquired (through captivity) (because their captivity is equivalent to divorce). These are the rules that God has prescribed for you. Other women than these (who were mentioned), it is permissible for you to choose them with your wealth, provided that you are chaste and abstain from adultery. And for those women whom you give temporary marriage [= temporary marriage], it is obligatory to pay their dowry… .

Numerous narrations have been narrated from the Holy Prophet of Islam and the Imams (peace be upon him) regarding the permissibility of this matter. The statements of the companions of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) also indicate that they used to do this during the time of the Holy Prophet. This practice continued to be permissible after the death of the Holy Prophet of Islam until the second Caliph issued a fatwa prohibiting it for various reasons. Of course, some consider this opinion to be the ijtihad opinion of the second Caliph himself, and some, citing narrations, believe that the permissibility of temporary marriage was abrogated during the time of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) and the Holy Prophet prohibited it. (2)

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1- . Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 280, Chapter on Education, No. 112.

2- Ibid., Vol. 3, p. 1023, Chapter on Mut’ah Marriage and… No. 16-23.

F) Hajj Tamattu

Hajj Tamattu is when a person enters into Ihram in one of the three months of Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa’dah and Dhu al-Hijjah at the “Meeqaat” with the intention of performing Umrah Tamattu. Then he goes to Mecca, performs the acts of Umrah Tamattu and comes out of Ihram. In this case, the things that were forbidden to him due to Ihram (such as having sexual intercourse with his wife) become permissible; until he enters into another Ihram from Mecca in the same year with the intention of Hajj al-Islam and starts performing Hajj. This Hajj is called Hajj Tamattu.(2)

During the era of ignorance, performing Umrah during these three months was considered one of the greatest sins, and whoever entered into Ihram and entered Mecca during the forbidden months did not have the right to perform any of the forbidden acts of Ihram, especially having sexual intercourse with women. Unless he completes the Hajj and comes out of Ihram. (3)

After the advent of Islam, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) took another step in combating the practices of the pre-Islamic era by legislating the Hajj of Tamattu’ and combining it with Hajj and Umrah in the Farewell Hajj, and included the acts of Umrah, which were considered one of the greatest sins in these three months before Islam, among the acts that Muslims must perform during these three months. (4) God Almighty also explicitly refers to the permissibility of this act in the Holy Quran:

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2- The reason for naming this Hajj “Hajj of Tamattu’” is that there is “mut’a” in this Hajj; mut’a means enjoyment; because during the interval between the two Ihrams of Umrah of Tamattu’ and Hajj, the prohibitions of Ihram become permissible and permissible, and the person performing it can enjoy and enjoy during this period what was forbidden in the Ihram of Umrah and is also forbidden in the Ihram of Hajj. See: Muhammad Sadiq Najmi, A Journey through the Sahihs, Qom, 1369, Vol. 3, Vol. 2, p. 371.

3- . Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, p. 909, Kitab al-Hajj, Chapter 31, No. 198.

. Ibid., No. 198.

So whoever performs Umrah for Hajj, [should] offer what is possible of the sacrifice. (Al-Baqarah: 196)

This Islamic command, because it was contrary to the custom and tradition left over from the era of ignorance, was difficult and burdensome for some to accept at first, until they were reminded and guided by the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family).(1)

With the repeated instructions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family), Muslims performed Umrah during the months of Hajj, came out of Ihram, then put on another Ihram for Hajj and engaged in performing Hajj. There are many narrations indicating this in the books of Sunnis and Shiites.

During the reign of Abu Bakr, this ruling was also implemented in the same way as the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) had ordered, until after him this matter changed and a fatwa was issued prohibiting combining Umrah and Hajj and performing Mutah between the two. And since then this issue has become a matter of dispute among Muslims.(2)

G) Third divorce

“Three divorces” means that if a man divorces his wife once; then regrets and returns to her; then divorces her a second time and returns to her again; then divorces her a third time, he cannot return to that woman again. In this case, this woman will not become permissible for him unless someone marries her and then divorces her. Then the first husband can marry her again.

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1- . Ibid., p. 884, number 142; Al-Nas wa’l-Ijtihad, p. 178.

2- . Ibid., p. 1023, Kitab al-Nikah, chapter on temporary marriage, number 17; p. 898, chapter 23, number 165.

According to the clarification of Shia and Sunni scholars, the third divorce was in the same way during the time of the Holy Prophet of Islam, and if a man divorced his wife three times at once and said, “You are divorced three times,” this ruling did not apply to him and he could return to his wife.

The Holy Quran also indicates the same thing in Surah Al-Baqarah, according to the narration of all Shia and Sunni commentators, including Zamakhshari (a great Sunni scholar and commentator). The intention is that the divorce occurs three times; not that at the time of divorce, it simply says in words, “I have divorced you three times”:(1)

Talaq (divorce that can be revoked) is two times; (And in each case), he should maintain his wife (and reconcile), or release her (and separate from her) with kindness… If he divorces her (after two divorces and returning, again), then she is not lawful for him after that, unless he chooses another wife (and has sexual intercourse with her. In that case), if (the second wife) divorces her, there is no sin on him if he returns (and marries the first wife); if they hope that they will respect the limits of Allah. These are the limits of Allah which He makes clear to a people who know. (Al-Baqarah: 229 and 230)

During the time of Abu Bakr and the first two years of the caliphate of Umar, the issue of triple divorce was handled on this basis and method until at this time, men, one after the other, divorced their wives with one word, three times, and they were hasty in doing so. This practice spread widely at that time. Seeing this situation, the Caliph also sought to rectify it and in order to make men suffer the consequences of their actions and punish them, he ratified their actions and considered it permissible to pronounce three divorces at once. (1)

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1- . The meaning of the noble verse for the aforementioned ruling is that it states: “Al-Talaq is twice; a divorce that is reversible and reversible is twice.” “Martan” means twice and with a gap, not without a gap, he did not mean to mention the deuteronomy, but rather wanted to “repeat” it. See: Commentary books, under the noble verse.

2- Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, p. 1099, Chapter on Triple Divorce, Nos. 15 and 17.

2. The Jurisprudential and Legal Reforms of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS)

a) Decision-making and Immediate Action

Widespread disagreements on jurisprudential and legal issues had jeopardized the unity of the Islamic community. The Imam, who considered explaining religion to be one of his most important duties, after he became the caliph, tried to guide the community towards righteousness and salvation by introducing the Sunnah of the Prophet, reviving the forgotten principles of religion, and purifying it of deviations and differences. The Imam, describing his activities, says:

… Did I not act upon the “Greater Weight” (the Quran) among you and leave the “Lesser Weight” (the Prophet’s progeny) among you? Did I not raise the banner of faith among you and make you aware of the limits of what is lawful and what is unlawful… . Is it not that I have covered you with the garment of well-being with My “justice” and have spread goodness to you through My behavior and speech and have shown you the qualities of human morality. (2)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) pursued this approach to the best of his ability, not only during his reign but also during the reigns of the three caliphs.

Regarding entering the state of ihram for Umrah during the days of Hajj, the Imam said: “I will not abandon the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet for the sake of anyone.” (3)

One year when the prayers were offered in Mina in full, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was asked to lead the congregation in Mina and lead the prayers in full.

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2- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 1, p. 219, Sermon 87.

3- . History of Medina, Vol. 3, pp. 1043 and 1044.

In response, he said: “If I pray, I will pray like the Prophet.” And when the Imam saw their insistence on praying the entire prayer, he did not accept this request. (1)

Matuf ibn Abdullah says: I was praying behind Imam Ali (a.s.) with Imran ibn Husayn (who was one of the companions of the Messenger of God (s.a.w.a.)). After the prayer was over, Imran took my hand and said: “He prayed like the prayer of the Prophet and reminded me of the prayer of the Prophet.” (2)

During the caliphate of Imam Ali (a.s.) and at the beginning of his arrival in Kufa, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, who had led the prayer in congregation behind the Imam, said: “We remembered Ali ibn Abi Talib, may the peace and blessings of the Prophet be upon him; Ali reminded us of the prayer of the Prophet with his prayer.” (3)

All of Ali’s (a.s.) efforts were based on reviving the life of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and resolving differences in the Islamic community. The Imam’s special companions also understood this fact. Ammar said about the actions of Imam Ali (a.s.): “If Ali (a.s.) did nothing but revive the two takbirs when raising his head from prostration, he would have achieved a great virtue for that very reason.”(4)

Among other activities of Imam Ali (a.s.) was the effort to revive the tradition of the Messenger of God (a.s.) in performing ablution. When the Imam came to pray, he would ask for some water and perform ablution according to the tradition of the Messenger of God (a.s.) and he considered this method of performing ablution to be the true ablution of the Messenger of God (a.s.).(5)

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1- . Abdul Razzaq bin Hammam Sanani, Al-Amalī fi ‘Aṭār al-Sahābah, researched by Majdi, Cairo, Maktaba al-Qur’ān, p. 50.

2- . Jaml min Ansāb al-Ashraf, vol. 2, p. 404.

3- . Ismail Bukhari, Al-Tarikh Al-Kabir, Beirut, Darul-Kutb Al-Alamiya, p. 33; Al-Ghadir, vol. 9, p. 66, vol. 10, p. 201.

4- Fatuh al-Baldan, vol. 2, p. 404.

Kanzal-Amal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa al-Afal, vol. 9, p. 456, number 2649.

Also, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in his letter to Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, the governor of Egypt, after many recommendations, reminds him of the correct ablution and says: “I myself saw that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) performed ablution like this.” (2)

b) Institutionalization of differences and lack of grounds for reform measures

The differences and disorders that occurred in the Islamic society in the period after the death of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) had become entangled in the lives of the people, and each group considered its own opinion to be correct and considered others to be wrong. This made change difficult and the grounds unsuitable for reform measures.

The severe political and economic disorders of some of the agents of the previous government were such that they annoyed the people and caused them to rebel against the government. Ali (peace be upon him) began political and economic reforms from the first days of his rule, despite all the difficulties he had, but there was no favorable ground for carrying out jurisprudential and legal reforms on a large scale. The Imam had to wait, prepare the ground, then start the struggle. The revival of the Prophetic tradition in all its dimensions required greater stability and greater establishment of the government. The Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) said: “If my steps are firm from these seditions, I will change things.” (3)

The Imam could not easily fight what had taken root over the course of 25 years, and which had accustomed minds, tongues, souls, and manners, and had created a different culture for the people.

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1- . Kanz al-Ummal fi Sunan al-Aqwal wa al-Afa’al, vol. 9, p. 456, no. 2649.

2- . Al-Amali, p. 29, Majles al-Awwal, p. 31.

3- . Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 34, p. 180, p. 9.

The ill-considered action would have led to widespread protests and the opportunity for other reforms would have been lost. It should have been done slowly and carefully until the time came for the fruit to be picked. Therefore, the Imam sent a message to the judge Shurayh, saying, “Judge on the basis of what you have been judging until the people’s affairs are settled.” (1)

When Imam Ali (a.s.) entered Kufa, he asked Hasan (a.s.) to go among the people and prevent them from offering the recommended congregational prayer during the holy month of Ramadan. When the people heard the Imam’s opinion, they cried out with sighs and groans. When Hasan (a.s.) returned to his venerable father, the Imam asked, “What is this commotion?” He recounted the incident. The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.), said: Tell them to pray (as they used to pray before). (2)

In a long sermon delivered to a group of his Ahl al-Bayt, his relatives and Shiites, the Imam enumerated some of the disorders that had occurred in the era before him and that needed to be corrected, and recounted the consequences of his corrective measures. This sermon clearly shows what the Imam would have done in society if he had had the opportunity and the conditions were favorable, and what issues he would have prevented people from. For this reason, we quote this noble sermon here:

After praising and glorifying God and sending blessings upon the Prophet, the Imam said:

Beware, I fear two traits in you the most: following the desires of the soul and long-term desires. Following the desires of the soul prevents a person from the truth, and nurturing long-term desires makes one forget the Hereafter.

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1- . Ibid., p. 182, H. 982.

2- . Ibid., p. 181, H. 981.

Warning that the world has departed, turning its backs, and the Hereafter, turning its face, and both of these are children. Be of the children of the Hereafter, not of the children of this world. Today is the time for action, not reckoning, and tomorrow is the time for reckoning, not action.

It is nothing but that the source of the emergence of seditions is the desires of the flesh that are followed, and also the rulings that emerge as innovations. In these seditions, the command of God is opposed, and a group appoints another group to positions [unjustly].

Warning! If the truth is pure, no difference remains, and if falsehood is presented purely, it will not remain hidden from the one with intelligence, but a group of truth and a group of falsehood are mixed together and cover each other. This is where Satan overcomes his supporters, and only those who have been blessed by God are saved.

I heard the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him) say: “How will you be when trials overwhelm you, and the child grows up in them and the adult grows old in them” (1) A trial in which people follow their course and adopt it as their Sunnah, and whenever something changes in it, they say: The Sunnah has changed and the people have done wrong! Then the calamity will increase and women and children will be taken captive, and trials will crush them and destroy them like firewood that is destroyed by fire, and a millstone that crushes the underlying stone. In that state, they will learn jurisprudence for other than God and accumulate knowledge without action, and they will seek the world with the work of the Hereafter.

… Now, if I were to make the people abandon those things and return matters to their correct course and the Sunnah of the Prophet’s time, my army would disperse from around me until I would be left alone or a few of my special companions would gather around me. Those who know my virtue and have understood from the Book of God and the Sunnah of the Prophet the necessity of my Imamate

P. 140

The allusion is to the long period of tribulation.

You will surely see that if I carry out these reforms, they will disperse from around me, if:

– I return the Maqam of Ibrahim to its original place, the same place where the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) had placed it;

– I return Fadak to the heirs of Fatima (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family);

– I return the measure of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) to its original size;

– I give them the lands that the Prophet had given to some people but were not given to them;

– I return the house of Ja’far to his heirs and separate it from the mosque;

– I change the unjust judgments to just judgments;

– I take back the women who were wrongfully married to men and give them to their true wives and enforce their honor and religious matters;

– I take captive the survivors of Banu Taghlib;

– I return the gifts and donations of the land of Khaybar;

– I should abolish the diwans (offices) of rights and gifts and divide the public treasury equally in the manner of the Prophet and not divide it in favor of the rich;

– I should abolish the area [of determining the tribute based on land (2)];

p. 141

1- . The meaning of the unit is the volume of water that the Prophet used to use for bathing. See: Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Hassan Tusi, Al-Khalaf, Qom, Mastaseh Al-Nashr Al-Islami, 1407 AH-.Q, vol. 1, p. 130.

. One of the changes that occurred after the death of the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, was that the amount of zakat was determined based on the area of land. This was apparently different from the method of the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family. See: Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 31, p. 20.

I will establish equality in the matter of marriage;

– I will enforce the Prophet’s khums as God has commanded and made obligatory in the Quran;

– I will restore the Prophet’s mosque to its original form and close the doors that were opened to it and open the door that was closed to it;(1)

– I will prohibit wiping with shoes;

– I will impose a penalty on [drinking] barley water;

– I will declare the mut’ah of Hajj and the mut’ah of marriage permissible;

– I will order that the funeral prayer be performed with five takbirs;

– I will require people to say aloud “Bismillah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim” in prayer;

– I will expel those who entered the mosque with the Prophet and the Prophet had expelled them, and I will admit those who left the mosque after the Prophet, contrary to his opinion;

– I will bind people to the Quran and oblige them to perform divorce according to the Sunnah;

– I will collect the obligatory zakat in all its forms and with its legal quota;

– I will restore ablution, ghusl and prayer to their times, customs and places;

– I will return the people of Najran to their areas;

– I will act with the Persian captives and other tribes, based on the Book of God and the Sunnah of the Prophet, at which time (if I do so), you will disperse from around me (and leave me alone). By God! If I were to order the people to pray in congregation only the obligatory prayers during the month of Ramadan and declare that praying the supererogatory prayers in congregation is an innovation, some of the warriors of my own army who were fighting with me would say:

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1. Gabriel brought the order to the Prophet from God Almighty to close all the doors of the houses that opened to the mosque, except the door of Ali (peace be upon him), but after the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), it seems as if the opposite of this order was followed. Seyyed Morteza Askari, Ma’alem al-Mudrasin, Tehran, Al-Ba’thah Institute, Islamic Studies Section, 1405 AH, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, p. 354.

“O Muslims, the Sunnah of Umar has changed. Ali prevents us from praying the recommended prayers in Ramadan.” And I fear that there will be a rebellion in my army, and this is what I have seen from this nation in its dispersion and obedience to the leaders of misguidance and the callers to Hell.

– And to give the share of the Prophet’s family; as Allah, the Exalted, has said:(1)

“… If you believe in Allah and what We have revealed to Our servant on the Day of Judgment, the Day the two parties (believers and disbelievers) clashed [= the day of the Battle of Badr], and Allah has power over all things.”(2) (Anfal: 41)

By Allah! What is meant by the kin (those close to Him) is us whom Allah has placed alongside Him and His Messenger and has said: “… To Allah and His Messenger and His kinsmen and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer. (This verse is specifically about us) so that there may not be a handshake among the rich among you. Take what the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) has brought you, and avoid what he has forbidden you, and fear God (fear God in injustice to the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), for God is severe in punishment”; (1) meaning that God will severely punish those who oppress the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family).

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1- . This statement of the Imam is also among the many cases that the Imam listed in the above lines, therefore, the meaning of the Imam’s words is as follows: If I give the share of the family of the Prophet…, you will disperse from around me and leave me alone.

. A part of verse 41 of Surah Anfal: And know that you have not been plundered of anything, for God is the fifth, and the Messenger, and the pleasure of the near, and the orphan, and the poor, and the son of the wayfarer. If you believe in Allah, and We have sent down upon our servants the Day of Separation, the Day of Gathering, and Allah is Almighty over all things. Know that whatever booty you acquire, a fifth of it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer among them, if you believe in Allah and what We have revealed to Our servant on the Day of Judgment, the Day the two parties clashed. And Allah is Able to do all things.

This is the mercy of God for us and the wealth that He has given us and entrusted His Messenger with. God did not make us share in charity, and He honored His Messenger and us, the Ahl al-Bayt, and He did not want us to eat from the filth of the people. But [they] denied God and His Messenger, denied the Book of God that explains our rights, and withheld from us our obligatory rights that God has ordained for us.

The family of no prophet from his nation has been harmed as much as we have been harmed after our Prophet. We seek help from God in confronting the oppressors, and there is no power or strength except with help from God, the Most High, the Great.(2)

Informing people about the disorders and differences is the first step towards reform, and until this is done, we cannot move on to the next step, (rectifying matters). The words of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), are also examples of reforming these matters; Whether he succeeds in changing the innovations and corruptions or not.

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1- This phrase is part of the noble verse 7 of Surah Al-Hashr, and the sentences in parentheses are the words of the Imam who has interpreted parts of the verse. The verse and its translation are as follows: May Allah forgive the Messenger of Allah from the people of the village, for Allah and for the Messenger, for those who are near and dear, for the orphans, for the poor, and for Ibn Al-Sabbil, who does not do it. O God, between the rich of you and us, the Messenger gave it to you, so take it, and we forbid you from it, so be afraid and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is severe in punishment. Whatever Allah has given back to His Messenger from the people of these towns, belongs to Allah, to the Messenger, to his relatives, to the orphans, to the needy, and to the wayfarer, so that [this great wealth] does not pass from hand to hand among the wealthy among you. Take what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has brought you, and abstain from what he has forbidden, and fear Allah, for Allah is severe in punishment!

. Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ya’qub Kulayni, Al-Rawdhah min al-Kafi, corrected by Muhammad Ja’far Shams al-Din, Beirut, Dar al-Ta’arif ll-Mas’tu’lat, 1413 AH, vol. 8, pp. 58-63, with a summary.

Ali (peace be upon him) initiated reforms based on a precise plan, a clear vision, and specific goals, seeking to return society to the Prophetic way and tradition, and took the first step to establish and expand social justice and administrative and economic reforms. The Imam pursued the establishment of a God-centered society until the last moments of his noble life. Alas, the man of justice and faith was prevented from achieving all those goals by his distorted thinking, ugliness, inhumanity, and tyranny.

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1. The state of moral issues before the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him)

Note

The further the Islamic society distanced itself from the time of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), the greater its distance from spiritual and moral virtues, and all kinds of corruption and moral deviations spread in it. It reached a point where worldliness, forbidden food, alcoholism, adultery, and the like lost their ugliness in society. And even some of those who were once companions and relatives of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) were ruined. Examples of these matters were mentioned in the previous chapters. Historical evidence also indicates more corruption during this period.

Asim and Abdullah, the sons of Umar and Sahl, the son of Abdur Rahman bin Auf, consumed alcohol; Abu Shahma, another son of Umar, committed adultery, and Umar imposed the punishment on him and threw him in prison. (1) Qadaqa bin Maz’un, the governor of Bahrain, also indulged in alcohol. (2) The drinking and revelry of Walid bin Uqbah, the governor of Kufa, was another example of these moral vices. (3) Also, Nu’man bin Adi, another governor of the state, composed poems describing alcohol and alcoholism. (4)

The Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) says about the moral and religious deviations of that time:

Beware! The dark days have come upon you again, as they did during the time of the Prophet’s mission.

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1- . Muhammad bin Habib Baghdadi, Al-Namq fi Akhbar Quraysh, corrected and annotated by Khurshid Ahmad Farooq, Beirut, ‘Alam al-Kitab, 1405 AH, Vol. 1, pp. 395-397.

2- . History of Medina, Vol. 3, p. 842.

3- . Muruj al-Dhahab, Vol. 2, p. 344.

. Mus’ab al-Zubairi, The Genealogy of Quraysh, Dar al-Ma’arif for Printing and Publishing, p. 382.

.(1) Be aware that after the migration, you have become nomads like the Arabs and after brotherhood and unity, you have divided into different parties. You have satisfied yourself with Islam in its name and you know nothing of faith except its imagination and outline.

Be alert! You have cut the shackles and bonds of Islam, suspended its boundaries and left its rules to destruction.(2)

May God have mercy on you! Know that you have come to a time when the speaker of the truth is few, the tongue is weak and dumb in speaking the truth, and the seekers of truth are despised. Its people are companions of sin and companions of negligence, laziness and laziness. Their youth are immoral, their elders are sinners, their scholars are hypocrites and friends are treacherous in friendship. Neither the young respect the old nor the rich provide for the poor.(3)

Now, by examining some of the areas of growth and spread of moral deviations in the Islamic society of that time, we will become more familiar with the moral situation of that era.

The grounds for the spread of moral disorders after the death of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)

1- The rise to power of corrupt officials who are unaware of the principles of Islam

As mentioned above, some officials of the governments after the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) not only lacked the necessary knowledge of the principles of Islam, but were also alien to proper Islamic upbringing and had no commitment to moral issues.

When such people, who had fought the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) and the Muslims for years and finally, with reluctance and greed, accepted Islam in an outward form, take up key and important positions, the decline of society and the growth and spread of all kinds of corruption will be a natural thing.

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1- . Nahjul-Balaghah with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 1, p. 93, sermon 16.

2- . Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 333, sermon 192.

. Ibid., p. 443, sermon 233.

We have mentioned many examples of oppression, worldliness and betrayal, theft, alcoholism, revelry, adultery and other corruptions that some officials of that time had committed in previous discussions.

Two – People being deprived of educational models

By sending Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and appointing infallible people who are on the peaks of virtue and spirituality and are far from any evil, God Almighty set the best model and example for guiding and educating people so that they would coordinate their actions with those divine leaders and achieve salvation.

The Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) and the behavior and speech of his Prophet are full of moral virtues and human dignity that are an example for all Muslims and humanity. The Holy Quran says in this regard:

Indeed, there has been for you in the Messenger of Allah a good example for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much. (Al-Ahzab: 21)

Indeed, there has been for you in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) a good example for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much.

His life and behavior with his family, neighbors, slaves and members of society, worship in the presence of Allah, avoidance of material desires, sacrifice and self-sacrifice, sleep and food, and in a word, all the behavior and speech of that holy being are the best examples and models for those who seek the truth and seek growth and exaltation. Unfortunately, after the death of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), not enough effort was made to preserve the Prophetic Sunnah, and even some officials themselves prevented this. As a result, the Prophetic Sunnah faded in society and provided the ground for the growth of corruption. If later Imams (peace be upon them) had not narrated to us the Sunnah and sayings of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family),

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Many of them never reached us and were lost. On the other hand, after the death of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), the ground for people to benefit from the divine guidance and guidance of a figure like the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) was not prepared as it should have been, and the Islamic society was also deprived of this divine blessing.

In addition, a number of the companions of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) who were educated in the lap of the Prophet, had ties with the Commander of the Faithful and were familiar with the principles of Islam, were forced to remain silent or go into exile or be imprisoned due to the pressures and restrictions that were created. We have mentioned examples of this kind earlier.

Three – The flow of abundant wealth to Islamic countries

Before Islam, the Arab society was suffering from severe economic deprivation. This situation continued even for a while during the time of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). After the campaigns of the Islamic army, especially during the time of Umar and to some extent during the time of Uthman, Muslims enjoyed a prosperous life thanks to the spoils they had obtained.

The desire for wealth and possessions is not objectionable, but where there is no proper Islamic upbringing, it causes worldliness and leads to other moral deviations and corruptions.

In the period after the death of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), with the influx of abundant wealth and spoils into Islamic lands, due to the lack of complete Islamic upbringing and knowledge and considering the unsettled state of the governors of some different regions, worldliness, avarice and money-loving tendencies spread in Islamic society.

The civil system also caused a certain group, mostly the Quraysh, to acquire enormous wealth. Following them, the masses also sought to acquire wealth and possessions, and money-loving tendencies and avarice were considered acceptable practices. Little by little, virtues and spirituality faded in society, and the ground was prepared for the growth and spread of other types of moral corruptions in society.

The people’s dependence on worldly wealth and the gifts they received was so great that the second Caliph, Umar, believed that if he cut off their allowance, they would become infidels.(1)

1- . Abu Ja’far Muhammad al-Iskafi, Al-Ma’yar wa al-Mawazanah fi Fadha’il al-Imam Amir al-Mu’minin Ali ibn Abi Talib, researched by Sheikh Muhammad Baqir Mahmoudi, Beirut, 1402 AH, Vol. 1, p. 87.

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4. The worldliness of some government officials and the promotion of aristocracy

Among the behavior and performance of the governors of that era, what accelerated the process of worldliness and welfare seeking in society was the behavior and performance of some of Uthman’s entourage and agents.

The construction of the “Zora” palace, expensive clothes, diverse foods, and the collection of huge wealth became a suitable model for the spread of aristocracy and worldliness among the people. In the shadow of the abundant and unnecessary generosity and gifts of some agents of Islamic lands, worldliness and welfare seeking spread, and all kinds of moral corruption reached their peak.

5. Failure to implement divine limits

Given the educational and deterrent role of divine punishments and limits in the health of the community, a firm stance against illegal behavior, especially moral and social corruption, and the correct and complete implementation of limits and punishments, will prevent the creation and spread of corruption. Therefore, throughout history, whenever corruption was not dealt with seriously in a society and divine limits were not properly implemented, that society deteriorated and all kinds of corruption and illegal acts spread in it.

Looking at the period after the death of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), we will find that the spread of moral and social disorders was accompanied by the lack of serious dealing with some corruption and the failure to properly implement and suspend some divine punishments and limits. In some cases, there was also strictness and excess.(1)

1- . Historical books have mentioned several cases of these strictness and excesses beyond the legal limit. As mentioned in the case of Abd al-Rahman, the son of Umar, Abd al-Rahman drank wine in Egypt and for this reason, the hadd was imposed on him. Then he was made to ride a naked camel and sent to Medina. There, while he was sick, the hadd was imposed on him again and he was sent to prison. He remained in prison for a month and then died. See: Commentary on Nahjul-Balagha, pp. 104-106.

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Another of the most famous miscreants of that time was the drunkard Walid ibn Uqbah, the ruler of Kufa. He had been drinking and partying all night until dawn, and in the morning he went to the mosque and, while drunk, prayed four rak’ahs of the morning prayer and vomited in the mihrab of the mosque. When some of the people of Kufa saw this, they took his ring off his hand while he was drunk and came to Medina. When they came to Uthman to testify, Uthman said to them: “Have you seen my brother (Walid) drinking wine?!” Then he whipped them. The people of Kufa came to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and told him the story. The Imam went to Uthman and rebuked him, saying: “You have closed the limits of God and beaten the people who testified against your brother?!” Finally, the Imam himself imposed the punishment on Walid. (3)

2. Moral Reforms of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS)

Note

One of the most important duties of the Imam of the Muslims is to create the conditions for the growth and expansion of spiritual virtues and moral perfection in the Islamic society. Considering the morally disordered situation that arose after the death of the Messenger of God (PBUH), the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS) made one of the important principles of his government reforms the correction of moral corruption and the revival of spiritual virtues in the Islamic society.

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Since human growth on the path to spiritual excellence and moral virtues is not a sudden and immediate phenomenon, on the other hand, the solutions related to the growth of spirituality and moral virtues, aside from preventive measures such as punishments, are gentle social measures that are carried out amidst advice and explanation of the truth by those who have reached this path. For this reason, the moral reforms of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him), like the jurisprudential and legal reforms of his Imam, were not something that would bear fruit in a short time. The Imam began his reform efforts in this regard from the very first days of his reign. On the second day of his reign, the Imam ascended the pulpit. He enumerated the blessings of God upon the Muslims; he called people reluctantly to this world and encouraged them to the hereafter. (1)

During his reign, the Imam called people to this sublime goal by every possible means, and his ascetic life was the best model for the government of men and the people. His letters to his officials and governors are full of recommendations to stay away from the world, abandon sin, worship and spiritual virtues, examples of which we have mentioned in the past.

A) Using educational methods in moral reforms

Note

The Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) always encouraged the masses of people to grow and excel. The collection of sermons and words of his Imam is the best charter of “humanization” and “mysticism and epic” not only for the people of the Alawi era but for all generations of God-seekers. A complete and detailed study of this unique collection requires a suitable opportunity and extensive and in-depth research and does not fit into this brief article. Here, with a brief look, we will describe some manifestations of the spiritual and moral issues of this collection:

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. Commentary on Nahjul-Balagha, Vol. 7, p. 36.

One – An exhortation to divine piety

From the words of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), it can be understood that piety, in the eyes of his Holiness, is “a spiritual and spiritual power that arises as a result of practice and has effects, requirements and results, including avoiding sin”.(1)

Piety is the most valuable asset and privilege of the individual and the Islamic society, under whose shadow many problems and corruptions will be solved. The beginning of all evils, problems and individual and social corruptions is when the effect of this precious asset in society fades. Imam Ali (AS)’s (AS) repeated instructions on piety towards God also originate from this:

O servants of God, the fear of God (piety towards God) prevents the friends of God from committing forbidden acts and makes their hearts equal to the fear of God, as it keeps them awake at night (and they rise in secret and need with God) and compels them to fast on hot and scorching days; they have chosen hardship instead of comfort and thirst instead of drinking; they have considered the end of life to be near and have done good deeds; They have denied their desires and have considered the end of life. (2)

Practice piety, for it is a firm rope, a firm handhold, and its peak is a secure refuge. (3)

O servants of God, know that piety is a strong and powerful fortress, but evil deeds and sins are weak and defenseless fences that do not prevent its people from evil and do not protect those who take refuge in them;

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1- . Morteza Motahari, Collection of Works of Master Shahid Motahari, Sadra Publications, 1377, Vol. 1, Vol. 16, P. 504.

2- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 2, P. 75, Sermon 114.

. Ibid., P. 297, Sermon 190.

Be aware! With piety, the poison of sins can be removed and with certainty, the highest degree of purpose can be reached. (1)

Piety and fear of God are the keys to opening the gates of truth and righteousness, and are the reserve of resurrection and the cause of freedom from all slavery (of Satan) and salvation from all destruction. In the light of piety, the seekers, the victorious, and the fugitives are liberated, and with it, every goal and desire can be achieved. (2)

Two – The recommendation to worship God

The highest privilege, the most precious capital, and the most secure refuge against corruption and sins are “faith” and “piety” which are obtained in the light of worshiping God.

Worship, the essence of which is the remembrance of God and the abandonment of all else, is so valuable that God has considered the purpose of creating jinn and humans to be their worship. (3)

The words and sermons of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.) are full of exhortations to worship God and its importance and results:

The best means by which those who seek refuge in God can draw near to Him is “belief in Him and His Messenger” and also “jihad” in His way; Because Jihad is the highest peak of Islam, as well as the “word of sincerity” (testifying to the oneness of God and the mission of the Prophet) which is in harmony with human nature, and “establishing prayer” which is the religion of Islam, and “paying zakat” which is an obligatory duty, and “fasting the month of Ramadan” which is a shield against God’s punishment, and “Hajj and Umrah to the House of God” which destroys poverty and washes away sins, and “kinship ties” which increase wealth and longevity, and “secret charity” which is the expiation of sins, and “open charity” which prevents sudden and bad deaths, and “good deeds” which prevent humiliating failures and failures.

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1- . Ibid., p. 177, sermon 157.

2- . Ibid., p. 437, sermon 230.

. “And we created the jinn and humans except for worship.” Dhariyat: 56.

Always remember God, which is the best remembrance… Learn the Quran, which is the best of sayings, and the spring of hearts. Seek healing from its light, which is the healing of sick hearts; recite it in the best way, which is the most beneficial of stories. (1)

The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), used to encourage his companions to worship God by describing the night vigils, fears and awes, longings and pleasures, burning and melting, and the recitations of the Quran of true worshippers, and the unseen blessings that they receive in the light of worship, meditation, and self-sacrifice, and by mentioning the real and unique pleasures that come to them in the shadow of worship.

(The pious) always stand at night, count the Quran, and recite it thoughtfully. They grieve their souls with it and take medicine for their pain from it. Whenever they come across a verse that contains fear, they open their ears to hear it, and the sound of the groaning and the clashing of the tongues of Hellfire resonates in their ears with its terrifying condition; they bow down before God, rubbing their foreheads, hands, feet, and knees on the ground in prostration, and ask God for their freedom from Hellfire. (2)

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1- . Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 2, p. 61, Sermon 110; Vol. 2, p. 367, Sermon 199, and p. 343, Sermon 193.

2- . Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 343, Sermon 193.

Three – The recommendation to “struggle with the self”

One of the important conditions and factors for a person to reach his true and ultimate goal, which is “knowledge of Allah”, is to fight against the self and his desires. If a person can fight against the rebellion of his inner desires, instincts and desires and bring them under his control, he can be freed from defilements and pave the way for himself to attain higher positions.

Following the desires of the heart is the secret of corruption and defilements. Therefore, in order to achieve moral reforms in society, the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) called everyone to fight against the self and emphasized it:

A person must control and rein in his rebellious self, keep it from rebellion, and in this way, lead it from disobedience to obedience to God.(1)

In his treaty with Malik al-Ashtar, he says:

… and also commands him to break his inappropriate desires. And to exercise self-control when tempted by the self, because the “self of the ruler” always forces a person to do evil, unless divine mercy is bestowed upon him.(2)

In a letter to his agent, Uthman ibn Hanif al-Ansari, who had attended an aristocratic party, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) rebuked him. Then he said about himself:

I train and tame the rebellious soul with piety so that on that great and terrible day it will enter the scene of the Resurrection with safety and will remain steadfast and unwavering where all will stumble. (Do not think that I am incapable of acquiring the pleasures of this world;)

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1- . Ibid., p. 447, sermon 237; p. 237, sermon 176.

2- . Ibid., vol. 3, p. 143, letter 53.

By God! If I wanted, I could have prepared food and clothing for myself from the refined honey, the kernels of this wheat, and the woven silk. (1)

Four – Prevention of Worldliness

During his reign, the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) fought against the chronic disease of “worldliness” and “welfare seeking” that Muslims had suffered from, and by explaining the true position of the world, he called them to asceticism and distance from the world and to pay attention to the Hereafter. Now, among the multitude of important words of his Imam, we will cite only parts of a long sermon in which he explained the reality of “the world”:

But then, I warn you from the world; because the appearance of the world is sweet and refreshing. It is surrounded by desires and attracts attention because of its currency. Although its blessings are few and insignificant, it attracts hearts. It has gathered the desires of the worldly people and adorned itself with them and covered itself with the ornament of pride, but its happiness and blessings are not permanent. One cannot be safe from its pains and troubles. It is very arrogant and harmful. It is changeable and is subject to decay, perishable and annihilation. It constantly devours and destroys people, when it reaches the highest level and fulfills the desires of the worldly people and they are satisfied with it, it will not be more than what is mentioned in the Quran: “Life is like water which We send down from the sky, and with it comes abundant, intertwined and intertwined plants; nothing passes but they wither and the winds scatter them, and God is Able to do all things.” (2)

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1- . Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 125, letter 45.

2- . And He gave them the likeness of the life of this world, a mask that We sent down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mixed with it, so in the morning, Heshim, the scent of the smell and the corn Allah is omnipotent. Cave: 45

No one has ever seen happiness in the world except that he has faced tears and sighs behind him. He has not yet faced its joys that he suffers the sorrows of turning his back on it. The gentle rain of happiness has not yet brought him permanent comfort, but calamities pour down upon him in torrents… It is very deceptive, and what is in it is deceptive. It is fleeting, and whoever is in it perishes. Its provisions are useless except the provisions of piety. He who is content with a sufficient amount of it gains more peace. He who demands more from it has prepared more means of his destruction, and whatever he has acquired will soon be lost. It has caused pain and suffering to those who relied on it, and it has brought down to the ground those who trusted in it. What a shameful people the world has finally humiliated and belittled, and the arrogant and boastful have been reduced to the dust. Its government and leadership are unstable; its life is dark; its taste is unpleasant; its sweetness is bitter and its food is poison. Its ropes are old and rotten; its living are exposed to death and its healthy are exposed to disease. Its government is blown away and its strong are defeated; its abundant blessings are reduced to nothingness and its neighbors are plundered.

Have you not been in the position of those before you; those who lived longer than you; their works were more lasting; their aspirations were longer; their people were more numerous and their armies were more numerous. They worshipped the world, and that was worshipped, and they chose it, and that was chosen. Then they left it without any food or provisions to take them to their homes, without any vehicle to cover the road quickly… .(1)

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. Nahjul-Balaghah with a clear translation and a concise explanation, Vol. 2, pp. 63-65, Sermon 111.

Five – Recommendation to “Remember Death”

A person who forgets death forgets his poverty and weakness. Then he neglects the remembrance of God and becomes arrogant in front of God. Such a person considers the world and its pleasures to be permanent and becomes attached to it and pollutes himself with sin and all kinds of corruption. On the other hand, the remembrance of death causes a person not to forget his poverty and dependence and, as a result, to reach out to God in need and seek provisions for life after his death. Such a person never becomes attached to the fleeting world and its short-lived pleasures and does not pollute his lap with sin. The remembrance of death is, in the eyes of a monotheistic person, a driving and empowering force. This is why the numerous recommendations and reminders of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) regarding the remembrance of death and the Day of Judgment:

Be aware that the distance from death’s gaze upon you is short and close. It is as if death has sunk its claws into your soul. The evil deeds, the problems of life, and the wrongs and injustices have taken you by surprise and have hidden death from you. Therefore, reduce the interests and attachments of the world and gird your loins tightly with the provisions of piety. (1)

… Death is the destroyer of your pleasures, the suffocator of desires, and the distance between you and your goals. It is an unlovable visitor! It is an invincible opponent, a criminal who cannot be pursued! Even now, its traps are hanging on your hands and feet; its troubles and problems have surrounded you; its arrows have targeted you and its control over you is great and its attacks are continuous… . How close it is that the dark shadows of death and the severity of its pains and the darkness of unconsciousness and the severity and darkness of intoxication and the pain of the soul leaving the body and the darkness of the closing of the eyes and the unpleasantness of tasting it will cover you.

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. Nahjul-Balagha with a clear translation and concise commentary, vol. 2, p. 377, sermon 204.

Imagine that death suddenly comes upon you and makes you quiet from speaking softly. It scatters your friends and advisers from around you; it obliterates your works and leaves your houses in a state of suspense and urges your heirs to divide your inheritance… So, work hard and diligently. Prepare for this journey and take abundant provisions from this house; do not let the world make you arrogant… Beware of the glitter of the world, for it is treacherous and deceitful. (1)

…A group of people were suddenly caught (and death overtook them), in a place where there is no possibility of breaking the covenant and no way of returning. How did calamities that they did not know and did not expect befall them, and they soon parted from the world they thought was eternal and secure, and reached what they had been promised in the Hereafter. The calamities that befell them are beyond description.

The pangs of death and the regret of losing what they had attacked them; in the pangs of death, their body parts became weak and faded in the face of it; then gradually death penetrated them, and created a separation between them and their language. He continues to look with his eyes and hear with his ears among his family. While his mind is sound and his thoughts remain, he thinks about how he has spent his life and how he has spent his days. He remembers the wealth he has accumulated; the same wealth that he has accumulated with his eyes closed and from what is lawful and permissible; so that he cannot speak with his tongue and hear with his ears among his family; he constantly looks at their faces and sees the movements of their tongues, but does not hear their voices.

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. Ibid., p. 437, sermon 230.

Then the grip of death will cover his entire being. His eyes will be as weak as his ears, and his soul will leave his body and he will fall like a corpse among his family, so much so that they will be afraid to sit near him and will stay away from him… (1)

Six – The recommendation for “repentance”

Repentance is one of the great blessings of God upon His servants. God Almighty wants His sinful servants to give up their sins, bow their heads to His threshold, and ask for His forgiveness in the hope of His forgiveness. It is this hope for divine mercy that draws the polluted and sinful servants to humility before God and dissuades them from continuing on the path of error.

Repentance, which has a great educational role in the Islamic society, paves the way for the reformation of individuals and society. Therefore, it has always been the focus of true reformers. The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), said to his companions:

Now that you are in the context of life and existence, make an effort. The cases are open and the field of repentance is wide.

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. Ibid., Vol. 2, pp. 55-57, Sermon 109.

The fugitives from obedience to God are called to it, and the evildoers have hope of returning and being purified. Before the lamp of action is extinguished, the respite is cut off, the term is over, the repentance is closed, and the angels ascend to heaven (try hard and seize the opportunity). (1)

I wonder at the one who despairs while he is seeking forgiveness. (2)

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) narrated from Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him):

On earth, there were two means of protection and salvation from God’s punishment, one of which was taken away, so take hold of the second and hold on to it. The protection that was taken away was the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and the protection that remained was seeking forgiveness. God Almighty says: God will not punish them as long as you are among them, and God will never punish them while they are seeking forgiveness. (Anfal: 33)(3)

B) Using coercive methods for moral reform

Among other methods of moral reform by the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) was the use of harsh and coercive methods against transgressions and transgressors in society and the establishment of divine punishments and limits.

The first principle in reforming the moral affairs of society was the same calm approaches that took the form of advice and counsel, explaining lofty moral and mystical concepts, and recommending piety and servitude to God. However, where these matters did not have sufficient effect or resulted in violations, the Imam decisively used harsh and coercive methods. Sometimes by threatening and warning, and sometimes by enforcing divine limits, he forced individuals to adhere to moral issues.

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1- . Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 447, Sermon 237.

2- . Ibid., Vol. 3, p. 251, Hikmat 87.

. Ibid., p. 253, Hikmat 88.

Every day, the Imam would come to the market with a whip in his hand, so that if he saw any violation, he would punish the violators. He would advise the marketers to adhere to moral issues (1) and sometimes threaten them that if I saw someone commit such and such a violation, I would discipline him with this whip (2) and he would do so.

Enforcing divine limits was another program of the Imam, which he never refused to suspend or curtail. When a woman came to the Imam and confessed to adultery four times, the Imam raised his head to the sky and said:

O Allah, indeed, the four testimonies have been proven against us, and You Yourself said to Your Prophet in the rulings of Your religion: O Muhammad, whoever restricts a limit of my limits has risen up against me and has set himself against me. (3)

While the Imam was the most kind-hearted of the Muslims, when a violation occurred and a limit of divine limits had to be implemented, he did not consider it permissible to delay it even for a short time, and he used to say: “A moment of reflection and delay in divine limits is not permissible.” (4)

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) did not make any exceptions in dealing with violators and he dealt with anyone he saw violating them.

For example, Negus was in the Imam’s army for a long time and also participated in the Battle of Siffin.

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1- . Da’im al-Islam, vol. 2, p. 536, no. 1912.

2- . Abu Nasr Hassan bin Fadl Tabarsi, Makarem al-Akhlaq, researched by Alaa Al-Ja’far, Qom, Al-Nashr Al-Islami Publishing House, 1414 AH, vol. 1, vol. 1, p. 249, no. 740.

3- . Muhammad bin Hassan, Hurr Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi’ah il-Tashil Mas’il al-Shari’ah, vol. 28, researched by Al-Bayt (peace be upon him) Foundation for the Revival of Heritage, Qom, Al-Bayt (peace be upon him) Foundation for the Revival of Heritage, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 13.

. “There is no limit to the view of the hour”. Ibid., vol. 28, p. 47.

He was the Imam’s poet and had composed poems criticizing Muawiyah and his supporters. When the news of his drinking during the holy month of Ramadan reached the Imam, he arrested him and, in addition to imposing the prescribed punishment for drinking alcohol, he also added twenty lashes to his prescribed punishment for violating the sanctity of the holy month. Then he made him stand in front of people who mocked him, wearing only trousers. (1)

In historical books, many cases of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) enforcing the divine prescribed punishment are mentioned. Obviously, seriousness in this matter eliminates the grounds for the creation and spread of moral corruption.

P: 164

. Al-Gharat, p. 366.

Note

The speech and behavior of the standard-bearers of humanity’s guidance; namely, the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) are the most perfect model for humans throughout history, adhering to which will lead to the salvation of society. All efforts of Islamic thinkers have also been to recognize and introduce the tradition of the Imams (peace be upon them) to achieve this lofty goal.

Now that the means of propaganda have changed and have found a special place among different segments of society, it is incumbent on us to seriously utilize new means. Given the widespread cultural invasion of the enemy, which has attacked the culture and identity of our Islamic country with all its might and with the claim of reform, the importance of this matter becomes more apparent. Introducing the masses of people to the true goodness and corruption will give them the opportunity to recognize the true reformers from the false pretenders. In the meantime, the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IRBC) has a heavier task due to its vastness and efficiency.

1. Methods of benefiting from Alevi reforms in the national media

Note

Given the role and importance of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation in reforming and guiding society, this media should take the Alevi reforms as its model and, by introducing its various aspects in new and attractive formats, pave the way for the realization of Alevi behavior in different sections of society.

A) Explanation of political reforms in the national media

From the Alevi perspective, without reforming the elites and the political body of the government, reforming society is not possible.

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For this reason, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), has stated criteria for government officials.

One of the duties of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation is to make these criteria and standards known to the people so that incompetent individuals, with deceptive appearances and backed by money, power, and propaganda, cannot influence society and seize political positions.

The Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), always warned the rulers of the Islamic society to protect them from deviation and corruption. One of the things in which the national media can play an important role is communicating these warnings to the officials and rulers of society. Our society today has many problems in many of these matters, such as distancing itself from the world, the people-oriented nature of the rulers, the prohibition of bribery, direct contact with the masses of the people, and sharing in their hardships.

For example, to show the reality and ugliness of bribery, the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) can portray how Imam Ali (AS) dealt with a person who had brought him a dish of food with special expectations as a gift. Comparing the performance of officials with the Alawi standards and criticizing them on this basis is also a serious need.

B) National Media; Creating a Platform for Economic Justice

By adhering to the economic reforms of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS), the IBC can play a very effective role in reforming the country’s economic structure.

The masses suffer the most from economic corruption and inappropriate treatment of this issue and want to fight it. On the other hand, those with power and influence, who see their interests at risk, use excuses such as economic development and progress, human rights, freedom, international considerations, etc. to unsettle the atmosphere of society in order to prevent the implementation of justice and a decisive response to their economic corruption. The national media can pave the way for the realization of justice in society by introducing examples of the decisive actions of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) against the economic corruption of his time. Ali (peace be upon him)’s (peace be upon him) action against Ibn Harma, the Ahwaz market official who had betrayed him, is a clear example of this.

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Another danger that affects not only the economy of society, but also the cultural, moral and political spheres is consumerism and extravagance in society. This problem is a great calamity that, if it grows, will increase the class gap in society day by day.

Some extravagance and generosity from the public treasury, which takes place in the form of parties or under religious titles, such as giving iftars to some officials, can be compared with the actions of some of the Imam’s agents, and then the positions and fiery warnings of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) can be recounted.

The planners and officials of the Islamic Broadcasting System should pay attention to the fact that not only do the programs of that media not promote the culture of consumerism and extravagance in society, but also spread the culture of contentment in society.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei, says in this regard:

The agencies responsible for various government departments, especially the propaganda and cultural agencies, especially the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation, should consider it their duty not only not to push people towards extravagance, consumerism, and luxury, but also to invite and push people towards contentment, sufficiency, and consuming as much as necessary and avoiding excess and extravagance. Consumerism destroys society.(1)

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. Jomhuri Eslami Newspaper, No. 6796, Year 24, Saturday, December 16, 1381, Shawwal 2, 1423 AH, Sermon of the Leader of the Revolution in the Eid al-Fitr prayer.

Unfortunately, some films, series, and commercials of the Iranian Broadcasting System promote this destructive culture, and the ill effects of this can be easily seen in society, especially in the more deprived areas and villages.

Supervision by expert groups over the production of Iranian Broadcasting System programs will play an important role in making national media programs healthy.

c) The role of the Iranian Broadcasting System in the reform and moral elevation of society

When divine piety prevails over people, evils and problems will disappear and the doors of divine mercy will be opened for them. For this reason, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him), who considered piety and fear of God to be the key to the gates of truth and righteousness and the main source of freedoms, (1) had made it a lofty goal for his reforms.

In today’s world, where evildoers, in the name of freedom, are seeking to fight against religious tendencies, the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) can, by learning from Ali (peace be upon him), introduce divine piety as the source and root of all freedoms to the generation thirsting for freedom and seek to create and expand it. Words such as “piety”, “remembering death”, “jihad with the soul”, “meditation”, “accountability” and… have reached the ears of the masses of people, but the extent to which they are familiar with the truth of these matters and to what extent this knowledge governs their lives requires further reflection. The Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) should pay attention to these matters in pursuit of the moral growth and exaltation of society. Isn’t it true that the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) considered “love of the world” to be the source of all corruption and evil? To what extent does the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) pay attention to this issue? Do the programs of this media, in general, reduce love of the world in the hearts of the masses of people or increase their material attachment?

“Remembering death”, which in the eyes of a monotheistic person is a motivating and empowering factor, was another of the frequent instructions of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) for the reform and elevation of society.P: 168

. See: Nahjul-Balagha with a clear and concise translation and explanation, Vol. 2, p. 437, sermon 230.

The attention of the officials and role-players of the national media to this issue ensures that the programs of this media do not neglect death. Also, by having such a perspective in producing its programs, the media can take advantage of this to eliminate material attachment and reform society. One of the written works that can be used in this regard is the book “Traveling to the West” by Ayatollah Quchani.

Among the important and practical instructions of the Alawi school for achieving moral excellence are “meditation”, “accounting” and “partnership”, which can be a suitable answer for young people thirsting for knowledge in our society today. Spiritual purification and purification of the human soul from internal corruption are important topics in Islamic ethics. What are the spiritual and internal corruptions of man and how are they recognized? What are their symptoms? What are the individual and social consequences of human contamination with these matters?

Great moral scholars have made many scientific and practical discussions about these matters and have written many books, but much of this knowledge has remained hidden in books and has rarely entered the lives of the masses in a practical way. Undoubtedly, if this happens, many of our talented youth will eagerly pursue it. The media can play an important role in realizing this.

In addition to presenting theoretical discussions, the Iranian Radio and Television can use practical examples of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) reforms in various sectors of society in its programming. Programming the lives of self-made mystics and scholars who have spent their lives in pursuit of achieving high moral and human levels and purifying themselves from filth is another strategy that the media should pursue. Although the historical lives of a few of these great men have been depicted, this alone is not enough and the stages of self-development of these great men should also be examined.P: 169

Numerous books have been written about the lives and circumstances of mystics and scholars such as the late Nukhodaki, the late Mujtahid, Ayatollah Baha’ al-Din, Ayatollah Bahjat, and others, which have introduced different aspects of their lives, how they adhered to matters of worship, Tahajjud and night vigil, the struggle with the self, and the virtues. Undoubtedly, if such books are made into novels and screenplays and are portrayed in an attractive manner, practical examples and lessons will be presented to society.

D) The role of the national media in reforming the jurisprudential and legal affairs of society

In the Alawi school, explaining religion, introducing the Prophetic tradition, and reviving its forgotten principles are among the main factors in reforming society and individuals.

The Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IRGC) should explain the secret of unquestioning servitude to God, interpret the secrets of worship and the jurisprudential and legal rulings of Islam, and provide reasoned answers to doubts that arise in society, especially among the younger generation, about these matters.

Have we really explained the wisdom of hijab, fasting, and the like well for the younger generation? What are the rights of women in the family and society? Why is the amount of blood money for women determined in this specific way? Why is imitation obligatory? Where is the place of the religious authorities in religion? What are the jurisprudential and legal foundations and documents of religious rule and the guardianship of the jurist? These are questions that have occupied the minds of our youth, and if they are not answered, the enemies will misuse them and lead them astray.

As the most comprehensive mass communication medium, the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IRGC) must explain the jurisprudential and legal rulings of Islam in appropriate, efficient, and attractive ways, answer existing doubts, and include this question in its programming agenda.

One way for national media officials to achieve this lofty goal is to establish, in cooperation with experts, an institution whose task is, first, to find doubts and questions raised about Islamic rulings in society and, second, to find ways to answer these doubts in an expert, attractive, reasoned, and understandable manner for all members of society. Undoubtedly, the realization of this will eliminate the grounds for the creation, spread, and institutionalization of heresies and deviations in society.

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The revival of the forgotten traditions of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) is one of the important matters in which the media can play an effective role. “Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong” is one of these traditions that is considered a need of our society today. In this context, depicting the history of the people whose good people forgot this tradition and as a result, suffered divine punishment can be helpful.

e) Attention of the national media to obstacles to reforms in society

Recognizing the obstacles to progress and reform in order to stand against them is one of the important and fundamental principles in the success of any society and civilization. Neglecting this matter will lead to the dominance of enemies and opponents and the failure of the progress and reform of the society; even if the rulers and leaders of that society are among the best. Looking at the rule of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), we clearly understand how obstacles and hostility prevented that Imam from fully achieving his lofty goals.

Now that the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing numerous problems in its path to progress and reform of society, and the widespread hostility of foreigners and their internal agents is becoming more complex day by day, one of the most important duties of the elders, scholars, and institutions effective in guiding society is to inform the masses of the people of the obstacles, dangers, and hostility of the enemies.

The Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IRBC) has a very important duty in this important matter. Among the matters that this institution should pay attention to and emphasize in this regard are:

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1. Introducing and introducing the political system and the Islamic state government and correctly explaining the issue of the guardianship of the jurist and dispelling doubts about it.

2. Introducing the real enemies is another very important and vital matter. Throughout history, there are many examples where recognizing the enemy has become difficult for the masses of the people due to the deceit and hypocrisy of the enemies, and they have been able to deceive the people and bring them under their control.

3. Introducing the hidden motives of internal opposition and sabotage can render the tricks of the enemies ineffective and save the society and the government from unrest and inflammation. It is very effective and efficient for the health of the society for the people to know what lies behind the beautiful slogans, heartaches and fiery cries of some people. Those who have harbored grudges, jealousy or the desire for power in their hearts and are willing to unsettle the Islamic society because their material interests are at risk never reveal their real motives. There are many cases of these enmities and sabotages in the contemporary history of our country that the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation can introduce to the people to serve as a lesson for the present and the future.

2. Popular Questions

1. To what extent are political and administrative reforms effective in the health of society?

2. Why did the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) not use people like Talha and Zubair, who had a long history in Islam, war, and jihad, in his government?

3. What should be the relationship between rulers and the people? Do you remember any actions of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) in this regard?

4. In the opinion of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), what criteria and conditions should the rulers and rulers of society have?

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5. What should be the inspection of the political and governmental body? How did the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) act in this regard?

6. To what extent are economic reforms effective in the health and prosperity of society? How did Ali (peace be upon him) act in this regard?

7. Is the history of being a Muslim, a fighter, and a revolutionary a criterion for greater productivity than material and economic benefits and privileges?

8. To what extent are factors such as “remembering death”, “staying away from worldly desires”, “struggle with the self”, etc. effective in the health of individuals and society?

3. Expert Questions

1. What was the philosophy of accepting the government by Imam Ali (peace be upon him)?

2. Some of the relatives and assistants of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) advised him to delay his desired political and economic reforms until the foundations of the government were solidified, so that enmities and oppositions would not weaken his fledgling government. On the other hand, contrary to their opinion, Imam considered political and economic reforms among his first tasks and continued them with determination. What factors led to Imam’s decision?

3. By carefully and thoughtfully reflecting on the reign of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him), it becomes clear that his moral and jurisprudential reforms did not have the speed and breadth of political and economic reforms. Why?

4. In Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) view, what are the factors that lead to economic health and what is the role of the leader of society in this?

5. Analyze some of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) actions to reform financial and economic corruption.

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6. What reforms did the Imam seek by introducing the Prophet’s tradition, reviving the forgotten religious precepts, and purifying it of deviations and innovations? Why?

7. What are the factors that create, grow, and spread moral corruption in society, and what are the ways to combat them? What methods did Imam Ali (peace be upon him) adopt in this regard?

8. How can the role of the elites be analyzed in the health and corruption of society?

9. How did the negative performance of the elites create a serious obstacle to the reforms of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)?

10. When the will of the people and the opinion of the leader of the Islamic society conflict, which one takes precedence? What is the duty of each? To what extent can the leader of the society impose his opinion on the will of the masses of the people? In the meantime, what is the criterion of righteousness? What was the character of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)?

11. Some of the obstacles to the full implementation of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) reforms were: people’s unfamiliarity with Islam and the Imam of their time, the negative performance of elites, the decline of society and the rooting of corruption in it, and the lack of prominent companions. How can the Imam’s dealing with these obstacles be an example for the reform measures of our system’s agents?

12. Considering the performance of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), how can we distinguish true reformers from false reformers?

Related Centers and Institutions

Qom – Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute – History Department

Qom – Dar al-Hadith Institute

Qom – Islamic Propaganda Office, Seerah Unit

Qom – Islamic Culture and Thought Research Institute, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) Encyclopedia Unit

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Qom – Nahjul-Balagha Foundation

Tehran – Ghadir Headquarters

Note

When the Commander of the Faithful Ali (AS) accepted the rule and government after much insistence from the people, he declared his goal to reform the corruptions of the Islamic society and remained steadfast to this goal from the very first days of his rule until the last moment of his noble life.

The main axes of his reforms are: political and administrative reforms, financial and economic reforms, jurisprudential and legal reforms, and moral reforms.

A) Political and administrative reforms:

In the view of the Imam (AS), political reforms are in a sense a prelude to other reforms and without them, no other reform measures will be possible. Therefore, the Imam (AS) in his first action, by dismissing corrupt officials, selected the most worthy people he trusted.

B) Financial and economic reforms:

The philosophy of his acceptance of the rule was to create justice and provide the grounds for the growth and flourishing of human talents and to guide people as best as possible; The Imam (peace be upon him) knew very well that without a sound economic system there is no path to social justice, and cutting off the hands of traitors from the treasury, returning looted public property, abolishing undue privileges and distributing the treasury equally, carefully monitoring and accounting for his workers, directly supervising the market and dealing seriously with offenders, etc. are some of the measures that the Imam (peace be upon him) took to correct financial and economic corruption.

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c) Jurisprudential and legal reforms:

The Imam (peace be upon him), who considered explaining religion to be one of his most important duties, tried to guide the Islamic society towards salvation after he became the caliph by introducing the Sunnah of the Prophet, reviving the forgotten religious laws, and purifying it of deviations and differences.

By enumerating and informing people about deviations, the Imam (peace be upon him) tried to create a suitable environment for implementing jurisprudential and legal reforms, and during his reign, he succeeded in changing some of them and reviving some religious laws.

d) Moral reforms:

The Imam (peace be upon him) considered another of his important duties to be creating a environment for the growth and expansion of spiritual virtues and moral perfections in society. For this reason, from the very beginning, he set out to fight against the widespread moral corruption that had arisen.

Imam Ali (AS) made the criterion and axis of his reforms the action based on the Book of God and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet of Islam, and the centrality of truth, seeking justice, honesty in politics, and uncompromisingness were among the principles that the Imam (AS) always adhered to.

Along this path, numerous challenges prevented the complete implementation of all the reforms that his Imam intended. Examples of these challenges are the lack of correct understanding of Islam and the Imam (AS), the negative performance of elites, the decline of society and the rooting of corruption in it, and the lack of prominent companions.

The short period of the rule of the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and the reform measures that his Imam took during this period are considered the best model and example for those who intend to reform the Islamic society.

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By getting to know the true meaning of righteousness and corruption from the perspective of the Imam (peace be upon him) and how he acted in the fight against corruption, the real and false reformers of our time will also be recognized. Those who fight against the laws of Islam with the slogan of reform and misuse this matter and intend to eliminate the Quran and the Prophetic traditions will be recognized as true reformers who have no goal other than the happiness of the Islamic society and the implementation of the laws of Islam.

On the other hand, the rule of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) teaches all officials and agents of the Islamic government to always fight against corruption and deviations in pursuit of righteousness and salvation of the Islamic society, to revive the laws of the Quran and the Prophetic tradition (peace be upon him and his family), and in this way never allow themselves to be weak and never compromise and humiliate with enemies. Difficulties and problems do not stop them from their goals and they consider the government and the treasury as a divine trust in their hands and… . In a word, they should make all the actions, behavior and words of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) their role model and example. Indeed, the key to solving the fundamental problems of our government and society lies in this matter.

Although the present article is a research aimed at clarifying some aspects of the reforms and actions of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him), the need for further research on the character and reformative actions of his Imam remains, and it is up to scholars to clarify the unknown aspects of this matter with great research and accuracy.

Among the topics that need more research are the jurisprudential and legal reforms of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) and his actions to eliminate religious innovations and deviations. Also, his Imam’s moral reforms require more accuracy and research.

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* The Holy Quran, translated by Nasser Makarem Shirazi.

* The Holy Quran, translated by Muhammad Mahdi Foladvand.

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