The Human Cohesion Project — 28 Apr 2021

#TheHumanCohesionProject

The need for discernment brought back the memory of a story about Ali ibn Abi Talib, often referred to as Imam Ali, as narrated in Rumi’s epic poem Masnavi.

Ali was a cousin and a son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed. The story mentions him being in a duel with another warrior, who Ali believes to be unethical. At one point in the duel, Ali is almost victorious and has the opportunity to slay his opponent. When he is about to do that, the opponent, having no other move left, spits on Ali’s face. In response, Ali puts his sword back in its sheath and walks away. Rumi writes this about Ali’s decision:

He said, I use my sword the way God’s planned

Not for my body but by God’s command;

I am God’s lion, not the one of passion

— My actions testify to my religion…

In the story, the opponent is flabbergasted and wonders why a clear opportunity for victory was forfeited. Ali explains that till the moment he was spat on, he was fighting for God, for the life source he served. The moment he was spat on, he became angry. Had he proceeded to kill his opponent in that moment, the killing would have been an act of personal revenge, not an act of natural justice that he aimed to serve.

As myriad emotions come into play in life and work in the current context, I have been reminding myself to learn from Ali, to stay in integrity with what I am serving, and to not let my ego drive my decisions.

What did you serve today?

Ramadan Kareem. May we stay in integrity to our collective purpose on this planet.

#RukminiIyer #ExultSolutions #peacebuilding #interfaith #religion #Islam

(This article is part of a series called The Human Cohesion Project, 2021 - a peacebuilder's exploration of Islam, by Rukmini Iyer)