In the midst of our discussion about the men of the Qur'an, two figures were mentioned: Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Nafi' ibn Abi Nu'aym as his student. Today, we will discuss a central figure among the men of the Qur'an, one of the seven early authorities in the recitations, the noble companion Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).
First: His Lineage and Conversion to Islam:
He is Ali ibn Abi Talib (Abd Manaf) ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), sharing the same grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim. His father, Abu Talib, was the brother of Abdullah, the Prophet's father. His mother named him "Asad" on the day of his birth. His title was "Abu al-Hasan," named after his eldest son, al-Hasan. He was also known as "Abu Turab," a nickname given by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which delighted him when addressed by it. (1)
During a severe famine that affected the people of Mecca, Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle, was struggling. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) suggested to his uncle al-Abbas to take some of Abu Talib’s children to relieve his burden. Al-Abbas took Ja'far, and the Prophet took Ali into his care.
Ali grew up under the care of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), accompanying him in his journeys and learning from his character. This early upbringing left a lasting impact on Ali, seen in his intellectual brilliance and freedom of thought.
Ibn Ishaq narrates that Ali witnessed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Khadijah praying and inquired: "What is this, O Muhammad?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "It is the religion of Allah that He has chosen for Himself. I invite you to Allah alone and to reject al-Lat and al-Uzza." Ali, being a young boy, hesitated, saying: "This is something I have never heard of before. I need to consult with Abu Talib first." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) urged: "O Ali, if you do not accept Islam, keep it a secret."
Ali spent the night pondering, and the next morning he returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), asking: "What did you invite me to, O Muhammad?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reiterated the invitation, and Ali accepted Islam, visiting him secretly thereafter out of fear of Abu Talib’s reaction. (2)
Second: His Role in Hijrah and Sacrificing Himself for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The Quraysh conspired to assassinate the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah informed him of their plot, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) decided to leave someone in his bed to mislead the Quraysh into thinking he had not left. The one to take on this dangerous task had to be brave, willing to sacrifice himself. Ali accepted the task.
It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Sleep in my bed and cover yourself with this green cloak of mine, for nothing you dislike will reach you from them.” Ali lay down in the Prophet’s bed, concealing him, and the Quraysh gathered and plotted, debating who would attack the one lying in the bed and bind him. When morning came, they discovered it was Ali, and when questioned, he said, “I have no knowledge.” They realized then that Muhammad had escaped. Ibn Abbas narrated: “Ali had sacrificed himself that night by wearing the Prophet’s garment and sleeping in his place.” About Ali and his fellow striving companions who sought Allah’s pleasure and the Hereafter, Allah’s words were revealed: "And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants." (Al-Baqarah: 207) (3)
Third: His Knowledge and Relationship with the Qur'an (4):
Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was among the most knowledgeable of the Companions. He once said about compiling the Quran, “I swore by Allah that I would not put on my cloak except for prayer until I had gathered the Quran.” He also said, “My eyes did not sleep, nor did my head rest, during the Prophet’s ﷺ life until I knew what was revealed by Gabriel that day, whether it was lawful or a Sunnah, or a scripture, or a command or prohibition, and upon whom it was revealed.”
He directly received teachings from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but when he received a hadith from others, he was extremely cautious in accepting it, fearing that a false statement might be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. Ibn Abbas said, “If we received confirmation from Ali, we would not favor anyone else.” (5) Ali would say: "Allah has taken a covenant from the knowledgeable to teach those who are ignorant." (6)
Ali lived a life immersed in the Quran: reciting, memorizing, understanding, and acting upon it. He had extensive knowledge of the Quran and its sciences, and his methodology for deriving rulings from the Quran was based on the following principles (7):
1. Literal Interpretation: when no contextual evidence required otherwise. For example, he would perform ablution before each prayer based on the verse: "O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles." (Al-Ma'idah: 6)
2. Restricting the General with the Specific: He limited the punishment of hand amputation for habitual theft based on the verse regarding banditry, which refers to cutting off from opposite sides, as in: "...from opposite sides." (Al-Ma'idah: 33) He would say: "I am ashamed to leave a person without a hand to eat with or to clean himself."
3. Interpreting One Text with Another: For instance, regarding the verse: "Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer." (Al-Baqarah: 238) Ali identified the middle prayer as the Asr prayer, based on the Prophet’s words during the Battle of the Trench: "They distracted us from the middle prayer, the Asr prayer. May Allah fill their homes and graves with fire."
4. Understanding Based on Arabic Language: Ali interpreted the verse: "...or you have touched women..." (Al-Ma'idah: 6) as referring to intercourse, explaining that Allah used a euphemism. Additionally, he interpreted the term "touch" in the verse: "And if you divorce them before you have touched them, and you have already specified for them an obligation" (Al-Baqarah: 237) as referring to privacy (khalwah). Therefore, he ruled that the dowry becomes obligatory by seclusion.
5. Reconciling Conflicting Verses: He ruled that the waiting period for a pregnant widow should be the longer of the two durations mentioned in the verses: "And for those who are pregnant—their term is until they give birth." (At-Talaq: 4), "And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind—they, [the wives], shall wait four months and ten [days]." (Al-Baqarah: 234)
Ali would engage with the Qur'an emotionally. When reciting the verse:
"Is it you who creates it, or are We the Creator?" (Al-Waqi'ah: 59) He would reply, "Indeed, You are the Creator," three times.
Fourth: Statements About Him:
On the authority of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ali: “Are you not satisfied that you are to me as Harun (Aaron) was to Musa (Moses)?” (Agreed upon). And Sahl ibn Sa’d reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tomorrow I will give the flag to somebody who will be given victory (by Allah) and who loves Allah and His Apostle and is loved by Allah and His Apostle." So, the people wondered all that night as to who would receive the flag and in the morning everyone hoped that he would be that person. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, "Where is `Ali?" He was told that `Ali was suffering from eye-trouble, so he applied saliva to his eyes and invoked Allah to cure him. He at once got cured as if he had no ailment. The Prophet (ﷺ) gave him the flag. `Ali said, "Should I fight them till they become like us (i.e. Muslim)?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Go to them patiently and calmly till you enter the land. Then, invite them to Islam, and inform them what is enjoined upon them, for, by Allah, if Allah gives guidance to somebody through you, it is better for you than possessing red camels." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Fifth: His Legal Rulings:
Due to his close companionship with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Ali was often consulted on legal matters. Once, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about wiping over leather socks, and she advised: "Go to Ali, for he knows more than I do." Ali explained: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed us to wipe over the socks for a day and a night for residents, and three days for travelers." (8)
This is but a glimpse of the rich life of knowledge and struggle led by the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. Those wishing for more can refer to the book Ali ibn Abi Talib by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, which offers deeper insights into the life of this second leader among the Imams of the Qur'an.
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(1) Ali ibn Abi Talib by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, p. 20.
(2) Ibid., p. 35.
(3) Ibid., p. 42.
(4) Ibid., p. 206, with adaptation.
(5) Al-Isti'ab, p. 1103.
(6) Fara'id al-Kalam, p. 361.
(7) Nablus Quran Radio Broadcast.
(8) Authentic Chain according to the Commentary on Sahih Muslim.
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