A Closer Look At Naghul Balagha

A Closer Look at Nahj Al-Balagha A Restatement of some Facts

Table of Contents ▫ The Qur'an - how sufficient is it? ▫ The Basis of Ali's Argument for the Caliphate ▫ Characteristics of an Imam ▫ Who are Included in the 'Ahlul-Bayt'? ▫ Ali's relationship with others - Ali (r) and the Companions of the Prophet (s) - Ali (r) and Umar (r) - Ali (r) and the Practice of Lanat (Cursing) ▫ Ali (r) and Verse 3:7 (Do the Imams have Knowledge of the Ambiguous Verses of the Qur'an?) ▫ Ali (r) and the Importance of being with the Main Body of Muslims ▫ An Ending Comment

The Qur'an - how sufficient is it? Typically, the Shia scholars assert that Islam is incomplete without the Ahlul-Bayt, and that the Qur'an itself does not serve as an independant source of knowledge without the Imams acting as divine interpretors of the Islamic Law. This is the basis of the Shia faith, and the main difference between it and mainstream Islam. The first conflict between Nahj Al-Balagha and Shiism starts with the very first Sermon. For the sake of argument, we are going to assume, like the Shia scholars, that Nahj Al-Balagha indeed consists of Ali's words. Near the end of the Sermon, Ali (r) states:

،‫ َﻓَﺄْﻛَﺮَﻣُﻪ َﻋْﻦ َداِر اﻟﱡﺪْﻧَﻴﺎ‬،‫ﻲ َﻟُﻪ َﻣﺎ ِﻋْﻨَﺪُه‬ َ ‫ﺿ‬ ِ ‫ َوَر‬،‫ﺤﺎَﻧُﻪ َُِﶈﱠﻤﺪ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ِﻟَﻘﺎَءُه‬ َ ‫ُﺛﱠﻢ اْﺧَﺘﺎَر ُﺳْﺒ‬ ‫ﺖ اَْﻻْﻧﺒَﻴﺎُء ﻓﻲ‬ ِ ‫ﻜْﻢ َﻣﺎ َﺧﱠﻠَﻔ‬ ُ ‫ﻒ ِﻓﻴ‬ َ ‫ َوَﺧﱠﻠ‬،‫ﻀُﻪ ِإَﻟْﻴِﻪ َﻛِﺮﳝًﺎ‬ َ ‫ َﻓَﻘَﺒ‬،‫ﺐ ِﺑَﻪ َﻋْﻦ ُﻣَﻘﺎَرَﻧِﺔ اﻟَﺒْﻠَﻮى‬ َ ‫َوَرِﻏ‬ ‫ﻜﻢ ُﻣَﺒﱢﻴﻨًﺎ‬ ُ ‫ﻜْﻢ ِﻓﻴ‬ ُ ‫ب َرﱢﺑ‬ َ ‫ ِﻛَﺘﺎ‬.‫ وَﻻَﻋَﻠﻢ َﻗﺎِﺋﻢ‬،‫ﺿﺢ‬ ِ ‫ ِﺑَﻐْﻴﺮ َﻃﺮﻳﻖ وا‬،‫ﻼ‬ ً ‫ إْذ َﻟﻢ َﻳْﺘُﺮُﻛﻮُﻫْﻢ َﻫَﻤ‬،‫ُأَِﳑﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺻُﻪ‬ ‫ َوَﺧﺎ ﱠ‬،‫ﺼُﻪ َوَﻋَﺰاِﺋَﻤُﻪ‬ َ ‫ َوُرَﺧ‬،‫ﺴﻮَﺧُﻪ‬ ُ ‫ﺨُﻪ َوَﻣْﻨ‬ َ ‫ َوَﻧﺎِﺳ‬،‫ﻀﺎِﺋَﻠُﻪ‬ َ ‫ﻀُﻪ َوَﻓ‬ َ ‫ َوَﻓَﺮاِﺋ‬،‫ﻼَﻟُﻪ َوَﺣﺮاَﻣُﻪ‬ َ ‫َﺣ‬ ‫ َوُﻣَﺒﱢﻴﻨًﺎ‬،‫ﺴﺮًا ُﺟَﻤَﻠُﻪ‬ ‫ ُﻣَﻔ ﱢ‬،‫ﺸﺎِﺑَﻬُﻪ‬ َ ‫ﻜَﻤُﻪ َوُﻣَﺘ‬ َ ‫ﺤ‬ ْ ‫ َوُﻣ‬،‫ﺤُﺪوَدُه‬ ْ ‫ َوُﻣْﺮَﺳَﻠُﻪ َوَﻣ‬،‫ َوِﻋَﺒَﺮُه َوَأْﻣَﺜﺎَﻟُﻪ‬،‫َوَﻋﺎﱠﻣُﻪ‬ ِ ‫ﻜ ﺘﺎ‬ ‫ب‬ ِ ‫ﲔ ُﻣْﺜَﺒﺖ ﻓﻲ اﻟ‬ َْ ‫ َوَﺑ‬،‫ َوُﻣَﻮﱠﺳﻊ َﻋَﻠﻰ اﻟِﻌَﺒﺎِد ﻓﻲ َﺟْﻬِﻠِﻪ‬،‫ق ِﻋْﻠِﻤِﻪ‬ ُ ‫ﲔ َﻣْﺄُﺧﻮذ ِﻣﻴَﺜﺎ‬ َْ ‫ َﺑ‬.‫ﻀُﻪ‬ َ ‫َﻏَﻮاِﻣ‬ ‫ب َﺗْﺮُﻛﻪ‬ ِ ‫ﻜ ﺘﺎ‬ ِ ‫ َوُﻣَﺮﱠﺧﺺ ﻓﻲ اﻟ‬،‫ﺴﱠﻨِﺔ َأْﺧُﺬُه‬ ‫ َوَواﺟﺐ ﻓﻲ اﻟ ﱡ‬،‫ﺨُﻪ‬ ُ ‫ﺴ‬ ْ ‫ﺴﱠﻨِﻪ َﻧ‬ ‫ َوَﻣْﻌُﻠﻮم ﻓﻲ اﻟ ﱡ‬،‫ﺿُﻪ‬ ُ ‫َﻓْﺮ‬ Then Allah chose for Muhammad (s) to meet Him, selected him for His own nearness, regarded him too dignified to remain in this world and decided to remove him from this place of trial. So He drew him towards Himself with honour. But the Prophet (s) left among you the same which other Prophet (s) left among

their peoples, because Prophet (s) do not leave them untended without a clear path and a standing ensign, namely the Book of your Creator with you clarifying its permission and prohibitions, its obligations and discretion, its repealing injunctions and the repealed ones, its permissible matters and compulsory ones, its particulars and the general ones, its lessons and illustrations, its long and the short ones, its clear and obscure ones, detailing its abbreviations and clarifying its obscurities.In it there are some verses whose knowledge is obligatory and others whose ignorance by the people is permissible. It also contains what appears to be obligatory according to the Book but its repeal is signified by the Prophet's (s) sunnah or that which appears compulsory according to the Prophet's (s) action but the Book allows not following it. It is clear that Ali (r) does not include the Ahlul-Bayt among the repositories the Prophet (s) left behind. Rather, the only two fundamental sources of jurisdiction are clearly stated as the Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunnah. When Ali (r) was fatally wounded by Ibn Muljam, he reminded the people of the two things the Muslims should never forsake, found in the 149th Sermon:

‫ َأِﻗﻴُﻤﻮا ﻫَﺬْﻳﻦ‬،‫ﻀﱢﻴُﻌﻮا ُﺳﱠﻨَﺘُﻪ‬ َ ‫ﻼ ُﺗ‬ َ ‫ﺤﱠﻤﺪًا َﻓ‬ َ ‫ َوُﻣ‬،‫ﺸِﺮُﻛﻮا ِﺑِﻪ َﺷْﻴﺌًﺎ‬ ْ ‫ َﻓﺎﻟﻠَﻪ َﻻ ُﺗ‬:‫ﺻﱠﻴِﺘﻲ‬ ِ ‫َأﱠﻣﺎ َو‬ ِْ ‫ﺼَﺒﺎَﺣ‬ ‫ﲔ‬ ْ ‫ َوَأْوِﻗُﺪوا ﻫَﺬْﻳِﻦ اِْﳌ‬،‫اْﻟَﻌُﻤﻮَدْﻳِﻦ‬ As for my last will, it is that concerning Allah, do not believe in a partner for Him, and concerning Muhammad (s), do not disregard his Sunnah. Keep these two pillars and burn these two lamps.

It is ironic that Shias quote some Sunni ahadith mentioning the Thaqalayn, while many are not even aware of this statement of Ali (r) found in Nahj Al-Balagha in which he clearly reminds people of Tawhid and the Sunnah in his last will. Shouldn't he be reminding the people of the rights and role of the Ahlul-Bayt? Now, the following quote from Sermon 133 shows that unlike Shias, Ali (r) did not consider the Imams to be the medium through which one understands the Qur'an. Rather, he makes it abundantly clear that the Qur'an is itself clear and the medium through which one understands everything.

‫ َوِﻋﱞﺰ َﻻ ُﺗْﻬَﺰُم َأْﻋَﻮاُﻧُﻪ‬،‫ﺖ َﻻ ُﺗْﻬَﺪُم َأْرَﻛﺎُﻧُﻪ‬ ٌ ‫ َوَﺑْﻴ‬،‫ﺴﺎُﻧُﻪ‬ َ ‫ َﻧﺎﻃٌﻖ َﻻ َﻳْﻌَﻴﺎ ِﻟ‬،‫ﲔ َأْﻇُﻬِﺮُﻛْﻢ‬ َْ ‫ﷲ َﺑ‬ ِ ‫با‬ ُ ‫َوِﻛَﺘﺎ‬ The Book of Allah is among you. It speaks and its tongue does not falter. It is a house whose pillars do not fall down, and a power whose supporters are never routed. An important observation should be made here. Shias criticize and condemn Umar (r) for saying that the Qur'an is sufficient for guidance after the Prophet's (s) demise. It is ironic that in Sermon 176, Ali (r) states the very same:

ُ ‫ﺤﱢﺪ‬ ‫ث‬ َ ‫ َواُْﳌ‬،‫ﻀﱡﻞ‬ ِ ‫ َواْﻟَﻬﺎِدي اﱠﻟِﺬي َﻻ ُﻳ‬،‫ﺶ‬ ‫ﺢ اﱠﻟِﺬي َﻻ َﻳُﻐ ﱡ‬ ُ ‫ﺻ‬ ِ ‫َواْﻋَﻠُﻤﻮا َأﱠن ﻫَﺬا اْﻟُﻘْﺮآَن ُﻫَﻮ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬ ‫ ِزَﻳﺎَدة ِﻓﻲ‬:‫ﺼﺎن‬ َ ‫ﺲ ﻫَﺬا اْﻟُﻘْﺮآَن َأَﺣٌﺪ ِإﱠﻻ َﻗﺎَم َﻋْﻨُﻪ ِﺑِﺰَﻳﺎَدة َأْو ُﻧْﻘ‬ َ ‫ َوَﻣﺎ َﺟﺎَﻟ‬،‫ب‬ ُ ‫ﻜِﺬ‬ ْ ‫اﱠﻟِﺬي َﻻ َﻳ‬ ‫ َوَﻻ ﻻَﺣﺪ‬،‫ﺲ َﻋَﻠﻰ َأَﺣﺪ َﺑْﻌَﺪ اْﻟُﻘْﺮآِن ِﻣْﻦ َﻓﺎَﻗﺔ‬ َ ‫َواْﻋَﻠُﻤﻮا َأﱠﻧُﻪ َﻟْﻴ‬.‫ﻰ‬ ً ‫ﺼﺎن ِﻣْﻦ َﻋﻤ‬ َ ‫ َأْو ُﻧْﻘ‬،‫ى‬ ً ‫ُﻫﺪ‬ ‫َﻗْﺒَﻞ اْﻟُﻘْﺮآِن ِﻣْﻦ ِﻏﻨﻰ‬

And know that this Qur'an is an adviser who never deceives, a leader who never misleads and a narrator who never speaks a lie. No one will sit beside this Qur'an but that when he rises he will achieve one addition or one diminution - addition in his guidance or elimination in his (spiritual) blindness. You should also know that no one will need anything after the Qur'an and no one will be free from want before the Qur'an. One of the side-effects of Shias' extraordinary emphasis on the AhlulBayt is that the Qur'an is undermined in the process. But the aforementioned quote from the Sermon makes it abundantly clear that the Qur'an is the ultimately independent source of guidance, and the AhlulBayt do not have any exclusive privilege in understanding its message. One of the bases of the argument for Imamate presented by Shias is the assumption that Allah can never leave the earth devoid of a divine representative - be it a Prophet or an Imam, and that this had been the case since Adam's (a) time. Let us see what Sermon 91 states:

،‫ﲔ َﻣْﻌِﺮَﻓِﺘِﻪ‬ َْ ‫ﺼُﻞ َﺑْﻴَﻨُﻬْﻢ َوَﺑ‬ ِ ‫ َوَﻳ‬،‫ﺠَﺔ ُرُﺑﻮِﺑﱠﻴِﺘَﻪ‬ ‫ َﱢﳑﺎ ُﻳَﺆﱢﻛُﺪ َﻋَﻠْﻴِﻬْﻢ ُﺣ ﱠ‬،‫ﻀُﻪ‬ َ ‫ﺨِﻠِﻬْﻢ َﺑْﻌَﺪ َأْن َﻗَﺒ‬ ْ ‫وَﻟْﻢ ُﻳ‬ ;‫ َﻗْﺮﻧًﺎ َﻓَﻘْﺮﻧًﺎ‬،‫ﺤﱢﻤِﻠﻲ َوَداِﺋِﻊ ِرَﺳﺎَﻻِﺗِﻪ‬ َ ‫ َوُﻣَﺘ‬،‫ﳋَﻴَﺮِة ِﻣْﻦ َأْﻧِﺒَﻴﺎِﺋِﻪ‬ ِْ ‫ﺴِﻦ ا‬ ُ ‫ﺞ َﻋَﻠﻰ َأْﻟ‬ ِ ‫ﺠ‬ َ ‫ﳊ‬ ُْ ‫َﺑْﻞ َﺗَﻌﺎَﻫَﺪُﻫْﻢ َﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﺠُﺘُﻪ‬ ‫ﺤﱠﻤﺪﷺ ُﺣ ﱠ‬ َ ‫ﺖ ِﺑَﻨِﺒﱢﻴَﻨﺎ ُﻣ‬ ْ ‫َﺣﱠﺘﻰ َﱠﲤ‬ Even when He made Adam (a) die He did not leave them without one who would serve among them as proof for His Godhead, and serve as the link between them and His knowledge, but He provided to them the proofs through His chosen Messengers (a) and bearers of the trust of His Message, age after age till the process came to end with our Prophet Muhammad (s) and His pleas and warnings reached finality.

This portion of the Sermon makes it abundantly clear that the hujjiyah (divine representation) of Allah ended with the Prophet (s) and was not to be continued by any divine medium between Allah and humanity. Perhaps a good ending to this section would be this quote from Sermon 147, in which Ali (r) describes those who have been misguided:

،‫ﳉَﻤﺎَﻋِﺔ‬ َْ ‫ َواْﻓَﺘَﺮُﻗﻮا َﻋِﻦ ا‬،‫َﻓﺎْﺟَﺘَﻤَﻊ اْﻟَﻘْﻮُم َﻋَﻠﻰ اْﻟُﻔْﺮَﻗِﺔ‬ ‫ب ِإَﻣﺎَﻣُﻬﻢ‬ ُ ‫ﻜَﺘﺎ‬ ِ ‫ﺲ اْﻟ‬ َ ‫ب َوَﻟْﻴ‬ ِ ‫ﻜَﺘﺎ‬ ِ ‫َﻛَﺄﱠﻧُﻬْﻢ َأِﺋﱠﻤُﺔ اْﻟ‬ The people will have united on division and will therefore have cut away from the community, as though they were the Imams of the Qur'an and not the Qur'an their Imam. O Allah! Save us from becoming those who try to interpret the Qur'an based on their own whims.

The Basis of Ali's Argument for the Caliphate An important point we must keep in mind is that Shias firmly insist that the Prophet (s) explicitly appointed Ali (r) as his successor at Ghadir Khum. What is interesting is that nowhere in Nahj Al-Balagha does Ali (r) use this 'explicit appointment' as one of his argument for attaining the caliphate. In fact, not once does the term 'Ghadir Khum' occur in the entire Nahj Al-Balagha. So did Ali (r) indeed think that he was appointed for the caliphate? In Sermon 162, Ali (r) uses the following reason to claim his right to the caliphate:

‫ َواﻻَﺷﱡﺪوَن ِﺑﺎﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮِل َﻧْﻮﻃًﺎ‬،‫ﺴﺒًﺎ‬ َ ‫ﺤُﻦ اَْﻻْﻋَﻠْﻮَن َﻧ‬ ْ ‫أﱠﻣﺎ اﻻْﺳِﺘْﺒﺪاُد َﻋَﻠْﻴَﻨﺎ ِﺑﻬَﺬا اَْﳌﻘﺎِم َوَﻧ‬ As regards the oppression against us in this matter although we were the highest as regards descent and the strongest in relationship with the Messenger (s) of Allah. This quote from the Sermon shows that the reason Ali (r) presents for his claim to the caliphate is his closeness to the Prophet (s) by blood. However, he uses the term 'we' which refers to the Banu Hashim in general, and not Ali (r) specifically. Thus Ali's claim is not "because I was appointed by the Prophet (s)", rather the Sermon shows that it was because of closeness by blood enjoyed by the whole clan of Banu Hashim.

Moreover, the same Nahj Al-Balagha quotes Ali (r) in Sermon 205 as saying:

،‫ﻜْﻢ َدَﻋْﻮُﲤﻮِﻧﻲ ِإَﻟْﻴَﻬﺎ‬ ُ ‫ﻜﱠﻨ‬ ِ ‫ َوﻟ‬،‫ َوَﻻ ِﻓﻲ اْﻟِﻮَﻻَﻳِﺔ ِإْرَﺑٌﺔ‬،‫ﻼَﻓِﺔ َرْﻏَﺒٌﺔ‬ َ ‫ﳋ‬ ِْ ‫ﺖ ِﻟﻲ ِﻓﻲ ا‬ ْ ‫ﷲ َﻣﺎ َﻛﺎَﻧ‬ ِ ‫َوا‬ ‫َوَﺣَﻤْﻠُﺘُﻤﻮِﻧﻲ َﻋَﻠْﻴَﻬﺎ‬ By Allah, I had no liking for the caliphate nor any interest in government, but you yourselves invited me to it and prepared me for it. Can a divinely-appointed guide ever express distaste for what has been ordained for him by the Almighty Himself? A reminder should be presented here that the default Shia reason for believing in Ali's right to the caliphate is because the Prophet (s) allegedly appointed him as his successor at Ghadir Khum. On the other hand, Nahj al-Balagha seems to indicate that Ali's reason for believing in his superior right to the caliphate was because of his deep understanding of the Sunnah and his closeness to the Prophet (s), and he never brings forth any argument that indicates that the Prophet (s) had appointed him as his successor. It is also worth noting that just like Ali, none of the other companions understood the event of Ghadir Khum as indicative of Ali's succession to dive guidance after the Prophet (s). Thus, it is not the occurrence of the event that is doubted, rather the Shia understanding of the event. Letter 6 of Nahj Al-Balagha is possibly the most conflicting with Shia doctrine. It discusses the role of Shura in the process of electing the Imam. According to this letter, Ali (r) said:

‫ﻜْﻦ‬ ُ ‫ َﻓَﻠْﻢ َﻳ‬،‫ﻜﺮ َوُﻋَﻤَﺮ َوُﻋْﺜﻤﺎَن َﻋَﻠﻰ َﻣﺎ َﺑﺎَﻳُﻌﻮُﻫْﻢ َﻋَﻠْﻴِﻪ‬ ْ ‫ِإﱠﻧُﻪ َﺑﺎَﻳَﻌِﻨﻲ اْﻟَﻘْﻮُم اﱠﻟِﺬﻳَﻦ َﺑﺎَﻳُﻌﻮا َأَﺑﺎ َﺑ‬ ‫ َﻓِﺈِن اْﺟَﺘَﻤُﻌﻮا‬،‫ﺼﺎِر‬ َ ‫ﺸﻮَرى ِﻟْﻠُﻤَﻬﺎِﺟِﺮﻳَﻦ َواَْﻻْﻧ‬ ‫ َوإَﱠﳕﺎ اﻟ ﱡ‬،‫ﺐ َأْن َﻳُﺮﱠد‬ ِ ‫ َوَﻻ ِﻟﻠَﻐﺎِﺋ‬،‫ﺨَﺘﺎَر‬ ْ ‫ﺸﺎِﻫِﺪ َأْن َﻳ‬ ‫ِﻟﻠ ﱠ‬ ‫ج ِﺑَﻄْﻌﻦ َأْوِﺑْﺪَﻋﺔ‬ ٌ ‫ج َﻋْﻦ َأْﻣِﺮِﻫْﻢ َﺧﺎِر‬ َ ‫ َﻓِﺈْن َﺧَﺮ‬،‫ﻰ‬ ً ‫ﻚ ﻟﻠﻪ ِرﺿ‬ َ ‫َﻋَﻠﻰ َرُﺟﻞ َوَﺳﱠﻤْﻮُه ِإَﻣﺎﻣًﺎ َﻛﺎَن ذِﻟ‬ .‫ﷲ َﻣﺎ َﺗَﻮﱠﻟﻰ‬ ُ ‫ َوَوﱠﻻُه ا‬،‫ﲔ‬ َ ‫ َﻓِﺈْن َأَﺑﻰ َﻗﺎَﺗُﻠﻮُه َﻋَﻠﻰ اﱢﺗَﺒﺎِﻋِﻪ َﻏْﻴَﺮ َﺳِﺒﻴِﻞ اُْﳌْﺆِﻣِﻨ‬،‫ج ﻣﻨﻪ‬ َ ‫َرﱡدوُه ِإَﻟﻰ َﻣﺎَﺧَﺮ‬ Verily, those who took the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr (r), Umar (r) and Uthman (r) have sworn allegiance to me based on the same principles. Those who were present at the election have no right to go back against their oaths of allegiance and those who were not present on the occasion have no right to oppose it. And verily Shura (consultation) is for the Muhajirs and Ansars, so whomsoever they selected, became caliph as per approval and pleasure of Allah. If somebody went against such decision, then he should be persuaded to adopt the course followed by others, and if he refuses to fall in line with others, then war is the only course left open to be adopted against him and if he refuses to follow the course followed by the Muslims, Allah will let him wander in the wilderness of his ignorance and schism. Anyone with an unbiased mind will grasp the clear message being conveyed in this letter. Shias usually argue that in this letter Ali (r) was in fact using Muawiya's argument against his own self, and thus mentioned the Shura not as something valid but as something that Muawiya should feel himself bound to. One of the indications of the defect of this argument is the deliberate mistranslation of most translations of this letter. Why did Shia translators feel need to do so? Is their understanding to be used as the premise to

understand Ali's words, or should Ali's words be understood based on what he himself said? Moreover, it should be noted that Ali (r) never objects to the idea of Shura itself in Nahj Al-Balagha. The most vicious attack by Ali (r) of the Shura is in the Sermon of Shiqshiqiyah (if we are to assume they are indeed his own words), and even in this Sermon he does not attack the concept of Shura, rather he criticizes how it was conducted. And yet, he complied with the decisions of the Shura and fully assisted in the governance of the first three caliphs! Can one sincerely say, after reading this letter without any bias, that Ali (r) was against the concept of Shura? We leave it up to the reader to decide.

Characteristics of an Imam َ ‫ َﻓِﺈْن َﺷَﻐ‬،‫ﷲ ِﻓﻴِﻪ‬ ‫ﺐ‬ ِ ‫ َوَأْﻋَﻠُﻤُﻬْﻢ ِﺑَﺄْﻣِﺮ ا‬،‫س ِﺑﻬَﺬا اَْﻻْﻣِﺮ َأْﻗَﻮاُﻫْﻢ َﻋَﻠْﻴِﻪ‬ ِ ‫ إﱠن َأَﺣﱠﻖ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬،‫س‬ ُ ‫َأﱡﻳَﻬﺎ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬ .‫ َﻓِﺈْن َأَﺑﻰ ُﻗﻮِﺗَﻞ‬،‫ﺐ‬ َ ‫ﺐ اْﺳُﺘْﻌِﺘ‬ ٌ ‫َﺷﺎِﻏ‬ O people. the most rightful of all persons for this matter (namely the caliphate) is he who is most competent among them to maintain it, and he who knows best Allah's commands about it. If any mischief is created by a mischief-monger, he will be called upon to repent. If he refuses. he will be fought. In this excerpt from the Sermon entitled "On the Eligibility for the Caliphate", we come across a very important point, and that is: the right to the succession depends on the person's knowledge of the Law and not his appointment by the Prophet (s). The description of the Caliph is what would be expected by and acceptable to any rational mind, and nowhere does it mention that one of the prerequisites is appointment by an infallible predecessor. We shall now turn our attention to a phrase that is promoted much by Shias, and that is 'Ulil-Amr' (those charged with authority), found in the following verse of the Qur'an (4:59):

‫ﻲٍء‬ ْ ‫ﻜْﻢ َﻓِﺈن َﺗَﻨﺎَزْﻋُﺘْﻢ ِﻓﻲ َﺷ‬ ُ ‫ﷲ َوَأِﻃﻴُﻌﻮْا اﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮَل َوُأْوِﻟﻲ اَﻷْﻣِﺮ ِﻣﻨ‬ َ ‫َﻳﺎ َأﱡﻳَﻬﺎ اﱠﻟِﺬﻳَﻦ آَﻣُﻨﻮْا َأِﻃﻴُﻌﻮْا ا‬ ً ‫ﺴُﻦ َﺗْﺄِوﻳ‬ ‫ﻼ‬ َ ‫ﻚ َﺧْﻴٌﺮ َوَأْﺣ‬ َ ‫ﷲ َواﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮِل ِإن ُﻛﻨُﺘْﻢ ُﺗْﺆِﻣُﻨﻮَن ِﺑﺎﻟﻠِﻪ َواْﻟَﻴْﻮِم اﻵِﺧِﺮ َذِﻟ‬ ِ ‫َﻓُﺮﱡدوُه ِإَﻟﻰ ا‬

O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination. While Shias emphasize the fact that the Qur'an orders us to obey the 'Ulil-Amr' believing it refers to the infallible Imams, they fail to ponder on the second part of the verse. That is, in the case of disagreements, one is ordered to refer to Allah and His Messenger (s) and not the Ulil-Amr. One would expect that had the Shia interpretation of the verse been true, then after the demise of the Prophet (s) the Muslims would have been ordered to refer to the Ulil-Amr. But that is not the case. Let us see what Nahj Al-Balagha (letter 53) has to say about the issue:

ُ ‫ َﻓَﻘْﺪ َﻗﺎَل ا‬،‫ﻚ ِﻣَﻦ اُْﻻُﻣﻮِر‬ ‫ﷲ‬ َ ‫ﺸَﺘِﺒُﻪ َﻋَﻠْﻴ‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻳ‬،‫ب‬ ِ ‫ﳋُﻄﻮ‬ ُْ ‫ﻚ ِﻣَﻦ ا‬ َ ‫ﻀِﻠُﻌ‬ ْ ‫ْرُدْد ِإَﻟﻰ اﷲ َوَرُﺳﻮِﻟِﻪ َﻣﺎ ُﻳ‬ ‫ﷲ َوَأِﻃﻴُﻌﻮا اﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮَل َوُأوِﻟﻲ‬ َ ‫ )َﻳﺎ َأﱡﻳَﻬﺎ اﱠﻟِﺬﻳَﻦ آَﻣُﻨﻮا َأِﻃﻴُﻌﻮا‬:‫ﺐ ِإْرَﺷﺎَدُﻫْﻢ‬ ‫ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻪ ِﻟَﻘْﻮم َأَﺣ ﱠ‬ ‫ﻜِﻢ‬ َ ‫ﺤ‬ ْ ‫ اَْﻻْﺧُﺬ ُِﲟ‬:‫ﷲ‬ ِ ‫ َﻓﺎﻟﱠﺮﱡد ِإَﻟﻰ ا‬،(‫ﷲ َواﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮِل‬ ِ ‫ﻲء َﻓُﺮﱡدوُه ِإَﻟﻰ ا‬ ْ ‫ﻜْﻢ َﻓﺈْن َﺗَﻨﺎَزْﻋُﺘْﻢ ِﻓﻲ َﺷ‬ ُ ‫اَْﻻْﻣِﺮ ِﻣْﻨ‬ .‫ﳉﺎِﻣﻌِﺔ َﻏْﻴِﺮ اُْﳌَﻔﱢﺮَﻗِﺔ‬ َْ ‫ﺴﱠﻨِﺘِﻪ ا‬ ُ ‫ اَْﻻْﺧُﺬ ِﺑ‬:‫ َواﻟﱠﺮﱡد ِإَﻟﻰ اﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮِل‬،‫ِﻛَﺘﺎِﺑِﻪ‬ ‫ﻜُﻪ‬ ُ ‫ﺤ‬ ‫ َوَﻻ َُﲤ ﱢ‬،‫ﻀﻴُﻖ ِﺑِﻪ اُْﻻُﻣﻮُر‬ ِ ‫ َﱢﳑْﻦ َﻻ َﺗ‬،‫ﻚ‬ َ ‫ﺴ‬ ِ ‫ﻚ ِﻓﻲ َﻧْﻔ‬ َ ‫ﻀَﻞ َرِﻋﱠﻴِﺘ‬ َ ‫س َأْﻓ‬ ِ ‫ﲔ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬ َْ ‫ﻜِﻢ َﺑ‬ ْ ‫ﺤ‬ ُ ‫ُﺛﱠﻢ اْﺧَﺘْﺮ ِﻟْﻠ‬ ‫ﺴُﻪ‬ ُ ‫ف َﻧْﻔ‬ ُ ‫ﺸِﺮ‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻻ ُﺗ‬،‫ﳊﱢﻖ إَذا َﻋَﺮَﻓُﻪ‬ َْ ‫ﻲِء ِإَﻟﻰ ا‬ ْ ‫ﺼُﺮِﻣَﻦ اْﻟَﻔ‬ َ ‫ﺤ‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻻ َﻳ‬،‫ َوَﻻ َﻳَﺘﻤﺎَدى ِﻓﻲ اﻟﱠﺰﱠﻟِﺔ‬،‫ﺼﻮُم‬ ُ ‫ﳋ‬ ُْ ‫ا‬ ،‫ﺞ‬ ِ ‫ﺠ‬ َ ‫ﳊ‬ ُْ ‫ َوآَﺧَﺬُﻫْﻢ ِﺑﺎ‬،‫ت‬ ِ ‫ﺸُﺒَﻬﺎ‬ ‫ َأْوَﻗَﻔُﻬْﻢ ِﻓﻲ اﻟ ﱡ‬،‫ﺼﺎُه‬ َ ‫ﻜَﺘِﻔﻲ ِﺑَﺄْدَﻧﻰ َﻓْﻬﻢ ُدوَن َأﻗ‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻻ َﻳ‬،‫َﻋَﻠﻰ َﻃَﻤﻊ‬ ِ ‫ﻀﺎ‬ ‫ح‬ َ ‫ﺻَﺮَﻣُﻬْﻢ ِﻋْﻨَﺪ اﱢﺗ‬ ْ ‫ َوَأ‬،‫ﻒ اُْﻻُﻣﻮِر‬ ِ ‫ﺸ‬ ‫ﻜ ﱡ‬ َ ‫ﺻَﺒَﺮُﻫْﻢ َﻋَﻠﻰ َﺗ‬ ْ ‫ َوَأ‬،‫ﺼِﻢ‬ ْ ‫ﳋ‬ َْ ‫َوَأَﻗﱠﻠُﻬْﻢ َﺗَﺒﱡﺮﻣًﺎ ُِﲟَﺮاَﺟَﻌِﺔ ا‬ .‫ﻚ َﻗِﻠﻴٌﻞ‬ َ ‫ُأوﻟِﺌ‬،‫ﺴَﺘِﻤﻴُﻠُﻪ ِإْﻏَﺮاٌء‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻻ َﻳ‬،‫ َﱢﳑْﻦ َﻻ َﻳْﺰَدِﻫﻴِﻪ إْﻃَﺮاٌء‬،‫ﻜِﻢ‬ ْ ‫ﳊ‬ ُْ ‫ا‬

When you are faced with problems which you cannot solve or with a difficult situation from which you cannot escape or when uncertain and doubtful circumstances confuse and perplex you, then turn to Allah and the Holy Prophet (s) because Allah has thus ordered those whom He wants to guide. The way to turn to Allah is to act diligently according to the clear and explicit orders given in His Holy Book and to the turn to the Holy Prophet (s) means to follow his Sunnah which has been generally accepted to be correctly recorded. So far as dispensing of justice is concerned, you have to be very careful in selecting officers for the same. You must select people of excellent character and high calibre and with meritorious records. They must possess the following qualifications: Abundance of litigations and complexity of cases should not make them lose their temper. When they realize that they have committed a mistake in judgement they should not insist on it by trying to justify it. When truth is made clear to them or when the right path opens up before them, they should not consider it below their dignity to correct the mistake made or to undo the wrong done by them. They should not be corrupt, covetous or greedy. They should not be satisfied with ordinary enquiry or scrutiny of a case, but should scrupulously go through all the pros and cons, they must examine every aspect of the problem carefully, and whenever and wherever they find doubtful and ambiguous points, they must stop, go through further details, clear the points, and only then proceed with their decisions. They must attach the greatest importance to reasoning, arguments and proofs. They should not get tired of lengthy discussions and arguments. They must exhibit patience and perseverance in scanning the details, in testing the points presented as true, in sifting facts from fiction and when truth is revealed to them they must pass their judgements without fear, favour or prejudice. They should not develop vanity and conceit when compliments and praises are showered upon them. They should not be mislead by flattery and cajolery. But unfortunately they are few persons having such characteristics.

This letter makes it abundantly clear that: 1) It is solely Allah and the Messenger (s) we are obligated to refer to. This is embodied in the Qur'an and the generally accepted Sunnah. 2) The Ulil-Amr (personified by Malik Al-Ashtar) are the fallible officers who can err, and are subject to human drawbacks. Why then are mainstream Muslims blamed for echoing the exact same beliefs? We shall end this section with an excerpt from Sermon 216, which I think not only shows Ali's humility but also shatters the myth of infallibility of the Imams:

‫ َوَﻻ‬،‫ق َأْن ُأْﺧِﻄﻰَء‬ ِ ‫ﺴﻲ ِﺑَﻔْﻮ‬ ِ ‫ﺖ ِﻓﻲ َﻧْﻔ‬ ُ ‫ﺴ‬ ْ ‫ َﻓِﺈﱢﻧﻲ َﻟ‬،‫ﺸﻮَرة ِﺑَﻌْﺪل‬ ُ ‫ َأْو َﻣ‬،‫ﺤّﻖ‬ َ ‫ﻜﱡﻔﻮا َﻋْﻦ َﻣَﻘﺎل ِﺑ‬ ُ ‫ﻼ َﺗ‬ َ ‫َﻓ‬ ‫ﻚ ِﺑِﻪ ِﻣﱢﻨﻲ‬ ُ ‫ﺴﻲ َﻣﺎ ُﻫَﻮ َأْﻣَﻠ‬ ِ ‫ﷲ ِﻣْﻦ َﻧْﻔ‬ ُ ‫ﻲا‬ َ ‫ﻜِﻔ‬ ْ ‫ ِإﱠﻻ َأْن َﻳ‬،‫ﻚ ِﻣْﻦ ِﻓْﻌِﻠﻲ‬ َ ‫آَﻣُﻦ ذِﻟ‬ Therefore, do not abstain from saying a truth or pointing out a matter of justice because I do not regard myself above erring. I do not escape erring in my actions but when Allah helps me (in avoiding errors) in matters in which He is more powerful than I.

Who are Included in the 'Ahlul-Bayt'? Shias often quote Sunni ahadith in praise of the Ahlul-Bayt but shun the part of the narrations that explain who the Ahlul-Bayt consists of. The mainstream Muslims assert that it includes not only Ali (r) and his offspring, but also his brothers Jafar and Aqil, and the Prophet's (s) uncle Abbas, and their offspring. So in general the narrations refer to the clan of Banu Hashim. On the other hand, Shias assert that the Ahlul-Bayt includes the Prophet (s), his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and the 9 Imams from their progeny. What is surprising is that this definition is not only historically inaccurate, but there is not one authentic narration that can be traced back to the Prophet (s) or the Imams that gives this definition! Let us see how the Nahj Al-Balagha defines the Ahlul-Bayt in Letter 9:

‫ﺤﺎَﺑُﻪ‬ َ ‫ﺻ‬ َ ‫ َﻗﱠﺪَم َأْﻫَﻞ َﺑْﻴِﺘِﻪ َﻓَﻮَﻗﻰ ِﺑِﻬْﻢ َأ‬،‫س‬ ُ ‫ﺠَﻢ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬ َ ‫ َوَأْﺣ‬،‫س‬ ُ ‫ﷲ ﷺ إَذا اْﺣَﻤﱠﺮ اْﻟَﺒْﺄ‬ ِ ‫َوَﻛﺎَن َرُﺳﻮُل ا‬ ‫ َوُﻗِﺘَﻞ‬،‫ َوُﻗِﺘَﻞ َﺣْﻤَﺰُة َﻳْﻮَم ُأُﺣﺪ‬،‫ث َﻳْﻮَم َﺑْﺪر‬ ِ ‫ﳊﺎِر‬ َْ ‫ َﻓُﻘِﺘَﻞ ُﻋَﺒْﻴَﺪُة ْﺑُﻦ ا‬،‫ف َواَْﻻِﺳﱠﻨِﺔ‬ ِ ‫ﺴُﻴﻮ‬ ‫َﺣﱠﺮ اﻟ ﱡ‬ ‫ﺟﻌﻔﺮ َﻳْﻮَم ُﻣْﺆَﺗَﺔ‬ While it was the practice of the Holy Prophet (s) that whenever a battle was waged and some people fled, he sent his Ahlul-Bayt (members of his household) to fight out the battle to protect his companions. These members of Bani Hashim often fought single handed and some even met martyrdom as for instance, Ubayda bin Harith was killed in the Battle of Badr, Hamza bin Abdul

Muttalib in Uhud and Ja'far bin Abu Talib in the Battle of Mu'tah. It is clear without a shred of doubt that, in Ali's mind, the Ahlul-Bayt was a term that denoted those that belonged to the Prophet's (s) clan, namely the Banu Hashim. This happens to be precisely mainstream Islam's understanding as well! Let us now bring up one more time Sermon 162, in which Ali (r) uses the following reason to claim his right to the caliphate:

‫ َواﻻَﺷﱡﺪوَن ِﺑﺎﻟﱠﺮُﺳﻮِل َﻧْﻮﻃًﺎ‬،‫ﺴﺒًﺎ‬ َ ‫ﺤُﻦ اَْﻻْﻋَﻠْﻮَن َﻧ‬ ْ ‫أﱠﻣﺎ اﻻْﺳِﺘْﺒﺪاُد َﻋَﻠْﻴَﻨﺎ ِﺑﻬَﺬا اَْﳌﻘﺎِم َوَﻧ‬ As regards the oppression against us in this matter although we were the highest as regards descent and the strongest in relationship with the Messenger (s) of Allah. Thus, the potential candidates - if the candidacy were to be restricted to the Ahlul-Bayt - would also include Abdullah bin Abbas and Abdullah bin Jafar, the two nephews of Ali, as well all the other great members of the clan of Banu Hashim. This of course is far from the later Shia understanding of the matter.

Ali's relationship with others Ali (r) about the Companions of the Prophet (s) We stated at the beginning of this booklet that we will assume that all the statements found in Nahj Al-Balagha are indeed from Ali (r) himself. It should be mentioned here that there are contradictory statements found in the book, and Ali's attitude towards the companions is one of those issues. However, those who believe in the authenticity of the Sermons and letters found in Nahj Al-Balagha will be obliged to believe in the following quote from Sermon 97:

‫ﺤﻮَن‬ ُ ‫ﺼِﺒ‬ ْ ‫ﻜْﻢ! َﻟَﻘْﺪ َﻛﺎُﻧﻮا ُﻳ‬ ُ ‫ﺸِﺒُﻬُﻬْﻢ ِﻣْﻨ‬ ْ ‫ َﻓَﻤﺎ َأَرى َأَﺣﺪًا ُﻳ‬،‫ﺤﱠﻤﺪﷺ‬ َ ‫ب ُﻣ‬ َ ‫ﺤﺎ‬ َ ‫ﺻ‬ ْ ‫ﺖ َأ‬ ُ ‫َﻟَﻘْﺪ َرَأْﻳ‬ ‫ َوَﻳِﻘُﻔﻮَن َﻋَﻠﻰ ِﻣْﺜِﻞ‬،‫ﲔ ِﺟَﺒﺎِﻫِﻬْﻢ َوُﺧُﺪوِدِﻫْﻢ‬ َْ ‫ ُﻳَﺮاِوُﺣﻮَن َﺑ‬،‫ﺠﺪًا َوِﻗَﻴﺎﻣًﺎ‬ ّ ‫ َﻗْﺪ َﺑﺎُﺗﻮا ُﺳ‬،‫ُﺷْﻌﺜًﺎ ُﻏْﺒﺮًا‬ ُ ‫ﺠﻮِدِﻫْﻢ! ِإَذا ُذِﻛَﺮ ا‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ُ ‫ﺐ اِْﳌْﻌَﺰى ِﻣْﻦ ُﻃﻮِل ُﺳ‬ َ ‫ﲔ َأْﻋُﻴﻨِﻬْﻢ ُرَﻛ‬ َْ ‫ﳉْﻤِﺮ ِﻣْﻦ ِذْﻛِﺮ َﻣَﻌﺎِدِﻫْﻢ! َﻛَﺄﱠن َﺑ‬ َْ ‫ا‬ ‫ َﺧْﻮﻓًﺎ‬،‫ﻒ‬ ِ ‫ﺻ‬ ِ ‫ﺢ اْﻟَﻌﺎ‬ ِ ‫ﺠُﺮ َﻳْﻮَم اﻟﱢﺮﻳ‬ َ ‫ﺸ‬ ‫ َوَﻣﺎُدوا َﻛَﻤﺎ َِﳝﻴُﺪ اﻟ ﱠ‬،‫ﺖ َأْﻋُﻴُﻨُﻬْﻢ َﺣﱠﺘﻰ َﺗُﺒﱠﻞ ُﺟُﻴﻮَﺑُﻬْﻢ‬ ْ ‫َﻫَﻤَﻠ‬ ِ ‫ َوَرَﺟﺎًء ِﻟﻠﱠﺜَﻮا‬،‫ب‬ ‫ب‬ ِ ‫ِﻣَﻦ اْﻟِﻌَﻘﺎ‬ I have seen the companions of the Prophet (s) but I do not find anyone from you resembling them. They began the day with dust on the hair and face (in hardship of life) and passed the night in prostration and standing in prayers. Sometimes they put down their foreheads and sometimes their cheeks. With the recollection of their resurrection it seemed as though they stood on live coal. It seemed that in between their eyes there were signs like knees of goats, resulting from long prostrations. When Allah was mentioned their eyes flowed freely till their shirt collars were drenched. They trembled for fear of punishment and hope of reward as the tree trembles on the day of stormy wind.

What a beautiful description, and how to close to the Qur'anic description of the Companions of the Prophet (s) found in the verse 48:29. This is quite a sharp contrast to the general belief held by Shias about the Companions of the Prophet (s), many of whom believe the majority of the Companions became apostates after the Prophet's (s) demise. Ali (r) and Umar (r) We now direct our attention to a very interesting piece of advice, recorded in Sermon 146, in which Ali (r) is advising the Caliph Umar (r):

،‫ﷲ اﱠﻟِﺬي َأْﻇَﻬَﺮُه‬ ِ ‫ َوُﻫَﻮ ِدﻳُﻦ ا‬،‫ﻜْﺜَﺮة َوَﻻ ِﺑِﻘﱠﻠﺔ‬ َ ‫ﺼُﺮُه َوَﻻ ِﺧْﺬَﻻُﻧُﻪ ِﺑ‬ ْ ‫ﻜْﻦ َﻧ‬ ُ ‫ِإﱠن ﻫَﺬا اَْﻻْﻣَﺮ َﻟْﻢ َﻳ‬ ‫ﺤُﻦ َﻋَﻠﻰ َﻣْﻮُﻋﻮد ِﻣَﻦ‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻧ‬،‫ﺚ َﻃَﻠَﻊ‬ ُ ‫ َوَﻃَﻠَﻊ َﺣْﻴ‬،‫ َﺣﱠﺘﻰ َﺑَﻠَﻎ َﻣﺎ َﺑَﻠَﻎ‬،‫َوُﺟْﻨُﺪُه اﱠﻟِﺬي َأَﻋﱠﺪُه َوَأَﻣﱠﺪُه‬ .‫ﺻٌﺮ ُﺟْﻨَﺪُه‬ ِ ‫ َوَﻧﺎ‬،‫ﺠٌﺰ َوْﻋَﺪُه‬ ِ ‫ﷲ ُﻣْﻨ‬ ُ ‫ َوا‬،‫ﷲ‬ ِ ‫ا‬ َ ‫ َﻓِﺈِن اْﻧَﻘَﻄَﻊ اﻟﱢﻨَﻈﺎُم َﺗَﻔﱠﺮ‬:‫ﻀﱡﻤُﻪ‬ ‫ق‬ ُ ‫ﺠَﻤُﻌُﻪ َوَﻳ‬ ْ ‫ﳋَﺮِز َﻳ‬ َْ ‫ﻜﺎُن اﻟﱢﻨَﻈﺎِم ِﻣَﻦ ا‬ َ ‫ﻜﺎُن اْﻟَﻘﱢﻴِﻢ ِﺑﺎَْﻻْﻣِﺮ َﻣ‬ َ ‫َوَﻣ‬ ‫ َﻓُﻬْﻢ َﻛِﺜﻴُﺮوَن‬،‫ﻼ‬ ً ‫ب اْﻟَﻴﻮَم َوِإْن َﻛﺎُﻧﻮا َﻗِﻠﻴ‬ ُ ‫ َواْﻟَﻌَﺮ‬.‫ﺤَﺬاِﻓﻴِﺮِه َأَﺑﺪًا‬ َ ‫ﺠَﺘِﻤُﻊ ِﺑ‬ ْ ‫ ُﺛﱠﻢ َﻟْﻢ َﻳ‬،‫ﺐ‬ َ ‫َوَذَﻫ‬ ‫ﻚ َﻧﺎَر‬ َ ‫ﺻِﻠِﻬْﻢ ُدوَﻧ‬ ْ ‫ َوَأ‬،‫ب‬ ِ ‫ َواْﺳَﺘِﺪِر اﻟﱠﺮَﺣﺎ ِﺑﺎْﻟَﻌَﺮ‬،‫ﻜْﻦ ُﻗْﻄﺒًﺎ‬ ُ ‫ َﻋِﺰﻳُﺰوَن َﺑﺎﻻْﺟﺘﻤﺎِع! َﻓ‬،‫ﻼِم‬ َ ‫َﺑﺎِْﻻْﺳ‬ ِ ‫ﳊْﺮ‬ ‫ب‬ َْ ‫ا‬ In this matter, victory of defeat is not dependent on the smallness or greatness of forces. It is Allah's religion which He has raised above all faiths, and His army which He has mobilised and extended, till it has reached the point where it stands now, and has arrived its present positions. We hold a promise from Allah, and He will fulfil His promise and support His army.

The position of the head of government is that of the thread for beads, as it connects them and keeps them together. If the thread is broken, they will disperse and be lost, and will never come together again. The Arabs today, even though small in number are big because of Islam and strong because of unity. You should remain like the axis for them, and rotate the mill (of government) with (the help of) the Arabs, and be their root. This sounds like sound and sincere advice on the part of Ali (r). We see that not only does he acknowledge Umar's (r) army (consisting of the Companions of the Prophet) as Allah's army, but he also refers to Umar as the thread of a string of beads and the axis of a mill. It is interesting to read the Shia commentaries for this particular Sermon, and they are quite useful. They are not useful in that they provide an accurate explanation - rather, they are useful because they show that Umar is to be criticized no matter what, and even this sound piece of advice is turned into an attack on Umar! With that said, let us now quickly move on to another interesting statement of Ali (r) found in Sermon 228:

‫ﺐ َﻧِﻘ ﱠ‬ ‫ﻲ‬ َ ‫ﻒ اْﻟِﻔْﺘَﻨَﺔ! َذَﻫ‬ َ ‫ َوَﺧﱠﻠ‬،‫ﺴﱠﻨَﺔ‬ ‫ َوَأَﻗﺎَم اﻟ ﱡ‬،‫ َوَداَوى اْﻟَﻌَﻤَﺪ‬،‫ َﻓَﻠَﻘْﺪ َﻗﱠﻮَم اَْﻻَوَد‬،‫ﻼن‬ َ ‫ﻟﻠﻪ ﺑﻼُد ُﻓ‬ ،‫ﺤﱢﻘِﻪ‬ َ ‫ َواﱠﺗَﻘﺎُه ِﺑ‬،‫ﷲ َﻃﺎَﻋَﺘُﻪ‬ ِ ‫ َأﱠدى ِإَﻟﻰ ا‬،‫ َوَﺳَﺒَﻖ َﺷﱠﺮَﻫﺎ‬،‫ب َﺧْﻴَﺮَﻫﺎ‬ َ ‫ﺻﺎ‬ َ ‫ َأ‬،‫ﺐ‬ ِ ‫ َﻗِﻠﻴَﻞ اْﻟَﻌْﻴ‬،‫ب‬ ِ ‫اﻟﱠﺜْﻮ‬ .‫ﺴَﺘْﻴِﻘُﻦ اُْﳌْﻬَﺘِﺪي‬ ْ ‫ َوَﻻ َﻳ‬،‫ﻀﺎﱡل‬ ‫ َﻻ َﻳْﻬَﺘِﺪي ِﺑَﻬﺎ اﻟ ﱠ‬،‫ﺸﱢﻌَﺒﺔ‬ َ ‫َرَﺣَﻞ َوَﺗَﺮَﻛُﻬْﻢ ِﻓﻲ ُﻃُﺮق َﻣَﺘ‬ May Allah reward such and such man who straightened the curve, cured the disease, abandoned mischief and established the sunnah. He departed (from this

world) with untarnished clothes and little shortcomings. He achieved good (of this world) and remained safe from its evils. He offered Allah's obedience and feared Him as He deserved. He went away and left the people in dividing ways wherein the misled cannot obtain guidance and the guided cannot attain certainty. Who is Ali (r) referring to? The Shia commentaries state that it was a companion of Ali, most probably Malik Al-Ashtar. However, a closer look at an alternative source for this Sermon (Tabari 3:285) shows that this man was none other than Umar (r)! Moreover, Ibn Abil-Hadid the commentator of Nahj Al-Balagha mentions that he had the author's (Syed Radi) original hand-written copy of Nahj Al-Balagha in which it says 'Umar' instead of 'such and such man'. It is also perhaps worth mentioning that the narrations of Ali's praise for Umar are not uncommon, and are found in the Sahihs of Bukhari and Muslim, as well as the various books of History.

Ali (r) and the Practice of Lanat (Cursing) In Sermon 163, we read a piece of advice that many a Shia could benefit from. When Ali (r) heard some people from his army cursing the supporters of Muawiya, he said:

‫ َﻛﺎَن‬،‫ َوَذَﻛْﺮُْﰎ َﺣﺎَﻟُﻬْﻢ‬،‫ﺻْﻔُﺘْﻢ َأْﻋَﻤﺎَﻟُﻬْﻢ‬ َ ‫ﻜْﻢ َﻟْﻮ َو‬ ُ ‫ﻜﱠﻨ‬ ِ ‫ َوﻟ‬،‫ﲔ‬ َ ‫ﻜﻮُﻧﻮا َﺳﱠﺒﺎِﺑ‬ ُ ‫ﻜْﻢ َأْن َﺗ‬ ُ ‫ِإﱢﻧﻲ َأْﻛَﺮُه َﻟ‬ ‫ اﻟﱠﻠُﻬﱠﻢ اْﺣِﻘْﻦ ِدَﻣﺎَءَﻧﺎ‬:‫ﻜْﻢ ِإﱠﻳﺎُﻫْﻢ‬ ُ ‫ﻜﺎَن َﺳﱢﺒ‬ َ ‫ َوُﻗْﻠُﺘْﻢ َﻣ‬،‫ َوَأْﺑَﻠَﻎ ِﻓﻲ اْﻟُﻌْﺬِر‬،‫ب ِﻓﻲ اْﻟَﻘْﻮِل‬ َ ‫ﺻَﻮ‬ ْ ‫َأ‬ ‫ﳊﱠﻖ َﻣْﻦ‬ َْ ‫ف ا‬ َ ‫ َﺣﱠﺘﻰ َﻳْﻌِﺮ‬،‫ﻼَﻟِﺘِﻬْﻢ‬ َ ‫ﺿ‬ َ ‫ َواْﻫِﺪِﻫْﻢ ِﻣْﻦ‬،‫ت َﺑْﻴِﻨَﻨﺎ َوَﺑْﻴِﻨِﻬْﻢ‬ َ ‫ﺢ َذا‬ ْ ‫ﺻِﻠ‬ ْ ‫ َوَأ‬،‫َوِدَﻣﺎَءُﻫْﻢ‬ ‫ﺞ ِﺑﻪ‬ َ ‫ﻲ َواْﻟُﻌْﺪَواِن َﻣْﻦ َﻟِﻬ‬ ‫ي َﻋِﻦ اْﻟَﻐ ﱢ‬ َ ‫ َوَﻳْﺮَﻋِﻮ‬،‫َﺟِﻬَﻠُﻪ‬ I dislike you cursing them, but if you describe their deeds and recount their situations that would be a better mode of speaking and a more convincing way of arguing. Instead of abusing them you should say, "O Allah! save our blood and their blood, produce reconciliation between us and them, and lead them out of their misguidance so that he who is ignorant of the truth may know it, and he who inclines towards rebellion and revolt may turn away from it." It is indeed very sad that Shias do not follow this precious piece of advice. Truly, a dua for an enemy is better than to utter a curse. To ask Allah to pardon the earlier Muslims, and to not hold rancor against them has been identified as the marks of a believer in the Qur'an (59:10). May Allah make us all from those who fit the Qur'anic description of the believers.

Ali (r) and Verse 3:7 - Do the Imams have Knowledge of the Ambiguous Verses of the Qur'an? Shia scholars read the verse 3:7 such that the meaning understood from it is that Allah as well as the Rasikhun fil-Ilm (those firmly-grounded in knowledge) know the interpretation of the ambiguous verse. Let us see what Sermon 91 has to say about the Verse:

،‫ب‬ ِ ‫ﻀُﺮوَﺑِﺔ ُدوَن اْﻟُﻐُﻴﻮ‬ ْ ‫ﺴَﺪِد اَْﳌ‬ ‫ﺤﺎِم اﻟ ﱡ‬ َ ‫ﲔ ِﻓﻲ اْﻟِﻌْﻠِﻢ ُﻫُﻢ اﱠﻟِﺬﻳَﻦ َأْﻏَﻨﺎُﻫْﻢ َﻋِﻦ اْﻗِﺘ‬ َ ‫ﺨ‬ ِ ‫َواْﻋَﻠْﻢ َأﱠن اﻟﱠﺮاِﺳ‬ ‫ﷲ ـ َﺗَﻌﺎَﻟﻰ ـ اْﻋِﺘَﺮاَﻓُﻬْﻢ‬ ُ ‫حا‬ َ ‫ َﻓَﻤَﺪ‬،‫ب‬ ِ ‫ﺠﻮ‬ ُ ‫ﺤ‬ ْ ‫ﺐ اْﻟـَﻤ‬ ِ ‫ﺴﻴَﺮُه ِﻣَﻦ اْﻟﻐْﻴ‬ ِ ‫ﺠْﻤَﻠِﺔ َﻣﺎ َﺟِﻬُﻠﻮا َﺗْﻔ‬ ُ ‫اِْﻻْﻗَﺮاُر ِﺑ‬ ‫ﺤﻴُﻄﻮا ِﺑِﻪ ِﻋْﻠﻤﺎ‬ ِ ‫ﺠِﺰ َﻋْﻦ َﺗَﻨﺎُوِل َﻣﺎ َﻟْﻢ ُﻳ‬ ْ ‫ِﺑﺎْﻟَﻌ‬ Know that those firmly-ground in knowledge are those who refrain from opening the curtains that lie against the unknown, and their acknowledgement of ignorance about the details of the hidden unknown prevents them from further probe. Allah praises them for their admission that they are unable to get knowledge not allowed to them. How different a picture from the one painted by Shias! While Shias believe that Ali (r) - being from those firmly-grounded in knowledge knew the interpretations of the ambiguous verses, Ali (r) himself clearly states that the firmly-grounded in knowledge do not know the interpretation of such verses!

Ali (r) and the Importance of being with the Main Body of Muslims In this last section, we will look at a Sermon directed at those who dissent from the main body of Muslims. This happened to be the Khawarij when the Sermon was uttered, and today it includes Shias, Qadiyanis, and other splinter sects. Sermon 127 states:

ُ ‫ط َﻳْﺬَﻫ‬ ‫ﺐ‬ ٌ ‫ﺾ ُﻣْﻔِﺮ‬ ٌ ‫ َوُﻣْﺒِﻐ‬،‫ﳊﱢﻖ‬ َْ ‫ﺐ ِإَﻟﻰ َﻏْﻴِﺮ ا‬ ‫ﳊ ﱡ‬ ُْ ‫ﺐ ِﺑِﻪ ا‬ ُ ‫ط َﻳْﺬَﻫ‬ ٌ ‫ﺐ ُﻣْﻔِﺮ‬ ‫ﺤ ﱞ‬ ِ ‫ ُﻣ‬:‫ﺻْﻨَﻔﺎِن‬ ِ ‫ﻲ‬ ‫ﻚ ِﻓ ﱠ‬ ُ ‫َوَﺳَﻴْﻬِﻠ‬ ‫ﺴَﻮاَد‬ ‫ َواْﻟَﺰُﻣﻮا اﻟ ﱠ‬،‫ﻂ َﻓﺎْﻟَﺰُﻣﻮُه‬ ُ ‫ﻂ اَْﻻْوَﺳ‬ ُ ‫ﻲ َﺣﺎًﻻ اﱠﻟﻨَﻤ‬ ‫سﻓ ﱠ‬ ِ ‫ َوَﺧْﻴُﺮ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬،‫ﳊﱢﻖ‬ َْ ‫ﺾ ِإَﻟﻰ َﻏْﻴِﺮ ا‬ ُ ‫ِﺑِﻪ اْﻟُﺒْﻐ‬ ‫ َﻛَﻤﺎ َأﱠن‬،‫ﺸْﻴَﻄﺎِن‬ ‫س ِﻟﻠ ﱠ‬ ِ ‫ﺸﺎﱠذ ِﻣَﻦ اﻟﱠﻨﺎ‬ ‫ َوِإﱠﻳﺎُﻛْﻢ َواْﻟُﻔْﺮَﻗَﺔ! َﻓِﺈﱠن اﻟ ﱠ‬،‫ﳉَﻤﺎَﻋِﺔ‬ َْ ‫ﷲ َﻣَﻊ ا‬ ِ ‫اَﻻْﻋَﻈﻢ َﻓِﺈﱠن َﻳَﺪ ا‬ .‫ﺐ‬ ِ ‫ﺸﺎﱠذَة ِﻣَﻦ اْﻟَﻐَﻨِﻢ ِﻟﻠﱢﺬْﺋ‬ ‫اﻟ ﱠ‬ With regard to me, two categories of people will be ruined, namely he who loves me too much and the love takes him away from rightfulness, and he who hates me too much and the hatred takes him away from rightfulness. The best man with regard to me is he who is on the middle course. So be with him and be with the great majority (of Muslims) because Allah's Hand (of protection) is with the majority. You should beware of division because the one isolated from the group is (a prey) to Satan just as the one isolated from the flock of sheep is (a prey) to the wolf.

This Sermon raises many important points, including: 1) the warning that those who hate or love him too much are from those who went astray, 2) the clear statement that the best path is the middle course, 3) the fact that the middle course is the great majority of Muslims, 4) the assurance Allah's Hand is with the majority, 5) the advice to not isolate into factions. Shias should stop and think how many of these key points they do not abide by. It is quite likely that, aside from hating Ali, they commit every other mistake Ali (r) warned against!

An Ending Comment As pointed out more than once, we assumed for the sake of argument that the entire Nahj Al-Balagha is authentic as believed by Shia scholars. However, in reality no mainstream Muslim can believe that since the book not only has internal contradictions but also presents an image of Ali (r) that is contradicted by the authentic accounts of his personality. While mainstream Muslims believe that Ali (r) was from the most Godfearing, pious, brave and patient of men, Nahj Al-Balagha at times depicts him as a lonely and moody man who complains much about the mishaps that befall him, and always complains about the lack of help and support. Such are not the characteristics of the true believers, and thus we flatly reject these false notions. One of the things that should be clear from this small booklet is that there are some fundamental doctrines in Shiism that were completely unknown to the Ali (r) seen in Nahj Al-Balagha. Ali (r) understood the role of the Qur'an differently from how Shias do. Ali's understanding of the role of Caliphate and the characteristics of the Caliph were starkly different from the Shia understanding. His understanding of the term 'Ahlul-Bayt' was different from that of Shias, and he did not believe in the fabrications that extremists attribute to the Imams. Finally, it is clear that to Ali, it is of the utmost importance that Muslims focus on unity and stick to the majority - believing in the well-known Sunnah and being wary of splitting off into splinter sects. O Allah! Make us from the followers of the true teachings which Ali (r) and the Imams from his progeny stood for, which was none other than the Sunnah of the Prophet (s).