At a glance
His family- Dates
- c. 600 CE to 40 AH (661 CE)
- Who
- Cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet ﷺ, one of the first to believe, the fourth caliph
- Stages
- The Hijrah, and Treaty & Victory
ProfileAli ibn Abi Talib
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was the son of Abu Talib and grew up in the household of the Prophet ﷺ, who took him in when his uncle's family was struggling. He was still a boy when the message came, and he was among the very first to accept it.
His best-known moment in Makkah comes on the night of the Hijrah. Quraysh men were waiting outside the Prophet's ﷺ house. Ali lay down in the Prophet's ﷺ bed so that anyone watching would believe he was still inside. In the morning he returned to their owners the goods that people had left with the Prophet ﷺ for safekeeping, and only then followed to Madinah. He married Fatimah, and he fought at Badr and Uhud. At Khaybar, the Prophet ﷺ handed him the banner on the day the fortress fell.
Ali became caliph in 35 AH, in a time of painful division among the Muslims. He was struck down while leading the dawn prayer in Kufah and died in 40 AH. He was known for his courage, his knowledge and his judgment.
Meet them inWhere they appear in the seerah
SourcesSources for this profile
The books, lectures and maps behind this page are listed on our Sources page.