Islam Guidance

Humanity as the Core
The religion of Islam is dedicated towards the human being and ensuring a productive life in this world and the Hereafter. Since Islam was at the core of Imam Ali’s (A.S) leadership, the human being becomes a core automatically.
The Imam (A.S) did not segregate between the social classes. The Imam (A.S) was often seen roaming the streets of Kufa like everyone else. He did not need the army to protect him. He did not require a showy parade to inform people that he was passing by. In fact, many times, the people who interacted with him did not even recognize him. The Imam (A.S) used to help them. The Imam (A.S) used to protect them. One recalls the time where he brought food for a widow and her children and how he played with orphans. The Imam (A.S) was part of his people.
He cared about the poor very much. His representative in Basra, Othman ibn Hunaif Al Ansari, was once invited to a feast by a rich person. When Imam Ali (A.S) knew about the invitation, he sent a letter to his representative condemning this act [feasting with the rich while the poor have no place in that]. (Nahjul Balagha, Letter 45)
The Imam (A.S) worked very hard to ensure that no person felt on the outside of the community. Even if the person was not a Muslim, the Imam (A.S) wanted everyone to feel welcomed.
The Imam (A.S) was once walking in the streets, and he passed by a Christian beggar. His question was, “What is this?” When they told him that he is an old Christian man who cannot work and is asking people for help, the Imam (A.S) replied and said, “you [the Muslim community] used him [in his youth] and when he became old, you left him.” Then the Imam (A.S) assigned a salary for him from the treasury, the same way he did with Muslims. (Wasail al-Shia)
The question the Imam (A.S) raised in the previous story sheds light on yet another important aspect of his government. Note that the Imam (A.S) did not ask about the identity of the beggar; rather, he asked about the situation. (What, not who, is this?) In other words, the Imam (A.S) rendered begging as uncommon during his rule, and in fact it was. Imam Ali (A.S) fought poverty and begging by providing the three most essential needs for humans, independent of who they were: shelter, water, and sustenance (usually in the form of jobs). Unemployment was almost nonexistent during the Imam Ali’s (A.S) rule.

This article borrowed from Islamic Insight.

The city of Kufa was the capital of the Islamic Government. People from all over the World used to gather at that point to get the benefit of knowledge and learning from that great Islamic University.
One of those days two men came across each other in the vicinity of the city one of them was Ali (A.S) and the other was a Christian who did not recognize him. The Christian man was moving towards the suburban area of Kufa, whereas, Ali (A.S) was on his way to kufa.
They mutually agreed to accompany each other for a while, talking to each other, so that they do not get tired.
They reached a point where two ways split out, so that each one wanted to move on one of those two different roads. The Christian bade Farwell and went on his way but he observed that his Muslim companion, whose way was on the opposite side, was moving towards him. So he stopped and questioned him, "Don't you want to go to kufa?"
Ali (A.S) said, "Yes". The Christian man said, "Then why are you coming towards this direction?"
Ali (A.S) replied, "I wish to accompany you to a certain length of distance because the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) said, "When two persons are together on a way (journey companions) they get a right over each other."
"Now that you have got a right upon me, I go along with you up to a certain distance so that I must pay you (discharge) that light of yours in this world. Then I will part off on my own way." The Christian man was much pleased and moved by this humanly attitude and conduct and he liked his talk and said, "It is befitting that I should also embrace Islam which has such a culture and students."
His amazement and astonishment was only too enhanced when he discovered that his travel companion is Ali (A.S), the ruler of Islam. So he immediately accepted and embraced Islam at his hand.

Ref: Almujtaba Islamic Articles Page

Ishaq bin Mohammad bin Sabah was the commander of Kufa. His wife bore him a daughter. For this reason the commander was very sad and depressed. He stopped eating and drinking. When Bahlool heard about this he went to the Amir and said, "O the commander, why this sorrow and grief?"
"I hoped for a son, but regretfully, my wife had a daughter."
"How would you like it if Allah gave you, instead of these beautiful hands and feet, and a healthy and perfect girl, a crazy boy like me?"
The commander of Kufa laughed uncontrollably at Bahlool's speech, thanked Allah, ate his meal and drank water, and permitted people to come and congratulate him.

Ref: Stories of Bahlool

Zainab (S.A) is the shining sun in the history of Islam and of humanity. Her brother's name and Karbala associate the idea of freedom, justice, humanity, virtue, fighting against despotism, with the realization of the sovereignty of Allah. The history of Karbala is based on two pillars: the rising of Imam Hussain (A.S) and the rising of Zainab (S.A). She was an outstanding figure in the history of Karbala endowed with divine steadfastness and fortitude. She sacrificed her two sons and one should not say anything if one devoted his life for the cause of Allah. After the martyrdom of her brother and her two sons, she said: "O my Lord! Accept our humble sacrifice to you."
When Zainab reached Kufa, she addressed people with fury words: "Praise to Allah, and May the blessing of Allah be upon Muhammad and his progeny. O people of Kufa, you are hypocrites and deceitful. You feign to be sorry for the death of my brother and his companions. May you always shed tears. I find nothing in you but flattery, evil acts and thoughts, pride and spite and ill will. By Allah! You deserve lasting sorrow instead of joy. Shames on you, your hands are imbrued with the blood of the son of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P), the one who was your sole refuge in case of adversity. By your evil act and disloyalty, you incurred the wrath of Allah against you. Woe betides you! No one will intercede with Allah for you." Her furious words provoked people of Kufa to avenge Hussain's martyrdom. This frightened Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad and his cruel agents. She also delivered a furious sermon in the court of the caliph that made his authority and despotic rule feel undermined. She said: "I fear no one but Allah. Make whatever evil plot you can. Blazes are waiting for you in the hereafter. You'll he accountable to Allah for your atrocities."

Ref: Ziaraat.com

From the second half of 658, MUAWIYA, the governor of Syria, had been steadily escalating violence against the dominions of Ali. Some of his inroads reached Ain-at-Tamar and Anbar, only 170 miles north of Kufa. The men of Kufa were so unwilling to fight against the Syrians that Ali found it impossible to take effective punitive action. Muawiya himself led a raid right across the Jazira from Raqqa to Mosul, and met no resistance anywhere. At last, Ali declared in the mosque of Kufa that he would leave the city with the few of his faithful followers in an attempt to halt the Syrian aggression against Iraq, even if it cost him his life. This threat awakened the citizens of Kufa to the specter of being left leaderless if Ali was killed fighting against the Syrians. They were stung into action and they began to mobilize for defense.
The battle of Siffin had been the first trial of strength between Ali and Muawiya. Militarily, the battle had been a near-victory for Ali, but politically, it had become a stalemate. After some time, it began to appear that Ali would take up the challenge of Muawiya. But just then Ali was assassinated in the mosque of Kufa, and the second trial of strength never took place.
According to the historical accounts some of which are quite plausible, three Kharijis met in Kufa (some say in Mecca) to hatch a conspiracy. Each of them volunteered to kill each of the three leading political figures of the Dar-ul-Islam – Ali, Muawiya and Amr bin Aas. By killing them, it is alleged; they hoped to put an end to civil wars in Islam, and to restore peace to the Muslim umma.
One of the three conspirators was a certain Abdur Rahman bin Muljam. He stayed in Kufa to kill Ali, and the other two went to Syria and Egypt to kill Muawiya and Amr bin Aas. The plans of the would-be assassins of Muawiya and Amr bin Aas, according to the stories in circulation, went awry, and they were captured and were executed.
The Kharijis had been defeated at Nehrwan, and most of them had perished in the battle but a few had escaped. Abdur Rahman bin Muljam was one of those who had escaped. He was consumed with the desire to kill Ali, and was in quest of an opportunity to do so. By a coincidence, he met a Khariji woman, one Qattama, whose father and brothers had also been killed in Nehrwan, and she too had nursed an undying hatred of Ali.
Abdur Rahman fell in love with Qattama, and proposed marriage to her. She told him that the price of her hand was the head of Ali ibn Abi Talib. This only strengthened Abdur Rahman in his resolution. He promised his inamorata the moon if she asked for it, but she said that nothing was of interest to her if she could not get the head of Ali ibn Abi Talib!
Abdur Rahman bin Muljam carefully worked out his plans to kill Ali. A few other trusted Kharijis also volunteered their services to him, and together they rehearsed the assassination. Abdur Rahman bin Muljam took one extra precaution – he put his sword in deadly poison, and let it soak in it for three days.
On the morning of the 19th of Ramadan of the year 40 A.H., Ali came into the Great Mosque of Kufa, and called Adhan (the call to prayer). He took his place in the alcove, and moments later, the worshippers began to arrive. They stood behind him in serried ranks, and the prayer began. Standing in the front row, with other worshippers, were Abdur Rahman bin Muljam and his confederates. They were watching Ali's movements. In the folds of their cloaks, they were carrying swords burnished to a high sheen, and soaked in poison.
Just when Ali touched the ground with his forehead for Prostration (sajda), Abdur Rahman bin Muljam stepped out of his row, and crept into the alcove. And just when Ali lifted his head from the ground, ibn Muljam struck the fatal blow at his forehead with such deadly force that it split open.
Blood squirted from Ali's forehead in several jets, and he exclaimed:
"By the Lord of the Kaaba, I am successful!"
("Fuztu wa rabbil Ka'ba")

Source: Imam Ali Network

In Irshad and Kamil of Ibne Aseer it is narrated, that Umro bin Hurays sent his retainer to fetch water. The retainer returned with a jar of water along with a napkin and a cup, and gave the water to Muslim to drink. (Kamil) When Muslim took the cup to drink water, it became full with his blood thus he could not partake it. Thrice the cup was filled with water, and when water was filled for the third time, his front teeth fell in it. Muslim said, "Praise be to Allah! If this water would had been destined for me, I could have drank it."
Muslim was then taken to the presence of Ubayd-Allah bin Ziyad and he did not greet him. A guard told him, "Why do you not greet the commander"? Muslim replied, "Why should I greet him when he desires to kill me, and if he does not desire my death, then I have abundant greetings for him." Ubayd-Allah said, "By my life! You shall surely die." Muslim said, "So be it"? To which Ubayd-Allah answered in the affirmative. Then Muslim said, "If this is the case then give me respite so that I may will to someone among my kinsmen", to which Ubayd-Allah agreed. Muslim turned towards Umar bin Sa'ad and said, "There exists kinship between us, I desire that I may relate to you something in confidence." Umar refused to yield, to which Ubayd-Allah said, "Do not refuse to fulfil the desire of your cousin". Hearing this Umar stood up (Irshad) and sat with Muslim at a place where Ubayd-Allah could see them. (Kamil)
Muslim said, "I have become indebted in Kufa for a sum of seven hundred dirhams, so please pay it off by selling the property of mine which is in Medina." (Kamil) "And take my corpse after my death from Ubayd-Allah and bury it. Besides send someone to Imam Hussain (A.S) who would return him back." Umar went to Ubayd-Allah and revealed whatever Muslim had told him. Ubayd-Allah said, "A trustworthy man does not commit treachery, but sometimes a traitor fulfils a trust. As regards his (Muslim's) wealth, do whatever you desire to do with it. And as for Husain, if he does intend towards us, we will not intend towards him. But if he challenges us, we shall not refrain ourselves from (harming) him. Regarding his corpse, we shall certainly not accept your intervention in that matter." While others quote him saying that, "As regards his corpse, after we have killed him it is not our concern, you may do what you desire with it." Then he turned towards Muslim and said, "O son of Aqeel! The people were unified and in accordance with one another, but you came and divided them and created discord." Muslim replied, "It is not so, but the people of this town are of the opinion that your father (Ziyad) killed many of their virtuous men. He shed their blood and followed the footsteps of the Chosroes (the rulers of ancient Persia) and Caesars (the rulers of ancient Rome). We have come to enjoin justice and invite towards the Holy Book and Traditions (of the Prophet)." Ubayd-Allah said, "O transgressor! What relation you hold with these? And why did you not do that among the people, while you were busy drinking wine (Allah's refuge) in Medina"? Muslim replied, "Did I drink wine? By Allah! He knows that you are not speaking the truth, nor am I similar to what you have ascribed to me. While drinking wine is a practice of those (referring to Ubayd-Allah and his father Ziyad) who in rage and enmity spill the blood of the Muslims, and who rejoices and delights as if he has never ever committed any indecency (referred to Yazid)." Ubayd-Allah was infuriated and said, "May Allah kill me if I do not kill you in a manner as no one else has ever been killed in Islam." Muslim replied, "It is befitting you that you introduce such innovations in Islam which have never taken place. You are an evil murderer, wicked chastiser, ill natured, and a degraded person than all those who preceded you." Then Ubayd-Allah started abusing him, Imam Husain (A.S), Imam Ali (A.S) and Hazrat Aqeel (A.S) while Muslim did not speak to him.

Martyrdom of Muslim bin Aqeel bin Abi Talib (A.S)
Mas'oodi says that when their speech concluded and Muslim spoke harshly to Ubayd-Allah, he ordered that Muslim should be taken to the roof of the palace and it was said to Bukayr bin Humran Ahmari to behead him and take his revenge.
Jazari says that Muslim (A.S) told Mohammad bin Ash'as, "By Allah! I would never have surrendered if you had not given me the promise of protection. Then defend me with your sword for your promise has been broken." Then they took him on top of the palace when he was asking forgiveness from Allah and praising and glorifying Him. Then they took him to the place overlooking the shoe-makers and severed his blessed head which fell down. (May Allah's Mercy and Blessings be upon him). His murderer was Bukayr bin Humran, whom Muslim had previously wounded.
Then his body too was thrown down. When Bukayr came down, Ubayd-Allah asked him, "What was Muslim uttering when you took him to the roof"? He relied that, "Muslim was glorifying Allah and seeking His forgiveness. When I intended to kill him, I told him to come near and then I said: Praise be to Allah who has given me an upper hand over you and thus I have taken the revenge from you. Then I struck a blow, which went waste. Then Muslim said: O slave! Haven't you taken your revenge by inflicting this wound upon me"? Ubayd-Allah said, "Such dignity even at the verge of death"? Bukayr said, "Then I struck him a second blow and killed him."
Tabari says that Muslim was taken on the roof of the palace and his neck was severed and body thrown down to the people. An order was issued that his corpse be taken to that place where garbage is thrown and to be hanged there.

Derived from: Nafsul Mahmoom
By: Sheikh Abbas Qummi

Hazrat Ruqayyah (S.A) was a vivacious child, full of love and happiness. Everyone loved Ruqayyah (S.A). She was also a very religious girl. From the age of two she took great care to make sure that her head and face were properly covered as per the Islamic dress of code Hijab when in public.
Ruqayyah (S.A) was Imam Hussein's (A.S) most beloved child. Our Third Imam (A.S) used to pray for a daughter in his night Prayer (Namaz E Shab) and the birth of Ruqayyah (S.A) was a result of those night prayers. Imam Hussein (A.S) was often heard to say, "A house without Sakina would not be worth living in!" She always had a sweet and cheerful smile and a very friendly nature. Other children sought her company as much as the grown-ups did. She was very generous and always shared whatever she had with others.
There was a special bond between Hazrat Abbas (A.S) and Ruqayyah (S.A). Hazrat Abbas (A.S) loved her more than he did his own children. If Ruqayyah (S.A) requested for anything, Hazrat Abbas (A.S) would not rest until he satisfied her request. There was nothing that Hazrat Abbas (A.S) would not do to make Ruqayyah (S.A) happy.
During the journey from Medina to Makkah and then Makkah to Karbala, Hazrat Abbas (A.S) was often seen riding up to the Mehmil (A decorated framework on a Camel) in which Ruqayyah (S.A) sat to make sure that she had everything she wanted. Ruqayyah (S.A) loved her uncle just as much. While in Medina she would visit, several times a day, the house in which Hazrat Abbas (A.S) lived with his family and his mother, Hazrat Ummul Baneen (S.A).
Like any other four-five year old when Ruqayyah (S.A) went to bed at night, she wanted to spend some time with her father. Imam Hussein (A.S) would tell her stories of the Prophets (A.S) and of the battles fought by her grand-father Imam Ali (A.S). She would rest her head on her father's chest and Imam Hussein (A.S) would not move from her until she fell asleep. When from the second of Muharram the armies of Yazid began to gather at Karbala, Imam Hussein (A.S) said to his sister Hazrat Zainab (S.A), "The time has come for you to get Sakina used to going to sleep without me being there." Ruqayyah (S.A) would follow her father at night and Imam Hussein (A.S) had to gently take her to aunt, Hazrat Zainab (S.A) or Hazrat Rubab (S.A) - her mother.
At Karbala from the seventh Muharram, access to water was blocked by the army of Yazid and water became scarce. Ruqayyah (S.A) shared whatever little water she had with other children. When soon there was no water at all, the thirsty children would look at Ruqayyah (S.A) hopefully, and because she could not help them she would have tears in her eyes. Ruqayyah’s (S.A) lips were parched with thirst.
On the day of Ashura - the 10th of Muharram, Ruqayyah (S.A) gave her Mashk (water carrier) to Hazrat Abbas (A.S) to get some water for her and the children. When Hazrat Abbas (A.S) went to fetch water, the children gathered round Ruqayyah (S.A) with their little cups, knowing that as soon as Hazrat Abbas (A.S) brought any water, Ruqayyah (S.A) would first make sure that they had some before taking any herself. When Ruqayyah (S.A) saw Imam Hussein (A.S) bringing the blood drenched Alam (Flag) she knew that her uncle Hazrat Abbas (A.S) had been martyred. From that day on Ruqayyah (S.A) never complained of thirst. Ruqayyah (S.A) never again asked anyone for water. Hazrat Zainab (S.A) would persuade her to take a few sips, but she herself would never ask for water or complain of thirst.
Then came the time when the earth shook and Ruqayyah (S.A) became an orphan! But even then she always thought of the others first. She would console her mother, Hazrat Rubab (S.A) on the death of her six month old brother, Ali Asghar (A.S) and when she saw any other lady or child weeping Ruqayyah (S.A) would put her little arms around her.
From the time when Imam Hussein (A.S) was martyred in the battle field, Ruqayyah (S.A) forgot to smile! Kufa saw her as a little girl lost in thought. Quite often she would sit up at night. When asked if she wanted anything, she would say, "I just heard a baby cry? Is it Asghar? He must be calling out for me!"
Knowing that her weeping upset her mother, Ruqayyah (S.A) would cry silently and quickly wipe away her tears! In the prison in Damascus she would stare at the flock of birds flying to their nests at sunset and innocently ask Hazrat Zainab (S.A), "Will Sakina ever be going home like those birds flying to their homes?"

Source: islamicoccasions.com

A heavy-built man was passing through the market of Kufa, his step was firm and assured. He had a fine physique and sun-burnt face; encounters of the battle-field had left their marks on him and the corner of one of his eyes was slit. A shop-keeper, to amuse his friends, threw a handful of sweepings onto the man. The man continued his walk in the same assured and firm manner, without raising an eye-brow or looking towards the shop-keeper. When he went away, a friend of the shop-keeper said:
"Do you know who the man is whom you have insulted just now?"
"No, I do not recognize him. He was a passerby like thousands of people passing this way every day. But tell me who this man is."
"Strange! Didn't you recognize him? He was Malik al-Ashtar, the renowned commander-in-chief of Imam Ali."
"Strange! He was Malik al-Ashtar! The same Malik whose bravery turns the heart of lions into water and mention of whose name makes his enemies tremble with fear?"
"Yes, that was Malik himself."
"Woe to me! What did I do? Now he will give orders to punish me severely. I must run to him immediately to apologize and request him to forgive my misbehavior."
He ran after Malik. He saw him turning towards a mosque. He followed him to the mosque and saw that he had started praying. He waited till he finished his prayer. Humbly introducing himself he told him:
"I am the man who had committed the silly prank and behaved disrespectfully to you."
Malik said: "By Allah, I did not come in the mosque but for your sake, because I understood that you were a very ignorant and misguided man and that you give trouble to the people without any reason.
I felt pity on you and came here to pray for you and ask Allah to guide you onto the right path. No, I did not have any such intentions that you were afraid of."

Source: Almujtaba Islamic articles page.

Unvirtuous Elites | Shabath ibn Ribi

This is the story of Kufan. This is the story of Shabath, who wrote a letter to Imam Hussein inviting him to Kufah, and then later became one of the commanders of Umar ibn Saad's army in Karbala. Shabath is an example of those people whose hypocrisy and disloyalty resulted, time and again, in the killing of the Ahl al-Bayt. Shabath is one of the reasons Imam Mahdi is in Occultation.

Najaf is considered so sacred because it's the site of the tomb of Ali, the first imam of the Shiites. When Mohammed died in A.D. 632, there was a schism over who should be his successor. A learned council called a Shura selected Abu Bakr, one of the prophet's closest friends and allies. But many of the faithful insisted that Mohammed had wished to pass the mantle to Ali, his cousin, adopted son, and son-in-law. They claimed that the prophet had expressed this desire in a sermon delivered during his last hajj, or holy pilgrimage. Those who revered Ali as Mohammed's rightful heir became known as the Shiat Ali, or "faction of Ali"—the forefathers of today's 150 million Shiites.
Ali eventually did become Islam's fourth caliph. His reign, however, was brief. An extremist sect known as the Kharijites, which advocated death for moderate Muslims, orchestrated Ali's assassination in 661. He was killed in a mosque at Kufa, approximately 6 miles from Najaf.
At that time Najaf was just a minor village. But Muslim tradition held that Abraham who is a venerated figure in all three of the world's major monotheistic faiths once visited the area, and he predicted that it would someday host a shrine of great importance. Abraham also stated that those buried in Najaf would be guaranteed entry to paradise. So Ali had requested that, when he died, he be buried not in his capital of Kufa but rather in neighboring Najaf.
Najaf's founding as a city dates back to 791, when the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid supposedly passed through during a hunt. When the villagers informed him that he'd encountered Ali's resting place, he ordered that a grand mausoleum be built atop the grave. That shrine, the Meshed Ali, soon attracted pilgrims and clerics, and the city became the pre-eminent center of Shiite scholarship.
In addition to Ali's tomb, the city also boasts one of the world's largest cemeteries, the Wadi-us-Salaam ("Valley of Peace"). Several Shiite prophets are buried there, and some believe that Ali himself endorsed the site as part of heaven. Shiites from around the world long to be buried there.
The city's religious importance diminished somewhat during Saddam Hussein's rule, as he brutally persecuted the Shiites; many pilgrims opted instead to visit the Iranian city of Qom. The pilgrimage trade has perked up significantly since Saddam's defeat.
Abraham wasn't Najaf's only famous ancient visitor. According to Muslim lore, one of Noah's sons refused to board the Ark, choosing instead to sit atop a mountain that covered present-day Najaf. But the mountain crumbled, drowning the son, and a river appeared in its place. The river eventually dried up, giving the city its name  Najaf means "dry river."

Derived from: Imam Ali Network