IranDaily.gif IranDaily.gif
Society
Tue, Jul 15, 2008

Advanced Search
ADVERTISING RATES
PDF Edition
Front Page
National
Domestic Economy
Science
Iranica
Society
World
Middle East
Sports
Art & Culture
RSS
Archive
Imam Ali Commander of the Faithful
109956.jpg
The holy shrine of Imam Ali (AS) in Najaf.
This article gives a brief account of Imam Ali (AS), the Commander of the Faithful, the first of the Imams--the rulers of Muslims and of God’s (appointed) successor in religion after the Apostle of God, the truthful and the trusted one, Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH), the seal of the prophets.
Imam Ali was a paternal cousin of the Prophet and a helper (vizier) in his affairs, his son-in- law (being married to his daughter, Fatima) the chaste, guide of women of the universe. (The full name of) the Commander of the faithful is Ali ibn Abu Talib bin Abd al Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abd Manaf. (He was) the Lord of the testamentary trustees of authority (wasiyyin), the best of blessings and peace be on him. His Kunya was Abu al-Hasan, Al-Islam.org reported.
He was born in the Sacred House (Kaba) in Mecca on Friday, the thirteenth day of the month of Rajab, thirty years after the Year of the Elephant (c.570). Nobody before or after him has ever been born in the Kaba. It was a mark of him being honored by God, the Most High, may His name be exalted, and of his position be dignified in its greatness.
His mother was Fatima, daughter of Asad bin Hashim bin Abd Manaf. She was like a mother to the Apostle of God, may God bless her and her household and he (the Apostle) was brought up under her care.
She was grateful for her kindness and she was among the first to believe in him and migrated with him.

Double Attribute
Imam Ali and his brothers were among the leading members of the second generation of descendants of the Hashim tribe. Thus, he gained two attributes of nobility, through his growing up under the care and tutelage of the Prophet. He was the first of in the House and of the Companions to believe in God and His Apostle. He was the first male whom the Prophet invited to embrace Islam and who complied. He never ceased to support religion and to strive against polytheists.
He was always a strong defender of the faith and fought against those who supported deviation (from the truth) and despotism. He spread the teachings of the Sunnah (the practice of the Prophet) and the Qur’an, upheld justice in all his rulings and judgments, and encouraged the people toward promotion of virtue and prevention of vice.
He was with the Prophet for 23 years after the (coming) of the (prophetic) mission. Of these, thirteen years were in Mecca before the migration when he shared with him all the persecutions and bore most of his hardships. Then there were ten years in Medina after the emigration when he defended the Last Messenger of God against the polytheists and strove with him against the unbelievers. The First Imam protected Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with his own life from the enemies of religion until the time of his eternal departure. At that time of the Prophet’s demise the Commander of the Faithful was 33 years old.
After the death of the Prophet, differences emerged over his Imamate (caliphate). The Shia, including the Bani Hashim, Salman, Ammar, Abu Dharr, al-Miqdad, Khuzayma bin Thabit--the man known as the possessor of two testimonies--Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Jabir bin Abdallah al-Ansari, Abu Said al-KhudriÉamong the important immigrants and Ansar maintained that Imam Ali was the successor (caliph). (They did this) because of his outstanding merit (Fadl) above all mankind, and the fact that there were in him all the qualities of an outstanding leader--judgment and perfection, being the first in the community to enter the faith, his superiority over all others in knowledge of the law, his precedence over them in fighting (jihad) and the distinction that set him apart from them in the extent of his piety, asceticism and righteousness.


Prophetic Designation
Furthermore, he had been particularly designated by the Prophet from among (all) his relatives because of the qualities which no other relative shared with the Prophet, and also because of the nomination (Nass) of his authority (Wilaya) by God who in the Holy Qur’an says: Your authority (Wali) is God and His Apostle, and those believers who perform the prayer and pay alms (Zakat) while they are bowing (in prayer). [ V 55]
It is known that no one except Imam Ali paid alms while bowing (in worship).
Of his 30-years as Imam after the Prophet, for almost 25 years he was prevented from administering the laws (of the office) (and had to) exercise precautionary dissimulation (Taqiyya) and withdrawal.
For five years he was preoccupied with wars against the hypocrites, those who broke their pledges, the unjust and those who deviated (from religion) and he was troubled by the plots and seditions of those who had gone astray.
Imam Ali emigrated and for ten years was involved in wars with unbelievers and plotters against the divine faith until the time that he left for his eternal abode.
His death at the age of 63 came before dawn on Friday, the 21st of the month of Ramadan, in the year 40 A.H. He was martyred by Ibn Muljam al-Muradi (may God’s curse fall on him) in the mosque of Kufa in present day Iraq.
Kenya Warned
Kenya will regret its failure to protect the environment, Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai said Sunday, as environmentalists battled to halt a government backed biofuels project.
SocietyCol2
Islam Accords Status to Women
109944.jpg
Secretary General of the World Assembly of Proximity among Islamic Schools of Thought (WAPIST) Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri said Sunday that Islam accords an influential role to women in the development process.
Addressing a seminar on Consolidation of Family in the Islamic Law in Syria he said that Islam considers men and women equal with common duties toward children and the family, IRNA reported.
He said women are entitled to their rights in light of the Islamic human rights charter.
Basic rights and civil liberties are part of rights envisaged in Islam for women, he added.
The seminar wrapped up its two-day work at the Syrian Faculty of Islamic Science on Sunday.
It studied ways to help fill the vacuum caused by ignoring family values enshrined in Islam.
More than 50 distinguished experts and academicians from Syria, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar attended in the meeting.

World’s Oldest Blogger Passes Away
109947.jpg
An Australian woman described as the world’s oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting her final message, a note on her website says.
Olive Riley “passed away peacefully on July 12 and will be mourned by thousands of Internet friends and hundreds of descendants and other relatives“, the note said.
Riley had posted more than 70 entries on her blog--or as she jokingly labeled it, her “blob’’--since February last year, Reuters reported.
She shared her thoughts on modern life and her experiences living through the entire 20th century.
Born on October 20, 1899, she lived through two world wars and raised three children while doing various jobs, including ranch cook and barmaid.
In her final post on June 26, she wrote about singing “a happy song“ in her nursing home.
“Penny, who’s in the next bed to mine, had a visit one day this week from her daughter, who’s a professional singer. Guess what happened! She and I sang a happy song, as I do every day, and before long we were joined by several nurses, who sang along too. It was quite a concert!“
She also wrote about her frail health conditions, complaining: “I can’t believe I’ve been here in this nursing home for more than a week.
“How the days have flown, even though I’ve been in bed most of the time. I still feel weak, and can’t shake off that bad cough.“

A Silver Lining to Fuel Prices
109950.jpg
High gas prices could turn out to be a lifesaver for some drivers in the US, the authors of a new study have claimed.
The researchers say gas prices are causing driving declines that could result in a third fewer auto deaths annually, with the most dramatic drop likely to be among teen drivers.
Professors Michael Morrisey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and David Grabowski of Harvard Medical School said they found that for every 10 percent increase in gas prices there was a 2.3 percent decline in auto deaths.
For drivers ages 15 to 17, the decline was 6 percent, and for ages 18 to 21, it was 3.2 percent.
Their study looked at fatalities from 1985 to 2006, when gas prices reached about $2.50 a gallon.
With gas now averaging more than $4 a gallon, Morrisey said he expects to see much greater drop--about 1,000 deaths a month.
With annual auto deaths typically ranging from about 38,000 to 40,000 a year, a drop of 12,000 deaths would cut the total by nearly a third, Morrisey said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“I think there is some silver lining here in higher gas prices in that we will see a public health gain,“ Grabowski said.
But he cautioned that their estimate of a decline of 1,000 deaths a month could be offset somewhat by the shift under way to smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient cars and the increase in motorcycle and scooter driving. Morrisey said the study also found the “same kind of symmetry“ between gas prices and auto deaths when prices go down.
“When that happens we drive more, we drive bigger cars, we drive faster and fatalities are higher,“ he said.

Austria Allows Cannabis for Medical Purposes
109953.jpg
Austria’s parliament has adopted a new bill allowing the cultivation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes, under the Health Ministry’s control.
The bill, approved by parliament, will give the health and food safety agency AGES the exclusive right in Austria to grow the plant, which is otherwise categorized as a drug, AFP reported.
President of the Austrian pain studies association OeSG, welcomed the new legislation, saying: “Any initiative that makes it possible to develop and provide new drugs for pain therapy is welcome.“
“Substances drawn from cannabis have been used for medical purposes more and more in the last few years,“ he added.
Possession of or dealing in cannabis incurs a 6-month prison sentence in Austria.
| Front Page | National | Domestic Economy | Science | Iranica | Society | World |
| Middle East | Sports | Art & Culture |
| Identification | Search | RSS | Archive |
Copyright, Iran Daily Newspaper
Contact us: iran-daily@iran-daily.com