{"id":10692,"date":"2021-02-07T07:08:51","date_gmt":"2021-02-07T07:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/?p=10692"},"modified":"2021-02-07T07:08:51","modified_gmt":"2021-02-07T07:08:51","slug":"imam-ali-s-remain-silent-25-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/10692\/imam-ali-s-remain-silent-25-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Why did Imam Ali (A.S) remain silent for 25 years?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why did Imam Ali (A.S) remain silent for 25 years?<\/h1>\n

The validity of the Ahadith<\/em>\u00a0confirming Ali (AS) as the Caliph and the Imam is beyond question. But the question remains: Why did Ali (AS), the rightful successor to the Prophet (PBUH), remain silent after the latter\u2019s death and made no effort to press his rights? Why did he not awaken society from its slumber? The answer is that Imam Ali (AS) never hesitated to press for his rights and always reminded people of the rightful place of the Prophet\u2019s (PBUH) Household as successors, but he never attempted to take back his rights by force. We will consider the historical reports about this in the following paragraphs.<\/p>\n

How the Imam pressed for his rights in different situations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS), was informed of the strife between the Emigrants and the Helpers in Saqifa, and also of their bragging about themselves, he asked: \u2018What was the Helper\u2019s argument?\u2019 They answered: \u2018Since we have sheltered the Prophet (PBUH), one leader shall be chosen from the Helpers and one from the Emigrants.\u2019 the Imam (AS) said: \u2018If the leader were supposed to be chosen from the Helpers, why did the Prophet (PBUH) then urge us to be kind to those Helpers who were righteous and upright and merciful towards those of them who were sinful?\u2019<\/p>\n

A man asked the Imam (AS): \u2018How does this statement indicate that leadership does not belong to the Helpers?\u2019 He responded: \u2018If leadership were their due, there would be no need to advise us to treat them kindly since those in power do not need kindness.\u2019 Then, the Imam asked: \u2018What was Quraysh\u2019s argument?\u2019 They reported that the Quraysh members said that they were the Prophet\u2019s (PBUH) tribe. the Imam (AS) commented: \u2018They took the tree and left the fruit\u2019 (Nahjul-Balagha<\/em>, Sermon 67). Sharif Al-Radhi quotes Imam Ali (AS) in\u00a0Nahjul-Balagha<\/em>\u00a0as composing the following lines of poetry as a reaction to the Quraysh\u2019s stance:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You say you have seized power through a council<\/li>\n
  2. But the council members were all absent<\/li>\n
  3. And if you have resorted to kinship and won power<\/li>\n
  4. Then, there are others closer to the Prophet (PBUH) that you are. (Aphorism 190)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    5. Sometime after Saqifa, they brought Ali to the Mosque forcefully to make him pledge allegiance, but he resisted their demand and said: \u2018I am more entitled to the Caliphate than you. The right thing to do is for you to take an oath of loyalty to me. You snatched the power and caliphate from the hands of the Helpers by claiming to be the relatives of the Prophet (PBUH) but now you are depriving his family of their right to caliphate!\u2019<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Surprisingly, in that gathering, it was Umar ibn Al-Khattab who demanded that Ali (AS) pledge allegiance and said: \u2018I will not let go of you until you give the oath.\u2019 However, the Imam, who by means of divine knowledge knew about this man\u2019s future, revealed Umar ibn Al-Khattab\u2019s true motive behind his insistence through a proverb: \u2018You only milk a cow if at least half of it is going to be yours!\u2019<\/li>\n
    2. Abu Ubayda Al-Jarrah employed a more moderate tone. He turned to Ali and said: \u2018Cousin! You are young, but they are the elders of this community; you are not as experienced as they. That is why I deem Abu Bakr as the fittest for assuming authority over Muslims. Let him be Caliph! In the future, if you are alive, you will be more worthy and qualified than anyone else, since no one doubts your wisdom, virtue, eminence, and your kinship to the Prophet.\u2019 In response to Abu Ubayda, the Imam (AS) said: \u2018The successor of the Prophet (PBUH) must have all the qualities that you have just mentioned, but the Caliph chosen at Saqifa lacks them:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      • Knowledge of the Quran<\/li>\n
      • Knowledge of religious laws<\/li>\n
      • Good awareness of the Prophet\u2019s tradition (Sunna<\/em>)<\/li>\n
      • Good awareness of social affairs and matters<\/li>\n
      • Eagerness to eradicate corruption and wrong-doings from society<\/li>\n
      • Fair distribution of public wealth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        I do not see these qualities in the present Caliph to take an oath to him; I see them rather in myself\u2019 (Al-Imama wa Al-Siy\u0101sa<\/em>, 1\/11-12).<\/p>\n

        Amr ibn Wathila says: \u2018I was eavesdropping outside the house in which the Council of Six was formed when I heard Ali saying: \u201cI will provide you with an argument so compelling that neither the Arabs nor non-Arabs can refute it.\u201d Then he said: \u201cIs there anyone among you who believed in Islam earlier than me?\u201d All of them said: \u201cNo!\u201d Ali (AS) continued, \u201cIs there anyone among you about whom the Prophet (PBUH) said something like this: \u2018And whoever I am the master of, then Ali is his master. O, God! Love those who love him, and be an enemy to those who are enemies to him.\u2019?\u201d Again, they all answered, \u201cNo\u201d\u2019 (Al-\u1e62aw\u0101\u02bfiq<\/em>, 75)<\/p>\n

        In the year 35\/656, Imam Ali (AS) accepted the position of Caliph as a religious duty. On that day, the Imam said, in the presence of the Prophet\u2019s Companions: \u2018Who amongst you has heard this sentence at Ghadir Khumm: \u201cAnd whoever I am the master of, then Ali is his master. O\u2019 God, Love those who love him, and be an enemy to those who are enemies to him\u201d?\u2019 Some, including Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, Sahl ibn Hanif, Khuzayma ibn Thabit, Abd Allah ibn Thabit al-Ansari, stood up and said: \u2018We heard what has just been saying\u2019 (Usud Al-Gh\u0101ba<\/em>, 3\/307 and 5\/205).<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. The Imam\u2019s (AS) reasoning and arguments regarding his legitimacy are not restricted to the instances just mentioned, rather he would break his silence and proclaim the truth on many occasions.<\/li>\n
        2. After Prophet\u2019s (PBUH) death, his daughter Fatimah (SA), her sons Hassan (AS) and Hussain (AS), and even Abdallah ibn Ja\u02bffar, and Ammar ibn Yasir confirmed Ali\u2019s (AS) rightfulness on the basis of what had transpired at Ghadir. It is interesting to note that when the relation between Muawiya and Amr ibn Al-As went sour, the latter uttered in an ode extolling many of Ali\u2019s (AS) noble characteristics and pointed to his appointment by the Prophet (PBUH) as his successor at Ghadir Khumm (See\u00a0al-Ghad\u012br<\/em>, 2\/159 onwards). In reality, those who form friendships and alliances based on material interests, at times of disagreement, find their ties of friendship and their unity shattered. Accordingly, Amr ibn al-As in his ode reveals this to be a reality. Therefore, the arguments he deployed (for Ali\u2019s (AS) rightfulness) are indicative of the fact that Ali (AS) and his descendants never gave up trying to protect the rights of the people and guide them to the right path.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Event of Ghadir after hajj al-tamattu’<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n