We all claim to be followers and lovers of Imam Ali (as), but how do we know we truly are? How do we know if we are following him the way he wants us to? Read on to discover 5 practical ways to be a true follower of Imam Ali (as).

1)     Know who Imam Ali (as) was

We all think we know who Imam Ali (as) was. He was the cousin of the Prophet (pbuh) and the husband of Fatimah Al-zahra (as). But for most of us, this is where our knowledge stops. How many of us truly know him? 

To do this we need to:

• Study his life story and figure out how to be more like him.
• Read Nahjul-balagha –  What better way to learn about someone than to read what they’ve written! Make a goal to read just one sentence everyday. You can’t procrastinate one sentence and you’ll be surprised with how much you can learn (I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be able to just read a sentence though, the sermons are just too interesting!).
• Study our faith to learn more about him since he was the true embodiment of Islam.

2)    Learn more about Islam and get closer to Allah (swt)

The value and magnificence of Imam Ali (a.s.) lies in fact that he fully devoted himself to Allah, in the sense that he said no word, made no move and established no relation before knowing if it pleases and satisfies Allah or not.

We can do this by:

• Getting closer to Allah (swt) and reading (more importantly) understanding the Quran.
• Focusing on bettering our prayers: Imam Ali (as) was known to be so focused in his prayers that he would be unaware of what is going on around him.
• Learning more about our religion and how to practice it better.

 

3)    Learn the characteristics of a true follower of Imam Ali (as)

To do this, you must know exactly what characteristics Imam Ali (a.s) embodied – he’s there to be a role model for us. Some important characteristics include:

• Being righteous and standing with the truth no matter the cost: The Prophet Muhammad said: “Ali is with the truth and the truth is with Ali; and wherever Ali went, the truth followed”. Let’s learn to be truthful in all aspects of our lives. Imam Ali (as) said: “Being righteous has left me alone with no friends”. Humans are social creatures and naturally seek friendships, however, this should never come at the expense of pleasing Allah (swt). Peer pressure is a significant problem these days where the desire to fit in becomes the ultimate goal. To be a follower of Imam Ali (as), we must be steadfast and firm that no matter what everyone else around us is doing, we will stick to the truth even if we are alone.
• Seeking knowledge: The Prophet Muhammad said: “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate”. Active pursuit of knowledge is an important characteristic of a good Muslim since we should always aim to advance ourselves. Imam Ali’s (as) knowledge encompassed not just religion, but also science, history and literature. We should aim to be just like him and with access to the internet, there really is no excuse!

4)    Learn more about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Imam Ali (as) was raised by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and learnt everything from him. They had the same message and were on the same path, so to know the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would be analogous to knowing Imam Ali (as). To be a good follower of Imam Ali (as) you must be a good follower of the Prophet! Let’s do our best to learn the seerah of the Prophet and how Islam came to be.

5)    Do not exaggerate in his praise

Imam Ali (as) is no doubt an exceptional human being and one of the best of Allah’s (swt) creation. However, his status in some cases has reached to becoming almost God-like with hadiths saying such things as him controlling the weather. Even his depictions have come to resemble the manner in which Christians depict the Prophet Jesus (as). This exaggeration is often used as a tool to accuse shias of shirk.

Over and over again the Prophets and Imams have stressed that they are only human. In surat Al-Kahf (6) Allah (swt) states:

Say, O [Muhammad], “I am only a man like you to whom it has been revealed that your god is but one God; so take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness. And woe to those who associate others with Allah”

Let’s hear about what Imam Ali (as) has to say about this.

Imam Ali (as) states:

Two persons [groups] are doomed concerning me; the devoted extremist exalting me to what I am not, and the spiteful hater bearing malice towards me and slandering me.

He used to fight those who exalted him so much to the extent of considering him a near-like god, and he used to punish them because he wanted to preserve the truth. He did not want to encourage people to love him away from what is right. In the same sense, he did not want people to hate him, since if they did, they would be hating the righteousness he embodied.

He also used to tell the people to hold him accountable, even though he was an infallible Imam, for Islam is not a dogmatic religion. He is teaching us how a true leader should be and is something that our religious leaders ought to learn from.

It is narrated that he said: 

do not meet me with flattery and do not think that I shall take it ill if a true thing is said to me, because the person who feels disgusted when truth is said to him or a just matter is placed before him would find it more difficult to act upon them.

A person who does not like to be criticized for truth and justice cannot establish truth and justice.

Being a true lover of Imam Ali (as) is not easy and takes a lot of work. Whilst we do have a tendency to want to express our identity on the outside; wearing symbols such as a ring and a Dhulfiqar, doesn’t instantly make us a better follower of Imam Ali (as). We want to follow him with our actions, our inward thoughts and our connection to Allah (swt). In essence, when we love Imam Ali (as), we’re not loving him as a person only. We are loving his message, his faith, his attributes and the pure Islam he represents. 

The above is a revised version of a speech given at LAL’s Imam Ali: The Lantern of Guidance event on 31/3/2018.