‘Alí: truthfulness, trust, and spiritual authority

Then the disciple went to 'Ali. 'What do you say I should do in order to please God and to become nearer to Him?' 'One thing only: be truthful.'

O knower of divine mysteries! Surely you have noted in authentic narratives that one day an unfortunate person said to the brilliant star and radiant light of the ethereal horizon, His Holiness the Prince of the Faithful (peace be upon him): "If you trust in divine aid, protection, preservation and shelter, cast yourself down from the roof." That Chief of the God-fearing replied: "It behooveth not the servant to test his Lord. Rather it is for the Master to test His servant. Testing is not befitting for the seeker; rather testing is among the prerogatives of the Sought One. It is not for me to test the Truth; rather it is He Who tests."

O son of the Prophet of God! In an authentic tradition it is recorded that someone asked His Holiness the Commander [Ali], peace be upon him: "Is God the protector of humans?" He replied "Yes." The person asked "Are you certain?" He replied "I am confident." The questioner said "Then throw yourself from the roof!"

O you who test him who is the criterion of testing!

It is related that one day His Holiness the Prince of Believers (Ali), peace be upon him, was on the edge of a roof when a stranger submitted: "O Ali, are you confident in God's protection, preservation and safeguarding?" He replied: "How could I not be, when I am the first believer in God?"

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They should establish beyond a shadow of doubt that by "Unity of God" is meant that the Manifestations of God Who inaugurate each Dispensation are to be regarded as one soul, unique and peerless, and all others, whether high or low, are, without exception, to be regarded as servants, utterly submissive before the Dawning-Place of God's Revelation. Even as the Commander of the Faithful, the Imam 'Ali, has stated: "I am but a servant of the servants of Muhammad."

'Abdu'l-Baha would quote the words of 'Ali, First Imam and Guardian (Vali), successor of the Prophet Muhammad. Asked 'What is truth?', 'Ali replied, 'When the True One is made manifest, His signs and verses are His evidence, His presence is His proof.'

The condemnation of God be also upon whosoever imputes to me the charge of having denied the unity of God, of having repudiated the prophethood of Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, of having rejected the truth of any of the messengers of old, or of having refused to recognize the guardianship of Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, or of any of the imams who have succeeded him.

This conception of the sufficiency of the Book without an interpreter traceth its origin to 'Umar, who said "Sufficient unto us is the Book of God", and who claimed that one stood in need of naught else--that is to say, no interpreter. Thus did he lay the enduring foundations of contention and conflict, of enmity, fragmentation and division, among the friends and companions of the Prophet. These words became the basis of all the iniquities, rebellions and transgressions, nay, of all the bloodshed that was to ensue. Were ye to apprehend the truth of the events that transpired after the days of the Apostle of God, ye would bear witness that the very foundations of the Religion of God were subverted by it, and thus did the hosts of self and desire mount their attack. He who was "well-grounded in knowledge" came to be dismissed and disregarded, while obscure and undistinguished individuals such as Abu- Hurayrih and Abu-Sha'yun were honoured and regarded with favour. He who was the object of the invocation "O Lord my God! Befriend his friends and battle his foes" was disparaged and confined to his house, while the one who had inspired the words "God curseth the She-Camel, and its rider, and its guide" became a beloved friend. He who had received the accolade of "No valiant hero is there save 'Ali, and no blade save His two-edged sword!" became a wanderer through hill and hollow, and the "accursed tree" alluded to in the Qur'an was established upon the throne of the Caliphate and the seat of the Sultanate.

Fatimih, of whom Muhammad had said "she is a part of Me, and whoso harmeth her hath harmed Me," mourned disconsolate in her abode until she perished; and the brazen 'Ayishih hastened to battle that unsullied soul with a brutal and bloodthirsty host, and was honoured by the lines: "Thou didst ride a camel; thou didst ride a mule; live long and thou sure wilt ride an elephant too!"

The words "Sufficient unto us is the Book of God" became as a piercing blade that cleft the head of the Prince of the faithful; it became the trenchant sword that was wielded by the son of the "Eater of Livers." These words kindled a raging fire on the "Night of Clangour" and caused four thousand memorizers of the Qur'an, the most prominent companions of 'Ali, to turn into the wretched rabble of the Seceders. These words scattered the ranks of the believers and divided the lines of the faithful. These words changed the affection of the lovers of the Muhammadan Beauty into swords and spears, into injury and enmity. These words became a dagger of hatred and, in the land of Taff, lacerated the throat of that luminous beauty, staining the earth with his blessed blood. These words brought about that most great disaster and most profound disgrace on the plain of Karbila. These words made all the sanctified Imams captives and prisoners, wronged by and subjugated to every tyrant.

These words instigated conflict and contention, war and carnage, amongst that nation that had been the recipient of God's mercy, and shed the blood of millions of Muslims. These words entirely disrupted the Dispensation of the Qur'an, and made the bower of God and the paradise of His Prophet a roving ground for rapacious wolves. These words for a thousand and two hundred years dyed the green fields red with blood.

These words became a hundred thousand bullets that riddled the sanctified breast of the Bab. These words became a chain that was placed around the blessed neck of Baha'u'llah. These words brought about His banishment to Baghdad, His afflictions in Adrianople, and His sufferings in the Most Great Prison.

The reason for all this is that when the second Caliph undertook to vanquish and consign to oblivion the interpreter of the Book, Imam 'Ali, to discredit him who was "well-grounded in knowledge," to exalt and honour instead the ignorant sinner, and to abase the one designated by the statement "Of whomsoever I have been the Master, 'Ali here shall be the Master," he resorted to the words "All-sufficient unto us is the Book of God" and "Sufficient unto us is the Qur'an," and reasoned by the verse "Neither is there a thing green or sere, but it is noted in a distinct writing," and clove to the verse "This day have I perfected for you your religion," and clung to the verse "Is it not enough for them that we have sent down to Thee the Book?" Thus he induced 'Ali, the Interpreter of the Book, the One well-grounded in knowledge, to seclude himself, and gave free rein to every inept narrator of the traditions of the Apostle of God. One reported Muhammad to have said "Were there to be a Prophet after Me, it would assuredly be 'Umar," and another related the hadith of "The ten promised the paradise." One recited "'Uthman is the man of two lights" and "'Uthman shall be my companion in the highest heaven," and another recounted Muhammad as having said "Were I to take any friend besides God, I would take Abu-Bakr."

In sum, the divines multiplied and their decrees proliferated. The obscuring dust of lies and absurdities rose to heaven and the sun of truthfulness was wholly beclouded. Disputes intensified and concord vanished. Divergent opinions were advanced and the Word of God was visibly divided. The Law of God was forgone and the Interpreter of His Book forsaken. The son of 'Affan was assassinated and the son of the "Eater of Livers" anointed. The battle of the Camel was engaged, and deceit and duplicity were introduced. The "Red-hued One" rode upon the gray she-camel, spurred on in the field of rebellion, and sought to avenge 'Uthman's blood. Mu'aviyih reared his head from his corner and shed a torrent of tears in grieving his loss. He ascended the pulpit, brandished the severed finger of the Prophet's daughter and 'Uthman's blood-stained shirt, and with tearful eyes cried out: "Behold the bloodied garment of 'Uthman! Behold the severed finger of that light of the Apostle's eyes! Woe to us! Woe to our faith! Woe to our religion!" The assemblage wept and wailed in turn, and arose in opposition to 'Ali. The darksome dust of the "Night of Clangour" reached the highest heaven and the bodies of thousands of the chosen companions of God's Apostle lay dead in blood and gore. And other events ensued in the same vein.

Now, if the second Caliph had obeyed him who was well-grounded in knowledge and the Interpreter of the Book, that is, 'Ali, and had not uttered "Sufficient unto us is the Book of God," none of this harm and trouble would have transpired, nor would this destruction and disgrace have appeared. And nor would thirty thousand divines have arisen to contend and quarrel with him who was well-grounded in knowledge--for each one of Muhammad's companions viewed himself as an independent divine and derived his understanding of the religious commandments, observances and beliefs directly from the holy verses and traditions. And the one that, amidst all this, remained isolated and disregarded was 'Ali!

On this night wherein the moon riseth not as it riseth on other nights, send Thy blessings upon the Tree of the Desired One in the temple of Ahmad, and the Praised Master in the most radiant form - He Who delivered what He was charged with from Thee and bore harm in Thy path, such that He recited the verses of Thy Book for ten years while none believed in Him save Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, His successor, the bearer of His knowledge, the inheritor of His wisdom, and He Who standeth in His station throughout all manifestations.

Dhu'l-Qarnayn refers to the Imam Ali, who traveled spiritually through all horizons and sought the Universal Manifestation, ultimately observing that the Sun of Truth was hidden in an earthen and watery form....

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The Kharijites in the time of His Holiness the Prince (peace be upon him), being incapable of proof and argument, resorted to the weapons of the powerless - they struck his pure head with sword and blade, and that king of the merciful ones was martyred by the sword of rebellion.

Hast thou not heard how 'Ali, peace be upon him, stood upon the brink of a lofty and towering mountain, and certain of the wavering said unto him: "Dost thou, O 'Ali, rely upon God, and upon His guarding, His protection, and His mighty aid?" He replied: "How should it be otherwise, seeing that He is the protecting and gracious One?" They said: "Then cast thyself down from the summit of this exalted mountain, if thou art indeed assured." Thereupon he, peace be upon him, answered: "It is not for the servant to test his Lord; rather is it for the Lord to test His servant."