Ali - Birth, Early life, Ali in Medina, The death of Muhammad, Inheritance, Caliphate, Death, Grave of Ali

Fourth caliph (656–61), the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed. He converted to Islam when still a boy, and married the prophet's daughter, Fatima. He withdrew, or was excluded from government during the caliphates of Abu-Bakr and Omar, and disagreed with Uthman in the interpretation of the Qur'an. Opposition to his caliphate, led by Muawiyah, began a major division within Islam between Sunni and Shiah Muslims. He was murdered in the mosque at Kufa. He is held by Shiah Muslims to be the only true successor to the prophet.

‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (599 – 661) was an early Islamic leader. Ali was the cousin of Muhammad, and after marriage to Fatima Zahra, he also became Muhammad's son-in-law.

Birth

Ali was born on 13 Rajab in Makkah, in the Hijaz region of central western Arabia. According to well-known traditional accounts Ali was born ten years before the commencement of the prophetic mission of the Muhammad, sometime around 599 CE or 600 CE (approximately).

There are many traditions about the birth of Ali. The infant Ali had not taken any milk, so his first taste of liquid was the saliva upon Muhammad's lips.

Early life

Ali's father, Abu Talib, was a Sheikh of Banu Hashim, an important branch of the powerful tribe of the Quraysh, and an uncle to the young Muhammad. Later Muhammad set out and married Khadijah, Ali was born 5 years later. When Ali was six years old, as a result of famine in and around Mecca, Muhammad requested to become his guardian.

When Muhammad reported that he had received a divine revelation, Ali, then only about ten years old, believed in him and professed Islam. Ali stood firmly in support of Muhammad during the years of persecution of Muslims in Mecca. In 622 CE, the year of Muhammad's migration to Yathrib, Ali risked his life by sleeping in Muhammad's bed to impersonate him and thwart an assassination plot, so that Muhammad and Abu Bakr could flee in safety.

Ali survived the plot, but risked his life again by staying in Mecca to carry out Muhammad's instructions: to restore to their owners all the goods and properties that had been entrusted to Muhammad for safekeeping.

Ali in Medina

See also: Ali the Warrior

The small community of Muslim immigrants in Medina, the Muhajirun, were at first extremely poor.

For the ten years that Muhammad led the community in Medina, Ali was extremely active in his service, serving in his armies, leading parties of warriors on raids, and carrying messages and orders. With the exception of Tabuk, Ali joined all of battles and expeditions fought for Islam. As Muhammad's son-in-law and one of his lieutenants, Ali was a person of authority and standing in the Muslim community .

Ali first distinguished himself as a warrior in 624 CE, at the Battle of Badr.

Ali was also prominent at the Battle of Uhud, as well as many other battles where he wielded a bifurcated sword known as Zulfiqar. At the beginning Ali killed "Talhah Ibn Abu Talhah" and then his brother "Abu Saad Ibn Abu Talhah" the bearers of the banner of the pagans. Ibn Al-Atheer, Abu Rafi and Tabari report that Ali, alone, destroyed all the standard bearers. , The death of the bearers of the banner heightened the morale of the Muslims and shook the hearts of the pagans and when the army of Islam was defeated and most of the Muslims scaped Ali was one of the few muslims who defended Muhammad. Ali attacked, in compliance with the Prophet's orders, every unit that made an attack upon him (the Prophet) and dispersed them or killed some of them, and this thing took place a number of times in Uhud" and there was said "La Fata Illa Ali, La Saifa Illa Zulfiqar" (There is no brave man except Ali and there is no sward which renders service except Zulfiqar -which was in the hands of Ali) ." This invitation is called al-Mubahila in Islam 3:61 Prophet came with his family including Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn

Abdullah Ibne Umar quotes the Holy Prophet to have commented:

"Had there been any soul on the whole earth better than Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussain, God would have commanded me to take them along with me to 'Mubahala'.

Although its authenticity is disputed, some of Sunni and all of Shi'a recources report that Muhammad then proclaimed:

"For whoever I am a Mawla of, then 'Ali is his Mawla."

This statement is seen by Sunnis as a recommendation of Ali's good qualities and a refutation to prevailing rumours about him, although Shia see it as a confirmation of Ali's succession to Muhammad and Imamah

The death of Muhammad

In 632 Muhammad had been ailing for some time, but seemed to have recovered somewhat.

While Ali and the rest of Muhammad's close family were washing the prophet's body for burial, at a gathering attended by a small group of Muslims at Saqifah, the sucession was given to Abu Bakr by vote. Shi'a accounts differ by asserting that Muhammad had designated Ali as his successor on a number of occasions, including on his death bed.Ali had many friends, followers and supporters who believed that he should have succeeded Muhammad. Muslims ultimately divided into two branches based on their political attitude towards this issue, which forms the primary theological barrier between the two major divisions of Muslims: Sunni and Shi'a, with the latter following Ali as the successor to Muhammad. The two groups also disagree on Ali's attitude towards Abu Bakr, and the two caliphs who succeeded him: Umar ibn al-Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan. Sunnis tend to stress Ali's acceptance and support of their rule, while the Shi'a claim that he distanced himself from them. The Sunni Muslims say that if Ali was the rightful successor as ordained by God Himself, then it would have been his duty as the leader of the Muslim nation to make war with these people (Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman) until Ali established the decree. But Ali did not fight Abu Bakr, 'Umar nor Uthman because firstly he did not have the military strength and if he decided to, it would have caused a civil war amongst the Muslims, which was still a nascent community throughout the Arab world.

Also Ali has written to egiptians during his caliphate

"When the Holy Prophet (s) passed away, the Muslims started a tug-of-war for the caliphate. Therefore, when I stood up amidst the sweeping surge of innovations and schism the dark clouds of heresy dispersed, falsehood and schism were crushed and the religion was saved.Nahj al Balagha, Lettr 62"

Inheritance

Shi'a Muslims believe that Ali and Fatima, as well as the wives of Muhammad had an additional cause for disaffection with Abu Bakr . The new caliph argued that Muhammad's considerable landed property had been held by the prophet in trust for the community, and was rightfully the property of the state -- despite Ali's rejoinder that Muhammad's revelations included accounts of prophetic inheritance (Qur'an 27:16, 21:89). According to Shi'a Muslims, Abu Bakr gave state pensions to Muhammad's widows, but Muhammad's blood relatives, Ali, Fatima and Ibn Abbas, did not receive even that much.

After Fatima's death, Ali again claimed her inheritance, but was denied with the same argument. However, Umar, the caliph who succeeded Abu Bakr, did restore the estates in Medina to al-Abbas and Ali, as representatives of Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim. In the crisis, some Muslims turned to Ali, who had been for years a faithful and steady lieutenant of Muhammad and his successors, and urged him to seek the caliphate. Muawiyah on the pretext of seeking justice for the murder of Uthman refused to pledge allegiance to Ali and then started a campaign to seize power for himself.

Besides his extremely high status in Shi'a Islam, Ali is also revered by Sunnis as the last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, although many Sunnis have high regard for both Hasan and Mu‘awiyah also.

Caliphate

Almost the first act of his caliphate was to put down a rebellion led by Talha and az-Zubayr (two eminent companions of Muhammad), who were urged on by Aisha, one of Muhammad's wifes. In the view of Shi'as, she was a bitter enemy of Ali, and one of the chief hindrances to his advancement to the caliphate. Talha was killed, Zubayr left before the battle following a discussion with Ali and a reminder of their shared past. Remarkably, instead of any thought of revenge or punishment Ali ensured that she was escorted with all respect to Medina, where she was given a pension.

Soon thereafter, Ali dismissed several provincial governors, some of whom were relatives of Uthman, and replaced them with trusted aides such as Malik ibn Ashter and Salman the Persian. Ali then transferred his capital from Medina to Kufa, the Muslim garrison city in what is now Iraq. The capital of the province of Syria, Damascus, was held by Mu'awiyah, the governor of Syria and a kinsman of Uthman, Ali's slain predecessor.

Mu'awiyah raised an army and marched against Ali, demanding vengeance for the death of Uthman. the battle seemed to be turning in favor of Ali, when a number of the opposing army, fixing copies of the Qur'an to the points of their spears, exclaimed that "the matter ought to be settled by reference to this book, which forbids Muslims to shed each other's blood."

At this point, the soldiers of Ali refused to fight any longer, and demanded that the issue be referred to arbitration. Ali and his followers are said to have disagreed over the choice of advocate for Ali. Ali wanted Malik ibn Ashter or Ibn Abbas; Finally, Abu Musa al Asha'ri was chosen as Ali's advocate. Abu Musa having proclaimed that he deposed both Ali and Mu'awiyah, `Amr declared that he also deposed Ali, but invested Mu'awiyah with the caliphate.

Death

According to tradition, three Muslim zealots (purists later termed Kharijites) had agreed to assassinate Ali, Mu'awiyah and `Amr, as the authors of disastrous feuds among the faithful.

Ali suffered a mortal head wound on the 19th of Ramadan while he was performing morning prayers in mosque in the city of Kufa. According to the Shi'a tradition, as he was being struck Ali said "By the Lord of the Ka'bah, I have succeeded!"

Ali died on the 21st of Ramadan (three days after receiving the head wound) in the city of Kufa (Iraq) in 661 CE.

Grave of Ali

Many Shi'a believe that Ali didn’t want his grave to be desecrated by his enemies and because of that he asked his friends and family members to bury him secretly.. Most Shi'as accept that Ali was buried at what is now the city of Najaf, which grew around the mosque and shrine called Masjid Ali. Local inhabitants told him that this was the grave of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Descendants

Ali had eight wives after Fatima's death, and in all, thirty-six children.

Ali's descendants by Fatima are known as sharifs, syeds or sayyids. The Hashemite royal families of Jordan and Iraq, the Alaouite royal family of Morocco, the Husseini family of Lebanon, and the Aga Khans of the Ismaili community claim direct descent from the prophet through Ali and Fatima.

Descendents of Ali with documented family trees (about 42 generations of an unbroken chain of descent) are often identified by their family trees leading to one of the 12 Shi'a Imams, most notably Imam Musa Kazem, Imam Ali Reza, and Imam Ali Naqi.

Legacy

See also: Nahj al Balagha

Ali is respected not only as a warrior and leader, but as a writer and religious authority. and the best companion is submission to Divine Will. Socialize with people in such a manner that when you die, they should weep for you and as long as you live, they should long for your company. Greed is a permanent slavery. Submission to God's will is the cure of the misery of the heart. There is no wealth like education and no poverty like ignorance.

Ali is also reputed to have said:

He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, while he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere.

Muslim view

Ali is revered and honored by all Muslims.

Just as Muslims do not picture God (in Arabic, Allah), but reference him by His Ninety-nine Names or titles, so Muslims honor Muhammad, Ali, and other pious Muslims with titles of praise and add pious interjections after their names.

Moreover, Sunni and Shi'a alike agree that Ali deserves these titles:

Commander of the Faithful (Arabic: Ameer-al-Momineen) Father of Dust/Soil (Arabic: Abu Turab) Winning Lion of God (Arabic: Asad-ullah) The Charging Lion (Arabic: Haydar-al-Karrar) Piercing lines, fighter (Arabic: Safdar)

Sunni view of Ali

Sunnis hold Ali in high respect as one of the Ahl al-Bayt and the last of the Four Righteously Guided Caliphs.

The statement "I am the city of Knowledge, and Ali is the gate to the city" allegedly said by Muhammad (although this is disputed, see Hadith of the door to knowledge) is interpreted by Sunnis to mean that Ali was among the protectors of Islamic knowledge whereas Shi`ites believe it to mean one must trust in Ali to get to, or stay on the path of, Muhammad's sunnah. As such, Sunnis believe that Ali was a foremost scholar of the Qur'an and Islamic jurisprudence. Sunnis say that Ali supported the first three caliphs loyally.

Shi'a view of Ali

See also: Shi'a Islam and Misconceptions about the Shi'a

The Shi`ites hold Ali in high esteem as the rightful protector of the Muslim community after the passing of Muhammad, and consider him the first of twelve appointed hereditary Imams. Ali as the first of these is seen not only as Muhammad's chosen successor, but also as holding a position of authority designated by God and as deserving his position by his great personal merits.

The Shi`ites make several points regarding Ali, believed to indicate Ali's special status, including claims:

That he was born in the Kaaba. Ali's mother Fatima bint Asad named him after her father, Asad. Abu Talib did not agree with her and prayed for Allah to reveal Ali's real name, Ali, derived from one of 99 Names of God, Al `Ali (The Exalted) . After having said that the first one to join him would lead with him and be his successor, and three invitations, Ali was the only one ready to embrace Islam.

Hadith-i manzilah : Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas has said "The Prophet of God said to Ali, 'Are you not satisfied to be to me what Harun was to Moses except that after me there will not be another prophet?'" Shi'a said it means Ali is the vicegerent of Muhammad like Harun for Moses.

They also claim that Muhammad indicated in many times and in many ways his belief that Ali was his divinely appointed successor, and cite a number of hadith and verses from the Qur'an in support of that position. For example, it is a well-known Hadith of Muhammad that, as he said, "I am the CITY OF KNOWLEDGE and Ali is the ENTRANCE TO THIS CITY".

In the Shi'a view, Ali's character, like Muhammad's, is considered perfect and unblemished and he is seen by the Shi'a as being infallible as are a number of his descendants, namely the twelve imams. In the Shi'a confession of faith (shahada, before prayer they add the phrase "Ali waliyu 'llah" meaning "And Ali is the friend of God". The Shi'a give these titles to Ali:

Al-Ŝādiq (The Truthful) Imam (commander/leader) Imam Al-Muttaqin (Leader of those established in the faith) Al-Murtadhā (Murtazā in Persian) (The chosen one) Al-Naba' ul 'Adhīm Haydar Safder Al-Almdār (The standard bearer) Mushkil-Kushā (The solver of problems) Al-Furuq

Ali is given an additional pious modifier. When Ali's name is mentioned, along with "May Allah be pleased with him", Shi'a add "Allah has honoured his face", a reference to the Shi'a belief that Ali converted to Islam at such a young age that he never joined in any worship of the traditional Meccan gods, whom the Muslims believe to be idols.

The non-Muslim view of Ali

Non-Muslim views of Ali have varied. Wilferd Madelung, a specialist in Shi'a studies, takes a much more favorable view of Ali.

Sunni biography

Biography from USC's MSA website

Shi'a biography

Brief Biogrophy Ali's Birth in the Kaaba Website devoted to the Life of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Sayings of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib The Commander of the Faithfull Imam Ali foundation Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Nahjul Balagha Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib's status

Preceded by: Uthman	Caliph 656–661	Succeeded by: Muawiyah I
Preceded by: Muhammad	Shi'a Imam 632–661	Succeeded by: Hasan ibn Ali

List of Sahaba

Abbad ibn Bishr • `Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib • `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas • `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-Asad • Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ud • Abd-Allah ibn Sailam • Abd-Allah ibn Ubaiy • Abd-Allah ibn Umm-Maktum • Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr • Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr • Abdullah ibn Hudhafah as-Sahmi • Abdullah ibn Ja'far • Abdullah ibn Sailam • Abu Ayyub al-Ansari • Abu Bakr • Abu Dharr al-Ghifari • Abu Dujana • Abu Fuhayra • Abu Hudhaifah ibn al-Mughirah • Abu Hurairah • Abu Sufyan ibn Harb • Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith • Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib • Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah • Abu al-Aas ibn al-Rabiah • Abu al-Dardaa • Abu-Hudhayfah ibn Utbah • Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari • Abu-Sa'id al-Khudri • Akib ibn Usaid • Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami • Al-Baraa ibn Malik al-Ansari • Al-Nahdiah • Ali • Aminah bint Wahab • Ammar ibn Yasir • Amr ibn al-Jamuh • An-Numan ibn Muqarrin • Anas ibn Malik • Ashaab • Bashir ibn Sa'ad • Bilal ibn Ribah • Bilal ibn al-Harith • Fadl ibn Abbas • Fatima bint Asad • Fatima bint Hizam • Fayruz al-Daylami • Habibah bint Ubayd-Allah • Halima Sadia • Hamza ibn 'Abdul Muttalib • Harithah bint al-Muammil • Hatib ibn Abi Baitah • Hisham ibn Al-Aas • Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman • Hujr ibn Adi • Julaybib • Khabbab ibn al-Aratt • Khalid ibn Sa`id • Khunais ibn Hudhaifa • Kumayl ibn Ziyad • Layla bint al-Minhal • Lubaba bint al-Harith • Lubaynah • Malik Bin Deenar • Malik al-Dar • Malik ibn Ashter • Malik ibn Nuwayrah • Masaab ibn Umayr • Miqdad ibn Aswad • Muadh ibn Jabal • Mughira ibn Shu'ba • Muhammad Ibn Maslamah • Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr • Muhammad ibn Maslamah • Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid • Qatadah • Rab'ah ibn Umayah • Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith • Sa`ad ibn ar-Rabi` • Sa`ad ibn Abi Waqqas • Saffiyah binte Abd-al-Muttalib • Said ibn Aamir al-Jumahi • Salim Mawla Abu Hudhayfah • Salman the Persian • Suhayb ar-Rumi • Ubaydah ibn al-Harith • Umamah bint Zainab • Umar • Umm Khultum bint Ali • Umm Khultum bint Jarweela Khuzeema • Umm Shareek • Umm Ubays • `Uqbah ibn Amir • Urwah ibn Mas'ud • Usama ibn Zayd • Utbah ibn Ghazwan • Wahb ibn Abd Manaf • Zayd ibn Arqam • Zayd ibn Harithah • Zayd ibn Thabit • Zaynab bint Ali • `Abd Allah ibn Rawahah