‘Ali’s Piety

It was unanimously believed that ‘Ali was the most pious man after the Holy Prophet (S). He was detached from the world which he had divorced three times. The Holy Prophet (S) has been quoted by Ammar ibn Yasir as saying: O ‘Ali, God Almighty has adorned you with an ornament which was extremely praiseworthy with Him whereas He has not adorned anyone of His servants with such an adornment.

This divine ornament has three stages which are all rooted in you: He detached you from the world; made the world look disgusting to you; and placed the love for the poor in your heart to the extent that they are pleased with your leadership and you are pleased to be followed by them.

Happy is one who has the love for you, he is steadfast in following you and practically approves your instructions. Woe is to your enemy and one who denies you. As for your friends and followers, they are your brothers in faith and they will abide in paradise with you. As for your enemies and those who have denied you, God Almighty should place them in the abode of liars.[87]

Abdullah ibn Abi- al-Hudhayl reports: I saw ‘Ali wearing a Razi shirt which was such that, if stretched, it would reach the nail of his finger and if let loose, it could hardly reach the elbow.[88]Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz reports: Among this Ummah we do not know anyone more pious than ‘Ali after the Holy Prophet (S).[89] Qubaysah ibn Jabir reports: I have not found anyone more pious than ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib.[90]

Suwayd ibn Ghaflah reports: I went to see Imam ‘Ali while he was in Caliphate’s seat. Before the Imam, there was a bowl of sour yoghourt the smell of which I could feel. A loaf of bread of barley the husk of which I could see was in his hands. The Imam was breaking the dry bread with his hand and when the bread is too hard to be broken by his hand, the Imam would break it with his knee and then throw it in the yoghurt. He then asked me to approach him and share him in eating that food. “I am observing fasting,” I apologized. The Imam said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: He whom is prevented by fasting from eating from food that he desired, it will be incumbent upon Allah to feed him from the food of Paradise and serve him from its drink.”

وَمَقاماتُهُ فِي الغَزَواتِ مَشْهورَةٌ، وَبِسَيْفِهِ قامَ الدِّينُ وَاعْتَدَلَ، وَاضْمَحَلَّ الكُفْرُ وَبَطَلَ. وَسَيَأْتِي فِي بابِ الجِهادِ نُبَذٌ مِنْ غَزَواتِهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ. فِي الوَرَعِ وَالزُّهْدِ:

وَقَدْ أجْمَعَ النَّاسُ كافَّةً عَلَى أنَّهُ أزْهَدُ النَّاسِ فِي الدُّنْيَا بَعْدَ رَسُول اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَأكْثَرَهُمْ تَرْكاً لَهَا، وَقَدْ طَلَّقَ الدُّنْيَا ثَلاثاً. رَوَى الخَوارِزْمِيُّ فِي مَنَاقِبِهِ عَنْ عَمَّارِ بْنِ يَاسِرٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُول اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ يَقولُ: يَا عَلِيُّ إنَّ اللهَ تَعالَى زَيَّنَكَ بِزِينَةٍ لَمْ يُزَيِّنِ العِبادَ بِزِينَةٍ أَحَبَّ إلَيْهِ مِنْهَا: زَهَّدَكَ فِيهَا وَبَغَّضَهَا إلَيْكَ وَحَبَّبَ إلَيْكَ الفُقَراءَ فَرَضِِيتَ بِهِمْ أتْباعاً وَرَضُوا بِكَ إمَاماً. يَا عَلِيُّ طُوبَى لِمَنْ أَحَبَّكَ وَصَدَّقَ بِكَ، وَالْوَيْلُ لِمَنْ أبْغَضَكَ وَكَذَّبَ عَلَيْك. أمَّا مَنْ أحَبَّكَ وَصَدَّقَ بِكَ فَإخْوانُكَ فِي دِينِكَ وَشُرَكاؤكَ جَنَّتَكَ، وَأمَّا مَنْ أبْغَضَكَ وَكَذَّبَ عَلَيْك فَحَقيقٌ عَلَى اللهِ تَعالَى أنْ يُقيمَهُ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ مَقَامَ الكذَّابِينَ.

قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ أَبِي الْهُذَيْلِ: رَأَيْتُ عَلَى عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قَميصاً زَريَّاً إذَا مَدَّهُ بَلَغَ الظُّفُرَ وَإذَا أرْسَلَهُ كَانَ مَعَ نِصْفِ الذِّراعِ.

وَقالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ العَزيزِ: مَا عَلِمْنا أنَّ أحَداً كَانَ فِي هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ أزْهَدَ مِنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ.

وَقالَ قُبَيْصَةُ بْنُ جابِرٍ: مَا رَأَيْت فِي الدُّنْيَا أزْهَدَ مِنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طالِبٍ. وَقالَ سُوَيْدُ بْنُ غَفْلَةَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فَوَجَدْتُهُ جالِساً بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ صَحيفَةٌ فِيهَا لَبَنٌ أجِدُ ريحَهُ مِنْ شِدَّةِ حُموضَتِهِ وَفِي يَدِهِ رَغـيفٌ أرَى آثـَارَ قِشـارِ

At this time, I said to Fiddah, his slave-girl who was standing by him: Don’t you fear Allah for treating this old man as such? Fiddah said: He has asked me not to sieve the flour. ‘Ali asked: What are you talking about? I told him the story. At this time ‘Ali said: May my parents be ransom for the one for whom the flour was not sieved, nor did he eat fill bread of wheat for three straight says until he passed away.[91]

One day Imam ‘Ali (a.s) went to the market, bought a shirt for three Dirhams and wore it. The sleeve of the shirt was not long enough to cover his wrist completely and the shirt itself was not long enough to cover the legs properly. Raising his hand in prayer while wearing it, Imam ‘Ali said: O Lord, thank you for blessing me with a shirt which both covers my body and gives me splendor among people.[92]

Imam ‘Ali (a.s) used to say: O yellow gold and white silver! Deceive someone else and set the trap on the way of others.[93] One day, Imam ‘Ali who had prepared his special sword for selling went to the market, saying: Who will buy this sword? By God who makes the grain grow in the earth, this sword has long served the Messenger of Allah, removing the dust of sorrow from his holy face. If I could afford to buy one piece of clothes, I would never sell it.[94]

One day, Imam ‘Ali who was wearing a garment with patches attended a gathering. An ignorant man started blaming him. Imam ‘Ali said: Wearing this shirt for a leader like me is not blameworthy, for it makes my heart humble on the one hand, and a believer who sees me wearing it will follow me on the other.[95]

One day, Imam ‘Ali went to the market buying two coarse shirts. He said to Qanbar, his servant: Choose between the two. He chose one and put it on. Putting on the other one, ‘Ali found that the sleeves were too long, so he cut it short and wore it.[96]

الشَّعيرِ فِي وَجْهِهِ وَهُوَ يَكْسِرُهُ بِيَدِهِ أحْياناً أعْيَى عَلَيْهِ كَسَرَهُ بِرُكْبَتِهِ وَطَرَحَهُ فِي اللَّبَنِ. فَقالَ: أُدْنُ فَأَصِبْ مِنْ طَعامِنا هَذَا. فَقُلْتُ: إنّي صائِمٌ. فَقالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ يَقولُ: مَنْ مَنَعَهُ الصِّيامُ مِنْ طَعامٍ يَشْتَهيهِ كَانَ حَقَّاً عَلَى اللهِ أنْ يُطْعِمَهُ مِنْ طَعامِ الجَنَّةِ وَيَسْقِيَهُ مِنْ شَرابِها.

فَقُلْتُ لِجَارِيَتِهِ وَهِيَ قائِمَةٌ بِقُرْبٍ مِنْهُ: وَيْحَكِ يَا فِضَّةُ ألاَ تَتَّقينَ اللهَ فِي هَذَا الشَّيْخِ؟ ألا تَنْخُلينَ لَهُ طَعاماً مِمَّا أرَى فِيهِ مِنَ النُّخالَةِ؟ فَقالَتْ: لَقَدْ تَقَدَّمَ إلَيْنا لاَ نَنْخُلُ لَهُ طَعاماً. قَالَ لي: مَا قُلتُ لَهَا؟ فَأخْبَرْتُهُ. فَقالَ: بِأبِي وَأُمّي مَنْ لَمْ يُنْخَلْ لَهُ طَعامٌ وَلَمْ يَشْبَعْ مِنْ خُبْزِ البُرِّ ثَلاثَةَ أيَّامٍ حَتَّى قَبَضَهُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجلَّ.

وَاجْتازَ يَوماً فِي السُّوقِ فَاشْتَرى قَميصاً بِثَلاثَةِ دَراهِمَ وَلَبِسَهُ مَا بَيْنَ الرِّسْغَيْنِ إلَى الكَعْبَيْنِ وَقالَ حينَ لَبِسَهُ: الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي رَزَقَني مِنَ الرِّياشِ مَا أتَجَمَّلُ بِهِ النَّاسَ. وَقالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: يَا صَفْراءُ غُرِّي غَيْرِي. يَا بَيْضَاءُ غُرِّي غَيْرِي. وَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَوْماً إلَى السُّوقِ وَمَعَهُ سَيْفُهُ لِيَبيعَهُ فَقالَ: مَنْ يَشْتَري مِنّي هَذَا السَّيْفَ؟ فَوَالَّذي فَلَقَ الحَبَّةَ لَطالَما كَشَفْتُ بِهِ الكُرَبَ عَنْ وَجْهِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ، وَلَوْ كَانَ عِنْدي مِنْ إزارٍ لَما بِعْتُهُ. وَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَوْماً وَعَلَيْهِ إزَارٌ مَرْقوعٌ فَعُوتِبَ. فَقالَ: يَخْشَعُ القَلْبُ بِلِبْسِهِ وَيَقْتَدي بِهِ المُؤْمِنُ إذَا رَآهُ عَلَيَّ.

وَاشْتَرَى يَوْماً ثَوْبَيْنِ غَليظَيْنِ فَخَيَّرَ قَنْبَراً فِيهِما فَأخَذَ واحِداً وَلَبِسَ هُوَ الآخَرَ فَرَأى فِي كُمِّهِ طُولاً عَنْ أصَابِعِهِ فَقَطَعَهُ.

Imam ‘Ali appointed a man from the tribe of Thaqif as governor of the city of Akbar, saying to him: Come to me tomorrow after the Noon Prayer. I have a business with you. The man reports: I went to see him the next day. Contrary to what is usual with rulers, I did not find any doorkeeper to stop me at the time of appointment. So I went to the Imam and found him sitting with a clay bowl and a jug of water only.

At this time, the Imam ordered to bring him a sealed package. I said to myself: The Imam considers me as trustworthy, so he wants to show me a precious Jewel he has kept hidden from others. Soon, he removed the seal from the package and opened it. Suddenly, my eyes fell on some soft flour of barley and wheat.

He poured it into a bowl, added some water to it, ate a little of it and offered the rest to me. To see this scene made me lose my patience, so I said: O Amir al-Mu’minin, it is strange that you are living in a country like Iraq which abounds with so many blessings yet you are living a hard life.

The Imam said: By God, the seal I have put on this package is not because of meanness so that no one will eat with me rather I wish to use it to the extent of my need. I am also afraid that one of my kinsmen may take away some of it and add some delicious food to it and as a result of it add some non-pure food which I do not like. The Imam then warned me against eating a food about which I was doubtful. He further said: Do not eat anything but lawful (Halal) food.[97]

وَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قَدْ وَلَّى عَلَى عَكْبَرَ رَجُلاً مِنْ ثَقيفٍ فَقالَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: إذَا صَلَّيْتَ الظُّهْرَ غَداً فَعُدْ إلَيَّ. قَالَ: فَعُدْتُ إلَيْهِ فَلَمْ أَجِدْ عَنْهُ حاجِباً يَحْجُبُنِي دُونَهُ، فَوَجَدْتُهُ جَالِساً وَعِنْدَهُ قَدَحٌ وَكُوزُ مَاءٍ، فَدَعا بِوِعاءٍ مَسْدودٍ مَخْتُومٍ. فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: لَقَدْ أَمِنَنِي حَتَّى يُخْرِجَ إلَيَّ جَواهِرَ، فَكَسَرَ الخَتْمَ وَحَلَّهُ فَإذَا فِيهِ سُوَيْقٌ، فَأَخْرَجَ مِنْهُ قَبْضَةً فِي القَدَحِ وَصَبَّ مَاءً فَشَرِبَ وَسَقَانِي. فَلَمْ أَصْبِرْ فَقُلْتُ: يَا أمِيرَ المُؤْمِنِينَ، أَتَصْنَعُ هَذَا فِي العِرَاقِ وَطَعَامُهُ كَمَا تَرَى فِي كَثْرَتِهِ؟ فَقالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: أَمَا وَاللهِ مَا أَخْتِمُ عَلَيْهِ بُخْلاً بِهِ وَلَكِنّي أبْتَاعُ قَدْرَ مَا يَكْفِينِي فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَنْفَضَّ فَيُوضَعُ فِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَأنا أَكْرَهُ أنْ أُدْخِلَ بَطْنِي إلاَّ طَيِّباً، فَلِذَلِكَ أَحْتَرِزُ كَما تَرَى، فَإيَّاكَ وَتَنَاوُلَ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُ حِلَّهُ.

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[87] Manaqib, pp. 66

[88] Manaqib, chap. 10, pp. 66

[89] Manaqib, chap. 10, pp. 67

[90] Manaqib, chap. 10, pp. 71

[91] Manaqib, chap. 10, pp. 67

[92] Manaqib, chap. 10, pp. 69

[93] Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 1, pp. 80

[94] Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 1, pp. 83

[95] Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 1, pp. 83

[96] Usd al-Ghabah, vol. 4, pp. 24

[97] Tarikh Dimashq, ibn Assaker, vol. 3, pp. 246