Imam Ali ΄s Studies
Year:2010 | Volume:1 | Issue:1 (1)|Papers Count:7

Since the first days of the rise of Islam, a great number of religious, political and literary figures have been fascinated by the praise worthy character and the behavior of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him). Each one of the afore-mentioned figures has attempted to praise and describe Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) on the basis of his own understanding and appreciation of the character of this great Imam. This paper attempts to display the descriptions and the verbal portraits provided by the contemporary Arab poets of the character and behavior of Imam Ali (peace be Upon Him). It can be said that a few notions common to these poets are: the explicit admission of their incompetence to describe the Imam and the fact that he is a very great and unique person, the expression of his honesty, his benevolence and his bravery, self-esteem, greatness and his leadership which is explained and emphasized by these poets. The views of other non-Shiite poets such and the Christian and Sunni poets are also presented and explored in this study. It can be concluded from this study, that the contemporary Arab poets have also dealt with religious topics and issues, and have treated these ideological matters in their poetry, although to a lesser extent and with less elaboration.

When Imam Ali (Peace be Upon Him) became the Caliph, he announced his main political and reformist program as the return to the Sunnah of Mohammad (Peace be Upon Him) and the reforms of the prophet which he believed had not been followed for some time. The leftovers of the Jaheliyah and the customs and the changes which had occurred after the death of the prophet formed the main obstacles to Imam to achieve his reforms. These obstacles had a great number of indices some of which had origins in the tribal societies and the dominant views over the Arab community of that time and some of these obstacles were related to the conditions of the society due to the three caliphs before Imam Ali (Peace be Upon Him). This article deals with these obstacles and attempts to probe into them.

Humanitarian concerns and its related issues have always fascinated the attention of many great people throughout man’s history and they possess a unique place in human relations. The concept of humanitarianism has been probed and discussed by many experts and scholars and a great deal of ideas and notions have been expressed on it.This concept possesses a very great and vast scope and it is impossible to be explored and explained in an article such as this. Probably, careful consideration and thorough explanation of a concept like humanitarianism demands a great deal of time and effort and needs meticulous research and investigation. However, one of the issues which is closely related to humanitarianism is the manner of the interactions of the governments and the ruling regimes with their subjects, The observance of people’s rights and their self-esteems by the governments may be among the greatest issues for those who have humanitarian concerns. The present article deals with this great and important matter, that is humanitarianism, in Imam Ali’s government and shows how Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) paid attention to this important issue and attempted to observe human rights. The present article considers the famous letter of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) to Malik-e Astar in which Imam (peace be Upon Him) explicitly displays his concerns for human rights and gives advice for interacting with people. Imam cites some principles of human rights which the rulers should observe and this article deals with them. Some of these issues are: concepts such as being just with people, counseling people in the affairs of the society accepting the consequences of your behavior, and providing welfare and security for people. The aforementioned points were very important to Imam Ali (peace be Upon Him) and he emphasized them in his magnificent letter to Malek-e Astar which is treated in this article.

Interpreting the Quran on the basis of tradition or Sunnah comes next to interpreting it on the basis of the Quran itself. It is believed that a true and perfect exegesis of the Quran can only be possible when both the traditions and the verses of the Quran are employed for better interpretation of each verse. The Quran’s legitimacy and its truthfulness are certain because it is the word of Allah. However, the legitimacy and truthfulness of the traditions or Sunnat are certified in the Quran. Since, it is impossible to understand the exegetic interpretations of the Quran solely on the basis of the Quran itself, it becomes necessary to refer to the household of the prophet and the Sunnat or traditions of both the prophet and the Imams to interpret the Quran. The household of the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon them) and the prophet himself form the basic source for the interpretation of the Quran. However, in this study. The writer attempts to investigate the hidiths or the traditions stated by Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) that have been told to Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) by the prophet (Peace be upon Him). These hadiths are very helpful in the interpretation of the Quran and they can be divided into the following categories:1- Interpreting the Quran on the basis of meanings of the verses.2- Explaining the meanings of the words and expressions and expressing the purposes behind them.3- Expressing the significations of the verses (including the exclusive significations, their perfect ones, and each one of them).4- Thorough explanations and expressing the Quranic stories.5- Expressing the essence of the verses.6- Expressing the occasion of the revelation of the verse.7- Expressing historical matters and predicting the future.8- Adaptation and comparison.9- Analogy and parables.

Talking about the great and lofty personality of the lord of the believers, Imam Ali (peace be upon Him) and introducing that great man is very difficult for anyone and it must be admitted that it is not only difficult but also impossible. Only those can talk about Imam Ali (peace is upon Him) who have a thorough understanding of his personality and his great character. In the whole world, except for Allah and the prophet (peace be upon Him), no one can be found who could claim to have proper knowledge and understanding to describe Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him), as the prophet (peace be upon Him) himself stated “… no one would know thee except for me and Allah” and he also stated “… [Ali] has a right that no one except for Allah and I would ever know.” Such great statements about Ali and this hadith which goes “Ali is with the Quran and the Quran is with Ali” must be considered in this regard. This statement signifies two great characteristic and lofty positions which belong to Imam Ali (peace be upon Him) first the companionship of Ali (Peace be upon Him) with the Quran and the companionship of the Quran with Ali (Peace be upon Him). Considering the importance of this Hadith, the writer of this paper attempts to explain it.The author discusses the companionship of Ali (peace is upon Him) and the Quran and then investigates the roots of this Hadith in both Shiite and Sunni traditions. This study deals with this companionship from different perspectives such as the word and the expression of companionship and then deals with companionship in various worlds. The paper states that the companionship of Ali and the Quran can be both in this world and the next world. After discussing the companionship in this world and explaining some aspects of it such as: the companionship of Ali and the Quran in guidance of people, the companionship of Ali and the Quran as supporters of each other, the companionship of Ali and the Quran as the indicators of one another, the unity of Ali and the Quran in reference, the companionship by relation in a way that the Quran is the guardian and the Imam (Peace be upon Him) is the guarded. The relation between the Imam and the Quran is like the relation between the identifier and the identified, and finally Ali (Peace be upon Him) and the Quran can only be known and understood by using both of them.

To understand the pivotal issue of justice in western philosophy, one needs to have a thorough understanding of great thinkers such as Plato. At the heart of Plato’s philosophy lies the notion of utopia which is based on an ideal society in which justice is practiced, and it serves to act as a model for his ideological world or the world of Ideas. Since, the theory of justice proposed by Plato possesses a great deal of drawbacks, the present study attempts to compare it with the justice of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him), as reflected in his deeds and thoughts. The notions of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) are greater than any notions belonging to scholars such as Plato who are subject to error and sin. This study displays the Alavid model for justice who is free from any sort of drawbacks and is far greater and practical than those of Plato because Imam Ali’s model is based on divine faith and sacred roots. Imam Ali’s model is tangible, justifiable and based on Shariat and it contains tools and devices which make justice possible and show the path to salvation.This salvation is achievable and possible through following good deeds and positive acts which turn into the behavior of believers and followers of Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him). Alavid justice is not just a preaching and a monologue and rather it is against injustice and despotism of any sort because it is ultimately based on divine Shariat of Islam. Contrary to individualistic and manly basis of Platonic justice, this kind of justice has social justice and considerations. Based on Alavid justice, it is possible to be promoted in the social hierarchical order on the basis of meritocracy and exercising what is ordered in the Shariat of Islam.

The people of Kufa played an important role in the ruling term of Ali (Peace be upon Him) and the Islamic government in general. The major point of concern in this study is the reason for the support given to Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him) and in some phases of his caliphate the discontinuity and hiatus of this support by some people of Kufa the main questions in this study are as follows:1 -What were the main causes of the discontinuity of the people’s support for Imam Ali (Peace be upon Him)?2- Was Imams justice in harmony with the economic and social conditions of his time?3- What were the roles of the Shiite leaders and the aristocrats of Kufa in the manipulation of the people’s relations with Imam?The present paper asserts that the persistence of the social system of Jāheliah and the manners of the tribe, the pivotal role of the aristocrats in respect for the leadership of the Imam and finally the existence of controversies in the city of kufa brought a great deal of challenges for the Imam and his followers and finally led to his martyrdom.