Equality before the law from Imam Ali’s viewpoint

Equality, in fact, is the most fundamental issue in the Islamic worldview and one of the branches of the robust tree of Tawhid. Equality aims at eliminating discrimination and moving toward human ascendency. Therefore, this article mainly focuses on scrutinizing the basic and principal issues related to equality and God-given rights or inalienable rights from Imam Ali’s peace be upon him point of view. Despite a brief period of governance of Islamic society, Imam Ali (PBUH), compared to other periods, paid special attention to the many variations among races, languages, colors, religions and political parties. However, a legal analysis of his words and practice in this regard is of great difficulty, because he was not only a jurist and a mystical as well as ethical leader, but also a metaphysics scholar, a Qur’an exegete, an Islamic legal systems commentator and, a governor. Indeed, no historian or writer, however deft and dexterous he maybe, can draw a true picture of the Commander of the Faithful even in a thousand pages, nor can he explain the dreadful events which took place in his time. The things which this thought of, and acted upon, had not until that point been seen or heard by anyone. It is more than a historian can cover even in a very detailed treatise. Hence, whatever picture of Imam Ali is described by author will inevitably be incomplete. The present article attempts to explain equality before the law, in referring to a competent court and receiving just examination from Imam Ali’s (PBUH) viewpoint.