Imam Ali (pbuh) on the Disastrous Consequences of Poverty
GOVERNANCE OF IMAM ALI (A.S) AS THE CHAMPION OF THE DOWNTRODDEN
What is amazing about this great personality by the name of Ali ibn abi Talib (a.s) is that his thoughts and message, through those very limited days of political governance, could manage to prove his leadership and Caliphate on the Muslim Ummah (nation) and the whole of humanity.
This is where we see that Ali (a.s) is not only the head of all the spiritual establishments, but also the Voice of Human Justice, as noted by the title of the book written by the acclaimed Lebanese Christian author George Jordac.
Here, Ali (a.s) is someone who understands and acknowledges Insan (human beings) as Insan, thereby establishes human dignity for every human being, regardless of religion, race, ethnic background or financial status.
Here, Ali (a.s) is the champion of humanity and not confined to the boundaries of Islam or any particular religion.
We very proudly identify ourselves as the followers of Ali (a.s), but at the same time, we are still unfortunately very far from his ideals and message. This is our unfortunate reality as the Shia of Ali (a.s).
Imam Ali (a.s) wrote his letter of instructions to his Governor in Egypt, Maliki Ashtar, emphasizing human dignity and honour, which we have unfortunately not dedicated the attention to study and comprehend this properly.
It is in this letter where Imam Ali (a.s) says to Maliki Ashtar:
“People are of two types: they are either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity.”
Can we find any statement that more deeply emphasizes human dignity and honour?
What about his letters of instruction to his other governors, like Uthman ibn Hunaif, who was the Governor in Basra? When we reflect on this and his sermons and other letters captured in Nahjul Balagha, we understand how Imam Ali (a.s) recognized the personality of Insan (human beings). This is indeed a deep discussion on its own. Insan through the eyes of Imam Ali (a.s).
IMAM ALI (A.S) – POVERTY MAKES YOU A STRANGER IN YOUR OWN HOMELAND!
On the one side of the scale we have the huge weight of his spiritual status, beyond any doubt. And then on the other side of the scale we see how Imam Ali (a.s) connects material challenges with spiritual status. This is another deep angle to explore. This same spiritual saint defines and explains the challenges faced in this world and its effects on spirituality, when interacting with the public.
One issue I wish to address in this regard is that of material poverty, where Imam Ali (a.s) declares that poverty is the greater death, and that poverty makes you a stranger in your own homeland! You are treated like a stranger when you are poor in your home!
Therefore, one of the main struggles Imam Ali (a.s) has during his short period of governance is to fight against poverty. There is a whole shift of attention from the rulers before Imam Ali (a.s) to the time of his rule.
Imam Ali (a.s) appears to not be interested in conquering land after land. Imam Ali (a.s) is not very much interested in expanding the Islamic empire. In fact, the concept of empire is different in the dictionary of Imam Ali (a.s). Instead, he is focused on the people and improving their conditions, elevating them from their suffering of abject poverty.
IMAM ALI (A.S) DESPISES THE WIDENED GAP BETWEEN THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS
The greatest challenge for Imam Ali (a.s) is this huge gap between the different classes in society, a problem he inherited from those who ruled before him.
We have the Prophetic era, where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) established the Islamic State of Madina. In this model state, we do not find classes being created in the society, especially based on financial status.
We then have the era which followed, where the main focus shifted to the capturing of countries and expanding the Islamic empire, thereby receiving huge tax revenues in the process, which took the accumulated reserves of the public treasury (Baitul Maal) to record levels. Gradually, this resulted in an extraordinary rich class and an extraordinary poor class developing. The great pain and heartbreak for Imam Ali (a.s) is this gap.
When Imam Ali (a.s) reluctantly accepts the position of leadership (Caliphate), he categorically stated that he would not have accepted this position of governance had it not been for the sacred covenant between Almighty Allah (SWT) and the religious authorities (Ulama), that they will not keep silent on the empty stomach of the oppressed and the blowing bellies of the oppressor!
The divine decree ordains Ulama to not remain silent when there is this gross divide and widening gap between the haves and have nots. Imam Ali (a.s) therefore fights with this poverty. This is his biggest challenge, where society is divided into classes.
