Ali’s Role in the Caliphate of Abu Bakr
Shia traditions dwell at length on the afflictions of Ali after the Holy Prophet’s death. According to them, Ali felt himself greatly wronged by the illegal accession of Abu Bakr. They point out how heroically Ali refused to be coerced in paying homage to him how Umar threatened Ali with death if he were to hesitate when swearing the oath of fealty to Abu Bakr; how the law suit brought by Fatima, who claimed a share in the crown lands of Fidak, was dismissed by Abu Bakr simply to put pressure on Ali by depriving him of his legal patrimony. Ali, at this juncture, is said to have retired voluntarily from the political arena in order to avoid warfare, turning a deaf ear to the overtures of the Quraish chiefs like Abu Sufyan who wished him to contest the caliphate with his sword. Showing the same selfless devotion to the Islamic deals as he had shown during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, Ali withdrew
from all intrigues and spent his days in studying and teaching the Qur’an. His acceptance of the appointment of Chief Justice under Abu Bakr is a further proof, according to the Shi’ite chroniclers, of the superhuman character of Ali, who might well have withheld his services from the man who had usurped his title.
The Shi’ites go on to say that it was only with the greatest reluctance that Abu Bakr had offered Ali this post, that he was compelled to do so for want of any other man of equal merit. For the same reason Abu Bakr was obliged to consult Ali and to seek his advice before taking decision on any matters of importance. Whenever a deputation of foreign powers waited on Abu Bakr at Medina, the Caliph used to send for Ali, who disposed of their business. Ali was also the Chief Secretary of Abu Bakr’s Government, and conducted the correspondence of the Islamic Commonwealth, drafted the treaties, and signed them on behalf of the government. Judicial cases in which Ali had pronounced his wise judgments still serve as precedents for Muslim jurists. In short, say the Shi’ite chroniclers Ali laboured
night and day, throughout the reign of Abu Bakr, for the welfare and betterment of the State.
These Shi’ite contentions are repudiated by the Sunnis, who maintain that they are based on partisan sentimentalism, not on any factual data of history. The mere fact that Ali accepted the job of Chief Justice under Abu Bakr and worked on it for nearly two and a half years until the death of Abu Bakr conclusively proves the cordiality of the relationship that existed between both of them.
Ali’s Role under Umar the Great
After the death of Abu Bakr, Umar the Great became the Caliph. The Shi’ite traditions, in the most emphatic terms, denounce Umar as the greatest enemy of Ali and his family. They make out that Abu Bakr and Umar had conspired against Ali from the beginningand that they had been in league together to oust him from the Caliphate. They claim that Abu Bakr’s nomination of Umar as his successor was a pre-meditated and well-deliberated plan to usurp Ali’s rights and that Umar’s dying behest that his successor should be nominated by a council of Six was similarly designed to thwart Ali’s legitimate claims. The fact that Ali continued to hold the office of Chief Justice under Umar and that he also acted as Secretary of State only goes to prove how selfless Ali was. Only a superman, the Shi’ite chronicles claim, would be capable of leaving aside all personal consideration. “Such a super-human character, to befriend the bitterest foe could only be found in a superman like Ali.” Zealously and selflessly, Ali steered the ship of state safely through the storms that threatened to engulf it. The fact that Ali persuaded Umar to adopt the year of the “Hijrah” as the starting point of the Muslim year, one of the outstanding achievements, of Ali serves further to indicate how Ali kept ever alive his personal devotion to the Holy Prophet and to the Islamic ideals that he had learned from his master and friend.
The Sunnis draw quite different conclusions from Ali’s acceptance of the appointment as Chief Justice in the reign of Umar, insisting that relations between the two men were cordial.
Summary of the Shi’ite views on Ali’s relations with Abu Bakr and Umar
The great Shia writer, ‘Syed Ameer Ali while discussing Ali’s services to both Abu Bakr and Umar, writes as follows:-
“With his usual magnanimity and devotion to the Faith, scrupulously anxious to avoid the least discord among the disciples of the Master, Ali at once gave his support to Abu Bakr. Three times was he set aside,
1. Syed Ameer Ali-The Spirit of Islam, p. 203. Publishers Christo- phen, London, Ed. 1955,
The Great Controversy
and on every occasion he accepted the choice of the electors without demur. He himself had never stood forth as a candidate for the suffrages of the electors and whatever might have been the feeling of his partisans, he had never refrained from giving to the first two Caliphs his help and advice in the governance of the Commonwealth: and they on their side had always deferred to his counsel and his exposition of the Master’s teachings.””
The Sunnis’ Repudiation of the Shi’ite charges
The Sunnis repudiate all the charges brought against Abu Bakr and Umar of usurping the rights of Ali. They allege that, when closely examined, they prove to be mere insinuations which have been magnified and coloured by the fervour of Ali’s partisans. In support of the Sunni position they bring forward the following arguments:-
(1) Abu Bakr and Umar are known to have led selfless lives; their piety and their exemplary position in Islam afforded no motive for harbouring any grudge or ill-will against Ali or his Hashimite kinsmen. On the contrary, the bestowal on him of the appointments of Chief Justice and Secretary of State under them, the two unique honours that they could offer to any one, reveal the affection in which they held him. Umar’s saying “Aqduna Ali” (Ali is the greatest judge from amongst us all) shows the respect and esteem in which Umar held him.
(2) At no time did Ali contest the Caliphate. He took the oath of ‘allegiance, and willingly accepted the sovereignity of Abu Bakr and Umar.
(3) Ali named his three sons Abu Bakr, Uthman and Umar. A fact that shows the great love that he bore towards these companions of the Holy Prophet. (4) That Ali held Umar in a like esteem is shown
by the oration delivered by Ali at Umar’s funeral. Speaking of the corpse that lay before him, Ali said, “I see no one in this world whose deeds I should like better to imitate when going to the presence of God.”
Ali’s role in the History of Islam
In the controversy between the Shi’ites and the Sunnis, the wishes of Ali himself are all too easily forgotten. Ali desired at all costs to avoid civil war; he did not seek the aid of the partisans who insisted on championing his cause, nor did he aspire to the Caliphate to which he was ultimately elected. This most learned, pious and devoutest of Muslims wanted only to serve Islam and he would have been appalled to know that, in the words of the famous Muslim historian Shahrastani, “Never was there an Islamic issue that brought about more bloodshed than the Caliphate”.
“The Caliphate” says Professor Hitti, “was the first problem Islam had to face. It is still a living issue.”
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 