Bravery and Valour

speech. The book Nahj al-Balagha which is a collection of his sermons and letters, certifies his eloquence. It is considered a masterpiece in Arabic literature. He was not only an extremely pleasant orator but also an extraordinary writer. Ali ibn Abi Talib was also unparalleled in the knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence. He had great command of finding solutions to the problems based on Quran and Sunna. He resolved very complicated problems during the reigns of his predecessor Caliphs. He was the Chief Justice of the judicial system established by Umar. Ali ibn Abi Talib was well versed in Arabic language. He is considered the originator of the Arabic grammatical rules. Under his supervision, one of his students compiled a book on the Arabic grammatical rules. Ali was also a highly accomplished poet. His poetry was like a treasure chest, full of pearls of wisdom and enlightenment. His poetic verses have the tendency to make the heart bloom and erase the darkness of inward. Even to date, his quotes act as beacon of righteousness and guidance for the people and invite them to reflect and act. He has narrated five hundred and eightysix Hadiths.

BRAVERY AND VALOUR

Bravery was like the jewel of his chaste disposition and the basic attribute of his personality. The Prophet of Allah while acknowledging his bravery entitled him Asadullah (Lion of God) and awarded him his sword Dhu al-Fiqar which became the symbol of his courage. Brave is the one who is willing to sacrifice his life for the renaissance of truth irrespective of the power of his opponents and regardless of the severity of the situation. Ali had this quality to the utmost level.

He participated in all the main battles of Islam and set such examples of valour and bravery that are written in golden words in the history of Islam. In Battle of the Trench, a great warrior and wrestler of the Arabs, Amr ibn Abd al-Wud, crossed the trench and confronted the Muslim soldiers raising slogans of his bravery and challenged them to fight. How could Ali‟s valour and his honour for Islam tolerate that some infidel keeps challenging the Muslims to fight and no one among the followers of the Prophet respond! Ali accepted the challenge and with the permission of the Holy Prophet left for the battlefield like an arrow released from a bow. Ali unsheathed his sword, Dhu alFiqar, swirled it in the air like a lightening and beheaded his arrogant and evil opponent. In no time his vain head was seen rolling in blood and dust. The Holy Prophet and his Companions praised Ali and raised the slogans of „Allah is the Greatest. ‟ The fort Na‟im of Khaybar was very strong and its chief guard Marhab had outstanding warrior skills and bravery. Muslim soldiers made several attempts to conquer Khaybar but were unsuccessful. One day, the Prophet of Allah said, “Tomorrow I will give the Muslim flag to the man who with the help of Allah will conquer this fort.” Next morning, he called Ali and was told that Ali was sick. His eyes were aching and he could not see anything. On the Prophet‟s order, a Companion brought him holding his arm. The Holy Prophet rubbed his saliva on Ali‟s eyes and miraculously he recovered as if his eyes never had any ailment. Ali held the Islamic flag and roaring like a lion attacked the fort. Marhab came to combat him. Ali cut his head with the strike of his sword and pulled the heavy gate of the fort off its hooks and captured the fort. The life of Ali ibn Abi Talib from beginning till end is full of such acts of bravery. At the age of ten he announced his adoption of Islam without fearing the opposition of the Hashim tribe. He fearlessly declared that he would fight whoever confronted his

master, the Holy Prophet. What could be a better example of courage and bravery that on the night of migration of the Holy Prophet, Ali slept on his bed even though he was aware that the enemies had surrounded the house of Prophet Mohammad and were thirsty for his blood. It was most likely that when the enemies attacked the house in the morning, they might kill Ali in rage upon not finding the Holy Prophet. In the Battle of Badr when Utbah and Shaybah refused to fight with any Ansar soldier, it was Ali who relentlessly confronted the non-believers while raising slogans of Allah‟s greatness. His incomparable valour and bravery destroyed them and their remnants were seen soiled in blood and mud. He first sliced the head of Walid ibn Utbah then he found Ubaydah ibn al-Harith seriously injured by Utbah. Thus, Ali swirling his Dhu al-Fiqar, reached Utbah and attacked him with such power and skill that his sword sliced Utbah‟s body in two pieces. The Battle of Uhad pronounces the valour of Ali. Like other battles, Ali displayed his incomparable bravery in this battle as well and was praised by the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet had appointed some soldiers at Mound Uhad‟s pass and ordered them to not leave the pass in any condition. However, when the nonbelievers ran away being defeated and the Muslims were collecting the spoils, the soldiers appointed at the pass disobeyed the order and left their assigned posts to collect spoils. Muslim army was taken by surprise when the brave solider of Makkah, Khalid ibn al-Walid attacked back on Muslims taking advantage of the empty pass. It brought chaos in the Islamic troops. The Holy Prophet was surrounded by enemies and many Companions were martyred. Muslims had almost gained victory but because of breaching Prophet Mohammad‟s orders, they neared defeat. Mus‟ab ibn Umayr had a lot of resemblance with the Holy Prophet, because of his martyrdom and the propaganda of non-