As for the case of Abdul Rahman bin Muljam Al-Muradi, it has been a subject of much research and debate, and it holds many ambiguities. In brief, here is a summary:
This action was not superficial, but rather a real existential occurrence.
It is well-established in our teachings that the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), had prior knowledge that bin Muljam would kill him.
Imam Ali did not act to kill him beforehand because that would contradict justice. There is no retaliation before the crime, and this is agreed upon. When some of his companions suggested that he should kill him if he knew bin Muljam would kill him, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) responded, "And who will kill me?"
The Imam, due to his knowledge of the unseen, does not prevent the event because it is tied to divine will and wisdom.
Bin Muljam was not an outsider, as some superficial historians have suggested. He was a supporter of Imam Ali. He is the one who, when he pledged allegiance to him, said:
"Peace be upon you, O Just Imam, the perfect full moon, the mighty lion, the brave hero, the knight of courage, the one whom Allah favored over all creation, prayers and peace be upon you and your noble family. I bear witness that you are truly the Commander of the Faithful, the successor of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), the inheritor of his knowledge. May Allah curse those who deny your right and position. You have become its leader and its pillar. Your justice is well-known throughout the earth, and the clouds of your grace, mercy, and compassion have showered upon them. Blessed is this appearance of yours, and congratulations for the caliphate of the people."
He then recited the following lines of poetry:
"You are the guardian and refined one, full of generosity,
The son of the lions in the highest rank.
Allah has favored you, O successor of Muhammad,
And bestowed upon you a grace in the revealed book,
And blessed you with Fatima, daughter of Muhammad,
The virgin of the Messenger’s noble lineage."
He continued, "O Commander of the Faithful, guide us wherever you wish, and you will see from us that which pleases you. By Allah, none of us are anything but heroes, wise and courageous, who have inherited this from our forefathers, and we will pass it on to our righteous children."
The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), praised his speech above the rest of the delegation.
This narration is of Shia origin, as reported by the author of Bihar al-Anwar. The Sunni version is mentioned by Ibn Al-Athir in his book Asad al-Ghabah, Volume 4, where it is stated:
When Abdul Rahman bin Muljam Al-Muradi was with Imam Ali, he recited the following:
"You are the guardian and refined one, full of generosity,
The son of the lions in the highest rank.
Allah has favored you, O successor of Muhammad,
And bestowed upon you a grace in the revealed book,"
and so on. The attendees were amazed at his eloquent speech and his close relationship with Imam Ali.
Ibn Hajar mentions in Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah that it was narrated that Imam Ali said:
"Abdul Rahman bin Muljam came to me seeking a favor, and I granted it to him, then said, 'I want his life, and he wants my death. He is my betrayer from Murad.' He then said, 'By Allah, he is my killer.' I was asked, 'Why don't you kill him?' He responded, 'Who will kill me?'"
Therefore, the case of bin Muljam is one that is left unaddressed. We do not praise or condemn him, as some might claim without clear evidence. We also cannot find any merit in denouncing him for the reasons previously mentioned.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) advised good treatment of him, forbade any mutilation, and instructed Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) in this regard, saying:
"If he remains alive, I am the protector of my own blood, and if he dies, death is my fate. If I forgive him, forgiveness is an act of devotion to me and a good deed for you. So forgive him, for do you not wish that Allah would forgive you?"
This is our stance on Ibn Muljam, the killer of the Imam, with the Imam's knowledge. He should not be classified, as some mistakenly think, as one of those praised on the Day of Judgment! I do not know where this strange misunderstanding came from! The knowledge of that lies with Allah. And whoever the Imam forgives and commands others to forgive, it is not for us to pass judgment on him, nor to rank him among the great ones. Rather, we remain silent on these divine judgments, which only the infallible ones truly understand. You know that the Imam intercedes for those who commit major sins, and Allah accepts his intercession. Therefore, we stand in the position that we have been instructed to stand in.
Thus, the theory of those who are cursed in this world but praised on the Day of Judgment is foreign to our principles, as it does not appear in our firm teachings! On the contrary, we have examples like the case of Umar bin Abdul Aziz when he passed away. Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: "A man died whom the people of the earth wept for and the heavens cursed."
The term "cleansing of the divinity from the humanity" is an external theological concept, popularized by Ibn Taymiyyah. Unfortunately, some members of the Ahl al-Bayt have adopted this term. It is a Christian theological term and does not belong in Islamic theology. The term "Lahut" should never be used to describe the soul of any of the infallible Imams, as it pertains to the divine essence in Christianity and implies a kind of embodiment of God, which contradicts the Islamic understanding of God’s transcendence.
As a result, the killing occurred, and the divine will necessitated it, and the perpetrator is left unspoken of, and the judgment belongs to Allah, who has absolute will.
The claim that Ali did not kill contradicts all concepts and removes many related and associated matters. What, then, is the benefit of the narration of Safwan al-Jammal from Imam al-Sadiq, which directed the Shi’a to the location of the shrine of Amir al-Mu’minin in Ghayri? How can the Imamate of al-Hasan be established in the presence of his father? Or how could Imam al-Hasan himself have killed Ibn Muljam if the killing were merely symbolic, as some claim out of ignorance? Many issues arise from this.
I believe the topic doesn’t require such convoluted explanations, and as I said, denying the event does not serve to magnify the Imam. Such interpretations misdirect the course of matters, and thus we are not the ones to interpret these events — the rightful scholars of the matter, who received their knowledge from its true source, are the ones qualified for this task.
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