Martyrdom of Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)

The martyrdom of Hadhrat 'Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) entered Kufa victorious (after defeating the Khawarij) and gave a very eloquent sermon.  Hadhrat Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) was at the right side of the pulpit.  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked him:  Son!  How may days of this month have passed?  Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  O Commander of the faithful!  Thirteen days of Ramadhan are over.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was at the left side of the pulpit.  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked him as well:  How many days of this month are left?  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) answered:  O Commander of the faithful!  Seventeen days of this month are left.

 

Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) caressed his beard and said:  In this month, my beard will be colored with the blood of my head.  After this, he cried so much that his beard was wetted with his tears.  The whole gathering started crying.  Then he said:  People!  You think I am crying out of fear of death?  No!  I have always been desirous of death.  Often have I waited for martyrdom.

 

People!  Do you know the reason of my crying?  I am crying for my wronged sons Hasan and Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them).  They are now in a journey.  Very soon they will be rendered orphans.

 

All those who are present!  Convey it to those who are absent that when they learn of the martyrdom of my sons, when they learn of the martyrdom of the sons of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), they should cry.  Your crying will lessen the wrath of Allah Most High.

 

He said this and got down from the pulpit.

 

In his stay in Kufa, one night he would have Iftaar at the house of Imam Hasan and the other night at Imam Hussain’s house (May Allah be well pleased with them).  However, he would not eat more than 3, 4 morsels.

 

People would request him to eat a bit more, but he would say:  I have to meet the Lord Almighty.  I don’t want to meet Him in a state of having eaten more (than necessary).

 

Once Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) was requested to keep guards as Ibn Muljim was seen roaming after him with a sword in hand.  On this, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  With every man, there are 2 guardian angels who guard him all the time.  When the time for death comes, they leave.  There is a limit to the life of a human.  That is a like a fortress for him.  Nobody can kill anybody before the time comes.

 

When the night of 19th Ramadhan came, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) spent the whole night in worship and didn’t sleep at all.  Time and again, he would come into the courtyard, look at the sky and say:  By Allah!  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has not lied, then what is stopping my murderer from murdering me?

 

When the time for going to the mosque came, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) performed a fresh ablution (Wudhu) and decided to go out.  The pet birds of the house came and held fast to his clothes and would not leave him to go out of the house.  The sons wanted to separate them, but Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Don’t stop them, they are crying in my separation.

 

Hadhrat Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Father!  What are you saying?  Our hearts are being rent apart!  Hadhrat ‘Ali  (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  My heart is testifying that I am going to be martyred in this month.  Then he embraced each son and daughter individually and granted them leave.

 

The cries of separation could be heard even from the walls and the doors.  Everybody had tears in their eyes.

 

Hadhrat ‘‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) went to the mosque and gave the Adhaan.  Ibn Muljim along with 2 of his friends was lying dead drunk in the house of Qustaam (whom he wanted to marry).  Qustaam woke him up and said:  If you are desirous of union with me then consider this moment as a windfall that Hadhrat ‘Ali  (May Allah be well pleased with him) is alone in the mosque.  Then other Muslims will gather and the chance will be gone.

 

Ibn Muljim took the poisoned sword and along with his friends entered the mosque.  Hadhrat ‘‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) started offering Salaat after giving the Adhaan.  He had just got up after the first prostration (Sajdah) that Ibn Muljim struck him with his sword.  By chance, the sword struck him at the same spot where he had been injured in the Battle of the Trench.  The sword broke through the bone and went deep inside.

 

The moment Hadhrat ‘‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) got this severe wound, he shouted out:  Fuztu Bi Rabbil Ka’aba (By the Lord of the Ka’aba, I have succeeded and achieved my aim)

 

What kind of people were they, for them giving up their life in the path of Allah was achieving their aim!  On getting struck with a sword on the forehead, they would shout with joy!  Who would consider dying as living!  What blessed people were they!

 

What a wretch he was who for the genitalia of a woman martyred the elders and was happy about it.  Hadhrat ‘‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and him were living in the same place.  One was the friend of Allah and the other a friend of Satan.

 

When the surgeon saw the wound, out of desperation, he tore away his turban and starting ripping his clothes.  He said that he couldn’t do anything as the sword was dipped in poison.

 

There was a wailing everywhere that such a leader was going, such a scholar, such a ruler, such a chief, such an Imam, such an advisor of the Shariah, such an administrator was going.

 

The light of early morning was spreading.  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Turn me towards the east.

 

After that he said:  O dawn!  By the Lord with whose command you come, you should testify on the Day of Judgment that since the time I offered my first Salaat with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), you have never ever found me sleeping.  I have woken up before you come.

 

Then Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) prostrated and said:  O Lord!  Tomorrow on the Day of Judgment, when thousands of Prophets will be present, when the angels, the truthful (Siddiqeen) the martyrs will be looking at your great throne (‘Arsh), at that time You testify that since the time I have believed in Your Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), I have never done anything against His wishes.

 

People asked: O Commander of the faithful!  Who did this to you?  He said:  Wait!  He will come now.

 

Running from there, Ibn Muljim ran to his cousin’s house.  He was removing his weapons when his cousin asked him:  Why are you so worried?  Did you kill Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)?  He wanted to say:  La (No), but ended up saying Na’am (yes).  His brother dragged him to the mosque.

 

Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) saw him and said:  O Ibn Muljim!  What had I ever done to you that without a reason you have made my children orphans?  He said:  What to do Commander of the faithful?  What had to happen has happened.

 

Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Imprison him.  People!  He is my guest.  Spread a soft rug for him.  Give him delicious food to eat and cool water to drink.

 

Friends!  How the commands of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) are being followed!  Life is ebbing away, let it go, but the decorum of the command of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) should not go.

 

Weakness set in because of excess bleeding from the wound.  There was severe thirst.  A sherbet was prepared and presented to Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).  He said:  First give it to my murderer guest.  I will drink it later.

 

When the sherbet was presented to Ibn Muljim, he said:  I know.  This has been poisoned for me.  I will not drink it.

 

On knowing of this, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) cried out:  O wretched man!  You are very unlucky.  By Allah!  If today you had drunk my sherbet, tomorrow on the Day of Judgment I would never have drunk from the Houz-e-Kauthar unless I had made you drink from it but what can I do?  You don’t want to live with me at all.

 

Muslims!  Look carefully at the character and moral of Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).  How nicely he is treating his enemy.

 

On the 21st of Ramadhan, Hadhrat ‘Ali’s (May Allah be well pleased with him) condition became more concerning.  He fainted.  His daughter Hadhrat Umme Kulsum (May Allah be well pleased with him) started crying.  Hearing the voice of the daughter, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Daughter!  Be silent.  If you see what I am seeing now, you would never even mention crying.

 

It was requested:  Sir!  What are you seeing now?  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  There is a huge group of angels.  Along with them is the caravan of all the Prophets.  Leading everyone is the Leader, the Holy Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  He is telling me:  ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)!  Be happy!  Now you are being called into great solace and comfort.

 

After this, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave some instructions, among them was that since his murdered had struck him only once, in retaliation he should also be killed with 1 strike only.  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) also gave some musk and said:  The blessed body of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was perfumed with this musk.  Only a small amount is left.  I kept it for this day as a blessing.  After enshrouding me, rub this on my body.

 

Then he said:  O family members!  Now we are leaving.  Assalamalaikum.  Then he got the door of the room closed.

 

After some time, the sound of saying Laa Ilaaha Illallaah Muhammad Ur Rasulullaah was heard from the room.

 

The sons worriedly opened the door of the room.  When they went inside they saw that Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) had passed into the mercy of Allah Most High.

 

[Excerpted from Shahadatnama of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan Abul Hasanaat Syed Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)]