HOLY BIRTH

BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

Chapter # 1

THE BIRTH OF ALI (k.u.w):

We found different statements of historians about the birth of Ali

(k.u.w), but they are all agreed on the day of 13th Rajab, as the date of birth
of the Commander of the Faithful. However the birth, parentage, name and
other circumstances of Ali al murtaza, according to the various history
books are hereunder:

1st : Ali (k.u.w) was born on the 13th of Rajab about 600 A.D. within the
precincts of Kaaba at Mecca, the Capital of Hejaz, and a peninsula on the
Red Sea. Makkah was then also known as Bekka, Batha and Ummul Qura.
This was the same place where Ibrahim had brought his son Ismail to
sacrificing him in the name of Allah. Mecca was then three kilometers from
east to west and one and a half kilometers from north to south. Its surface
from the sea level was 330 meters high and was surrounded by mountains on
four sides. Al-Quran has called Mecca an uncultivable land and the word
Arab means desert. The birth of Ali (k.u.w) took place three years after the
marriage of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) with Khadija binte
Khuwaylid. The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) then was thirty years old. The
name of Ali (k.u.w)’s mother was also Fatima daughter of Asad son of
Hashim. Thus both his parents were cousins and belonged to the same clan
of Hashim. Ali (k.u.w) was the fourth son of Abu Talib .The three others
were Talib, Jafar and Aquil.

At the time of Ali (k.u.w)’s birth his father Abu Talib and Prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h) were out of Makkah on a business tour. His mother
wanted to call him Asad after her own father but later settled to call him
Haider. His father wised to name him Zaid after his deceased brother, but the
Prophet (p.b.u.h) gave him the name of Ali (k.u.w) which the parents
accepted.

IInd statement:
HOLY BIRTH
BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

On the 13th of the month of Rajab, twenty-three years before the

migration of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) a child was born in the family of Abu
Talib, the light of whom kindled the whole World.

“Kunaab Makki” narrates about his birth: "We and Abbas (Ibne Abdul
Muttalib) were sitting together when suddenly we saw Fatima bint-e-
Asad moving towards the Kaabah in the condition having delivery pain
and saying "Oh God I have faith in you and the Prophet ( i.e.,
Abraham) who by your command laid the foundation of this house. O
God! I swear you by the same Prophet and swear you by the child in my
womb make this birth comfortable and easy for me."

This was the time when all of us saw with our own eyes that the wall of
Kaabah broke apart and Fatima bint-e-Asad entered into the Kaabah.
Then the wall again united.

We ran terrified and trembling to our houses to send our women into
the Kaabah for the help and assistance of Fatima. We did our best but
the door did not open. This event surprised all the people of Mecca.

The women of Mecca were anxiously counting moments to meet Fatima

till the time she came out of the Kaabah along with a beautiful baby,
saying, "God has chosen me from among the ladies of Mecca and He
made me His guest in His house and gave me meals and fruits of the
heaven to eat.
The ladies who were surrounding her in the form of a circle and
escorting her to her home asked her, "What name have you given to this
child?"

She said: "When I was in the Kaabah, I heard a hidden voice call,"
Name this child "ALI".

IIIrd statement:

By Syed H. Akhtar

[Dr. Syed H. Akhtar is a Physician and his specialty is Cardiology. He lives

in Austin, Texas]

Ali bin Abu Talib was the cousin and son-in-Law of

Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). It is outside the scope of this
HOLY BIRTH
BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

presentation to record the numerous achievements and merits of

Hazrat Ali (k.u.w). His exalted personality is such that even the
most learned scholars are at a loss to fathom his greatness.

His birth: The miraculous circumstance of Hazrat Ali’s birth gives us an

indication of his unique position in relation to Allah (s.w.t.)*. Hazrat Ali
was born in 600 A.D., on the 13th of Rajab, within the holy precincts of the
Kabah, the house of Allah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. His mother, Fatima binte
Asad, experienced labor pains and walked towards the Holy Kabah. Its wall
miraculously split, she entered the sanctuary, and the gap sealed itself behind
her. Onlookers panicked and rushed to enter it, but could not unlock the
door. She emerged three days later, after the baby was born. The Holy
Prophet (p.b.u.h) was the first person besides Ali’s mother to hold the
newborn in his arms, and when Ali opened his eyes, it was the face of the
Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) that he first saw. In the history of the Kabah, this is
the only known instance of a person being born within its holy precincts.

Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) was born some thirty years after the birth of the Holy
Prophet (p.b.u.h). He was belonged the most respectable family of Quraish,
the Banu Hashim (i.e. Hashimites). His father Abu Talib was the real uncle
of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) who brought him up after the death of the Holy
Prophet's grandfather. Ali’s mother was Fatimah bint Asad, who belonged to
Banu Hashim. Hazrat Ali (k.u.w)’s patronymic name was "Abul Hasan". The
Holy Prophet gave him another name, "Abu Turab" which was most liked by
Hazrat Ali (k.u.w). The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) took Ali in his childhood
from his father, Abu Talib, and brought up him like his own son.

IVth statement:

Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) is the first child in the family of Bani-Hashim

whose both selves are children of Hashim. His father Hazrat Abu-Talib is the
son of Hazrat Abdul-Muttalib (r.a) the son of Hashim bin Abd-Manaf and his
mother is Bibi Fatima bint-e-Asad who is the son of Hashim bin Abd-Manaf.
The Hashimite family in the tribe of Quraish is well-known (famous) for its
moral virtues and high (supreme) humanistic characteristics among the Arab
tribes. Magnanimity, generosity, courage and so many other virtues are
characteristics of Bani-Hashim. Moreover, each of these virtues at its highest
degree exists in Hazrat Ali's existence. Bibi Fatima bint-e-Asad went to the
holy Kaaba when in labor pain and came close to the wall of Kaaba and said
"O God, I have firm faith in you, the Prophets and the books sent by you and
HOLY BIRTH
BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

also the speech of my grand father the builder of this house. O God, in
consideration to the respect of the one who built this house and for the sake
of the child in my womb makes the birth of this child easy". An instant later,
in front of the eyes of Hazrat Abbass bin Abdul-Muttalib (r.a) and Hazrat
Yazeed bin Taaf (r.a) the south east wall of Kaaba cracked and Bibi Fatima
entered the Kaaba; the wall closed again. She was the guest of Allah (swt)
for three days in the holiest place in the universe and there she gave birth to
her child -Hazrat Ali (k.u.w). Three days after the thirteenth of Rajab, thirty
years passed the year of the Elephant; Bibi Fatima bint-e-Asad came out of
the same cleavage in wall which opened again and said: "I heard a message
from the unseen to call him Ali".

Vth statement:

The holy Prophet was the son of Abdullah who was the son of
Abdul Muttalib. Abdullah and Abu Talib were real brothers. Abu Talib was
thus the real paternal uncle of the holy Prophet of Islam. Hazrat Ali (k.u.w)
was the first cousin of the holy Prophet. The holy Prophet (saw) and Hazrat
Ali (k.u.w) had a common grandfather who was Abdul Muttalib.

Abdul Muttalib was the son of Hashim, who was the son of Abd Munaf,
who was the son of Qusay, who was the son of Murrah, who was the son a
Kaab, who was the son of Luayy, who was the son of Ghalib, who was the
son of Fihr, who was the son of Malik, who was the son of Nadr, who was
the son of Kannah. Beyond Kannah, the ancestry extended to Hadrat Ismail,
and Hadrat Ibrahim, who flourished some 2,500 years earlier.

The exact date of birth of Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) is not known with any
degree of certainty. According to Traditions, Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) was born on
the 13th of Rajab in the 28th year of the Elephant era. The Elephant era,
according to the annals of Arabia commenced when Abraha, the Christian
Viceroy of Yemen, invaded Mecca with the intention of destroying the
Ka'bah, and shifting the centre of pilgrimage to Yemen. The invasion failed,
the Christian army had to beat a retreat without achieving its object. That
marked the retreat of Christianity from the heartland of Arabia and paved the
way for the rise of Islam.

The holy Prophet of Islam was born in the 'Year of the Elephant'. According
to scholars, 'The Year of the Elephant' corresponds to the year 571 of the
Christian era [CE]. On this basis, the year of the birth of Hazrat Ali (k.u.w)
HOLY BIRTH
BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

would have to be placed around 599 or 600 CE. In any case, Hazrat Ali
(k.u.w) was at the junction of two centuries, the sixth and the seventh.

VIth statement:

Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) was born in unusual circumstances. On the 13th day
of the holy month of Rajab, Fatima, the mother of Hazrat Ali (k.u.w), visited
the Ka'bah to perform the pilgrimage. During, the course of the pilgrimage at
the Ka'bah, Fatima felt the pains of childbirth. She retired to a secluded
place in the precincts of the holy Ka'bah, and there Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) was
born. Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) has thus had the unique honor to be born in the
House of God. This unparalleled honor had endowed Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) with
a halo of sanctity that has become the subject of many legends. A hundred
years later, Zain-ul-Abidin, a grandson of Ali (son of Hadrat Hussein), met
an Arab woman at Najaf who told him that her grandmother had helped
Fatima on the occasion of Hazrat Ali (k.u.w)'s birth. She narrated that
according to the account of her grandmother, the child was beautiful; a smile
played on his lips; he did not cry like other children; and his birth did not
cause any pain to his mother.

His name:

Fatima wanted to name her child "Asad" after her father and Abu
Talib wanted to name him Zaid. When both mother and the child returned
home, the holy Prophet, and Hadrat Khadijah came to see her newborn child.
Since his birth, he had not opened his eyes, and that worried both Fatima and
Abu Talib. However, when the holy Prophet took the child in his lap, then he
opened his eyes. So the first person that Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) saw after his
birth was the holy Prophet. When the holy Prophet was asked whether he
approved of the child being named either Asad or Zaid, he said that since the
child was born in the House of God, he should be named Ali (the word Ali
being a derivative of Allah). Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) had thus had the distinction
of being named after Allah. No one before him had ever been so named.
Furthermore, the name acquired more sanctity because it was suggested by
the holy Prophet (SAW).

Ulema, mashaikh, Sufis and famous Muslim historians write about the birth
of Hazrat Ali (k.u.w):

Shah Waliullah, Mohadith-e-Dehlvi writes in the book "Izalatul

Kholafa" giving reference from Hazrat Hakim in his Mustadrak Part 3,
HOLY BIRTH
BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

Page 483. "Qud Tawatarul Akhbar Inna Fatimah Binte Asad woledat Aliyan
Fi Jaufil Kaaba". Another writer of the old school Sibtel Jauzi in his book
“Tazkeratul Khawas ul Ummal”, page 7 mentions the same fact that Ali
was born inside the Kaaba.

Khawja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri mentions this fact in his famous

Quartet saying that when Ali was born inside the Kaabah the Sky and the
earth was filled with a light and Angel Gabril announced that a child was
born in the house of God.

Maulana Rume in his Mathnawi writes, "O one who travels to Najef to visit
the tomb of Ali must know the fact that the pearl of the Kaaba lies there to
give us security because of our intense love for him."

Masoodi the famous historian writes in his book of history Muruj el Zahab,
that Ali was born inside the Kaaba on the orders of Muhammad the
Messenger of God.

Childhood:

Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) stayed with his parents. Since it was Allah’s (swt) will for
him to gain more perfection, therefore, the honored Prophet (p.b.u.h) from
the beginning of his birth took care of his indirect education. An unusual
famine occurred in Mecca. Hazrat Abu-Talib the uncle of the Prophet
(p.b.u.h) having many children faced a heavy living expense. The honored
Prophet (p.b.u.h) with the consultation of his uncle Hazrat Abbas (r.a) came
to agreement that each one of them take one of the children of Hazrat Abu-
Talib with him as to make a relief for Hazrat Abu-Talib. Therefore Hazrat
Abbas (r.a) took Ja’far and the Prophet (p.b.u.h) took Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) to
his house. In this way Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) was completely besides the Prophet
(p.b.u.h).

Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) was always accompanying the Prophet (p.b.u.h) even
when the Prophet (p.b.u.h) would leave the town and go to the mountain and
desert.

One of the virtues of the Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) is that he is the first one to
testify the Prophethood of Prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h). Ibn Abu Al-
Hadeed says related to this : Know that among the great , big and scholastic
HOLY BIRTH
BY JAMAL NASIR 09204203004205754

theologians of the Mutazilites there is no dispute that Ali bin Abu-Talib is

the first person to believe in Islam; and to support the messenger of God.

Youth:

When the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) started revelations Hazrat Ali (k.u.w)
was about ten years old. The Holy Prophet disclosed his mission before Ali
and he accepted it immediately, thus he became the first youth to enter the
folds of Islam. When the Holy Prophet started to preach openly, he invited
all of his family members to a feast and announced his mission before them.
Nobody listened to him, but young Ali stood up and said. "Though my eyes
are sore, my legs are thin and I am the youngest of all those present here yet
I will stand by you, 0 Messenger of Allah." Hearing this all the leaders of
Quraish laughed but Ali proved his words to be true after supporting the
Holy Prophet in his mission from the beginning till the end.

The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) loved him very much. The night when the
Holy Prophet was migrating to Medina, his house was surrounded by the
bloodthirsty tribesmen, who had plotted to assassinate him. They were ready
to kill any person who came out of the house. In such a situation, the Holy
Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked Hazrat Ali (k.u.w) to sleep in his bed. He followed
the command gladly and immediately jumped in the bed.
Although the Meccans did not accept his mission, they considered the Holy
Prophet the most trustworthy man of Mecca and continued keeping their
trusts (cash and gold etc.) with him. It was Ali (k.u.w) to whom the Holy
Prophet gave the deposits to return to the owners, when he was leaving
Mecca for Medina. Ali (k.u.w) migrated to Medina after returning the
deposits.

As a youth Ali (k.u.w) was strongly built, strong arms, wide chest and a very
strong brave and shining face. Children of his age and even older to him
were frightened of him and whenever they tried to mock the Prophet, they
always ran away when they saw Ali (k.u.w) standing by for protection.

Compiled by:
Jamal abdul nasir
Lahore , Pakistan
092-042-03004205754
Email : jan_1172003@yahoo.com