There is no doubt among us that after our dear Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP), our twelve imams (AS) are the most important figures of our religion. Therefore, today we wish to learn more about Imam Ali (AS) , the first male convert of the religion, his birth, and conditions surrounding it.

The faithless say, ‘You have not been sent [by Allah].’ Say, ‘Allah suffices as a witness between me and you, and He who possesses the knowledge of the Book.’ The Holy Quran 13:43

And among the people is he who sells his soul, seeking the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is most kind to [His] servants. The Holy Quran 2:207

If the two of you repent to Allah... for your hearts have certainly swerved, and if you back each other against him, then [know that] Allah is indeed his guardian, and his supporters are Gabriel, the righteous among the faithful, and thereafter the angels... The Holy Quran 66:4

If we seek the true meaning of these three verses from our holy book, they all point towards Ali (AS) as their primary focus, guiding us to some aspects of his life. Our dear Imam has been implicitly described by The Quran multiple times, highlighting his great importance in our religion.  

No one can fully describe the contributions of Imam Ali (AS) to his religion and the people. If anyone dares to do so, they can only convey a fraction of his significance - like a drop in the sea. With that said, we are about to discuss the first question that may come to our mind: how was our first Imam born?

Birth of the son of Kaaba,Imam Ali b. Abi Talib

Thirty years after the “year of the elephant” (*) occurrence, specifically on the 13th of Rajab (March 8th), Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP) was 30 years old. This was a decade before our dear The Prophet (PBUH&HP) received the initial revelation from the angel Gabriel and 23 years prior to the great migration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina.

At this juncture, our dear Imam's pregnant mother, Fatima Daughter of Asad, was praying at Kaaba. She experienced intense labor pains, leading her to seek refuge at the Kaaba from the pain.

Remarkably, the wall of Kaaba moved apart, providing shelter for her three whole days. After these days, she came out of Kaaba with her precious son, our first Imam, Ali b. Abi Talib (AS). Imam’s birth was an exceptional honor bestowed upon Islamic nation, and the extraordinary events –  the walls moving, his mother’s presence in the holy site of Islam, and his unique birth in the Kaaba - all signified the greatness of the son of the Kaaba.

Fatima Daughter of Asad was the second woman to convert to Islam (after Prophet’s wife, Khadija (SA)). She had the privilege of taking care of the Prophet (PBUH&HP) from the age of eight until his youth in the house of Abu-Talib. Their relationship was so close that Prophet (PBUH&HP) referred to her as “mother,” establishing the early bond that linked the Prophet (PBUH&HP) and Imam Ali (AS) as brothers.

Shia point of view regarding the Imam Ali’s birth

1. Sheikh Mofid (died in 413th AH): our first Imam, Ali b. Abi Talib (AS), was born on Friday the 13th of Rajab, thirty years after the Year of the Elephant in Mecca. No one ever had been born in the Kaaba before or after him. His birth was the great honor, showcasing his distinction over other men of his age.

2. Allamah Al-Hilli (died in 726th AH): Imam Ali (PBUH) was born on Friday the 13th of Rajab and thirty years after the Year of the Elephant. No one before or after him was born in the Kaaba during that time. The Prophet (PBUH&HP) was thirty years old back then.

Sunni point of view regarding the Imam’s birth

Many Sunni scholars believe that the Imam’s birth took place in the Kaaba. Some even hold the view that occurrence was exclusively for the Imam. A few of the scholars’ perspectives are as follows:

1. Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri (died in 658th lunar year): Numerous consecutive narrations indicate that Fatima bt. Asad gave birth to Ali b. Abi Talib in the Kaaba.

2. Sibt ibn al-Jawzi Hanafi (died in 654th lunar year): It has been narrated that when Fatima bt. Asad was pregnant and performing Tawaf around the Kaaba, she experienced intense labor pain. She sought refuge in the Kaaba, and suddenly, the Kaaba’s door opened for her, so she entered and gave birth to her child.

Poetry about the Imam’s birth

Syed Ismail Himayari (died in 173rd AH) was one of the greatest poets of Arabic literature. He composed a poem about this unique birth:

His mother bore him in the God’s safe site; God’s house and masque was his birth place
He was pure and noble; his mother, his child, and his birthplace too

On one of the darkest nights, he appeared with celestial purity

No child, except for Amine’s child, is honored like him.

References:

1.  Kitab al-Kafi (first Volume – page 452)
2. Kitab al-Irshad (first Volume – page 5)
3.  I'lam al-Wara bi A'lam al-Huda (first Volume – page 306)
4.  Bihar al-Anwar (35th Volume – page 182)
5.  Description of Nahj al-Balagha (first Volume – page 6)
6.  Manaqib Ale Abi Talib (third Volume – page 307)
7. Rawżat al-Vaeezin (page 81)

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* In that year, Kaaba invaded by faithless king Abraha and his great elephant army and ironically saved by Allah himself with an army of birds carrying small stones by their pecks that penetrate the elephants body and skull and all of them got killed and Kaaba was saved.
 

There are many verses that mention Jews in the Quran. Quran recounts the story of the Children of Israel (Bani-Israel) who were children of Prophet Jacob (also known as Israel) and were waiting for a savior for many years. Prophet Moses (PBUH) was sent to them and rescued them from Pharaoh.

“[Remember] when We delivered you from Pharaoh’s clan who inflicted a terrible torment on you… And when We parted the sea with you, and We delivered you and drowned Pharaoh’s clan as you looked on” (2: 49 -50).

Allah mentions this blessing as a great gift for Jews in the Quran (Bani-Israel) and warns them not to forget God’s blessings:

“O Children of Israel! We delivered you from your enemy, and We appointed with you a tryst on the right side of the Mount … but do not overstep the bounds therein, so My anger should descend on you…” (20: 80- 1).

 Now, let’s see what happens to them after they pass the sea by Moses’ miracle.

The Israelites crossing of the Red Sea, Second Half of the 19th cen. Found in the collection of the State Museum of History, Architecture and Art, Rybinsk.

The appointment of Moses by God and Worshipping the Calf

“He (God) said, ‘O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My speech. So take what I give you, and be among the grateful.” (7: 142) In this appointment, Moses was given the book which was “advice concerning all things and an elaboration of all things” (7: 145).

Moses had told his people that he would be going for a task for thirty days, but he came back after forty days. Ten days’ delay weakened Children of Israel’s (Bani-Israel) faith, and in Moses’ absence, they started to worship a calf made from their jewels. [1]

“The people of Moses took up in his absence a calf [cast] from their ornaments; a body that gave out a lowing sound.” (7: 148) However, when Moses returned and guided them again and they “realized they had gone astray, they said, ‘Should our Lord have no mercy on us, and forgive us, we will be surely among the losers’” (7: 149).

Bani-Israel’s ludicrous objections

One of the most important points that have repeatedly been narrated about the Jews in Quran is the complaints that they used to make. In different orders that were given to them by Moses, Jews in the Quran kept questioning and complaining in different situations, some of which are as follows:

Asking to see God

After spending forty nights in seclusion and dedicated worship, Moses was given the Tablets in which there were guidance and mercy for the believers. One might expect that Prophet Moses’ companions were ecstatic to witness the unique historical moments of the revelation of the Torah. However, instead, they said, “O Moses, we will not believe [that] you [received the Tablets] unless we see Allah visibly” (2:55).

Naturally, Moses tried to convince the Children of Israel about the impossibility of seeing God visually. However, they insisted on that irrational demand and consequently, they were seized by a thunderbolt [2].

Asking for specific foods

After the Israelites left the sea and started to march towards the promised land, Allah out of His mercy protected them from the blistering heat of the sun by sending clouds to move over their head, provided water for them from the miraculous stone, and sent the Mann and Salwa for them as food.

However, they complained to Moses that they no longer could put up with one kind of food. They asked him to call upon his Lord to make the barren land of Sinai produce edible vegetables such as green herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions.

Moses asked them which one would be better, to live free with honor and have one type of food or to live as slaves at the price of enjoying food variety?

“And when you said, ‘O Moses, ‘We will not put up with one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us, so that He may bring forth for us of that which the earth grows—its greens and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and onions.’ He said, ‘Do you seek to replace what is superior with that which is inferior? Go down to any town, and you will indeed get what you ask for!’ So they were struck with abasement and poverty, and they earned Allah’s wrath. That, because they would deny the signs of Allah and kill the prophets unjustly. That, because they would disobey and commit transgressions” (2: 62).

Moses draws water from the Rock  by Francois Perrier

Mocking the rituals

After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Children of Israel eventually defeated the Amalekites under the leadership of Joshua and entered Jericho.

To thank this victory, Allah directed the Children of Israel to implore for divine forgiveness by entering with humbleness and by saying the word “hittatun.”  The word “hittatun” was a plea for divine forgiveness. In return, Allah promised to accept their prayers out of His mercy and increase the rewards of the righteous. However, most of them refused to utter the word “hittatun” properly and instead changed it to “hintattun” which meant give us wheat. They were so materialized in their mindset that they were ready to exchange the mercy of God with a handful of wheat grains [i].

Slaughtering a cow

A mysterious murder happened among the Jews in the Quran. The murderer accused an innocent man and because the murdered person was his uncle he made a huge fitna over it.
The Israelites kept guessing who might be the killer. In a short time, the guessing became rumors, rumors became accusations, and those accusations led to serious dispute and hostility.

The elders came to Prophet Moses and asked him to resolve the case. Moses implored for God’s help. Honouring his request, Allah instructed him to ask the Children of Israel to slaughter a cow and strike a part of its body (the tongue) with the corpse of the murdered man. In this way, Allah would reveal the murderer’s identity.

“And when Moses said to his people, ‘Allah commands you to slaughter a cow,’ they said, ‘Are you mocking us?’ He said, ‘I seek Allah’s protection lest I should be one of the ignorant!’” (2: 67)

However, the Israelites started to ask ludicrous questions about the qualities of the cow they were supposed to slaughter to the extent that in the end, they barely found one cow with the exact attributes.  

Their hearts became hard

They kept making so many complaints, and most of them forgot their hard days and the blessings that God had sent down to them, as a result of which their hearts hardened “so they (their hearts) are like stones, or even harder...” (2: 74).

Therefore, many years after Prophet Moses had passed away, Jews started to use religion as a tool to gain power by deceiving ignorant people under the mask of religion. They did it using many ways, most importantly by distorting the words of God: “a part of them would hear the word of Allah and then they would distort it after they had understood it, and they knew [what they were doing]?” (2: 75)

They also started writing new books in the name of God’s book, in which they brought into the religion of Moses what they wished: “So woe to them who write the Book with their hands and then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ that they may sell it for a paltry gain. So woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn!” (2: 79)

Jewish racism at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)

The huge amount of blessings and miracles that God gave exclusively to Bani-Israel made them believe that they are the higher race. Jews in the Quran were told in their book that the last prophet would be born in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, some of them migrated to that land to wait for him.

“Those who follow the Apostle, the untaught prophet, whose mention they find written with them in the Torah and the Evangel… they are the felicitous” (7: 157).

But when they saw that the last prophet was an Arab, they denied him. This racism existed among them from a long time ago and is remaining. They consider themselves as the superior race, “And they say, ‘The Fire shall not touch us except for a number of days.’ Say, ‘Have you taken a promise from Allah? If so, Allah will never break His promise. Do you ascribe to Allah what you do not know?’” (2: 80) “And they say, ‘No one will enter paradise except one who is a Jew or Christian.’ Those are their [false] hopes! Say, ‘Produce your evidence, should you be truthful’” (2: 111).

As they denied the last prophet out of ignorance and racist beliefs, God invited them to a challenge: “Say, ‘If the abode of the Hereafter was exclusively for you with Allah, and not for other people, then long for death, should you be truthful’” (2: 94).

Virtuous Jews in the Quran

Although the huge amount of racism among some of the Jews in the Quran is mentioned and is also observable these days worldwide, Allah excludes the real followers of Prophet Moses (PBUH) and emphasizes that “Among the people of Moses is a nation who guide [the people] by the truth and do justice thereby” (7: 159).

God would like the real Jews in the Quran who were not amongst the distorters of the book to know that their honest belief in God, His prophet, and the hereafter is accepted: “As for those who hold fast to the Book and maintain the prayer—indeed, We do not waste the reward of those who bring about reform” (7: 170).

In the next part of the article, we will see what happened to the religion of Moses (PBUH) that these days we face huge crimes and massacres in the name of Judaism. Is that Judaism or are a group of people, using the name of Judaism, trying to gain power using people’s purity and faithfulness? 

Notes:
[i] “And when We said, ‘Enter this town, and eat thereof freely whatever you wish, and enter while prostrating at the gate, and say, ‘‘Relieve [us of the burden of our sins],’’ so that We may forgive your iniquities and We will soon enhance the virtuous.’ But the wrongdoers changed the saying to other than what they were told. So We sent down on those who were wrongdoers a plague from the sky because of the transgressions they used to commit” (2: 58 -9).

References:

1. The Quran, Taha (20), 83-87
2. The Quran, Al-Baqarah (2), 55