Why Was Imam al-Nasa’i Killed by the Umayyads? For Writing Khasāʾiṣ ʿAlī (Virtues of Imam Ali)
By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam
27 April 2026
A monument of Hadith scholarship and moral and intellectual courage, the historic book KhasāʾiṣʿAlī was compiled by Imam al-Nasa’I whose death was the consequence of scholarly honesty colliding with sectarian politics…...
Main Points:
· Authored KhasāʾiṣʿAlī: He compiled a book highlighting the virtues of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, which challenged prevailing anti-Imam Ali sentiments in Damascus.
· Clashed with Pro-Umayyad Sentiment: The region had lingering political loyalty toward Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, and any emphasis on Imam Ali was viewed suspiciously by some groups.
· Refused to Fabricate or Promote Weak Hadiths: Imam al-Nasa’i maintained strict scholarly integrity and would not include unauthentic narrations to satisfy public or political expectations.
· Controversial Response About Muawiya: When asked to compile virtues of Muawiya, he reportedly said he did not find strong enough hadiths—which angered certain factions.
· Target of Sectarian Mob Violence: Due to these tensions, he was assaulted and severely beaten by a mob in Damascus, as recorded by classical historians.
· Died from Injuries Sustained: He later died from those injuries (reportedly in Ramla or after being moved), making his death a result of violence driven by sectarian and political hostility.
The historic work KhasāʾiṣʿAlī (خصائص علی) was authored by the eminent hadith scholar Imam al-Nasa’i (d. 303 AH/915 CE), one of the compilers of the six canonical collections of hadith in Sunni Islam. This work is a specialized compilation of prophetic traditions highlighting the unique virtues (khaṣāʾiṣ) of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Historical Background
Classical sources explicitly link the composition of KhasāʾiṣʿAlī to the socio-religious climate of Damascus. Al-Dhahabi writes:
"صنّف كتاب الخصائص في فضل علي رضي الله عنه لما رأى من انحراف أهل دمشق عنه"
(He compiled the book al-Khaṣāʾiṣ on the virtues of ʿAlī when he saw the deviation of the people of Damascus regarding him)
— Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 14/133
This statement clearly establishes the work as a corrective scholarly response to prevailing biases.
Similarly, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani underscores Imam al-Nasa’i’s critical rigor and commitment to authenticity:
"كان إمامًا حافظًا ثبتًا متقنًا"
(He was an الإمام, a حافظ, firm and precise)
— Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, 1/36
On the Question of Muʿāwiya
The oft-cited exchange regarding Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan is preserved in the biographical tradition. Al-Dhahabī records:
"قيل له: ألا تُخرج في فضل معاوية؟ فقال: ماذا أُخرج؟ حديث: اللهم لا تشبع بطنه؟!"
(He was asked: Why do you not compile virtues of Muʿāwiya? He replied: What should I include? The hadith: “O Allah, do not fill his belly?”)
— Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 14/133
This response reflects his methodological commitment to authenticated material rather than polemical expectations.
Martyrdom and Scholarly Integrity
The death of Imam al-Nasa’i is generally explained in classical sources as the result of sectarian hostility and political-religious tensions, rather than a formal execution ordered by a state authority.
According to historians like Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Kathir, Imam al-Nasa’i was in Damascus, a region where pro-Umayyad sentiment remained strong. During this time, he authored KhasāʾiṣʿAlī, the book which not only highlighted the virtues of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib but also resulted into the brutal killing of the author. This was seen by some as challenging prevailing biases against Imam Ali in that region.
The assault
Classical sources describe that Imam Nasa’i was attacked and beaten by a mob in Damascus. Al-Dhahabi writes that he was “severely beaten” due to this controversy. Ibn Kathir also reports that his injuries from this incident led to his death. Some accounts mention that he was later taken to Ramla (in Palestine) or Mecca, where he died from those injuries.
Reports of his assault are consistently noted in classical historiography. Al-Dhahabī states:
"ضُرب بدمشق ضَربًا شديدًا بسبب ذلك، فحُمل إلى الرملة، فمات بها"
(He was severely beaten in Damascus because of this, then carried to al-Ramla, where he died)
— Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 14/133
Likewise, Ibn Kathir records:
"وكان سبب موته ما ناله بدمشق من الضرب بسبب كتابه في الخصائص"
(The cause of his death was what he suffered in Damascus of beating due to his book on al-Khaṣāʾiṣ)
— Al-Bidāya wa al-Nihāya, 11/136
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi also documents his persecution, affirming his steadfastness in scholarship.
The immediate trigger
Reports say that people asked him why he did not compile a similar work on Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan. Imam al-Nasa’i replied that he did not find sufficiently strong (authentic) hadiths praising Muawiya to justify such a compilation. This answer angered certain groups who held strong political or sectarian loyalties.
Why was he killed?
He upheld hadith authenticity and refused to promote weak or politically motivated narrations. He openly emphasized the virtues of Imam Ali, which clashed with local biases. He did not conform to pressure to elevate other figures without reliable evidence.
However, there is no consensus that he was formally executed by a ruler. Most reliable classical accounts describe his death as the result of mob violence fuelled by sectarian tensions.
His death is often remembered as an example of the risks faced by early scholars in Islam, as well as an intersection of knowledge, politics, and sectarian identity. Imam al-Nasa’i was actually a case of scholarly integrity under pressure. In short, he was not killed for a crime or rebellion, but because his commitment to truth in scholarship clashed with the political and sectarian sensitivities of his time.
Content and Significance
Among the well-known hadiths included in KhasāʾiṣʿAlī are:
"عليٌّ مني وأنا منه"
(ʿAlī is from me and I am from him)
"من كنت مولاه فعليٌّ مولاه"
(For whomever I am his master, ʿAlī is his master)
These narrations are also found in major hadith collections such as Musnad Aḥmad and Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, confirming their wide transmission.
Scholarly Importance
Later scholars continued to affirm the virtues of Imam Ali within Sunni tradition. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti includes numerous such reports, reflecting continuity in the recognition of Imam Ali’s exalted status and virtues in Islam.
KhasāʾiṣʿAlī stands as both a hadith collection and a principled intervention in early Islamic historiography. The testimony of scholars like al-Dhahabī and Ibn Ḥajar confirms that Imam al-Nasa’i’s work was grounded in methodological rigor and moral courage. It remains a powerful reminder that the preservation of truth in Islamic scholarship has often required intellectual independence in the face of social and political pressure.
Modern Historiographical Framing
Contemporary scholarship on hadith and early Islamic memory helps contextualize KhasāʾiṣʿAlī beyond its immediate historical setting.
Jonathan A. C. Brown argues that hadith collections were not merely repositories of prophetic reports but also sites of interpretive negotiation shaped by theological and political concerns (Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World, 2009). In this light, Imam al-Nasa’i’s compilation can be understood as a deliberate intervention in the contested memory of early Islam.
Similarly, Asma Afsaruddin highlights how portrayals of early companions, particularly Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, became central to evolving Sunni and Shia discourses on authority and legitimacy (The First Muslims: History and Memory, 2008). KhasāʾiṣʿAlī thus participates in what she terms the “construction of communal memory.”
From a broader perspective, Shahab Ahmed conceptualizes Islamic tradition as a discursive and interpretive space marked by internal plurality (What Is Islam? 2016). Al-Nasa’i’s work exemplifies this plurality within Sunni hadith scholarship itself, challenging monolithic narratives.
Hadith, Authority, and Ethical Scholarship
Modern hadith studies further illuminate Imam al-Nasa’i’s methodological rigor. Jonathan Brown emphasizes that hadith scholars operated within a moral epistemology, where authenticity (ṣaḥīḥ) was inseparable from ethical responsibility. This aligns with al-Nasa’i’s refusal to transmit weak or politically motivated reports, even under pressure.
At the same time, scholars such as Christopher Melchert note that the 9th–10th centuries witnessed the consolidation of Sunni orthodoxy alongside ongoing debates over authority, particularly concerning figures like Imam Ali (The Formation of the Sunni Schools of Law, 1997). KhasāʾiṣʿAlī can be situated within this formative milieu.
Martyrdom and Memory
Classical reports of al-Nasa’i’s assault—recorded by al-Dhahabī and Ibn Kathir—gain further interpretive depth when read alongside modern theories of scholarly authority and dissent. His death illustrates how the production of knowledge in early Islam was not insulated from socio-political tensions but deeply embedded within them.
Conclusive Significance
Taken together, classical and modern sources reveal KhasāʾiṣʿAlī as more than a devotional compilation. It is a textual intervention in contested historical memory, an example of ethical hadith scholarship under pressure, and a reflection of intra-Muslim plurality and debate. Rather than reducing early Islamic history to binaries of sectarian conflict or simplistic “syncretism,” this work—when read through both classical and modern lenses—demonstrates the complexity of how religious authority, memory, and devotion were negotiated.
References:
Classical Sources:
• Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 14/133
• Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, 1/36
• Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāya wa al-Nihāya, 11/136
• Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād
Modern Academic Works:
• Jonathan A. C. Brown, Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (2009)
• Asma Afsaruddin, The First Muslims: History and Memory (2008)
• Shahab Ahmed, What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic (2016)
• Christopher Melchert, The Formation of the Sunni Schools of Law (1997)
…
Contributing author at New Age Islam, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is writer and scholar of Indian Sufism, interfaith ethics, and the spiritual history of Islam in South Asia. His latest book is "Ishq Sufiyana: Untold Stories of Divine Love".
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-history/why-was-imam-al-nasai-killed-by-umayyads-/d/139810
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