The Prophet said, "Don't you want to be like Aaron helping Moses?"

When Prophet Moses AS was leaving to go to Mount Tur [Sinai], he left his brother Aaron AS to be in charge of his people. Our beloved Prophet made an analogy: "While I take off for an expedition, I leave you here in charge just like Prophet Moses AS left his Brother Aaron AS in charge." He also added to make sure that people might not draw a conclusion that Hadrat Ali was a prophet: "There is no Prophet after me; However, you are my helper just like Aaron AS helped Moses AS."

This is also a great honor for Hadrat Ali. How nice it is! We must draw a lesson here, though: Nobody should claim prophethood and destroy his life in the hereafter. There is no prophet after our beloved Prophet SAS. He is the prophet of the àkhir zaman, i.e., the time till the end of this life. He is the last of the prophets (khàtemur-rusul, khàtemun-nabiyyîn).

We here that some people have such claims these days. They must be insane. They may need psychiatric treatment. When a person sees something extraordinary, he thinks he is elevated spiritually to the level of prophets. It is not like that at all. Yunus Emre stated this nicely:

"Er yarin Hak divâninda belli olur! --
The real man will be revealed in the court of Allah."

It does not matter how much you brag about yourself or how above you consider yourself over others. Tomorrow, we all will be gathered in the court of Allah. We shall see how He will treat everybody. Will He reward you or punish you? Will He grant you His mercy, blessing and favor or be angry at you? That is what it counts. What you say about yourself in this world does not count.

I would like to mention another virtue of Hadrat Ali. In Madina Al-Munawwara, the Prophet did something amazing and full of lessons for us. He matched a Muslim among the Ansar of Madina for each Muhajir of Makka and declared them brothers. Muslims who were present there all got paired and held hands. It turned out that their number was odd, so there were no Ansar to match Hadrat Ali. He felt sad and speechless. Our beloved Prophet turned to him and said: "You be my brother." Thus Hadrat Ali became a spiritual brother of the Prophet which is a great virtue.

Those who love Hadrat Ali have good reasons as I pointed out. Yet we must follow his path. We must lead a life just like Hadrat Ali if we claim to love him. We must be equipped with prayers, supplications, the Qur'an, and a strong faith, and we must be mujahid in the path of Allah to deserve His consent.

There was another incident that shows the virtue of Hadrat Ali. The Muslim army had reached Khaybar. They were going to attack the fortress. The army needed a commander to organize the attacks. The Prophet said: "Tomorrow, I will appoint a commander for the army, and give him the flag. The commander will be a person that he loves Allah, and Allah loves him, too."

Allahu Akbar! Look at the beauty of these words! The Prophet will appoint a commander who loves Allah and Allah loves him! He will appoint a brave person who is also a sincere believer.

It was a restless and long night for some Muslims because they wished to receive the flag. Hadrat Omar ibn-i Khattab RA said later, "I had never wished anything this much before. I wished to be appointed as the commander of the army to attain the commendation of the Prophet."

In the morning, the Prophet looked at the crowd. He skimmed the crowd from one end to the other. Everybody tried to be more visible by keeping his head up. The prophet kept searching with his eyes. He was not going to appoint an ordinary man to be the commander of army; it had to be a special person. It had to be with a divine sign. The Prophet asked: "Where is Ali?"

They said, "He is in his tent. His eye aches. He does not feel good."

"Call him!" said the Prophet.

Hadrat Ali arrived in pain. The Prophet looked at his eye, and touched it. The pain ceased, and Hadrat Ali felt better. The Prophet gave the flag to Hadrat Ali.

We conclude from this incident that Hadrat Ali loved Allah very much and was ready to give his life in the way of Allah. Allah loved him, too.

Hadrat Ali is also among the "Ashara-i Mubash-sharah." The Prophet told ten people while they were alive that they will enter Paradise. They were very special people who would not be spoiled with such a good news. They are known as (al-asharatul mubash-sharatu bil-jannah) "The ten people who were given the good news of entering Paradise." It is abbreviated in a Farisi compound with Arabic words: "Ashara-i Mubash-sharah." Hadrat Ali is among these ten people, so there is no doubt that he will enter Paradise. He was also martyred; that is another indication of entering Paradise. He is like a glittering gem in all aspects. May Allah make him our intercessor on the Day of Judgement. May He keep us on the path of Hadrat Ali. May He make those who love him look like him. May He save us from deviating from the path of Islam and the Qur'an while claiming to love him.

I say these because we see that some people claim to love Hadrat Ali, yet they contradict Islam and the Qur'an. They lead a life in contradiction to the life of the Prophet. I had many talks with them and expressed the matter in my essays. "I am also a descendant of Hadrat Ali; I consider myself the grandchild of the Prophet. Your path is wrong. Turn to the Qur'an. Start offering your salat. Abandon the haram and wine!" I keep telling them, and they know me well.

May Almighty Allah bring us to the line and path that He loves. May He save us from leading a life in contradiction to His consent.

I truly enjoyed reading this hadith. May Almighty Allah make Hadrat Ali our intercessor in the hereafter.

d. Loving Hadrat Hassan and Hadrat Hussain

The next hadith on the same page is, too, like hand-picked. I must say that I have no intention to seek the favor or votes of a group of people. The host of the house opened the page in the book. The Prophet said:

RE. 186/2 (Allàhumma innî uhibbuhumâ fa-ahibbahumâ, wa abghid men abghadahumâ, ya'nil-hasana wal-husayn.)

This hadith was narrated by Abû Hurayra RA and included in the collection of Tabarânî. It is on the 186th page of the hadith book Râmûz-al Ahadith.

(Allàhumma) "Oh my Allah, my Lord, (innî uhibbuhumâ) verily I love these two. (Fa-ahibbahumâ) You love these two, too. (Wa abghid men abghadahumâ) Have anger towards those who have anger towards these two.

It is a great blessing and honor to receive the love of the Prophet and his prayers. The Prophet asked Almighty Allah to love them and to get angry at those who gets angry at them. Allahu akbar!

Who are they? (Ya'nil-hasana wal-husayn.) They are Hadrat Hassan and Hadrat Hussain, the grandchildren of the Prophet who were born to Hadrat Fatima and Hadrat Ali. Our beloved Prophet prayed for them.

I believe I did not complete the second hadith: (Allàhumma wâli men wâlâhu) "O Allah! Love those who love him [Hadrat Ali], (wa àdi men àdâhu) show enmity for those who show enmity for him." The Prophet offered many supplications in favor of Hadrat Ali RA.

The third hadith is about the grandchildren of the Prophet, Hadrat Hasan and Hadrat Husssain RA. He said, "My Lord, I love these two." Of course, they were his grandchildren. He had so much love for them. He had so much love for his daughter Hadrat Fatima RA. When she arrived, he would get up and kiss her forehead. She will be among the honorable ladies in Paradise. "I love these two, and you love them, too," said the Prophet.

The grandchildren of the Prophet, Hadrat Hassan and Hadrat Hussain, deserved the supplications of the Prophet. They both were martyred. One was poisoned, the other one martyred with his family members in Karbala. The way they died is an indication that they will enter Paradise. (Wa abghid men abghadahumâ) "Have anger towards those who have anger towards these two," said the Prophet.

May Almighty Allah give us the opportunity to study the History of Islam, so we have a better understanding of the companions of the Prophet. May Allah instill in our hearts love for all of the companions especially Hadrat Ali, Hadrat Hassan and Hadrat Hussain. May He grant us their intercession in the hereafter. May He honor us with His Beauty in His Paradise and place us in their ranks.

Hadrat Fatima, the mother of the believers, is the queen of the ladies in Paradise. Hadrat Hasan and Hussain are the leaders of the youth in Paradise. O Allah! Make us meet Hadrat Ali, the rightly guided caliphs, the Ashara-i Mubash-shara, and your close friends Awliyaullah in Paradise. Make us meet Abû Bakr-i Siddîq, Omarul Fâruq, Othmân-i Zinnûrayn, Aliyy-i Murtazâ and other blessed elderly in Paradise.

(Bilutfika wa karamika) With your favor and grace (wa bihurmati ismikal a'zam wa a-azzul akram) with the respects for your great name and exalted generosity, (wa innaka ujîbud-da-awât) verily you respond to prayers (wa qàdil hâjât) and judge the needs of mankind, (wa akramul akramîn) and you are the most generous of the generous ones (wa arhamur-râhimîn) and the most merciful of the merciful ones. Let us recite the surah Fatiha.

February 2, 2001 -- AUSTRALIA