The fourth Caliph and the successor of Hazrat Usman R.A, Hazrat Ali R.A was born in 599 and passed away in 666. Hazrat Ali R.A was Muhammad’s S.A.W cousin and son-in-law. He was raised by Muhammad S.A.W from the age of five, and at the age of eleven, he became one of the first people to embrace Muhammad’s claim that he had received divine revelation. During the formative years of Islam, when Muhammad S.A.W was imprisoned in Mecca and faced intense opposition, Hazrat Ali R.A. was an extremely important figure. Following Muhammad’s S.A.W move to Medina in the year 622, He wed Muhammad’s S.A.W daughter Fatima and became the father of several children, including Hasan and Husayn, who would later become the second and third Shia Imams.
In addition to being referred to as Muhammad’s S.A.W brother, guardian, and successor, he was the one who carried the flag in the majority of the battles and became legendary for his valour. He was called out as Haider because of his bravery which means a fearless lion.
Towards Islam
Hazrat Ali R.A. was the son of Abu Talib and Fatima bint Asad, who lived in Makkah at the time. After the passing of Muhammad’s S.A.W parents, Hazrat Ali R.A’s father took responsibility for the care and upbringing of his nephew Muhammad S.A.W. Hazrat Ali R.A’s father was a prominent member of the Banu Hashim clan. Hazrat Ali R.A. was taken in by Muhammad and his wife Khadija when he was just five years old after Abu Talib’s financial situation worsened and he fell into poverty. Muhammad made the announcement that he had obtained divine revelations while Ali R.A. was between the ages of nine and eleven years old. He was one of the first people to believe in Muhammad and to publicly announce his faith in Islam.
During the years 610 to 622, Muhammad spread the message of Islam in Mecca. During this time, Hazrat Ali R.A cared for the requirements of the local Islamic community in Mecca, particularly the needs of the poor. He was the only nephew to respond positively to Muhammad’s request for assistance, and as a result, Muhammad appointed him as his brother, his trustee, and his successor. This occurred approximately three years after the initial revelation and after Muhammad received the verse. At this time, Muhammad gathered his family members for a feast, decided to invite them to Islam, and asked for their support.
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After Converting to Islam
When Hazrat Ali R.A. moved to Medina, he was perhaps 22 or 23 years old at the time. Shortly upon his arrival, Muhammad shared with Ali that he had been commanded by God to marry his daughter Fatimah off to Hazrat Ali. Hazrat Ali R.A. was overjoyed to hear this news. the marriage between the greatest saintly figures surrounding the Prophet. He did not marry another woman while Fimah was still alive. Because the Prophet went to see his daughter almost every day, their relationship grew even stronger, and at one point, the Prophet said to him, “You are my brother in both this world and the hereafter.” After Faimah passed away, Ali R.A. began a new family by marrying other women and having a large number of children with them.
The Successor of the Hazrat Usman R.A
Before his death in 634 CE, Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A nominated him as his successor. Because of his rigid and dictatorial personality, he was unpopular among Medina’s notable members. Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A was well aware of his strength and potential to succeed him. His was one of the easiest power transitions from one ruler to another in Muslim nations, for which he named Hazrat Umar R.A as his successor. He directed Umar through his will to pursue the victories on the Iraqi and Syrian fronts.
Reign (656 – 661)
Following Uthman’s death, Hazrat Ali R.A. was chosen to succeed him as Caliph. This election took place about the same time that the first Muslim civil wars broke out. He had to contend with two distinct opposing forces, but Muhammad’s brother, Hazrat Ali R.A., went on to become a model of piety and an uncorrupted form of Islam, in addition to the chivalry that existed in Arabia before Islam.
Military Contribution
Hazrat Ali R.A. was also heavily active in the military defence of the Islamic community. In Islamic history, the term “ghazwa” refers to a string of assaults that the Quraysh tribe launched in an effort to wipe off the inhabitants of Medina. He took part in all of these fights, with the exception of one, and he led his troops to victory at the battles of Fadak in 628 and Al-Yamn in 632. Additionally, he was tasked with the unique responsibility of guarding Muhammad throughout the battles of Uud in the year 625. During the Battle of Khaybar in 629, against a group of Medinese Jews who had barricaded themselves in a fort after having reached an agreement with the Muslims and then broken their word.
First Written Version of the Quran
In 630, Hazrat Ali R.A. read a verse from the Quran to a huge assemblage of pilgrims in Mecca. Muhammad and the Islamic community are no longer bound by polytheist agreements. Hazrat Ali R.A. was sent to Yemen a year later to spread Islamic teachings. The Prophet also chose him to be one of the scribes who would record the Qur’an, which Muhammad had received over 20 years. Among all of his contributions to Islam, the creation of the first written version of the Qur’an is widely regarded as the most significant of his accomplishments
New Islamic Order
Hazrat Ali R.A. helped construct the Islamic order when Islam swept through Arabia. He was told to write out the Hudaybiyyah peace contract in 628. When Muhammad eventually captured Makkah in 630, he begged Hazrat Ali R.A. to guarantee a peaceful victory. This was accomplished by the Makkahs’ submission and Muhammad’s decree banning the triumphant Muslims from exacting vengeance on the Makkah people, which he assured was followed. He ordered Ali R.A. to destroy all the statues in the Kaaba and cleanse the sanctuary after the pre-Islamic pantheism, which Muslims call al-jahiliyyah (“the age of ignorance”). Ali R.A. also settled disputes and put down tribe riots.
Hazrat Ali R.A Assasination
On January 26, 661, a Kharijite by the name of Abd al-Rahman ibn Amr ibn Muljam al-Muradi killed Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib R.A., the fourth Rashidun Caliph and the first Shia Imam. The assassination took place at the Great Mosque of Kufa, which is located in what is now the country of Iraq. Hazrat Ali R.A. succumbed to his injuries and passed away two days after Abd al-Rahman smote him over the head with a poison-coated sword. At the moment of his passing on the 21st (or 19th) of Ramadan 40 AH, which was the same date as the 28th of January 661, he was either 62 or 63 years old.
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