ALI IBN ABU TALIB

Ali was the son of the Prophet's uncle, his son-in-law and the fourth caliph. His father was Abu Talib, his mother was Fatima binti Asad from the Quraish, and his grandfather was Abdulmuttalib. His patronymic was Abul Hasan and Abu Turab (father of earth), and his nickname was Haydar. His title was Commander of the Faithful. He is also referred to as "Allah's Lion."

Birth

Ali was born twenty years before the Migration. He was the youngest son of Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle. His patronymic was Abu Hasan or Abu Turab.

His family

 Ali was the son of the Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib.

Ali's mother became Muslim after the death of her husband and migrated to Medina. When she died, the Prophet sent his blessed clothing and commanded that it be used as her winding sheet.

Ali had 14 sons and 9 daughters. Among these Hasan, Husain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum were from the Prophet's daughter, Fatima. While Fatima was alive, Ali did not take a second wife. His other marriages occurred after her death.

His features

Ali was of short-medium height, with dark skin, large black eyes and a thick and broad beard. According to Sawade ibn Hazala's description, he once used henna on his beard, but later left it in its natural state.

Entrance to Islam

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) invited members of the Banu Hashim to his house in order to explain Islam to them. After dinner he said, "Hey, sons of Abdulmuttalib. I have been sent to mankind and you in particular. Who among you will pledge allegiance to me as a brother and friend?" Only Ali stood up and gave his allegiance as the Prophet asked.

Migration

Before the Prophet migrated, he left some items that he had taken in trust with Ali to return to their owners. Then that night Ali slept in the Prophet's bed and surprised the unbelievers. After that he migrated to Medina, too.

Service to Islam

After the Migration he was always at the side of the Prophet and participated in all the battles. He was among those who kept vigil in his room while the Prophet was dying. When Abu Bakr was elected caliph, Ali was in the Prophet's room swathing his corpse.

During Umar's reign, Ali handled all the legal matters, serving like the chief justice of the Islamic state. Although he was not very happy with the administrative approach during Uthman's caliphate, he informed Uthman of the complaints coming from various regions of the Islamic state and he made recommendations for their resolution. He did what he could to keep at bay those besieging Uthman.

His caliphate

After Uthman's martyrdom, prominent individuals pledged their allegiance to Ali. When he became caliph he was confronted with many problems that needed to be solved. This confusion gave birth to internal conflict like Jemel and Siffin. Great sacrifice and effort were shown to resolve the disputes within the Islamic state.

Eventually, in Kufa in the year 40 H. /661 A.D. Ali was wounded by Abdurrahman ibn Muljam, a Hariji, as he was going to the morning prayer. He became a martyr as a result of this wound.

Because he was constantly at the side of the Prophet, he was advanced in Tafsir, Hadith and Fikih. In fact, in the Prophet's words he was the "gate to the city of knowledge," the most knowledgeable of the community.