Alaa’ Al-Deen Ali ibn Ahmad Al-Jamali was the scholar who combined the posts of head teacher and Mufti, which meant that he was Sheikh Al-Islam, for 26 years during the reigns of Sultans Bayazeed, Saleem and Sulaiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. He was a scholar of considerable scholarly achievement and a very pious man. He spent most of his time in worship, without neglecting his other roles of teacher and Mufti, which is to issue rulings on any new situation that required an Islamic ruling. He was a man of fine character, highly principled and well respected. What earned him immense respectability was that he was not interested in worldly matters, not even a high post or material riches. He only said what was good. It was not known of him that he would speak ill of anyone.
Ali Al-Jamali was extremely dedicated to serving the Muslim community and to his worship. People said that they could see the light of faith in his face. Yet he loved seclusion.
While he attended all five daily prayers with the congregation, he stayed at home most of the time. In order to serve the people and respond to their questions, he kept a basket hanging from his window. Anyone who needed to put a case to him could write it down and put the paper in the basket and shake its rope. He would immediately lift the basket, attend to the question and give the inquirer his answer. Thus he was very close to the people.
But Al-Jamali’s high position is not due to his scholarship, which was of high standard, as much as to his courage in facing one of the most powerful rulers, Sultan Saleem, the first. Saleem was a Turkish ruler who extended the Ottoman rule to the south, taking over Syria, Palestine and Egypt, and taking over the Caliphate to make it an Ottoman preserve for the next four centuries. His rule was at the beginning of the 16th century. Saleem was nicknamed as Yawaz, or thunderbolt, as he was ready to kill anyone for even suggesting that a decision he has made needs to be reconsidered by the Sultan himself. It was indeed very easy for him to sentence anyone to immediate death, even his own chief minister. He killed no less than 17 of his own household, and 7 of his ministers. One of these was Yunus Pasha who spoke to him, pointing out something true, but Saleem ordered his execution, and he was killed before he could finish what he was saying.
It was said that when he nominated a person to be his minister, the man would write his will, prepare what is needed for his burial and bid farewell to his family. He would not know when he went to meet the Sultan at any time whether he would come back on his feet or he would be brought dead.
It was in dealing with this Sultan Saleem that Ali Al-Jamali distinguished himself. To illustrate, we may relate this incident.
In Saleem’s court were several ministers and high officials, going about their business feeling terribly apprehensive. None of them would cherish a call to present himself to the Sultan because he would not know whether he would come out alive or dead. All of a sudden, the Mufti, Ali Al-Jamali entered. This was very unusual, because the man would not come to the Sultan for any small matter. Every body welcomed the Mufti and respectfully inquired after his health and the purpose of his visit. He said: “I want to see the Sultan, because I have some important business with him.” Soon, audience with the Sultan was given, and the Mufti went in alone, offering the normal Islamic greetings.
The Sultan looked angry, waiting for the Mufti to state his business. Al-Jamali said: “It is the role of a Mufti to ensure that the Sultan will be in a good position on the Day of Judgment. You have ordered the execution of 150 workers whose killing is not permissible under Islamic law. You should pardon them.” The Sultan was enraged.
How could the Mufti speak to him in such language, telling him what he should or should not do? He could not see what was in front of his eyes. But then it was the Mufti who was speaking to him, not a minister or someone of his own staff. So he controlled himself and tried to put the Mufti in his place without punishing him. He said to him: “You are interfering in matters of government which are none of your business.” He paused a little to allow the Mufti to depart.
Al-Jamali did not make any gesture of departure, but said: “I am only speaking about your own position on the Day of Judgment, which is part of my work. You may live to a very old age, but then you will inevitably die.
And you will have to stand before God for reckoning. If you pardon these people, you may spare yourself, but if you kill them, then hell might be yours. Your kingdom and authority in this life will be of no avail to you there.”
These words were hard for Saleem, but he listened, and softened. It was not the man who was the Mufti speaking; it was the power of the truth that softened him. Hence, the Sultan granted the Mufti’s request and pardoned the men. He sat with the Mufti speaking to him respectfully. An hour later, when the Mufti was about to depart, he said to the Sultan: “I spoke to you for your own sake and your position on the Day of Judgment, but now I have an appeal to your kindness. These people have been in your service. If they are dismissed, they will be begging. Is that appropriate for the Sultan’s servants? Saleem asked what would he suggest and the Mufti requested that they should be reinstated. The Sultan agreed, but he said that he would punish them for their failures. The Mufti told him that this was his prerogative.
This approach served Al-Jamali on several occasions when he needed to speak to the Sultan on behalf of people who were to face extreme punishment. He convinced the Sultan that the Mufti was in a similar position to that of a doctor who is responsible for protecting the Sultan’s health. If the doctor saw the Sultan with poison in his hand and he was about to drink it, would he keep silent? If the Sultan, nevertheless, tries to drink it, is it not the doctor’s duty to try to take the glass away from the Sultan’s hand, even by force? How then was the Mufti to keep quiet if he sees the Sultan about to commit something that would land him in hell?
On another occasion, Sultan Saleem was about to travel to Aderna, and the Mufti went to bid him farewell. On his way, he saw about four hundred people tied up, and soldiers were taking them somewhere. On inquiry, he learnt that they were to be killed for disobeying the Sultan.
The Mufti went fast to the Sultan and found him on his horse about to depart. So he said aloud, with many people present: “It is not permissible for you to kill these people.” The Sultan said: “How often would you interfere in government business? Keep to your business and do not interfere. Do you not have a job to do?” Al-Jamali said: “This is my job which I am doing to the best of my ability. If you listen to me, you spare yourself God’s wrath. If you refuse, you are certain to stand in front of a King who has greater power over you than you have over these people.” He then turned his mount and left without greeting the Sultan.
The Sultan was in great fury, red-faced, but he remained silent for a long while, trying to subdue his anger. All people present were scared of what he might do. At length, he moved, having overcome his fury. He ordered that those people be pardoned.
Needless to say, what gave Al-Jamali all this courage was the fact that he was a man of profound faith, realizing that he might risk his life, but he would be rewarded by God for defending the truth. May God shower His grace over his soul.