“No new Muslim has surpassed Ali in zeal and virtue. He united the merits of a poet, a soldier, and a saint; his rationality still inspires in a collection of moral and religious sayings; And every enemy, in the battles of tongue or sword, was subdued by his eloquence and courage. From the first hour of his mission to the last funeral, the Prophet was never abandoned by a generous friend who was happy to call him his brother, his successor, and his faithful Aaron.”

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "“No new Muslim has surpassed Ali in zeal and virtue. He united the merits of a poet, a soldier, and a saint; his rationality still inspires in a collection of moral and religious sayings; And every enemy, in the battles of tongue or sword, was subdued by his eloquence and courage. From the first hour of his mission to the last funeral, the Prophet was never abandoned by a generous friend who was happy to call him his brother, his successor, and his faithful Aaron.”" in the context of "Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, (originally published 1776-88) volume 5, pp. 381-2]" to mean that wisdom is timeless.