This account also presents glimpse of the neat and immaculate personal life of Caliph ‘Ali. The narrative throws light on the sincere cooperation Caliph ‘Ali extended to his predecessors as well as the critical or rather highly complex situation obtaining during the period of his caliphate, the precarious state of affairs he had to face, the political and administrative policies he pursued and the moral and Islamic values he always upheld even in the most trying circumstances. The writer has tried to present the life of Caliph ‘Ali in the background of the times in which he lived and his relations with the first three Caliphs. The result was that real personality of Caliph ‘Ali and the brilliance of his character had been lost in the mist of time. It was the personality viewed by different schools in light of their own preconceived notions and tenets, thereby truncating his life into a jumble of conflicting abstractions and images as if they were different persons known by the same name. But it required breadth of vision and catholicity of views since it is not easy to write anything about a genius and mastermind whose personality has already been beclouded by controversial works of exceeding veneration and is\misjudgements. A work objectively delineating the different facets of his life, fulfilling the norms of modern analytical research and not depending exclusively on his existing biographies was still needed. It was surprising to see that no complete biography of Caliph ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib throwing light on his chief characteristics and accomplishments had yet been compiled.
But, as the author of this book says, he noticed a serious deficiency in the works of Muslim historians and biographers of Caliph ‘Ali. Caliph ‘Ali happens to be one of thos3e celebrated personalities of Islam who, after the holy prophet, is held in the highest esteem by all major sects of the Muslims.
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