Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

254 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib at the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
for 'Umar ibn al-Khat$ib (&); 'Umar used to seek advice from him
concerning both major and minor matters. 'Ali (&) gave him
sincere advice concerning all his affairs,13' and 'Ali never made a
suggestion to 'Umar, but the latter implemented it out of conviction.
He consulted with him when the Muslims conquered Jerusalem,
when al-MadPin was conquered, when 'Umar wanted to head
towards Nahawand to fight the Persians, when he wanted to go out to
fight the Byzantines, when he wanled to establish the Islamic
calendar and at many other times.'39 'Ali (&) was a sincere adviser
throughout 'Umar's life; he loved him and feared for him, and 'Umar
loved 'Ali. There was mutual trust and friendship between them.
Despite all that, the enemies of Islam insist on falsifying history and
narrating false reports that suit their ideas and inclinations, so that
they may depict the era of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs as if everyone
was lying in wait for another in order to destroy him, as if they were
all plotting behind the scenes.140
For example, when the Persians gathered in large numbers in
Nahawand with the aim of attacking the Muslims, 'Umar (4)
gathered the people and consulted them as to whether he should
march out to fight them himself. Most of the people suggested that he
should do that, but then 'Ali (&) stood up and said: "0 Amir al-
Mn'mineen, if you send the troops of Syria away from their country,
the Byzantines will attack their families; if you send the troops of
Yemen away from their families, the Abyssinians will attack their
families; if you leave this land (Madinah), the Arabs from all over
will rebel against you, then what you leave behind you will become
more urgent than what lies ahead on the borders. Leave these people
in their lands and write to the people of Basra. Let them form three
groups: one group to protect their women and children; another
group to keep an eye on those who have a covenant with them, so that
they will not break the treaty and rebel; and let another group go to
Kufah as reinforcements for their brothers there. If the Persians see