The Holiest Shrine in Shi’ite Islam
By Daniel C. Peterson and William J. Hamblin

At the time of writing, members of a militant Iraqi Shi‘ite militia remain holed up in the Imam ‘Ali Mosque in Najaf—a mosque to which news reports continually refer as the holiest shrine in Shi‘ite Islam.

Who was ‘Ali, and why does this mosque loom so large among the Shi‘ites?

Born in the last decade of the sixth century AD, ‘Ali was the cousin and eventual son-in-law of the Muslim prophet, Muhammad, as well as the fourth (and last) “orthodox” caliph or successor to the Prophet.  Moreover, after Khadija, the Prophet’s wife, ‘Ali was either the first or second convert to the new faith of Islam.  (The various chronicles differ on this point.)

When life become intolerably dangerous and unpleasant for Muhammad in his native town of Mecca, owing to opposition from unbelievers, it was ‘Ali who facilitated his escape to the relatively distant oasis town of Medina by deceiving Muhammad’s enemies into imagining that the Prophet was still at home.  And then, despite considerable personal risk, ‘Ali remained in Mecca for several days, at Muhammad’s request, paying off the debts that the Prophet owed.  (Later, it was at ‘Ali’s suggestion that the year of Muhammad’s hijra or “flight” from Mecca to Medina, AD 622, was chosen as the base year of the Muslim lunar calendar.)

‘Ali was a hero of the earliest wars of Islam and developed a lasting reputation for his piety, wisdom, and simplicity of life.  Nevertheless, when Muhammad suddenly died in AD 632, ‘Ali was passed over for the new office of the “caliphate” which was to preside over the empire founded and now left behind by the Prophet.  There is some reason to believe that ‘Ali was displeased at this, and there is no question that others were.  A substantial minority of Muslims (who came to be known as the shi‘at ‘Ali, the “faction of ‘Ali” or “Shi‘ites”) felt that the leadership of the empire rightfully belonged within the family of the Prophet.  Since the Prophet had no son who had lived to maturity, ‘Ali was Muhammad’s closest living male relative.

‘Ali was again passed over when the first caliph, Abu Bakr, died in 634 and ‘Umar was chosen to succeed to the office.  When ‘Umar was assassinated in 644, ‘Ali served on the small council appointed to choose his successor, but, yet again, the appointment went to someone else.  Finally, in 656, when the third caliph, ‘Uthman, was murdered by disgruntled soldiers, ‘Ali rose to the office that his followers felt he had deserved for very nearly a quarter of a century.

His reign, however, was destined to be both troubled and brief.  Some, including a favorite widow of the Prophet, refused to recognize the legitimacy of his succession, and he was obliged to put down their rebellion.  In the meantime, Mu‘awiya, the governor of Damascus, revolted against ‘Ali on the grounds that the new caliph had either been a party to the killing of ‘Uthman or, at a minimum, had done too little to prevent it.  The first charge is almost certainly false and the second is dubious; they may have been intended only to serve as cover for the governor’s political ambitions.  In any event, as a kinsman of the slain ‘Uthman, Mu‘awiya proclaimed his obligation to avenge that murder.

‘Ali’s forces met the army of Syria at a place called Siffin (pronounced “sif-FEEN”) in AD 657, and the battle at first went very much in ‘Ali’s favor.  But then the Syrians, relying perhaps on ‘Ali’s reputation for piety and his abhorrence of shedding Muslim blood, appealed to the Qur’an and asked for arbitration.  ‘Ali agreed to their request.  However, his negotiator was soon outfoxed by the Syrians, who maneuvered the man into a position where ‘Ali was effectively deposed and Mu‘awiya proclaimed caliph.

‘Ali’s position was irreparably damaged by this turn of events, although, rightly dismissing the events at Siffin as mere trickery, he did not surrender his office.  However, a group of his most devout and rigorously Islamic soldiers (known in history as “Kharijites,” or “those who go out”) defected from him and launched yet another revolt.  Their violent atrocities against civilians soon forced him to go after them while he was still fighting Mu‘awiya off with his other hand.

Even under these difficult conditions, though, he was doing reasonably well.  But, after only five years of “rule” dominated by constant military campaigning and incessant challenges, ‘Ali was murdered at Kufa in AD 661 by a Kharijite assassin using a poisoned sword.  He was buried nearby, at  a place that is known today as Najaf.  The Imam ‘Ali Mosque marks the traditional location of his tomb.

‘Ali’s tragic biography, coupled with his ascetic piety (he left only a few coins behind him at his death), have made his story one of the most potent and moving in the annals of Islam.  Today, he is known among both Sunnis and Shi‘ites as warrior, saint, and imam.  For the Shi‘ites, furthermore, he is a fount of authoritative opinions and judgments (reminiscent of David and Solomon), the preeminent Muslim saint, the “friend of God,” and the father of a line of men who, in the Shi‘ite view, should have ruled the Islamic community by divine right but were unjustly deprived of their rights and, in most if not all cases, of their lives.  (The Shi‘ite passion for martyrdom derives, in large part, from the family history of ‘Ali and his descendants.)  Pious Shi‘ite Muslims love to tell stories of his one thousand miracles and his legendary military exploits, and to recite the many wise maxims and aphorisms that have been attributed to him.  A very small minority in certain extremist Shi‘ite sects have even gone so far as to declare him an incarnation of deity.  Among the Nusayris, for example, ‘Ali is the first person of the Trinity.

Thus, for Shi‘ites and even for many Sunni Muslims, the mosque in Najaf is one of the most holy and significant places in Islam.