Book reference: p.105 — "Write a comprehensive note on the bravery and Judicial Wisdom of Hazrat Ali (RA)."

Bravery (Shaja'ah)

• Slept in the Prophet's (PBUH) bed on the night of the Hijrah, knowingly risking assassination, so the Prophet could escape safely (Laylat al-Mabit).
• Fought with distinction at Badr, Uhud, the Trench and Khaybar — famously breached Khaybar's fortress gate.
• Known by the title "Asadullah" (Lion of Allah) for his battlefield courage, combined with strict adherence to the ethical rules of engagement (see Theme II).

Judicial Wisdom (Qada)

• Appointed by the Prophet (PBUH) as a judge to Yemen; the Prophet prayed for him: "O Allah, guide his heart and make his tongue firm."
• Famous rulings demonstrating reasoning beyond literal argument — testing claimants' genuine attachment rather than relying on assertion alone (echoing Prophet Sulayman's AS wisdom, cf. 21:78-79).
• As Caliph, insisted on appearing before an ordinary judge as an equal litigant in a property dispute with a non-Muslim citizen — and lost the case, accepting the verdict without objection.
• Letter to Malik al-Ashtar remains one of history's most cited charters of judicial and administrative ethics.

Qur'anic Evidence

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وَدَاوُدَ وَسُلَيْمَٰنَ إِذْ يَحْكُمَانِ فِي الْحَرْثِ

اردو: اور داؤد اور سلیمان (علیہما السلام) کو یاد کرو جب وہ کھیتی کے بارے میں فیصلہ کر رہے تھے۔

English: "And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field."

— Surah Al-Anbiya 21:78

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CSS Exam Tips

• Give at least two concrete examples each for bravery and judicial wisdom — examiners reward specific incidents over generalities.
• Cross-reference: Letters of Umar and Ali to Public Authorities, Governance under the Pious Khilafah.

20-Mark Enrichment — Analytical Material

Core Argument

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA) is the tradition's clearest demonstration that courage and judgment are the same virtue in different settings. The Prophet ﷺ named him Bāb madīnat al-ʿilm in a widely transmitted report ("I am the city of knowledge and ʿAlī is its gate," Tirmidhī; discussed as to chain but universally cited), and ʿUmar (RA) is reported to have said, لَوْلَا عَلِيٌّ لَهَلَكَ عُمَرُ — "were it not for ʿAlī, ʿUmar would have perished," in reference to his judicial insight. The 20-mark thesis: his bravery was never recklessness but courage disciplined by principle, and his judicial wisdom was never cleverness but justice applied with imagination — and the same restraint governs both.

1. Courage in the Cause of the Message