Historians may differ in their narrations about the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), yet they all agree upon one undeniable truth—his pure and noble lineage.
The Imam (peace be upon him) was born from a household of faith, honor, and virtue—a lineage whose purity and nobility have been acknowledged by both friend and foe, by Sunni and Shia alike.
His Noble Ancestry
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) is the son of Abu Talib—also known as Abd Manaf, Imran, or Shaybah—the devoted protector of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his divine mission; son of Abd al-Muttalib (Abu al-Harith Shaybah al-Hamd), son of Hashim, son of Abd Manaf, son of Qusay, son of Kilab, son of Murrah, son of Kab, son of Lu’ay, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr, son of Malik, son of al-Naddar, son of Kinanah, son of Khuzaymah, son of Mudrikah, son of Ilyas, son of Mudar, son of Nizar, son of Mad, son of Adnan—a lineage radiant with purity and divine distinction.
A Lineage Honored by All
It is narrated that Hasan al-Basri said:
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) ascended the pulpit in Basra and said:
“O people, speak of my lineage. Whoever knows it, let him speak; whoever does not, I shall tell him myself.”
Then Ibn al-Kawwa replied, “We know you only as Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Quṣay ibn Kilab.”
The Imam (peace be upon him) then explained:
“My father named me after my ancestor Qusay Zayd. My father’s name is Abd Manaf, but his kunya became better known. The name of Abd al-Muttalib was Amir, Hashim’s was Amr, and Abd Manaf’s was Mughirah—yet their titles prevailed over their names. Qusay’s name was Zayd, and the Arabs called him Mujammi because he gathered the scattered tribes of Quraysh in Makkah.”
His Honorable Mother
His mother was Lady Fatimah bint Asad ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, whose noble lineage joins that of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) through their common ancestor Hashim. She was the first woman of the Hashimite clan to give birth to a Hashimite child, and the second after her was Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).
Lady Fatimah bint Asad was a follower of the pure monotheistic faith before Islam and among the earliest believers after its revelation. She migrated to Madinah with her son, Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
Upon her passing, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) personally clothed her in his blessed garment, laid her in her grave, and taught her the words of monotheism, prophethood, and the guardianship of her son so that she may be protected from the trial of the grave and enter eternal peace.
