Imam Ali’s entire life is a lesson for the Muslim Ummah in obedience to Allah, his Prophet and the Sharia. Every moment, action, and sentence he uttered can be considered as scripture. That’s why most consider him the embodiment of a perfect human being after the Prophet and why we must emulate the following lessons from Imam Ali’s life in our lives as much as possible.
1. Avoiding Credit
Spending more money on things than what one can afford or buying things on credit are acts that the Imams of the Ahlulbayt discouraged. The Commander of the Faithful showed that by personal example.
Once, Imam Ali passed by a butcher shop selling good-quality meat. The butcher, who owned the shop, offered to sell some to Imam Ali, who replied, “I don’t have money with me.” The butcher said, “No problem, I can wait for the payment (you can take the meat).”
Imam Ali responded:
“I can also wait to purchase the meat (I won’t buy it on credit).”
2. Kindness, Even for the Unkind
In Siffin, since the Syrian forces were first to reach the battlefield, they immediately took control over the water well. Muawiya stationed more than 40,000 men to guard the water and refused its access to Imam Ali’s army.
In response, the Commander of the Faithful sent 4,000 cavalry and infantry units to gain control over the water source. Upon victory, the Imam sent a message to the army of Muawiya saying:
“We will not reciprocate your actions. Come have the water as we are equal in (need of) it.”
3. Extreme Care for Orphans
Once, during the caliphate of Imam Ali, a man brought containers of honey for the public treasury. The Imam immediately called for the orphans of the city and allowed them to eat directly from the containers while distributing the rest through small cups.
While this was happening one of the Imam’s companions asked the reason for this perplexing behaviour, to which Imam Ali replied:
“Indeed, an Imam is the father of the orphans, and I let them eat directly as an expression of compassion from a father.”
4. Total Surrender to the Imam
Imam Ali completely submitted himself to the will of his Imam (Holy Prophet), such that he would put himself in all kinds of danger for his sake. From the night of Hijrah to the battlefields of Badr, Uhud, Khaybar, and Khandaq, he never once questioned the Prophet when asked to face an enemy or to perform a task.
However, the peak of his submission can be seen in the events after the demise of the Prophet. The Imam faced unparalleled oppression, his rights were denied, and his family & friends were persecuted, yet he remained patient, as was the Prophet’s command.