ALI

"Then He blew into it of His spirit, and it took the form of a human being possessing minds he stirs, thoughts he employs, limbs he commands, tools he handles, and a discerning knowledge to distinguish between tastes, smells, colors, and species. He was kneaded with the clay of diverse colors, compatible elements, opposing forces, and contrasting mixtures of heat and cold, moisture and dryness, and grief and joy.
Allah, Glory be to Him, demanded the angels to fulfill His trust deposited with them, and His covenant enjoined upon them, to submit in prostration to him and to humble themselves to honor him. He said: 'Prostrate before Adam.' They all prostrated except Iblis and his kind. They were overcome by vanity and defeated by wretchedness. They took pride in their creation from fire and belittled the creation from clay. Thus, Allah granted him [Iblis] a respite to allow him to earn His full wrath, to complete the trial, and to fulfill the promise. He said: 'Indeed, you are of those given respite until the Day of the Appointed Time.'"
A Human Horizon
Toward a Brader Alid Space
Ali ibn Abi Talib was not merely a name in history, nor a symbol confined within the boundaries of sects and religions. He was an "existential phenomenon" that transcends the frameworks of time and space, offering humanity, as humanity, a roadmap toward the meaning of being human and our relationship with this universe.
This book comes as an attempt to dismantle the narrow association between "Ali" as a sectarian or doctrinal icon, and "Ali" as an open human possibility for every heart searching for justice and every mind contemplating the mysteries of existence. We do not present a historical study here; rather, we provide a "key" to reading the original text: "Nahj al-Balagha", through the eyes of a contemplator who sees in the Imam's words cosmic laws governing the journey of humans and society. These articles are not a call to belong to a name, but a call to belong to the values that Ali embodied in his life and words: the values of truth, justice, wisdom, and human dignity that know no borders.