Roshd Islamic Shia Website : Ocassion Letters 2009/07/06
Birthday of Imam Ali - Amir al-Mu'minin (PBUH) : Got a Sun at Home 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Got a Sun at Home

“O My merciful God, I have faith in You and Your Prophet, and all Your prophets, and in all that You have descended from the Book; and I have faith in the religion of my great ancestor, Ibrahim Khalil (friend of Allah), the founder of the ancient House (Ka’aba) …”

Abbas Ibn Abd al-Mutallib says, “We were sitting with others next to the House of Allah (SWT), then suddenly Fatimah bint Assad the son of Hashim, who was in her last days of pregnancy, entered the Mosque. While having the pain of pregnancy, she stood against the House of Allah, and said, ‘(O Allah) I ask you, by the right of this House and its founder, and by the right of this child in my womb… to make this childbirth convenient for me.’

When Fatimah bint Assad said these words, in front of our eyes, a split opened from the backside of the Ka’aba, then Fatimah entered it, and disappeared from our sight, then the split closed. We tried to open the House of Allah, and send some of our women to her; we tried hard, but the door did not open, and we realized that it was the decisive Divine will of Allah (SWT). Fatimah spent three days in the House of Allah (SWT); her story was being retold; people talked about it in the streets and markets, and the women told each other about it in their houses. After three days, the wall of the Ka’aba split again, and Fatimah bint Assad exited from it while she had Ali (PBUH) in her arms.” (1)       

One of the countless virtues, which is exclusive to Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH) and is not shared by anyone from the first to the last, is his birth in the House of Ka’aba. The account of the birth of Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH) in the Ka’aba has been narrated in various narrations, historical books of Shiite and Sunni scholars. Now we want to look at the testimony of some great scholars on the fact that the birth of the sun of Imamate in Ka’aba is a frequent (Mutawatir)(2) Hadith.

The great narrator, Hakem Neishaboori (3), in his famous book “Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain” has narrated a narration from Mus’ab bin Abdullah that attributes being born in Ka’aba to Hakim bin Hazam. Then he states, “There is no doubt Mus’ab has made a great mistake; because there are frequent narrations that Fatimah bint Assad gave birth to Amir al-Mu’minin Ali Ibn Abitalib (PBUH) in Ka’aba.” (4)

Alousi, the prominent Sunni interpreter and narrator writes, “The birth of Amir al-Mu’ninin (PBUH) in the Ka’aba is well-known in the world, and has been narrated by both sects (Shiite and Sunni), and no one else has been proved to have such virtue. Yes, what a justly merit that the leader of the leaders to be born in a place which is the Qiblah of the believers. Thanks to God Who places everything in its just place that He is the most supreme arbitrator.” (5)

The great historian, Mas’udi (6), in his valuable book “Moruj al-Dhahab” (7), when comes to issue of the Caliphate of Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH) takes this issue as a fact, and clearly says, “The birth of his majesty is surely taken place in Ka’aba.”(8)

Other great figures such as Khawarazmi and Dhahabi, as well, have stated this fact, and have approved it. (9)  

Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH), has broken the boundaries of opinion, and has attracted the tending hearts from the followers of different religions and sects, and has made them fall in love. The number of his lovers among the Christians is more than others. Now, we come to point to some stipulations made by the Christian scholars about the birth of Imam Ali (PBUH) in the Ka’aba:     

The contemporary Christian writer, Rox bin Zayed Azizi, in his valuable book “Al-Imam Ali Assad al-Islam wa Qiddisah” writes on this matter, “The birth of Imam Ali (PBUH) … has taken place in the Great Mecca, and inside the Bayt Allah al-Haram.” (10)

The famous orientalist, Dr. Donaldson Dwight, the instructor of theology and philosophy, writes in his book “Aghidat al-Shia”, “The true commander of believers, Ali (PBUH) ...was born on Friday morning inside the Ka’aba…” (11)

Finally, George Saj’an Jordagh, the Christian writer, points to the birth of Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH) inside the Ka’aba, in his valuable book “Al-Imam Ali Sout al-Idalat al-Insaniah” (12) 

Any researcher who researches the books of history and narrations, will come to certainty that the birth of the master of the pious, Ali Ibn Abitalib (PBUH) inside the Ka’aba is a historical fact, and all narrators have a common stance on that; the hearts of historians with different attitudes are sure and admitting on this subject; because no just researcher can make a doubt on its evidence, or to have suspicion on it; inevitably, they confess to its validity, and approve its frequently narrated and referenced evidence; counts as nothing, and throws away the awkward utter of some bad taste loners who have doubted this fact; this is an everlasting virtue, which the history will remember forever.      

(The above is a selection taken from “Born in Ka’aba (13), by Late Allamah Muhammad Ali Ordubaadi)

The Roshd Website congratulates, upon the 13th day of Rajab, the birthday anniversary of the unique Imam, Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH), Imam Ali ibn Abitalib (PBUH) in Ka’aba to all his friends and followers, especially you dear friend.

Roshd Islamic Shia Website

Footnotes:

1. Amaali Sheikh Tusi, p. 80

2. According to the science of Hadith, Mutawatir (frequent) is a narration that because of the many times and different ways it has been narrated is considered away from error and doubt. (Tahaanawi, Rules in the Science of Hadith, pp. 32-33)

3. Hafez Abu Abdullah, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, known as Hakem Neishaboori (405 AH), is a precious personality who is trusted and cited by the great scholars of the Sunnis, and his valuable writings are proof to his talent. Therefore his admission that this narration is frequent is very noteworthy.

4. Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain, vol. 3, p. 483 and vol. 14, p. 90

5. Shahab al-Din Abu al-Thana, Seyyed Muhammad Alousi, the writer of the Alousi interpretation, has a thorough account on the book of Einieh of Abd al-Baqi Afandi Amri. Alousi writes these points on the description of a poem in this book. Sharh Einieh, p. 15

6. Ab al-Hassan Ali Ibn Hussain Mas’udi (born on 345 or 333), is accepted by both Shiite and Sunni researchers for more than a thousand years.

7. This book is one of the most reliable historic books, which all Muslims trust.

8. Moruj al-Dhahab, vol. 2, p. 2

9. Manaqib Khawarazmi, p. 227; Dhahabi in Talkhis al-Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 483

10. Al-Imam Ali Assad al-Islam wa Qiddisah, p. 25

11. Aghidat al-Shia, the Arabic translation, p. 34

12. Al-Imam Ali Sout al-Idalat al-Insaniah, vol. 1, p. 32

13. The above is selected from the Persian version of the book which is translated by Isa Ahari and the research is accomplished by Ali Akbar Mahdi Pour.