Claimants to the Caliphate
The dispute for the succession began immediately the Holy Prophet wisal. The Medinites laid claims of their own, while the Meccans contested their rights. Abu Bakr and Umar tried to come to terms with the Ansars of Medina. Only Ali held himself aloof “Ali” say the Shi’ite chroniclers, “struck with grief, was busy washing and perfuming the dead body of Nabi Pakﷺ. After preparing the corpse for burial, Ali repaired to the graveyard and entered the grave which had been dug for the burial of his master. He cleaned its dust with his own hands, and then lowered the shrouded corpse with his own hands.”
The Death of Fatima AlaihisSalam.
The Holy Prophet had left no sons and only one daughter, Fatima, who died of a broken heart six months after the death of her father. Grief had consumed her mind and broken her body and her last months on this earth must have caused the greatest distress to Ali. On her death, early in 633 A.D., his sorrow knew no bounds and he wrote the following very touching verse which shows how utterly bereft of friends he now felt.
Afflicted as I feel; With many a worldly disease; And the men of this world; Will suffer so long as they live; In this vale of tear and sorrow; Verily after the demise of the Apostle;
Fatima’s loss has shown; That friends do not last for ever;
Ali used to visit Fatima’s grave very often and used. to give vent to his sorrow by composing verses. At one time he wrote:
O thou grave! To thee I resort; For paying homage unto thee. O thou! the repositary of my beloved; Ye answer me not. O thou beloved tomb! What ails you; Ye respond not to the supplications? Art thou out of humour? Because of the Love that I bore ye.
All’s Position during the Holy Prophet’s lifetime
The death of Nabi Pakﷺ (may peace be upon him) left Ali with a sense of the deepest personal loss. That the two men had been bosom companions cannot be doubted by any one, though it is left to the Shia anna- lists to extol Ali’s virtues.
Briefly the chronicles may be summed up as follows:-
Ali, the alter ego of Nabi Pakﷺ (may peace be upon him) was born in the Kab’ah, won over to Islam by the prayers of the Holy Prophet, bred and brought up in his house, petted and fondled by him, carried on his shoulders as a child (where the seal of prophethood touched his feet) was loved by the Holy Prophet in his infancy.
Ali, the youngman, was constantly eulogised by the Holy Prophet, who praised his virtue, wisdom, scholarship, talent, bravery, piety and integrity in many recorded speeches and on many and varied occasions. By giving his daughter in marriage to Ali, the Holy Prophet made clear the love and esteem which he felt for Ali.
Ali, the warrior, gave himself whole-heartedly to thecause of his master and friend, fighting the most dangerous duels against the bravest adversaries to bring honour to the Apostle and to Islam. In return the Holy Prophet constantly prayed to God to protect Ali in these combats, declaring that whosoever loved Ali loved him and whosever hated Ali would incur the wrath of God, and His Prophet. On all matters of military strategy and tactics the Holy Prophet consulted Ali, never fighting a battle without his advice. Whenever the toughest enemies were to be encountered it was always to Ali. that the holy Prophet presented the banner of command. In spiritual and secular matters the Holy Prophet that all
always upheld Ali’s judgments and declared true Muslims must believe in Ali. Ali was a living example of all the Islamic virtues and the Muslim who adored Ali was a true believer, one who showed hostility towards Ali was thereby condemned.
In short the personality of Ali may be said to have mattered much in the Holy Prophet’s life.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 