Imam Ali ΄s Studies
Year:2015 | Volume:6 | Issue:1|Papers Count:7

The present article strives to research the events proceeding the Third Khalifah’s rule and afterwards Imam Ali’s ascent to the throne from the point of view of the novel “Azra’ Quraish” by world renowned, contemporary writer, GeorgieZaydan, who is Christian Lebanese. The result of much exploration in this tale is believed to be that, Imam Ali is a truly exceptional individual, who, in addition to his extraordinary position for several Islamic sects, is held in greatveneration by the followers of other religions. The author of the novel casts the story based on three general views: the role of Marwan Bin Hakam in the events of the Third Khalifah’ rule, the murder of Othman, and the ascending of Imam Ali to the position of Khalifah and proceeding events. Therefore, the author of present article attempts to analyze the aforementioned events based on the narration of the novel’s main character “Asma”.

One of Omar’s innovations during his rule was selecting six members from the clan of Quraish amongst the migrants and placed them in the council of guided caliphs, announcing them to be viable candidates to succeed the prophet Mohammad. The questionable point is that these members of the guided caliph council, with the exception of Imam Ali, at the time of Othman’s rule and afterwards Imam Ali’s rule, were never subservient to the caliph of the time and created many obstacles for the successors of the Prophet. In the present study, using an analytic method, we have strived to identify the root reasons for discontentment from the council of six towards Othman the thirdcaliph and Imam Ali. In truth, the second caliph’s innovation caused the public to take a special liking to the council (due to victories in war, conquered trophies, and spreading the nation by conquering the Sassanid and Byzantine empires in the time of Omar), and the members of the council, with the exception of Imam Ali, became arrogant and lost the respect the bore for the first and second caliph, at the time of the third and fourth caliph. The members of the council, unlike the time of the Sheiks, had no subordination towards the later caliphs and believed themselves to be equals to them. One of the major problems of the third and fourth caliphs, was the arrogance and greed of Abdul Rahman Bin Ouf, Sa’d Bin Abu Waqqas, Talha and Zubair, who were no longer content with just receiving hefty salaries, and demanded high ranking positions from Othman, and later welfare in addition to salaries and positions from Imam Ali, and having been refused by the Imam, created obstacles for his rule.

Emotional Quotient (EQ) which is also known as emotional intelligence, is a psychological concept that deals with recognizing and controlling human emotions and impulses. The term EQ was first employed in 1990s by a psychologist named Frank Sulloway to define the quality of human understanding and emotion; a term that was well utilized in reference to an individual’s ability to empathize with others, and control impulses and temperaments. Emotion is a bridge that connects psychology to literature and is considered one of the four most important elements of literature that plays a vital role in literary pieces. The book of Nahjal-Balaghah, as a token of Imam Ali, is the source and origin of eloquence and rhetoric, and considered to be a most impressive literary and scientific work. A study of the sermons in Nahjal-Balaghah reveals that Imam Ali was did not only have individual and social competence, but also emotional intelligence, because his ability to identify and control his emotions is apparent in his management of affairs, advisory addresses, and complaints. An analysis of Imam Ali’s emotional quotient and impulse management through the two sermons of “Shaqshaqiah” and “Jihad” as selected samples of many documented instances, reveals the extent of his ability to manage his impulses and control his emotions successfully.

Today, the importance of economic development and its obvious impacts is not lost to anyone, so much so, that it can be called one of the top priorities of the modern world. Therefore, in the present article, we have strived to study the subject of economic development through observing Imam Ali’s deeds. The main objective of the study is to identify how much the modern day elements of economy relate to and resemble the standards of Imam Ali’s time. The studies in this matter reveal that, the areas where differences most appear between modern day standard economics and Imam Ali’s intended economic developments, are discrepancies in foundations, objectives, values, economic freedom, and individual and social benefit. The ultimate objective of the modern day economic development, in most countries, seems to be founded on the concept of wealth gain, luxury, and leisure, but from Imam Ali’s point of view, the concept of development, in and of itself, is a tool to facilitate our gradual movement towards perfection and the ultimate goal of creation.

The style of a literary work is the defining factor that distinguishes one work from another. Writers employ various techniques to make their work impressionable for the audience, therefore, stylistic research, is one of the methods used to identify the characteristics of a literary piece, and define the artistic criteria of the works based on linguistics and literary or intellectual features. The Book of Nahj al-Balaghah, is amongst the texts that refers to various subjects and each of these topics have their own relevant style and method, the identification of which will only add to the importance of the book. The present article strives to investigate the literary stylistics of Imam Ali’s remonstrations in Nahjal-Blaghah. In order to obtain said objective, the article first describes the denotation and proverbial meaning of stylistics, then moves to investigate the stylistics of Imam Ali’s remonstrations, in a descriptive-analytic method, based on the five axis proposed by the book “Methods of Rhetoric Miracles in the Holy Qur' an” (lexis selection, order, rhythm, expansion, and imagery). The study reveals that, where applicable, Imam Ali employs the most effective terminology in his remonstrations and utilizes emotional imagery in the form of simile to communicate abstract concepts. In general, Imam Ali actively employs the five axis of stylistics in the best manner to elicit the most effective response in the audience.