Timeline01_Imam_Ali_Upload_AA205-v1_May2020

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Birth of Muhammad

in Makka, to Amina bint

Wahb and Abdullah bin Al-Muttalib on 17th Rabi ul

Awwal Aamul Feel. (8th June 570 CE).

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Birth

He was born to Fatima bint Asad and Abu Talib in the

Ka'ba in Makka. His mother had called him Haydar and Asad, but Muhammad (pbuh) gave him the name Ali.

5 yrs

Muhammad (pbuh) brought him to his house to bring him up as his own child. As Ali

(pbuh) said "I was still a
young child when the Prophet took me from my parents. I used to cling to him. Each day a new aspect of his character would shine out and I would accept it and follow it as a
command."

10 yrs

First Revelation (Be'that).
The first 5 ayaat of Suratul

Alaq (96:1-5) were revealed, proclaiming Prophethood in Ramadhan forty years after Aamul Feel. Ali (pbuh) said: "I am the servant of God and the brother of His Messenger and I am the greatest
believer in his Prophethood... I prayed seven years before the rest of the people."

14 yrs

Dawat Dhul ‘Ashira

On Allah's instructions, as

revealed in Sura (26:214), to "….warn your nearest

relatives” Rasulullah invited forty of his relations where he informed them of his

Prophethood and invited one of them to be his "brother, heir and successor, just as

Harun was to Musa." Only Ali (pbuh) volunteered.

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Following a deafening silence and then ridicule whilst he waited for an elder to come forward, the Prophet

accepted Ali's offer. This was the first occasion when Ali was proclaimed as the
successor to Muhammad.

16-19 yrs

Embargo and boycott of
Banu Hashim

(Prophet's family) by

Quraysh. A boycott signed by 40 chiefs was implemented and hung on the Ka'ba.
Nobody was to trade with, have contact with or marry the families of Hashim & Muttalib. Abu Talib took

them to the valley called Sh'ib Abu Talib which he owned near Mount Hajun.
For three years they lived

there in economical and

social isolation. The youthful

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Ali (pbuh) witnessed the

torture of his parents and

cousin and suffered extreme hunger and thirst in the hot desert sun.

14-20 yrs

Ali was the defender of

Rasulullah (pbuh). The young men of Quraysh under

instigation of their parents threw stones at Rasulullah (pbuh). He was often hurt as he fought against older

youth, but he never stopped being a "bodyguard.”

He earned the nickname of "Qazeem" (the breaker or thrower) and soon nobody dared to throw things at

Muhammad (pbuh) when Ali was with him.

20 yrs

Death of his father Abu Talib Sayyida Khadija diedon 10th Ramadhan three days after Abu Talib's death. Rasulullah

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(pbuh) was so deeply

affected by the loss of his

uncle and wife that he called it "Aamul Huzn or the year of grief."

23 yrs

Hijra

The Quraysh dreaded the

consequences of the new

alliance of Muhammad and the people of Yathrib

(Madina). They planned to kill him. The plan was

revealed to Muhammad

(pbuh) in (8:30) and the Hijra or emigration to Yathrib was recommended. Ali (pbuh)

was directed by his cousin, to lie on the bed in his place

which he agreed to do

without hesitation. Ali

(pbuh) was entrusted to

discharge certain trusts and to then take the women and children to Yathrib. On the

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journey to Yathrib, Allah's

approval of Ali (pbuh) was

revealed in (2:207) "Of
human beings there is one
who sells his soul for the
pleasure of Allah". The mob intent on killing Muhammad (pbuh) gathered around the house and were dismayed

when they found Ali (pbuh) in his bed. After discharging his responsibilities in Makka, Ali (pbuh) journeyed to

Yathrib with the women and children including Fatima

(pbuh) and his mother. They met the Prophet at Quba and entered Yathrib together on Friday 16th Rabi ul Awwal

(1st October 622 CE). In

Madina the Prophet

established brotherhood

between the Ansaar (the

people of Yathrib) and the

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Muhajireen (migrants from Makka). For himself he

established brotherhood with Ali saying "You are my brother in the life of this
world and in the hereafter."

24 yrs

Change of Qibla from
Jerusalem to the Ka'ba

(2:144-145)

It was whilst praying in

Masjidul Qiblatayn (The

masjid with two qiblas)

where Muhammad (pbuh)

was given the order by Allah to change the qibla from

Baytul Muqaddas (Jerusalem) to the Ka’ba in Makka

through the revelation of

(2:144-145). Whilst the

Muslims praying behind him stood bewildered, Ali (pbuh) immediately changed his

direction of prayer with

Muhammad (pbuh).

25 yrs

The Battle of Badr

(3:13,123-125)

The Makkans under Abu Jahl with a 1000 strong army with 100 horses and 700 camels, approached Madina. The

Prophet set out to meet

them outside Madina at
Badr, with 313 of his

followers. It was Ali (pbuh) who led them holding the

banner of Rasulullah (pbuh).
As was common practice

there were duels fought

between the leading warriors on each side, before the

general battle. Hamza,

25 yrs

Marriage to Fatima (pbuh).
Fatima's marriage to Ali

(pbuh) sealed the link

between Nubuwwa and

Imama. After their marriage they lived in a house by the mosque of Quba. Her father

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could not bear the separation from Fatima and he brings

them to live in a house next to his. It's door opens to the mosque, wall to wall, two

windows facing each other, one from the house of Ali & Fatima (pbuh) and the other from the house of

Muhammad (pbuh). Theirs was a simple marriage, Ali

(pbuh) worked as a drawer and carrier of water and she as a grinder of corn. Ali

(pbuh) said: “I never angered Fatima nor asked her to do something she didn’t like up to the day she died. Neither did she anger me nor disobey me. In fact, whenever I

looked at her all depression and sadness lifted from my heart.” “We lived like two

pigeons in a cocoon”

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Ubaydah and Ali (pbuh) were involved in these duels. This was the first engagement of Ali (pbuh) and resulted in him killing about 16-36 (various historians) of the bravest of the Quraysh army.

26 yrs

The Battle of Uhud

(3:128 8:16)

Again Ali (pbuh) and Hamza excelled on the battlefield.
The Makkans fled the

battlefield. The eagerness for the spoils of war turned the tide of victory. It was falsely stated that Muhammad

(pbuh) was killed. On hearing this news the fleeing

Makkans turned back. Most of the Muslims ran away. Ali (pbuh) stayed with Rasulullah (pbuh) who presented him with the sword Zhulfikar.

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Hamza was martyred in this battle.

26 yrs

Birth of Imam Hasan (pbuh) One year and a few months after they were married,

Fatima gave birth to their
first child. He was The

Prophet's first grandchild. He named the child Hasan, as directed by Allah. He read

the Adhan in the infant's

right ear and Iqama in the

left ear, a custom which is

followed to this day. On the 7th day, The Prophet (pbuh) performed the first aqiqa,

when he cut the hair of

Hasan, gave silver in charity to the poor equal to the

weight of the hair and

sacrificed a ram. This has

become traditional since

then.

27 yrs

Birth of Imam Husayn (pbuh) The Prophet was joyous on hearing the news, but was distressed to tears on seeing him. He was aware of the

oppression he would face

and the hardships he would have to endure till his

martyrdom.

27 yrs

Ali's (pbuh) mother Fatima bint Asad died.
She brought up Muhammad (pbuh) like a son from the age of 6 after Abdul

Muttalib's death.
Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"May God bless your noble soul. You were to me like my own mother. You fed me

while you yourself went

hungry. Your aim in doing so was to please God with your deeds." He gave his own

cloak for her shroud, and she

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was given burial in it. He

often said, "I was an orphan and she made me her son.
She was the kindest person to me after Abu Talib." When the grave was made ready, Muhammad (pbuh) lay down in it, and said: "O God! Life and death are in Your hands. You alone will never die.
Bless my mother, Fatima bint Asad, and give her a mansion in Heaven. You are the Most Merciful." When she was

buried, he repeated Allahu Akber 40x and prayed: "O

God! Put her in the Light, and fill her heart with Light."

28 yrs

Battle of Ahzab (Khandaq) (2:214, 33:9)

The Makkans and some of the tribes around Madina who were opposed to the Musims got together and

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formed a coalition (ahzab) of 10,000 soldiers to attack

Madina. A ditch (khandaq)

was dug around Madina at the suggestion of Salman

Farsi. The coalition army

camped outside for over 3

weeks trying to infiltrate the town. The Muslims were awe struck at the sight of Amr bin Abu Wudd. At Ali's third offer to fight him the Prophet

(pbuh) permitted Ali (pbuh) to go. Running out of

provisions, Muhammad

(pbuh) prayed for victory at what is now Masjid Fath

(Mosque of victory) and a

fierce storm raged uprooting the tents of the coalition who lifted the siege and turned

away.

29 yrs

Treaty of Hudaybiyya

The Prophet (pbuh) decided to perform Umra to Makka with 1,400 companions. They camped 10 miles outside

Makka at Hudaybiyya and an envoy was sent to ask

permission to visit the Ka’ba.
It was denied but a treaty

was signed which gave him the peace allowing him to

consolidate most of the

tribes in Arabia and be able to send invitations to Islam to the rulers of neighbouring

countries. The first 6 verses of the Suratul Fath (48) were revealed after Hudaybiyya

describing the treaty as a

victory. Ali (pbuh) was the
scribe of this Treaty.

30 yrs

Battle of Khayber

(48:20)

The tribes of Banu Qinaqa &

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Banu Nadir who were

expelled out of Madina for plotting havoc had settled in Khayber (80 miles from

Madina). They had built 7

strong forts (Khayber means a fort). Even here they were constantly plotting to attack the Muslims. The Prophet

decided to stop them with

1,400 Muslims surrounding all the forts. The lead of the assault was given to Abu Bakr ibn Abu Quhafa and next to Umar ibn Al Khattab but both resulted in retreat. The

Banner of the Muslims was handed to Ali (pbuh). Marhab the greatest Jewish warrior came forward and

introduced himself. Ali

(pbuh) came forward and

announced his name as Ali

ibn Abu Talib or Haydar (a

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lion), as named by his

mother. Ali knew through

inspiration that Marhab had dreamt of being mauled by a lion. Ali (pbuh) dealt him a

blow which left him lifeless. In the course of a month all the forts were defeated. It was after this victory that

Muhammad (pbuh) gave Ali (pbuh) the name of "Lion of Allah", Asadullah. After this battle a piece of land called Fadak was gifted to

Muhammad (pbuh) by one of the tribes and he gave this to his daughter Fatima (pbuh).

30 yrs

Birth of Zaynab (pbuh)

In the 5th yr of his marriage Zaynab was born. She was the first female from the

progeny of the Prophet

(pbuh). He was aware of the difficulties she would face

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with Husayn (pbuh) and shed tears when he first held her.

31 yrs

Conquest of Makka

(110: 1-4)

By now, the balance of

power had shifted radically away from once-powerful Makka, toward Muhammad (pbuh) and the Muslims. The peace treaty signed by the Quraysh had been violated and in January 630, the

Muslims marched to Makka and were joined by tribe

after tribe along the way.
They entered Makka without bloodshed and the Makkans, seeing the tide had turned, joined them. The conquest of Makka signaled an

unprecedented increase in tribes accepting Islam. After completing his tawaf of

Ka'ba, Muhammad (pbuh)

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accompanied by Ali (pbuh) went to the Ka'ba to remove the 360 idols of the pagan

Arabs. Hubal, the greatest

deity of Makka was fixed at a high position. To reach it Ali (pbuh) was asked to climb on Muhammad's shoulders to complete the destruction of the idols.

31 yrs

Battle of Hunayn (9:25-27) A battle fought against the tribes of Hawazin & Thaqeef; 10 miles from Makka at

Hunayn. Battle strategy was not followed by one of the commanders who were then taken by surprise throwing the Muslims into disarray. In the volley of arrows Ali

(pbuh) stood boldly. A few remained steadfast and

managed to bring order by following Muhammad’s

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(pbuh) instructions.Ali (pbuh) regrouped the Muslim army turning defeat into victory. An enormous booty fell into the hands of the Muslims

with this victory. It also

showed the clemency with which the prisoners were

treated.600 of the enemy

were freed without

paying any ransom.

31 yrs

Ayatut Tatheer

(33:33)

The narration of Hadith e
Kisa. This was confirmation from Allah about the

exclusive five people to be included in the Ahlul Bayt

and about their purified

state. They were Fatima, her father Muhammad, her

husband Ali and her sons

Hasan and Husayn (pbuh)

31 yrs

Mubahila (3:61)

The prophet (pbuh) invited the Christians of Najran to a Mubahila - an event which is arranged when a dispute

cannot be resolved with

discussion. A prayer is

undertaken in order to rid

themselves of the company of the liars. The Prophet had tried to explain that Isa

(pbuh) was not the son of

God. The likeness between Adam and Isa, in that neither had a father was highlighted.
The Christians were not prepared to listen.
Muhammad (pbuh) brought Ali, Fatima, Hasan and
Husayn (pbuh) to the
Mubahila. On seeing them accompany the Prophet, the Christian delegation

withdrew from the Mubahila.

32 yrs

The Prophet (pbuh)
appointed Ali (pbuh) as Governor of Madina.
Ali (pbuh) was left to

maintain law and order,

officiate at prayers and to look after the household of The Prophet (pbuh).
Muhammad planned to meet the impending Roman

invasion before they invaded Madina. When they reached Tabuk the news came that

the Romans had withdrawn. This was the only expedition that Ali (pbuh) was not

involved in.

32 yrs

The Prophet had deputed Abu Bakr to convey the

opening verses of Suratul Tawba to the pilgrims in Makka during the Hajj,

forbidding the unbelievers from performing Hajj

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in future. After his departure the Prophet (pbuh) received a command from Allah that only Ali (pbuh) should be
conveying the message in place of The Prophet. Ali

(pbuh) was sent immediately by Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr returned dejected to Madina.

33 yrs

Ayatul Tableegh (5:67)
Ayatul Akmal (5:3)

On his return from the

farewell hajj at Ghadeer in Johfa, Muhammad (pbuh)

stopped and ordered that a pulpit be made with the

saddles. He declared his
successor in response to

Allah's revelation of 5:67 by raising the hand of Ali (pbuh) and saying “For whomsoever I am Leader (mawla); Ali is his leader (mawla)”.

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On announcing Ali as his

successor, 5:3 was revealed. All the elders of the Muslims, including Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman, paid allegiance to Ali (pbuh) on that day in the presence of Muhammad

(pbuh).

33 yrs

Death of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh)

In Muharram, the Prophet (pbuh) fell ill with a fever.
His condition worsened and he died with his head on the lap of Ali (pbuh). Whilst Ali, Fatima and their family

mourned the loss of

Muhammad (pbuh), and

prepared for his burial; the ill conceived meeting at Saqifa was held to appoint a leader of the Muslims in

contravention to the

revelation at Ghadeer.

33 yrs

Death of Sayyida Fatima
(pbuh)

Fatima's grief at the loss of her father was uncontrollable and she became very weak and frail. 75 days after her

father's demise, Fatima died. Ali (pbuh) had in the space of 3 months lost Muhammad

(pbuh), and his beloved wife Fatima (pbuh). She was

buried at her request in the darkness. His words at her

grave “……It is the wish of a sincere heart which loved and always love you both, a heart which will cherish and will
carry your tender and loving memories to its grave.
Goodbye O daughter of the chosen messenger of God!
May you rest in peace which humankind denied you in this world. If I leave your grave to

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33 - 57 yrs

Another part of Ali's life

started in 632AH after the

death of Muhammad (pbuh) lasting until the assassination of Uthman Ibn Affan, the

third Khalifa in 656AH. He

withdrew from political

affairs, especially after the death of his wife, Fatima

Zahra (pbuh). He used his

time to serve his family and worked as a farmer. Ali dug a lot of wells and gardens near Madina and endowed them for public use. These wells

are known today as Abar Ali ("Ali's wells"). He also made gardens for his family and

descendants. He compiled a complete version of the

Qur'an, which was carried by camel to show to the people of Madina.

34 yrs

Muslim armies were sent to Persia.

35 yrs

Abu Bakr dies appointing Umar as his successor.
Umar particularly relied upon Ali (pbuh) as the Chief Judge of Madina. Ali (Pbuh) also

advised Umar to set Hijra as the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

36 yrs

Muawiya was appointed Governor of Damascus by Umar. Syria, Persia, Egypt come under Islamic rule.

37 yrs

Damascus becomes the stronghold of the Khalifa.

38 yrs

Jerusalem comes under Muslim rule.

45 yrs

47 yrs

Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria and

Spain come under Muslim rule. The companions turned against him to reduce the

influence of his assertive kin.

56 yrs

Uthman is murdered

Uthman's house was

besieged by an angry group who were dissatisfied with his leadership and no one

dared to protect him. Ali

(pbuh) sends his sons Hasan & Husayn (pbuh) to take food and drink to Uthman. He is imprisoned in his house by a discontent mob of people

who finally murdered him.
Ali (pbuh) is urged to accept Khilafat. In Dhulhijja 35AH

the Muslims gave their
allegiance to Alias their
Khalifa. He accepts it saying "small longings have I for this authority, but the believers

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must have a chief". Muawiya starts his treachery against Ali (pbuh) using Damascus as his stronghold

57 yrs

Battle of Jamal (Camel)

Ali was first opposed by a

faction led by Talha, Zubayr and Ayesha bint Abu Bakr,

who claimed for vengeance against the murderers of

Uthman. This was the first

battle of Muslim against

Muslim. The two parties met on 10th Rabi ul Awwal. It is

called the battle of Jamal

because Ayesha led the

opposition from her camel Al Asker. Ali (pbuh) emerged

victorious. In battle Ali's rules of engagement were clear. He had given orders that no fugitive should be pursued, nor any wounded soldier

slain nor looted; nor the

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privacy of any house invaded.
He settled a respectful

retreat for Ayesha to Madina.
Having buried both friends and foes, he performed the funeral service.

58 yrs

Kufa as Capital

Ali (pbuh) decided to transfer the capital of his government to Kufa from Madina because it was more centrally placed in the Muslim Empire.
Muawiya refused to pay allegiance to Ali.

58 yrs

Battle of Siffin

It was fought between Ali

(pbuh) and Muawiya, on the banks of the Euphrates river at Siffin in Syria. Muawiya,

the governor of Syria, had

deployed Amr ibn Aas as his general on the river to

prevent Ali and his troops

access to the water. Malik al Ashtar (Ali's general) moved Amr from the river. However when Muawiya again refused to offer allegiance to Ali a

battle ensued. The battle was indecisive, and the two

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parties agreed to arbitration, which was equally indecisive.
The situation continued as before, with Muawiya ruling over Syria and later Egypt, and Ali ruling the rest of the Muslim territories. Ali

continued to be recognised as Khalifa. Muawiya did not lay a claim to the title of

Khalifa.

60 yrs

Battle of Nahrwan

The group of Muslim rebels who laid down their arms

when victory was near in

Siffin and who supported the arbitration were soon to

unsettle Ali's march to Syria against Muawiya. They had killed Ali's Governor of

Nahrawan and were likely to attack Kufa in his absence. Ali (pbuh) led his troops to

Nahrwan demanding the

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murderers from this group

called the Kharijites to

surrender. They opposed Ali (pbuh) and demanded an

apology from him. The Battle of Nahrwan saw only 9 of the Kharijites survive their attack on Ali. After this skirmish his troops were reluctant to take on Muawiya and the Syrian expedition was abandoned.
Muawiya overpowered Egypt, Yemen and other areas.

63 yrs

Martyrdom

On 19 Ramadhan, Ali was

struck with a poisoned sword in Masjid ul Kufa by a

Kharijite, Abdul Rahman Ibn Muljim. His first words on

being struck were those of thanks to Allah. He said “I

have been successful with

the Rabb of the Ka’ba.” He

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died 2 days later on the 21

Ramadhan. He instructed

that Abdul Rahman must be treated fairly and that his

family must not be punished for his deed. Ali (pbuh) was buried in Najaf by his sons

Hasan and Husayn (pbuh)

Ali’s words of wisdom to

family, friends and people

appointed to positions of

power have been compiled in a book called Nahjul Balagha.
His pearls of wisdom have appropriately been called the Peak of Eloquence. They

contain 241 sermons, 79

letters, and 489 sayings of Ali. His advice if accepted

would transform any society in any generation.