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 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 wildfire.
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. Asiyah (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 Ali 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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