ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib
علي بن أبي طالب
Abū al-Ḥasan
- Dates
- 600–661 CE / 23 BH–40 AH
- Relation to the Prophet ﷺ
- Cousin, son-in-law through Fāṭimah, raised in the Prophet's ﷺ household
The first young man to accept Islam — aged 9 or 10. The Prophet ﷺ said of him: "I am the city of knowledge, and ʿAlī is its gate."
Life
ʿAlī was raised by the Prophet ﷺ from childhood. On the night of the Hijrah, he slept in the Prophet's ﷺ bed to deceive the assassins gathered outside the door — an act of trust only given because it would never be betrayed. He married Fāṭimah, the Prophet's ﷺ daughter. Their sons al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn are the Prophet's ﷺ direct lineal descendants.
As the fourth caliph, ʿAlī inherited a community torn by the grief and controversy following ʿUthmān's assassination. His caliphate was spent in civil war — at Jamal and Ṣiffīn — not of his making. He moved the capital to Kufa. He was assassinated while leading Fajr prayer in 661. His eloquence, preserved in Nahj al-Balāghah, remains one of the great works of Arabic prose.
Passages that mention ʿAlī
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"My husband the commander of the faithful was killed at the dawn prayer and my father was killed at the dawn prayer A sheikh from Quraysh narrated that when Ali was struck. He said I have triumphed by the Lord of the Kaaba Muhammad Ibn Ali reported that after being struck Ali advised his sons and did not utter except there is no deity But Allah until he passed away When al-hassan Ibn Ali became seriously ill al-hussain entered and said oh my brother What distresses you as you proceed to the messenger of Allah and to Ali Ibn Abi Talib your parents and to Khadija bint Qawailid and Fatima bint Muhammad your mothers and to Hamza and Jafar your uncles"
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"to Abu Talib. The prophet, peace be upon him, preferred that Ali keep this matter private until it was made public. He advised Ali, If you do not embrace Islam, then keep it to yourself. That night, Allah placed Islam in Ali's heart. The next morning, Ali returned to the prophet and asked, What did you present to me, O Muhammad? The prophet, peace be upon him, explained, You bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, alone with no partner, and you disbelieve in Allat and Al-Uzza, and you renounce the idols. Ali embraced Islam and kept his faith hidden, fearing Abu Talib. Zayd ibn Haritha also embraced Islam, and for nearly a month,"
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"As he had worn from his father Shams al-Din, who wore from his father Taj al-Din Mahmud, who wore from his father Shihab al-Din Ali al-Rajah, and Ali from Imam Shihab al-Din Abu Hafs Omar ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Suhrawardi, and Omar from the Grand Sheikh Diya al-Din Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi, and Abu al-Najib from his uncle the Imam Wahid al-Din Omar, and Omar from his father Ali ibn Abdullah, known as Amuya, and Muhammad from the Sheikh Ahi Faraj al-Zanjani, and Ahi Faraj from Sheikh Ahmad al-Din Awari, and Ahmad from Imam Mamshad al-Din Awari, and Mamshad from the sage Ali ibn Suhaila al-Sufi, and Ali from Abu al-Qasim"
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"Rise to your prayer, may God have mercy upon you. This chain of transmission is sound. The Companions, may God be pleased with them all, were agreed upon the pledge to al-Siddiq at that time — even Ali ibn Abi Talib and al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, may God be pleased with them both. The proof of this is what al-Bayhaqi related, saying: We were informed by Abu al-Husayn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hafiz al-Isfarayini, who said: Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Hafiz related to us, who said: Abu Bakr ibn Khuzayma and Ibrahim ibn Abi Talib related to us, both saying:"
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"So have confidence and hope in Him, for the deprived one is he who is deprived of the reward. Peace be upon you. Ali said, Do you know who this is? It is Khidir. This narration includes Muhammad ibn Jafar al-Sadiq, who was criticized, and there is a break between Ali ibn al-Husayn and his grandfather Ali. The known narration from Ali ibn al-Husayn is disconnected without mentioning Ali, as Shafi'i narrated in Al-Umm without mentioning Khidir."
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"jinn to build for him three palaces in Yemen, Gamdan, Salihin, and Baitun. Allah knows best. Ibn Ishaq recounts an event where Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, came upon the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, while he was praying. Ali asked, O Muhammad, what is this? The prophet replied, This is the religion of Allah, which he has chosen for himself and with which he has sent his messengers. I invite you to worship Allah alone with no partner and to disbelieve in Allat and Al-Uzza. Ali, unfamiliar with this, said he would not decide until he spoke to Abu Talib. The prophet, peace be upon him, preferred that Ali keep this matter private until"
Also from this generation
- Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq
أبو بكر الصديق
The first man outside the Prophet's ﷺ household to accept Islam. His friendship is the single most documented companionship in Islamic history.
- ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb
عمر بن الخطاب
The Prophet ﷺ made duʿāʾ that Islam be strengthened through ʿUmar. It was answered dramatically — his conversion changed the religion's trajectory in Makkah.
- ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān
عثمان بن عفان
The caliph who unified the Qurʾanic script. The standard muṣḥaf used today descends directly from his committee's edition.