Covenant of Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661) to the Christians of Armenia

[HolyCrusader007]

The following document suggests that The Fourth Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate and companion of Muhammad…also known as Ali ibn Abi Talib…held respect for and worked with Christians…

Covenant of Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661) to the Christians of Armenia

In the Name of God, the Beneficent and Merciful from Whom we solicit help.

Whereas certain of the Armenian nation, men of distinction, famous for their erudition and honored for their dignity, namely, Jacob Sayid ‘Abdul-Shuyúkh and the son of Sahan, and Abraham the Priest, Bishop Isaiah, and several others, forty in number, having communicated with me, and being present in the enactment of this Covenant, solicited me to do this, and have rendered every assistance in their power to our agent whom we had sent our forts and frontiers, (which was the occasion of our conference and the enactment of this Covenant)–Therefore I have made this Covenant with them on my behalf, as well as on behalf of all tribes of Islam shall prevail, and the doctrine of Christianity shall continue. It shall be the duty of all potentates and of all princes, and of all men to carry out our Covenant by the help of God, so long as the sea shall be capable of wetting will, tufts from the earth, and stars shall give light, and the moon shall rise upon aliens and strangers. No man shave dare to violate or alter this Covenant, nor increase and decrease or change the same; because he that increases it, incenses his punishment, and decreases our patience.

And those who violate this Covenant, shall be considered intriguing infringes of that which I have bestowed on them (the Armenians), and in league with those who do not profess loyalty to me. They also become transgressors against the divine ordinance, and thus incur the just indignation of the only God.

Moreover, the testimony of the Sayyid (Arch)Bishop and of the others, whose names have written before, is a binding and sufficient authority. Because the principal followers of Christmas requested me to establish a Covenant and a treaty among all the Christians, placed under the shadow of the rule of the Muslims, now, by virtue of this Covenant, there shall be perpetual peace and tranquility between Christians and Muslims. The contents of this Covenant are indubitable and true, and I have given to them (the Armenians) of my own accord and with a cheerful countenance. I shall abide by this Covenant and act accordingly, so long as the Armenians shall be faithful to me and continue in their loyalty to my government, and take no part in opposing the religion of my people. If they remain steadfast in the observance of this Covenant, they shall resemble the Muslims and the Believers.

ballandalus.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/covenant-of-ali-ibn-abi-talib-d-661-to-the-christians-of-armenia/

 

[JurisPrudens]

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he has taken by his right hand to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings, to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more: I will go before you levelling the heights. I will shatter the bronze gateways, smash the iron bars. I will give you the hidden treasures, the secret hoards, that you may know that I am the Lord. (Isaiah 45:1-3)

 

[drac16]

Thank you for sharing this!

 

[TonyBS]

This is the true faith of all that follow Muhammad.

Regards Tony

 

[HolyCrusader007]

Here is what a few prominent non Muslims have had to say about Ali,

Gerald de Gaury
(1897 - 1984) A distinguished soldier and diplomat.

“He had been wise in counsel and brave in battle, true to his friends and
magnanimous to his foes. He was to be for ever the paragon of Muslim
nobility and chivalry.”

Rulers of Mecca
, London, 1951, p. 49]

Simon Ockley
(1678-1720) Professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge.

“One thing particularly deserving to be noticed is that his mother was
delivered of him at Mecca, in the very temple itself; which never happened
to any one else.”

History of the Saracens
, London, 1894, p. 331]

Washington Irving
(1783-1859) Well-known as the “first American man of letters”.

“He was of the noblest branch of the noble race of Koreish. He possessed
the three qualities most prized by Arabs: courage, eloquence, and
munificence. His intrepid spirit had gained him from the prophet the
appellation of The Lion of God, specimens of his eloquence remain in some
verses and sayings preserved among the Arabs; and his munificence was
manifested in sharing among others, every Friday, what remained in the
treasury. Of his magnanimity, we have given repeated instances; his noble
scorn of everything false and mean, and the absence in his conduct of
everything like selfish intrigue.”

Lives of the Successors of Mahomet
, London, 1850, p. 165]
‰
“He was one of the last and worthiest of the primitive Moslems, who
imbibed his religious enthusiasm from companionship with the Prophet
himself, and followed to the last the simplicity of his example. He is
honourably spoken of as the first Caliph who accorded some protection to
Belles-Lettres. He indulged in the poetic vein himself, and many of his
maxims and proverbs are preserved, and have been translated in various
languages. His signet bore this inscription: ‘The kingdom belongs to God’.
One of his sayings shows the little value he set upon the transitory glories of
this world, ‘Life is but the shadow of a cloud - the dream of a sleeper’.”

Lives of the Successors of Mahomet
, London, 1850, pp. 187-8]

Robert Durey Osborn
(1835-1889) Major of the Bengal Staff Corps.

“With him perished the truest hearted and best Moslem of whom
Mohammadan history had preserved the remembrance.”

Islam Under the Arabs
, 1876, p. 120]

al-islam.org/nutshell/files/aliviews.pdf

 

[TonyBS]

Here is what a few prominent non Muslims have had to say about Ali,

Very Catholic of you dear brother. God bless you.

Ali was to be the appointed successor. It is interesting that Muhammad did know that this Covenant would not be followed. The religion became one of Negation, as the bible said a religion clothed in sackcloth (the two witnesses).

This is seen in the saying “There is No God, But God” used widely by Muslims, the negation coming before the affirmation.

Regards Tony

 

[HolyCrusader007]

Very Catholic of you dear brother. God bless you.

Ali was to be the appointed successor. It is interesting that Muhammad did know that this Covenant would not be followed. The religion became one of Negation, as the bible said a religion clothed in sackcloth (the two witnesses).

This is seen in the saying “There is No God, But God” used widely by Muslims, the negation coming before the affirmation.

Regards Tony

Interesting and thank you. God bless you brother