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Kitab Ali (''کتاب علی'') or the Book of Ali is a compilation of
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 ...
's sayings that
Ali 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. ...
is said to have written as Muhammad dictated it to him. It is said that the jurist of
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
was aware of this text around the beginning of the second century and was certain that Ali was the author. Regarding the book's content, it is claimed to have included all the information people might have needed on the topics of lawfulness (
halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with ''haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification kno ...
) and unlawfulness (
haram ''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...
), including a thorough penal code that took into consideration even minor physical injuries. Kitab Ali is frequently associated with al-Jafr, a book that, according to Shia belief, was given to Ali by Muhammad and is thought to contain esoteric lessons for Muhammad's household.


Authenticity

According to an early narrative, Ali was reportedly observed writing what he heard from the Prophet Muhammad in his presence on a piece of parchment. The material from the second century is replete with allusions to and citations from a text thought to have been put together by Ali from the Prophet's sayings. According to a report,
Ata ibn Abi Rabah Ata ibn Abi Rabah ( ar, عطاء بن أبي رباح, translit=ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ) was a prominent early Muslim jurist and hadith transmitter who served as the ''mufti'' of Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonl ...
, the jurisconsult of Mecca in the early second century (d. 114), knew this text and had no doubt that it was actually Ali's compilation. One account states that Muhammad gave the book to his wife Umm Salama shortly before his passing and gave her instructions to give it to the person who would request it from the pulpit.;
Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...
,
Umar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
and
Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic proph ...
did not do so, but Ali did. Al-Baqir reports that just before leaving for the
battle of Karbala The Battle of Karbala ( ar, مَعْرَكَة كَرْبَلَاء) was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliph Yazid I and a small army led by Husayn ...
,
al-Husayn Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...
gave his oldest daughter
Fatima Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, th ...
a " rolled up book " ((kitāb malfūf or mudarraj)). Fatima then gave it to her brother
Zayn al-Abidin ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ( ar, علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (, ) or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (), , was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ...
, through whom it eventually made its way to Muhammad al-Baqir. It was believed that Zayn al-Abidin, Muhammad al-Baqir, and Ja'far al-Sadiq owned the book. Although some of the quotations from Ja'far al-Sadiq were through his father, the latter two regularly quoted from it. The work was occasionally referenced by later Imams.


Similar works

According to some accounts, the Book of Ali is a 70-cubit-long parchment scroll. This is the same as how a scroll known as
al-Jami'a Al-jāmi'a () meaning "the Inclusive" is a book that Twelver Shias believe was dictated by Muhammad to Ali. Ja'far al-Sadiq refers to it as a scroll (''ṣaḥīfa'') that is 70 cubits long and was dictated by the Prophet Muhammad and written ...
was described in some other reports; both were claimed to contain information that people require regarding lawfulness and unlawfulness, inheritance rules, and even monetary compensation for physical injuries. Another document named the
Book of Fatimah The Book of Fatimah ( ar, مُصْحَف فَاطِمَة, Muṣḥaf Fāṭimah) is, according to Shia tradition, attributed to Fatimah, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Fatimah occupies a similar position in Islam that Mary, mothe ...
also has a similar description of the material, size, and contents. Another manuscript known as the al-Jafr is periodically brought up in connection with the specific description that suggests the text contained everything individuals needed, even money to compensate for bruising. Both of the latter compositions were thought to be composed of Ali's notes that he took while listening to the Prophet speak. However, references to these last two writings tend to focus on esoteric and apocalyptic topics, with the first being mentioned largely and the latter being mentioned entirely. All of them were supposedly a part of the House of the Prophet's written legacy, which many early Shias believed had been carried down via the line of the Imams and had given them the unique knowledge that set them apart from the rest of the community, including the erudite.


Content

According to
Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is an Islamologist at the École pratique des Hautes Études. He is one of the leading academics within the study of early Twelver Shiʿism. Views on Early Shi'ism Early Shi'is held supra-natural beliefs about the Im ...
, the Book of Ali refers either to the recension of the Qur'an done by Ali or to the writing down of the posthumous remarks made by the Prophet
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 ...
to Ali. In the latter case, the Book is said to contain the account of "all that will take place up to the Day of the Resurrection." The Book or the kitâb containing the list of all the sovereigns of the earth is either called The Book of Ali, or The Book of Fatimah. It is also allegedly containing the list of the faithful of the twelve imams, the "true Shî'ites" and their genealogy. According to
Hossein Modarressi Hossein Modarressi Tabataba'i (; born 1952 or 1942) is a leading Muslim jurist and professor of law. Early life He attended the Islamic seminary at Qom where he received a complete traditional Islamic education in Islamic philosophy, theology ...
although a few subsequent esoteric accounts are also credited to the Book of Ali, the vast bulk of passages from it are legal injunctions. There were also certain manuscripts from the first centuries that supporters of Ali created on his virtues (fad 'a 'il) or from his words and deeds, frequently as direct quotations from him. General biographical texts also make mention of this type. The Book of Ali has been referenced in the following early sources: *Law **On prayer: ''(
Shafi‘i The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
2: 126– Saffar: 165–
Kafi Kafi ( pa, ਕਾਫ਼ੀ (Gurmukhi), (Shahmukhi), Hindi: काफ़ी, Urdu: کافی, Sindhi:ڪافي) is a classical form of Sufi music mostly in the Siraiki, Punjabi and Sindhi languages and originating from the Punjab, and Sindh ...
3: 397– Ibid. 3: 175– Tahdhib 2: 23, 251– Ibid. 2: 102– Ibid. 2: 243– Ibid. 3: 28 (see also ibid. 1: 142))'' **On fasting: (''Tahdhib 4:158'') **On pilgrimage to Mecca: ''( Bazanti, Nawadir: 33 (also Tahdhib 5: 152)– Kafi 4: 340 (also Faqih 2: 338; 'Ilal 2: 94 ı Kitab jaddı – Kafi 4: 368 (also Tahdhib 1: 329)– Kafi 4: 389–90 (two variants, also Tahdhib 5: 355 nd 357 with variations– Kafi 4: 390 (also Tahdhib 5: 344)– Kafi 4: 534–
Ibn Hazm Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm ( ar, أبو محمد علي بن احمد بن سعيد بن حزم; also sometimes known as al-Andalusī aẓ-Ẓāhirī; 7 November 994 – 15 August 1064Ibn Hazm. ' (Preface). Tr ...
7: 102–3 (quoting ‘Abd al-Razzaq))'' **On holy war: '' (Kafi 2: 666, 5: 31( fı kitab li-‘Alı in the second case)'' **On prohibitions: ''Husayn b. Sa‘ı d, Zuhd: 39 (also Kafi 2: 347; 'Iqab: 261 epeated at 270–71 Khisal: 124)– ‘Ayyashi 1: 223 (also 'Iqab: 278)– Kafi 2: 71–2– Ibid. 2: 278–9– Ibid. 5: 541 (also
Ibn Babawayh Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi (Persian: ar, أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱبْن بَابَوَيْه ٱلْقُمِيّ; –991), commonly referred to as Ibn Babawayh (Persian: ar, ...
,
Amali The Amali – also called Amals, Amalings or Amalungs – were a leading dynasty of the Goths, a Germanic people who confronted the Roman Empire during the decline of the Western Roman Empire. They eventually became the royal house of the Ostrogot ...
: 385; ‘Ilal 2: 271; 'Iqab: 301; cf. Kafi 2: 374 where a longer version of the same report is attributed in a different transmission to Kitab Rasul Allah) – Ibn Babawayh, Amali : 509–18 (also Faqih 4: 3–18)– 'Ilal 2: 160–61 (also Khisal 1: 273))'' **On marriage and divorce: ''( Ahmad b. 'Isa 3: 51– Ahmad b. Muhammad b. 'Isa: 79 (also Tahdhib 7: 432), 87 (also Kafi 5:452)– Faqih 3: 416 (also 'Ilal 2: 188; Tahdhib 7: 481, 490)– Tahdhib 8: 82'') **On property: ('' 'Ala' b. Razin: 153 (whence Faqih 3: 452)– ‘Ayyashi 2:25 (also Kafi 1: 407, 5: 279–80)'' **On dietetics: ('' 'Ali b. Ja'far: 115 (also Kafi 6: 219, 220 ith variations Tahdhib 9: 2, 4,5 lso 6'Abd al-Razzaq 4: 532 (also Bayhaqi 9: 258)– 'Ayyashi 1:294, 295 (also Kafi 6: 202, 207)– Kafi 3: 9 (also Tahdhib 1: 227 lso 9: 86 with variations– Kafi 6: 232– Ibid. 6: 246– Ibid. 6: 255– Faqih 3: 330'') **On arbitration: (''Kafi 7: 414–15 (two variants)'') **On inheritance: (''Saffar: 165– Kafi 7: 77– Ibid. 7: 119– Ibid. 7: 136– Faqih 4: 283(cf. Tahdhib 9: 308) – Ma'ani : 217 (also Tahdhib 9: 211)– Tahdhib 9: 325–6'' Numerous other quotations are attributed to a text on the law of inheritance (Sahifatal-fara’id),48 also believed to have been compiled by ‘Ali from the dictation of the Prophet. This was said to be a part of the Book of Ali (Kafi 7: 94 ead fi Kitab ‘Ali as in Tahdhib 9: 271 with a similar description of its size and shape (Kafi 7: 94–5), or of the Jami'a (Saffar: 145; Kafi 7: 125). Here is a list of citations from this text on the law of inheritance: – Kafi 7: 81 (where two conflicting accounts are given of the arrangement of the text).– Ibid. 7: 93–4 (also Da'a'im 2: 369)– Kafi 7: 98 (also Da'a'im 2: 371)– Kafi 7: 112 (repeated at 113; also Da'a'im 2: 375) – Kafi 7: 126 (see also 7: 125; cf. Saffar: 145 where the passage is cited from the Jami'a)– Da'a'im 2: 370– Ibid. 2: 374– Ibid. 2: 379– Tahdhib 9: 306– Hurr al-‘Amili , Wasa'il 17: 493 (quoting the early fourth-century Shi‘ite author, Ibn Abi 'Aqil)) **On the penal code: ('' Mahasin: 273 (also Kafi 7: 176)– Kafi 7: 201– Ibid. 7: 214 (also 216 with variations)– Ibid. 7: 316–7– Ibid. 7: 313– Ibid. 7: 318– Ibid. 7: 329– Khisal: 539 – Tahdhib 10: 108)'' *Ethics (''Zayd al-Zarrad: 3–4 (also Ma'ani : 1–2)– ‘Abd Allah b. Ja‘far: 92 – Saffar: 147 – Kafi 1: 41 – Ibid. 2: 71–2 – Ibid. 2: 136 – Ibid. 2: 259 – Ibid. 2: 484 (also 488 with variations) – Ibid. 2: 666 (also Tahdhib 6: 140) – Ibn Hammam: 44 – Irbili 3: 136'' There is also a quotation in Husayn b. Sa‘id, Zuhd: 44 on the proper etiquette for the treatment of slaves, ascribed to the “Book of the Messenger of God,” presumably referring to the text in question.) *Dogmatics and Virues (Fada'il) (''Saffar: 166–7 –
Mas'udi 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 ...
5: 82–3 – Khisal: 65–7 – Ibn al-Juham: 466 (also
Tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain et ...
, Amali 2: 20)'') *Tales of the Prophets (''‘Ayyashi 1: 27–9 ( fi kitab min kutub ‘Ali ; also ‘Ali b. Ibrahim 1: 36–41 fı Kitab Amır al-Mu’minı n ‘Ilal 1: 100) – ‘Ayyashi 2: 33–4 (also Ali b. Ibrahim 1: 244–5; Ibn Tawus, Sa'd: 238–40 uoting Ibn 'Uqda's Tafsir – ‘Ayyashi 2: 129–36 – ‘Ali b. Ibrahim 1: 32–4 – Ibid. 1: 41 – Kafi 8: 233'') *Esoterics (''Saffar: 169 (# 1; cf. # 3 and 7 where the account is ascribed to the Book of Fatima; also Maqatil: 208) – Kamal: 312–13 (also 'Uyun 1: 45–6 he text is on pp. 40–45 Shadhan b. Jibril: 141–2 –
Manaqib ''Manāqib'' (Arabic مَناقِب, also transliterated ''manāḳib''; singular مَنْقَبَ, ''manqaba/manḳaba'') is a genre in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian literature, broadly encompassing "biographical works of a laudatory nature", "in ...
4: 273 – Dala’il al-imama: 554–62 (also Ibn Tawus, Malahim: 168–71 uoting a work of Ya‘qub b. Nu‘aym, an early third-century author'')


See also

*
List of Shia books A list of religious books of Shia Islam: Books of Shia Imams :#Mus'haf of Ali, Tafseer Quran by Imam Ali :# Al-Jafr (book), Al-Jafr by Imam Ali :# Nahj al-Balaghah, a collection of sermons, letters and quotes of Imam Ali :# Ghurar al-Hikam wa Dur ...
*
Al-Jafr (book) ''Al-Jafr'' ( ar, ٱلْجَفْر) is a mystical book which, in Shia belief, includes esoteric teachings, dictated by the Islamic prophet Muhammad to Ali. Ali was cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad and is regarded by the Shia as their first Ima ...
* Al-Jamia


Footnotes


References

* * {{cite book , last1=Kohlberg , first1=Etan , editor1-last=Ehteshami , editor1-first=Amin , title=In Praise of the Few. Studies in Shiʿi Thought and History , date=2020 , publisher=Brill , isbn=978-90-04-40697-1 Islamic texts Shia literature Ali 7th-century Arabic books