Masjid Ali Murtada (R.A)

The Blessed Birth of Ali Al-Murtada
BY: Syed Hyder Quadri

Hadrat Ali was the son of Abu Talib , a prominent Quraish chief and custodian of the Holy Ka'bah. Abu Talib was so-called because he was the father of "Talib," the eldest brother of Hadrat Ali . The real name of Abu Talib was 'Abd Manaf.' However, he was more popularly known by his surname than by his real name. Abu Talib was the son of Abdul Muttalib . Abdul Muttalib was also a surname, his real name being Shaybah. Abdul Muttalib was the son of Hashim. Hashim was a great man of his line, and his descendants came to be known as Hashimites. His mother was Fatima . She was the daughter of Asad who was a son of Hashim . Fatima was a cousin of Abu Talib . Thus, both the father and mother of Hadrat Ali were Hashimites, and that was a great honour.
Ancestry: 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. Hadrat Ali was the first cousin of the holy Prophet . The holy Prophet and Hadrat Ali had a common grandfather who was Abdul Muttalib . The ancestry extended to Hadrat Ismail, and Hadrat Ibrahim, who flourished some 2,500 years earlier.
Birth: Hadrat Ali 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 Hadrat Ali would have to be placed around 599 or 600 CE. In any case, Hadrat Ali was at the junction of two centuries, the sixth and the seventh. Birth of Hadrat Ali Hadrat Ali was born in unusual circumstances. On the 13th day of the holy month of Rajab, Fatima , the mother of Hadrat Ali , visited the Ka'bah to perform the pilgrimage. During the course of the pilgrimage and while circumambulating the Ka'bah, Fatima felt the pangs of childbirth. She retired to a secluded place in the precincts of the holy Ka'bah, and there he was born. Having a unique honour to be born in the House of God. This unparalleled honour had endowed him with a halo of sanctity that has become the subject of many legends. A hundred years later, Zain-ul-Abidin , his grandson, met an Arab woman at Najaf who told him that her grandmother had helped Fatima on the occasion of Hadrat Ali'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 Hadrat Ali 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). Thus he 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 .
Sayings of Syedna Ali His Last Will and Testament His last will to his sons Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain following a fatal blow on his head during morning prayers by Ibn Muljim (A Kharijite):
My advice to you is to be conscious of Allah and steadfast in your religion. Do not yearn for the world, and do not be seduced by it. Do not resent anything you have missed in it. Proclaim the truth; work for the next world. Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.
I advise you, and all my children, my relatives, and whosoever receives this message, to be conscious of Allah, to remove your differences, and to strengthen your ties. I heard your grandfather say: "Reconciliation of your differences is more worthy than all prayers and all fasting."
Fear Allah in matters concerning orphans. Attend to their nutrition and do not forget their interests in the middle of yours.
Fear Allah in your relations with your neighbors. Your Prophet often recommended them to you, so much so that we thought he would give them a share in inheritance.
Remain attached to the Quran. Nobody should surpass you in being intent on it, or more sincere in implementing it.
Fear Allah in relation to your prayers. It is the pillar of your religion.
Fear Allah in relation to His House; do not abandon it as long as you live. If you should do that you would abandon your dignity.
Persist in jihad in the cause of Allah, with your money, your souls, and your tongue.
Maintain communication and exchange of opinion among yourselves. Beware of disunity and enmity. Do not desist from promoting good deeds and cautioning against bad ones. Should you do that, the worst among you would be your leaders, and you will call upon Allah without response.
O Children of Abdul Muttalib! Do not shed the blood of Muslims under the banner: The Imam has been assassinated! Only the assassin should be condemned to death.
If I die of this stroke of his, kill him with one similar stroke. Do not mutilate him! I have heard the Prophet , ay: "Mutilate not even a rabid dog."
In the 40th year of Hijri, in the early hours of the morning of 17th Ramadhan, Our Master was struck with a poisoned sword by the Kharijite Ibn Muljim while leading prayers in the Masjid of Kufa. He was martyred on the 21st day of Ramadhan 40 A.H. His burial site is still unknown He was born in the House of Allah, the Ka'ba, and martyred in the House of Allah, Masjid-e-Kufa. The Lion of Allah, the most brave and gentle Muslim after the Holy Prophet himself, began his glorious life with devotion to Allah and His Messenger , and ended it in the service of Islam.
"And do not speak of those who are slain in the the Way of Allah as dead; nay, they are alive, but you perceive not." Qur'an 2:154