The birth of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) inside the Sacred Kaaba is a divine distinction granted to no one before or after him.
This unique honor has been acknowledged not only by Shia scholars but by prominent Sunni authorities across generations.
What follows is a concise selection of statements from renowned Sunni scholars affirming this unparalleled event—an event that stands as one of the most glorious manifestations of the virtues of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).
Early and Classical Sunni Authorities
- Al-Fakihi (d. 275 AH) writes in “Akhbar Makkah” history book:
“The first person ever born in the Kaaba was Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who is from
the clan of Banu Hashim among the Muhajirun.”
- Al-Qaffal al-Shashi al-Shafii (d. 365 AH) in his work Fadail Amir al-Muminin states:
“No one other than Ali (peace be upon him) was born inside the Kaaba.”
- Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi (d. 405 AH), the respected hadith scholar of Ahl al-Sunnah, records in his celebrated Al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn:
“It has been narrated through multiple, mutually corroborating reports that the mother of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, Fatimah bint Asad gave birth to the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah ennoble his face), inside the Kaaba.”
- Al-Allamah al-Basti al-Mutazili (d. 420 AH) writes in Al-Maratib:
“He possessed a distinction unmatched by any other — for he was born in the Sacred House of God.”
- Ibn al-Maghazili al-Maliki (d. 483 AH) confirms the birth of the Imam (peace be upon him) in the Kaaba and narrates the full account in detail.
- Ibn Shuja al-Mawsili al-Shami (d. 646 AH) records in Naim al-Muqim:
“He was born in the exalted Kaaba, and no one besides him has ever been born in that sacred place.”
- Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi al-Hanafi (d. 654 AH) also affirms this in his Tadhkirat al-Khawas:
“Indeed, the Imam was born inside the Kaaba.”
- Al-Allamah al-Juwayni al-Shafiii (d. 730 AH) declares in Faraid al-Simtayn:
“No one other than Ali (peace be upon him) was born within the Kaaba.”
- Al-Dhahabi (d. 848 AH) confirms the authenticity of this report, acknowledging its transmission through the mutawatir narration of Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi.
- Al-Diyar Bakari (d. 982 AH) in his famous historical chronicle Tarikh al-Khamis writes:
“Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) was born inside the Kaaba thirty years after the birth of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).”
Later Sunni Scholars
- ‘Ali Qari al-Hanafi (d. 1014 AH), after mentioning the claim of Hakim ibn Hizam, states:
“None is known to have been born inside the Kaaba except him — meaning the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him).”
- Burhan al-Din al-Halabi al-Shafii (d. 1044 AH) refers twice in his Sirah al-Halabiyyah to the birth of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) within the Kaaba.
- Shah Waliullah Dahlawi al-Hanafi (d. 1176 AH), one of the leading Sunni scholars of the Indian subcontinent, clearly states in Izalat al-Khafa:
“According to sound and well-attested reports, Fatimah bint Asad gave birth to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) inside the Kaaba — an event unparalleled before or after him.”
Al-Alusi’s Testimony
The eminent Sunni scholar Al-Allamah al-Alusi, the renowned Shafii exegete and man of letters, commented on the famous verse by the Hanafi poet ‘Abd al-Baqi al-Umari:
“You are Ali, the one exalted above all heights,
Born within the Sacred House in the heart of Makkah.”
Al-Alusi writes:
“The fact that the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) was born inside the Kaaba is an event famous throughout the world, mentioned in both Sunni and Shia sources alike.
None possesses virtues as manifest and universally acknowledged as his, for he is the Imam of all Imams and the exemplar of every perfection.
Glory be to God, the Wisest of judges, Who placed every matter in its rightful place.”
Additional Sources
This sacred event has also been recorded by:
Ibn al-Fattal in Rawdat al-Waezin,
‘Allamah al-Hilli in Kashf al-Yaqin and Kashf al-Haqq,
and Abu Muhammad al-Daylami in Bisharat al-Mustafa — all unanimously affirming the Imam’s birth in the Kaaba.
Muhammad Salih al-Turmidhi, in al-Manaqib al-Murtadhawiyyah, briefly mentions this event as well.
Furthermore, Shaikh al-Saduq (d. 381 AH) documents it in his works al-Amali, ‘Ilal al-Sharia’, and Ma’ani al-Akhbar.
The distinguished scholar Allamah al-Amini, in his monumental encyclopedia al-Ghadir, compiles and analyzes the statements of Sunni and Shia scholars alike, listing also the poets who have immortalized this miracle in verse.
