- For other uses, see Ali (disambiguation).
‘Alī ibn Abu Ṭālib (Template:ArB Template:PerB) (599 – 661)[1] was an early Islamic leader. He is seen by Sunni Muslims as the last of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs. Shi'a Muslims consider him the First Imam appointed by the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the first rightful caliph. 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 Mecca, 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 (approximately).[citation needed] Some Shi'a Muslims believe that Ali was born inside the Kaaba,[citation needed] the most sacred site in Islam. Ali's name means 'high' in Arabic. despite the baseless veiws of Many Muslims Ali was not percieved as a God by Shia's.
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. When Muhammad was orphaned and then lost his grandfather, Abu Talib took Muhammad into his house. Later Muhammad set out and married Khadijah, Ali was born 5 years later and when Ali was six years old, as a result of famine in and around Mecca, he Muhammad was requested to become his guardian.[citation needed]
When Muhammad reported that he had received a divine revelation, Ali, then only about ten years old, believed in him and professed Islam.[citation needed] 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,[citation needed] so that Muhammad and Abu Bakr could flee in safety. This night is called "Laylat almabit". Some of narrations say the 207th Ayat from Baqarah is about this issue.[citation needed]
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
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.
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. He was publicly praised by Muhammad. After this, he asked for the hand in marriage of Fatima Zahra, Muhammad's daughter by Khadijah. Fatima and Muhammad consented, and the marriage was solemnized two months after the battle. [2]
Ali was also prominent at the Battle of Uhud, as well as many other battles. [3]
For the ten years that Muhammad led the community in Medina, Ali was extremely active in his cousin's 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 Muhammad's battles and expeditions. As Muhammad's son-in-law and one of his lieutenants, Ali was a person of authority and standing in the Muslim community.[citation needed]
The death of Muhammad
In 632 Muhammad had been ailing for some time, but seemed to have recovered somewhat. 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 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. 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.[citation needed] Shi'a accounts differ by asserting that Muhammad, on his death bed, gave verbal instructions for Ali to be his successor.[citation needed] 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 succession to Muhammad 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,[citation needed] while the Shi'a claim that he distanced himself from them.[citation needed] They argue that he did not do so because he was angry at having been denied worldly power and pleasure; rather, he felt that he had a duty to keep the Muslim community on the strict path of Islam, 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. But Ali did not fight Abu Bakr, 'Umar nor Uthman because if he decided to, it would have caused a civil war amongst the Muslims, which was still a nascent community throughout the Arab world. [4]
In a Shi'a collection of Ali's sermons and letters, Ali purportedly said in one of the sermons directed to his Shi'a attendants:
- "You should know that you have again reverted to the position of the Bedouin Arabs after immigration (to Islam), and have become different parties after having been once united. You do not possess anything of Islam except its name, and know nothing of belief save its show. You say, “The Fire yes. but no shameful position,” as if you would throw down Islam on its face in order to defame its honour and break its pledge (for brotherhood) which Alláh gave you as a sacred trust on His earth and (a source of) peace among the people."[5]
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 [6]. 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. The properties in Khaybar and Fadak were retained as state property (Madelung 1997 p. 62). Shi'a sources regard this as yet another instance of the persecution of Muhammad's lineage, the Ahl al-Bayt, at the hands of the caliphs they regard as usurpers. [7]
Succession to the caliphate
In 656 CE, the third caliph Uthman, was murdered in his own house in Medina by assassins. Uthman's plea to Muawiyah for rescue had not been answered. Medina, now a large city and the capital of an empire stretching from Africa to Central Asia, fell into chaos. 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. He is said to have been horrified by the assassination of Uthman, and did not wish to appear to be profiting from the situation.[citation needed]
Some opponents at the time claimed that he had connived at the murder of Uthman, or at the very least had been negligent in seeking the murderers. The accusation, according to Shi'a sources, mainly came from those who fell out of favour and those who were denied the generous powerful positions granted to them under the rule of Uthman.[citation needed] Accusations also came from Muawiyah's supporters. Muawiyah on the pretext of seeking justice for the murder of Uthman refused to pledge allegiance to Ali and then started a campaign to sieze power for himself.
Besides his extremely high status in Shi'a Islam, Ali is also revered by Sunnis as the last of the Chalipha Rashidun although many Sunnis hold both Hassan and Muawiyah (Hassan succeeded Ali for a maximum 6 months before he abdicated to Mu'awiyah).[citation needed]
For a fuller discussion of this and succeeding events, see First Islamic civil war.
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 wife. 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. her rebel army was defeated at the Battle of Basra (also known as the Battle of the Camel); Talha was killed, Zubayr left before the battle following a discussion with Ali and a reminder of their shared past. However he was killed soon after he left the forces of Talha. Aisha was defeated and was captured. 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
Mu'awiyah raised an army and marched against Ali, demanding vengeance for the death of Uthman. A prolonged battle took place in July 657 CE in the Battle of Siffin, near the Euphrates; 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."[citation needed]
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; his followers are said to have objected. Finally, Abu Musa al Asha'ri was chosen as Ali's advocate. Amr ibn al-As, a veteran diplomat, was chosen to act for Mu'awiyah. It is claimed that `Amr persuaded Abu Musa that it would be to the advantage of Islam that neither candidate should reign, and asked him to give his decision first. 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. This decision greatly injured the cause of Ali, which was still further weakened by the loss of Egypt to Mu'awiya's forces.[citation needed]
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. The assassins sent against Mu'awiyah and `Amr failed as on the day Muawiyah happened to be wearing his armour underneath his clothes and Amr did not attend the mosque as he was ill; the only assassin who succeeded was the one who attacked Ali.[citation needed] This event has always been shadowed by speculation of a plot masterminded by Muawiyah.[citation needed] The fortuitous concidence that saved Muawiayah and Amr, both bitter enemies of Ali, is considered to have the mark of Muawiyah's shrewd planning.
Ali suffered a mortal head wound on the 19th of Ramadan while he was performing morning prayers in mosque in the city of Kufa. Some say that the sword that wounded him was poisoned. According to the Shi'a tradition, as he was being struck Ali said "By the Lord of the Ka'bah, I have succeeded!"[citation needed]
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. On the other hand, many Sunnis maintain that a reason why members of Ahlul-Bayt would want secretive graves was for fear that their followers would erect tombs over them and make them places of worship, and perform tawasul. 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. </ref> [8]
- 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 Abu 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 Mazar-I-Sharif at the famous Blue Mosque or Rawze-e-Sharif. [2]
Descendants
Ali had eight wives after Fatima's death, [3] and in all, thirty-six children. He named two of his sons after the first and second Calips of Islam; Abu Bakr and Umar. Two of his most famous sons, born to the daughter of the Prohpet Muhammad, 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, except by the Ismaili, who consider him the second 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 Islamic Prophet 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 the prophet through Ali and Fatima. Such claims, however, are disputed by other syeds, notably those who are Shi'a and belong to countries such as Iraq, Iran, or Lebanon, or who actually possess documented family trees. There are also many humbler syeds whose only distinction may be the title in front of their name, or the right to wear a black or green turban (a sign of Alid descent in some communities).
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. 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
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). 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.
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
He is greatly respected by most Muslims; the Ibadi might be some of the only surviving Muslim groups to dislike him. Having been one of the first Muslims, he was extremely knowledgeable in matters of religious belief and practice, 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: Ameer-al-Momineen)
- Father of Dust/Soil (Arabic: Abu Turab)
- Winning Lion of God (Arabic: Asad-ullah al-Ghaleb)
- 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
Sunnis hold Ali in high respect as one of the Ahl al-Bayt and the last of the Four Righteously Guided Caliphs. He was one of the first to accept Islam ; he was Muhammad's cousin; he was honored with the hand of Muhammad's daughter Fatima. Sunnis, however, believe that he shared this honor with Uthman, who is said to have married two of Muhammad's biological daughters.
Sunnis believe that Shi'as distort history when they argue that he withdrew from public life after losing his bid to be the first caliph. Sunnis say that Ali supported the first three caliphs loyally, named some of his sons after them, and gave Umar his daughter in marriage. [citation needed]
Many Sunnis add the phrase "May God be pleased with him" after mentioning Ali's name, as is done for many illustrious figures in early Islamic history.
Shi'a view of Ali
The Shi'a hold Ali in high esteem; due significantly to his loyalty to Muhammad. He 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 Shia make several claims regarding Ali, believed to indicate Ali's special status, including claims:
- That he was born in the Kaaba. This is discussed at greater length in the articles People reported to be born in the Kaaba and Birthplace of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
- That he was the first male to convert to Islam. Some Shi'a, however, believe that he was a Muslim from birth and cannot be said to have converted.
- That he never worshipped idols.
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". [4] See Succession to Muhammad for further discussion.
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. They mark the anniversaries of his death \. In the Shi'a confession of faith (shahada, before prayer they add the phrase "Ali al-wali ullah" meaning "And Ali is the friend of God".
The non-Muslim view of Ali
Non-Muslim views of Ali have varied. Some, like the 19th century historian Carlyle, found him an attractive, romantic figure. Some later scholars, such as Lammens and Watt, dismissed Ali as pious but a poor leader. Wilferd Madelung, a specialist in Shi'a studies, takes a much more favorable view of Ali. Most contemporary historians of early Islam, however, are not interested in judging Ali's character. Contemporary historical approaches stress economic, cultural, and ecological issues, not the role of "great men" in forming history.Some of the Lebanese Christians like Georgy Zeidan and George Gordagh [9] have praised him. See Non-Muslim view of Ali for further discussions.
See also
- Sulaym ibn Qays
- Family tree of Ali ibn Abu Talib
- Imam Ali Mosque
- Hasan ibn Ali
- Husayn ibn Ali
- Abbas ibn Ali
- Imam Ali International Airport
- Shiites
- Ismailis
- Fatimids
- Hashemites
- Alawite
- Alevi
- Wali
- Succession to Muhammad
- Non-Muslim view of Ali
- Misconceptions about the Shi'a
- Ahl Al-Bayt
- Nahj al Balagha
- Zulfiqar
Notes
- ^ [1]
- ^ A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims by Sayed Ali Asgher Razwy,Chapter 23
- ^ Khatab, Amal (May 1, 1996). Battles of Badr and Uhud. Ta-Ha Publishers. ISBN 1897940394.
- ^ Sahih Bukhari 5.57.50
- ^ Online copy of Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 191
- ^ 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 274512532X.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Treasure of Wisdom
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
- 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