Hadrat Ali Murtada (R.A.)

About the Book

Prof. Masudul Hasan has written the biographies of all the four rightly guided Caliphs. His approach has been scientific and objective. He expressed the facts and events as they happened.

This biography of Hadrat Ali Murtada (R.A) shows, in lime light, his life and his achievements which were either coloured or exaggerated by other authors.

Hadrat Ali's true greatness which is of a different type, has been dealt with, in all dimensions with great accuracy, suppressing no facts, about his life.

The Caliphate issue is also discussed at length, According to the author this issue was a political one. It was made a religious issue later on. In fact, Hadrat Ali (R.A) himself in his writings "Nahj-ul-Balagha" expressed only his unhappiness in being passed over in the election of the Caliph. He did not blame anybody.

Other matters like battle of Siffin and revolt of Kharijites have also been discussed ob, jectively.

In short, this book fills up the blanks left by the other authors in their writings to make it a per, feet biography.

Preface

The Project

Some five years ago, I embarked upon the project of writing the biographies of all the four rightly guided Caliphs. My books on Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, Hadrat Umar Farooq and Hadrat Othman Ghani have been published. With this book entitled "Hadrat Ali Murtada", the project is completed. And I bow my hoary head in thanksgiving to God for blessing my efforts and enabling me to write a detailed account of the lives of all the four Caliphs. My Book "Digest of the Holy Qur'an" has been published.

Biography of Hadrat Ali

About Hadrat Ali, the Holy Prophet said that there would be men who would die for him and there would be men who would be after his blood. That makes the task of a biographer of Hadrat Ali very difficult. Hadrat Ali was not a success from the political point of view, but inspite of such non-success he is one of the greatest Muslim after the Holy Prophet. Indeed Hadrat Ali is more great in death than in life. This is something unique and there is hardly any other man in history who is acclaimed as great inspite of his failure in worldly life. The greatness of Hadrat Ali is of a different hue anci deserves an indepth study. I have made an humble effort in studying the phenomenon of the greatness of Hadrat Ali from a scientific point of view.

Hadrat Ali and the Caliphate issue

While studying the life of Hadrat Ali I have been particularly concerned about the Caliphate issue. Although the Holy Qur'an exhorts the Muslims to hold fast to the rope of Allah and remain united, yet it was around the Caliphate issue that the Muslims came to be divided into sects. The Caliphate issue was political in character and I have wondered how political issue could be made a religious issue. In some quarters it is held that the first three Caliphs were usurpers. I have wondered how great Muslims of the eminence of Hadrat Abu Bakr, Hadrat Umar or Hadrat Othman, whom the Holy Prophet himself gave the tidings of paradise could stoop so low as to usurp the right of the Hadrat Ali. I have studied "Nahj-ul-Balagha", a collection of the writings of Hadrat Ali, with great respect. There are passages in the book which indicate that Hadrat Ali did not feel happy in having been passed over in the matter of the election of the Caliph, but there is nothing in these writings to show that Hadrat Ali regarded hie predecessors as usurpers. I prayed to God to get me in contact with the soul of Hadrat Ali so that I might put this question to him. Surprisingly, my prayer was granted and when I put this question to Hadrat Ali in a dream, he said "My case is like that of Jesus Christ. Turn to the Holy Qur'an and you will get the answer to your question." I turned to the Holy Qur'an. There is a passage in the Holy Qur'an which shows that God would ask Jesus Christ whether he had asked the people to regard him as the "son of God". Jesus Christ would say that he had never made such a claim -, After reference to the Holy Qur'an, I feel fortified in my belief that Hadrat Ali did not regard his predecessors as usurpers.

Source books about the life of Hadrat Ali

When undertaking research on the life of Hadrat Ali, I have come across some difficulties. The source books are silent on some important aspects of the life of Hadrat Ali. Here I have tried to fill up the blanks by observing the law of possibility and plausibility. These books take some facts for granted which do not stand the test of scrutiny. For example the burden of such accounts is that Hadrat Ali was very poor and starved on many occasions. My research has shown that Hadrat Ali was not poor. He had ample resources at this disposal, but he preferred to live as a poor man. The source books have a way of giving an account of some important events in a way which does not make the reader fully comprehend why it was so. Accounts of the battle of Siffin, the arbitration proceedings and the revolt of the Kharijites have been given in such a way that one is not able to understand the implication of what really happened. I have tried to re-interpret these events in such a way so that the exact importance of these events might be appreciated. Again some of the accounts are highly coloured, some accounts are highly exaggerated and in some cases efforts have been made to suppress what should have been expressed. I have made a humble effort to ensure that the events in the life of Hadrat Ali are narrated as they happened and not as one would have wished them to happen.

Myapproach

There is no dearth of the biographies of Hadrat Ali. There are many books in Arabic and Persian. Books in Urdu are also numerous. Books in English are very few. Apart from Dr. Ata Mohyuddin's book "Ali, the Superman", I have not been able to come across any other English book on the subject. I have largely profited from Dr. Ata Mohyuddin's book, but I have followed my own plan of research, narration and analysis. I am conscious of my limitations and seek the indulgence of the readers for any lapses that may be there. I hope other writers would carry this task forward and produce more books on Ali. Indeed the greatness of Hadrat Ali is of such dimension that we need more books to project his greatness.

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