You all belong to Adam, and Adam belongs to earth.

You all belong to Adam, and Adam belongs to earth.” In his political commandments to Malik al-Ashtar, Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, said: “People are two kinds. (They are) either your brother in religion or the like of you in creation.” The Imam, peace be on him, carried these words of his completely when he became caliph. He divided gifts equally among the Arabs and the non-Arabs. He did not preferred the Arabs to the non-Arabs.

So, the non Arabs followed him, loved him, and sacrificed their souls for him. Spreading Justice Islam has taken care of spreading justice among people. For example, the great Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, spread all the concepts of justice among the people. Imam ‘Ali also did that when he became caliph. He speared no effort to establish political and social justice. He treated both his relations and others with justice. During his time, the people confirmed his just practices.

Islamic history is full of his just acts. Hence, political and social awareness has prospered throughout history. Revolt against Oppression The revolt against oppression and the oppressive is among the basic principles of the Shï‘a. For this reason, the main leaders of this Shï‘ite sect revolted against the Umayyad and the Abbasid governments. Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, was the first to revolt against them.

Then his sincere student, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, the Companion of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, revolted against them, too. When Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the Faithful peace be on him, became caliph, his government assumed the crucial affairs of the community. It also took care of justice, fairness, and welfare. During his short-term government, the Imam created genuine awareness in the souls of his followers.

Such awareness moved them to revolt against the tyrannical rulers. So, Hijr b. ‘Adi, the great leader, and his companions revolted against Mu‘awiya However, the central government in Kufa was unable to bear the violent attacks of Hijr and his companions. Hence it arrested them, and then it sent them to Syria. There, at the Marjj of Adhra', they were executed. They died martyrs for their great Islamic message that came to spread justice and to establish fairness among the Moslems.