This was sent to me, via SMS/text from a Sunni brother & student of diyn in Khurasan, on May 18, 2005. The translation into English is his effort.
It's a Farsi couplet, from none other than Allaama Iqbal (rh):
"Har ke dar aafaaq gardad bu-turaab;
baaz gardaanad ze maghrib aaftaab"
(Translation: In spiritual exaltation, if anyone can achieve the status of "Bu-Turaab" [Imam Ali], then he will be able to cause the sun to rise from the West. )
Abu Turab was the nickname that our beloved Rasulullah (saw) once called his cousin and companion, Ali ibn Abi Talib (kw). It means, literally, "Father of Dust." This is related to us in a tradition of our Prophet (saw).
According to Gai Eaton's "Islam & the Destiny of Man", it was a title he preferred and was proud to be called, which bespeaks of his unceasing humility (though I have some misgivings with his renditions of Islamic history in the abovementioned work).
We must grow beyond the defensive polemics and suspicions, as an ummah. May Allah assist us in removing from our hearts, the paranoia, misgivings and undue suspicions that are elicited in this 21st century, when our Amir ul Mu'mineen is mentioned.
`A’isha (ra) said: "He is the most knowledgeable about the Sunna among those who remain,"
Ibn `Abbas (ra) said: "If a trustworthy source tells us of a fatwa by `Ali, we do not seek any further concerning it."
Link to a brief biography of Imam Ali (kw), written by Sh GF Haddad:
http://www.mawlid.net/Companions/Ali_ibn_Abi_Talib.htm
Great post - Hadhrat Ali is a phenomenal, breathtaking Muslim, subhanAllah!
ReplyDeleteQuery: Could you talk a little more about your misgivings with Le Gai Eaton's book? That was one of the books my husband read & loved before converting to Islam.
Thanks, AD!
Wasalaam,
Baraka
W'salaam wr wb, sis B:
ReplyDeleteI read Gai Eaton's "Islam & the Destiny of Man" earlier this year. Overall, I have mixed feelings about it, and have read much better in the 'comprehensive diyn-book' genre, but that's just my opinion.
Eaton romanticizes some aspects of early Islamic history with a British storyteller's license that my best bro aptly terms 'colonial condescension.'
He makes strange remarks, bordering on hyperbole, on the nature of 'conflict' between Hz Aisha and Hz Ali, as though they harbored lifelong resentment for each other. (ra)
Stranger ones are seen on his comments of Imam Hasan (ra)'s numerous marriages. It appears the Orientalist penchant for over-romanticizing the 'other' dies hard, despite reversion and Tasawuf-tendencies.
This criticism, incidentally, also extends to Martin Ling's rendition of our Rasulullah (saw)'s seerah, where his meeting with Zainab (ra) could've been described in a less sensationalist manner.
Again, these are my opinions. The work of Martin Lings' is a great contribution. And Gai Eaton has contributed wonderfully to the ongoing discourse as well, for sure. Alhamdulillah.