Ali Ibn Al-Husayn: A Critical Biography

ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, who is popularly known as Zayn al- ʿĀbidīn, was an eminent tābiʿī and great-grandson of the Prophet ﷺ. He was born a few decades following the Prophet's death, and he met several of the close companions throughout his life in Medīna. ʿAlī was acknowledged by his peers and students alike as a generous, wise and virtuous man from Ahlulbayt, and he was one of the most prominent Hashemites at the time.

The importance of this figure's biography primarily stems from multiple factors: (i) his chronological and lineal proximity to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, (ii) his virtue and status, (iii) and the historical revisionism his legacy has suffered as a result of multiple competing Shīʿite and non-Shīʿite narratives across history.

This biography covers historically accurate traditions of ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn from Sunnī sources that are devoid of the lies, exaggerations and inaccuracies of forgers and unreliable transmitters. It aims to distinguish the historical ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn from the numerous ahistorical and theologically-charged redactions of his life. Apart from the biography are several auxiliary studies and analyses pertaining to his ḥadīth transmission. Hopefully, this book can serve as a stepping stone for a serious initiative to familiarize the Muslim community with Ahlulbayt and early Islamic history.