Abū Turāb () or ''Father of Dust'', is a title attributed to
Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Muslim
Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
, who is seen by twelver Imamiyah
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
as the first of their 12 Imams. According to authentic narrations the title "Abu Turab"
Kunya (Arabic)
A ''kunya'' ( ar, كُنية) is a teknonym in Arabic names, the name of an adult usually derived from their oldest child. A kunya is a component of an Arabic name, a type of epithet, in theory referring to the bearer's first-born son or daughte ...
was given to Ali ibn Abi Talib by Prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
, when he found Ali sleeping while covered with dust.
The narration is present in Sahih Muslim Vol. 1.
Ali bin Abi Talib was sleeping in a Mosque (Masjid) and his clothing was covered with dust, then Prophet Muhammad entered the Mosque and saw Ali lying asleep, and the Prophet said twice, "Get up, Abu Turab." The title "Abu Turab" recalls this moment.
Abu Turab means "Father of Soil/Dust". There is a verse in Quran that says,' Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish that I were dust!" '
According to Vaglieri this title might have been given to him by his enemies, and fictitious narrations have emerged in the following centuries to give this title an honorable appearance.
The earliest non-islamic source where this nickname for ʿAli b. Abī Ṭālib appears is in George of Reshʿaina in 680 AD.
[Robert Hoyland, Seeing Islam as Others Saw it, pg. 141]
References
Works cited
*{{EI2 , last=Vaglieri , first=L. Veccia , authorlink=Laura Veccia Vaglieri , title=ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib , volume=1 , pages=381–386
See also
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Ali
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Ali in Muslim culture
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Shia view of Ali
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Sunni view of Ali
Arabic words and phrases
Ali