The Followers of Imam Ali (A.S.)

Maytham al-Tammar
Imam Ali bought Maytham as a slave and then freed him. He asked him what his name was;\"Salim\", he said:\"But I heard the Prophet saying that your true name was Maytham\".\"He was correct and you are also correct. My true name is Maytham\".
\"Then stay with the name mentioned by the Holy Prophet and give up the other name\".
Imam Ali bought and freed him, but he put a bond of love around his neck so that he remained with him up to the last moment of his life. Even death could not break this bond.
Maytham was a wonderful man. With his remarkable ability he gradually secured an honourable position among the companions of Imam Ali. He became aware of the realities and could understand their fine distinctions. He had great love for Imam Ali. He was as fond of him as a thirsty plant is of rain. He took his inspiration from Imam Ali. With him he lived and in him he remained fully absorbed. Imam Ali was the light of his heart and the rejoicing of his soul; and he was not willing to lose this rejoicing even to gain all the wealth of the whole world.
One day Imam Ali said to Maytham \"After my death you will be hanged. A spear will be thrust into your body. On the third day your beard will be stained with the blood of your nose and mouth. You will be hanged beside the house of Amr ibn Hurayth along with nine others. The gallows on which you will be hanged will be the shortest. Come along I\'ll show you the date-palm from the branches of which you will be ultimately hanged\". And then he showed Maytham the tree.
Years passed. Imam Ali was martyred. The Umayyads gained power over the people.
Maytham went out from time to time to look at the tree; offered his prayers and spoke to it thus \"Tree, may Allah bless you! I have been created for you and you are growing for me\".
In the year of his martyrdom Maytham had the honour of visiting Ka\'bah, the House of Allah. There, he met Umme Salama, the Mother of the Faithful.
\"I\'ve often heard your name from the Holy Prophet\", she said. \"He recommended you to Ali\", she added.
Maytham asked about Imam Husayn and learnt that he had left the city.
\"Convey my regards to him\", he said, \"and tell him that it will not be long before he and I see each other in the presence of our Lord\"
Umme Salama ordered perfume to be brought. She applied it to the beard of Maytham. Then she said to him. \"Before long your beard will be painted with your own blood\" (because of your love for the Prophet and his progeny).
Maytham then went to Kufah, where Ibn Ziyad\'s agents arrested him. When he was produced before Ibn Ziyad, the following dialogue took place between them.
Ibn Ziyad \"Where is your Allah?\"
Maytham \"He is lying in wait for the oppressors, and you are one of them\".
Ibn Ziyad \'What did your master Ali say about me and you?\"
Maytham \"He said that you will hang me along with nine others, and my gollows will be shorter than those of others\".
Ibn Ziyad \"I would like to go against what your master said and kill you in some other way\".
Maytham \"How can you? He learnt that from the Prophet and the Prophet learnt it from Allah. Can you go against Allah? I even know the place of my martyrdom. I also know that I am the first Muslim in whose mouth a bridlebit will be laid\".
Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad was enraged. He ordered that for the time being Maytham might be taken back to prison. It was in this very prison that Maytham gave Mukhtar Thaqafi the good news of his release, and said \"In revenging for the Doyen of the Martyrs you will kill Ibn Ziyad\". And so it was.
Anyhow, at last Maytham was taken to the place where he was to make supreme sacrifice; to the place of his spiritual rise; the place from which he was to soar to the greatest heights of human spirituality. He was hanged beside the house of Amr ibn Hurayth from the tree that he already knew. The people gathered round him, and on the gallows he found a good opportunity to tell them of the virtues of Imam Ali.
He spoke and moved the hearts of the people. He made them acquainted with the truth.
Ibn Ziyad was informed that Maytham was defaming him whereupon he ordered him to be gagged so that he might not utter a word further.
As Imam Ali had foretold, a spear was thrust into Maytham\'s body.
\"Allabu Akbar\", he cried.
At the end of the third day the blood from his mouth and nose flowed down and coloured his beard. May peace of Allah be upon him ![1]

Uwas al-Qarani
The Holy Prophet said \"The sweet smell of Paradisc is coming from the direction of Qaran. Uwais al-Qarani, I am eager to see you! Let anyone who meets him, convey my regards to him\'\'.[2]
While people were pledging their allegiance to him in the area of Zi-qar. Imam Ali announced: \"From Kufah a thousand soldiers, neither more nor less, are about to come and pledge their allegiance to me\".
When these soldiers arrived, Ibn Abbas counted them. He found that their number was 999 only. He was surprised why one man was short.
In a few moments a man appeared wearing woolen clothes and having a sword, a shield, and other war accoutrements. He went direct to Imam Ali and said \"I want to pledge my allegiance to you up to death\".
Imam Ali said: \'What is your name?\"\"Uwais\" he said.The Imam asked \"Are you Uwais al-Qarani?\"\"Yes\" replied he.
\"Allah o Akbar! My well-beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him, told me that I would meet one of his followers, named Uwais, al-Qarani, who was one of the favourites of Allah and His Messenger. He would lay down his life for the cause of Allah and would have the privilege of interceding on behalf of many\', [3]
So it was. He was martyred in the company of Imam Ali.[4] Uwais is known for his high position from spiritual angle. He took pleasure in worship and had little interest in worldly riches.[5]
We can judge the depth of the spirituality of this man from his sayings. He says \"By Allah, the thought of death and the fear of the ultimate end leave no room for happiness in this world for a man of faith\".
\"People abuse us when we exhort them to do good and restrain them from evil, but we still rise for the cause of Allah\". [6]

Qambar
Qambar was also one of those brave men who secured a high position through the influence of the spiritual power of the Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali.
He was not afraid of telling the truth and following the right path. Though from the viewpoint of the worldly people he was apparently no more than a slave, he spiritually secured such a high position that he became a confidant of Imam Ali.
The powerful and piercing words with which this man of iron will replied to Hajjaj bin Yusuf, the bloodthirsty sadist, are well-known: Once Hajjaj said \"Qambar! What were your duties when you were in the service of Ali?\" Qambar \"I used to bring him water for ablution\". Hajjaj \"On finishing ablution, what did he use to say?\" Qambar \"He used to recite this verse of the Qur\'an \"When they forgot Our admonition, We opened to them the gates of everything they desired; but just as they were rejoicing in what they were given, We seized them unawares with the result that they were left confused. Thus the last remnant of the people who did wrong was cut off. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds\". (Surah al-An\'am, 6:44—45)
Hajjaj \"I think that he applied this verse to us\".
\"Yes\", said Qambar boldly.
Hajjaj: \"If I put you to death, what will you do?\"
Qambar \"I shall be lucky and you will be unlucky\".
Hajjaj \"Confess that you no longer acknowledge Ali to be your master\".
Qambar \"If I renounce his way, can you show me a better way? \"
Hajjaj did not answer this question, and said \"In any case I am going to put you to death. Now tell me how you would like to be killed\".
Qambar \"I leave that choice to you\". Hajjaj \"Why ?\"
Qambar \"The way you will kill me, the same way I\'ll kill you in the next world. Ali, my master told me that I\'d be beheaded unjustly\".
So Hajjaj ordered him to be beheaded.
Indeed, if a man obeys Allah, the Holy Prophet and his Ahl al-Bayt, he can have spiritual and esoteric guidance even today and can tread the path of perfection and proximity. For him then, there shall be no fear nor grief for because he will be a Muslim perfectly spiritual and divine.
The Holy Qur\'an declares \"As for those who say that our Lord is Allah and then they remain firm in their faith, the angels will descend on them saying: Neither be afraid nor be grieved \". (Surah al-Fussilat, 41: 30)
Notes:
[1] Al-Irshad by Shaykh Mufid, p. 152
[2] Safinah al-Bihar by Shaykh Abbas Qummi, Vol. 1, p. 53.
[3] Al-Irshad by Shaykh Mufid, p. 149.
[4] Usud al-Ghabah Fi Ma\'rifah al-Sahabah by Ibn al-Athir al-Shafi\'i, Vol. 1, p. 152.
[5] A\'yan al-Shi\'ah by Allamah Mohsin al-Amin, Vol. 13, page 81—93 Second Edition.
[6] Safinah al-Bihar by Shaykh Abbas Qummi, Vol. 1, p. 53.