Dr. Muhammad Hussein Aboud – College of Islamic Sciences
It may come to mind that the word “victory” has only one meaning. However, in the perspective of the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace Be Upon Them), its meaning is quite different from others. Victory for them (Peace Be Upon Them) is confined to a single angle that does not accept fragmentation or division, and it is the pure intention for the sake of Allah (Glorified and Exalted). In more precise terms, their victory (Peace Be Upon Them) is related to attaining the pleasure of Allah (Glorified and Exalted). They do not settle for mere victory; their souls and minds are oriented towards the greatest victory. Otherwise, what is the explanation for the words of Amir al-Mu’minin (Peace Be Upon Him): “I have won by the Lord of the Kaaba” while the sword is embedded in his noble head, and it is the messenger of death to him!? And what kind of victory is Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) referring to, when he is leaving this worldly life, departing from its pleasures, and saying farewell to his family, loved ones, and orphans?
He (Peace Be Upon Him) speaks of a victory with lofty, pure goals that we find only among the righteous, the martyrs, and the great ones. He speaks of a victory whose signs appeared when he was struck in the prayer niche. He speaks of a victory connected to prayer and to the Lord of Prayer (Glorified and Exalted), to whom Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) surrendered with the intensity of a passionate lover.
O Allah, you are truly worthy of praise, O Amir al-Mu’minin, as you paint with the brush of destiny your meeting with your Lord (Glorified and Exalted), making martyrdom and departing from this lowly world, which is more insignificant to you than the breath of a goat, a mere token.
O Ali, you have planned for your eternal existence in the pages of history, to stand alone in humanity with the statement, “I have won by the Lord of the Kaaba,” while you are clothed in the blood of martyrdom, announcing your ascent to the realms of meeting with your eternal beloved (Glorified and Exalted), after your intense yearning for His meeting, where you could no longer bear the wait.
Victory, in the understanding of Amir al-Mu’minin (Peace Be Upon Him), is the victory of the truthful, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted) says: “Allah has said: This is the Day when the truthfulness of the truthful will benefit them. For them are gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is the great success” (Quran 5:119).
Victory, in the understanding of Ali (Peace Be Upon Him), is the true vision, the shining light, and eternal immortality in the gardens of Allah (Glorified and Exalted): “The Day you will see the believing men and believing women, their light running forward before them and by their right hands, [and it will be said], ‘Your good tidings today are of gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. That is the great success.'” (Quran 57:12).
Victory, in the understanding of Ali (Peace Be Upon Him), is not just any victory; it must be a great victory that befits a noble goal, one that he spent his life striving to achieve. He (Peace Be Upon Him) worked with all his might, striving and encouraging action to attain it. It is the great victory for which the workers work: “Indeed, this is the great success. For this, let the workers work.” (Quran 37:61).
O Allah, you are my master, Amir al-Mu’minin, for you have inscribed a new meaning of victory, one that no one else was able to engrave in the history of heroism and sacrifice, so much so that it became a song on the lips of the free. It is an exceptional victory for an exceptional man, in every sense of the word.
Peace be upon you, O you who are victorious in this world, and peace be upon you, O you who are victorious in your martyrdom, and peace be upon you, O you who are victorious in meeting your beloved (Glorified and Exalted). Our condolences to humanity for its great loss, when you triumphed by departing to your Creator, and humanity lost its evident defeat in your absence.