ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Hādī ( ar, عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُحَمَّد ٱلْهَادِي; 828 – 868
CE) was a descendant of the
Islamic prophet
Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
and the tenth of the
Twelve Imams
The Twelve Imams ( ar, ٱلْأَئِمَّة ٱلْٱثْنَا عَشَر, '; fa, دوازده امام, ') are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Twelver branch of Islam, including that of the Al ...
, succeeding his father,
Muhammad al-Jawad
Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad ( ar, محمد بن علي الجواد, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Jawād, – 29 November 835) was a descendant of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and the ninth of the Twelve Imams, su ...
. He is known with the titles al-Hādī () and al-Naqī (). As with most of his predecessors, he kept aloof from politics and engaged in teaching in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
. Around 848, the Abbasid Caliph
al-Mutawakkil
Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh ( ar, جعفر بن محمد المعتصم بالله; March 822 – 11 December 861), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (, "He who relies on God") was t ...
, known for his extreme anti-Shia measures, summoned al-Hadi to the capital
Samarra
Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...
, where he was held under close surveillance until his death some twenty years later in 868. Shia sources often hold the Abbasids responsible for his death at the age of about forty. He was succeeded by his son,
Hasan, who was also held under surveillance in Samarra until his death in 874 at the age of twenty-eight. As an important center for Shia pilgrimage, the
al-Askari shrine
, native_name_lang = ara
, image = Al-Asakari Mosque 4.jpg
, image_upright = 1.4
, alt =
, caption = Al-Asakari Mosque in January 2017
, map_type = Iraq
, map_size = 240
, map_alt =
, map_relief = 1
, map_caption = Location in Iraq
, ...
in Samarra houses the tombs of al-Hadi and his successor. The restricted life of al-Hadi in Samarra marks the end of the direct leadership of the Shia community by the Imams. A theological treatise on free will and some other short texts are ascribed to al-Hadi.
Titles
Ali ibn Muhammad was known by the titles al-Hadi () and al-Naqi (). He is also cited in the Shia
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
literature as Abu al-Ḥasan al-Thaleth (), to distinguish him from his predecessors, namely,
Musa al-Kazim
Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim ( ar, مُوسَىٰ ٱبْن جَعْفَر ٱلْكَاظِم, Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar al-Kāẓim), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan, Abū ʿAbd Allāh or Abū Ibrāhīm, was the seventh Imam in Twelver Shia Islam, after ...
(Abu al-Hasan, the first) and
Ali al-Rida
Ali ibn Musa al-Rida ( ar, عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُوسَىٰ ٱلرِّضَا, Alī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā, 1 January 766 – 6 June 818), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī, was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the e ...
(Abu al-Hasan, the second).
Birth and early life
Ali al-Hadi was born on 16
Dhu al-Hijja
Dhu al-Hijja ( ar, ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة, translit=Ḏū al-Ḥijja, ), also spelled Zu al-Hijja, is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. It is a very sacred month in the Islamic calendar, one in which the '' Ḥajj'' (Pilgri ...
212
AH (7 March 828) in Sorayya, a village near
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
founded by his great-grandfather,
Musa al-Kazim
Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim ( ar, مُوسَىٰ ٱبْن جَعْفَر ٱلْكَاظِم, Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar al-Kāẓim), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan, Abū ʿAbd Allāh or Abū Ibrāhīm, was the seventh Imam in Twelver Shia Islam, after ...
. Other given dates range from March 828 to September–February 830, though these dates might be less reliable. The Shia celebrates 15 Dhu al-Hijja as his birthday. He was born to the ninth Shia Imam,
Muhammad al-Jawad
Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad ( ar, محمد بن علي الجواد, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Jawād, – 29 November 835) was a descendant of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and the ninth of the Twelve Imams, su ...
, and Samana (or Susan), a freed slave () of
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
i origin. Bernheimer considers it possible that Ali was instead born to Umm al-Fadl, a daughter of the Abbasid Caliph
al-Ma'mun
Abu al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid ( ar, أبو العباس عبد الله بن هارون الرشيد, Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn Hārūn ar-Rashīd; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name Al-Ma'mu ...
, though that marriage is often considered without an issue.
Imamate
After the death of al-Jawad in 835, most of his followers acknowledged his son, Ali al-Hadi, as the next Imam. As with his father, Ali was still a minor when he succeeded to the imamate at the age of about seven. According to
Madelung, al-Jawad's will stipulated that al-Hadi would inherit from him to the exclusion of his other son,
Musa al-Mobarraqa. Madelung adds that a small group gathered around Musa but soon returned to al-Hadi after the former dissociated himself from them.
The imamate of al-Hadi overlapped with the reigns of the Abbasid caliphs
al-Mu'tasim
Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd ( ar, أبو إسحاق محمد بن هارون الرشيد; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling ...
,
al-Wathiq
Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ( ar, أبو جعفر هارون بن محمد المعتصم; 17 April 812 – 10 August 847), better known by his regnal name al-Wāthiq bi’llāh (, ), was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 842 until 84 ...
,
al-Mutawakkil
Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh ( ar, جعفر بن محمد المعتصم بالله; March 822 – 11 December 861), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (, "He who relies on God") was t ...
,
al-Muntasir
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ( ar, أبو جعفر محمد; November 837 – 7 June 862), better known by his regnal title Al-Muntasir bi-llah (, "He who triumphs in God") was the caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 861 to 862, during the "Anarchy at Sa ...
,
al-Musta'in
Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ( ar, أبو العباس أحمد بن محمد بن محمد; 836 – 17 October 866), better known by his regnal title Al-Mustaʿīn (836 – 17 October 866) was the Abbasid caliph from 8 ...
, and
al-Mu'tazz
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد بن جعفر; 847 – 16 July 869), better known by his regnal title al-Muʿtazz bi-ʾllāh (, "He who is strengthened by God") was the Abbasid caliph from 866 to 86 ...
. During this period, the imperial authority rapidly transitioned into the hands of the Turks. In particular, by the time of al-Mu'tazz, Momen suggests that the real power was in the hands of the Turkish generals of the caliph. Bernheimer considers the imamate of al-Hadi as a turning point for the Shia, for the direct leadership of the Shia community by the Imams effectively ended when he was summoned in 848 to
Samarra
Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...
, where he was held under constant surveillance by the Abbasid caliphs until his death.
Reigns of al-Mu'tasim () and al-Wathiq ()
In this period, al-Hadi and the Shia were relatively free. He lived in Medina and was engaged in teaching after reaching adulthood, attracting a large number of students from
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
,
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, and
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, where the House of Muhammad traditionally found the most support.
Reign of al-Mutawakkil ()
During his reign, al-Mutawakkil intensely prosecuted the
Mu'tazila
Muʿtazila ( ar, المعتزلة ', English: "Those Who Withdraw, or Stand Apart", and who called themselves ''Ahl al-ʿAdl wa al-Tawḥīd'', English: "Party of ivineJustice and Oneness f God); was an Islamic group that appeared in early Islami ...
and the Shia, partly due to renewed
Zaydi
Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...
opposition. Sunni sources seem to have noted the hatred of al-Mutawakkil towards the Shia. He is said to have imposed the penalty of death by flagellation on anyone who insulted the companions or the wives the prophet. According to
Tabatabai, al-Mutawakkil openly cursed
Ali ibn Ali Talib, the fourth
Rashidun caliph and the first Shia Imam, and ordered a clown to ridicule Ali in his banquets. By his orders, the shrine of Ali's son,
Husayn
Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...
, was demolished in
Karbala
Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...
, water was turned upon the tomb, and the ground of the tomb was plowed and cultivated to remove any trace of it, in order to stop Shia pilgrimages to the site. Tabatabai writes that the anti-Shia policies of al-Mutawakkil pushed many Alids in
Hejaz
The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...
and Egypt into destitute.
It was during the caliphate of al-Mutawakkil that the governor of Medina, Abdallah ibn Moḥammad, wrote to the caliph and warned him about the subversive activities of al-Hadi, claiming that he had concealed a quantity of arms and books for his followers. When al-Hadi learned about this letter, he also wrote to al-Mutawakkil and defended himself against the accusations. In response, the caliph assured al-Hadi of his highest regard for him but requested that he with his family relocate to
Samarra
Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...
, a garrison town not far from
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
which was the capital of the
Abbasids
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
at the time and where the Turkish guards were stationed. Donaldson, however, includes the account of
al-Masudi
Al-Mas'udi ( ar, أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن عَلِيّ ٱبْن ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْمَسْعُودِيّ, '; –956) was an Arab historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus ...
that the Imam's residence was searched by Yahya ibn Harthama, without finding any evidence of subversion, and al-Hadi was arrested and brought to the caliph in Samarra. A similar account is reported by
Amir-Moezzi. The dates for these events are given variously as 847, 848, and 857, though Madelung suggests that 857 is evidently incorrect. When al-Hadi approached Baghdad, people are said to have gathered to see him and he was received warmly by the governor who rode out of the city to welcome him and stayed with him for a while. According to Madelung, al-Hadi arrived in Samarra on 23 Ramadan 233 (1 May 848). The caliph did not immediately receive him but assigned a house for his residence in the al-Askar () quarter of the city, which was chiefly occupied by the army. According to Northedge, his residence was in the center of the city on Shari' () Abi Ahmad.
Al-Hadi lived in Samarra under constant surveillance until his death, some twenty years later. Hulmes, Momen, Mavani, and
Aslan
Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...
liken al-Hadi to a prisoner in this period, while Madelung quotes al-Hadi as reportedly saying that he had come to Samarra involuntarily but would leave the city only against his will, as he liked the quality of its water and air. In any case, al-Hadi was allowed to move freely in the city and he evidently maintained contact with his representatives (), sending them his instructions and receiving through them the donations of the Shia. This network of representatives, according to Daftary, had already developed by the time of al-Hadi into an organized institution for the financial administration of the Shia community. These representatives included
Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi
Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi al-Amri ( ar, عُثْمَان ٱبْن سَعِيد ٱلْأَسَدِيّ عَمْرِوْيّ ') was the first of the Four Deputies, who are believed by the Twelvers to have successively represented their twelfth Imam ...
, who was later recognized as the first deputy of the
twelfth Imam
Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī ( ar, محمد بن الحسن المهدي) is believed by the Twelver Shia to be the last of the Twelve Imams and the eschatological Mahdi, who will emerge in the end of time to establish peace and justi ...
,
Mahdi
The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a Messianism, messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a de ...
. According to Momen, there is evidence that al-Mutawakkil at least once attempted to kill al-Hadi, while Tabatabai writes that the caliph summoned al-Hadi multiple times with the aim of killing or disgracing him and had his house searched.
Reigns of al-Muntasir (), al-Musta'in (), and al-Mu'tazz ()
Al-Hadi continued to live in Samarra after the death of al-Mutawakkil in 861, through the short reign of al-Muntasir, followed by four years of al-Musta'in, and until his death in 868 during the caliphate of al-Mu'tazz.
Death
According to
al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
and
al-Kulayni
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Iṣḥāq al Kulaynī ar Rāzī ( Persian: ar, أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن يَعْقُوب إِسْحَاق ٱلْكُلَيْنِيّ ٱلرَّازِيّ; c. 250 AH/864 CE ...
, al-Hadi died on 26
Jumada al-Thani
Jumada al-Thani ( ar, جُمَادَىٰ ٱلثَّانِي, Jumādā ath-Thānī, lit=The second Jumada) also known as Jumada al-Akhirah ( ar, جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْآخِرَة, link=no, Jumādā al-ʾĀkhirah, lit=The final Jumada), Jumad ...
254 (21 June 868) at the age of about forty and during the caliphate of al-Mu'tazz. Other given dates fall in Jumada al-Thani and Rajab 868. In particular, 3 Rajab is annually commemorated by the Shia.
Shia sources suggest that he was poisoned by the Abbasids, though the manner of his death is disputed. While Tabatabai holds that al-Hadi was poisoned by the order of al-Mu'tazz,
al-Mufid is silent about the cause of death of the Imam, and the historian
Ya'qubi
ʾAbū l-ʿAbbās ʾAḥmad bin ʾAbī Yaʿqūb bin Ǧaʿfar bin Wahb bin Waḍīḥ al-Yaʿqūbī (died 897/8), commonly referred to simply by his nisba al-Yaʿqūbī, was an Arab Muslim geographer and perhaps the first historian of world cultu ...
writes that he died mysteriously.
Al-Muwaffaq
Abu Ahmad Talha ibn Ja'far ( ar, أبو أحمد طلحة بن جعفر}; 29 November 843 – 2 June 891), better known by his as Al-Muwaffaq Billah (), was an Abbasid prince and military leader, who acted as the ''de facto'' regent of the Abba ...
, brother of the caliph, is said to have led the funeral prayer. The large number of mourners, however, forced the family to bring the body of al-Hadi back to the house, where he was then buried. The house was later expanded to a major shrine by various Shia and Sunni patrons. More recently,
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدینشاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Mal ...
ordered to rebuild the complex in 1868-9 and the golden dome was added in 1905. The shrine also houses the tombs of his son,
Hasan al-Askari, and his sister,
Hakima Khatun. As an important destination for Shia pilgrimage, the shrine was bombed in February 2006 and badly damaged. Another attack was executed on 13 June 2007, which led to the destruction of the two minarets of the shrine. Authorities in Iraq hold
al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
responsible for this attack.
[Graham Bowley (13 June 2007). "Minarets on Shia Shrine in Iraq Destroyed in Attack". New York Times.]
Succession
After al-Hadi, the majority of his followers acknowledged his son,
Hasan, as their next Imam. Shia sources report that al-Hadi designated Hasan as the next Imam a month before his death in 868. Hasan had accompanied his father to Samarra and was similarly held there under close surveillance until his death at the age of twenty-eight, when he was possibly poisoned by the Abbasids. After al-Hadi, his another son, Ja'far, unsuccessfully claimed the imamate for himself. According to Madelung, some had expected another son of al-Hadi,
Abu Ja'far Moḥammad, to be the next Imam but he predeceased his father in Samarra.
Personal life
Donaldson writes that al-Hadi comes across as a good-tempered, quiet man, who endured for years the hatred of al-Mutawakkil with dignity and patience. Al-Hadi was survived by two sons, namely,
Ja'far and
Hasan, who succeeded to the imamate. Hasan was born in Medina to a freed slave (), whose name is variously given as Hudayth, Susan, or Salil in different sources. According to Madelung, another son of al-Hadi,
Abu Ja'far Muḥammad, predeceased his father in Samarra.
Works
A theological treatise on free will and some other short texts are ascribed to al-Hadi and quoted in ''
Tuhaf al-Uqul
Tuhaf al-Uqul ( ar, تُحَفُ العُقول في ما جاءَ مِنَ الحِکَمِ وَ المَواعِظَ مِن آلِ الرَّسول, Tuḥaf al-ʿuqūl fī mā jāʾa min al-ḥikam wa l-mawāʿiẓ min āl al-rasūl, lit. ''The M ...
''. According to Mavani, most Shia
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
s about
Khums
In Islam, khums ( ar, خُمْس , literally 'one fifth') refers to the required religious obligation of any Muslims to pay 20% of their acquired wealth from certain sources toward specified causes. It is treated differently in Shia and Su ...
(Islamic alms, ) are attributed to al-Hadi and his predecessor, al-Jawad. Mavani regards Khums as an example of the Imams’ discretionary authority as religious and temporal Shia leaders, which in this case countered the redirection of
Zakat
Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ne ...
(another Islamic alms) to sustain oppressive regimes and support the affluent lifestyle of caliphs. Donaldson mentions one of the prophetic traditions related on the authority of al-Hadi, through
Ali ibn Abi Talib
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, in which the prophet defines faith () as contained in the hearts of men, and that their works () confirm it, whereas surrender () is what the tongue expresses which only validates the union. Mavani quotes another hadith, ascribed to al-Hadi and transmitted by
al-Tabarsi:
Miracles
In Twelver Shia, al-Hadi is described as being endowed with the knowledge of the languages of the
Persians
The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian.
...
, Slavs, Indians and
Nabataeans
The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; Arabic language, Arabic: , , singular , ; compare grc, Ναβαταῖος, translit=Nabataîos; la, Nabataeus) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabian Pe ...
, in addition to accurately prophesying other events, including the death of al-Mutawakkil, who had either imprisoned or humiliated al-Hadi. In the presence of al-Mutawakkil, he unmasked a woman claiming to be
Zaynab, daughter of
Ali ibn Abi Talib
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, whom she claimed to be alive. He did so by descending into a lions' den to prove that they do not harm true
descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib
The Alids are those who claim descent from the ''Rashidun, rāshidūn'' caliph and Imam Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (656–661)—cousin, son-in-law, and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad—through all his wives. The main branches ar ...
, which the woman refused to imitate. It is also said that he brought to life a picture of lion on a carpet, which then ate a juggler who was trying to humiliate al-Hadi by his tricks, on the order of al-Mutawakkil. Another narration states that he turned a handful of sands into gold for the poor.
See also
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Hasan al-Askari
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Naqvis
The Naqvis are a Sayyid clan, found predominantly in Iran, Iraq, and the South Asian countries. They claim descent from the Imam Ali al-Hadi, who is also known as 'Naqi' and the Tenth Imam, and through him they trace their lineage to the Islamic ...
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Sadaat Amroha
The Sadaat Amroha ( ur, سادات امروہہ) or Amrohi SAYYID or SAYYID OF AMROHA( ur, امروہی سید) are a community of Sayyids, historically settled in the town of Amroha, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Many members of the ...
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Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jaʿfar ibn ʿAlī al-Hādī ()( 226-271 A.H., Common Era, CE – CE), also Defamation, known as Ja'far al-Kadhāb () in Twelver Shi'ism, was the third son of the tenth Shi'a Imam, Ali al-Hadi. He claimed to be an Imam and estab ...
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali al-Hadi
828 births
868 deaths
9th-century Arabs
9th-century imams
9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate
Twelve Imams
Deaths by poisoning
Husaynids
People of Berber descent