The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had prophesied the assassination of Imam ‘Ali (AS) and his issues. Regarding Imam ‘Ali (AS) he (PBUH) had said, “Oh ‘Ali! I see before my eyes thy beard dyed with the blood of thy forehead.”
On the 19th of Shahr Ramadhan of the year 40 AH, Imam ‘Ali (AS) came to the mosque in Kufah for his morning prayers. Imam mysteriously desired his sons Hasan (AS) and Husayn (AS) to offer their morning prayers in the house and not to accompany him as they usually did to the mosque. Imam ‘Ali (AS) gave the call for prayer (adhan) and became engaged in leading the congregation.
‘Abdurrahman ibn Moljem (LA) pretending to pray stood just behind Imam ‘Ali (AS). As the Imam (AS) was leading the prayers, while in the 2nd sajdah, the killer got up and quickly removed the poisonous sword hitting the Imam on his head with a big blow and the Imam (AS) said in a loud voice: “I swear by the Lord of Ka’bah, I have been successful.”
Gabriel shouted from the heavens: “wallahi tahaddamat arkan al-hodaa.”
The murderer was caught and brought before him. When Imam ‘Ali (AS) saw that the ropes with which his murderer was tied were cutting into his flesh, he forgot his own agony, and requested that he be untied and treated more humanely. Touched by these words the murderer started to weep. A smile played on Imam ‘Ali’s (AS) lips and in a faint voice he said, “It is too late to repent now, you have done your deed. Was I a bad Imam or an unkind Ruler?”
He expressly ordered that no harshness should be shown towards his murderer. He should not be tortured before his execution and should be despatched only with one blow of sword. His body should not be mutilated, and members of his family should not be made to suffer on account of his crime and his property should not be confiscated. ‘Ali’s (AS) justice was always tempered with mercy, even to the worst of his own enemies.
Imam ‘Ali (AS) was taken home from the mosque, and lay mortally wounded, yet he was answering all questions put to him. His sons Hasan (AS) and Husayn (AS) were given the last advice, and finally ‘Ali told them that his coffin was to be lifted only from behind, as the front would of itself be automatically carried, and they would have to take the route guided by the coffin itself. At the place where the coffin would stop, they would find a grave already dug for him. The coffin stopped at Najaf, which is about four miles from Kufah.
Imam ‘Ali (AS) breathed his last on 21 Ramadhan, 40 AH.
Imam (AS) also requested his sons that he should be buried secretly, because he feared that his enemies would desecrate his grave.
The crime of assassinating Imam ‘Ali (AS) remains one of the most cruel, brutal and hideous, because it was not committed against one man, but against the whole rational Islamic leadership. By assassinating Imam ‘Ali (AS), they actually aimed at assassinating the message, the history, the culture and the nation of Muslims embodied in the person of Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). In doing so, the Islamic nation lost its guide of progress, and at the most wondrous opportunity in its life after the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
*******
Literal Meaning of ‘Qadr’
In Arabic the words ‘qadha’ and ‘qadar’ are used for fate and destiny. The word, ‘qadha’ means to decide; to settle; to judge. A ‘qadhi’ (judge) is called so because he decides judicially between the litigants. In the Qur’an this word has been used frequently with reference to both man and Allah. It has been used in the sense of giving a final verdict and taking a decisive action.
The word, ‘qadr’ means to measure; to assess; and to determine. It also has been used in the Qur’an frequently.
The events of the world are said to be separately decided because they take place within the knowledge of Allah and are subject to His will. They are said to the divinely determined because their time, place and nature are determined in accordance with a system fixed by Allah.
The events taking place in the world may be looked at from three angles. Either we may say that they have no past. In other words, an event which takes place at any time is not related to anything preceding it, nor does its existence depend on anything prior to it. Its temporal and spatial characteristics and its scope and extent were not determined in the past.
If this hypothesis is accepted, there is no meaning of destiny. According to this theory the destiny of a thing is not predetermined at the stage of the existence of another thing preceding it, for there is no existential link between the two. If we accept this view, we will have to deny the principle of causation totally and will have to explain unscientifically all events as mere accidents.
However the principle of causation and the existence of an essential link between various events are fact, which are undeniable. Everything acquires its inevitability and its existential characteristics from some other thing or things preceding it. The principle of causation is in a way the basis of all human knowledge.
Another possibility is that we should maintain that every event has a cause, but deny that every cause necessitates a particular effect and that every effect can emanate only from a particular cause. In this case we can believe that the whole universe has not more than one cause and agent and that is Allah. All existing things and all events emanate from Him directly. His Will attaches to every event separately. His Will and Knowledge of everything is independent of His Will and Knowledge of any other thing.
In this case we can say that there is no agent except Allah. He knows from eternity that such and such event will take place at such and such time, and that event must perforce come into existence at that particular moment. No other factor affects the existence of that event. Human deeds and acts also being a kind of event emanate direct from the Will and Knowledge of Allah. The human will and power are only a facade or a mere illusion, and not actually effective in bringing about any event.
This is true pre-destinarianism that is the view which if held by a person or a nation, will certainly lead them to ruination.
This view, besides the practical and social evils which it entails is logically absurd. There is no doubt that it does not stand to reason. The system of causation or the connection of causes and effects is undeniable. Not only physical sciences and perceptual and experimental observations prove the existence of a system of causes and effects, but also there are very strong philosophical arguments in support of it. The Holy Qur’an also endorses the doctrine of causation.
According to the third view, all the events in the world are governed by a system of causation. Every event acquires its inevitability and its existential characteristics from the causes proceeding to it. There exists an unbreakable link between the past, the present and the future, that is between every phenomenon and its preceding causes.
According to this view the destiny of everything in existence is in the hands of some other thing which is its cause, which has necessitated it and has made it inevitable. It is the case which determines the existential characteristics of its effect. Every cause in its turn is the effect of another cause. And so on.
The acceptance of the general principle of causation means the acceptance of the view that every event acquires its inevitability and its characteristics of shape, size and quality from its cause or causes. It makes no difference whether we believe or not in a religion and the First Cause, that is the source of every determination.
If this view is upheld then as far as the question of destiny is concerned, there will be no difference between a theist and an atheist. The belief in destiny is corollary of the belief in the principle of causation. The only difference is that an atheist looks at the question from material angle only. He believes that the destiny of everything in existence is determined by the causes are not conscious of the work they do. On the other hand, a theist maintains that at the long end of the chain there are certain causes which are conscious of their work and their own characteristics. The theists call such causes the ‘Book’, the ‘Tablet’ and the ‘Pen’, whereas the materialistic school has nothing worthy of these names.
Pre-Destination
From the foregoing discussion it is clear that a belief in fate and destiny and that every event, including human deeds and acts, is determined by Divine decrees, does not necessarily mean predestination. It would have certainly meant so, had we believed that man and his will have no role in this respect. As hinted earlier, the Divine Being does not influence the events of the world direct. That is absolutely impossible. He necessitates the existence of a thing through its particular causes only. That everything is decreed by Allah simply means that the system of causation is subject to His Will and Knowledge. As already pointed out, the acceptance of the principle of causation implies that the destiny of everything in existence depended on the causes preceding it. It does not matter whether we believe that the system of causation emanates from the Divine Will or presume that it exists independently, for its independence or dependence does not in any way affect human destiny.
It is foolish to hold that the doctrine of predestination has any relation to the belief in fate and destiny, or to criticize this belief on that account.
There is absolutely no such thing as destiny if it means the denial of an inevitable connection between the causes and their effects. It will amount to the denial of human liberty and volition. In theology very strong and convincing arguments have been advanced to prove the baselessness of such an idea.
But if destiny means a link of inevitability between an event and its causes, then its existence is an undeniable fact. Anyhow, it should be remembered that the belief in destiny is not peculiar to the theists. Every school of thought which believes in the general system of causation has to accept the existence of this link of inevitability. The only difference is that the theists hold that the chain of causes at a dimension other than that of time or place ends at the Essential Being, Who is self-existent. Thus all inevitabilities and determinations stop at a particular point.
Anyhow, this difference neither proves nor disproves the doctrine of predestination.
Source: Man and His Destiny by Morteza Mutahhari
Majzooban Noor, Nematollahi Gonabadi Order News website, would like to express its sincere condolences at this grievous loss to the presence of the Holy great Qutb of Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi Order, Haj Dr.Noor Ali Tabandeh, “Majzoob Ali Shah” and all muslims and the brothers and sisters in faith.