Who Is Imam Ali (as)?

Amir al-mu"minln Ali (upon whom be peace) was the son of Abu Talib, the Shaykh of the Banu Hashim. Abu Talib was the uncle and guardian of the Holy Prophet (sawas) and the person who had brought the Prophet (sawas) to his house and raised him like his own son. After the Prophet (sawas) was chosen for his prophetic mission, Abu Talib continued to support him and repelled from him the evil that came from the infidels among the Arabs and especially the Quraysh. Ali was present in all the wars in which the Prophet (sawas) participated, except the battle of Tabuk when he was ordered to stay in Medina in place of the Prophet (sawas). He did not retreat in any battle nor did he turn his face away from any enemy. He never disobeyed the Prophet (sawas), so that the Prophet (sawas) said:

"Ali is never separated from the Truth nor the Truth from Ali."

The courage of Ali was proverbial. In all the wars in which he participated during the lifetime of the Prophet (sawas), and also afterward, he never displayed fear or anxiety. Although in many battles such as those of Uhud, Hunayn, Khaybar and Khandaq the aides to the Prophet (sawas) and the Muslim army trembled in fear or dispersed and fled, he never turned his back to the enemy.

Never did a warrior or soldier engage Ali in battle and come out of it alive. Yet, with full chivalry he would never slay a weak enemy nor pursue those who fled.

He would not engage in surprise attacks or in turning streams of water upon the enemy. It has been definitively established historically that in the Battle of Khaybar in the attack against the fort he reached the ring of the door and with sudden motion tore off the door and cast it away.

Also on the day when

Mecca was conquered, the Prophet (sawas) ordered the idols to be broken. The idol "Hubal" was the largest idol in Mecca, a giant stone statue placed on the top of the Kaba. Following the command of the Prophet (sawas), Ali placed his feet on the Prophet (sawas)’s shoulders, climbed to the top of the Kaba, pulled "Hubal" from its place and cast it down.

Note:

(sawas) = (Peace be upon him).

other links:

Eulogy to Amir Al Momenin

Women in the Nahj Ul Balagha

Imam Ali’s Ziyarat

Imam Ali’s Biography

The Last Will and the Testament

Imam Ali’s Martyrdom

Self-Sacrifice and Devotion of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)

Imam Ali (as), First youth to accept Islam

Imam Ali (as), Unique Leader in the History of Mankind