Fortieth Year of Migration: It was the a19th of the Ramazan, the month of fasting of that eventful year. The time was that of morning prayers. The place was the Mosque of Kufa, Imam Ali (a) had arrived in the mosque long before the time of the prayers, had roused those who were sleeping in the mosque. Amongst them was Abur Rahman ibn Muljam Muradi. He was lying on his face and hidden under his garment a sword, the blade of which had been poisoned. Imam Ali (a) roused him, told him that it was an unhealthy way of sleeping, it hinders free breathing, and also told him that he had hidden a sword in his garment and an evil intention was in his mind. Imam Ali (a) then called the Muslims to morning prayers and led the service.
It was the first part of the prayers and he was rising from the kneeling posture when the sword of Abdur Rahman descended on his head. It was the same sword that Imam Ali (a) had pointed out only half an hour ago, it gave him a very deep cut. The prayers were disturbed. Abdur Rahman started fleeing, but people chased him. Nobody was attending the prayers and there was confusion everywhere. But Imam Ali (a) finished his two prostrations, and then reeled into the hands of his sons Hasan and Husain. The wound which was bleeding profusely was attended to. His blood-drenched lips parted into thanksgiving supplication and he said, “Lord! I thank You for rewarding me with martyrdom; how kind You are and how Gracious! May your Mercy further lead me to the realm of Your Grace and Benevolence!”
Abdur Rahman was caught by Sa’sa bin Suhan and was brought before Imam Ali. Hands of the murderer were tied behind his back. Imam saw the ropes were cutting into the flesh of the murderer. He forgot the wound of his head, the blow which was to end his life. He forgot that Abdur Rahman was his murderer. All that he saw was a human being subjected to inhuman torture. He ordered the Muslims to loosen the hands of Abdur Rahman and to treat the man more humanly. The kindness touched the murderer and he started weeping. Imam Ali (a) smiled and in a faint voice said, “It is too late to repent now. Was I a bad Imam or an unkind ruler?”
People carried the great Imam to his house and when he saw the bright day, he addressed it: “O Day! You can bear testimony to the fact that during the lifetime of Ali, you have never dawned and found him sleeping”.
He lived two days after this event and in that interval whenever he found time, he delivered a few sermons. (See Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 147, Letter 47)
In those sermons and with his dying breath, he expressly ordered that no harshness should be used towards his murderer, who should be executed, if the heirs of Imam Ali so desire, with one blow. He should not be tortured before death. His dead body should not be mutilated. His family members should not suffer on account of his crime and his property should not be confiscated. He designated his son Imam Hasan as his vicegerent.
Thus he closed the last chapter of a life which from the beginning to its end was full of noble deeds, pious thoughts and sublime words and every hour of which was a crowned hour of a glorious life. “Had Ali been allowed to reign in peace”, says Oeslner, “his virtues, his firmness, and his sublime character would have perpetuated the basic principles of a good government and its simple manners.” The dagger of an assassin destroyed the hope of Islam.
"With him, says Osborn, “perished the true-hearted and the best Muslim of whom Muhammadian history has preserved the remembrance”.
“Seven centuries before” says Justice Amir Ali, “this wonderful man would have been apotheosised and thirteen centuries later, his genius and talents, his virtues and his valour, would have exerted the admiration of the civilized world. Chivalrous, humane and forbearing to the verge of weakness, as a ruler he came before his time. He was almost no match by his uncompromising love of truth, his gentleness and his merciful nature to cope with Umayyad’s treachery and falsehood”. Justice Amir Ali further says, "To quote the modern French historian: “But for his assassination the Muslim world might have witnessed the realization of the Prophet’s teachings, in actual amalgamation of the first principles of true philosophy into positive action. The same passionate deovtion to knowledge and learning which distinguished Muhammad, breathed in every word of Ali. With a literality of mind – far beyond the age in which he lived – was joined a sincere devotion of spirit and earnestness of faith. His sermons, his psalms, his litanies portray a devout uplooking twoards the source of All Good, and an unbounded faith in humanity”.
According to his will, he was buried at Najaf (Iraq), a place about two miles from Kufa.
About Imam Ali (a), his character, his wisdom, his teachings, his services to Islam, his love of mankind, his respect to duty, and adherence to piety, to truth and justice, more than 8000 books have already been written. They are in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Gujrati, Hindi, Telegu, and Tamil, a sincere homage to the sincerity of his faith in the greatness and nobility of character inherent in man and in the possibility of human beings developing these traits by good thoughts and good deeds.