Imam Ali's Leadership in the Early Islamic Caliphate

When the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) passed away, the Muslims began to dispute over the succession after him. I swear by God, I never thought nor did it cross my mind that after the Prophet (PBUH), the Arabs would turn away from the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s family) and distance themselves from me! The only thing that saddened me was the gathering of people around a certain person (Abu Bakr) to pledge allegiance to him! So, I refrained from pledging allegiance until I saw with my own eyes a group of people had turned apostate and were seeking to destroy the religion of Muhammad (PBUH). I feared that if I did not support Islam and its people, I would witness the destruction and division of Islam, which would be a greater calamity for me than abandoning the caliphate and governance over you; because this is the benefit of the short life of this world, which is fleeting and will come to an end… So, I rose to repel these events so that the falsehood would be eradicated and destroyed (the apostasy of the renegades), and the religion would remain firm and steadfast (Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 62).

Thus, Imam Ali (AS) not only did not deprive governance from the blessings of his own presence, but he also did not withhold consultation and cooperation with the Caliphs. When asked by some of his companions about his stance on the Caliphs, he considered the "preservation of Islam" as a priority over the caliphate (Ya’qubi, n.d.: 2/35). Therefore, he saw any public action regarding his own caliphate during the time of the Caliphs as potentially increasing the divisions among the Muslims. In response to those who invited him to rise for the succession of the Prophet (PBUH), he said:

"O people! Split the waves of sedition and corruption with the ships of salvation and pass through them… This is a putrid water and a morsel that chokes the throat of the one who swallows it. The one who picks the fruit before it is ripe is like the one who plants crops in the wrong land" (Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 5).

A. Military Management

At the beginning of Abu Bakr's caliphate, Medina faced a crisis. On the one hand, the tribes inside Arabia had turned apostate after the death of the Prophet, and on the other hand, the Roman Empire was threatening the northern borders of Arabia. Due to the danger of an attack by the apostates, Abu Bakr hesitated in executing the Prophet's order to fight the Romans. He consulted with a group of companions, but none of their opinions satisfied him. Finally, he consulted Imam Ali (AS), who encouraged him to follow the Prophet’s command and assured him that if they fought the Romans, they would be victorious. The Caliph was pleased with Imam Ali’s encouragement (Ibn Asakir, 1398: 444; Azdi Basri, 1854: 3; Ya’qubi, n.d.: 1/10). He then addressed the people, saying, "O Muslims! This Ali is the heir of the Prophet's knowledge. Anyone who doubts his truth is a hypocrite. His words have encouraged me in my fight against the Romans and made my heart very happy" (Ibn Athir Kufi, 1388: 1/97).

Another example of Imam Ali's military management was in the war against the Iranian army during the seventh year of Umar’s caliphate (20 AH), when the Caliph sought the opinion of the people in the mosque. Despite his differences with the Caliph regarding the war, Imam Ali (AS) viewed the Caliph as the central pillar of the state and advised him to stay back from direct participation in the battle. He said:

"The ruler's position is like a thread that pulls the beads together and connects them. The Arabs, although few in number today, are powerful and honored because of their unity and connection to Islam. Therefore, you should remain like the pivot of the mill and keep the war machine turning, igniting the fire of battle with them, not by being present yourself. If you leave this land, the Arabs will break their oaths, and it will become harder to hold what you leave behind than what you face ahead. If you cut it, you will be freed from the war, and it will cause them to covet your destruction" (Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 146).

Umar accepted Imam Ali’s advice, and eventually, the Muslims were victorious (Ibn Kathir, 1351: 7/107; Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 1404: 9/96; Masudi, 1346: 2/318-319).

Also, during the confrontation with Heraclius’ (the Roman Emperor) army, Abu Ubaidah, in a letter, sought the Caliph’s instructions and requested reinforcements. The second Caliph consulted with the prominent companions and asked Imam Ali (AS) for his opinion. Imam Ali advised the Caliph to tell Abu Ubaidah to resist, as victory would be granted to the Muslims (Waqidi, 1304: 108).

B. Scientific Management

One of the issues during the caliphates was responding to the questions posed by non-Muslim scholars who came from various parts of the Arabian Peninsula to Medina to learn about Islam, and naturally, they would turn to the Caliph, the successor of the Prophet (PBUH). The Caliph would refer them to Imam Ali (AS). For example, a group of Jewish scholars asked, “Where is God? Is He in the heavens or on earth?” Imam Ali (AS) replied, “God created places, and He is above them, so no place can contain Him. He is everywhere but never in contact or proximity with anything. He has complete authority over everything, and nothing is beyond His control” (Mufid, n.d.: 108, Chapter Two, Section 58).

Another example of Imam Ali’s scientific management was when the second Caliph, after the conquest of Madain in the 16th year of the Hijrah, decided to set the Islamic calendar. After considering various opinions, he accepted Imam Ali’s suggestion to set the calendar from the migration of the Prophet (PBUH) (Ibn Asakir, 1398: 1/36; Hakim Nishaburi, 1406: 2/14; Ya’qubi, n.d.: 2/29; Tabari, n.d.: 2/253; Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 1404: 3/113).

C. Judicial Management

Imam Ali (AS) also had an informal role in judicial management during the Caliphate era. For example:

– When a man accused of drinking alcohol claimed ignorance of its prohibition, the first Caliph was unsure about the ruling. Imam Ali (AS) suggested that if the man’s ignorance was proven, he should be forgiven and released (Tusi, 1417: 10/108, Hadith 359).

– A man complained to Umar about his wife, claiming that she had given birth six months after their wedding. The woman accepted the claim but stated that she had never had any prior relations. Umar ruled that she should be stoned, but Imam Ali (AS) prevented this punishment and argued that according to the Quran, a woman could give birth to a child after six months. Imam Ali’s reasoning involved combining two verses: Surah Ahqaf, verse 15: “His pregnancy and weaning take thirty months”; Surah Luqman, verse 14: “Weaning takes place in two years.” Finally, the woman was exonerated, and Umar admitted, “If it weren’t for Ali, Umar would have perished” (Ibn Shahraashub, n.d.: 1/496; Majlisi, 1403: 40/332).

– A woman who had married during her waiting period was brought to Umar. He confiscated her dowry and directed that she be separated from her husband. Imam Ali (AS) corrected this decision and instructed that she complete her waiting period and then marry again, with the second husband required to pay the dowry (Husseini Bayhaqi, 1419: 11/436).

In summary, Imam Ali (AS) was always ready with firm and remarkable opinions on judicial matters, and his guidance helped the Caliphs issue just rulings. Umar would often say, “O God, do not bring me a problem that Ali ibn Abi Talib cannot solve” (Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 1404: 12/205).