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## Research on the Political Life of Ahl al‑Bayt (peace be upon them)
### Lesson One: The Era of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)
#### Objectives of the Lesson
1. To become familiar with the era of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
2. To understand the events of al‑Saqifah and the Imam’s موقف regarding them.
3. To learn how Imam Ali (peace be upon him) confronted political deviation.
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## Introduction
The era of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) can be divided into two distinct periods:
– The period of the three caliphs.
– The period of his own rule.
The first period begins with the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) on the 28th of Safar in the year 11 AH and ends with the killing of Uthman.
The second period begins with the pledge of allegiance to Imam Ali and his direct leadership of the Islamic state and community, and it ends with his martyrdom.
Despite the tremendous efforts made by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in educating the Muslim community, preparing them to bear responsibility, and establishing the Islamic state, his absence created a great vacuum—especially with the presence and growth of the line of hypocrisy.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had made every effort to prepare the political and social groundwork for the leader after him, repeatedly affirming—by the command of Allah—the guardianship (wilayah) of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). Yet all of this did not prevent the emergence of factors that threatened the stability of the Islamic state and the preservation of the purified message.
Therefore, Imam Ali (peace be upon him)—entrusted by Allah and His Messenger—had the responsibility to preserve the fruits of the final message, including the Prophet’s state and community, and to protect the message and the law from distortion, falsification, or loss.
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## The Events of al‑Saqifah
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) passed away, only Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the Banu Hashim were present with him in his final moments. The people learned of his death from the cries and commotion, and they gathered in and around the mosque.
At that moment a surprising stance came from Umar ibn al‑Khattab. After entering the house of the Prophet and then coming out with a sword in his hand, he declared:
“Some hypocrites claim that the Messenger of Allah has died. By Allah, he has not died; he has gone to his Lord just as Moses son of Imran went.”
Umar continued in this state until Abu Bakr arrived at the house of the Prophet, uncovered the Prophet’s face, and then came out to the people saying:
“O people, whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad has died. But whoever worships Allah, then Allah is alive and never dies.”
While Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the Prophet’s family were occupied with preparing the Prophet’s body, performing the funeral prayer, and burying him, a group of the Ansar gathered at the Saqifah of Banu Sa‘idah to discuss the issue of leadership. The meeting was led by Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah, the chief of the Khazraj tribe.
Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu ‘Ubaydah went to them, and others joined afterward.
The people became divided into two groups:
– The Qurayshi party (the Muhajirun).
– The Ansar.
Both groups disputed over the leadership, each claiming that they were more deserving of it.
The argument of the Qurayshi party against the Ansar rested on two points:
1. The Muhajirun were the first to accept Islam.
2. They were the closest people to the Messenger of Allah in kinship.
However, this argument condemned their own claim. If leadership was based on precedence in Islam and close kinship to the Prophet, then it belonged to Imam Ali alone, because he was the first to accept Islam and believe in the message, the Prophet’s brother by the pact of brotherhood, and his cousin and closest relative.
The Ansar themselves were not united in opinion, and many of their most distinguished members—such as Abu Ayyub al‑Ansari, Hudhayfah ibn al‑Yaman, and ‘Ubadah ibn al‑Samit—were not present at the meeting.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) is reported to have said regarding the caliphate:
“How astonishing! Can the caliphate be determined by companionship alone, yet not by companionship together with kinship?”
And poetry attributed to him expresses the same meaning:
“If you claimed authority through consultation,
How could that be when the counselors were absent?
And if you argued by kinship with the Prophet,
Then someone else is closer to him than you.”
Although the Ansar were the larger portion of the Muslim community and knew well the prophetic traditions concerning the Ahl al‑Bayt, including the Prophet’s appointment of Imam Ali at Ghadir Khumm, their hurried meeting at Saqifah likely arose from their fear that Quraysh intended to divert the caliphate from its rightful holder.
In any case, the result of the Saqifah meeting was the redirection of the caliphate away from its rightful owner after a lengthy dispute.
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## Signs of a Plan to Exclude Imam Ali from the Caliphate
According to this analysis, several actions indicate a coordinated effort by those opposing Imam Ali:
1. Remaining in Medina and not joining the army of Usama when the Prophet became ill.
2. Staying close to the Prophet and attempting to prevent anything that might reinforce Imam Ali’s authority—such as the disturbance during the Prophet’s request to write a statement, when the slogan “The Book of Allah is sufficient for us” was raised.
3. Quickly settling the issue of succession while Imam Ali and Banu Hashim were occupied with the Prophet’s funeral.
4. Attempting to neutralize the Ansar by arguing that they were not from the Prophet’s tribe.
5. Taking the pledge first from the Ansar so that it would carry practical weight.
Despite these efforts, a group of Muhajirun and Ansar remained loyal to Imam Ali, including al‑Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle.
Those in power eventually resorted to force. According to reports cited in the text, a group attacked the house of Imam Ali—despite knowing that Fatimah al‑Zahra (peace be upon her) was inside—and threatened to burn it in order to compel those inside to pledge allegiance.
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## Imam Ali’s موقف Toward the Events of Saqifah
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was not driven by ambition for power. His primary concern was to preserve Islam, strengthen the religion, and maintain the mission of the Prophet.
Nevertheless, many texts attributed to him describe the political deviation that occurred after the Prophet’s death.
Among them is his statement in the famous **Sermon of al‑Shaqshaqiyyah** in *Nahj al‑Balaghah*:
“By Allah, the son of Abu Quhafah dressed himself with it (the caliphate), while he certainly knew that my position in relation to it was like the axis in relation to the millstone.”
In another statement he said:
“As for their monopoly over this matter while we are higher in lineage and more closely connected to the Messenger of Allah—it was a selfish act in which some people were greedy for it while others were generous enough to leave it.”
He also said:
“O Allah, I seek Your help against Quraysh and those who aided them, for they cut off my kinship, belittled my great position, and united to dispute with me over a matter that is my right.”
These statements express several key ideas:
– The caliphate was the right of Imam Ali.
– Some people assumed the position without rightful claim.
– Quraysh and their supporters planned to seize power.
– Imam Ali was excluded from the affairs of leadership.
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## Two Political Approaches
The events reveal two distinct intellectual and political approaches:
**First approach:**
Power is a means to establish moral and religious values. Values must not be sacrificed for the sake of power.
**Second approach:**
Power itself is the ultimate goal, and values may be used or ignored depending on whether they serve that goal.
The first approach was embodied by Imam Ali and the Imams from his descendants.
The second approach characterized those who opposed them.
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## Imam Ali and the Consequences of Saqifah
Many companions objected to the outcome of Saqifah and supported Imam Ali’s claim to leadership. Among them were:
– Khuzaymah ibn Thabit
– Sahl ibn Hunayf
– Ammar ibn Yasir
Ammar reportedly said:
“O Muslims! If you know, then act; if not, then know that the family of your Prophet are more deserving of him and more entitled to inherit his authority and manage the affairs of religion.”
Nevertheless, pressure was placed on Imam Ali to pledge allegiance. Armed men surrounded his house and brought him before Abu Bakr demanding that he pledge.
Imam Ali replied firmly:
“I am more entitled to this matter than you. I will not pledge allegiance to you while you should pledge allegiance to me… We are closer to the Messenger of Allah, both in his life and after his death.”
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## The Difficult Choice
Imam Ali faced three possible paths:
1. Accept the pledge without resistance.
2. Remain patient despite injustice.
3. Revolt against the new authority.
He chose the second path—patience—so that the greater interests of Islam and the mission entrusted to him by the Prophet could be preserved.
He also rejected an offer from Abu Sufyan to support him politically, because Imam Ali knew the political ambitions behind it.
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## Political Deviation and Its Consequences
The early Muslim community witnessed two main intellectual trends:
1. **The trend of full submission to the religious text** and adherence to divine guidance in all aspects of life (represented by the school of Ahl al‑Bayt and their followers).
2. **The trend of relying on independent judgment (ijtihad)** beyond the text, allowing reinterpretation of religious rulings according to perceived interests.
These two trends, which had already appeared during the Prophet’s lifetime, became more evident after his death.
The Shi‘i perspective holds that the leadership of Ahl al‑Bayt—beginning with Imam Ali—represents both:
– **Religious and intellectual authority**, and
– **Political and social leadership.**
The other trend separated political authority from this divinely guided leadership and entrusted governance to certain members of the Muhajirun based on their own considerations.
