Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.) was born in the year
600 A.D. on 13 Rajab 30th Year of Elephant in Makkah. His father was the
Protector of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.), Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) and his
mother was Sayyida Fatima Bint Asad (s.a.). Her grandfather was Hazrat Hashim
(a.s.). She was a monotheist like all the ancestors of all the Prophets of
Allah.
She went to the Sacred Ka’ba and while she was circumambulating,
she felt the pains of delivery. She prayed to Allah: “O Allah! I
believe in You, and in the Messengers and the Scripts You have sent. I believe
in what my grandfather Ibrahim, who built the Ancient House (Ka’ba), believed
in. So, for the sake of the Builder of this House, and for the sake of the
child in my womb, who talks to me and who is my helper and friend, I implore
You to make my labor easy. The child I am carrying is a sign of Your Greatness
and Power.” (Al-Arbili, Kashf Al-Ghummah, volume 1 chapter on Imam Ali)
Hazrat Fatima bint Asad
(s.a.) leaned against the wall of Ka’ba to rest. Miraculously, the wall cracked
opened. Hazrat Fatima bint Asad (s.a.) entered and the wall closed behind her.
Hazrat Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)’s uncle
witnessed this miracle. He and his companions rushed to the gate of the Sacred
House, which was locked, and tried in vain to open it. Understanding that the
Divinity was at work there, he and his companions ceased to interfere. The news
of this miracle spread throughout Makkah like wild fire.
Imam Ali (a.s.) was born within the
Ka’ba with his eyes closed and his body in humble prostration before the
Almighty Allah. Hazrat Fatima bint Asad (s.a.) stayed
in Ka’ba for three days and as the fourth day approached, she stepped out
carrying her baby in her arms. She found the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) waiting
to receive the new-born child in his anxious arms. Hence, the first face that
little Imam Ali (a.s.) saw in this world was the smiling face of his cousin the
Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). Imam Ali (a.s.) said, “Assalaamu alaika ya
Rasool Allah” Thus it is confirmed that he (a.s.) was a born Muslim. Imam
Ali (a.s.)’s first food was the saliva of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) when
he gave his tongue into the mouth of the baby. The Muslims use the phrase
“Karramallahu Wajha” for Imam Ali (a.s.) meaning the one who never prostrated
to idols!
No one was ever born or will ever be
born inside the Sacred House of Allah, An Arabic poet said, “He is the one for
whom House of Allah was turned into a maternity home; And he is the one who
threw idols out of the House; Ali was the first and the last child ever to be
born in the Ka’ba.” This unique
distinction was reserved for Imam Ali (a.s.). Hazrat Fatima bint Asad (s.a.)
had said about this special privilege Allah had granted to her and said: “Allah
preferred me to all women before me. Assiyah (wife of the Pharaoh) performed
the acts of worship in seclusion where Allah did not like to be worshiped
except in case of necessity. Mary (s.a.), the daughter of Imran, shook the
trunk of the Pam- tree and ripe dates fell upon her. I entered the House of
Allah and ate fruits of Paradise, when I was about to leave the place, I heard
the Divine call: O Fatima! Name your son Ali because he is high and his Lord
Most High. I gave him a name derived from My Own Name. I cultured him the way I
willed. I made known to him the intricacies of My Own Omniscience. He is the
one to crush the idols in My House. He is the one to call the people to prayer
from the roof of My House. He worships Me. Blessed are those who love him, and
woe to those who are his enemies.”
His birth in Ka’ba had been reported
both by Shi’i and Sunni scholars. To name a few are as under:
Masoodi in Murroj-udh-Dhahab, Muhammad
ibn Talha al-Shafei in Matalib-us-Saool, Hakim in Mustadrak, Al-Umair in Sharh
Ainia, Halabi in Sira, Sibt ibn al-Jauzi in Tadhkira Khawasil Ummah, Ibne
Sabbagh Maliki in Fusoolul Mohimma, Muhammad bin Yousuf Shafei in Kifayat
al-Talib, Shablangi in Nurul Absar, Ibne Zahra in Ghiythul Ikhtisar.
Among the modern historians, Abbas
Mahmood al-Akkad of Cairo (1970), Egypt, writes in his book Al-Abqarriyet
al-Imam Ali that Ali ibne Abi Talib was born inside the Ka’ba.
Another contemporary historian, Mahmood
Saeed al-Tantawi, of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affair, Arab Republic of
Egypt writes: “May God have mercy upon Ali ibne Abi Talib. He was born in
Ka’ba. He witnessed the rise of Islam; he witnessed the Dawah of Muhammad, and
he was a witness of the Wahi (Revelation of Quran al-Majid). He immediately
accepted Islam even though he was still a child, and he fought all his life so
that the word of Allah would be supreme.”
Dr. Taha Husain of Egypt says that
Messenger of God became himself Ali’s guide, teacher and instructor, and this
is one more distinction that he enjoys, and which no one else shares with him
(Ali).
Miraculous birth of Imam Ali has many important points to ponder:
Sayyida Fatima bint Asad did not enter the Holy Ka’ba through the
door but Allah opened an unusual opening. When Prophet Isa was born, Lady
Mariam was told to leave the place of worship and go outside. What was the
sustenance of Sayyida Fatima bint Asad for three days? When she entered the
Ka’ba, Hazrat Abbas, Hazrat Abu Talib tried to open the door but it will not
open, why? On the fourth day, the wall of Ka’ba again opened to give passage to
her and the Priceless baby. Imam Ali (a.s.) did not open his eyes for three
days while he was inside the Kaaba and opened only when the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) took him in his arms and saw his sacred face when opened his eyes.
He (s.a.w.a.s.) placed his noble tongue in Imam Ali (a.s.)’s mouth.
G.E. Von Grunebaum, a German historian, said, “Islam presents the
spectacle of the development of a world religion in the full light of history.
There is no part of his life, whether it is his infancy,
childhood, boyhood, youth, manhood, or maturity, that is hidden from the
spotlight of history. He was the cynosure of all eyes from his birth to his
death. In the years to come, the creative synergy of Muhammad and Ali – the master
and the disciple – was going to place the “Kingdom of Heaven” on the map of the
world.”
Sources used:
Imamreza Network, The birth of Ali Ibn Abi Talib by Sayyid Ali
Asghar Razwy, WIKIPEDIA
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