8 Jamadi – Al-Ula 1446 AH   10 Nov 2024 AD 9:52 p.m. Karbala
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2018-12-23   1125

The Spiritual Perfectness of twin-likeness between Muhammad, the Prophet and Ali-the Trustee

The Prophet's knowledge-keepers of his companions have known too well that I opposed Allah in nothing that He ordained nor did I oppose His Messenger even for an hour at all and I used to console him in situations wherein heroes were reluctant to proceed in obeying his order and their feet failed to step forward for rescue-at this juncture, Allah honored me by crowning my effort with success and the Messenger of Allah had passed away while his head was resting on my breast and his soul had melted on my hand-palm and let it go over my face before being raised up to its Creator, then I undertook the act of washing him with the help of the angels who filled the area of the house and its corners with hubbub of their presence, some descending and some ascending with my ears engaged with hearing their prayers around him until we finished his burial proceeding.
So, who has more right than me whether he be alive or dead. Refer to your consciences and deepen your insight into the matter and purify your intentions in fighting against your enemy. So, by Allah in Whom I have faith I swear that I am on the right path and that they are on the track of falsehood. I say what you hear and I request Allah to forgive me and you."
The source and the spring of prophet-hood and Imamate is not the only element of participation between them but we also find the spiritual relationship between the Messenger and Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) as the most prominent factor in that participation for it surpassed the outward frame in a way suggestive of belonging to the Quranic description which envisaged that relationship as self-to self- relationship as in the following Quranic verse:"Then whoever disputes with you concerning him (Jesus) after (all this) knowledge that has come to you (Jesus being a slave of Allah, and having no share in Divinity), say: O Muhammad! "Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the Curse of Allah upon those who lie." (Aal Umran:61)
This relationship is but complementary relationship without the slightest doubt and this indeed what we understand from the previous Quranic exposition for it is the guide and the proof of the mutual marriage of thoughts and the spiritual and intellectual harmonization as a prelude for completeness between prophet-hood and the Imamate. 
There may be–in what Imam Ali has mentioned-(P.B.U.H.) a wonderful approach to this understanding for he described the nature of the relationship with the Messenger (P.B.U.H.) in what he said: "And I am with respect to Allah's Messenger an equal to equal and an arm to humerus and the "twin" i.e. the two date-palms whose origin is one, and this 'nearness' to each other expresses the complementary twin-like relationship which is based on a number of things. 
We can sum them up in what is following below: 
The First Image: 
Unity of Origin and then comes the Unity of Program with gradual difference between them and according to the complementary development between prophet-hood and Imamate and rather similarity between the arm and the humerus is but an indication that there is no separation between the Messenger and the Imam (P.B.U.T.) in other words between prophet-hood and Imamate. This state of being can also be applied to the image of the 'twin' date-palms which both stem from but one origin.
The Second Image:
The relationship which Imam Ali has meant (P.B.U.H.) is not restricted to Imamate in its independent meaning only which complements prophet-hood but to the role the Imam can play in backing up the Prophet and prophet-hood; therefore, the sense of completion here starts with the starting-points of the Prophetic introductions to its missionary career.
This, indeed, will interpret to us the style Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.)  employs when he said: "And I am from Allah's Messenger…" that is to say: His actual position during the existence of the Prophet himself and after holding the post of the Imamate, too."
The Third Image
It is a speech which reflects the nature of the urgent need of educating the people axioms and they are those which deal with the nature of the relationship between the Messenger and Imam Ali (P.B.U.T.) and its kind which denotes the brutal attack against the program of right which is represented by the Prophet's pure progeny (P.B.U.T.) 
Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) turns to another image of twin-like similarity and spiritual marriage with the Messenger (P.B.U. H.) which is an image of moralistic materialistic nearness at the last moments of life and which contains a thought outside kinship and comradeship frame and enters into another frame-embodying the completeness which is now under study.
This nearness or intimacy at that crucial moment is a function and a condition and has nothing to do with formalities and from this very point we discern the strictness of Imam Ali's speech. (P.B.U.H.) and has got several shades of meaning for he said: "And the soul of Allah's Messenger has been taken with his head on my breast and his 'self' melted on my hand-palm and passed it through my face."
We can roughly gather these meanings in the following points.
Firstly: 
It is an indication to the materialistic nearness which necessitates confrontation and direct attention whether in recommendations or other things. 
For this reason, the materialistic nearness is among the most important introductions of moralistic nearness we mean to demonstrate.
Secondly: 
The terms used by Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) suggests and indicates dual sense of completion between prophet-hood and Imamate as we have already mentioned. There is no other moralistic interpretation to his speech." (PB.U.H.) and his 'self' had melted over my hand – palm and I passed it over my face" which indicates nothing but spiritual continuation and completion together with the ongoing missionary deed. 
This spirit of continuity originally springs from the Messenger's self (P.B.U.H.) as well as -- all other Imams (P.B.U.H.).
Thirdly:
Imam Ali's following saying: "And the Messenger's soul was taken away (P.B.U.H.) with his head resting on my breast." seems to be bearing an indication or  you can say an allusion to the allegation which says that this matter took place with Aesha, the Messenger's wife especially after we had already cited the matter to you… that the image of bidding farewell to the dead one or having the last meeting with him goes out of its normal way to enter into the domain of equal to equal accounts between the Prophet and the Imam (P.B.U.T.); otherwise, the existence of Lady Zahra (P.B.U.H.) instead of the Imam, would have been a necessity  in such situations.
But Lady Zahra (P.B.U.H.) realizes the meaning, concept and necessity of that meeting and its intellectual inspirations on the whole and with what can ensure the continuity of the heavenly mission.
The other stage of proving --this equal to equal trait -- between the Prophet and the Imam which is exclusively owned by Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) with regard to his relationship with the Prophet is the stage of washing, dressing him the shroud and the special right he owns in dealing with the angels and this is the result or one of the effects of that sense of spiritual completion and a prelude for undertaking the task of the heavenly mission via holding the post of the-Imamate.
He (P.B.U.H.) said: "It was I who undertook the duty of washing him - with the angels as my helpers: the house with the corridor and the courtyard were all filled with the hubbub of the angels who were seen descending and ascending and thus I left none without having heard his voice and all were in a state of praying for him until we had him buried and covered with earth in his holy tomb so who has got more right than me in him whether dead or alive?!
So deepen your insight into the matter and be true to your intensions in your holy fight against your enemy for I swear to you by the One who has no deity beside him that I am really on the right path and that they are on the slippery way of falsehood. I say to you what you now hear of me and I request Allah to forgive me and forgive you."
But some may find the act of Imam Ali's washing the body of the Prophet as normal and customary in the view of the family of the dead one for they consider Imam Ali as the closest relative of the Prophet and this is, on the whole, as they see it, a materialistic approach to this subject-matter but this just justification stands against the truth if we put into our consideration the following two points:
The First Point:
This social rule cannot be applied on the infallible but only on the rest of the people. The infallible must not be washed and prayed for except an infallible one like him and that washing and that prayer both stand as practical assertion of his successive Imamate and the infallibility of the washer and prayer performer.
The Second Point:
Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) himself didn't mention the matter of the washing to others except for sake of affirming the proof by stating to them his full right to hold the post of legal guardianship of the people within his Imamate because the recognition of doing this deed will suffice to recognize that morale inheritance, as this has come through his saying: (P.B.U.H.) " Who among you, alive or dead has more right than me of his affairs, indicating (the act of "washing" him) to confirm his full right.
The proposal of Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) gives us this angelic atmosphere which nobody can discern its essence or one can imagine it save Imam Ali, himself as though it is a formal appointment and an official announcement denoting the starting point of the Imams' mission to take effect and put into practice especially when we got to know that the angels were cooperative in the process of washing the Messenger's body for this is obvious when he said: 
"And I undertook the task of washing him with the help of the angels who rather availed themselves the opportunity of renewing the pledge of their allegiance to him and to his trustful successor after him. The words of the Imam (P.B.U.H.)  bore special allusions signifying the spiritual complementation with Allah's Messenger (P.B.U.H.) 
We can sum up in the theme in the following aspects below: 
The side with whom the matter is concerned is the 
"The House of Prophet-hood" which is renowned as a house glowing with heavenly knowledge and brilliant lights and this in fact what the Imam has meant to assert about the angels who some were ascending and some descending; therefore, this is a message to the parasitic intruders against this honorable character. 
The Imam wanted to turn the people's attention to his distinguished intimacy and nearness to the Messenger of Allah and his moralistic inheritance of him - well manifested when he said in the presence of the angels in front of him: 
"And never slipped my ear any of part of their invocations and prayers which they performed during their presence until we completed his burial process and this is a matter which no claimers, whatsoever, can deny or claim the opposite. 
The Imam (P.B.U.H.) spared no effort in distinguishing the front of the truth from the front of falsehood on the whole. To be acquainted with the qualities and characters of each front will lead to know both the followers of truth and the followers of falsehood. 
This is what we clearly feel in his conclusive speech (P.B.U.H.) with the people i.e. the result which he wanted them to know by submitting the subject of "washing" Allah's Messenger (P.B.U.H.).
"By Allah with Whom no deity is there, I swear I am on the path of truth while they are on the slippery way of falsehood. I say and you hear what I say and mean and I request Allah to forgive me and forgive you" and his swearing in, here, is to make it stand as proof on them before Allah, to Whom be ascribed all glory and perfection.

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