Malik Ashtar, famous commander under the rule of Imam Ali

NU Online · Jumat, 13 Juli 2012 | 01:13 WIB

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Malik Ashtar was a famous commander under the rule of Imam Ali. He was a strong warrior and a powerful man who was gifted in the Tactics of Warfare.<>

Once a shop-keeper was sitting outside of his shop in the major street of a city. He was chatting with his friends and cracking jokes. Then he saw a man with bruises on his face, with old cloth and a dusty face passing by. So just for fun, the shop-keeper threw a piece of junk at the dirty man so that his friends would laugh.

A friend of his said: "Oh my God! didn't you know who this man was?"

Shop-keeper: "No. Probably an ordinary man who was just walking by."

Friend: "No. That was Malek Ashtar...the brave commander of Imam Ali's army!"

Shop-keeper: "No way!"

Friend: "Yes way!"

shop-keeper: "Oh my God! He is a warrior. What is going to happen to me?! he might punish me really bad...I better apologize to him."

So the shop-keeper followed Ashtar and saw that he is going to the Masjid. Then he saw that Malek Ashtar is performing a prayer...so he waited until his prayer was over. Then he approached Malek and said: " I came here to apologize, I am the one who threw that piece of junk at you for amusement!"

Malek Ashtar: " I swear to Allah that the only reason I came to this Masjid was because of you. I saw how lost and ignorant you were so I came here to pray for you so that Allah might guide you to the right path, because you hurt people with no good reason. And no, I am not thinking the way to thought about me(meaning punishing him)." (Sudarto Murtaufiq)