the Equivalence in Existence

Ali felt that this great cosmos is cooperating, Vouching, one aspect of that is when the wind rises it moves the twigs powerfully, and when it Rises it plucks out the trees and the elements would arouse for it; and when it falls and flew over the land lightly, the surfaces of water would be intoxicated and things, below them, would quiet he also realized that comprehensive power of existence cultivates straws of plant with a law by which it cultivates grean leaves and plant which flattened over its stem and swayed for the wind. Ibn Abi Talib overthrew the merchants’ theory by a speech he has taken from the soul of existence, as if he is participating by it the cosmos in expressing what is in his conscience!

A man Casts one sight at the outer cosmos and its states: the fixed stars in the immensity of existence, the swimming planets in the horizons of eternity, the rising sun, the casual cloud, the hastening wind, the mountains rising, and the seas brittled by shells or on whose faces the night lain down – all this is enough to be confident that the cosmos has a law, and its conditions have a code as well, both of which lie under the senses and exist with every measure.

One sight a man casts at what surrounds him of close nature and its states: at the summer as its heat increases and its wind falls, the autumn whose forests dispirited and whose winds wail alternately and whose horizons of sky frown, the winter when its atmospheres thunder and disturbed with flashes, and its rains burst forth with waves crowded with waves and whose clouds mingle so that they even conceal, the signs of the earth and the sky, the spring which steetches the world with dewy horizons, rich rivers, cultivation, water and coloured paradises all this is enough for a man to be confiedent that this nature has a law, its conditions have a code as well, both of which lie under the senses and exist with evey measure.

One testing look a man casts at this and that is enough to guide him that these codes and laws are true, firm, and just, its stern logic performs these characteristics. They have alone what justifier the existence of this great cosmos.

Ibn Abi Talib cast that sight at the cosmos, and so realized directly what these codes have of truthfulness, firmness and justice. He was shaked at what he has seen and understood, flew in his blood, ran in his being, and clamoured into him a sense and a thinking; then his lips moved saying: “indeed with right the heavens and earth existed”. If you tried to gather truthfulness, firmness and justice in one word, you would not find a word containing all these except the word ‘the right’ – because of what is unified of its signiticonce with the spirit of these three words.

Ibn Abi Talib realized in his depths that comparison is true originalty and consequently between heaven and earth, which existed with the right, and they stretched with the three inseparable faces, truthfulness, firmness, and justice, and between the state which must be a small picture of this cosmos, existing on firm sound bases. So he lived in his mind and conscience this comparison spontaneously, with no space for a penetrating feeling or a strange thinking; then presently he says:

The greatest of these rights that Allah has made obligatory is the right of the ruler over the ruled and the right of the ruled over the ruler. This is an obligation which Allah has imposed on for each other. He has made it as a dicipline of their harmony. Consequently, the ruled cannot prosper unless the rulers are sound, and the rulers cannot be sound without the ruled’s righteousness. If the ruled render the rights of the ruler and the ruler renders their rights, then justice is practiced among them, signs of justice become clear and the rules took their course freely the continuance of government will be hoped. But if the ruled triumph over the ruler i.e. disobey, or the ruler does injustice to the ruled. Overthere, disagreement appears evry-where signs of injustice appear, the ways of the islamic “sunnah” are forsaken. Then desires are acted on, the islamic rules dispensed with, diseases of spirits become numerous and no annoyance is felt for disregarding a great right, nor in committ-ing a big wrong, there virtuous people are humiliated the vicious persons are honoured, and there Allah’s debts on his servants become very great.

I plea to you to consider this precision of the general large relations. Among the elements of state through Ali’s tongue. Then between the good productive works and stability of these elements on the bases of right; or say of truthfulness, firmness, and justice, the three aspects of the right with which the heavens and the earth existed.

Ali felt that this great cosmos is cooperating, integrating, therefore when the wind intensified it would move the twigs powerfully, and when it startled it would pluck out the trees and the elements would arouse for it; and when it softened and flew over the land lightly, the surfaces of water would be intoxicated and things below them would cooled down.

Ali felt that if the sun cast its light over the earth the marks of the earth would appear to the eyes and minds, and if it clears out, it would put on it a veil of darkness. He felt that plant grows, flourishes, foliates, and may fruit – and it is a thing which differs, in shape and aim, from the rays of day, the body of air, the drop of water, the dust of land; but it does not grow nor foliate except by this ray, this body, this drop, this dust.

He felt also that the water whose “waves were stormy and whose surges leapt one over the other” as he says is but “loaded on dashing wind and breaking typhoons” and that the wind which “Allah blew its motion and spread it wide” is ordered – despite this far source – to raise up deep waters and to intensify the waves of the oceans; pushed it fiercely into the firmament throwing its front position on the rear and the stationary on the flowing till its level was raised”. And one of the decoration of the earth, and joy of hearts are these stars and planets, light of piercing star the shining sun and luminous moon.

Ibn Abi Talib felt from an of that, that this cosmos, which is on the right, is but one whose elements are connected with each other in a cooperating and supporting manner, and that its powers have right imposed for some over some others and they are equivalent in all of its sides, inseparable by force of their existence and continuance.

He realized into his depths that reciprocation is true root and branch between these jointed cooperating elements and human beings who have to be cooperating and equivalent by force of their existence and continuance. They are of this cosmos things; what happens to all of its elements happens to them out of genius of joining forces which Ali sees it to be imposed on them; without which they do not live nor remain. Therefore he enfolds the world of solid nature and that of human being in one rational flash and one tremor of sensation, so as to explore the justice of this cosmos existing on a unity of truthfulness, firmness, and justice, applying this code in which he shares the cosmos in empressing, what is in its conscience saying:

“Then as a part of His rights, He imposed certain rights for certain people on some others. He made them so as to equate with one another. Some of these rights imply other rights. Some of which don’t fall due except with some others.

And also from this source is his great saying, in which he decides that the continuance of any beneficence is conditional on what is Imposed on its holder of a natural duty toward his human brothers, and that failure of carrying out this duty is enough to remove and exterminat them:

“If favours of Allah abound to a person people’s needs towards him also abound. Therefore, he who fulfils for Allah all that is obliged on him in this regard will preserve them in continuance and perpetuity, while he who does not fulfil them will expose them to elimination and extinction.

There is in these two sayings, which express the justice of the univers, and people-being of its creatures what dosen’t need much clarification.

The people’s rights, on Ali’s tongue, equal one another. They are like the rights of water on wind, the plant on water, water on the sun, and the sun on the law of existence. This norm, which impose on man not to be entitled to any right unless he renders others’ rights, is not but the just norm of existence which is founded on this justice.

The reader is to look out this matter soundly, then let him say his view on what he sees. If he did so he would grasp, undoubtedly that this norm, which Ibn Abi Talib has taken it to the roots of cosmic justice, is firm, and does not change itself or be overruled by any irregularities.

The elements of this cosmos do not take but to the amount they give, and some of them do not gain but to the amount which other lose. If the earth took light and warmth from the sun it would give existence the same amount it has taken (out of its age). likewise when it takes from the night a shadow to be covered with. If flower took, from the many elements of the cosmos, what gives it life, growth, and nice fragrance, light and air would take of its colour, the same amount they have given, so that when its formation integrated and reached the peak of its life, the amount it gives of its age grew greater; therefore life and death pull it back and forth until it commits its leaves and stem to death as to earth it swallows whatever it had granted it.

And the sea does not retrieve to its abdomen but what it has given the sky of coluds and the land of rain.

So is the human in his special life. He does not get any pleasure but by losing another he pays, intentionally or not, to compensate for what he has taken. He does not come to life unless it is decided that he will die. Ali says: “He who is the holder of death is the holder of life.”

And about this wise balance of the law of life in its wideness and orbits, its earth and sky, its solid and living creatures, Ibn Abi Talib expresses through this word which gathers soundness of thought, violence of observation, and genius of simplicity: “no benefaction is gotten but by losing another”.

The lookers are to see this saying, so if they did they would be certain that it is the reality which manifest itself through words similar to amathematical basis that could not be deviated from.

As for general life, there is not one concern of man’s that deviation from this basis which Ali bin Abi Talib extracts from the matter of great cosmos. Your right on your society is that this society should evaluate what you give, in quantity and quality, then to take from it the same amount you gave. But if you got less reward than you gave, your lot at that time had gone to someone else, and that one is enjoying of a goodness you are its owner, no doubt, and you are, as a result, compelled and prejui-diced. But if you took more reward than you gave, the other’s lot had gone to you, and that someone else hungers from what you ate, and you are hence compelling and oppressing. The existence of an oppressed and an oppressor in society is a corruption for it and a defect in the standerds of social justice which could not be right unless it entered in a profitable frame of cosmic justice. Wrong cannot be a basis, rather the right is the basis. And “the right cannot be cancelled by anything” in the law of cosmos! It is as such Ibn Abi Talib’s faith.

Looking at the great and bright aspect of cosmic justice did not distract Ali from looking at what is hidden and serious. His concern is that of genius poets, where accurate things represent for them, in form and meaning, what great things represent; they do not distinguish between alarge or a small thing, as they are one in origin and in significance as well.

What attracts on lookers has no more consideration in their minds and hearts than that which is concealed in the hideout and among shadows. Many a look flows sensations in the being of those more than that fountains of speech can. Many a hint by which they realize clear by what they can not see in a thousand declaration!

Many a flower under the wing of a rock may enjoy the greatness of the existence where they do not enjoy of agreat tree Rather many a small thing in their view is grander than a large one, and a little is more than a plenty! I see it adequate to mention in this respect a bit of a long saying I referred regarding the speech about the stance of the holder of great sense and comprehensive thought towards the cosmos whose hidden and apparent things are equal in indicating the grandeur it has, I said:

“As if I see that this nature represents, for the poet, the beauty of freedom to which he longs for as it sends the wind whenever and however it likes. With no cencern whether people resent against it or were satisfied contently! It gush the fountains from the rock when it likes, and from the limp of dust as well, and flows it silently in the plain and throws it from the heights of mountains. It protrude from its chest trees, rocks, peaks and valleys in the way it wants, with no concern that lilies may grow beside thorns or the needles of poison may hang green wood roses with fragrant perfume. It does not restrict itself to a knowledge which scorns dry straws and glorifies green leaves, or ridicule from small vermins looking out from the holes of rocks, so as to glorify the fierceness of strong beasts that pray upon the weak.”([1])

by this sight and feeling Ibn Abi Talib has faced the aspects of the one existence in the two natures: the silent and the living, he felt obviously and deeply alike that the comprehensive power of existence cultivates straws of the plant with a law by which it cultivates the green leaf and plant which flattened over its stem and swayed in the wind. It looks after the small trees of land as it does with vast great trees. As for beast, insects, grasshoppears, and small birds, nature has not worked, in cultivating them, a lesser portion than it has done in cultivating huge beasts and the eagle of sky. Every creature has its place in the wideness of existence, and everything has right in this existence. Thus the lofty mountain did not prevent Ibn Abi Talib from seeing stone and the atom of dust. It did not pass him as was looking at the peacock to pay attention to the humble ant creeping into the hideouts of the land between its ruins and its stones, so that it is, therefore, a grand creation and an ample thing. Ali did not see in the peacock and ant, which the day interests them, a thing exceeding, in the meaning of existence and its value, over what he saw in bats which the night was made day for them and were held by the light which is extending for everything. Yet he was seeing in them some ambiguities of wisdom so much as he sees in the great creatures. This creature, in Ali’s procedure, is sufficient to have breath of life, that is, to be surviving, so that the power of inclusive existence secures for it a basic portion that protects it from the danger of death before its time. The cosmic justice did not establish the living of creatures unless it sets its existence with that which keeps it surviving. This what is meant by the genius of the standard accurate observation of Ali’s in his saying: “For everyone having breath of life is a foodstuff, and for every grain is an eater.”

But if there was an obstacle between the starved and his foodstuff, between the grain and its eater, this prevention is an aggression against the standards of cosmic justice, and a slander against the value of life and meaning of existence. Ali says: “By Allah, even if I am given all the domains of the seven stars in order that I may disobey Allah to the extent of stripping an aunt of a grain of barley I would not do it.”

As for aggression against the standards of cosmic justice, the punishment for it is existent due to the nature of this general justice itself which judges the doer in a manner having no laxity nor severity, but justice and reward.

So was the grand Allawiyah look to the meaning of the one life, in its plenty and scantiness, in its largeness and smallness. The cosmic justice, which adjust the relaitons among creatures, cultivated them in their different states, and fulfilled, among them, mutual works, reciprocal rights, and equal duties, did not distinguish between an aspect of life and another one, did not order a strong one to transgress over a weak one as the strong one has the means of aggression, did not agree for the many to oppress the rights of the few as the many have been granted with features of richness. It, therefore, does not forgive the oppression of the few under the pretext of the interest of the many. He who aggrieves a living being, in Ibn Abi Talib’s procedure, is as though he aggrieved all living beings. And he who kills a self as though he has killed the whole of people. And he who hurts a living being is as if he has hurt all of the living being above the face of the earth. Life is life in (Ali’s) procedure and its respect is the origin over which the branches develop.

In the theories of a lagre number of thinkers and legislators and in the views of most of those who call themselves politi-cians, aggression can be used over the few number of people for the sake of the many. And in their consideration goodness is not measured except by the safety of the many number, then in reaching what they like of prosperity. If a thousand people were killed in an accident of aggression the matter is grave. If two thousands were killed the matter is graver, and so on. But if one man was killed by the same accident the case is easy and the matter is simple. As the many of the notebooks of souls’ merch-ants then would not be dropped. But for tables of multiplication, and processes of addition and division, it is easy to adjust them in one mathematical process.

But Ibn Abi Talib crushes the theories of those merchants, in a saying he takes directly from the spirit of existence in which there is no value for numbers in the meaning of life, rather for life itself:

“By Allah, even if they had wilfully killed only one individual without any faulthe has comitted. It would have been lawful for me to kill the whole of that army.”

Here, it is clear the matter is not “killing the whole army”, rather cementation the idea of respecting life in the minds of the holders of authority, and paying their attentions to the idea that killing one self, willy and intentionally, equals the killing of all creatures.

If we compared Ali bin Abi Talib’s view in this respect with the views of many thinkers who saw that standards of justice do not move except by force and muchness, it would be noticeable for us how they drop while he elevates, how they are coarse and harsh while his horizon extends and the values of life will be higher on his hands. While some of those drum and repeat continually as they have discovered views and theories that permit for the strong one to be proud of his power only, and for the many to expand their expectations with this richness only – in all this there is an aggression against the law of just life – and the will of the able, developing, benevolent humn, we see that Ibn Abi Talib shows what is more sublime of the standard of life itself as it is a fact, and the standard of human will as it is a blessing, and so he says with the simplicity of the great man. “Many a small thing makes up for a lagre one! Then he clarifies in a grander, nicer saying:

“No person, however great his position in the matter of truth is above, to be helped to fulfil the obligations placed on him by Allah. And, no man, however small he may be regarded by others, and however humble he may appear before eyes, is too low to help or to be helped in this matter.”

In these two sayings Ibn Abi Talib shows one of the aspects of cosmic justice that appears when you examine closely, and asserts a truth often hidden from the minds which restrict themselves in a narrow horizon.

Ali states that sparkling, pompos manifestations in terms of existential reality are not but a scantiness out of existence, worthless having no value nor importance; ordinary people, the foolish, the stupid and those who applaude for whatever is glossy, worthless, and meaningless may be dazzled by these manifestations, but this collapse will before long vanish suddenly when the sun of truth appears, and its great light sweeps what the ordinary assumed light, while it is a deception for the eyes, and when the wind of just existence storms with the storm of light straws. There are, out of present history, numerous indications about this confusion in the measures of the individuals and groups, and it is a confusion which involves consequences that hurt civilization life, and man as it has a deviation from the standards of cosmic justice.

If you lived in a period during the middle Ages in Europe, for example, you would see occasionally caravans of people followed by caravans at one of general square in this city or that, so as to acclaim and applaud a creature of people whose clothes are embroidered, whose head folded with emerald and aquamarine and stringed precious stones. And you would see a man walking by himself on the platform, and whose step is furious, whose sight is violent, and he did not pay attention to the concern of those who were applauding and neither did they. They are acclaiming the life of a “great” one, but he is not “great”. Then the sun rose afterwards, so it dominated over the darkness, and showed things in their actual positions. So what do you see then? You see that those people who were applauding and acclaiming – they are, in this position, standing as nothingness – but were applauding for a worthless creature – called Louis the Fourteenth, for example, or for one of the villains called Charles the Fifth, or for an extremely small one called Charles the first, or for others who carry names followed by numbers ... indicating scantiness. Then what becomes clear afterwards? It becomes clear that the man of the platform whom people did not applaud or acclaim for his life is but a true great person called Mollier, or Milton, or Gallilo. And days elapse, and the holders of names followed by numbers are not but worthlessness. And the walkers on the platform, who have no numbers for their names, for whom no one applaud, are not but all greatness.

Forgetfulness folds up the worthless, and folds up with them those “nothingness” out of those who applaud and acclaim. And those appear on the top of existence, and humanity places them (out of itself) at the stances of suns before darkness. And very few people appear, who understand them and evaluate them in their great prestige. They got warth out of their heat like the land getting warmth of the light of noon, and realized what Ali bin Abi Talib grasped when he said: “Often a small thing is more beneficial than a large one.”

It is the cosmic justice which weighs every being with its great balance and places it in its very position, no cheating nor deception, not flattery! It is the cosmic justice in which no value diminished at it, and no worthlessness rises high!

Ibn Abi Talib did not call this “little” as small except because it was as such in the people’s in sights and their views at that time. He did not call this “little” as much except for the same cause. He knows they are wrong, and what they see as “little” may not be as such. And what they see as large may be light in the measure of the right. As for him, he was feeling the value of life powerfully and evidently, felt its capabilities in all creatures, feeling that the cosmos has a just will in estimating life wherever it was, and in respecting the livings as they are so he utters wise phrases to which we referred. And he uttered many others; so that when overdoers exaggerate and deny that the simple has such a value and such capabilities for development, he faced them saying: “Most of the right is in what you deny”.

There is another truth Ali asserts in this saying: “... no man, however small he may be regarded by others, and however humble he may appear before eyes, is less than offering help or being helped in this matter” that is, every man can benefit his society and benefit as well, whatever his talent is, and however scanty his capabilities are.

And in this insight the man whose chance of talents is scanty there is an illustration in Ali’s mind of a deep believing in the cosmic justice which makes of drops of water a huge sea of granules of sands deserts and wildernesses, and it makes every little lie inside the plenty, and every small depend on the large.

It has an illustration of the nature of benevolent life, which feels pity for its sons, and puts each one in a frame of its blessing; it does not aggrieve him, nor does it treat him severely.

It also has an evidence about this profound sympathy by which Ali was immersing the living beings, so he did not see in them but people who worth to enjoy life to the brim, benefit from its blessing, cooperate and get help.

You can find an image of this Allawiyah insight, which is confident of the justice of cosmos and goodness of life, and believing in man’s capabilities – whoever he was – to become a noble thing as he was, in Jean jack Rousseau’s literature which turns around an axis of confidence in the justice of nature and goodness of life.

As though I saw Ibn Abi Talib specialize those who “are regarded small by others, and appear humble before eyes” with the most portion of his attention the hour he addressed people saying: Allah has not created you vainly”, or the hour he cxcelled in describing his confidence of the benevolent human nature facing people in this compassionate view: “you are empty of evil till you has not gone astray”. That is you all are bene-volent and useful, originally and marginally unless you deviate from the right intentionally.

To ascertain this side of cosmic justice in Ibn Abi Talib’s faith, and I mean the complete equalization in every right and duty between that who has little and that who has much, and the small and the big, he indicates that the centre of this justice but equals (with him) all beings, with no difference between a man and another. Their human nature is one, and their case in the balance of existence is one as well; they are not distinguished except by what they do and what they serve. As to that who performs and serves, then the law of existence itself will repay him. Yet to that who is idle arrogant, and extorter, then this law itself will punish him with what he deserves. Ali says: “no one prevents him from punishing another, not distract Him from another; anger does not keep Him from mercy, and mercy does not prevent Him from punishing.”

In this respect we return with some detail to what we mentioned that Ali bin Abi Talib showed the veil from the existential genius which makes of the nature of things itself a higher judge that gives and deprives, punishes and repays, so creatures bear, due to their nature of formation, the ability to prosecute their selves by their selves, complying with the will of just cosmos.

Ibn Abi Talib sees that existence is equally balanced not a thing of it decreases here except that another thing of it. Increases there instead, and both decrease and increase are equal: no increase except by the (same) amount of decrease, and no decrease except by the (same) amount of increase. It is worth saying that the theory speaking of this balance in the things of existence is but one of the great outcomes which the activity of human thought has reached in its great creeping to discover the secrets of the cosmos, and it is also a starting-point in this field.

It is worth saying as well that a number of previous thinkers could not pay attention to this truth, and that a number denied it, and that a party of those thinkers saw it, realized many of its details believed in it, and called for it. Members of this party themselves differ too in the power of observation and represen-tation, then in the power of expressing at what they witnessed and trusted. Some of them watched this balance in some of the aspects of creatures, so they declared that in a way having some clarification of the truth. Some others saw it in all the aspects of silent cosmos but they did not sense for it tangible outcomes in the stream of existence, did not find for it a corresponding line in the aspects of the living cosmos. Some others witnessed it in the living nature, sensed for it tangible outcomes in the stream of existence, saw of it a corresponding line in the living creatures, and declared it in a clear statement and confident speech. From this party is Ali bin Abi Talib. Rather say he is at the top of this party of the former thinkers because he has been about to prove this theory on a sound accurate course that does not conflict, nor contradict, and no escape for some of it from the other. Rather say he has done that and excelled.

Perhaps Ibn Abi Talib’s position towards what he has witnessed and seen of the aspects of balance in the existence, is more sublime than the positions of his alike thinkers from the practical viewpoint because of what he has insisted on ascer-taining this truth, so as to arrive at the results follow from it in people’s life, as individuals and groups. This reality is entirely in harmony with the centre of the Allawiyah philosophy which is Man.

We have said that Ali sees that existence is balanced, not a thing decreases here of it except another increases there instead, and that this decrease and this increase are equal: no increase is except with the amount of decrease, and no decrease except with the amount of increase. He, in the first place, says, drawing man’s attention to this truth using the most sticking thing to him, that is, by the existence of himself: (He doesn’t receive a day of his age except by deserting another of his appointed own age.

Is there any thought in man’s intellect that is able to refute this truth which shows the counterpoise of existence in a simpler way that one could see out of the state of existence? Then is there a mathematical basis of the bases of geometry and algebra, more sticking to firm truths, more indicative on the absolute reality, and more succinct in revealing the firm and the absolute than this masterpiece by which Ibn Abi Talib portraits the counterpoise of existence through the living creature and his days?

If a speaker says to me that this idea is known, known to people, all people, then about which new truth does bin Abi Talib. Reveals in your claim? I said: the disclosure of hidden truths does not entail keeping silent of overt truths if these were an origin for those, or those an origin for these, or if the general method entails regulating the details alike what is hidden of them or appears. Ali bin Abi Talib, whose views cling to each belief, then all of his beliefs cling in a wonderful intellectual unity, did not utter this known saying “which is known by people, all people”, and did not utter a more outstanding saying with the same meaning, i.e, “The breaths of one are his steps towards his death”, but to return and establish on what he said in a detailed structure so as to prove the theory of equivalence in existnce.

He who said “he doesn’t receive a day of his age except by deserting another of his own age” and “the breaths of one are his steps towards his death”, but mentioned that so as to return to disclose a truth, more distant from people’s minds, and more hidden from their observation, but if flows with the two former sayings: “one doesn’t get abenevolent except by losing another.

I think that you have known what lies in this saying: the power of observation, the ability to reveal, the frankness of thought, and the clarity of statement. And to regulate the sub-stance of this phrase in pictures and forms, which differ externally but unify in meaning and essence, Ali says: “Many a single repase prevent several repases” and that who is wasted by near ones the far ones are offered to him. And “Many a distant one is nearer than a near one” and “Love is an obtained kinship”, and “He who overloaded himself beyond his ability will fail”, and “He who does good deeds will not lose his reward” and “Whatever you earn beyond your basic needs you are ware-housing for others.”

In these phrases, and in many others, there is an obvious summery of the details of the theory of existential balance as Ali bin Abi Talib sees. It despite the difference of its close topics, move in its scope, and its distant aim is around axes, namely the balance of the cosmos: so that on decrease here unless an equaling increase there, and vise versa.

Ibin Abi Talib realized this extential truth powerfully and deeply, experienced it, declared it in each period of his life or each saying of his, whether that was in the direct mood or the indirect one. He does not recognize this aspect of cosmic justice but to recognize another aspect reflecing it in a particular form or say emanates from it outflowingly that is to what we are with respect of speech as nature itself involves criterion, so it rewards and punishes and nothing among the aspects of cosmic justice is more prominent than this aspect in indicating it.

Ali saw that there is no even one thing of the thing of the cosmos has been found for naught, rather its existence has a purpose and as aim. He saw that each one of creatures has a function it performs, and over each one of man’s organs there is a duty on which just cosmos protests, asks about it, and renders an account on it. On the basis of these reality the things of existence are equal due to their existence. As to the small and the big are similar to this measure. Ali says: “Allah holds you responsible for the small before the big things”. And so he says that because the majority of people don’t pay  attention to this small thing so he draw their attention to it by bringing it forward over the big thing in its entailing a punishment or a reward, so us to be reassured to the occurrence of the process of equalization between them in minds and hearts.

But if the cosmos protests against man in what it has imposed on his limbs, asks him about them, renders him responsible of small and big things, and reward him for what he has done: whether it was good or evil, it is not necessary, in Ali’s observation, that the process of protest, settling an account, and reward to be carried out outside man’s domain himself. And that this composite process, the one although containing a complex-ity, is carried out always, as Ali sees, within the creature’s limits whatever it was. And as such it is accomplished with regard to man as he is one of the creatures. Ali says: “there is a watcher over you of yourselves; your limbs are watchmen.” The guard is the observer. This observer does not spare any effort in seeing, recording, punishing, and repaying.

And in unique moments of brilliance of the discovering reason and penetrating intellect, bright colours appear to Ibn Abi Talib,s eyes of this one of the aspects of cosmic justice; you could not react towards them but to be surprised at this reason and this intellect. Does not Ibn Abi Talib speak with the language of the scholars of the modern age, as he speaks with the language of this justice itself the hour he states this truth: “Whoever ruins his morals agonizes himself.” Then does not he speak with these two languages alike as he says: “The doubted person is a bout to say ‘take me’” and as he says as well: “keep yourself away from every demerit even though you may be driven to it by a desire, because you earn of what you have humilliated yourself.”

And there are many many masterpieces like these. Some of these masterpieces are: “Man’s death from his sins is more than his death at his appointed time”, and “No Chivalry is with a liar, no cmfort with jealousy, no dignity with revenge, and no rightness with overlooking consultation” and “If a man possesses a good disposition wait its sisters of him.”

Thus Ali Ibn Abi Talib realized that the cosmos is one, just, firm in its unity and justice, making in the nature of creatures themselves the power to account, the ability to punish and reward. And thus he expressed what he realized wonderfully.

But there are other aspects other than these aspects of cosmic justice which Ali examined, checked their forms, and colours. So what are these aspects 

The Profound affection

Ali realized that the logic of affection is higher than that of the law, that man’s kindness to man and other creatures is but the argument of life against death, and existence on non-existence.

And Ali’s attitude towards woman has not been that one which some had depicted.

If it has been of the justice of cosmos and balance in existnce that blaze of summer and seqeezig clouds of winter meet on one level that rivulets, tornadoes and soft breezes exterminate in one truth, and that nature carries in itself, in each one of its manifestations, the law of reward and punishment; so one aspect of this justice too, and of this balance is that the powers of nature deal with each other and interpenetrate; whether they were the elements of the inanimate or those of life and equally as well what is resulted from this or separated from that.

And because man’s characteristics, morals, inclinations, and sensations are resulted from the elements of life which merge and so consititute what we call man’s personality, so they are dealing with each other interpenetrating, and what proves that is the long observation and accurate comparison, then the bases of modern science which observes, balances, and establishes its discoveries on foundations and bases.

It has been mentioned that man in Ali Ibn Abi Talib’s doctrine is the ideal picture of the ideal cosmos. It is attributed to him this saying in which he addresses man:

You suppose yourself a tiny body

And within you the greater world is enfolded

It is natural in such a condition that Ali insists on asking whatever concerns man of that which belong to his time and the capabilities of his age. It is also natural that he insists on reveal-ing what lies in this “body within which the greater world is enfolded” of the aspects of cosmic justice, and the equivalence of existence within the frame round which his views turned.

Directly and deeply Ali sensed that there are among crea-tures, connections that do not vanish except by the vanishing of these creatures and anything that decreases these connections, decreases also the meaning of existence itself. If man is one of these creatures, so is connected with them as a relation of existence. And if that was – and it is as such – so the connection of a creature with its like is more fitting and priorer. But if this creature was of the living beings, then what fastens him to the living beings of his kind is firmer and stronger. As to man – the head of living creatures – his connection with his brother man is the first necessity for his existence as an individual and a group.

When Ali states that the righteous society is the one in which social justice predominate in its broader meanings and nobler forms, he is but establishing a law or what is of the law. But this law does not become clear in his mind and does not become a necessity except because it is a natural outcome of what we called the spirit of comprehensive cosmic justice which imposes the existence of this law. Hence we see Ibn Abi Talib insisting intensely on looking beyond these laws and protecting them through what is more sublime than them, the humanitarian sympathy.

Sympathy is nothing but this deep material and spiritual inclination to perfection and sublimity. It is then a moral necessity since it is an existential necessity.

The first page that Ali spreads of the pages of sympathy begins with reminding people that they are all brothers, so he describes them as ‘my brothers’ in a clear address while he is the prince of them. Then he adds that by reminding the rulers that they are people’s brothers, all people, and that this fraternity entails compassion by necessity, saying to his masters over his armies: “It is obligatory on the ruler that the distinction he achieves, or the wealth with which he has been exclusively endowed, should not make him change his behaviour towards those under his authority, and that the riches Allah has bestowed on him should increase him in nearness to his slaves and kindness to his brethren.”

And what he mentions to himself and his officers, that they and people are brothers by affection and sympathy, he returns and states it in a comprehensive wisdom directing towards all human beings without difference or distinction: “You are brothr-ren, dirty natures and bad conscience have separated you.” He,thus, places dirtiness of nature and evil of conscience in a side, and the sympathy of heart and affection of the soul in another side. And as it was of the existential right of man to enjoy man’s sympathy, so nature which carries in itself the values and standards has to compensate a righteous person whom the neighbours, the relatives, and the family have missed, and did not enfold him with the dress of sympathy, for this loss with more kindness and sympathy he gets from the distant ones, so Ali says: “He who is wasted by near ones is dear to remote ones.”

He, intending to cultivate this fraternity existing on human sympathy, does not accept even small faults as they have a tentative deviation from the generosity of sympathy: “know then, had it not been for some deficiencies, you would be the preffered in this matter.”

If known laws were allowing Ibn Abi Talib to fight the conspirators against him, he does not do so except after he respects all sides of kindness in his soul and heart, and after he agitates all the connections of human brotherhood in the souls and hearts of his enemy fighters. And if he has done it in the end he is but doing it unwillingly not voluntarily, sadly and in tears, not happily and laughingly, and then his feeling of victory after the battle, is more painful and bitter than his opponents’ feeling of defeat.

And if known laws were allowing Ibn Abi Talib to leave the transgressors against him after his death at the hands of supporters and sons to fight and punish due to a perversity they used and strived to, so the compassion for man – which is to him beyond every law – drives him compulsorily to address his supporters sons with this great saying: “Do not fight the Kharijites after me, because that who had sought right but fail to hit, is not like that who sought wrong and hit it.”

Due to this factor of deep sympathy he connects a person’s happiness with that of his neighbour, i.e, with humanity’s happiness as a whole, since a person’s neighbour has neighbours, and what rights he owes him they owe other people. And of his happiness too is the prevalence of this sympathy over him, therefore other’s sons will acquire this kindness that his sons get: “Educate orphan in the manner you educate your sons.” Every-one should sense the spirit of basic justice which excel the positivistic laws in value and beauty because it carries humani-tarian warmth and joins morals with the logic of heart, not the logic of submission to the law: “The young among you should follow the elders while the elders should be kind to the young.”

If the inability to obtain virtues is a defect, the logic of sympathy in Ali’s language renders the inable person to acquire people’s fraternity as the most defective: “The most helpless of all men is he who cannot gain brothers.” Ali adds to this inability another helplessness that is the tendency towards dispute and quarrelling, saying: “Be careful of dispute and quarrelling.” Rather what is prior is softness of speech since it enables to fasten the relations between a heart, as the source of sympathy, and the other heart: “Softness of speech is of generosity.” There is nothing among tendencies of heart which is near to comfort than one’s feeling that he has loving brothers among all people; if Ibn Abi Talib felt pain from the evils of his time he regards bread – which the means of survival truthfulness – which is the centre of survival, and people’s fraternity in one position; he says describing the people of his time: “people are about to lose three thing: a  legitimately – earned pence averacious tongue, and a brother to whom one feels at ease.”

If estrangeness is a great severity as it entails loneliness the most intense of it is the hour man misses his brothers and dears since he then misses hearts of whose kindness he is proud, and with whose sympathy he lives: “A stranger is he who has no beloved” and forfeiture of lovers an alienation”.

We  have to refer to Ibn Abi Talib’s attitude towards woman in these field woman is a half of humanbeings is this half void of kindness to the other half? And is the other half asked to deriate from the standards of cosmic justice that requires man’s kindness to man?

Many interpreted some of Ali’s sayings about woman in a way by which they wanted wisecrack and entertainment more than they wanted to show Ali’s position towards her. They insisted on some words he said in circumstances the most promi-nent feature of which was a hostility of a certain woman to him while he has not done evil and did not ordered except to do a favour. It slipped away from them that like these sayings which were the result of a limited condition in itself, aiming to clarify the causes of the conflict between two extremely different mentalities, he but said of men what is more forceful and sever. Hence he does not mean all men, and in their all conditions. And he, when he uttered these sayings on woman, he did not mean all women, and in all their conditions. Those persons who caused disastors which befell him and the goodness through him, were subjected to such sayings whether they were men or women having men’s power and authority. If he attacked these and these of men and women, he was but attacking in them certain positions in which they stood against right and justice as well as their supporters. And this disclaims the allegation of offence to the woman by Ali. I ask those whom the matter concerns to mention one word in which Ali offends woman and was not being directed to a certain person in a certain situation, or motivated by this person in this situation. He attacked woman when she has been the cause of a turmoil, and attacked man in such situation. Hence he attacks turnmoil no more!

Yet Ali’s position towards woman has been as a human being such as his attitude toward man, without difference and discrimination. Has not there been, in his profound sadness on his wife being dead, an evidence of his sense of woman’s value as a human being having all man’s rights and assumes all his duties, and at the basis of these rights and duties is to enjoy human kindness, and others are to enjoy his kindness as well.

Had not people during the pre-Islamic period and afterward been optimistic at boy’s birth and become happy, and been pessimistic at girl’s birth and become sad?

Had not Al-Farazdak’s attitude towards woman been an empression of the position of his age on woman, and it was an age connected with Ibn Abi Talib’s time, the hour his wife died, and he loved her as they claimed, and so he said of her this surprising saying:

The easiest lost, if death befells him

Of man’s friends, is he who is veiled

That is the cheapest lost one of man’s companions and acquaintance is that who wears a veil, and he means woman. Woman, in his heart and at his language, is not worth crying on or  being sad for, Why? For nothing but because she is woman!

And Ali, has not he been one of the sons of that time? But he was the most penetrating in thought, the most honourable in view, and the deepest in sense, and he said among other speeches in this respect, blaming the companions of that reckless intellect: “Some of them like boys and dislike girls, etc”. so boys and girls are on one standing with Ali, they are associated by a human’s nature merely.

In addition to that, Ali, who feels pity on people generally and the weak of them particulary, imposes on compassionate nature to be most sympathetic to woman as she is oppressed, if not weak, so he says: “Support the oppressed, and prevent and punish douting oppressor, and do good to your women.” He says in another place: I command you to dissuade from evil and to do good to your woman.” Ibn Abi Talib made the rings of this integrated procedure follow one another in his call that all people, then people and the whole creatures should warp them-selves in the warmth of sympathy, so he says of knowledge – and we have known the value of knowledge in his belief-: “The head of knowledge is gentleness.” He does not see in many sins what is more terrifying than that they lead to severity due to its being accustomed to, so then they are the reason for a cold aversion that replaces in hearts warm sympathy, so he says: “tears haven’t dried out except for severity of hearts,  hearts haven’t hardened except for committing plenty of sins”. And if you were not one of sin committers, you would be of the class of sympathy; and it is your right to sacrifice-by this sympathy-whatever you possess to support your brother, man: “If you had certitude of your brother, so grant him your money and hands, and show him goodness.”

At last, Ali utters a group of sayings that center around the orbit of calling people to be devoted to people in kindness and sympathy. They are trully considered one of the most great sublime ethical tradition man possesses of them are these master-pieces: “Behave well with him who behaves ill with you, give to him who deprives you. Do good to all people as you like it to be done to you. Do good to him who offends you. Grant favour to him who deprives you...etc.”

To achieve this compassionate call, Ibn Abi Talib partici-pates beasts, places and people in a mutual right of sympathy; so he says: “Fear Allah in the matter of His creatures and his cities because you will be questioned even About lands and beasts.”

Thus, man’s kindness to man and all creatures is but the argument of life on death; rather it is a will of the will of just existence!

Truthfulness of life

And this truthfulness is a pledge of, and to, you, since it is the spirit of beauty and right, and the will of able, triumphant life!

Perhaps the most prominent of the aspects of cosmic justice, in the world of inanimate and animate, and in whatever relates to the nature of existence, and features of creatures, is the absolute pure truthfulness. Perhaps truthfulness is the pivot of the earth, the orbit, the night and day. With truthfulness alone the four seasons follow one another, rain falls, and the sun shines. With it as well, the earth keeps its word when it grows what is above it: each in its time: no advancement and no delay. With it the codes of nature and the laws of life are established. The wind does not flow except with truthfulness, bloods do not ran through veins except with truthfulness, and the living creatures are not born except by a faithful sincere law.

This absolute pure truthfulness on which the law of survival encircle is the first and greatest fountain from which the justice of the cosmos flows and to which it returns.

And since Ali Ibn Abi Talib was very keen on observation of the truthfulness of existence, highly interacted with it, he made his first concern with people is to purify them on the ground of what he conceives, senses and sees. Purification in its right meaning and remote significance is not but the deep sense of the value of life and character of existence. And since this meaning is the unique significance for the great purification, truthfulness to the self, and to every material and spiritual being, is the pivot on which purification encircles, as we have seen it to be the pivot of cosmic justice. Hence, many of the bases, over which people agreed without thinking over the great codes of existence, are renounced as apart of sound discipline, whereas people assume them as disciplinary bases due to their mere agreement upon them. Thus, too, whatever disagrees with the spirit of the right,  the spirit of goodness, and that of beauty, is banished from sound discipline of purification. Disciple based on other than its great principles, is a superficial collusion over ugly lying. It is, in its remote principles, a deep sense of beautiful faithfulness, which makes it integrate honestly with the uprising of flowing victorious life.

Therefore, the pivot of purification to Ibn Abi Talib was man’s protection from lying, or say protecting him, when he is a live, from the coldness of death.

Man’s protection from lying requires in the first place glorifying truthfulness directly in every situation, showing it as a prominent living necessity before every living creature, and directing people towards it retired to themselves or in groups.

And in this topic, Ali bin Abi Talib appears as a giant who sees what others do not see, who refers to what they are unaware of, practices what others cannot now practice, and he wants them to be able to do it. Ali says:

“Beware of loosening your morals and changing them, maintain one tongue.” And destroying thing means breaking it, and changing it means overturning it from one state to another. He intends to remind true person of the danger which his truthfulness is subjected to if he lies even for one time. For if the truthful person lies once, his honesty is broken, like anything which breaks if it falls on the ground one time. So are hypocrisy and double standard which are two sorts of the kinds of lying He says too: “Be truthful people. Do things without dissemblance. Respect the right truthful person, and humiliate the wrong liar. Be truthful in speaking, give back the entrusted things, and keep the vow. He who wants a glory by falsity Allah inherit him humility in a right. If you were truthful we would reward you, and if you were a liar we would punish you. He who lacks truthfulness in his speech is afflicted of his most precious moral, sharp sword at the hand of a brave man doesn’t bring bring for himglory more than faithfulness these master pieces about truthfullness are but samples out for other hundreds by which bin Abi Talib constitutes the base of his great ethical law.

Then take this masterpiece where the share of penetrating conscious mind grows in its weare. He says: “Lying leads to degeneration”. We need not elaborate on showing what lies in this word of a fact that draws beyond it a series on unending facts. And we need not elaborate on portraying what this word refer out of a psychological fact which days do not increase it but firmness. And there are many like this masterpiece of them: “Lying is not suitable in seriousness and in joke, even that one promises his child, then he does not keep it!” As for the meaning to which the first half of this Allaywiyan masterpiece refer, it was the subject of much dispute among philosophers of ethics, especially the Europeans. In fact those agreed unanimously that truthfulness is a life, lying is a death. But they disputed about whether it is allowable to lie in case of necessity or not? Some of them agree, some others disagree. And every party has their evidence.

However, Ali bin Abi Talib takes a decisive position towards which his phrase arouses, a decisive position which is in harmony with his great code in morals, this faith which we recur to remind the reader that it is resulted from what Ali has sensed and realized, out of the comprehensive justice of the cosmos, so he says without hesitation: “The evidence of faith is you should prefer truth when it harms you to falsehood when it benefits you; and that your speech should not be more than your action.”

It is clear that Ibn Abi Talib does not see in lying what benefits, and in truthfulness what may harm, so he speaks to people in a range of the scope of their conception so that his speech to them leaves on them an intelligent effect. To ascertain that he says: “Keep to truthfulness in all your concerns”. He too says: “Be on your guard against falsehood since a truthful person is on the edge of salvation and dignity, while the liar is on the edge of ignominy and degradation.” As for the meaning that the second half of the phrae mentions: “Nor one promises his child, then he does not keep it”, it is a great attention to an educational truth which life itself determines, as well as the psychological sources upon which man grows up and progress. It is sufficient that it refers that child is brought up by practical example not by advice, and this view is the pivot of Jean Jack Rousseau’s educational philosophy.

Truthfulness with life entails simplicity and detests from complexity, since every fact is simple as such as the sun is shining and the night dark as on indication of this warm simplicity, as it is a living, spontaneous outcome of truthfulness, we say that Ibn Abi Talib hates arrogance as it is not a true nature; rather dignity is truthfulness; then the arrogant person, in his view, is one who rises above his nature itself, and he says: “So not be like him who feels superiority to the son of his own mother.” He, at the same time, dislikes modesty if it is inten-tional, since it is not then a true nature; rather the feeling that man is equal to every man in his dignity is the truthfulness. Hence he addresses him whose modesty leads him to humiliate himself, saying to him: “Beware of humiliating yourself”. Then he follows that with a more wonderful saying: “Do not accom-pany, in a travel, him who does not see your superiority to him like what you see of his superiority to you!”

I do not know, in the principles of the protectors of man’s dignity as a man who is not arrogant or humilliated, rather is truthful only, that excels this word of Ibn Abi Talib or that equals it in value: “Man is man’s mirror!”

And from his sayings that indicates the necessity of taking life easy and simply are: “How bad it is to bend down at the time of need and to be harsh in sufficiency. To praise more than what is deserved is sycophancy; to do it less than, is either because of inability to express oneself or of envy. Do not say what you do not know. Do not do the good hypocritically, and do not leave it shyly. O’ son of Adam, whatever you earn beyond your basic needs you store it for others. “He does not keep silent for good so as to be proud of it, nor does he speak to tyrannize over others. He who overload himself more than he could, failed. There is no good in an ignoble helper. As though I saw Ibn Abi Talib not leaving a side, which his feeling and thinking have realized out of the concerns of life and man, unless he uttered for it a masterpiece that sums up acomplet law. This is what he did the hour he liked to direct people towards taking life truthfully and simply, so he said this word full of the warm of the spontaniety of life: “When your brothers visit you do not save up anything of what is at home and do not bother to bring what is beyond the door!”

When Ali concludes his long speech about the necessity of truthfulness with life directly, then about simplicity without which truthfulness could not exist, and it could not exist without truthfulness, he pursues his way in showing the concepts of discipline which correlate in his belief and connect as if they were a picture of all creatures of the cosmos, in which truthful-ness remains its first orbit, even though they speak of other aspects of morals. He advises man to disregard other’s shortcom-ings, for this contains a mercy from the over looker and an education to the wrong-doer by conduct and example which is more influential than correcting him through advice and hate. He says: “The most honorable work of a honest person is his over looking what he knows. Likewise he advises of forbearance and endurance as they are the result fo ambition, then an advance towards self’s noble-mindedness” Forbearance and endurance are twins brought about by high courage”. He hates backbiting as it is a way of hypocrisy, offence and evilness as a whole: “Avoid backbiting for it is the food of the dogs of people of Hell”. Cheating is like backbiting, both of which come of dirty natures: “Beware of cheating as it is the nature of sordid people”. And as he saw that one lie is not allowed, for truthfulness is broken by it, he sees that every sin, however slight and unimportant in his committer’s claim, is but so severe because it is a sin, rather it is more influential on man’s dignity if its committers belittled it, that a great sin which its committer repents at once: “The worst sin is that which its committer takes lightly”. And Ali forbids you from hastiness in saying and doing as it leads to fall, and a courteous man should not allow himself to have any short coming: “I forbid you from haste in saying and doing.” He likes you to apologize for every sin you have committed as a correction for one’s manners, but he awakens you in a genius observation and statement to the fact that man does not apologize for a good action, then he should not do what forces him to apologize: “You should avoid what you may have to apologize for it is not apologized for a good action. To prevent preoccupation with people’s defects, and negligence of one’s defects – which leads to bad manners and path negatively and positively – Ali says: “The greatest defect is to find fault with from which you suffer”. And “He who sees into his own defects abstains from looking into other’s defects.” If a bad thing comes to you from a source, you first have to disapprove it, and if you could not do that, you are to disapprove it lest you should be a partner in it: “He who approves a bad thing is a partner in it”. If kindness among people is a moral necessity since it is an existential necessity as we have stated in the former chapter, so the logic of mind and heart orders that your kindness, on Him who gave you the power to speak and gave charity to, is more and broader. In that Ali says: “Do not try the sharpness of your tongue against Him who has given you the power to speak, nor the eloquence of your speaking against Him who showed you the right path.” Then he says: “The reward of him who honoured you is not to humble him; the reward of him who pleases you is not to displease him.”

He attacks greed pride and envy as they are a way to moral decline: “Greed, vanity and envy are incentives to falling into sins.” If the ancient moralists censured stinginess, it is as such in their view because of being a bad feature in itself. However, as for Ibn Abi Talib, who observes morals with a more compre-hensive insight and a deeper thought, stinginess is not bad in itself as much as it is bad for it includes all the defects, as it drives its doer to every evil in manners and behaviour. The miser is hypocritical, aggressors backbiting, gealous, lowly, forging, greedy, selfish and unjust. Ali says: “Miserliness contains all other evil vices.”

The speech lengthens and elaborates if we like to mention the details of Ibn Abi Talib’s code in morals and the self’s discipline; they are too many, they did not leave any activity of man’s activities except that they portrayed and directed it. If I say that such a task is long, wide, and tiresome, then I mean what I say.

The reader need not but to learn about the masterpieces which we took from Ibn Abi Talib’s literature in this book, so as to be certain that volumes may be narrow in studying his belief of morals and the self’s education as well as in what these chosen extracts entail of explanation and commentary. It is enough to refer to the matter that these Allawyiah masterpieces are one of the most honourable of man’s heritage, and of the greatest in capacity and depth.

However we have to refer to the masterpiece of masterpieces in the great discipline as it is a deep sense of the value of life, the self’s dignity, and the perfection of existence. Very few of the excellent persons like Budha, Christ, Bethoven, and their likes are those who realized that the mark of courtsy lies in the first place between man and himself. It does not exist between man and what is outside him except it is an obvious natural outcome of the first case. Ibn Abi Talib has realized this truth powerfully and clearly, with no ambiguity or vagueness. He expressent it in a comprehensive manner. Ali says of the necessity of man’s respect to himself and his works without the presence of an observer on him: “Beware of committing a sin in solitude.” And he says in the same sense: “Avoid every such action which is performed in secret and from which shame is felt in the open. Also avoid that action about which if the doer is questioned he renounces it.” And here is what he says of the relationship between one’s secret and overtness, or between what we called the masterpiece of courtesy and what we call ‘an outcome’ of it: “Whoever set right his inward self, Allah sets right his outward self.”

From the masterpieces of the chinese wiseman Confucius on the self’s courtsy is this word: “Eat at your dining table as if you eat at a king’s dining table.” It is clear he likes to respect yourself in an absolute way that is not connected with any situation or occasion, so that it is worth that you behave when you are alone as you behave while you are before a king. Such a meaning Ali says in a new shape: “You should adorn yourself to your brother like him who adorns himself for a stranger as he likes to see him in the best appearance.”

In every case he likes you to preach your brother so as to help him to convey from a good to a better stance in manners, taste, and path. But the true spirit of courtsy prevents you from injuring or hurting him by advising him publicly; rather this spirit requires that you should be soft and gentle, then you do not advise except stealthily, do not preach except secretly. Ali says: “Whoever preaches his brother secretly adorns him, and whoever preaches him publicly shames him.”

However situation you had, you have to be truthful with yourself, life and people. You live with this truthfulness, and without it you perish. You protect the safety of your soul, your heart, and your body with this truthfulness and without it you lose it. With truthfulness you love, is loved (by others), and is trusted in you without it you bring to yourself oversion, hatred, and all evil vices, and people see you as worthless and mean. And this truthfulness is a pledge from, and upon, you since it is the will of the able, victorious life – which is a will that ordain you to see your pledge every day. And Ibn Abi Talib says: “Every man has to think deeply over his covenant everyday.”

The goodness of Existence

and Revolutionary nature of life

Very often do we see him make the revolutionary nature of life entirely out of the goodness of existence, and the goodness of existence is the whole result of the revolutionary of life!

And the revolution said: I am the puller down, the builder!

It is not the right of the just cosmos but to be compassionate good. It has no nature but to grant gifts. It does not take what it has given except to give it back good and new. The goodness of existence is an entity of its entity, and an essence of its essence. And Ali’s knowledge of it is this knowledge. And his sense of its good is his sense of its justice, no less, no more on that knowledge he spoke of this good, and increased the speech, and we have mentioned several things from his sayings about the good of existence. Perhaps what we have mentioned of these true masterpieces could be summarized now in a word he said as if he summed up his doctrine, which believes in the goodness of existence: Allah is not more generous about what He is asked than him about which He is not asked.” If we know that the word ‘Allah’ means in its maximum sense, for the ancients of the belief of spiritual and intellectual originality, the centre of existence and cosmic connections, we know what universal, comprehensive goodness is the good of existence which gives you beyond what you ask, then it increases!

And because man, who assumes himself a tiny body, is a representative of this greater world as Ibn Abi Talib says, so he must be as well a picture of existence with its good, as he is its picture with its justice. If existence gave you beyond what you ask of its blessings it so it takes the initiative for a need of its nature to be good. And if you were a picture of it, then you are more in need of making good to people than people of need for it. And this is what Ali ascertains in his saying: “doers of favour to its rendering are more in need than those to whom it is renderd. And this is what he ascetains too in a phrase he refers whenever he speaks about practicing good among people: “The better in that is the beginer”.

As we want to shift to reflect on the good and its significance on the level of relationships among people, we could classify Ibn Abi Talib’s views into the following lines:

First: the good among people lies in the idea that they cooperate and support one another, and that one should act for the sake of himself and the other equally; and that this act should not have a hypocrisy from this side nor compulsion from that side “motivated by desire, not by fright” as Ali says: then to sacrifice little and much so as to save others’ comfort and people’s trust on each other, and that this sacrifice comes as an initiative not after a request, nor after a compulsion or a force. And whatever serves or benefits, whether on the material or spiritual level, is a goodness.

Second: Ali sees that good does not come except as a practice at first, then as a saying, for man must be one like the one existence, and to support one another to fulfil this law; then if he said he would practice, and if he acted he would say. And from Ibn Abi Talib’s masterpieces is a word he said of a man who hopes Allah in a concern but he does not act for the sake of this hope: “he claims according to his own thinking that he hopes from Allah. By Allah, the Great, he speaks a lie. Why doesn’t his hope appear through his action although the hope of everyone who hopes is noticed in his action.” But if you practiced the good, it is your right then to say the good: “Say the good and act the good.”

Third: Ali expands the range before the powers of good to go ahead to the most far distant, thereby making the acceptance of repentance of evil a law to be acted on. Then if a man committed a sin offending others, the repentance has a door where he could enter once again into the world of good if he liked. Ali says: “Accept the excuse of him who apologizes to you, and delay evil as long as you can. “History know the amount of offence which Ali suffered from Abu Mosa Al-Ashary, and it too knows that Ali has not behaved except on his doctrine, whatever situations and difficulties have been, hence we see him send to Abu Mosa saying: “Know then, that you are a man ledastray by your desires, and tempted by self-conceit, so seek Allah’s pardon, and He forgives your stumbling, because he who seeks Allah’s pardon, He forgives him.”.

Forth: Ali believes that the powers of good in man summon and fasten one another in a powerful way. If a man had a side of good, it is certain that it is connected with other sides, and if it certain that it is connected with other sides, and if is certain that these sides would appear on occasions. And this insight has a frank reference to the idea that existence is one, balanced, just, and good whatever it is a universal, great existence or a particu-lar, small one manifested by the man: “If a man possesses a pure quality wait her sisters of him”

Fifth: And such a good contagion among the good qualities is a similar contagion that shfts from good to evil between people and people: “Associate with people of virtue; you will become one of them.” “seek good and its doers”.

Sixth: The deep belief that man’s power, whoever he is, is to follow the course of good, and that no one is worthier than another in this course: “No one of you should say that another person is more worthy than I in doing good.”

Seventh: One should not regard his much good acts as too much. Rather what he acts of the good remains little, however much it was, because the satisfaction with an amount of good is a denial of the great good of existence and is a denial of the power of man into whom the great world is enfolded: “They are not satisfied with their little good acts, and do not regard their plenty acts as great. They always blame themselves and are afraid of being neglectful in their actions”.

Eight: It is necessary to refer to the deep insight that Ali casts on the concepts of human tendency towards that which makes people, all people, be in a bliss.

If we think over the works of most of the thinkers who paid their attentions to people’s concerns, we find that the word ‘happiness’ is mentioned in these works, and that the signifi-cance of this word is itself the pivot of their researches and the goal of what they wanted. Yet, Ali replaces the word ‘happiness’ with what is longer in range, deeper in sense, wider in horizon, and grander in concern with which human nature should be characterized and long for.

He replaced this ‘happiness’ with the word ‘good’, then he was not directing hearts to that but to this. For happiness is restricted to a person’s limit, while good is not restricted in such a limit. So good is greater! Then good contains happiness, but it does not contain it the good, then it is more comprehensive! In Addition, some people may be happy with that which does not ennoble man; they may be happy with that which hurts others; they may be worthless and flabby and they think they are happy. Yet good is unlike happiness, since its metal is this metal. It is a happiness dependent on the happiness of all people. It is the contentedness with the conditions of the body, mind, and con-science! Hence Ali increased the use of this word in his hot call upon whatever may elevate man’s dignity.

I have not found, in Ibn Abi Talib’s works, the word ‘happiness’ except one time. But he does not deviate from its meaning which he means away from the concept of good by what he loads it of its limits and meanings. As for the phrase in which the word ‘happiness’ is mentioned, it is this: “of one’s happiness is to have a virtuous wife, faithful children, honou-rable brothers, righteous neighbours, and that his sustenance is in his country.” Look how he joins man’s happiness with that of his surrounding, his family, then his brothers’ and neighbours’ happiness as a whole. Afterwards he relates this man’s happiness to that of his country relying on that it is a country that produces sustenance for all its sons, and he is one of them.

Nineth: The good of existence and of man entails, by necessity, the trust in human conscience in a manner that makes it the last arbirtrator over what harms and benefits. And we have, in this subject, a view to be detailed, so we say:

From Ibn Abi Talib’s masterpieces is that which addresses mind alone some of them is that which addresses conscience. Most of them are directed towards mind and conscience, tog-ether. As for that which addresses the mind, then say it is the utmost in originality, and it is an inevitable outcome of the activity of the mind which has observed, scrutinized, and got used to the good and evil of time, has known of the experiences whatever that reveals and clarifies the truths for it, and so they are moulded on geometric bases with limits and dimensions because of the intensity in which they are connected with the truths, shown in the most wonderful artistic frame because of the intensity in which they are connected with expressionistic aestheticism, which makes it, in matter and form, of the origins of the classical Arabic literature.

And in this sort of wisdoms directed towards mind, we see Ali portrays, leaving people to determine what they see. They may take, or leave, if they like. Hence we do not see in this sort of maxims the forms of order. We see but maxims shaped in a pure statement form cleared out of all the forms of order and prevention as a whole.

They are maxims which crystallize the natures of the friend and the enemy, the noble and the evil behaviour, the silly and the reasonable, the miser and the generous, the truthful and the hypocrite, the oppressor and the oppressed, the needy and the satiated, the holder of right and the holder of wrong, the concept of sound manners and that of bad manners, the concerns of the ignorant and the knower, the speaker and the calm, the reckless and the forbearing, the features of the greedy and the contented, the conditions of poverty and wealth, the fluctuations of time and its effect on people’s manners, and the like which cannot be counted within a chapter or a topic.

As for that which addresses conscience, and the mind as well as conscience together, then take what is it on and what is about.

It is proved that those who saw in the systems and legis-lations alone the safety of man and the satisfaction of society can be achieved had committed a great mistake. For these systems and legislations, which declare man’s rights and order to consider and protect them, could not be verified in the end, just as they are not excelled honestly discover, and created, except by a sound mind, a refined spirit and a sublime conscience. For the whole of people’s world is connceted within certain limits, undoubtedly, with the manners of the supervisors of their laws and orders, and the extent of good which wide or narrow in their spirits, and the amount which is related to the conscience of the society which constitute the field of thses laws and systems and justify their existence. This is with the confession that modern social systems differ greatly in their allowance for their guard-ians to keep pace with, or violate them. That is due to their nature and the rate of what their origins contain of the capabilities of practice,. Yet, the old systems and laws were more influenced by the manners of their supervisors who supervise the action of what they require out of punishment. And that has reasons which are out of our speech.

And although these righteous systems and legislations direct people and impose on them what leads to their benefit suppo-sedly, then this direction and imposition remain outside the limits of humanitarian value unless they are accompanied by the action, stemming from the very emotion. In our belief, every act that man does is inevitably lacking humanitarian wormth – which is more valuable and greater in its harmony with the human deed, unless it carries the flame of conscience, the scent of spirit, and the will of gift without compulsion or force. The systems and legislations do not succeed in establishing human relations except within the amount that enables them to address the mind and conscience, and convince them of good; so they create the splendid harmony between giving the opportunity for useful act and the will of the doer in a unity which secures, for the individual and the group, the rise to advance in the route of civilization.

And what is true, in this respect, in the domain of individuals and groups, comes true as well in the history of thinkers, legislators, scientists, discoverers, and the like. You can see, if you surveyed the history of those who have served man and culture, that reason which guided them to the right path, in every field, hasn’t been alone in their history. For reason is cold, dry, and does not identify except numbers, parts and the aspects that have limits. Therefore it guides you to the way, but it does not inspire you to proceed through it and does not drive you in its plain and uneven parts. But the motive is the sound conscience and hot feeling. Then what prompted Marcony to endure hard solitude and gloomy, depressed seclusion, unless it had been the conscience which adorns to him the keeping away from the joys of life to the depression of solitude for the sake of civilization and man? And unless it was the emotion which fills up this sound conscience with heat and warmth, then it does not languish at all.

And what is said of Marcony is as well of pasteur, Gallilo, Gandi, Bethoven, Budha, Plato, Geity and others who have have attained the human compound which is close to perfection.

And the positive evidence of this fact involves a negative evidence to increase clearness. Here are Adolf Hitler, Jankeez Khan, Hollacko, Al-Hajjaj bin Yousif Al-Thakafi, Caesar of Borjia; the hero of the ominous book ‘The Prince’ by Machia-velly([2]) and some contemporary scientists of atom who agree to experiment it on human beings, have not all of those been distinguished with storing minds and perception which other’s perceptions become little compared with these? Yet, they were not concerned except with killing destroying, and transgression on the sanctions of civilization, the outcomes of human efforts, on the dignity of life and creatures and the good of existence! For their minds were not gone along with sound conscience and compassionate feelings! Then, where is no conscience and no emotion there is no benefit from reason, rather say it is closer to harm.

Here, I do not want to detail for man’s different powers like emotion, conscience, reason and the like, then they are undoubtedly interacting and cooperating. But what I mean by reason is the power which realizes the concerns on a level that joins the cause with the result, and connect skillfully between cause and effect, so it turns around a frame of number and limits which are not influenced, in itself, by particular and general human environment. And I allowed this detail on this light.

So, the holder of a discovering mind has to possess con-science and emotion which drive him in the way of good. And what is applicable, in this respect, to the legislator is applicable to whom it is legislated. The individuals, whom are asked to keep pace with this good system or that one, must have an emotional persuasion in addition to the abstract intellectual persuation that drive them on the way of elevated human purifying discipline so as to establish a virtuous society. They have to get used to moral vitrues which surround the systems and legislations with refined immune fortresses. They have to be righteous.

Hence Ali has gone stirring in the individuals the feelings of good as we saw, awakening in them what days had hidden of their sound conscience, endeavouring to cultivate them, and advising to take care of them.

Ali has gone to consciences in his advices, sermons, pledges and sayings as a whole. For it has not passed him that the refining of manners has a concern in complying with the just systems, in spreading heat in the dealings among people. It has not passed him as well that the purification is demanded for itself as it is one of the human values, and is demanded to protect the social justice and its norms as it is a control for some inclinations and a directing for others. And what helped him in that is what he has got out of a penetrating ability through which he passes to people’s depths, individuals and groups; so he realizes their tendencies, their desires; he knows their natures and manners, then he weighs their good and evil, then he portrays develops, orders and prevents, on the light of his strick confidence in human conscience to which he addresses.

Ibn Abi Talib’s confidence in human conscience was the confidence of the great persons in whom the brilliant mind has harmonized with the heart full of human wormth, and pulsant with deep affection which does not know limits.

His confidence in this conscience was the confidence of Budha, Bethoven, Rousseau, Gandi, and all great men which their heart provided them with an illumination with which every light faints. And on the basis of this confidence Ibn Abi Talib established his maxims and proverbs, and on the basis of it, the ideas and instructions with which he addresses people’s emotions connect with each other.

If imam Ali had such a confidence in the sides of good in people, despite the disaters and misfortunes he has suffered at their hands, then he refuses but to throw the seeds of this confidence in all of their hearts. He knows that “there is in the hands of people both right and wrong, true and false.” But it is more deserving for one to open his eyes and heart and notice these sides of good; perhaps they are those which develop not the sides of evil. Perhaps teaching by example and conduct is grander and more useful. So much has Ali repeated in his sermons the necessity of this confidence in human conscience, and of his sayings are: “If a person has a good idea about you, make his idea be true.” And he says in another place:

“Do not regard an expression uttered by any person as evil at the time you can find a good interpretation to it” and it is not just to destroy confilence by relying on assumption” and “At a time when virtue is dominant on time and people, if a person entertains an evil suspicion about another person of whom nothing evil has been noticed, then he has been unjuast” and “he leads the worst life among people who doesn’t trust in anyone due to his own evil will and no one trust in him due to his bad actions.

The researchers about Imam Ali made a mistake the hour they saw that he is pessimistic extremely about people, very much weary of them, and the hour they protested for their opinion by some syaings in which he attacks people of his time strongly and violently. But our opinion is completely to the contrary. Our opinion is that Ali has not abolished his confidence in man for one hour, although he cancelled it with regard to some people in some circumstances. Whoever knows Ibn Abi Talib’s ability to endure misfortunes which come from people, and his surprising patience is suffering the adversities resulting from betrayal, treasom and degeneration of the many of his opponents and supporters, then how he treated them when he deals with them with gentleness and kindness as much as he could; I say: whoever knows that realizes that Ali is greatly optimistic in man’s nature and his instinct which society led astray in some cases; he does not differ from his great brother Rousseau.

And if he had, in censuring people of treason, betrayal and oppression much speech it is as such because he admits implicitly that man is reformable even if it takes along time. The optimist alone is the one who scolds the wrong-doer as he rewards the benevolent person wishing to straighten crookedness in morals and behaviar. If it had not been for Ibn Abi Talib to have such a hope he would not have been able to bear what is unbearable of the misfortunes of time which the wrong-doers brought upon him, and he would not have endured what he dislikes. Even if he said of this world and its people that: “its inhabitants are howling dogs or preclatory beasts who growl at each other. The stronger of them eat away the weaker and the big of them trample on the small,” he but says that because he suffered from the treason of the traitors, and the offence of the harmful people what has pained and hurt him. He rebuked them this painful censure as his preference for the one who does not degenerate or betray, not be a growling dog or a predatory beast, not a strong one eating away the weak, or a big one trampling over the small one! He says that, then fights the devouring beast, the strong oppressor, the big tyrant, like the physician fights the germs as a preference from him to the safety of body and soul, rather as a preference of life to death, and optimistically strive for salvation!

So, Imam Ali, who respects life – the greatest thing Allah has created – and respect the living people – the most beautiful samples of this life -, is greatly confident in the human good, greatly optimistic of man, and wants him to be free as he must be!

And had it not been for this confidence, and this optimism, his concern with people would not be as such, and he would not say: “Do not regard an expression uttered by a person as evil if you can find a good explaination to it bearing some good. Then he would not turn toward the individual and collective con-science in his sermons which gather the depth of understanding, and the heat of emotion and the sublime purpose and the noble aim. He wanted these commandments to be an immune fortress for general morals, the human feeling, and the concentration of advantageous action on positive bases in mind and conseince. And relying on this confidence in human conscience and as a fortification the good noble act, we see him place on people guards from themselves and eyes from their limbs, so he addresses them saying:

“Know that your ownself is a watcher over you; your limbs are watchmen and truthful keepers who preseve the record of your actions and the number of your breaths!”

And relying on this confidence in the good and justice of existence, on the greatness of life and the living creatures, Ali bin Abi Talib addresses the people of his time with what awakens in them that life is free which does not endure the chains except  what is a cause in its flow and a means of its continuity, a torch of its brightness and a norm of its norms. It does not like staying in the cradle of yesterday. People should not try to chain and restrain it, otherwise it stagnantes and change into an extermination. Life is nice, compassionate, free and good like existence; its father, which protects itself by its constant laws not by the laws that pessimists want for it.

It is ever renovating, ever developing, it does not accept a substitute for its renovation and development; and they are a means it uses in its victories which intend more good and better survival continuity. Ibn Abi Talib’s accurate and deep obser-vation of life and its norms – as it is the greatest being of the good existence, consolidated in himself the belief in the revolutionary of life ever looking forward to the front, ever moving towards much more good. And the revolutionary of life is the origin of its moving, and the reason of its development from good to better. Hence life was free, unrestrained except with the conditions of its existence. And the revolutionary of life is the origin of the movement of human society and the reason of its development. And had it not been for this speciality life would be a thing of death, and the living creatures are inanimate.

Ibn Abi Talib believed in the revolutionary nature of life in a way like to a knowledge or say a knowledge itself. Then what follows from that is a great belief that living creatures can reform themselves thereby keeping pace with the laws of life. They can be the masters of their fates thereby being subjected to the genius of life. We have said in a former speech that the revolutionary nature of life is the closest of its features to it, and the greatest in significance regarding its great capabilities. It entails on the believers in it to act on the basis of a perfect confidence in the inevitable progress, and to awaken the thoughts to it, and to make use of evidence and proof in preventing conservative from every silly action whose practicers assume that they can stand against the revolting life which is developed by its revolution.

By this confidence and this belief, Ibn Abi Talib addressed man by saying: “For when you were first created you were born ignorant. Thereafter, you has been taught and how much you ignore, in so many matters and in your sight first wonders and your eyes wanders then after this you see it.” There is a confession in this saying that life is developing, and that learning is the getting benefit of what life stores of its genius within its sons’ chests, as we have previously said. And it contains a belief in the great human capability for development or say for good. And his hot call to knowledge, which reveals everyday a new thing and establishes everyday a new thing is but an evidence of the belief in the revolutionary virtuous life and the capabilities of the living creatures. Knowledge to him is a revelation and victory that do not calm down.

With this belief and this confidence he addresses the people of his time saying: “Do not compel your sons to your manners, for they have been created for a time other than yours. And had it not been for his great optimism that life contains beauty, and that people have the capability of development towards the good, he would not had uttered this saying which sums up his knowledge of the revolutionary nature of life, it also sums up his optimism in the capabilities of the developing man with life, and sums up the spirit of sound eduction, and release every generation of people from the chains of tradition and custom with which a former generation was satisfied.

And Ibn Abi Talib in this sense has much speech, of which these masterpieces are in which he glorifies the work as it is a truth, a revolution and a virtue: “Whomever his action slackens him, his lineage cannot put him forward.” And “The worth of every man is what he does of good. And “Know that, people are the son of what good they do.” And “Every man has the consequences of what he has earned. Ie. Their behaviour is the result of the good thing they do.”

And of his sayings is what drives man to demand progress in work, and not to refrain or retreat in case he fails much or little, for the benevolent existence does not deprive its sons of what they deserve. And if it deprives them it is some deprivation not all of it. And the matter may be settled in a second payment of the demand by work. And from his saying is this masterpiece: “One who is in search of something will obtain it, or at least apart of it”, I think that the reader recognizes the spirit of this phrase which glitters as if it were an emanation from Christ’s famous word: “You should knock and knock, and it will be opened for you.”

Perhaps the most beautiful in Allawiy belief in this respect is that its holder (Ali) unified the revolutionary nature of life and good of existence in letter and in spirit and in meaning. So many time we see him unify the meaning of progress, or the revolu-tionary of life, with the meaning of good of existence in a unity that does not make this a thing of that, or that of this; rather it makes the revolutionary nature of life entirely out of the good of existence, and the good of existence entirely of the revolutionary nature of life. And these masterpieces contain a compassionate proof for the trueness of what we say, so that they don’t need an explanation or a commentary. Here is a sample of them: “The rational man is one whose present day is better than his yesterday”. And He whose tomorrow is worse than his present day is deprived.” And “He whose two days are equal is aggrieved.” And lastly take this masterpiece which includes the whole of what we are now speaking about, besides the warmth of deep sympathy, besides the beauty of true art, besides making the days participate in people’s sensations: “No day passes over a human being except it tells him: I am a new day, and I am a witness upon you; so say the good and act the good since you will not see me again at all!”

We will mention in this book masterpieces by Ibn Abi Talib which will remain as long as good man remains. They are a group that constitute a procedure in compassionate manners, great dreams and sublim human refining which he wanted it to an emanation from the revolutionary nature of life and the good of existence!

   Beirut

George Gerdak