Imam Ali (a.s.) A Beacon of Courage
By Sulaiman Kattani, translated by I. K. A. Howard

(Continued)
The Historical Situation
It is necessary, when the discussion is about a pivotal figure like Imam Ali, to give an historical sketch about the land in which he was born, the environment in which he lived, the climate of the life which influenced his existence and the aims and the ideals which he lived and fought for.

All of that is intrinsically linked with the life of every individual. The fact that Ali b. Abi Talib was a native of the Arabian Peninsula fourteen hundred years ago necessitates a brief account of the land to which Ali belonged.

The Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a vast desert area which stretches between the Syrian Desert in the North and the Indian Ocean in the South and between the Arabian Gulf in the East and the Red Sea in the West. Deserts cover most of the area like the Nufud desert, the Empty Quarter, the desert of Herat. These stretches all along it from North to South.

The area along the western coast consists of the Hijaz in the North and Yemen in the South. The Hijaz constantly used to suffer from scarcity of provisions because of the little rain which fell on it. Among the cities of Hijaz were Mecca and Yathrib (later known as Medina). Near the latter were the Mountain of Uhud and the Jewish settlement of Khaybar where there was a famous fortress.

The products of the Hijaz consisted of cattle which lived on pastures which were more like sand dunes or beaches than fertile plains. There were also dates and some small plantations. Trading in spices took place which brought the area in closer contact with the neighboring countries in the North and the East.

Its inhabitants were mainly nomadic. It has long been considered that from the dawn of history they were a source of the human emigration which flowed into the surrounding area in the North and the North-West. From them came, consecutively, the different civilizations of Babylon, Phoenicia and the Hebrews.

Next Page