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| Ali ibn Abi-Talib | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Reign | 656 – 661 |
| Predecessor | Uthman |
| Successor | Muawiyah I |
| Burial | Najaf, Iraq |
| House | Ahl al-Bayt Banu Hashim |
| Father | Abu Talib |
| Mother | Fatima bint Asad |
- For other uses, see Ali (disambiguation).
Imam ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib (علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب) (Thirteenth of Rajab, 24 BH – Twenty-first of Ramadan, 40 AH) (Approximately: March 17, 599 - February 28, 661) was an early Islamic leader, the first Shi'a Imam, and the fourth Sunni Caliph. Although he had limited political influence during his lifetime, he had vast influence on the developments of events during the time of the early Muslims as a military leader, close companion, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. Later, his stature as a foremost authority on the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence and religious thought continues to influence Islamic history. He is arguably among the most influential individuals in the history of Islam, being considered second only to Muhammad in divine guidance by Shi'a Muslims and revered by the Sunni Muslims as the last of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs and as a foremost authority in Quranic exegesis and Islamic jurisprudence.
Biography
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Birth
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He was born in the Kaabah, in Mecca. His father was Abu Talib and his mother was Fatimah bint al-Asad.
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Early life
Ali's father, Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, was a Sheikh of Banu Hashim, an important branch of the powerful tribe of the Quraish, and an uncle to the young Muhammad. When Muhammad was orphaned and then lost his grandfather (Abdul Muttalib), Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib took Muhammad into his house. Later Muhammad set out and married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. Ali was born three 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 him and professed . Ali was one of the first males to enter Islam, if not the first Arab male. 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 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 ibn Abi Talib
Main article: Ali the Warrior
Ali in Medina
The small community of Muslim immigrants in Medina, the Muhajirun, were at first extremely poor. They had no land, no houses, and lived on the charity of the Madinans who had converted to Islam. Ali shared in all the labor and hardships of the community.
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 took part in all the battles and expeditions fought for Islam. As one of Muhammad’s lieutenants, and later his son-in-law, 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. He defeated the Banu Umayyed champion Walid ibn Utba as well as many other Meccan soldiers. Al Seerah of Ibn Hisham narrates how he killed 20 of the pagans and Al Maghazi put the number at 22.
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 reported 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 had fled Ali was one of the few Muslims who defended Muhammad. According to Ibn Atheer, "The Prophet became the object of the attack of various units of the army of Quraish from all sides. 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 it was said "La fata illa Ali, La saifa illa Zulfiqar" (There is no brave man except Ali and there is no sword which renders service except Zulfiqar)."
Ghadir Khumm
Main articles: Hadith of the pond of Khumm and Hadith of the two weighty thingsThere is another quote from Muhammad about the rightness of Ali ibn Abi Talib to succeed him which is:
"O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a message from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.."
This quote is confirmed by both Shi’a and Sunni everywhere, but Sunnis and Shi’ahs take different meanings of the quote.
The death of Muhammad
In 632 CE, Muhammad had been ailing for some time but seemed to have recovered. He left his house to take part in prayers at the mosque, then returned to his quarters and died.
While Ali and the rest of Muhammad 's close family were washing his body for burial, at a gathering attended by a small group of Muslims at Saqifah, the succession was given to Abu Bakr by vote. According to Sunni accounts, Muhammad died without having appointed a successor, and with a need for leadership, they gathered and voted for the position of caliph. 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 . This did not create an immediate division, however, because Ali did not fight against the elected caliphs.
The ]] is an extremely contentious issue. 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 claims that he distanced himself from them, and that he was being kept from fulfilling the religious duty that Muhammad had appointed to him. 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. Shia claim, however, that Ali did not fight Abu Bakr, Umar or 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.
Inheritance
Shi'ah 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 Muhammad 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'ah Muslims, Abu Bakr gave state pensions to Muhammad's widows, but Muhammad's blood relatives, Ali, Fatima and `Abd Allah 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. The properties in Khaybar and Fadak were retained as state property (Madelung 1997 p. 62). Shi'a sources regard this as another instance of the persecution of Muhammad's lineage, the Ahl al-Bayt, at the hands of the caliphs they regard as usurpers.
Caliphate
Soon thereafter, Ali dismissed several provincial governors, some of whom were relatives of Uthman, and replaced them with trusted aides such as Malik al-Ashtar 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.
Death
On the nineteenth of Ramadan, while Ali was leading the morning prayers the assassin 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muljim struck Ali with a sword coated in poison. The famous Christian writer of Lebanon George Jurdaq writes in his books on Ali, “that with this one blow of the sword of Ibn Muljim the world was deprived of the person who, if had lived a few more years would have given the world a system of administration that future generations would have benefited for a long time to come.”
Ali, injured with the wound from the poisonous sword, lived for two days. In these two days he dictated his will and last testament to his son, Hassan ibn Ali. He advised his eldest son to "love Allah and obey Him and to live for the service of the people in the way of Allah. And then do not forget to set apart the best of your time for communion with Allah, although every moment of yours is for Him, provided it is spent sincerely in the service of your people."
Ali died on the 21st of Ramadan (two days after receiving the wound) in the city of Kufa in 661 CE.
Burial
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.. This secret gravesite is supposed to have been revealed in later times. 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.
- One story recounts that the caliph Harun al-Rashid (ruled from 786 to 809) went hunting and came upon a bit of raised ground which his dogs refused to approach. Local inhabitants told him that this was the grave of Ali ibn Abi Talib. The caliph ordered the building of a mausoleum, which was the nucleus of the city and the shrine.
- Another story claims that the location of the gravesite was passed from father to son along the line of Shi'a Imams, and that Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Shi'a Imam, told the caliph where to find the grave.
- While an additional story, usually maintained by Afghans, notes that his body was taken and buried in the Afghan city of Mazari Sharif at the famous Blue Mosque or Rawze-e-Sharif.
Descendants
Main article: HarrakThis articles shows an example of the unbroken chain of descent to Ali Ibn Abi Talib through his son Imam Hassan who's grand children sought refuge in Morocco after percecuted by Harun al Rachid. Morrocan Sayyid families.
Main article: Descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib | This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Two of his most famous sons, born to Fatima, were Hasan and Husayn. Hasan is said to have refrained from publicly claiming the caliphate, so as to prevent further bloodshed among Muslims. Muawiyah thus became caliph and established the Umayyad dynasty of caliphs. Hasan is, however, revered by most Shi'a as the second imam; his brother Husayn is reckoned as the third. The Ismailis also consider Ali as an Imam.
Ali's descendants by Fatima are known as sharifs, syeds or sayyids. These are honorific titles in Arabic, sharif meaning 'noble' and sayed/sayid meaning 'lord' or 'sir'. As Muhammad's only descendants, they are respected by both Sunni and Shi'a, though the Shi'as place much more emphasis and value on the distinction.
Many Muslim notables claim to be descendents of Muhammad. 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 Muhammad 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 al-Kazim, Imam Ali al-Rida, and Imam Ali al-Naqi. Most syeds tend to cross-reference their own particular family trees with those of others in order to maintain accuracy and to weed out imposters.
Legacy
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Ali is respected not only as a warrior and leader, but as a writer and religious authority. The most famous collection of speeches and letters attributed to Ali is the Peak of Eloquence (Arabic: Nahj al-Balagha).
There are other collections of his quotations.
- Ghorarolhakam:The collections which is valid among Shia
A few famous quotations from it include:
- Inability is a disaster; patience is bravery; abstinence is a treasure, self-restraint is a shield; 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. Having been one of the first Muslims and foremost Islamic scholars, he was extremely knowledgeable in matters of religious belief and Islamic jurisprudence, as well as in the history of the Muslim community. He was known for his eloquence and heroism.
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: Amir al-Mu'minin)
- Father of Dust/Soil (Arabic: Abu Turab)
- Lion of God (Arabic: Asad-ullah)
- The Charging Lion (Arabic: Haydar-al-Karrar)
- Piercing lines, fighter (Arabic: Safdar)
- (Please note that translation from Arabic to English may change the way the words are interpreted)
Sunni view of Ali
The Sunnis regard Ali as one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs and one of the most influential and respectful figures in Islam. Ali is held with the utmost respect along with the Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman.
See also
- Muhammad
- Caliph
- Historiography of early Islam
- Misconceptions about the Shi'a
- Rashidun
- Non-Muslim view of Ali
- Sahaba
- Succession to Muhammad
- Sulaym ibn Qays
- Imam Ali Mosque
- Hasan ibn Ali
- Husayn ibn Ali
- Ali ibn Hussayn
- Muhammad al-Baqir
- Ja'far al-Sadiq
- Musa al-Kazim
- Ali al-Rida
- Muhammad al-Taqi
- Ali al-Hadi
- Hasan al-Askari
- Muhammad al-Mahdi
- Abbas ibn Ali
- Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah
- Shiites
- Ismailis
- Fatimids
- Hashemites
- Alawite
- Alevi
- Wali
- Ahl Al-Bayt
- Nahj al Balagha
- Zulfiqar
- Nahj al Balagha
Notes
- [Waghedi, Al Maghazi ( The Invasions ) published by Oxford Printing. Part 1 page. 152]
- Khatab, Amal (May 1, 1996). Battles of Badr and Uhud. Ta-Ha Publishers. ISBN 1-897940-39-4.
- Sahih Muslim 031.5920
- Chirri, Mohamad (1982). The Brother of the Prophet Mohammad . Islamic Center of America, Detroit, MI. Alibris ID 8126171834.
- Sahih Bukhari 5.57.50
- Sahih Bukhari 4.53.325
- Some of the hadith cited by both sides in this dispute can be found at: Sahih Bukhari Book 80
- Redha, Mohammad (1999). Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (Imam Ali the Fourth Caliph, 1/1 Volume). Dar Al Kotob Al ilmiyah. ISBN 2-7451-2532-X.
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References
There are no English-language biographies specifically of Ali. Material for his biography must be extracted from the pages of general histories, or from biographies of Muhammad.
- George Gordagh, Ali, The Voice of Human Justice , first Arabic edition 1956 ISBN 0-941724-24-7
- Karen Armstrong -- Muhammad, Gollancz, 1991 (a popular biography)
- Alfred Guillaume -- The Life of Muhammad, Oxford University Press, 1955 (a reconstruction and translation of Ibn Ishaq).
- Ibn Sa'd -- The book of The Major Classes -- scattered volumes of English translation as issued by Kitab Bhavan, New Delhi (no date), and Ta-Ha Publishers, London, 1997 and 2000.
- Wilferd Madelung -- The Succession to Muhammad, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
- Tabari -- History of the Prophets and Kings, translation and commentary issued in multiple volumes by SUNY Press from 1987 to 1996; volumes 6-17 are relevant.
- William Montgomery Watt -- Muhammad at Mecca, 1953 and Muhammad at Medina, Oxford University Press, 1956
External links
Sunni biography
Shi'a biography
- Brief Biography
- 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
- Imam Ali
| Preceded byUthman | Sunni Caliph 656–661 |
Succeeded byMuawiyah I |
| Preceded byMuhammad | Shi'a Imam 632–661 |
Succeeded byHasan ibn Ali (Hussain ibn Ali accroding to Ismailis) |