The promise of Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam) to stand by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allah-o-Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) in every condition of life and death is one of the most luminous chapters of Islamic history. It is a promise that was not made in the heat of a battlefield, nor in the shelter of victory, but in the earliest and most delicate days of Islam — a time when the message of Tawheed was still confined to a handful of hearts, when the whole of Makkah stood in open hostility, and when standing beside the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) meant standing directly in the line of every arrow, every sword and every conspiracy of the disbelievers.
In the years before the first Wahi, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) had begun to withdraw for long periods of worship and contemplation to the blessed Cave of Hira, situated on Jabal-un-Noor, at a height of approximately three thousand feet above the level of the sea. From the very beginning of these ascents, Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam), still very young in age, would accompany him. Maula Ali (ASWS) himself later described this closeness in words of unmatched intimacy, saying that he used to follow the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) exactly as a young camel calf follows its mother — never allowing any distance to come between them, and never losing sight of him for a moment.
Back in Makkah, in the noble home of Hadrat Abu Talib (Alaihis Salaam), the late return of the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) from Gaar-e-Hira used to cause great anxiety to his blessed uncle. Hadrat Abu Talib (AS) loved the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) more than his own soul, and often used to say with tender concern: “O son of my brother, your late return from the mountain makes me deeply worried about you. I cannot bring myself to eat any food until you have returned safely. Please try to come back soon.” These words, preserved in the historical timeline, are themselves a clear proof of the depth of love, protection and full acceptance that the household of Hadrat Abu Talib (AS) had for the Beloved of Almighty Allah, long before the open declaration of Islam.
When the first Wahi descended upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) inside Gaar-e-Hira, the only human witness present in that blessed sanctuary was Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam). No other Companion, no relative and no outsider was present at that supreme moment. Therefore, the true account of what took place at the descent of the very first Wahi can only be received through the door of Ali (ASWS) — the door of the City of Knowledge — and not through narrations built up by later reporters who were not present at that event.
It is, unfortunately, from such later, unwitnessed reports that a serious discrepancy has entered the minds of many Muslims: the narration that, upon the arrival of the very first Wahi, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) declared himself to be “illiterate”, trembled with fear, felt a fever, ran home in a state of fright and asked his blessed wife Huzoor Syeda Khadija-tul-Kubra (Salam Allah-Ho Alaiha) to cover him with a blanket. Every honest heart must pause and reflect on this narration in the light of reason and reality.
First, the Arabic word “Ummi” — by which Almighty Allah honours the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) in the Holy Quran — does not mean “illiterate” in the crude sense in which the word has been popularised. Its true meaning is: the one who did not learn a single letter or word from any common human being in this world, but whose entire knowledge was granted directly by Almighty Allah. The Holy Prophet (SAWAW) is the teacher of every teacher, the source of every scholar’s knowledge, and the fountain from which even Jibreel-e-Ameen (AS) drew light. To reduce his blessed title “Ummi” to the meaning of ordinary illiteracy is to misunderstand both the language of the Holy Quran and the majesty of Nabuwah.
Second, at the time of the very first Wahi, the religion of Islam had not yet been openly declared, no invitation had been extended to anyone, and no human being outside the blessed household had embraced Islam. In such a moment, how could the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) publicly cry out that he was “illiterate”, run through the streets of Makkah in a state of fever, and demand a blanket in front of witnesses who did not yet exist in his mission? The narration collapses under the weight of its own internal contradictions. The Beloved of Almighty Allah, whose heart Almighty Allah Himself had prepared from before the creation of the worlds, could never be shaken into confusion by the arrival of the very message for which his entire being had been created.
The reality, preserved in the pure line of Ahl-e-Bait, is that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) received the first Wahi with complete composure, majesty and recognition — for he already knew, by the light of Almighty Allah, who Jibreel-e-Ameen (AS) was, and what mission had been entrusted to him. The only human witness of that dignified moment was Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam), whose silent, reverent presence beside the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) is itself a Divine seal upon the authenticity of the event.
After the initial period of secret invitation, Almighty Allah commanded the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) to begin the open call to Islam, starting from his own nearest relatives. In obedience to this Divine command, the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) arranged a gathering of the entire Hashmi family at the blessed home of Hadrat Abu Talib (Alaihis Salaam). Approximately forty of the leading men of Banu Hashim were invited and honoured with food. When the meal was over, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) rose in the midst of that noble gathering and, with unmatched dignity, proclaimed the message of Tawheed, the finality of his Nabuwah, and the truth of the religion of Islam. He then asked a question that shook the walls of that blessed house: “Who amongst you will stand with me in this mission, become my brother, my helper, my supporter and my successor?”
A profound silence fell upon the elders of Banu Hashim. No tongue moved, no hand was raised. In that silence, one voice arose — the voice of a young boy, still in the freshness of his childhood, yet carrying the strength of the mountains of Iman. Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam) stood up and declared, without hesitation, that he would stand by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) at every step, share every difficulty, face every enemy and support him with his life. He offered his eyes, his hands, his tongue and his very soul in the service of the mission of Nabuwah. The Holy Prophet (SAWAW) sat him down with immense love and repeated the question a second and a third time; each time, the elders remained silent, and each time, only Ali (ASWS) rose to renew his promise. Finally, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) placed his blessed hand upon the shoulder of Maula Ali (ASWS) and, in front of the whole gathering of Banu Hashim, declared him his brother, his helper, his supporter and his successor.
This declaration in the home of Hadrat Abu Talib (Alaihis Salaam) is one of the most decisive moments in the entire history of Islam. It was not a private conversation, nor a hidden gesture; it was a public, witnessed, family-level appointment of Maula Ali (ASWS) as the one who would stand by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) from that day until the last breath, and beyond. Every later station of Wilayat — from the migration to Madinah, to the Bed of the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) on the night of Hijrah, to every battlefield of Islam, to the historic proclamation at Khumm-e-Ghadeer — flows directly from this original promise, made in the freshness of his boyhood, in front of the entire Hashmi family.
Not long after this family invitation, Almighty Allah commanded the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) to broaden the call and openly warn the whole tribe of Quraysh. In obedience, the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) climbed the blessed hill of Jabal-e-Faran (the mountain of Safa is described in the sacred writings as part of this Faran range) and called out to the leaders and clans of Makkah. When they had gathered around him, he asked: “If I were to inform you that an army was hidden behind this mountain, ready to attack you, would you believe me?” With one voice they replied: “Yes, for we have never known you to speak anything but the truth — you are Al-Sadiq, Al-Ameen.” Then the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) proclaimed to them the message of Tawheed, warned them of the punishment of Almighty Allah, and invited them openly to the religion of Islam.
The response of the disbelieving chiefs of Quraysh was hostility, mockery and, in the case of Abu Lahab, open cursing. Yet, on this most public occasion also, it was Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam) — still a young boy in outward age — who stood firmly at the side of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW), unshaken by the anger of the elders and the ridicule of the powerful. From the intimate gathering in the home of Hadrat Abu Talib (AS) to the open declaration at the mountain of Faran, the picture is one and the same: wherever the Holy Prophet (SAWAW) rose to proclaim the truth, Maula Ali (ASWS) rose with him; wherever the Beloved of Almighty Allah was surrounded by enemies, Maula Ali (ASWS) placed himself between the enemy and the Holy Prophet (SAWAW).
This is why the promise of Hadrat Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam) to stand by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW) is not simply an incident of history; it is the living foundation of Wilayat itself. It was made in childhood, sealed in Gaar-e-Hira as the sole witness of the first Wahi, renewed in the Hashmi gathering as the accepted brother, helper, supporter and successor, and fulfilled at every moment thereafter — on the Bed of Hijrah, on every battlefield of Islam, in the mihrab of Kufa, and in the final drop of his blessed blood shed for the honour of the religion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW). Every seeker of Truth, and especially every follower of the Owaisi Qadari Qalandari Panjtani Order, is invited to renew, in his own heart, that same eternal promise: to stand, in love and obedience, with Maula Ali-ul-Murtaza (Alaihi Salaat-o-Wassalam) exactly as he stood, without a moment of hesitation, with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWAW).