Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib

The Person of Imam Ali (AS)

Full name: Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib al-Hashimi
Born: Inside the Ka’ba, Mecca, approximately 600 CE — the only person born within the Ka’ba, a distinction of immense symbolic weight
Father: Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle and protector
Mother: Fatima bint Asad, who raised the Prophet (SAW) after his grandfather’s death
Wife: Sayyidatuna Fatima al-Zahra (AS), daughter of the Prophet (SAW)
Children: Al-Hasan (AS), Al-Husain (AS), Zaynab (AS), Umm Kulthum (AS), and others
Martyrdom: 21 Ramadan, 40 AH (661 CE), struck by the poisoned sword of Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam in the Masjid of Kufa while in the position of sujud in fajr prayer
Burial: Najaf al-Ashraf, Iraq (Rawda Mubarak of Imam Ali (AS))

First in Faith

Imam Ali (AS) is the first male to embrace Islam — the first human being, after Sayyidatuna Khadija (AS), to believe in the Prophet’s mission. When the Prophet (SAW) received his first revelation in the Cave of Hira and returned shaken to Khadija’s house, and when the first revelation was confirmed as divine, the young Ali was with them. He accepted Islam immediately, as a child of approximately 10 years old, having grown up in the Prophet’s household under the Prophet’s own direct upbringing.

The Prophet (SAW) called Ali the gate of the city of knowledge:

“Ana madinat al-‘ilm wa Aliyyun babuha, faman arada al-‘ilma fal-ya’ti al-bab.” “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate. Whoever wants knowledge should come through the gate.” (Hadith)

This hadith is foundational to the Ismaili understanding: the Prophet’s ‘ilm (inner knowledge of the Quran and the divine realities) was not broadcast to all — it was transmitted through a specific gate, and that gate was Ali.

At Ghadir Khumm — The Day of Walayah (18 Dhu al-Hijja, 10 AH)

On 18 Dhu al-Hijja, 10 AH (March 632 CE), on the return journey from the Prophet’s final Hajj (Hajj al-Wida’), the divine command came: “O Messenger, deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not, you have not delivered His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.” (5:67)

At the pool of Khumm (Ghadir Khumm) — where several caravan routes intersected, ensuring the maximum possible number of witnesses — the Prophet (SAW) halted the entire pilgrimage convoy of approximately 100,000 people. He delivered a sermon. Then he raised the hand of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) and declared:

مَن كُنتُ مَولَاهُ فَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ مَولَاهُ “Of whomever I am the Mawla (master/guardian/beloved), then this Ali is their Mawla.”

Then the Prophet made du’a: “O Allah, be a friend to whoever befriends him, and an enemy to whoever opposes him. Support whoever supports him and abandon whoever abandons him.”

Immediately, the Quranic verse was revealed: “Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and approved Islam as your religion.” (5:3)

The Ghadir declaration is the single most reported event in Islamic hadith — narrated by over 110 Companions and transmitted through hundreds of chains. The Bohra Dawat celebrates Eid al-Ghadir on 18 Dhu al-Hijja as one of the greatest Eids — the day the Imam’s authority was publicly declared and the religion perfected.

See also: Understanding Walayah

Imam Ali’s Relationship with the Prophet (SAW)

Imam Ali was raised by the Prophet (SAW) from early childhood — when Abu Talib’s large family faced economic hardship, the Prophet (SAW) took Ali into his household. They were inseparable:

Brotherhood: When the Prophet (SAW) established the bonds of brotherhood (mu’akha) among the Companions, he took Ali’s hand and declared: “You are my brother in this world and the next.”
Marriage: The Prophet gave his daughter Fatima (AS) in marriage only to Ali, after refusing other prominent suitors. The household of Ali and Fatima — with Hasan and Husain — is the Ahl al-Bayt par excellence.
The Cloak (Kisa’): The Prophet (SAW) gathered Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husain under his cloak and declared: “O Allah, these are my family. Remove impurity from them and purify them completely.” (Hadith al-Kisa’) — establishing the five Panjetan (Ahl al-Kisa’) as the definitive inner circle of the Prophetic house.

Imam Ali’s Qualities

Knowledge

The Prophet (SAW) said: “I am the house of wisdom and Ali is its door.” Imam Ali’s sermons, letters, and aphorisms — collected in the Nahj al-Balagha (Peak of Eloquence) — represent one of the greatest works of Arabic prose. They range from theology of divine unity (tawhid) to practical governance, from cosmic philosophy to intimate spiritual counsel. The Nahj al-Balagha is the primary text through which Imam Ali’s ‘ilm has been preserved for the world.

Courage

Called Asad Allah (the Lion of Allah) and Haydar (the Lion). In every major battle of early Islam — Badr, Uhud, Khandaq (the Trench), Khaybar, Hunayn — Imam Ali’s courage was decisive. At Khaybar, when no one could breach the fortress’s gate, the Prophet (SAW) said: “Tomorrow I will give the banner to one who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him.” He gave it to Ali. Imam Ali is said to have torn off the great gate of Khaybar and used it as a shield.

Zuhd (Detachment from the World)

Despite being the fourth Caliph and ruler of the Muslim world’s largest empire, Imam Ali’s personal life was one of extraordinary simplicity. He said: “The world has three days: yesterday which has passed with whatever was in it, tomorrow which you may or may not reach, and today — in which you are. So seize today.” His Ramadan iftars reportedly consisted of bread, salt, and water.

Justice (‘Adl)

As Caliph (35-40 AH), Imam Ali’s governance was characterized by rigorous equality before the law — he refused to grant special privileges to family members or tribal allies, which ultimately contributed to the political opposition that led to the Battle of Siffin and the Kharijite movement that killed him.

The Caliphate and Its Context

After the Prophet’s death, the succession was disputed. Abu Bakr was proclaimed Caliph at the Saqifa gathering while Imam Ali and the Banu Hashim were engaged in the Prophet’s funeral preparation. Imam Ali did not take up arms to claim what he believed was his right — he maintained the unity of the Muslim community as his higher obligation.

The Dawat’s teaching: Imam Ali’s silence at Saqifa was not weakness but hikma (wisdom). The Prophet (SAW) had told him: “If you find supporters, fight for your right; if you do not find supporters, be patient and preserve the community.” Imam Ali found that the community was not ready — and the time for the Imam’s zuhur had not come.

Imam Ali served the first three Caliphs as a counselor, judge, and arbitrator of difficult legal and theological questions. When Uthman was killed in 35 AH and the Muslim community turned to Imam Ali with overwhelming insistence, he accepted the Caliphate — but stated plainly that he would govern by the Quran and Sunnah, with no favoritism.

His caliphate (35-40 AH) faced three internal wars:

Battle of the Jamal (36 AH) — against ‘Aisha, Talha, and al-Zubayr
Battle of Siffin (37 AH) — against Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, who refused to acknowledge Imam Ali’s Caliphate
Battle of Nahrawan (38 AH) — against the Kharijites, who had accepted arbitration and then rejected it as un-Islamic

Each of these wars deeply wounded the Muslim community, and Imam Ali’s political position was increasingly isolated. He moved the capital from Madinah to Kufa.

Martyrdom — 21 Ramadan, 40 AH

While in the early morning prayer at the Great Mosque of Kufa, Imam Ali (AS) was struck on the head by the poisoned sword of Ibn Muljam al-Muradi, a Kharijite extremist who believed killing Imam Ali would end the civil wars. The sword struck his forehead during sujud.

Imam Ali lingered for two days. His last instructions included:

“Feed your prisoner (Ibn Muljam) what I am fed; if I die, give him one blow in return for one blow — do not mutilate him.”
He instructed his sons to maintain their prayers, give charity, be good to orphans, and honor their neighbors
His last request: “Continue on the path of truth even if you stand alone.”

He died on 21 Ramadan, 40 AH. In the Bohra tradition, Laylat al-Qadr is observed on the 21st of Ramadan — the night Imam Ali departed — making this the most spiritually charged night of the year. The coincidence of Laylat al-Qadr with Imam Ali’s shahadat is not, in the Dawat’s understanding, a coincidence at all.

See also: Ramadan Guide, Laylat Al Qadr

Imam Ali in the Ismaili Cosmological Framework

In the Ismaili cosmological system, Imam Ali corresponds to al-Wasi — the legatee, the one who stands with the Natiq (Prophet) as the Tali’ (follower/completer) follows the Sabiq (forerunner). See also: Ismaili Cosmology

The Prophet is the Sabiq (forerunner) — the one who speaks the divine ‘ilm into the world of form. Imam Ali is the Tali’ (the one who follows and completes) — the one who receives the Natiq’s ‘ilm, preserves it, and transmits it to the Imams who follow. Without the Wasi, the Prophet’s ‘ilm would have no vessel; without the Natiq’s ‘ilm, the Wasi would have nothing to transmit.

This is why the Bohra shahada includes “Wa ashhadu anna ‘Aliyyan wali Allah” — witnessing Imam Ali’s walayah alongside the Prophet’s prophethood. The two are inseparable: the outer word and its inner meaning; the river and its source; the book and its interpreter.

Ta’wil of Imam Ali’s Life

The zahir of Imam Ali’s story is the history: cousin, son-in-law, first Muslim male, Companion, warrior, Caliph, martyr.

The batin of Imam Ali is the Wasi principle — the divine knowledge’s faithful keeper between one prophetic era and the next. In every age, there is a Natiq (the one who speaks the new divine message) and a Wasi (the one who guards the message’s inner meaning). Imam Ali is the paradigm of the Wasi — the one who saw the Prophet’s face every day for thirty years and received an ‘ilm that no other Companion possessed; who remained silent when silence was wisdom and fought when truth demanded combat; who governed with the Quran’s principles even when it cost him politically; who died in sujud with his soul already in the presence of the divine.

“Ali is with truth, and truth is with Ali — wherever Ali goes, truth follows.” (Hadith of the Prophet SAW, Sahih Muslim)

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib — The First Imam and Lion of Allah