The Prophecy of Imam Ali (a.s.) regarding the government of the Umayyad dynasty – As per the narration of ‘Al Gharaat’

          Zar bin Habeesh said: After the battle of Nehrwaan, Imam Ali (a.s.) delivered a sermon addressing the people. After praising the Almighty and gratifying Him, he said:

          ‘O people! I have settled down the fire of conspiracies and opened their eyelids wide and made the truth evident for everyone; none other than me had the courage to enter these conspiracies and fight them till they were overturned.

          (It is mentioned in the narration of Ibn e Abi Laila that Imam said): None other than me had the courage to expose these conspiracies and to make the realities and facts evident for the people, if I was not present before you, there wouldn’t be anyone who could fight the people of Jamal and Nehrwaan.

          I swear to God, if you do not lift your hands from the evil deeds you commit and keep yourself away from conflicts, I will inform you of that which the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said in reference to this incident, and will say out all that is to be said so that this incident becomes evident and known to the people.

          Those who fight the people of conspiracies today, the truth is completely evident for them, and they fight with their perception, and they know that the conspirers are misguided, and they have chosen the right path in their battle against the ones who initiate conflicts.

          Thereafter, Imam Ali (a.s.) said: Ask me before you lose me; I will either pass away or be assassinated; albeit I will be assassinated; at present, I am in anticipation of the most brutal man to dye my beard and blood shall run from my forehead.

          At that moment, Imam Ali (a.s.) moved his hand on his beard and said thereafter:

          ‘I swear to the Almighty in whose possession is my soul; ask me whatever you wish to ask regarding the present and all the future incidences that will occur till the day of resurrection, I will answer all your questions and will inform you of the ones who lost the path and the ones who found it.’

          Meanwhile, a man stood from the crowd and said: ‘O leader of the believers! Tell us about the upcoming miseries and difficulties.

          Imam Ali (a.s.) said:

          “You are living at a time when the ones who intend to question should be cautious about their questions, and should question with intelligence and understanding, and whenever someone is questioned, he should also be cautious about how he intends to reply and he should reply with great insight and perception.

          You should now be aware that great happenings are on your way ahead and the incidents will occur one after the other, these sufferings and conspiracies will make the people blind and misguided and truth will be covered with the veil of falsehood.

          By the Lord who split the grain, and brought the creations into being, if you lose me and unbearable situations occur, and miseries overpower you, and sufferings surround you, then neither the inquirers will be able to inquire, nor the inquired will have the power to answer.

          These hardships will come at a time when war will be severe and prevalent, and everyone will be surrounded by its flames, at that time, the world will become narrow for you and miseries will come towards you and my family from every direction, until the Almighty will ease the conditions and the situations, and the remaining good-doers will be delivered from these miseries.

          Now, support those who were the flag-bearers of Badr and Hunayn, so that you are supported and rewarded; do not go ahead of them as the entanglements will destroy you, and you will collapse on the ground.”

Meanwhile, a man stood up and said: ‘O leader of the believers! Tell us about the intrigues and inform us about the forthcoming incidents.

          Imam Ali (a.s.) said:

          ‘When these intrigues will occur, people will be left in scepticism and when they will move ahead, only then will they inform about their existence and will make the realities evident. Whenever they occur, they deceive, and are known only when they go away; these conspiracies are like wind as they flow in some places and don’t flow in the other.

          O people, beware that the most frightening intrigue is that of the Umayyad dynasty. It is a blind and dark intrigue which does not possess light at all; that intrigue will prevail everywhere and entangle a group of people, those who are wise, will find the right path in that phase, and whoever has a blind heart without wisdom, will be entangled in it.

          In that dark and blindening intrigue, when there will be no glimpse of truth, the wrong-doers will overpower the supporters of the right. Until the entire earth will be filled with oppression and aggression; and innovations will spread everywhere, and the Almighty God will be the first one to demolish that oppression and cruelty, and break down its pillars and bases.

          By God, the Umayyad men are worst of rulers, they will break your teeths into small pieces after my demise, and bite you with their mouths, and beat you down with their hands and legs, and harm you, and deprive you from the rights, and will deal with you in such a way that you all may either obey them or remain silent.

          They will bring upon you such miseries that you will be compelled to support them, and obey their commands, just like a slave obeys his master and supports him. The ethics of slaves is such that whenever they see their master, they obey them, and when they move away from them, they curse them.

          By God, if the Umayyad rulers disperse you in the deserts, and each one of you hide under a stone, the Almighty Allah will gather you all one day and that day will be the worst day for them. You will be divided into various groups after me, while your Qibla, Hajj and Umrah will remain the same; but your hearts will be separated. Then he interwined his fingers into each other.

          Then a man stood up and asked: “O Amir al-Momineen (a.s.), why did you intertwine your fingers?”

          Imam (a.s.) replied: “That one will kill this one, and this one will bring down that one. They will be disintegrated from each other like the people of the Age of Ignorance, and will be divided into groups, they will not find the path of happiness and the way of guidance.

            That group does not have a leader who can guide them and show them the right path. We, Ahl ul-Bait, will attain deliverance from those incidents and intrigues and will not push the people towards the conspiracies and misguidance, and will not drag them towards corruption and destruction.

          At this moment, a man stood up and asked: O Amir al-Momineen (a.s.), what should we do at such a time?

          Imam Ali (a.s.) said:

                   “When conspiracies and corruption prevails every where, and innovations emerge in the society, follow the Holy Progeny (a.s.) of your Prophet (p.b.u.h.). If they remained seated in their houses, you should also remain in your houses, and if they rise and invite you towards revolt, then you should also accept their invitation and support them.

                   You should be careful that you do not move ahead of them, because in that case, you will collapse on the ground.

          At this moment, a man stood up and asked: O Amir al-Momineen, what will happen after this?  

          Imam (a.s.) said:

                   “Thereafter, the Almighty God will break apart all these conspiracies by our medium, the Ahl ul-Bait, just like skin is peeled from meat.

                   May my father sacrifice for the son of the best of women, he will destroy the men of conspiracies, devastation and corruption and drag them towards humiliation and disgrace. And pour its sour drink in their palates, and will destroy all of them with his sword, and shed their blood. He will keep his sword for the duration of eight months over his shoulder and fight against them.

                   At that moment, the people of Quraysh will wish that I was with them for a little while and that I would support them, they will say on that day: “If he belonged to the progeny of Fatima (a.s.), he would have showed mercy and compassion with us and wouldn’t have shed our blood”.    

          The Almighty will dominate him upon the Umayyad dynasty and he will kill them where ever he finds them and curse upon them[1].

This significant prophecy of Imam Ali (a.s.) depicts that the conspiracies and the misguidance of the conspirers will remain continuous in the same manner until the governance of these conspirers will be eradicated from the entire world by the ‘Qaayem’ or (Riser) of the Prophet’s Holy progeny, and the world will attain the path of guidance.