In Islamic history,

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

is the second most influential person about whom as much has been written in islamic languages after

Mohammad 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 monoth ...

. Ali is widely revered and honored by Muslims. Almost every Sufi order traces its origin to Muhammad through Ali. One of the first Muslims and foremost

Ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

(Islamic scholars), he was knowledgeable in matters of religious belief and Islamic jurisprudence, as well as in the history of the Muslim community. He was known for his bravery and courage. Muslims honor Muhammad, Ali, and other companions of the prophet and add honorific interjections after their names. Ali's birthday is celebrated on 13th of Rajab by Shia Muslims to remember their first Imam & his death is remembered and mourned from 19th to 21st of Ramadan which is the anniversary of his assassination and martyrdom. The ''

Ziyarat In Islam, ''ziyara(h)'' ( ar, زِيَارَة ''ziyārah'', "visit") or ''ziyarat'' ( fa, , ''ziyārat'', "pilgrimage") is a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants (including the Shī'ī Imā ...

'' of the Tomb of Imam Ali in the Imam Ali Mosque is a usual religious tradition among

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 ...

s and Sufis.

Poems

Sufis have glorified Ali in their works. For example, Rumi says in '' Masnavi'':

The man spat in Ali's pure face, the pride of every saint and
prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
far and wide The moon itself prostrates before this face... "او خدو انداخت در روی علی افتخار هر نبی و هر ولی آن خدو زد بر رخی که روی ماه سجده آرد پیش او در سجده‌گاه" ُSee:Rumi, 2004, p.227

Sufis recite '' Manqabat'' Ali in the praise of Ali (Maula Ali), after ''

Hamd Hamd ( ar, حمد, ḥamd, praise) is a word that exclusively praises God - whether written or spoken. Thus, The word "Hamd" is always followed by the name of God (Allah) - a phrase known as the Tahmid - "al-ḥamdu li-llāh" (Arabic: ) (English ...

'' and '' Na`at'' in their ''

Qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...

''.

Footnotes

External links

Ali ibn Abi Talib
by Ismail K. Poonawala and E. Kohlberg in

Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encyc ...

Ali
article on ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''
Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra) - alislam.org
Ali 600 births 661 deaths 7th-century caliphs 7th-century judges 7th-century rulers in Asia Arab generals Arab politicians Assassinated caliphs Assassinated Shia imams Deified people Family of Muhammad Arab Muslims Deaths by blade weapons Islamic philosophers Writers of the medieval Islamic world People of the First Fitna People from Mecca Rashidun caliphs Sahabah martyrs Sahabah who participated in the battle of Uhud Sahabah who participated in the battle of Badr Shia imams Zaydi imams Twelve Imams {{Islam-stub