His Solitary Worship and the Tremor of Divine Fear
Among all men after the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), none combined the perfections of virtue, humility, and spiritual excellence as did Imam Ali (peace be upon him). His merits surpassed enumeration, and his qualities defied limitation.
‘Urwah ibn Zubayr relates from Abu al-Darda’:
“I once saw Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) at a place called Shuwayhatat al-Najjar. He had withdrawn from his companions, seeking solitude among the palm trees. I thought I had lost sight of him, until a soft, mournful voice reached my ears — a voice trembling with supplication:
‘My God, how many sins You have seen from me and did not punish me with Your justice! How many wrongs I have committed, yet You, in Your mercy, concealed them from the eyes of men! My God, though my life has been long in disobedience and my sins have weighed heavy upon my record, I seek none but Your forgiveness and hope for none but Your pleasure.’
Drawn by his voice, I followed it quietly until I saw him — the Commander of the Faithful himself — standing in prayer, weeping in the stillness of the night. Between his tears and whispers, I heard him say:
‘O my God, when I think of Your mercy, my sins seem small; yet when I remember Your justice, every trial grows immense.’
Then he cried out:
‘Ah! What if I should find a sin recorded against me that I had forgotten, and You should say, “Take him!” Ah, the terror of that call — when no kin can intercede, no tribe can shield, and no one can come to your aid. Ah, from the fire that burns the hearts and the livers! Ah, from the flames prepared for those who turn away! Ah, from the wailing and struggling within its blaze!’Soon his weeping overcame him until I saw no motion in his body. I thought perhaps he had fallen asleep from exhaustion and decided to wake him for the dawn prayer. When I touched him, his body was as stiff as dry wood — he did not move. Terrified, I ran to his house and told Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) what had happened.
She said: ‘By Allah, this is the state of spiritual trance that seizes him in fear of God.’ She brought water and sprinkled it upon his face until he regained consciousness. When he saw me weeping, he asked:
‘Abu al-Darda’, why do you weep?’
I replied: ‘At the sight of what you bring upon yourself in devotion!’
He said: ‘O Abu al-Darda’, what would you think of me when I am called to account, the sinners are punished, and I stand before the Almighty while the friends turn away and the world’s people abandon me? Then indeed, you should weep more for me — before the One from whom nothing is concealed.’
Abu al-Darda’ concluded: ‘By Allah, I never saw any of the companions of the Messenger of God in such a state.’”
The Highest Form of Worship: Devotion Born of Gratitude
The divine presence was fully manifested in the soul of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
Thus, his worship was not driven by fear of punishment nor by desire for reward, but by pure love and gratitude toward the Almighty. Like the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), he had ascended to the loftiest station of servitude.
The Imam himself expressed this sublime relationship, saying:
“My Lord, I do not worship You out of fear of Your punishment, nor out of desire for Your reward; I worship You because I found You worthy of worship.”
Such devotion surpasses certainty and ennobles faith itself.
In another saying, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) described the kinds of worship:
“There are those who worship God out of desire — that is the worship of merchants.
There are those who worship Him out of fear — that is the worship of slaves.
And there are those who worship Him out of gratitude — and that is the worship of the free.”
Imam Ali’s worship belonged to this last category — that of the free and enlightened souls who recognize the intrinsic worthiness of the Divine to be adored.
For indeed, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said:
“If all the reeds were pens, and all the seas were ink, and the jinn were accountants and mankind were scribes, they could never enumerate the virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib.”
The moral beauty of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was a radiant flame kindled from the noble character of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) himself.
Raised in the Prophet’s household and nurtured by his mercy, Ali (peace be upon him) absorbed the Prophet’s ethics until his own virtues shone forth with ever greater brilliance — forming a character that the world shall never again behold.
