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One morning a coward by the name of Ibn Muljam (may Allah give him what he deserves) came upon the Nabi's son-in-law, the habitation of the Lord, while he was in the presence of the Truth, and smote him with a poisoned sabre. That habitation of the Lord and refuge of the poor, the son-in-law of the Chosen Messenger and Vicegerent of the Truth, lay sprawled in his own blood. They took the blessed Imam from his prayer niche and bore him to his felicitous abode, where they laid him upon his bed. How many battles he had fought, how many savage unbelievers he had dispatched to Hell with a single blow, of how many villians' villainy he had rid the world. But, such is destiny, he had fallen victim to a coward's plot. The blessed Imam looked tenderly at his revered sons, as if he was reading on the Tabled Preserved in Heaven the tragedies that would befall them. "Who struck me?" he asked Imam Hasan. They at once brought the cruel assassin into the Khalif's presence. The Imam recognized his assailant, for Ibn Muljam had once worked for him as a servant. It was during that time that the Imam had said to Ibn Muljam, miraculously predicting his own death: "Ibn Muljam, my end is in your hand." On that occasion Ibn Muljam had said: "Far be it from me, O Imam. Let my hand wither if I should do such a thing." He had then begged to be put to death, but the Lion of Allah had objected: "How should I have you put to death, when you have committed no crime? I should be a wrongful tyrant if I imprisoned you or had you killed when you have not been guilty of any offense." The time and the hour had come, and fat had shown its hand. Imam 'Ali asked Ibn Muljam: "What have I done to you, Ibn Muljam; have I touched your honor, property or person?" Overcome with fear and dread, Ibn Muljam managed to say: "By no means; only the judgement belongs to Allah alone, O Imam." The blessed Khalif said: "Your words are true, but your intention is false." They took Ibn Muljam away and put him in jail under surveillance. Turning to Imam Hasan, the Khalif said later: "If I recover from this wound it will be my business to deal with him. If I die, kill him with a single stroke of the sword, so that the divine law is carried out. Take care not to kill him with cruelty or torture, for I once heard your grandfather Muhammad (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) say: "Do not kill even a rabid dog with torture and pain." Then they brought him milk. Indicated half of it, he said: "Send this milk to the stranger in the jail. His stomach is empty." "Who is this stranger in the jail, O Imam?" they asked. "My murderer, Ibn Muljam," he said, "his stomach is hungry." They had the milk taken to Ibn Muljam. But he would not drink it and handed it back, saying: "You have put poison in it. You are going to kill me. I won't drink, I won't drink!" When they told the Imam that Ibn Muljam had not drunk the milk and what he had said, this was his response: "Why did Ibn Muljam hold a bad suspicion of us? If he had drunk the milk, when the Day of Resurrection came and my foot was on the threshold of Paradise, I would not have entered without taking Ibn Muljam into Paradise too." This 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, lover of the Holy Last Messenger (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim), was the product of the lessons he learned in the school of love, from love's teacher the Mentor of the Universe. He is the gate of the City of Knowledge, Tolerance and Love, just as 'Umar is the gate of the City of Justice, Abu Bakr of the City of Veracity and 'Uthman of the City of Modesty. May Allah be pleased with them all.
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