Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

376 The oath ofallegiance to 'Ali, his charuateristics & his way of lge
(Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and
hope.$ (Qur'an 32: 16)
(Taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily,
they were before this Muhsinoon [good-doers]. They used to sleep
but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear
and hope]. And in the hours before dawn, they were [found] asking
[Allah] for forgiveness.B (Qur'an 51: 16-18)
(And the [faithful] slaves of the Most Gracious [AUah] are those who
walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish
address them [with had words] they reply back with mild words of
gentleness. And those who spend the night in worship of their Lord,
prostrate and standing.) (Qur'an 25: 63-64)
Dirk ibn Dnmayrah al-Kinhi described 'Ali ihn Ahi T%b to
MuC2wiyah ihn Abi Sufyk (may Allah be pleased with them all) as
follows: "He did not feel content with this world and its adornment,
but he felt content with the night and its darkness. I bear witness by
Allah (B) that I once saw him, when the night had dropped its
curtain and the stars had appeared deep in the sky, weeping in his
place of prayer and holding onto his beard like one who is stung with
pain, weeping and mourning. It is as if I can hear him now, saying: '0
our Lord, 0 our Lord,' beseeching Him. Then he said to this world:
'he you trying to deceive me, or are you trying to attract me? No
way, no way. Go and deceive someone else, for I have thrice
divorced you. Your life is short, you are of no significance or
importance. Ah, how little provision we have, how long is the
journey and how lonely the road!"' At that, Mu'gwiyah's tears fell
down onto his beard; he could not stop them. He srarted to dry them
with his sleeve, and the people began to sob. He said: "This is how
Abu al-Hasan was, may Allah (&)have mercy on him. How sad do
you feel for losing him, 0 Dir%f?" He said: "As sad as the mother