A Paragon of Virtue
Ali, as a man was a paragon of virtue. The fame of his piety had spread far and wide, in particular of his attitude to prayers, when his fear in the presence of God and the sense that he had so many responsibilities towards his fellow-men still unfulfilled caused him to fall into a deep trance.
Ali at his Prayers
Abu Durda, who had hitherto been accounted the most perfect saint of that time used to say, “None in this world has excelled Ali in prayer and meditation”. Often Ali would weep and, shedding tears of remorse while he bowed humbly before the Majesty of God, would say thus:-
“O thou Lord, Who art the refuge and shelter of all. Often hast thou saved me from many a pitfall and showered thy blessing on me. Having hid my sins under the cover of thy benevolence, thou hast saved me from many a temptation. O Almighty Lord! Although my sins have exceeded (all bounds) and my evil deeds have multiplied enormously, yet there is none else save thy Mercy which can save me.”
“O Lord! When I look upon thy clemency (and compare it with my sins) I find that my faults are minor. When I think of your punishments (that await the sinner in hell) I think that the multiplication of my sins has
passed all limits. Alas! What will become of me, when I will be informed of those sins which I have forgotten but of which you are well aware. Neither my tribesmen, nor the members of my family will save me at that juncture. O the fire of hell which will roast me alive! O the flaring up of that fire which burns everything!”
So saying, Ali would fall into a swoon. Abu Durda, recalls how, on one such occasions, he found Ali lying rigid on his prayer-mat and, touching his cold body, decided that he must have breathed his last. On breaking to Fatima the sad news, he was told by her, “My husband (Ali) frequently becomes unconscious when praying, from fear of God. He must have fallen. into a usual swoon.” Abu Durda goes on to relate how, himself weeping profusely, he then took some water which he sprinkled over Ali’s face, whereupon Ali regained consciousness.
Secing the tears in Abu Durda’s eyes, Ali said to him, “Why are you crying? You shed tears when you see me in this state, imagine then, what will happen to me when the Angels drag me into the presence of God and I am forced to render an account of my deeds. They will bind me with fetters of iron and present me before God and those of my friends who will be witnesses will be powerless to help me. They will lament my unhappy plight but none save God will be able to help me on that day.”
Imam Zayn-ul-Abidin (literary “the adornment of the Pious) who was likewise renowned amongst the believers for his chastity and piety, used to say, “Is there any one, who ever prayed like Ali ?”
Some traditions say that while absorbed in meditation, Ali would forget his bodily self entirely. During the battle of Uhud, Ali is said to have received an arrow in his foot, which could not be extracted without a painful operation. The Holy Prophet’ is reported to have said, “Leave the arrow alone. Wait until Ali has
1. According to another account the arrow emerged out from Ali’s body when offering prayers in a state of trance without any operation.
lost himself in prayer, it is then that the surgeon should
draw it out.” This the surgeon did, the prayer-mat becoming a pool of blood, but Ali was so absorbed in prayer that he did not notice what was happening. Even during the thick of battle, Ali would spread his prayer-mat and offer prayers as if nothing was happening around him. The arrow of the enemies might pass close to his face but undaunted and heedless. of the consequences, he would still carry on with his prayers.
Ali’s Observance of the Fasts
As Ali had no parallel in the performance of prayers, so too he had no equal in the observance of fasts. He. would refrain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset suspending all bodily animation and becoming a living spirit. Because of his constant fasting he earned the epithets of “Qaimu’l Lail” (the keeper of nights) and “Saimu’l Nahar” (the observor of days). When participating in the wars of Jihad, he would fast even when fighting, putting up with the hardship of battles on an empty stomach; he used also to exhort his soldiers to observe the sanctity of the fasts, arguing that fasting was the easiest and surest means of redeeming their sins. It often happened that at the time of sunset, when he
might be expected to break his fast, he would find himself without provisions and after drinking a little water he would then observe the fast until the next day, losing himself once again in prayer.
The Daily Routine of Ali’s Life
Ali’s daily routine consisted of getting up early in the morning, before the break of dawn, and then repairing to the mosque, where he offered his prayers. During the ministry of the Holy Prophet, after his morning prayers, Ali occupied himself in writing out the Qur’an or in delivering sermons to the people whothronged round his door. It was in these addresses that he expounded the doctrines and dogmas of Islam. He also assisted the Holy Prophet in the disposal of Secretarial routine, working as his amanuensis until the break for the noon or “Zuhur” prayers. From the noon break until the “Usur” prayers (mid-afternoon) he remained busy with administrative work, issuing orders to the provincial governors and other officials. From mid-afternoon prayers till sunset prayers, he heard judicial cases and pronounced judgement on them. In the absence of these cases he delivered lectures and enlightened the congregation on matters of religion, discussing canons of “Sharia” (Islamic law) and the exposition of dogmas and doctrines. He remained busy uptil the time of night prayers, after the performance of which he went home, there to spend the greater part of the night in prayer and meditation. After a few hours sleep on a mat, the break of dawn heralded the repeat of this routine for the next day. As Ali fasted on all days the question of breakfast and lunch did not arise.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 