The Birth of Ali ibn al-Husayn 
7 Aḥadīth
Ali ibn al-Husayn was born in the year thirty eight AH. He passed away in the year ninety five at the age of fifty seven. His mother was Salma daughter of Yazdegerd ibn Shahriyar ibn Shirawayh ibn Kisra Perwiz. Yazdegerd was the last Persian king.
وُلِدَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) فِي سَنَةِ ثَمَانٍ وَثَلاثِينَ وَقُبِضَ فِي سَنَةِ خَمْسٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَلَهُ سَبْعٌ وَخَمْسُونَ سَنَةً وَأُمُّهُ سَلامَةُ بِنْتُ يَزْدَجَرْدَ بْنِ شَهْرِيَارَ بْنِ شِيرَوَيْهِ بْنِ كِسْرَى أَبَرْوِيزَ وَكَانَ يَزْدَجَرْدُ آخِرَ مُلُوكِ الْفُرْسِ.
al-Husayn ibn al-Hassan al-Hassani may grant him blessings and Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah all of them from Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Ahmar from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Abdallah al-Khuza’i from Nasr ibn Muzahim from ‘Amr ibn Shimr from Jabir from Abu Ja‘far who has said the following: “When the daughter of Yazdegerd was brought before ‘Umar the girls of Medina would love to see her. When she entered the Mosque it all became delightful and bright. When ‘Umar looked at her she covered her face and said in her own language: ‘Uff, bay ruj ba’ da Hurmuz’ (May, the life of Hurmuz turn black). ‘Umar asked, ‘Is she abusing me?’ and he wanted her. Amir al-Mu’minin Ali said: ‘That is not for you. Give her the chance to choose whoever of the Muslims she likes and then count as his share of the booty.’ He allowed her to choose and she came all the way to placed her hand on the head of al-Husayn . Amir al-Mu’minin Ali asked her, “What is your name?” She said, “It is Jahan Shah.” Amir al-Mu’minin Ali said, “In fact, it is Shahrabanuwayh.” He then said to al-Husayn , “O Abu ‘Abdallah, she will give birth to a son for you who will be the best of the inhabitants of earth. She gave birth to Ali ibn al-Husayn . Ali ibn al-Husayn was called the son of the two best. The chosen from Arabs was the tribe of Hashim and from none Arab was Persians. It is narrated that Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali said regarding this: “A boy from Kisra and Hashim the most noble one on who sacred symbols are stitched for safety.”
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْحَسَنِيُّ رَحِمَهُ الله وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله جَمِيعاً عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ الاحْمَرِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله الْخُزَاعِيِّ عَنْ نَصْرِ بْنِ مُزَاحِمٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شِمْرٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ لَمَّا أُقْدِمَتْ بِنْتُ يَزْدَجَرْدَ عَلَى عُمَرَ أَشْرَفَ لَهَا عَذَارَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَأَشْرَقَ الْمَسْجِدُ بِضَوْئِهَا لَمَّا دَخَلَتْهُ فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا عُمَرُ غَطَّتْ وَجْهَهَا وَقَالَتْ أُفٍّ بِيرُوجْ بَادَا هُرْمُزْ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ أَ تَشْتِمُنِي هَذِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لَكَ خَيِّرْهَا رَجُلاً مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَاحْسُبْهَا بِفَيْئِهِ فَخَيَّرَهَا فَجَاءَتْ حَتَّى وَضَعَتْ يَدَهَا عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَقَالَ لَهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا اسْمُكِ فَقَالَتْ جَهَانْ شَاهُ فَقَالَ لَهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بَلْ شَهْرَبَانُوَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلْحُسَيْنِ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الله لَتَلِدَنَّ لَكَ مِنْهَا خَيْرُ أَهْلِ الارْضِ فَوَلَدَتْ عَلِيَّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) وَكَانَ يُقَالُ لِعَلِيِّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) ابْنُ الْخِيَرَتَيْنِ فَخِيَرَةُ الله مِنَ الْعَرَبِ هَاشِمٌ وَمِنَ الْعَجَمِ فَارِسُ. وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ أَبَا الاسْوَدِ الدُّؤَلِيَّ قَالَ فِيهِ: وَإِنَّ غُلاماً بَيْنَ كِسْرَى وَهَاشِمٍ***لاكْرَمُ مَنْ نِيطَتْ عَلَيْهِ التَّمَائِمُ
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn al-Fadhal from ibn Bukayr from Zurara who has said the following. “I heard Abu Ja‘far say, ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn had a she camel. He had taken this camel twenty two times to Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and had not used the whip against not even once. The Imam has said that the camel came after he passed away and we were not aware but we noticed only when one of the servants or slaves came and said, ‘The she camel has went out all the way to the grave of Ali ibn al-Husayn and sat on the grave. She rubs her neck against the grave and moans. I then asked them to quickly get to her before they would know about her or see her. The Imam has said, ‘She had never seen the grave before.’”
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنِ ابْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ كَانَ لِعَلِيِّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) نَاقَةٌ حَجَّ عَلَيْهَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَعِشْرِينَ حَجَّةً مَا قَرَعَهَا قَرْعَةً قَطُّ قَالَ فَجَاءَتْ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ وَمَا شَعَرْنَا بِهَا إِلا وَقَدْ جَاءَنِي بَعْضُ خَدَمِنَا أَوْ بَعْضُ الْمَوَالِي فَقَالَ إِنَّ النَّاقَةَ قَدْ خَرَجَتْ فَأَتَتْ قَبْرَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَانْبَرَكَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَدَلَكَتْ بِجِرَانِهَا الْقَبْرَ وَهِيَ تَرْغُو فَقُلْتُ أَدْرِكُوهَا أَدْرِكُوهَا وَجِيئُونِي بِهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَعْلَمُوا بِهَا أَوْ يَرَوْهَا قَالَ وَمَا كَانَتْ رَأَتِ الْقَبْرَ قَطُّ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim has narrated from his father Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Hafs ibn al-Bakhtari from the person he mentioned from Abu Ja‘far who has said the following: “When my father, Ali ibn al-Husayn passed away the she camel that belonged to him came from the pasture and placed her neck against his grave and role her body on the ground. I commanded to return her back to her pasture. My father would take her for the journey to Hajj and ‘Umra (pilgrimage to Mecca) and had never used the whip against her.”
Note: The last words of this hadith that read ‘Ibn Babuwayh’. The interpreters have assumed that it is the name of the well know narrator of hadith. These words indicate that the following hadith is recorded in the copy of this book that belonged to ibn Babuwayh and other’s copies do not have it. There is also the possibility of misprint. The difference of ‘Babu’ and ‘Banu’ is only a dot above or below without a change in the main body of the word. If the word is ‘Banu’ then it is part of the previous hadith and the whole phrase ‘Ibn Banu wayh’ would mean, “He was the son of the noble lady ‘Banu wayh, (daughter of the King of Persia),’ after all. There is not wonder why he was so kind to the she camel.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ الْبَخْتَرِيِّ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ لَمَّا مَاتَ أَبِي عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) جَاءَتْ نَاقَةٌ لَهُ مِنَ الرَّعْيِ حَتَّى ضَرَبَتْ بِجِرَانِهَا عَلَى الْقَبْرِ وَتَمَرَّغَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَأَمَرْتُ بِهَا فَرُدَّتْ إِلَى مَرْعَاهَا وَإِنَّ أَبِي كَانَ يَحُجُّ عَلَيْهَا وَيَعْتَمِرُ وَلَمْ يَقْرَعْهَا قَرْعَةً قَطُّ. ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ.
al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Amir has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq ibn Sa‘d from Su‘dan ibn Muslim from abu ‘Imara from a man from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “When it was the night wherein Ali ibnhy would pass away he asked his Muhammad , his son, “Son bring me water for Wudu (cleaning for prayer). Muhammad has said, “I then brought water for him.” He said, “I do not like this water. There is something dead in it.” I then brought the water in the light and found a dead mouse in it. I then brought him other water. He said, “Son this is the night in which I am promise to be taken out of this world. He explained his recommendations about his she camel and that a stable be prepared for her and that she is fed properly and I personally did so. Very shortly there after she came out of the stable and reached the grave, placed her neck on it, rolled her body on the ground and her eyes had become full of tears. Muhammad ibn Ali was informed that the she camel had gone. He came to her and said, “Control your emotion and get up, may Allah grant you good fortune. She would not do so. The Imam has said, “When he would take the camel to Makka, he would hang the whip from the luggage and would not use it until he would return to Madina.” The Imam has said, “Ali ibn al-Husayn would come out in the dark night with a sack containing Darahim and Dananir ( units of money) and would go door to door, knock them and gave a certain amount to the person that would come. When Ali ibn al-Husayn died these people would see the person with money and then they realized that Ali ibn al-Husayn must have been the distributor of money among them.”
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ سَعْدَانَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عُمَارَةَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ لَمَّا كَانَ فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ فِيهَا عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) قَالَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ يَا بُنَيَّ ابْغِنِي وَضُوءاً قَالَ فَقُمْتُ فَجِئْتُهُ بِوَضُوءٍ قَالَ لا أَبْغِي هَذَا فَإِنَّ فِيهِ شَيْئاً مَيِّتاً قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ فَجِئْتُ بِالْمِصْبَاحِ فَإِذَا فِيهِ فَأْرَةٌ مَيْتَةٌ فَجِئْتُهُ بِوَضُوءٍ غَيْرِهِ فَقَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةُ الَّتِي وُعِدْتُهَا فَأَوْصَى بِنَاقَتِهِ أَنْ يُحْظَرَ لَهَا حِظَارٌ وَأَنْ يُقَامَ لَهَا عَلَفٌ فَجُعِلَتْ فِيهِ قَالَ فَلَمْ تَلْبَثْ أَنْ خَرَجَتْ حَتَّى أَتَتِ الْقَبْرَ فَضَرَبَتْ بِجِرَانِهَا وَرَغَتْ وَهَمَلَتْ عَيْنَاهَا فَأُتِيَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ فَقِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّ النَّاقَةَ قَدْ خَرَجَتْ فَأَتَاهَا فَقَالَ صَهْ الانَ قُومِي بَارَكَ الله فِيكِ فَلَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَقَالَ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَيَخْرُجُ عَلَيْهَا إِلَى مَكَّةَ فَيُعَلِّقُ السَّوْطَ عَلَى الرَّحْلِ فَمَا يَقْرَعُهَا حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ الْمَدِينَةَ قَالَ وَكَانَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) يَخْرُجُ فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الظَّلْمَاءِ فَيَحْمِلُ الْجِرَابَ فِيهِ الصُّرَرُ مِنَ الدَّنَانِيرِ وَالدَّرَاهِمِ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ بَاباً بَاباً فَيَقْرَعُهُ ثُمَّ يُنِيلُ مَنْ يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) فَقَدُوا ذَاكَ فَعَلِمُوا أَنَّ عَلِيّاً كَانَ يَفْعَلُهُ.
Hadith No. 6
Muhammad ibn Ahmad has narrated from his uncle, ‘Abdallah ibn al-Salt from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn bint al-Yahya’s who has said the following. “I hear Abu al-Hassan say, ‘When Ali ibn al-Husayn was about to pass away he passed out then he opened his eyes and recited chapters 48 and 56 from the Holy Quran and said, “All praise belongs to Allah Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us to inherit the earth passed out and chose from Paradise whatever we would like and thus is the reward for those who work. Within the hour he passed away and did not say anything.”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ عَمِّهِ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ الصَّلْتِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بِنْتِ إِلْيَاسَ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّ عَلِيَّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) لَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ فَتَحَ عَيْنَيْهِ وَقَرَأَ إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ وَإِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ وَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لله الَّذِي صَدَقَنَا وَعْدَهُ وَأَوْرَثَنَا الارْضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ فَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ ثُمَّ قُبِضَ مِنْ سَاعَتِهِ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ شَيْئاً.
Sa‘d ibn ‘Abdallah and ‘Abdallah ibn Ja‘far al-Himyari have narrated from Ibrahim ibn Mahziyar from his brother, Ali ibn Mahziyar from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Muhammad ibn Sinan from ibn Muskan from abu Basir from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “Ali ibn al-Husayn passed away at the age of fifty seven in the year ninety five. He lived for thirty five years after al-Husayn .”
سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الله وَعَبْدُ الله بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنْ أَخِيهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ قُبِضَ عَلِيُّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) وَهُوَ ابْنُ سَبْعٍ وَخَمْسِينَ سَنَةً فِي عَامِ خَمْسٍ وَتِسْعِينَ عَاشَ بَعْدَ الْحُسَيْنِ خَمْساً وَثَلاثِينَ سَنَةً.