The Maulavi has also narrated that there was a man in Khandahar, known as Mohibbe Ali. He was having sincere and deep devotion to Imam Ali ('a) and he had reached such a stage of love that when he was told Mohibbe Ali, beware regarding the rights of Ali ('a), there was change in his ordinary condition and he used to weep incessantly.

When he died, and the funeral bath was being given to him, all his friends and companions were crying. At that moment a friend called out: "Mohibbe Ali, beware regarding the rights of Ali ('a)". Suddenly his right hand rose up, which he gradually placed on his chest.

When this incident became famous, the Shia of Khandahar came in droves to see this man. When they saw that scene, they cried emotionally. His hand remained on his chest till the conclusion of the funeral bath.

If your name is mentioned at my head, a wail would rise up from my soul. (Persian couplet)

Love for His Eminence, Amir ul-Mu’minin Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) and other members of Ahl ul-Bayt ('a) is an important divinely ordained duty. According to the Holy Qur’an it is the recompense of prophethood and in widely related traditions and traditional reports it is considered to be a necessary part of faith in the Almighty Allah and the Prophet; on the contrary it is declared to be the essence of faith. Also, its great effects and consequences are promised in the world and hereafter.

To know more about this reality, please refer to Vol. 7 of Bihar ul-Anwar. Herc only one tradition is presented by way of illustration, which the great researcher and commentator of Ahl ul-Sunna has mentioned in Tafsir Kashaf, under the interpretation of the verse:

قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَىٰ

"Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it, but love for my near relatives." (Surah ash-Shura 42:23).

And it is quoted by Imam Fakhruddin Razi in Tafsir Kabir.

The Messenger of Allah (S) said: One who dies with the love of Aale Muhammad (‘a), dies a martyr, forgiven, with salvation and perfect faith. Angels of death and Munkir Nakeer give him glad tidings of Paradise and take him to Paradise, like a bride is taken to the bridal chamber. Two doors are opened in his grave towards Paradise. Allah makes his grave a place of visitation by angels of mercy and he dies on the practice (Sunna) of the Messenger of Allah (S) and the congregation (Jamat) of Muslims. Know that one who dies on the enmity of Aale Muhammad (‘a), dies a disbeliever and on Judgment Day it would be written on his forehead that he is deprived of divine mercy and the fragrance of Paradise cannot reach him.

Thus, obligatoriness of loving the Almighty Allah, the Prophet and his Household (‘a) and its blessings are definite. Something, which is obligatory to be performed, is awareness of the stages of love and to know that its first stage is obligatory, but gaining of its great effects is according to the power and intensity of that love. Now what can be said of affection, which can reach up to the level of love.

In other words, if a person has only a little particle of true affection, and he dies on it, he would not be involved in everlasting destruction and separation from divine mercy. At last he would be included among the delivered people. He would join his beloveds, that is Aale Muhammad ('a) even after chastisement of three hundred thousand years and after being away from divine mercy.

As clarified in traditions: If a person is bestowed with the highest category of love; that is love of Allah and that, which is related to Him; like the Prophet and progeny of the Prophet, believers and world of hereafter, their love should surround his heart and friendship and not even a particle of mental attraction to anyone or anything than the Almighty Allah should remain in his heart. Even if he has it, it should be for the sake of Allah. For example, if he loves his wife and children, it is because they are trusts, bounties and blessings of Allah. And he should love wealth to be a means of divine proximity from the aspect of spending it in the way of Allah. Such a person would definitely join his true beloveds at the time of death itself and there would be no barrier in between.

It should be said that in traditional reports, which mention the positions and ranks of the Shia and friends of Ahl ul-Bayt (‘a), it is only for those who have scaled that lofty rank of love.

Majlisi, the first (r.a.) has mentioned in explanation of the following statement of Ziyarat Jamia:

وَبِمُوَالاَتِكُمْ تُقْبَلُ ٱلطَّاعَةُ ٱلْمُفْتَرَضَةُ

That is the traditional reports, which prove obligatoriness of the love of Aale Muhammad ('a) are widely related or definite and the least rank of this love is that those people should be beloved to us more than our lives and its ultimate rank is devotion.

Muhaddith Jazaeri, in the book of Anwarun Nomania, has mentioned with regard to the effulgence of love, that there are innumerable grades of love, but they can be divided into five grades. First of all liking; second is love and inclination to the beloved, along with spiritual attachment and likeness; third: is seclusion: That is the rooting of love in the heart in such a way that the love for the beloved should surround the whole heart. Fourth: In love or affection, there is so much extreme that not even for one second should he become heedless of the love of the beloved and the imagination of the beloved should remain intact in the heart. Fifthly, complete obsession, and it is that there should be no one else in the heart of the lover and his not being satisfied with anything except his beloved.

After that the respected scholar has explained each of these ranks and compared it with each real love. He has also narrated some circumstances of people of love.

In the same way, in the book of Gulzare Akbari Gulshan, Pg. 66 some astonishing incidents are mentioned about such persons, which were seen after their death from their bodies and graves, but to quote them would led us away from the topic of the book and cause prolonging of discussion.

There are two aims of discussing this: One is that the reader should not be content on the stage of love, on which he is at present; on the contrary he should expel love of the world and selfish desires and continue to nurture real love for Allah; and increase his love Him, so that he gains most from blessings of ranks of love.

O one in whose heart hundreds of desires are nurtured, focus your heart; remove the love of others from your heart and for a moment, be present at our door. If you are not successful, you must complain to us. (Persian couplets)

Secondly, dear readers do not be surprised at the movement of the hand of a devotee of Ali ('a) after death and do not deny it. On the contrary, you should know that in that intense love, the soul of the lover joins with the beloved and since the beloved [that is Ali ('a)] is the mine of life and power; therefore if such signs are seen from his devotee, it is not at all a matter of surprise.