Who is Imam Ali? And Why do Philosophers Glorify and Surmount Him?
Who is Imam Ali? And why do philosophers glorify and surmount him?
Usually clergy admire their religious symbols, even more, they exaggerate describing their personalities. But that is not the case with Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb, the Islamic symbol whom has been fought against by the rulers of the Empires which dominated the Islamic State after his martyrdom. His image, name, fame, sayings and speeches were all blackened by kings and emperors who ruled this state for hundreds of years. Still, they could not hide the lights of his truth, by making groups especially of writers, authors and historians, to distort Imams sayings, to detract him , they even invented sayings and speeches that he never said, disparagement of people that he never thought of.
They fabricated and invented sayings of him claiming that he said describing himself, whereas he was the most humble and self denying man ever. Those are deeds of kings who were bothered by the pure white, and full just human model, Ali. All of this versus their tyranny of people, ruling by force, compulsion and coercion.
That is why, you can find, in "Nahj Al-Balagha" and other books, sayings that a wise man can never believe that the man of wisdom Ali Bin Abi Taleb (peace be upon him) could have said such things, like claiming that he dispraised women and called them deficient, or claiming that Imam, God forbids, has described himself as the creator, maker or dignified. He who said hundreds of times that he was but a servant of God, and asked Lord for forgiveness many times for what has been said about him. Yet, haters did poison the honey of Imams "Balagha", and whoever gathered his sayings into one book, has been trapped.
For those of our beloved readers in Russia, Europe and other different countries who do not know Imam Ali we say: He is the man whom the United Nations declared to be the fairest ruler of mankind.
He, also, whom the philosophers of Europe and the greats of Christianity considered to be the greatest human being, his speech was under the word of God, but above human speech, as described by the Lebanese thinker and poet George Shakkour. ( please check Mr.Shakkours interview with Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb Institute for Studies and Documentation, inside the video section. You can also follow up many philosophers sayings in " Greats of Thought and Imam Ali").
His birth:
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was born in second decade of the seventh century in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula, in the middle of the endless deserts. Its people were wealthy merchants, and people from all over Arabia (known today as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait) used to pilgrimage to this city for the sake of worship in a place called Holy Kaaba, which Arabs believed, and still do, that it was a mosque built by Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael in that area, 3000 BC.
Imam Alis parents were both monotheists after Prophet Abraham, while Arabs in that area and its surroundings were all pagans and idol worshipers, although they knew Almighty God, yet they considered those idols as Gods too which had power in partnership with Almighty God.
In Mecca, and in Arabia as well, there were few Christians and Jews who lived side by side with Idol worshipers, pagans and the minority of monotheists who followed Prophet Abrahams religion. And because lineage is a very important thing for Arabs, Imam Ali was born a Hashemite, both on the mother and father sides, Hashemites were the Nobles of Quraysh tribe, which ruled the city of Mecca, which in turn was pilgrimed to by everyone in the Arabian Peninsula, like we already said, for the sake of worship and trade.
His birth (peace be upon him) was inside Kaaba, the Islamic Holy Sanctuary, to which Arabs used to orient in their prayers before Islam, and so do Muslims today. So because of his birth inside Kaaba, the Islamic Sanctuary, Prophet Mohammad and his family, the Hashemites, considered that this was a special sign from Almighty God.
