Ali ibn Abi Talib

Son of Abu Talib, Ali was taken into the Prophet's care as a boy. He believed while still a child and never worshipped an idol, growing up in the very heart of the Message.

On the night the Prophet ﷺ left Makkah, Ali slept in his bed to mislead the plotters, then stayed behind to return the trusts people had left with the Prophet — a mark of complete trust.

In Madinah he married Fatimah al-Zahra, the Prophet's daughter. Their sons Hasan and Husayn were beloved of the Prophet ﷺ, and through them descends much of his lineage.

He bore the banner at Khaybar, of whom the Prophet ﷺ said he loved God and His Messenger and was loved by them. At Tabuk the Prophet ﷺ told him he was to him as Harun was to Musa — save that there is no prophet after him.

He became Caliph amid great turmoil, facing the Battle of the Camel, Siffin, and the emergence of the Kharijites. These conflicts are recounted here neutrally, without sectarian polemic — a time of trial for the whole community.

He was assassinated by a Kharijite in Kufa in 661 CE. Remembered as the 'gate of the city of knowledge', his sayings and rulings shaped Islamic jurisprudence, ethics and eloquence for generations.