‘Ali was sharp-sighted, prudent, powerful, and strong in the way of Allah. What he said was a criterion to distinguish between what was just and unjust. His judgments were fair. He was abounding in knowledge. Wisdom was evident in all dimensions of his character. His intuition satiated those who had a thirst for it.
Dirar ibn Damarah reports: Following the martyrdom of Amir al-Mu’minin, I headed for Syria to see Mu’awiyah. Knowing that I was a devotee of Imam ‘Ali, Mu’awiyah said: Describe ‘Ali for me. I said: accept my excuse, for my tongue cannot possibly describe him. Mu’awiyah said: Your excuse is not accepted. You have to describe him to me. I said: Now that you refuse to accept my excuse, listen carefully!
‘Ali was sharp-sighted, prudent, powerful, and strong in the way of Allah. What he said was a criterion to distinguish between what was just and unjust. His judgments were fair. He was abounding in knowledge. Wisdom was evident in all dimensions of his character. His intuition satiated those who had a thirst for it.
He feared the ornaments of the world. He was devoted to the nightly supplications. Pondering on the tumultuous future made him cry ceaselessly. Wearing coarse garment was pleasant for him. He loved plain food. He was not pretentious but was like one of us. If we had any question, we would pose it to him and he would immediately answer it. If we asked for any help, he would immediately help us.
Although he was very intimate, he was so awesome that we would never dare to say anything in vain. He was so dignified that we would never open our eyes on his face. He honored people of religion and pleased the poor by fondling them. No man of authority dared to misuse his power in his presence so as to get his approval for the unjust act he had done. No common man was made disappointed by his justice, thinking that since he had no power, he would be deprived of his justice.
Dirar ibn Damarah then said: I take God as witness that in the middle of night and also when the stars were about to disappear, I saw him holding his beard in his hands, and like one bitten by a snake, he wept bitterly, saying: O world, go and deceive someone else, for I am not fond of you. Nevertheless, if you are offering yourself to me, you are quite mistaken, for I have divorced you three times, giving you no chance of recourse. O world, know that your life is short, your worth little and your pleasure transient. [1]
Note:
1. Jamal al-Din ibn Yusuf Allamah Hilli, Certainty Uncovered (Kashf al-Yaqin), Translated by Ali Akbar Aghili Ashtiani, pp. 122-123