Ali Ramadhan Events

1. Ali Ramadhan Events A.S. Hashim, MD From: http://archive.mumineen.org/deen/Ramadhan_dates.html http://dilp.org/wiki/factsheets/what-non-muslms-say-about-imam-ali-as And: Wikipedia.com

2. Sources of Reference • ibn Jarir al-Tabari, • Ibn Qutaybah, • Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. "Ali". • Madelung, • Encyclopaedia of the Holy Prophet and Companions • Tabatabaei, • Lapidus, • The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon • Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid • Dakake • Nahj Al-Balagha, Sermon 3 • Holt, P.M.; Lambton, Ann K.S.; Lewis, Bernard. Cambridge History of Islam. • Watt, William Montgomery. Muhammad at Mecca. Oxford University Press.

3. In this Slide Show • Knowledge • Major Events in Ramadhan • Ali: Ramadhan Events • At Badr: غزوة بدر • During Ramadhan: Birth of Al-Hasan • Conquering Mecca • Prediction of the Prophet: About Ali’s end • Ali Wounded: 19th Ramadhan • Ali’s Last Words • Ali Wounded: Mosque of Kufa • Burial • Non-Muslim Point of View of Ali

4. Knowledge • Ali is revered not only as a warrior and leader, • but as a writer and religious authority. • Range of disciplines: • from theology and exegesis to calligraphy and numerology, • from law and mysticism to Arabic grammar and Rhetoric • regarded as having been first foreshadowed by Ali. • Shi'a and Sufis believe that Muhammad told about Ali "I'm the city of knowledge and Ali is its gateway..." أنا مدينة العِلْم  وعليٌّ بابها،  فمنْ أراد المدينه  فاليدخل مِنَ الباب • Muslims regard Ali as the major authority on Islam. Ali himself gives this testimony:

5. Knowledge Continued • Ali has said: • Not a single verse of the Quran was revealed to the Messenger of God which he did not proceed to dictate to me and make me recite. • I would write it with my own hand, and he would instruct me as to: • its Tafseer تفسير (the literal explanation) and the Ta'wil تأويل (the spiritual exegesis), • the nasikh ناسخ (the abrogating verse) and the mansukh منسوخ (the abrogated verse), • the muhkam محكم and the mutashabih متشابه (the fixed and the ambiguous), • the particular الخاص and the general العام ...

6. Major Events in Ramadhan

7. Confrontation at Badr • By tradition in a fight, the most daring was to come forward and challenge the other side.  • Thus, three well known fighters from Quraish came forward, challenging the Muslims.  • Ali, Al-Hamza, and Ibn Al-Harith moved forward to face them and the duels started.  • Each duel was relentless, and Ali's was first.  • Ali, who was most skillful and incisive, had the upper hand and slew the challenger in a short time.  • Al-Hamza did likewise, then Ali helped Ibn Al-Harith to finish off the challenger.

8. Confrontation at Badr • Ali gave the disbelievers the surprise of their life.  Ali was the champion and the conqueror.  • His sword was ready, his hit incisive and swift, and his charge was like that of a lion; • and his fighting skill was something to behold.  • Though on foot, Ali finished this one, killed the other, dealt a mortal blow to one, and on and on. • It is recorded that Ali had finished off 22 (others say 33) of the Pagan Quraish • Suddenly, challengers were frightened in facing him • After a few hours, the enemy panicked.  Each ran for his life leaving the wounded and dead behind. 

9. Confrontation at Badr • The enemy left behind all their munitions, war material, and belongings, along with 70 prisoners of war! • Seventy disbelievers were killed—a very large number indeed.  • What was amazing, however, was that Ali by himself slew about 40% of the enemy.  Remarkable!  • Thus, the charge of Ali became known as the ruinous charge!  • The hero of the fight was Ali. Ali was brave, fearless, heroic and bold.  • Ali came out of this fight without even a scratch.  No wounds, no cuts. • Ali's reputation flew high all over the country.  He was called the brave of the braves!!  This was especially so after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) nicknamed him

10. Calligraphy: “No valient is better than Ali and no sword is better than Dhul-Fiqar."

11. Just Before Badr • Abu Sufyan’s caravan from Syria to Mecca • Changed Direction and Bypassed the Muslims • Quraish inflamed, decided to annihilate the Muslims • The result was Badr • 3000 Quraish fighters face 1000 Muslims, • Muslims triumph over the Pagan Quraish Route of Abu Sufyan Badr

12. At Badr: غزوة بدر • The Battle of Badr, was fought March 17, 624 AD (17 Ramadan 2 AH in the Islamic calendar), • Badr was a key battle in the early days of Islam and • a turning point in Muhammad's struggle with his opponents among the Quraish in Mecca. • The battle was a decisive victory • attributable to Divine intervention, or • by secular sources to the genius of Muhammad. • It is one of the few battles specifically mentioned in the Quran. • Most contemporary knowledge of the battle at Badr comes from • traditional Islamic accounts, both Hadiths and biographies of Muhammad, • written decades after the battle.

13. At Badr: غزوة بدر • Prior to the battle, the Muslims and Meccans had fought: • several smaller skirmishes in late 623 and early 624, • the Muslim ghazawaat had become more frequent. • Badr, however was the first large-scale engagement between the two forces. • Advancing to a strong defensive position, • Muhammad's well-disciplined force broke the Meccan lines, • killing several important Quraish leaders • Including Muhammad's chief antagonist, Amr ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl).

14. At Badr: غزوة بدر • For the early Muslims: • the battle was the first sign that they might eventually defeat their enemies in Mecca. • Mecca at that time was one of the richest and most powerful cities in Arabia • The Meccans fielded an army three times larger than that of the Muslims. • The Muslim victory also signaled to other tribes that • a new power had arisen in Arabia • and strengthened Muhammad’s position as leader of the often fractious community in Medina.

15. The Whereabouts: Battle of Badr

16. During Ramadhan: Birth of Al-Hasan • According to Sunni and Shi'a sources, Muhammad: • Upon the birth of his grandson in 3 AH, • was ordered by the archangel Gabriel to name him al-Hasan • al-Hasan is a name not used in the pre-Islamic period. • Muhammad also honored his grandson by: • reciting the Athan in his right ear, • the reciting of Iqaama in his left ear, • shaved the head of his grandson, • and sacrificed a ram for the sake of his birth.

17. Baby Al-Hasan: Yr 3H • Al-Hasan was brought up in the lap of his father, Ali • and his mother Fatima, • and learned lessons from the school of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (saw). • Al-Hasan had a great worth and status in the eyes of the Prophet. • Such as, one day Prophet Muhammad was on the pulpit, delivering a speech, • he heard the cries of his grandson’s weeping. • He stopped the speech, hurried down from the pulpit, • went to calm down his grandson, and then returned to his place. • When the people asked him the reason for this act, the Prophet said: "Whenever I hear the voice of his weeping I get agitated".

18. Conquering Mecca:10 Ramadhan, 8H, 630AD • Ali, was commanding a large cavalry along with being the flag-bearer, • He was ordered to hoist the flag on Mount Hajun and to wait for the Prophet. • The other officers were also asked not to attack the Meccans first. • When the Prophet arrived, he proceeded towards Ka’ba with Ali. • There were three hundred and sixty idols on top, inside, and around the Ka'ba representing the different pagan Arab gods. • Pictures of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail and of angels in female form were posted on the walls of Ka'ba.

19. Conquering Mecca:10 Ramadhan, 8H, 630AD • Ten thousand Muslims entered Mecca from four corners, north, south, east and west, chanting Allaahu Akbar.  • The victorious occasion was something to behold, it was one of the most glorious days of mankind. • Ali accompanied the Prophet (pbuh) to the Ka'ba.  • At the Ka'ba they saw 360 idols standing still, unsightly.  • Many were tied to each other with chains of lead.  • The idols, lifeless and motionless, made the place feel eerie.  • These idols were what the disbelievers venerated and worshipped, they were to be a means for them to reach their Lord.

20. Conquering Mecca:10 Ramadhan, 8H, 630AD • Prophet Muhammad with Ali's help began to bring down the idols, one after another • They were quoting the Quran together (Surah  17:  Ayah 81): وَقُلْ جَاء الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا Say: the truth has prevailed and falsehood has departed, verily falsehood is destined to perish • Muhammad (pbuh) asked Ali to stand up on his shoulders to reach the idols that were on top of the Ka’ba • Out of reverence Ali at first hesitated, then he obeyed the order and stood on the shoulders of the Prophet to bring down the idols.  • As these idols fell the ground shook, the broken stones scattered in all directions, littering the ground, and as each idol fell, Ali's heart jumped with joy.

21. Conquering Mecca:10 Ramadhan, 8H, 630AD • The Ka'ba looked spacious, closer to nature, now that the idols were destroyed.  • After the last idol fell, a sigh of relief came from both the Prophet and Ali. • Everyone then waited for Bilal to chant the Athan whose echo shook the hearts of everyone.  • The Muslims prayed in congregation, one row after another, all bowing to Allah in reverence and gratitude.  • It was a day to behold, a great day indeed.  • After numerous centuries, and for the first time, the Ka'ba is freed from the idols.  It is back as it was when Prophets Ibrahim and Isma'eel built it.

22. With Conquest of Mecca: No more idols 360 idols smashed

23. 30 years earlier, the Muhammad said to Ali: The most evil of evildoers is the one who will wet this (beard) with the blood from this (forehead) إنَّ أشقى الأشـقـيين مَن يُخضِّبُ هذه بهذه   وأشار إلى لحيته ثم رأسه Prediction of the Prophet: About Ali’s end

24. Ibn Muljim, the Khariji • Ibn Muljim, one of the deviators (Khariji), • Along with 2 others planned to kill • Ali • Mu’awiya • Ibn Aas • These Khariji were involved in Nahrawan • They planned to avenge • Mu’awiya and Ibn Aas escaped being killed • But Ali was the only one killed

25. Ali Wounded: 19 Ramadhan, 40H • Ibn Muljim with a poisoned sword, was in hiding to kill Ali • Ali in Kufa Masjid had come to lead morning prayer, it was dark with poor visibility • It was the 19th of Ramadhan, Yr 40 Hijri • While Ali was in Sujood absorbed in prayer • Ibn Muljim jumped and hit Ali at the head with his poisoned sword, it was a fatal blow.

26. Ali’s Assassination: 19 Ramadhan, 40H • Upon being so wounded Ali said: فزت ورب الكعبه I have won by the Lord of the Ka’ba • A lot of commotion ensued • Taken home, Ali gave final advice to his son Al-Hasan, and other children • Two days later he died on Leilatul Qadr 21st of Ramadhan

27. Ali’s Last Words: 21 Ramadhan, 40H • Ali’s last words were: فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ He with the slightest act of goodness will so be rewarded And he with the slightest act of evil deeds will so be rewarded

28. Ali, While Wounded: 21 Ramadhan, 40H • Though severely wounded: • Ali ordered his sons not to attack the Kharijis, • even though a single member of these Kharijis tried to kill him. • Ali said to his son, al-Hasan that if he lives on he will forgive ibn Muljim and free him, • however, in the event of his death, ibn Muljim should get one equal hit and not more, • regardless if this man dies from that hit or not, just as Ali himself received one hit from him (ibn Muljim). • Thus, Imam Hasan fulfilled Qisas قصاص and gave equal hurt to ibn Muljim as he gave it to Ali.

29. Ali Wounded: Mosque of Kufa Ali wounded in this mosque

30. Ali Wounded: Mosque of Kufa Renovated Masjid and it's Qibla

31. Burial: Ramadhan, 40H • According to al-Sheikh Al-Mufid, Ali did not want his grave to be desecrated by his enemies • and consequently asked his friends and family to bury him secretly. • This secret gravesite was revealed later during the Abbasi Khilaafah by Imam Ja'far al-Saadiq, his descendant and the sixth Shi'a Imam. • Most Shi'as accept that Ali is buried at the Tomb of Imam Ali in the Imam Ali Mosque at what is now the city of Najaf, • which grew around the mosque and shrine called Masjid Ali.

32. The Final Burial Place of Ali.

33. Ali: 10 Years in Medina Badr Ohod Saqifa Ghadeer Khum Khandaq Hudaibiya Khaybar Ta’if Mecca Hunain

34. Non-Muslim Point of View of Ali • Thomas Carlyle • Dr. Henry Stubbe • Charles Mills • Washington Irving • Edward Gibbon • William Muir • Khalil Gibran • Wilferd Madelung

35. Ali: Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) • Scottish historian, critic, and sociological writer: • “As for this young Ali, one cannot but like him. • A noble-minded creature, as he shows himself, now and always afterwards; • full of affection, of fiery daring. • Something chivalrous in him; brave as a lion; • yet with a grace, a truth and affection worthy of Christian knighthood.” • [On Heroes, Hero-Worship, And the Heroic In History, 1841, Lecture 2: The Hero as Prophet. Mahomet: Islam. May 8, 1840)]

36. Ali: Dr. Henry Stubbe (1632-1676) • About Ali: • “He had a contempt of the world, its glory and pomp, • he feared God much, gave many alms, • was just in all his actions, humble and affable; • of an exceeding quick wit and of an ingenuity that was not common, • he was exceedingly learned, not in those sciences that terminate in speculations but those which extend to practice.” • [An Account of the Rise and Progress of Mohammedanism, 1705, p. 83]

37. Ali: Charles Mills (1788 - 1826) • “As the chief of the family of Hashem and as the cousin and son-in-law of him whom the Arabians respected …, • it is apparently wonderful that Ali was not raised to the Caliphate immediately on the death of Mohammad. • To the advantages of his birth and marriage was added the friendship of the Prophet. • The son of Abu Talib was one of the first converts to Islamism and Mohammad’s favorite appellation of his was the Aaron of a second Moses. • His talents as an orator, and his intrepidity as a warrior, were grateful to a nation in whose judgment and courage was virtue and eloquence was wisdom.” • [An history of Mohammedanism, London, 1818, p. 89]

38. Ali: Washington Irving (1783-1859) • "He was of the noblest branch of the noble race of Koreish. • He possessed the three qualities most prized by Arabs: courage, eloquence, and munificence. • His intrepid spirit had gained him from the Prophet the appellation of The Lion of God, • Specimens of his eloquence remain in some verses and sayings preserved among the Arabs; • And his munificence was manifested in sharing among others, every Friday, what remained in the treasury. • Of his magnanimity, we have given repeated instances; his noble scorn of everything false and mean, and the absence in his conduct of everything like selfish intrigue." • [Lives of the Successors of Mahomet, London, 1850, p. 165]

39. Ali: Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) • The British historian Edward Gibbon stated: • "The zeal and virtue of Ali were never outstripped by any recent proselyte. • He united the qualifications of a poet, a soldier, and a saint; • his wisdom still breathes in a collection of moral and religious sayings; • and every antagonist, in the combats of the tongue or of the sword, was subdued by his eloquence and valor. • From the first hour of his mission to the last rites of his funeral, the apostle was never forsaken by a generous friend, whom he delighted to name: • his brother أخي, • his vicegerent وخليفتي فيكم , • and the faithful Aaron of a second Moses ووصيِّ .".

40. Ali: William Muir View • Scottish Orientalist William Muir declared that: • Ali was: • "Endowed with a clear intellect, warm in affection, and confiding in friendship, • He was from the boyhood devoted heart and soul to the Prophet. • Simple, quiet, and un-ambitious, when in after days he obtained the rule of half of the Muslim world, • It was rather thrust upon him than sought." • [The Life of Mahomet, London, 1877, p. 250]

41. Ali: Philip Khuri Hitti (1886-1978) • Professor of Semitic Languages at Princeton University: • “Valiant in battle, wise in counsel, • Eloquent in speech, true to his friends, magnanimous to his foes, • He became both the paragon of Muslim nobility and chivalry (futuwah فتوه ) • And the Solomon of Arabic tradition, • around whose name poems, proverbs, sermons and anecdotes innumerable have clustered.” • [History of the Arabs, London, 1964, p. 183]

42. Ali: Khalil Gibran خليل جبران View • The poet Khalil Gibran said of him: • "In my view, Ali was the first Arab to have contact with and converse with the universal soul. • He died a martyr of his greatness, • He died while prayer was between his two lips. • The Arabs did not realize his value until appeared among their Persian neighbors • some who knew the difference between gems and gravels."

43. Historiography of Ali’s life • The primary sources for scholarship on the life of Ali are • the Quran and the Hadith, as well as other texts of early Islamic history. • The extensive secondary sources include, in addition to works by Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, • writings by Christian Arabs, Hindus, and other non-Muslims from the Middle East and Asia • and a few works by modern Western scholars. • However, many of the early Islamic sources are • colored to some extent by a positive or negative bias towards Ali.

44. In Conclusion • Ali: and the Events during Ramadhan • Major Events in Ramadhan • At Badr: غزوة بدر • During Ramadhan: Birth of Al-Hasan • Conquering Mecca • Ali Wounded: 19th Ramadhan • Ali’s Last Words • Ali Wounded: Mosque of Kufa • Burial • Non-Muslim Point of View of Ali

45. Finally we quote the Quran:

46. THANK YOU Be in God’s Care Dr. A.S. Hashim