Hazrat Ali’s Birthday

Hazrat Ali name was Ali ibn Abi Talib was born in the Holy Kaaba at Mecca on Friday, the 13th day of Rajab, 600 A.D. Born to Abu Talib and Fatimah bint Asad. Ali was the only person born in the sacred sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam, according to many classical Islamic sources.

In 2024 Hazrat Ali’s birthday will be celebrated on 24 – 25 January.

Hazrat Ali’s birth inside the Kaaba is unique. This is the only known occasion on which a child was born within the precincts of the holy place ever since its foundation thousands of years ago.

Both the Holy Prophet and Hazrat Ali belonged to the same clan. They were Hashimites, the clan of Bani Hashim. Muhammad’s father was Abdulla, and that of Hazrat Ali, Abu Talib. They were brothers and their father was Abdul Muttalib. Thus the Holy Prophet and Hazrat Ali were cousins.

As Hazrat Ali says: “The Holy Prophet brought me up in his own arms and fed me with his own morsel. I am a follower’, like a baby camel that follows its mother. Each day an aspect of his character would beam out of his noble soul and I would accept it and follow it as a command.“

Ali is respected for his courage, knowledge, belief, honesty, unbending devotion to Islam, deep loyalty to Muhammad, equal treatment of all Muslims, and generosity in forgiving his defeated enemies, and therefore is central to mystical traditions in Islam such as Sufism. Ali was appreciated for his honesty, his unbending devotion to the reign of Islam, his deep personal loyalties, his equal treatment of all his supporters, and his generosity in forgiving his defeated enemies.

Ali was very kind to the lowly, compassion for the needy and the poor, and generosity and munificence toward those in misery and poverty. ‘Ali spent all that he earned to help the poor and the needy, and himself lived in the strictest and simplest manner. ‘Ali loved agriculture and spent much of his time digging wells, planting trees, and cultivating fields. But all the fields that he cultivated or wells that he built he gave in endowment (waqf) to the poor.

His endowments, known as the “alms of ‘Ali,” had the noteworthy income of twenty-four thousand gold dinars towards the end of his life. Ali believes that the structure of faith is supported by four pillars endurance, conviction, justice, and jihad.

Celebrations

His birthday is celebrated globally by all Muslims, and it is an occasion of joy and happiness. Food is served, and families and friends get together to remember his great achievements. Mosques are decorated, a feast organized, and prayers held. Qawwalis (devotional music) are held that praise Hazarat Ali.

Suggested Read: Muslim Festivals in India