Letters and Orders
The Style of Ali’s writing
Most of the letters written by Ali to his contemporaries and the written orders which he issued to his subordinates, display a masterly epistolary style; as does the bulk of his official correspondence with the contemporary rulers of his time. Ali’s light, flexible and easy style, together with his preference for the vernacular rather than the ornate classical idiom, was particularly suited to be the art of letter-writing. Arab scholars hold that Arabic prose began with Ali’s writings and that Arabic literature has subsequently failed to produce anything equal to Ali’s simple and natural prose. The forceful language of his letters, the beauty of the thoughts expressed therein, his wit and sense of humour, his masterly discussions of the reality of things unseen, his abhorrence of the ugliness of worldly things, his picture- seque descriptions of his visions of beauty in the life to come, show how versatile his genius was. In these letters the reader finds almost every conceivable topic discussed, from the most thorny problems of politics to the most ordinary, every-day subjects such as family life. On weighty and powerful themes his writings, like those of the Christian preacher, St. Paul, reflect his strong personal emotions; indeed Ali has breathed a spirit of mysticism into them. It is the depth of these thoughts which have led the Shias to revere Ali as aа superman unique in spirituality, from whose elevating writings it is possible to draw inferences that give message of hope to all humanity. Perhaps this is why Ali’s writings have been translated into all the civilised languages of the world and have stood the test of time so well, while Arab writers hold that even if Ali had not been the greatest of Arabic writers, he surely would have been the greatest of men that ever wrote in Arabic. The vivid pungency of his style unfortunately loses
a great deal in translation.
Ali issued a great many instructions to his provincial governors and to district and other subordinate officials, exhorting them to lead a simple life, free of all frivolous gaiety and pomp. They were to refrain from the accumulation of riches, acquisition of land and houses and were debarred from keeping slaves and servants in their homes. Under pain of dismissal, they were enjoined not to accept any present, or gifts of any kind from any one.
A typical story concerns the Chief justice of Kufa. Qadi Shurich bin Harith, during Ali’s reign, was rash enough to buy a house for eighty golden dinars. When Ali heard about it he summoned the Qadi and asked him, “Is what I hear correct, that you have purchased a house for eighty golden coins?”””Yes Your Worship, it is true” replied the Qadi meekly. At this the Caliph cast an angry glance at the Qadi’s face and said,” O Shurich! Very soon that will approach you (death) which will neither look at the document of the sale-deed of the house nor question those signatories who have witnessed the document. Surely that which lies in wait will drive you from the house straightway and bring you to the grave. O Qadi! It is high time that you considered whether you have bought the house. with the money of others, and whether you have paid its price with lawful earnings. If the source of income isfrom illegal gratifications, then you have lost the house of this world and that of the other world to come. Had you come to me before transacting its purchase, I would have dictated such a document that would have made you to refuse to buy it even for a single silver coin. That document would run like this:
“This is (the site) that a poor slave has bought from another passing-by traveller. The boundary of the house is situated as under:
The first boundary wall ends with afflictions, the second stands on a foundation of miseries and calamities, the third rests on those catastrophic desires which will bring about its fall, and the fourth joins the evil- persuading Satan (into whose compound) the door of the house opens.
The ensnared man in the net of wishes and desires has entered into a transaction with that of a vendor (of the house) who is being pursued by death. Its sale price has been fixed by surrendering the honour of contentment, desire of renunciation, and by the acceptance of the degradation of avarice. If this sale-deed affects the rights of the purchaser adversely in any way, then he should refer the matter to Him, Who brings about the fall of emperors, takes away the life of tyrants, annihilates the proud Chosroes, the Caesars, and the stiff- necked Pharoahs and the rulers of Yemen, and He will judge the account of good and evil of the purchaser and the vendor. His is the court where the transgressor will suffer loss. Intellect is a witness to their Sale-Deed when it is free from the desire of captivity and clutches of the world.
Tyoical of Ali’s many letters is the following one, written to Mu’awiya, challenging him to single combat -a challenge which Mu’awiya refused.
“Think what will you do when the gaudy dress of this world, which you have put on, will be taken off from you. The world, having displayed her attractions and by spreading her net of temptation has beguiled you and in response to her voice you have run after her. Theworld invited you and you followed her. She ordered you and you obeyed her summons. You have forgotten that very soon. He who can raise you will make you stand at a place where no weapon can defend or hide you. It will be better if you give up your opposition. Prepare yourself for rendering an account and spare yourself from that calamity which is to beset you. Do not lend ears to bad counsel. Should you persist in your wickedness I will have to set you right. What are you? Verily that debauch, who in the iron clutches of the devil fulfills those of his desires which he (Satan) dictates and the devil has become your bed-cover and the mattress of bedding.
O Mu’awiya! Tell me from whence have you become the leader of men and a ruler of the Believers in Faith. Neither did you show any sterling quality of leadership in the “Days of Ignorance” nor at the time of the inception of Islam. I crave God’s pardon for the gloom of misfortune. Beware! It is my duty to bring home to you that you are going ahead in the pursuit of vile and evil wishes and your inner self is not in confirmity with your outer self.”
You have invited me to war. Leave the people alone and come out to fight with me. Let our armies enjoy rest from the participation of battle and let a single duel (between you and me) decide the issue and show whose heart is blighted and who has become blind. Have you forgotten that I am the same man who, in the Battle of Badr, killed your maternal grandfather, your maternal uncle, and your brother. Surely even today I possess the same sword and the same blood. I have neither introduced any innovations in the religion nor deviated (from the path of) the Holy Prophet. I am standing on that very straight path which you deliberate-ly left when you fell out with me.
You have laid claims that you have come out to fight (against) me as the avenger of Uthman’s blood. But you are fully aware where lies the blood of Uthman. If you really want to avenge Uthman’s murder, then go and wreak your vengeance there where his murderers are. But I see quite different things. I see that when the war will strike you with its drawn teeth, you will I think that, begin to cry like an overburdened camel. at a time when your men, by the carnage of our arms, will lie dead in pile after pile, it is then that overawed and bewildered you will look to the Book of Allah; although you have set at naught all its commandments and broken your oath of allegiance.”
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 