In the Name of Allaah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

 Selected Highlights of Ameer al-Mo’meneen’s Teachings and Way of Life

Quotes from Imam Ali peace be upon him:

“. . . as for the people, they are either your brother in religion or your equal in creation.”

“Live amongst people in such a manner that if you die they weep over you, and if you are alive they crave for your company.”

“If you overpower your enemy, then pardon him by way of gratitude for being able to subdue him.”

“Unfortunate is he who cannot gain sincere friends, and more unfortunate is the one who has gained them and then lost them (through his deeds).”

“Loving others is half of wisdom.”

“The tool of leadership is forbearance.”

“Amongst the foundations of faith . . . disseminating peace throughout the entire world.”

“He who resorts to violence will regret it”

1. Justice and Equality

 With all the people, regardless of their religious affiliation.

In the following story, we find the Imaam become angry twice—first, for the existence of even one poor person under his rule; and second, when he was told that he the poor man was a Christian.  He wanted to prevent this religious discrimination between the people, and to teach the nation to respect one another.

It has been narrated:  ((The Imaam was walking with some of his companions in the streets of Koofah, when he saw an old man begging.  Surprised, the Imaam asked:  What is this?!)).

He did not ask: “Who is he?” wanting to know if he was a Moslem or a Christian or a Jew, etc. He asked: “What is this?”.

((One of the people who were with him answered: O Ameer al-Mo’meneen! He is a Christian.

Thus, the Imaam rebuked them, saying:  You used him [through out his adulthood], and when he became old, you left him?!  Then he ordered that a suitable amount from the treasury be paid to him regularly as long as he lived.)).

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2. Respect for the Places of Worship

Of non-Moslems, and prohibiting all acts of aggression against them even verbal.

It has been narrated:  ((When the Moslem army was returning from the war of Seffeen, they passed by a church where a soldier uttered an offensive word against it, but the Imaam reproached him, saying:  Often times was God worshiped in there.)).

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3. Equality in Legal Matters

Ameer al-Mo’meneen goes to court with a Christian litigant, and his judge [appointed by him!] rules in favor of the Christian.

It has been recorded in history:  ((The Imaam found one of his armors with a Christian, and so he took him to his judge Shorayh to file a complaint.

The Imaam said:  Indeed, this is my armor.  I did not sell it, neither did I give it as a gift.

Judge Shorayh addressed the Christian:  What is Ameer al-Mo’meneen saying?

The Christian answered:  This armor is mine.

So Shorayh asked Ameer al-Mo’meneen:  O Ameer al-Mo’meneen!  Do you have any proof?

The Imaam answered:  No.

Thus, Shorayh ruled in favor of the Christian.

The Christian left, but he quickly returned and admitted that the armor belonged to Ameer al-Mo’meneen, and—fascinated with what he had witnessed—he embraced Islam.

The Imaam, then, gave the armor back to him, and said:  Now that you have converted to Islam, this is yours.)).

The Islamic ruler over fifty countries respects the Christian and does not forcefully take his armor from him, but rather resorts to the law; and when he does not succeed, he leaves the armor with the Christian, as long as the court did not rule in his favor, even though it was his armor.

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4. Sympathizing with and defending the rights of non-Muslim women

If they are wronged or insulted, since Islam does not only respect the adherents of other religions, but it defends them, and punishes those who wrong them.

The Imaam called the people to arms after receiving news of a raid which targeted a number of non-Moslem women.

((He said:  It has reached me that they (members of the Bani Ghaamid tribe) entered upon the Moslem and non-Moslem women, and took away the ornaments from their legs, arms, necks and ears, and no woman could resist except by reciting the verse: “We are Allaah’s, and unto Him shall we return”, and by pleading with them for mercy.  Then they returned, laden with wealth, without any lose of life [on their part].

After this, if a Moslem dies of grief he could not be blamed, rather it is justified in my view.)).

This shows that today’s war against non-Moslems is against the teachings and actions of Ameer al-Mo’meneen, who not only respected their beliefs, but defended their rights.  And this is one of the main differences between the true Islam (Shiism), and the false Islam.

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5. Respecting the Human Race

Thus the people are either brothers in religion, or similar in creation, just as the Imaam said: 

((They are of two categories:  Either your brother in religion, or your counterpart in creation.)).

This great statement was made in one of the most important political documents in Islam—in the letter the Imaam gave to Maalik al-Ashtar when assigning him as governor of Egypt—which includes vital information explaining the characteristics of the Imaam’s way in peace and peaceful coexistence.

The letter is a constitution which holds great teachings for protecting the interests of all people and not only Moslems, as Egypt also had non-Moslems, and this letter does not exclude them, but rather includes them equally with Moslems.  No exception or distinction can be noticed, rather it is filled with emphasis on giving equal rights to all the people, and reclaiming all lands in all parts of the country, without exceptions for the Christian of his area, etc.

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6. Love and Forgiveness for One Another

The Imaam builds the pillars of peace upon strong foundations of genuine love from the ruler to the people, all the people.  He commands Maalik al-Ashtar:

((Train your heart to have mercy and love and kindness for the people; and do not be over them like a predacious beast which seizes every opportunity to eat them.  For, surely, they are of two categories:  either your brother in religion, or your counterpart in creation.)).

The Imaam also emphasizes on forgiveness, and avoiding haste in the execution of punishments, and evading them as much as possible.

He also says:  ((Forgive the people as you would like Allaah to forgive you.)).

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7. Keeping Promises and Respecting Contracts

One the most essential factors in peaceful coexistence is keeping promises.  And this principle is quite clear in Imaam’s letter to al-Ashtar as we see:

((Do not ever reject a peace plan to which your enemy invites you, for surely in peace there is rest for your army, and relief for you from your worries, and safety for your country.)).

((If you conclude an agreement between yourself and your enemy, or enter into a pledge with him, then fulfil your agreement and discharge your pledge faithfully. And place yourself as a shield [to protect] whatever you have pledged, for surely among the obligations of Allah there is nothing on which people are more strongly united despite the difference of their ideas and variation of their views than respect for fulfilling pledges.)).

Compare this to the reality of today, were many live in western countries, and while swearing allegiance to those countries, they commit atrocities against them.

Keeping promises and respecting contracts are two of the most essential conditions for a healthy society, as they are two of the main conditions of peace.

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8. Ameer al-Mo’meneen’s words on Jesus the son of Mary

Ameer al-Mo’meneen speaks about Jesus the son of Mary.  And this is an important element and a strong foundation for coexistence—acknowledging the prophethood of the prophets, and introducing them as central figures in the society, producing the grounds for a peaceful coexistence.  He talked about Jesus in order to show the Moslems and the Christians the closeness of the two faiths.

He said:  ((I could talk about Jesus the son of Mary, for surely he used stones for pillows, and wore rough clothes.)).

He also narrated:  ((Rasoolollaah called me and said:  O `Ali!  There is a similarity between you and Jesus the son of Mary.  Christians loved him so much that they raised him to what he was not, and the Jews hated him so much that they accused his mother...)).

And after the assassination of Ameer al-Mo’meneen, Imaam Hasan said in his public speech:  ((O You people! In this night Jesus the son of Mary was raised to the sky.)).

The Prophet also used call Ameer al-Mo’meneen:  ((The counterpart of Jesus the son of Mary.)).

What is noticeable in these narrations, is the anger of some of the prophet’s companions over this similarity between Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Jesus, maybe because they did not want this closeness between these two faiths.  And today, we see their followers trying to force a wedge between Islam and Christianity through terrorism.

And throughout Imaam Ali’s rule, no war was waged between Christians and Moslems, although the Imaam ruled over more than fifty countries in today’s geography, covering many Christians, they were rather treated with all the respect just like Moslems.

The Imaam said:  ((Whoever annoys a non-Moslem in Moslem territories, he has surely annoyed me.)).

And this is what we want today.

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9. Condemnation of Murder and Bloodshed

The Imaam, points to the most prominent threat to security and world peace which is of course bloodshed.  He emphasizes that bloodshed weakens the strength of whoever commits it, to the contrary of what is perceived; be it a ruling establishment, or a terrorist group which sheds blood today, it will get weaker and weaker in reality.

He said:  ((Avoid shedding blood without justification, for surely nothing is more inviting of Divine retribution, nor greater in [evil] consequence, nor more effective in the vanishing of prosperity and cutting short of life than the shedding of blood without justification.  On the Day of Judgment, Allah the Almighty will first pass His judgments among the people with cases of bloodshed.  Therefore, do not strengthen your authority by shedding prohibited blood, for surely this will weaken it, rather it will eliminate it and shift it [to someone else].  Beware of encountering Allah's wrath.  Allah has appointed a custodian for the killed, and given him wide authority.  He says “And whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority, so let him not exceed the just limits in slaying; surely he is aided”.)).

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10. Peaceful Coexistence with the Opposition

This is crucial for eliminating the reasons behind violence and bloodshed. 

During Ameer al-Mo’meneen’s rule, the opposition rose up against him, and destroyed cities, and stirred up people, just like the terrorists today, who travel to other countries and destroy. 

Ameer al-Mo’meneen was against war, and if it was forced upon him, he would command so that it would result in the least possible number of casualties on both sides.  And this is why he ordered his soldiers not to pursue those who flee the battlefield, and not to fight those who pull back and retreat, and not to treat as enemy those who leave their camp even if they are still part of the enemies army, and to only fight those who come forward.

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11. Ameer al-Mo’meneen, a victim of terrorism

Ameer al-Mo’meneen was one of the most enthusiastic defenders of peaceful coexistence, and the rejection of violence and terrorism which he fought against through out his life, and for which he paid a great price, so much that the terrorists waged war against him and everything related to him.

They killed his wife, Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-Aalameen, they killed him, they killed their children and grandchildren, they took captive his family, they even passed a law which lasted for about eighty years that he be publicly cursed in every mosque though out the vast Moslem territories.

From the very beginning, he propagated the principle of mercy and coexistence, and the prevention of bloodshed, even in the case of bloodthirsty criminals such as those Idolater leaders in Makkah who had for so long tortured and killed the Moslems.  Thus, when the holy city was finally liberated, and a commander in the Moslem army loudly announced his intention to take revenge, chanting:  (Today is the day of massacre; today wives will be taken captive), the Imaam quickly replaced his slogan with his own:  ((Today is the day of mercy; today wives are protected)).

This peaceful way continued throughout his life.  He forgave his enemies in the two great wars of Jamal and Seffeen; he forgave his own killer, encouraging his family to forgive him even if he died from his strike; he ordered that he be treated humanely while he was in custody and be fed the same food that he ate.

On his deathbed, he said to his family:  ((If I stay alive, I know what to do with him; and if I die [from his strike], then I have met my fate.  If I forgive, forgiveness will take me closer to Allaah, and it will bring you much reward.  So forgive [my killer], do you not like Allaah to forgive you?!)).

He also warned them against widening any retribution, telling them:  ((O sons of Abdolmottalib!  Do not let me find you shedding the blood of Moslems, saying:  Ameer al-Mo’meneen was killed.  Do not kill in vengeance anyone but my killer.)).

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