Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS)
The Only Divinely Chosen Successor To The Holy Prophet Muhammed (saww).

By: Brother Ali Ja’afary Stump.

“In the Name of ALLAH the Merciful, the Compassionate” 

Islam the champion of loving and respecting the Prophets and their successors:

One of the great tenets of Islam is that all the Prophets (a-s) that came to mankind are loved, respected, followed and studied, they as well as their heirs and progenies. In fact no other belief or religious system has put such a large emphasis on this subject as much as Islam does. Without trying to eliminate some in order to fulfill its own interest, as often seen in all the other major religions, Islam is the only religion in existence that has kept a strong belief in all 124000 Prophets (a-s) and their 124000 successors. For example: we have the Jewish people who ignore the Prophethood of Issa (Jesus) (a-s); Muhammed (saww), amongst others, the Christians found it more to their benefit to deny the Prophethood of Muhammed (saww) and others as well. In fact in my research, many of the Christian movements today deny most of the Prophets (a-s). In other words the followers of Musa (Moses) (a-s) have custom designed their beliefs to fit their material and positional intentions. Today’s Christians will basically deny anything that doesn’t put their Prophet Issa (a-s) in the place of God.

Anyhow, all this is to say that Islam not only made the lives of the Prophets (a-s) and their legatees’ part of its teachings, but has made it a true and active part of its beliefs and daily conduct. Islam has truly adopted the purist and most truthful treaties on the Prophets (a-s) thru the Holy Qur’an and the very best of historical research available on the planet today. And that made the Islamic Ummah true believers, defenders and champions of the Message of Tawhid (Monotheism) preached by each and every single Prophet (a-s) and every lawful successor to every Prophet (a-s) since Prophet Adam (a-s). For it is only in Islam that such detailed portraits of the lives of: Prophet Adam (a-s) and his sons, Prophet Nuh (a-s) and his successors, Prophet Ibrahim (a-s) and his sons, Prophet Ya’qūb (a-s) and his family, Prophet Musa and Hārūn (a-s) and their heirs, the Family of Imrān (a-s) such as: Prophet Zakariyyā (a-s), Prophet Yahya (a-s), Maryam Bint Imrān (a-s) and Prophet Issa Ibn Maryam (a-s), etc... And since Islam is the final and chosen religion by ALLAH (swt), for all mankind, ALLAH (swt) announces in the Holy Qur’an: “Today I have perfected your religion for you and I have completed my blessings upon you and I have chosen Islam as your religion”.  (Holy Qur’an 5-Surah Al-Maidah-3).  ALLAH (swt) also blessed the Muslims with the master, the chief, the most beloved, the seal and the final Prophet to all humankind, the Prophet Muhammed (saww).
 

The great heresy against the Command of ALLAH (swt):

So surely, by the teachings of the Holy Prophet (saww) and all the evidence found in the Holy Qur’an we can determine very easily and clearly, that ALLAH (swt) commanded to love, to respect and to follow the Prophets and their chosen heirs. And we also acknowledge this command being particularly heavily emphasized in the Holy Qur’an and in The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed (saww), about loving, respecting and following the Holy progeny of the Prophet Muhammed (saww) and the Ahlul-Bayt (a-s). ALLAH (swt) commands: “O you who believe! Obey ALLAH and obey the Apostle and those in authority from amongst you”. (Holy Qur’an 4 Surah An-Nisa 59). This is obvious as water is wet and man needs air to breath! In all the original teachings of Islam, all knew the purity and the Infallibility of the Ahlul-Bayt (a-s) and again ALLAH (swt) made this fact very clear when HE announced to the world: “ALLAH intendeth but to keep off from you (every kind of) uncleanness, O’ye the people of the house (Ahlul-Bayt) and purify you (with) a thorough purification”. (The Holy Qur’an 33-Al-Ahzab-33). Now, knowing this and knowing the Muslims’ deep belief in the following of Divine commands and the prophets teachings, we would surely believe that immediately following the tragic lost of our most beloved Prophet Muhammed (saww), the Islamic Ummah would have ran to the Divinely chosen Imam of Islam and pledge love and allegiance to him. Anyone who knows, even a little about the doctrine of Islam, would say that this would most definitely be what would have taken place on that day. However, as we all know and as history proved that is not what happened. And we are left with the very sad question: Why did the majority of the Islamic Ummah turn their backs on such an important tenet of Islam, such as following the Divine command from ALLAH (swt), to follow the rightful successor of the Prophet of Islam Muhammed (saww), Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s)? Surely with the terrible tragedy of the death of the Holy Prophet (saww), many of the Ummah were struck by panic, while the hypocrites amongst them squirmed their way to the vacant seat, through bribes, force, threats, heresies, scare campaigns, violence and misdirection in order to obtain the high positions above others, which they craved and desired and in order to save their own necks should the truth re-materialize.

The messenger of ALLAH (saww) said: “By ALLAH (swt) faith cannot enter the heart of anyone if he does not love my nearest relatives for the sake of ALLAH (swt) and for the sake of the nearest relatives”.  (Durre Manthoor and Zakhairul Uqba, Ihya-il Mayyit be Fazaile Ahlul-Bayt, hadith 4 Shaykh Jalaluddin Suyuti).

The Prophet Muhammed (saww) said: “O Ali, whoever hates you, ALLAH (swt) shall cause him to die the death of infidels, and on the day of Judgement, will ask him to account for his deeds (also)”. (Al-Amaali Shaykh al-Mufid #10 eight Assembly).

And about Imam Ali (a-s) the Messenger of ALLAH (saww) said: “I am the master of the first and the last, and you, O Ali, are the master of the creation after me. I am just like you and you are just like me.” (Bihar V.12 p.360 H.17, Ghayatol Maram p.450h.14 and 610 h17, Khawarazmi in Manaqeb p.31 and in Maqtal V.1 p.39, Misbah Al-Anwar p.61).

 The Prophet Muhammed (saww) said: “No one has a higher status than Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) except me .He is the Imam of my nation; he is my   heir; and he is my successor. Those who follow him are guided to the right path; those who follow anyone other then Ali (a-s) are lost and have strayed off the right path. Indeed I am the chosen Prophet. I do not say this about Ali (a-s) from my own inclination. What I say is nothing but revelation brought by Jibraeel from ALLAH (swt), who owns everything in the skies and in the earth, and whatever is between the skies and the earth, and whatever is under the earth. (Bihar Al-Anwar v.12 p.361 h31, Ghayatol Maram p.45 h.54, Rowzat Al-Jannat v.6 p.185).

In any case, my purpose in this article is to show through exact and truthful history, along with the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed (saww), that Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib
(a-s) this most remarkable and angelic soul is without any doubt the divinely chosen successor to Prophet Muhammed (saww). I have quoted some Qur’anic verses and Hadiths to prove this fact, now I will turn to some historical events to back up this very obvious truth. In other words today’s question is: Who is Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s)?
 

Who is Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s)?

Imam Ali’s (a-s) miraculous birth:

Imam Ali (a-s) was the son of Abu Talib the faithful of Quraysh, the uncle of Prophet Muhammed (saww) and his defender in the first years of his Prophethood, and Fatimah bint Asad she helped raise Prophet Muhammed (saww) after the death of his parents. Fatimah bint Asad at that time of her pregnancy promised Prophet Muhammed (saww) to offer to him the child who was to be born from her. Fatimah bint Asad went to pray at the Kaba, when she rose up after her du’aa she felt the pain of child birth coming on, then by some miracle of ALLAH (swt) the wall of the Kaba cracked open permitting her to enter and it re-sealed somewhat behind her after she had entered it. The word spread around the people of Quraysh, they ran to the Kaba to unlock the doors with the keys, however, all attempts failed. After 3 days in front of a large crowd who gathered around the Kaba waiting, the lock opened on its own fell to the ground, like leaves are blown in the wind and Fatimah bint Asad came out with her glowing baby Ali. And keeping her promise she let Prophet Muhammed (saww) bring up her pious and perfect son from the early age of 5 years old. The glorious birth of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) was on the 13^th of Rajab, 600 A.D. Imam Ali (a-s) would be the first human being to embrace Islam.

(If we analyze the above story we surely come to the conclusion that Imam Ali’s (a-s) was no ordinary birth, it was however a miraculous event)

The Prophet (saww) announces his Prophethood and Imam Ali (a-s) as his successor:

In order to fill the command of ALLAH (swt) of: “Warn thy relatives of nearer kin”. (The Holy Qur’an 26 Ash-Shu’ara’-214)  On the 4^th year of his Mission, Prophet Muhammed (saww) invited 40 of his closes relatives to eat with him; he was then going to announce to them his Mission. The Prophet (saww) asked Ali (a-s) to prepare the food and there was little of it. The Prophet tasted it first saying: “In the name of ALLAH, the Compassionate, the Merciful”. Then his guests ate to their saturation and they were shocked at finding the food not finished. After giving his speech about his Prophethood he found the men silent and then the Prophet (saww) said: “ALLAH (swt) never sent a Prophet and Messenger without appointing one his brother, his heir and his successor from his relatives”. The men stayed quiet, the Prophet (saww) repeated his offer to all and then the 15 year old Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) said in a vigorous tone: “O Prophet of ALLAH, I am prepared to support you!”  The Prophet (saww) asked him to sit and then he repeated his offer. Again only Imam Ali (a-s) gave a reply and his heartfelt pledge. The Holy Prophet Muhammed (saww) turned to his kinsmen and declared: “People! This young man is my brother, my vicegerent and successor amongst all of you. Listen to his words and follow him”. The meeting came to an end and the men taunted Abu Talib about his son being his leader.

(First: we must put into context the extreme importance of this announcement the Holy Prophet was making, for the first time outside his circle of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) (The first person to embrace Islam) and his wife Khadija (a-s) (the first woman to embrace Islam). So this announcement had the upmost importance for ALLAH (swt) commanded the Prophet (saww) to do so. Second: Therefore the importance of proclaiming a successor and Imam was also of the same divine importance. Third: Also at that time to give such a high position to a 15 year old was certainly something unacceptable to leaders of tribes and family fathers, certainly the Holy Prophet (saww) knew this, therefore this only proves Imam Ali’s (a-s) appointment as the successor of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (saww) was absolutely certainly a divine command and a part of prophetic revelation. Fourth: No other person played as an important role in the life of the Holy Prophet (saww) as did Imam Ali (a-s), Imam Ali was the most loyal to the holy Prophet (saww), the most brave of all, the most knowledgeable, the most noble of all the Islamic Ummah, surely if the other men at that gathering would have known the future, they surely would have cried instead of laughed.)

Imam Ali (a-s) puts his life on the line, in order to save the Holy Prophet (saww) and the Mission of Islam:

The Angel Jibraeel warned Prophet Muhammed (saww) about a scheme organized to kill him by the leaders of Quraysh and asked him to migrate. The Holy Prophet asked his loving Brother Ali (a-s) to stay in his bed through the horrible ordeal in order to save Islam. Imam Ali (a-s) was more than pleased to put himself in that position in order to save the life of the Seal and Master of the Prophets; Prophet Muhammed (saww) and to save Islam from a sudden and total destruction. That night the house was completely surrounded by heartless killers, who wanted nothing more than to put an end to the life of Prophet Muhammed (saww) and to stop Islam for ever. That night Imam Ali (a-s) stayed in the bed of the Prophet (saww). The Prophet (saww) left the house due to the Miracle of ALLAH (swt) without being seen and passed by all those guarding the house and getting ready to creep in and kill the Prophet (saww). Much to their surprise they found Imam Ali (a-s) there instead of the Prophet (saww). Imam Ali (a-s) met them calmly as they searched around the house gloomy eyed.

(This was one of the most vital and crucial events in the life of Prophet Muhammed (saww), not only did the Angel Jibraeel tell the Prophet about the plot to kill him, but also that he had to migrate secretly. For such a dangerous situation Prophet Muhammed (saww) had to choose someone who would be willing to risk his life for Islam without turning away in fear and he needed someone who would never ever possibly give him away. Only a divinely chosen one from ALLAH (swt) could fill that position without failure. Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s) was that divinely chosen one.)

Some other distinctions of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a-s):

When the Prophet (saww) and the last of the Muslims arrived in Medina from Mecca, he (saww) established brotherhood between two Muslims among the Muhajirs and the Ansar. Once this task was completed, Imam Ali (a-s) was left alone and with tears in his eyes said: “You have established brotherhood amongst all, but have left me with no one?” The Holy Prophet (saww) answered: “You are my brother in this world as well as in the Hereafter”. Then he (saww) said: “By the Almighty, I postponed the question of your brotherhood for the reason that I desired to become your brother when brotherhood among all others had been completed. Your position to me is similar to that of Harun and Musa, except after me there will be no Prophet. You are my brother and successor”. (Yanabi’ul Muwwadah, vol.1 p. 55)

In the battle of Badr, not only did Imam Ali (a-s) confront in a one to one duel with Waleed and defeated him, when the major battle started between the two armies (the Muslims: 313 men very poorly equipped and the Infidel Meccans: 1000 men very well equipped) and by the end of it, Imam Ali (a-s) had killed half of the enemy forces and bringing victory to the Muslims. 

Even though many men of importance amongst the Muslims had asked for the hand in marriage of the daughter (Fatimah Az-Zahra (s-a) the Mistress of all the women of the world and the heavens) of the Holy Prophet (saww), he (saww) would tell them: “I am waiting for a call from the Heaven in regard to her Marriage”. Imam Ali (a-s) was the one for whom the Divine call told Prophet Muhammed (saww) to marry his daughter. And indeed this pair of saints (Imam Ali (a-s) and Lady Fatimah Az-Zahra (s-a)) were wed.

In the battle of Uhud, Imam Ali (a-s) fought as the bravest of lions, many reports tell of the great battles of Imam Ali (a-s) during this combat. Even when the battle was being lost and most fled and abandoned the Holy Prophet (saww), Imam Ali along with 4 or 5 other people continued to fight bravely. Imam Ali (a-s) was so impressive in this battle that Angel Jibraeel said to the wounded Holy Prophet (saww): “Look how Ali (a-s) fights in high spirit of sacrifice”. The Prophet answered: “Ali (a-s) is from me and I am from him”.

In the battle of Khandaq (battle of the trench), the 25 year old Ali (a-s) faced the robust champion of Arabia Amr. Imam Ali (a-s) countered the rush attack of the experienced warrior Amr and killed him.

In the battle at Khaybar, after both Abu Bakr and Umar failed and were defeated by the Jews, who stayed in their fort, the Holy Prophet (saww) declared: “Tomorrow I will give the standard to a man, who loves ALLAH and his Messenger and ALLAH and his Messenger love him too”. On that day, Imam Ali (a-s) arrived at the fort of Khaybar, he fought Harith the brother of the greatest warrior among the Jews Marhab, after killing him, he (a-s) fought with Marhab himself and killed him as well. By the end 7 of the best warriors amongst the Jews were killed by the sword of Ali (a-s). Imam Ali (a-s) tore off the huge gate that blocked the entrance to the fort, he used it as a shield against the enemies and then laid it down across the drench to let the Muslims cross and gain victory. It is reported by: Sheikh Suyuti in Tarikhul-Khulafa that 80 men could not move that gate.

The Holy Prophet (saww) always gave the greatest of responsibilities to Imam Ali (a-s), for he was the only one except the Holy Prophet (saww) who could fulfill and complete them. One of the many examples was when Prophet Muhammed (saww) left for the Tambuk expedition, he left Imam Ali (a-s) in charge of the Islamic Ummah, for Prophet Muhammed (saww) feared the hypocrites would make trouble and only Imam Ali (a-s) had the knowledge and the high position to watch over the Islamic Ummah. The Holy Prophet (saww) said to Ali (a-s): “O my brother, go back to Medina because nobody else is well-qualified to keep Medina safe except I and you. You are to take care of my house during my absence. Are you not satisfied to be to me as Harun was to Musa? But there will be no prophet after me”. 

(There are so many more Miraculous stories to tell, however, because of space these will be enough to prove our point).

Conclusion:

Imam Ali (a-s) said: “Beware, by God I know how messages have been sent and how promises have been fulfilled and how his words have been completed and how for me the reasons developed and how the ancestors were identified for me and how, apart from this world, I had a glance at the Angels. The past is not hidden from me, what happened before me is not away from my knowledge and on the day of witnesses, I will have no partner in what ALLAH Azz Wa Jall  has made me a witness for.  Through me ALLAH will fulfill his promises and complete his words.  I am that blessing that ALLAH (swt) has given to his entire creation and I am that Islam that HE has chosen for HIMSELF.  All this is HIS favour that HE has on me and has kept on my hands”. (Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays Al-Hilali Hadith #17).

We have proved in this article, first by the Tenet of Islam about loving, respecting and following all the Prophets (a-s) and their divinely selected successors amongst their close family. Then by the commands of ALLAH (swt) and some Hadiths of Holy Prophet Muhammed (saww), we showed how he (saww) was the final master and seal of the Prophets (a-s), how we should follow and respect his Ahlul-Bayt (a-s) and how Imam Ali (a-s) is the only divinely chosen successor to the Holy Prophet (saww). As well as by some historical facts that all point out to the same conclusion. Without any doubt, anyone who denies this fact is either an unbelieving infidel or one who ignores the truth. This article is only a very brief look at the outstanding and astonishing life of Imam Ali (a-s); the purpose was only to show his very special position and Mission in Islamic History.

Congratulations to our current day Imam: Imam Al-Mahdi (a-s) (may ALLAH (swt) hurry his advent) and to all the believing Muslims all over the world for this most Auspicious Occasion of the 13^th day of Rajab 1426, the birthday of the brother and Successor of the Holy Prophet (saww), the husband of Lady Fatimah Az-Zahra (s-a) and the father of Imam Hasan (a-s) and Imam Hussayn (a-s): Ali Ibn Abi Talib (as).

Brother Ali Ja’afary Stump.