Dr. Murtaza Akber Hameer (Arusha, Tanzania) is a medical doctor turned teacher. He pursued his medical degree in India and took the United States medical licensing exams in the USA. He also has a postgraduate diploma in education from the University of Dar es Salaam. He is the author of the book, “Learning How To Learn: Doing well in school, college and beyond”. He is passionate about education and teaching, with interests also in philosophy, science, theology and spirituality.
If time travel were possible, and H.G. Wells’ ‘The Time Machine’ was less of a science fiction book and more of a scientific reality, one person among others that I would love to have a one-on-one conversation with, through the ages of time, would be the great Ali – the fourth Caliph of Islam and the first Shia Imam. Far from being an expert on the man, and knowing the very little that I know about him, there is still a powerful curiosity and awe that I have about the person history calls the victorious Lion of God.
Cousin to the Prophet Muhammad, his son-in-law and among the earliest followers of Islam, perhaps the only one who was under the wings of Muhammad as Gabriel brought down revelations to the most trustworthy one of 7 th Century Arabia, Imam Ali embodied the spirit and light of Islam like no other person of his time could, second only to Muhammad himself. A beautiful hadith, words attributed to him, goes something like this:
The entire Quran is contained in the 7 verses of the first surah; and the 7 verses of the first surah are contained in the Basmallah; the Basmallah is contained in the letter ‘Ba’ and I am the diacritical dot underneath the ‘Ba’.
From the onset, Ali was entangled with revelation itself. As Jesus was the walking and talking Gospels, the son of Abu Talib was the walking and talking Qur’an. So, it is no wonder that when it comes to how Ali interacted with religious minority groups and his approach to religious pluralism, he would only be consistent with Scripture itself.
Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. (Quran 2:62)
Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good — they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. (Quran 5:69)
And (as for) those who strive hard for Us, We will most certainly guide them in Our ways; and Allah is most surely with the doers of good. (Quran 29:69) [To note in this verse are the words ‘Our Ways’ – Subulinaa in Arabic, in contrast to Sabilillah – the Way of God, suggesting multiple paths to the Divine]
And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what is before it of the Book and a guardian over it, therefore judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires (to turn away) from the truth that has come to you; for every one of you did We appoint a law and a way, and if Allah had pleased He would have made you (all) a single people, but that He might try you in what He gave you, therefore strive with one another to hasten to virtuous deeds; to Allah is your return, of all (of you), so He will let you know that in which you differed. (Quran 5:48)
There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever disbelieves in the Shaitan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing. (Quran 2:256)
The above are the words of the Qur’an. Now let us read what Ali has told us: “Remember, Malik, that among your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who are your brothers in faith, and those who are your equals in humanity.” (Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 53)
Regarding the protection of the Dhimmis (non-Muslims who are to be protected under the Caliphate) he said, “Their property is like our property and their blood is like our blood.” (sources include Wasa’il al-Shia and Bihar al-Anwar as well as Al-Mabsut by Shaykh al-Tusi.) It is recorded that during the battle of Siffin, Ali did not allow his soldiers to seize goods from or harass the Christian and Jewish people of the villages they passed through, maintaining that their Jizya (taxes) gave them total immunity from state aggression.
With Imam Ali, there were no forced conversions to Islam. He is said to have allowed religious minorities to maintain their own courts as regards to civil matters (marriage, divorce and inheritance as examples) as per their own scriptures. George Jordac, a Lebanese Christian scholar, maintains that the principles of Ali anticipated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
History has recorded the great Ali, and his life and teachings shall endure for as long as humanity endures on this planet. For many if not most Muslims, even for many of us today, Islam is believed to be the only way to salvation. Yet, it seems that the Qur’an and Ali don’t share this perspective. If there is one thing that I can take from the life of Ali, in my ordinariness of not being a historian or religious scholar, it would be this: The paths to God are many. Salvation is not exclusive to one religion. Such was the path of Ali; and such is the path that I choose to walk upon.
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Dr. Murtaza Akber Hameer (Arusha, Tanzania) is a medical doctor turned teacher. He pursued his medical degree in India and took the United States medical licensing exams in the USA. He also has a postgraduate diploma in education from the University of Dar es Salaam. He is the author of the book, “Learning How To Learn: Doing well in school, college and beyond”. He is passionate about education and teaching, with interests also in philosophy, science, theology and spirituality.
