Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

'Ali ibn Abi Tilib 303
verse means those who are like them, and does not mean some of
them.
Ibn Taymiyah said: "No doubt this is praise for them for the
attributes mentioned, namely harshness towards the disbelievers,
mercy amongst themselves, bowing and prostrating, seeking the
bounty and pleasure of Allah (s), the mark of prostration on their
faces and the fact that they started from a position of weakness and
attained perfect strength, like the plants mentioned in the verse. The
promise made to them of forgiveness and great reward is not only for
these characteristics; rather it is for their faith and righteous deeds.
Allah (g) mentions that for which they deserve this promise, even
though all of them are like that, because if He did not mention that, it
might be thought that they are deserving of forgiveness merely by
virtue of what is mentioned, without explaining the reason why they
deserve this reward."302
What I have mentioned in this section is in complete
accordance with what the noble Qur'an says about mercy and
compassion among the Companions and harshness against the
disbelievers, especially among the Rightly Guided Caliphs. They are
the noble leaders, the elite of the people and the leaders of the
Ummah after the death of its Prophet. Beware of the weak reports and
fabricated stories that were made up by the enemies of this Ummah in
order to distort the histoly of the early generations of Islam. Should
we believe false reports and worthless stories that depict enmity
among the Rightly Guided Caliphs, or should we believe the Book of
our Lord, what was said concerning them by our Prophet, and what is
in accordance with reports narrated by trustworthy scholars of Ahl
as-Sunnah wal-Jami'ah?
Allah (@) says:
(And He has united their [i.e. believers'] hearts. If you had spent all