Commander
of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.) was born in the year 600 A.D. in Makkah. His
father was the Protector of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), Hazrat Abu Talib
(a.s.) and his mother was Sayyida Fatima Bint Asad (s.a.). 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. She 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. She 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 Messenger (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.). The Muslims use the phrase “Karramallahu Wajha” for Imam Ali
(a.s.) meaning the one who never prostrated to idols!
No one
has ever been born or will ever be born inside the Sacred House of Allah. 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’a and Sunni scholars. To name a
few 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.”
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. From the time of construction of Ka’ba, no one had ever been born inside the Sacred Ka’ba nor will ever be born till the Day of Judgment. 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.
Sources:
Imamreza
Network, The birth of Ali Ibn Abi Talib by Sayyid Ali Asghar Razwy, WIKIPEDIA
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