In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association
Presents:
The Ten Promised Paradise.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
may Allah be pleased with him.
Love for the Companions and the Prophet's family is a established Sunnah
with which I shall meet my Lord when He brings me to life.
Love for the Companions and the Prophet's family.
In the year 600 CE,
the newborn infant's cries resounded
within the home of Abu Talib,
filling the place with joy.
His mother, Fatimah bint Asad, rejoiced over him
with the utmost joy,
not even waiting for her husband Abu Talib to return from his trade journey
to consult him on naming their handsome boy.
Seeing signs of courage and valor in him,
she named him Haydarah,
after her father, Asad—
for *Haydarah* is one of the names of the lion—
so that he might live up to his name later in life.
When Abu Talib returned from his journey
and saw his boy, he rejoiced in him;
he changed his name and called him 'Ali.
Regarding the name Haydarah, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
may Allah be pleased with him, said in poetry:
"I am he whose mother named him Haydarah,
Like a fierce lion of the thicket, terrifying to behold,
I shall repay them in full measure with swift judgment."
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, grew up
initially in his father's house.
Abu Talib had a large family to support,
and Quraysh was struck by a severe crisis
in which the people fell into poverty
and hardship befell them.
So the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said
to his uncle Al-'Abbas:
"O uncle,
your brother Abu Talib has a large family,
and the people have been afflicted with this crisis as you see.
So let us go to him
and relieve him of some of his dependents:
I will take one of his sons,
and you take another,
and we shall care for them on his behalf."
Al-'Abbas replied,
"Yes."
So they went until they came to Abu Talib
and said to him:
"We wish to relieve you of some of your dependents
until this hardship clears from the people."
Abu Talib said to them,
"If you leave 'Aqil for me,
then do whatever you wish."
So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, took
'Ali and took him into his care,
while Al-'Abbas took Ja'far
and took him into his care.
This was part of Allah's decree of good for 'Ali
and His divine intention for him.
Thus, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib grew up
under the care of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
until Allah raised Muhammad,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as a Prophet.
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, followed him,
believing in him and affirming his truth,
thus becoming the first child to embrace Islam,
entering Islam
at ten years of age.
In the account of his conversion to Islam,
it is narrated that he entered one day
to find the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her,
praying together.
He asked, "What is this, O Muhammad?"
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied:
"This is the religion of Allah, which He chose for Himself
and sent His messengers with.
I call you to worship Allah alone,
without any partner,
and to renounce Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza."
'Ali said, [that he would consult his father Abu Talib first],
but the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, disliked
that 'Ali should disclose the secret before the matter was made public.
So he said to him, "O 'Ali,
if you do not accept Islam, then keep it secret."
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, stayed
that night,
and then Allah, Blessed and Exalted,
placed Islam into his heart.
So the next morning, he went
to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and asked:
"What was it that you presented to me, O Muhammad?"
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him:
"That you testify that there is no god but Allah alone,
without any partner,
that you disbelieve in Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza,
and that you disavow all rivals to Allah."
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, did so;
he embraced Islam and kept his faith secret.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him,
was wheat-complexioned, handsome-faced,
with large, dark eyes,
of medium height,
leaning toward being short.
He had broad shoulders,
a large torso,
firm, calloused hands,
and was bald except for hair at the back of his head.
He had a thick beard and a handsome face;
when he walked, he leaned forward and moved swiftly,
when he marched to war, he trotted briskly,
and if he gripped a man's arm,
he held him so firmly the man could hardly draw breath.
He was steadfast of heart,
powerful, courageous, and victorious against whomever he met.
He was renowned, may Allah be pleased with him, for horsemanship,
bravery, boldness,
intelligence, eloquence,
and ascetism, showing no desire for worldly glamour.
He was formidable in judicial rulings,
scholarly verdicts, and knowledge of Allah's Book,
possessing a deep understanding of its meanings and objectives.
He was among the most knowledgeable Companions
regarding the contexts of Qur'anic revelations
and their proper interpretation.
Among the Ten Promised Paradise, he is the closest
in kinship to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
being the son of his uncle, Abu Talib ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
His agnomens were Abu al-Hasan
and Abu Turab, which was dearer to him
because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
called him by it, as will be mentioned, Allah willing.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
may Allah be pleased with him, accompanied the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
from his earliest childhood.
Opportunity was afforded to him, may Allah be pleased with him,
that was afforded to no other,
for he was raised in the household of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
both in his youth and his adulthood,
when he became his son-in-law by marrying his daughter
Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her.
Thus, he was among the most knowledgeable Companions regarding the affairs of the Messenger,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in all his circumstances.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
saw in him noble character and sharp intelligence,
loving him and granting him exceptional care
and attention,
which deeply shaped his personality and life.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him
one day: "Say:
'O Allah, guide me and keep me steadfast,'
and keep in mind, by guidance, your following the right path,
and by steadfastness, the straight flight of an arrow."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught him to recite the Qur'an,
and 'Ali used to recite
before the Prophet, peace be upon him,
what he had memorized of the Qur'an.
He narrated to the Ummah many sayings of the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him;
the books of Sunnah preserved over 500 hadiths from him.
Al-Bukhari and Muslim agreed
upon 20 of those hadiths,
while Al-Bukhari independently recorded 9 hadiths.
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, would sometimes walk
with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
around the outskirts of Makkah,
hearing the stones and trees
greeting the Prophet, peace be upon him,
by saying: "Peace be upon you,
O Messenger of Allah."
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, spent
his life in Makkah
supporting the Muslims
and guiding toward goodness anyone seeking it.
Among such instances was his hosting Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him,
when he came seeking the truth.
In the narration,
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him,
came to Makkah carrying nothing but a water-skin and a staff.
He did not know the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and disliked asking anyone about him,
so he would drink from Zamzam water
and stay in the Mosque.
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by him
and said, "It seems the man is a stranger."
Abu Dharr replied, "Yes."
'Ali said to him, "Come with me to my home."
So he went with him,
'Ali asking him nothing
and Abu Dharr disclosing nothing to him.
The next morning, Abu Dharr went to the Mosque
without hearing any news of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
on that day as well.
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by him again and said,
"Is it not time for the man to know his home?"
Abu Dharr said, "No."
So 'Ali said, "Come with me."
So Abu Dharr went with him,
and 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, then asked him,
"What is your affair,
and what brought you to this town?"
Abu Dharr replied, "If you promise to keep my secret,
I will tell you."
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
"Indeed, I will do so."
Abu Dharr said, "News reached us that a man has appeared
here claiming to be a prophet,
so I sent my brother to speak with him."
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him,
"Truly, you have found right guidance!
I am heading to him now, so follow me,
and enter wherever I enter.
If I see anyone I fear for you,
I will stop by the wall as if repairing my sandal,
so keep walking."
So he walked on until he entered upon the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Abu Dharr spoke to him,
and the Prophet presented Islam to him,
so he embraced Islam on the spot.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, remained
in Mecca before the Hijrah,
never parting from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
nor did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, part from him.
Then, when Allah Almighty gave permission
to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him,
to migrate to the Radiant City of Medina,
'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, agreed to remain in Mecca after him
in order to return the trusts
that the people of Mecca had left with the Prophet, peace be upon him.
That was because
there was no one in Mecca who possessed
anything he feared for except that he deposited it
with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
due to what they knew of his truthfulness and trustworthiness.
Thus, 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, stayed behind
for three days
until he had returned all the trusts,
and then he joined the Prophet, peace be upon him,
migrating to Medina.
In the next episode,
we will learn about the life of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
may Allah be pleased with him, in Medina after the Hijrah,
Allah willing.
Until then,
the best of companions, explicitly stated that they are
in the Paradise
of Eternity by sacred text,
an added honor for them:
they are Talhah,
Ibn 'Awf,
Al-Zubayr, along with
Abu 'Ubaydah,
the two Sa'ds, and the Caliphs—
the Caliphs.