Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him

Mon 4 شوال 1447AH 23-3-2026AD

Region: Iraq

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As for his lineage: He is Ali bin Abi Talib, and his name is Abd Manaf bin Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abd Manaf bin Qusai, who is Zaid bin Kilab bin Murrah bin Kaab bin Luay bin Ghalib bin Fihr bin Malik bin Al-Nadr bin Kinanah bin Khuzaimah bin Mudrikah bin Ilyas bin Mudar bin Nizar bin Maad bin Adnan. Poetry:

A lineage as if adorned with the morning sun… and the coolness of dawn

His mother, peace be upon him, was Fatima bint Asad ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy. She was the first Hashimite woman to give birth to a Hashimite man. Thus, he shared with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, his noble lineage and his equal in his lofty and sublime essence, as the poet said:

Indeed, Ali ibn Abi Talib… was the grandfather of the Messenger of God, his grandfather

The father of Ali and the father of the Chosen One… from a clay purified by God

His mother, peace be upon her, gave birth to him in the Kaaba. When she experienced labor pains, she sought refuge in the Kaaba for blessings. She went into labor and gave birth to him, peace be upon him. Thus, he attained this great honor of being born in the most sacred place on earth. Then the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, carried him to her home. He had traveled with his uncle, Abu Talib, when he entered the Kaaba. Abu Talib seated Fatima bint Asad, may God have mercy on her, in the Kaaba. She was the first woman to pledge allegiance to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. May God’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family. She was among the emigrants, and the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, buried her in al-Rawha, opposite the bathhouse of Abu Qatifa. When she died, may God have mercy on her, the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, buried her, shrouded her in his own shirt, and descended into her grave. In some accounts, he even rolled in her grave. When asked about this, he replied, “My father died when I was young, so she and her husband took me in and gave me ample space, preferring me over their own children. I wanted God to make her grave spacious.” In some accounts, he said, “My shirt is a protection for her on the Day of Resurrection, and my lying in her grave is so that God may make it spacious for her.”

He was her youngest son, and she bore four sons, with ten years between each: Talib, Aqil, Ja’far, and Ali.

His nickname, peace be upon him: He, peace be upon him, was nicknamed Abu al-Hasan and Abu Turab. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, gave him this nickname, as we have narrated with a sound chain of transmission to Ammar bin Yasir (may God be pleased with him), who said: I and Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon him, were companions in the Battle of al-Ushairah. When the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, arrived there and stayed there, there were people from Banu Mudlij working in a spring of theirs in a palm grove. Ali, peace be upon him, said: O Abu al-Yaqzan, would you like us to go to these people and see how they are working? He said: I said, “If you wish.” He said: So we went to them and watched their work for a while, then sleep overcame us. Ali and I went and lay down in a grove of palm trees and their soft undergrowth. By God, nothing woke us except the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, nudging us with his foot. We were covered in dust from the soft undergrowth in which we had slept. On that day, the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said to Ali, peace be upon him: “What’s wrong, Abu Turab?” because of the dust he saw on him. Then he said: “Shall I not tell you who the most wretched of people is?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of God.” He said: “The red-haired man of Thamud who hamstrung the she-camel, and the one who will strike you, O Ali, here”—and he placed his hand on his temple until it was wet with dust, and he grasped his beard. This is one way of his being called Abu Turab.

And in another narration with a reliable chain of transmission, it is said that a disagreement occurred between him and Fatima, peace be upon her, so he went out. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said to someone: “Go find Ali.” He said: “He is over there in the mosque.” So he went to him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was covered in dust by the wind when he said, “Get up, Abu Turab!” Sahl ibn Sa’d, to whom the narration ultimately relates, said, “By God, it was the most beloved name to Ali, peace be upon him.” In another version, Sahl said, “We used to praise him with this name, but then some people criticized him for it.” The poet al-Susi said:

“I and all who are above the earth… are a ransom for the dust of Abu Turab’s sandal.”

He stayed with his parents for a while until a severe crisis occurred. The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, took him in to ease the burden on Abu Talib. He was raised according to the Prophet’s noble manners and adopted his honorable character until his pure traits became evident in him.

Description & Traits

His description and appearance, peace be upon him:

Sayyid Abu Talib, peace be upon him, is mentioned in the book Al-Ifadah. The eminent jurist Taj al-Din Ahmad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Bayhaqi informed us of a hadith he presented in the year 610 AH, on the authority of the Zaydi scholar and ascetic of his time, Shu'ayb ibn Dabson al-Jili, may God have mercy on him, with his chain of transmission going back to Sayyid Imam Abu Talib Yahya ibn al-Husayn ibn Harun al-Hasani, peace be upon him, who said: Abu Ishaq al-Subay'i said, as we have narrated from him: My father took me into the mosque on a Friday and lifted me up until I saw Ali, peace be upon him, an old, bald man with a protruding forehead and broad shoulders. He had a beard that covered his chest, and his eyes were slightly teary. Dawud ibn Abd al-Jabbar, the narrator of the hadith on the authority of Abu Ishaq, said: meaning a slight tear in the eye. So I said to my father: Who is this, Father? He said: Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, the son-in-law of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, the brother of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, and the Commander of the Faithful. We have a reliable chain of transmission going back to the esteemed Imam, al-Muwaffaq Billah Abu Abdullah al-Husayn ibn Isma'il al-Hasani al-Jurjani (peace be upon him), who traced it back to Ziyad al-Mukharqi, who said: I asked Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, "Describe Ali (peace be upon him) to me." He replied, "He had a large head, broad shoulders, large joints, a large body, and thin legs. It was as if his bones had been broken and then set. By God, if he had caught a lion, it would have devoured him."

His (peace be upon him) conversion to Islam and marriage to Fatimah (peace be upon her):

When God sent His Prophet (peace be upon him) on a Monday, Ali (peace be upon him) embraced Islam on a Tuesday. He was the first male to convert, according to the most reliable accounts, and this is the consensus of the Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them). There is disagreement regarding his age when he converted. It is said that he was twelve years old, and it is also said that he was thirteen.

His precedence in embracing Islam is well-documented, and among the many accounts are the following:

What we have narrated with a chain of transmission going back to Abu Dharr, may God have mercy on him, who said: I heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, say: “Ali was the first to believe in me, and the first to shake my hand on the Day of Resurrection. He is the greatest of the truthful ones, and the one who distinguishes between truth and falsehood.”

And on the authority of Salman, who said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: “The first of people to arrive at my Cistern will be the first of them to embrace Islam, Ali ibn Abi Talib.”

And we have narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him, that he said: The first of men to believe in the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was Ali, and among women, Khadija, may God be pleased with them both.

And on the authority of Salman, may God have mercy on him: The first of this nation to arrive at the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, will be the first of them to believe, Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him.

We have a narration from the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, that he said on the pulpit: “I am the servant of God and the brother of the Messenger of God. No one will say this after me except a lying imposter.” A man said it and was afflicted with madness. He kept banging his head against the walls until he died. He, peace be upon him, also mentioned his precedence in embracing Islam on the day of the Shura (consultation) in the presence of the Muhajireen and Ansar (helpers), saying:

Muhammad the Prophet is my brother and my son-in-law… and Hamza, the Master of Martyrs, is my uncle.

And Ja'far, who spends his days and nights… flying with the angels, is my mother's son.

And the daughter of Muhammad is my dwelling and my bride… her flesh is intertwined with my blood and my flesh.

And the two grandsons of Ahmad are my sons from her… so which of you has a share like mine?

I preceded you all in embracing Islam… as a young boy, not yet of age.

And the Messenger of God made my guardianship obligatory upon you… on the day of Ghadir Khumm.

So woe, then woe, then woe… to him who meets God tomorrow having wronged me.

And the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, married him to Fatima, peace be upon her, in Safar of the second year of the Hijra, in a contract without… Her marriage – after Abu Bakr asked for her hand and was refused, and then Umar asked for her hand and was refused, according to numerous chains of narration too many to mention here. Among them is what we have narrated with a reliable chain of transmission from the book "Manaqib" by Ibn al-Maghazili al-Shafi'i, with its chain of transmission going back to Anas ibn Malik, that Abu Bakr asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) for Fatima's hand in marriage, but he did not respond. Then Umar asked for her hand, and he did not respond. Then he gathered them and married her to Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). It is also said that he turned to Abu Bakr and Umar and said: "God Almighty has commanded me to marry her to Ali, and He has not permitted me to disclose this except at this time, and I would not divulge what God Almighty has commanded." Ali (peace be upon him) consummated the marriage with Fatima (peace be upon her) in the third year of the Hijra, in the month of Safar.

We have a reliable chain of transmission going back to Anas ibn Malik (may God be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: One day I was in the mosque praying when an angel with twenty heads descended upon me. I jumped up to kiss his head, but he said: "Wait! O Muhammad, you are more honored by God than all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth combined." He then kissed my head and hand. I said: "My beloved Gabriel, what is this form, the like of which you have never shown me before?" He said: "I am not Gabriel, but I am an angel called Mahmud. Between my shoulders is written: 'There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' God has sent me to marry light to light." I said: "Who is this light?" He said: "Fatima is the daughter of Ali. And this is Gabriel, Israfil, Ismail, the guardian of the lowest heaven, and seventy thousand angels who are present." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "O Ali, I have married you to the one whom God has married you to from above His seven heavens."

Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) turned to Mahmud and said: "How long has this been written between your shoulders?" He said: Two thousand years before God created Adam, Gabriel handed him a cup containing perfume from Paradise and said: My beloved, tell Fatima to smear her head and body with this perfume. So, whenever Fatima, peace be upon her, scratched her head, the people of Medina would smell the perfume. We have narrated with a reliable chain of transmission to Jabir ibn Abdullah (may God be pleased with him) who said: Umm Ayman entered upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, weeping. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said to her: What makes you weep? May God never cause you to weep. She said: I wept, O Messenger of God; Because I entered the house of a man from the Ansar, and he had married his daughter to another man from the Ansar, and he scattered almonds and sugar over their heads. I remembered your marriage of Fatima to Ali, peace be upon them both, and you did not scatter anything over them. So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: Do not cry, O Umm Ayman. By the One Who sent me with honor and singled me out with the message, I did not marry her, but God, Blessed and Exalted is He, married her from above His Throne. And Fatima was not satisfied until God, Lord of the Worlds, was satisfied. O Umm Ayman, when God, Blessed and Exalted is He, married Fatima to Ali, He commanded the angels closest to Him to surround the Throne, and among them were Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, so they surrounded the Throne, and He commanded the maidens of Paradise to

Then God commanded Paradise to be adorned. The one who proposed was God, Blessed and Exalted is He, and the witnesses were the angels. Then God commanded the Tree of Paradise to scatter pearls upon them, and it scattered fresh pearls, green gems, red rubies, and white gems. The maidens of Paradise hastened to gather the ornaments and garments, saying, "This is from the gifts of Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, peace be upon them both."

And we have a reliable chain of transmission to Jabir ibn Abdullah (may God be pleased with him) who said: When the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, married Fatima to Ali, peace be upon them both, some people from Quraysh came to him and said, "You have married Ali for a meager dowry!" He replied, "I did not marry Ali, but God married him on the night of my ascension to the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. God, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed to the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary to scatter what was upon it, and it scattered pearls, jewels, and coral. The maidens of Paradise hastened to gather them, and they exchange them among themselves, boasting and saying, 'This is from the gifts of Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, peace be upon them both.'" On the wedding night, the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, brought his gray mule and placed a velvet cloth on it. He said to Fatima: Ride, and he ordered Salman to lead it while the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, drove it. While he was on the way, the Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, heard a sound, and he saw Gabriel, peace be upon him, with seventy thousand, and Michael, peace be upon him, with seventy thousand. The Prophet, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, said: What brought you down to earth? They said: We came to escort Fatima to her husband, Ali bin Abi Talib. So Gabriel said the takbir, and Michael said the takbir, and the angels said the takbir, and Muhammad, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, said the takbir, and the takbir fell on the brides from that night.