Love for The Prophet

he did not have any food for breaking the fast so he would break his fast merely with water or dates and thank Almighty Allah.

Aisha bint Abi Bakr says, “Ali was very devoted to prayers and fasting. He was the hafiz of Quran.” It is said that he would recite the whole Quran while riding the horse. His state of humility and fear of Allah was such that when the salat time approached, he would become restless, his face expressions changed and he would shiver in the fear of standing before Allah. Once a fellow asked him about this state, he replied, “Salat is the time to return the Trust of Allah. The Trust that skies, earth and mountains refused to bear. My inward is perturbed with the fear whether I would be able to justify bearing the Trust or not.”

LOVE FOR THE PROPHET

Love cannot be claimed merely by words. Rather love is an inner state in which the lover is ready to sacrifice his life and all belongings for the beloved. The lover is enticed by the beauty of his beloved, follows his footsteps and never backs off from him. He is an ardent well-wisher of his beloved. The Companions of the Prophet had such love for him, and Ali was fully immersed in this love. Since childhood he had the honour of enjoying the blessed company of Prophet Mohammad. How could the company of ultimate manifestation of Divine beauty not ignite the flame of love in him! The surging passion of love embraced his inward and drowned him in the ocean of love of the Prophet. This love was so strong that there was no diminishing in it with time. Rather every passing day nurtured his passion for his beloved.

The Holy Prophet, per the ordain of Allah, began the preaching of Islam from home. Thus, he invited the people of Hashim tribe to a lavish feast. During the feast when he invited the idol worshippers towards Oneness of Allah, they were enraged. At

that time, Ali was only nine years old, he was feeble and sick but his inward was enlightened with the light of love for the Prophet. He fearlessly got up and declared his support for the Prophet. At the time of migration, Prophet Mohammad asked Ali to sleep on his bed and questioned him, “The infidels are outside with their unsheathed sharp swords, waiting for the sun to rise, what if they mistakenly kill you?”

Just listen to the answer of the lover of the Prophet! He said: “O Prophet of Allah! I am happy to sacrifice my life for your life and my soul for your soul. I value my life only if it is spent in your service. ” Imagine the depth of Ali‟s love for the Prophet! His love is not limited to the boundaries of the physical world rather he is happy to sacrifice his soul for the soul of his beloved.

In the battle of Uhad when this sincere lover of the Prophet could not find him and heard the rumour of his martyrdom, he was struck with extreme dismay. His life became worthless to him. Thus, he jumped among the non-believers swirling his Dhu alFiqar in the air. He continued to advance recklessly piling up dead bodies on his way. He then saw his master surrounded by the infidels. Seeing this, he attacked the infidels like a lion and compelled them to go away from the Prophet. The Apostle of Allah smiled at his unique style of devotion and said, “Ali is from me and I am from Ali.”

At the time of writing the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Suhayl ibn Amr objected on writing „Prophet of Allah‟ with the name of the Holy Prophet. The Prophet asked Ali to erase the title, to which he said, “O master! How can my pen dare to do such impudence!” Then Prophet Mohammad took pen from him and erased those words himself.