In the name Of Allah (swt) the most benfecient the most merciful , peace and blessings be Upon the Noble Messenger , a mercy for the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and all creation, the liberator of slaves the shield of the widows and the Guardian of the orphans, And upon his holy Household, and his virteous Companions.
Asalam alikum , I pray all of you are in the best of health and iman. This thread caught my attention so i thought why not add a little upon it. First what must be borne in Mind, we are talking of Muslim Warriors hence the person nominated Must have a Great Position in both deen and duniya , i,e both faith and in the battlefeild, The Hero'es achievment must be such , that had he not done so, no other would have been able to do so. The attempt to number or rank such Valient souls that make words such as valour and bravery seem so feeble and low , and there actions so praiseworthy and full of chivalry that had no comparison ,is so difficult because there are so many, yet we shall enumerate on those that saved the faith and the belivers of one God and completely diminished the forces of the devil and darnkness so that now the light of Iman shines In all corners of The world. Thank the lord almighty that when it comes to valour no people on the face of the earth share a history like us and we need not rely upon myth or fable such is the upbringing of the Holy Prophet (sawws).
Many brothers unfortunetly listed people here without no knowledge of islamic History, and the person whome I believe came close is Zaki but now I shall Give conclusive reasons with facts why I choose whome I choose.
1) It is The Greatest of The Lords Creation, The Liberator of humanity and the Greatest man who walked the earth, who saved the masses from clucthes of idolatary, salvery, rascism, and all social evils. Who spread Light in the world when it was full of darkness That as we all Know is
Muhammed (sawws). Peace and blessings be upon him and his holy family and his noble companions. One sight of him was so awe inspiring that the looker would remark, "I have never seen such a person neither before nor after seeing him.’ " [Ibn Hisham 1/401; Jami' At-Tirmidhi 4/303]
Ar-Rabi‘ bint Muawwidh said: "Had you seen him, you would have felt that the sun was shining." Jabir bin Samurah said, "I saw him at one full-moony night. I looked at him. He was dressed in a red garment. I compared him with the moon and found that — for me — he was better than the moon." [Mishkat Al-Masabeeh 2/518]
And as the Book of God says " "And verily, you (O Muhammad [pbuh] ) are on an exalted standard of character." [Al-Qur'an 68:4]
‘Ali said:
“Whenever the fight grew fierce and the eyes of fighters went red, we used to resort to the Prophet [pbuh] for succour. He was always the closest to the enemy.” [As-Shifa 1/89]
2) Is the Closest of the disciples of the Holy prophet whome he raised as his own son, who is his cousin and son in law, is the
Commander of The faithful Imam Ali ibn abi Talib (as). Khalid convereted much later and was much elder then Ali , But ali was with the Prophet from day one, and by God at times his sword was the First line of defence the second line of defence and at times the only line of defence. In the battle of badr the first major battle of islam Imam Ali killed more of the disbelivers then all of the Muslim army combined and upon that all the historians are unaimous, he killed The standard bearers of the Meccan army one after another there top heroes fell at the sword of Ali (as).
In the battle of uhud , the mases fled, fearing a false news that spread and only a few handful steadfeast companions remained against a force far superior outnumberd by over a hundred to one, The Lion of Allah upon the Command of the Holy prophet (sawws) raised the Sword and wrecked havoc amongst the ranks of the pagans, there champions were slain, One man was fighting a army the most skilled swordsmen in all of arabia, and while doing so his sword broke and Zulfiqar descended from heaven the sword which was to become legendary.
Ibn athir records in hsi tarikh e kamil, "Ibn Athir says: "The Prophet become the object of the attack of various units of the army of Quraysh from all sides. Ali attacked, in compliance with the Prophet's orders, every unit that made an attack upon him (the Prophet) and dispersed them or killed some of them, and this thing took place a number of times in Uhud. In the meantime the Archangel Jibreel came and praised the devotion of Ali before the Prophet and said:
'It is the height of sacrifice which this officer is displaying'. The Prophet confirmed the remark of Jibreel and said:
'I am from Ali and Ali is from me'. Then a voice was heard in the battlefield saying: La Fata Illa Ali, La Saifa Illa Zulfiqar"
Then In every battle of islam In the time of the prophet he did such acts of bravey that By God are to ample to narrate here, it is why me and indeed islamic scholars would not dare put the name of any other before Imam Ali when it comes to fighting, a martial arts is named after him , silet mubai and all sufi spiritual chains lead to him, and westerners non muslims have praised his valour much.
Did you know? that when he did all this from badr right upto hunain he was merely in his twenties
Thomas Carlyle
(1795-1881) Scottish historian, critic, and sociological writer
“As for this young Ali, one cannot but like him. A noble-minded creature, as he shows himself, now and always afterwards; full of affection, of fiery daring. Something chivalrous in him; brave as a lion; yet with a grace, a truth and affection worthy of Christian knighthood.” [On Heroes, Hero-Worship, And the Heroic In History, 1841, Lecture 2: The Hero as Prophet.
Edward Gibbon
(1737-1794) Considered the greatest British historian of his time
"The zeal and virtue of Ali were never outstripped by any recent proselyte. He united the qualifications of a poet, a soldier, and a saint; his wisdom still breathes in a collection of moral and religious sayings; and every antagonist, in the combats of the tongue or of the sword, was subdued by his eloquence and valour.
From the first hour of his mission to the last rites of his funeral, the apostle was never forsaken by a generous friend, whom he delighted to name his brother, his vicegerent, and the faithful Aaron of a second Moses." [The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, volume 5, pp. 381-2]
Simon Ockley
(1678-1720) Professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge
“One thing particularly deserving to be noticed is that his mother was delivered of him at Mecca, in the very temple itself; which never happened to any one else.” [History of the Saracens, London, 1894, p. 331]
Upon simon ockley's point i would like to add it is well known the commander of the faithful was born inside the Holy kabah, hence a saga said "
The lords sword born in the sheath of the holy kabah"
In the battle of ahzab the whole of arabian peninisula united and formed a grand army marched towards medina, allied with many tribes the meccan pagan army vastly outnumbering the Muslims came tp nip things in the bud, with them brought there greatest champions especialy the Giant " amr ibn abdu wudd" a man who was equaled to a thousand horse riders as legend said when attacked by a band of robbers he picked up a baby camel and fought away the robbers single handedly he was so huge his very sight was frightening. Upon the suggestion of hz salman farsi (ra) a trench was dug around medina. The meccans collectievly could not cross, 5 however glalloped there horses across the trench, these five were the giant amr, Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, Hubayrah bin Wahab, Nawfal bin Abdullah and Zirar bin Khattab The five with complete piece of mind strode amongst the muslims amr the giant taunted them for one to dual him but the sight of him was so frightning that none woudl step forward. The commander of The faithful Ali (as) was at the other side of the trench,he was securing the gap from where amr and his companions entered. when the prophet called out who would fight amr, Ali heard and said "me". The situation is best summarised by some verses.
"Behold! They came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts gaped up to the throats, and ye imagined various (vain) thoughts about God! In that situation the believers were tried: They were shaken with a mighty Shock. And behold! The hypocrites and those in whose hearts there is disease (even) say: God and His Apostle promised us nothing but delusion! Behold! A party among them said: O people of Yathrib (Medina), you cannot stand (the attack), therefore turn back! And a band of them ask for leave of the Prophet, saying: Truly our houses are bare and exposed though they were not exposed; they intended nothing but to flee." (33:10-13)
But the True momineen were such that the Quran says "When the believers saw the confederate forces, they said: This is what God and His Apostle had promised us.
And God and His Apostle told us what is true. And it only added to their faith and their zeal in obedience. "Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with God: Of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait;
but they have never changed (their determination) in the least." (33:23)
Perfect silence prevailed in the army of Islam in reply to 'Amr's shouting. Although the Prophet kept asking that one man should get up and relieve the Muslims from the mischief of that man ('Amr), but none was prepared to fight with him (except Ali bin Abi Talib). No alternative was, therefore, left except that this difficulty should be surmounted through Ali, the brave. The Prophet gave him his own sword, tied a special turban on his head and prayed for him in these words: "O Allah! Protect Ali from all sides. O Lord! 'Ubaydah bin Harith was taken away from me on the Day of Badr and, the lion of Allah, Hamzah was taken away in the Battle of Uhud. O Nourisher! Protect Ali from being harmed by the enemy''. Then he recited this verse: "O Nourisher! Don't leave me alone and you are the best inheritor".(Surah al-Anbiya, 21:89)
Ali walked as quickly as possible to cover the delay already caused. At this moment the Prophet uttered this historical sentence:
"Entire faith is facing entire infidelity". Ali composed rajaz (epic verses), whose rhythm and rhyme conformed with that of his adversary's, and said: "Don't be in a hurry, because a strong person has come in the field to give you a reply".
The entire body of Ali was covered with iron armour and his eyes were shining through the helmet. 'Amr desired to identify his adversary. He said to Ali: "Who are you?" Ali, who was famous for the clearness of his accent, replied: "I am Ali, son of Abu Talib".
'Amr said: "I shall not shed your blood, because your father was one of my old friends. I am thinking about your cousin who has sent you in the field with so much confidence. I can pick you up on the point of my lance and keep you suspended between the earth and the sky so that you are neither dead nor alive".
Ibn Abil Hadid says: "Whenever my teacher of history (Abul Khayr) explained this portion he used to say: "In fact 'Amr was afraid of fighting with Ali, because he was present in the Battles of Badr and Uhud and had witnessed his valour. He therefore, wished to dissuade Ali from fighting with him".
Ali said: "You need not bother about my death. In both the cases (i.e. whether I kill or am killed) I shall be blessed and my place shall be in Paradise, but in all cases Hell awaits you". 'Amr smiled and said: "O Ali! This division is not just. Both Paradise and Hell belong to you ".
Ali reminded him that one day he ('Amr) had put his hand into the coverings of the Holy Ka'bah and had made a promise to Allah that as and when any warrior made three suggestions to him in the battlefield he would accept one of them. Ali, therefore, suggested to him that he should embrace Islam. He replied: "O Ali! Leave this for it is not possible". Then Ali said: "Abandon fighting and leave Muhammad to himself". He replied: "It is a matter of shame for me to accept this proposal, because tomorrow. the poets of Arabia will satirize me and will imagine that I did so on account of fear". Then Ali said: "Your opponent is on foot. You should also dismount so that we may combat with each other". He said: "O Ali! This is a very insignificant suggestion and I had never thought that an Arab would make such a request to me''
COMBAT BETWEEN THE TWO CHAMPIONS COMMENCES
Fierce fighting started between the two champions and both of them were enveloped in dust, so that the on-lookers were not aware of the developments. They could only hear the clashing of their swords. 'Amr aimed his sword at the head of Ali and although the latter warded off the blow with his special shield his head was, nevertheless, wounded. He, however, availed of the opportunity and gave a sharp blow on his feet. Consequently one or both of the feet of 'Amr were cut off and he fell down on the ground.
The voice of Takbir was heard from within the dust which was a sign of Ali's victory. The scene of the fall of 'Amr on the ground created such a fear in the hearts of other warriors, who were standing behind him, that they galloped their horses involuntarily towards the ditch and all of them, except Nawfal, returned to their camping-place. Nawfal's horse fell into the ditch. Those who were posted on the bank of the ditch began to stone him. He, however, said loudly: "To kill a person like this is contrary to the code of bravery. Let one of you come down so that we may fight with each other". Ali plunged into the ditch and killed him.
I can caryy on writing chapters But suffice it to say that not only in badr , uhud, ahzab, khaibar, hunain, dhat al silasil and ample others the commander of the faithful Ali was always the standard bearer of the Lords forces against the forces of darkness, it was he who sent the champions of the pagans to the dust, and is remebered as The LIon of God, who had more duels in combat then any other man in history and who was never defeated in battle, a true maginificence of the Lords Creation.
A clip from the battle of khaiber where when teh fort was not being conquered Imam ali did what seemed the impossible the prophet said" “Tomorrow I will award the Standard of the Islamic forces to a man who loves Allah(swt) and his Prophet(sawaw) and Allah(swt) and his Prophet(sawaw) love him. He is the one who attacks forcefully and does not run away from the battlefield and he will not return until Allah(swt) grants victory on his hand”. This was said after the fort could not be conquered, Imam ali was Ill due to the illnes of the eyes he was called the prophet applied his saliva upon his eyes and then Kahibar was conquered inhabited by approx 20,000 jews who were mainly warriors.
3) Imam Hussain. Who is the Grandson of The prophet and the son of the Commander of the faithful Imam Ali , who saved islam, stood firm like the mountain of determination with 72 facing thousands of troops of the army of darkness. The alter of truth says he killed soem 2000 yazidy forces single handedly. Nevertheless fighting with no water for three days is enough of a challenge. The battle went from dawn till dusk.
Molvi Atta Muhammad wrote:
"Now the Zulfiquar of Husayn Ibn Ali was unleashed…He jumped into his enemies like Ali went for Khayber.. 410 enemies were killed by the hands of Husayn(as)"
Kitab Shahadatain, page 179, published Gorakh Pur. India
Even being thirsty Imam Husayn (as) managed to reach river Tigris and the enormous army of Ibn Sa`d wasn't able to do anything. [Tareekh Kamil, Volume 4 page 32].
Ibn Hajar Makki writes:
"If the army of Yazid had not ditched Husayn(as) by coming between Him and river, they would never have been able to over come Him because He was such a brave person who would never move from his place.When all of His companions got killed and Husayn(as) became alone, He made such a strong attack on the army of Yazid that He killed many of their strong men and then many groups collectively attacked Him"
Sawaiq e Muhirqah, page 118. (Egypt)
Ibn Athir Jazri and Tabari wirtes:
"When enemies started attacking Husayn(as) from both sides He(as) too jumped on them and then the situation was that when Husayn(as) would attack the enemies on left hand side He would perished them and when He would attack the enemies of his right hand side He would make all of them unconscious.
Narrator says: "By Allah ! I haven't found anyone firm, brave and strong hearted than Husayn
infact I haven't seen anyone similar than him although he was collapsed at that time due to the fact that his brother, nephew, friends and companions had been killed. By Allah ! The army of Yazid used to run from his attack as if a goats run after the attack of beast"
1. Tareekh Tabari, Volume 6 page 259
2. Tareekh Kamil, Volume 4 page 22
and as a shair said
" pak sar zameen kah , aur iskeh har maqeen kah ab to sarbarah Hussain hain"
Then after these names I would include sahabah like hasrat abu dhujanah, the Lion of God hasrat Hamzah , hasrat khalid bin waleed
etc without numbering ranks, as all played vital roles at different and when required times, and then in almost every centuary we have shining names.
Peace be to you all
He was called Saif-ullah, The sword of Allah/God).
