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Page 69 of 104Kosar ghadirestan Center Nabi (S) www.ghadirestan.comIMAM ALI (S) Sunshine of Civilized IslamImam Ali’s asceticism in food and dress. One of his companions said: “Once I went to visitImam Ali (s) in his house when he was the caliph. He was eating a piece of dried breadwith a little milk. I said: O Ameer-al-Mu’mineen, how do you live with this scanty food? Hereplied: The Prophet ate staler bread than this and his dress was coarser than mine.” It isbeyond bravery when one can afford to better his livelihood but he denies himself andbecomes content with a simple subsistence. Those, who disagreed with Imam Ali andwere intolerant of his justice, were searching for ease and luxury. They oppressed peopleto deprive them of their rights for the sake of their own pleasures in this worldly life.Imam Ali was far above al these bad conducts. Once he wrote to the wali of Basra:“Remember that every follower usually follows his leader and imitates him. You know thatyour imam is contented with two pieces of bread as his victual and two rags as his cloths.Certainly you can not do so but at least try to help me with piety and uprightness. By Allah,I have neither treasured gold nor collected money out of this world ...” He often said: “Howcan I be satisfied to be called Ameer-al-Mu’mineen (the commander of the believers) bypeople and do not share in their hardships or I do not become an example for them in thedifficulties. Shall I be comfortable with a full stomach and there are hungry stomachsaround me? I must live in the lowest level so that the poor may be able to endure povertyeasily.” Imam Ali (s) went to visit his companion Ala’ ibn Ziyad. When he saw his largehouse, he said to him: “You are in need of such house in the afterworld more than in thisworld. But if you want so, you are to receive guests in it, to take care of your relatives andto pay poor-rate and alms.” Then Ala’ said to him: “O Ameer-al-Mu’mineen, I complainabout my brother Aassim, who has left his family to worship God.” Imam Ali (s) sent forhim. When he came, Imam Ali said to him: “O enemy of yourself, surely Satan has misledyou. Do not you feel pity for your wife and children? Do you think that if you practice whatAllah has made lawful for you, He will dislike you? You will be unthankful to Allah in doingso.” He said: “O Ameer-al-Mu’mineen, you yourself put on coarse dress and eat singlefood.” Imam Ali (s) replied: “Woe unto you! You are not like me. Certainly God has made itobligatory for the just leaders to live like the poor people so that the poor grouch theirpoverty and indigence.” Therefore he himself repaired his shoes with his hand and hehimself patched his clothes. Imam Ali used to sell the yields of his garden of date-palms tospend its money for charity.The poor of Medina often surrounded him in the mosque. Hedivided the whole money among them to go home empty-handed while his family was inneed badly. The excellences of Imam Ali (s) and his upright policy realized through his