Ali ibn Abi Talib

Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, cousin of the Prophet and husband of his daughter Fatima, one of the first to embrace Islam, and the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs. He was given the allegiance in Medina in Dhu al-Hijja 35 AH after the killing of Uthman, and was killed in Kufa in Ramadan 40 AH at the age of sixty-three. ^{1 2}

He kept his Islam hidden from Abu Talib, and he had been raised in the Prophet's house before Islam. Ibn al-Athir says that Ali embraced Islam at the age of ten, according to Mujahid. ³

On the question of who was first to embrace Islam, the reports differ: Ibn Abbas related that Ali was first, others that Khadija was first and then Ali, and some that Abu Bakr was first, while Ibrahim al-Nakha'i denied that Ali was the first. ⁴

When the Prophet emigrated to Medina, Ali stayed in Mecca to return the trusts that were with the Prophet, and slept in his bed on the night of departure. He then followed him after three days, his feet swollen from the journey; the Prophet spat on his hands, rubbed his feet with them, and prayed for his well-being. ⁵

He witnessed Badr and other battles, but did not witness Tabuk, because the Prophet left him with his family. ⁶ Ibn al-Athir relates from al-Bara' that Ali "fought and supported" on the day of Badr, and from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas that he saw him striking the heads of the idolaters with the sword. ⁶

At Uhud he was struck with many blows, said to be sixteen, and Ibn al-Musayyab related that Gabriel was lifting him from the ground after each blow. ⁶ Ali related that when the people abandoned the Prophet on the day of Uhud, he looked among the dead and did not find him, then charged the enemy until he found him among them. ⁷

At Khaybar the banner was carried, it is related, by Abu Bakr and then Umar, and then it was given to Ali, who had an eye inflammation; the Prophet spat in his eyes and he was cured, and God gave victory through his hands. ^{8 9}

At al-Hudaybiyya the Prophet said of a man who would strike necks for the religion that he was "the one who sews the sandal", and Ali was sewing a sandal for the Prophet. ¹⁰ The Prophet sent him to Yemen as judge and prayed that God would make his tongue firm and guide his heart; Ali said he never doubted a judgement between two people after that. ⁸

Ali related much from the Prophet. His sons al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Muhammad and Umar related from him, with Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas and other Companions, and among the Successors a group such as Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, Alqama and al-Sha'bi. ¹¹ It is related from Ibn Abbas that Ali was given nine parts of knowledge in ten; Umar used to seek refuge from a question "for which there is no Abu al-Hasan". ¹¹

Sayings on asceticism are related from him, among them that the world is a carcass and whoever seeks it must endure the company of dogs. ¹² Reports of his way of life are related: a loincloth he bought for five dirhams, and dirhams that remained of his expenses in Yanbu'. ¹³ He spent by night and by day, in secret and in public. ¹⁰

In his governance of the land-tax he forbade striking a man with a whip for the collection of one dirham, and said: "We were only ordered to take from them what is easy." ¹³

Ibn al-Athir says that al-Hasan related that he left at his death only six hundred dirhams, with which he had bought a slave-servant. ¹⁴

Ibn al-Athir says that the khalifa after Uthman was given to Ali in the mosque of the Prophet in Medina in Dhu al-Hijja 35 AH. ¹⁵ Ali related that he thought himself more entitled to the affair, yet he listened and obeyed those who had ruled before him: Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman. When Uthman was killed people gave him the allegiance, and then they withdrew it, and he said he found after that only the sword or disbelief in what was sent down. ¹⁵

It is mentioned that Talha and al-Zubayr gave him the allegiance, and that Ibn Umar, Sa'd, Usama and others stayed back from the allegiance, and he did not compel them, saying that they "sat back from the truth and did not support falsehood". The people of Syria with Mu'awiya did not give him the allegiance and fought him. ^{16 17}

Reports are related in which the Prophet orders fighting "the oath-breakers, the transgressors and the renegades", and in which Ammar ibn Yasir (may God be pleased with him) is killed with Ali. ¹⁶ Ibn al-Athir says that Ibn Umar said at his death that he had not fought with Ali against the rebel group, and that Masruq repented to God of staying back from fighting with Ali. ¹⁷ The reports here refer to al-Kamil for the details of the fighting with the Kharijites and others. ¹⁷

Ali related that the Prophet told him he would be struck on the head and his beard would be dyed, and that the most wretched of the last people is the one who would strike him. ¹⁸ Ibn al-Athir relates from Abd Allah ibn Salam that he advised him not to enter Iraq, and Ali said the Prophet had told him this. ¹⁶

Three Kharijites, Ibn Muljam al-Muradi, al-Burak ibn Abd Allah and Amr ibn Bakr, conspired to kill Ali, Mu'awiya and Amr ibn al-As (may God be pleased with him), and Ibn Muljam undertook to kill Ali. ¹⁹ On the morning of Friday in Ramadan 40 AH, as he went out for the dawn prayer in the mosque of Kufa, Ibn Muljam struck him on the head, and the sword reached his brain; Shabib ibn Bajra, who struck with him, escaped. ¹⁹ Ali told his family that if he lived he was the master of his blood, to pardon or to exact retribution, and if he died he was to be followed by the killer. ²⁰

He remained through Friday and Saturday, and died on the night of Sunday, eleven nights before the end of Ramadan 40 AH. His sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn and Abd Allah ibn Ja'far washed him; he was shrouded in three garments without a shirt; al-Hasan prayed over him and he was buried at dawn. ^{21 2}

Ibn al-Athir relates that al-Hasan brought Ibn Muljam out of prison to be retaliated against after the burial; the report details his killing, which is not set out here. ²¹

Ibn Umar relates that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) asked Ali three questions, among them that souls are conscripted hosts, which become acquainted and agree when they meet, and are strangers and differ when they are estranged; and that the dream which comes true is the one whose owner does not wake until the Throne, while the one he wakes before does not come true. ²²

• The year of Ali's death, 40 AH, is given by Abu Nu'aym and Ibn al-Athir; some later writers say 34 AH, which Abu Nu'aym considers a mistake. The dispute is recorded as reported here and not settled.
• The day of the wound differs: Abu Nu'aym says he was struck on the nineteenth night of Ramadan, Friday; Ibn al-Athir says he stayed through Friday and Saturday and died on the night of Sunday, eleven nights before the end of the month. Both place the death on the night of Sunday.
• Ali's age at death is given as sixty-three by al-Waqidi, whom Ibn al-Athir says he finds "more established"; another report, from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, gives something close to sixty-five, though he had outlived his father's age.
• On who was first to embrace Islam, the reports conflict as Ibn al-Athir gives them; we have not weighed them against each other.
• The virtues reports ("I am the city of knowledge", "You are my brother", the cloak, and the report of Ghadir) are given by Ibn al-Athir with their chains, and he notes some objections to the chains. We have not judged any of these hadiths here, nor set out their different interpretations; they will be set out in their place with the other sources.
• The fighting of Ali at the Camel, Siffin and Nahrawan is a matter on which the community differs, and it will need a fuller set of attributed views when it is written.
• The full biography of Ali in Ibn al-Athir ("Usd al-Ghaba", pp. 872–886) has been read here. The history and biography books (al-Tabari, Ibn Hisham, Ibn Sa'd) have not yet been read; their details will be added when extracted.

The book counts him among the four who embraced Islam on the first day of the call, when he was a boy raised in the Prophet's care. ^{23 24} Ibn Hisham relates that Abu Talib saw the Prophet and Ali praying once, spoke to them about it, and when he understood the matter he ordered them to persist (prayer before the Night Journey). ^{25 26}

Ali left the Prophet on the day of his death, and when people asked him about his condition he said: "He has risen this morning, by God's praise, healed." Al-Abbas said to him later: "You will be a slave of the staff within three days", and asked that the Prophet be asked about the affair after him. Ali refused and said: "If we ask him and he refuses us, no one after him will give it to us." ²⁷ Ibn Ishaq relates from Aisha that Ali and al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas (may God be pleased with him) walked between the Prophet and Aisha's house. ²⁸ See the death of the Prophet.

On the night of the departure the Prophet told him to sleep in his bed and wrap himself in the green Hadrami cloak, so the besiegers saw him asleep until morning (the Prophet's departure from his house). ²⁹ Then the Quraysh struck him and held him for an hour, to learn the news. ³⁰

The Prophet put him over the battalion of the Muhajirun, and sent him with al-Zubayr and Sa'd to scout the caravan, and they seized two boys (the preparation before Badr). ^{31 32}

The Sheikh relates that before Ibn Umm Maktum gave the call to prayer, Ali would take a short nap, since he appeared tired in the daytime from work, and then wake up; the Sheikh says Ali wanted to prolong his conversation with the Messenger of God ³³. He mentions that Ali answered the Messenger of God that our souls are in God's hand, and if He wills He keeps them and if He wills He sends them back ³⁴.

The Sheikh narrates that Ali threw down an enemy who then spat in his face, and Ali did not kill him. Asked why, he said he feared the killing would be for his own anger rather than for God (needs_source: narration with no source given in the lecture). ^{35 36}

Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy mentions Ali ibn Abi Talib in the context of the council that Umar set up with six members. He recounts that the choice narrowed to Uthman and Ali, and that Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (may God be pleased with him) was to choose between them (needs_source: the order is as the sheikh gives it) ³⁹, and that Ali said he would rule by the Qur'an and the Sunna, but that each of the two predecessors had his own way and he had his (needs_source) ⁴⁰.

The sheikh recounts that Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf asked Ali to govern the people by the Qur'an, the Sunna and the conduct of Abu Bakr and Umar; Ali refused and Uthman agreed (needs_source: the exchange is garbled in the automatic transcript) ⁴¹. He says Talha, al-Zubayr and Sa'd withdrew, leaving Abd al-Rahman with Ali and Uthman ⁴². Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy holds that Ali's words on this point were logical and acceptable (speaker's view, opinion) ³⁷.

He recounts a saying of Ali that a friend leaves no truth unspoken, and holds that the truth may not be welcome to people (speaker's view, opinion) ³⁸. He recounts that Ali told his servant to move the lamp away when a man came asking for charity, so that the request was made privately, and then gave the man what he asked for (needs_source) ⁴³.

He recounts that Umar said that without Abu al-Hasan (Ali) they would have been destroyed, after Ali asked whether the Commander of the Faithful needed the same witnesses in a matter of slander (needs_source: the account is garbled in the automatic transcript) ^{44 45}. In his survey of the conquests of the Companions he lists Ali's conquests and calls him a first-rank fighter (needs_source) ⁴⁶, and a preacher's invocation names him as the breaker of idols (needs_source) ⁴⁷.

He recounts Ali walking with Hasan and Husayn past a dead donkey and remarking on the world; the remark is unclear in the automatic transcript (needs_source) ^{48 49}.

The Sheikh relays a definition of piety attributed to Ali: that God does not find you where He forbade, and does not miss you where He commanded (needs_source). ⁵⁰

He says that Ali gave four elements of piety: fear of the Majestic, acting on what was revealed, contentment with little, and readiness for the final departure. ⁵¹

He quotes Ali saying that he lives on hope: if the hope is fulfilled, it is by God's favour, and if it is not, he has still lived by it (needs_source). ⁵²

He says that among the signs of a dead heart is that a person feels no humility in prayer for weeks; he recounts that Ali leaned on his staff in prayer, and was asked whether he knew before whom he stood (needs_source). ⁵³

He relays Ali's counsel to his son al-Harith to join the scholars, since God's mercy does not leave them, and he calls these remedies for anxiety, grief, despair and regret (needs_source). ⁵⁴

He relays Ali's counsel to his son Hasan to stay close to the scholars, because God's mercy is with them (needs_source). ⁵⁵

The Sheikh cites a saying attributed to Ali that a person sees a small fault in his brother but not a large one in himself (needs_source). ⁵⁶

He quotes Ali saying that he will be patient until patience itself tires, and that his patience is itself a form of patience (needs_source). ⁵⁷

He recounts that a poor man asked Ali, and was given a written answer on the sand, which was erased before others could see it (needs_source). ⁵⁸

He cites a hadith in which Ali and Fatima asked the Prophet for a servant, and were taught by the Prophet a dhikr to say at bedtime instead (needs_source). ⁵⁹