Happy Birthday to Mawla Ali: The Gate of Knowledge, Justice, Spiritual Guidance, Heir and Living Legacy of Prophetic Wisdom
By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
3 January 2026
Abstract:
This article honours the life, scholarly eminence, and spiritual authority of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph of the Rashidun. It underscores his unparalleled mastery of the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, and spiritual sciences, illustrating how he served as both the inheritor of prophetic wisdom and a guiding light for subsequent generations. Hazrat Ali’s courage, piety, judicial acumen, and foundational contributions to Arabic grammar (Nahw and Sarf) stand as enduring testimony to his intellectual and spiritual prowess. The article further recounts historical and spiritual accounts that exemplify his karamat (miraculous abilities), his role as Mushkil-Kusha (reliever of difficulties), and his recognition as the “Gate of Knowledge,” through whom all seekers of religious and spiritual understanding must pass. Ultimately, Hazrat Ali is depicted as the living continuation of Prophethood’s light, whose guidance continues to shape the intellectual, ethical, and spiritual heritage of Islam. His life exemplifies the highest standards of knowledge, morality, and spirituality, and love for him, along with adherence to his teachings, remains essential for preserving the richness and balance of Islamic intellectual and spiritual tradition.
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Mawla Ali: Inheritor of Prophetic Wisdom and Guide of Generations
The fourth Caliph of the Khilafat-e-Rashidah, Amir al-Mu’minin Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, is among those radiant and enduring stars of the firmament of Sahabiyyat whose brilliance shall continue to illuminate the horizons of Wilayah and Khilafah for all time. His greatness and dignity, rank and stature, knowledge and practice, asceticism and piety, excellence and perfection, generosity and munificence, courage and valour, wisdom and discernment, as well as his profound competence in matters of judgment and governance, are firmly established among scholars through uninterrupted historical testimony. Indeed, recording these manifold virtues in their entirety would require volumes upon volumes.
Within the constellation of Islamic personalities, the intellectual and spiritual excellences that Hazrat Ali inherited directly from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) are such that even a single glimpse, such as his exposition on the Tafsir of Surah al-Fatihah, is sufficient to testify to the depth of his prophetic inheritance. Moreover, his exceptional judicial insight and administrative wisdom, demonstrated during his service as Chief Justice under the Caliphate of Faruq al-Azam Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab, stand recorded in the pages of history with the clarity of broad daylight.
Hazrat Ali represents that consummate personality in whom the divinely bestowed capacities, nurtured through the direct training of the Prophet (peace be upon him), reached their highest culmination. Through this unique synthesis of divine endowment and prophetic mentorship, he emerged as a true heir to the sciences of Prophethood and a lasting guide of Islamic spirituality until the Day of Judgment. Consequently, whatever share of prophetic grace, spiritual insight, or religious knowledge has been received, or continues to be received by later generations is understood within the Islamic intellectual tradition to have flowed through the noble mediation of his exalted station.
Renowned throughout the world for courage and resolve, the fourth Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, was that towering figure upon whom the beneficent gaze of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) shone like a flash of lightning on the land of Khaybar. History thereafter absorbed and preserved his unmatched valour and strength in such a manner that, even today, the awe and majesty of his bravery continue to dominate the very name of Khaybar. The essence of the might of Haidar-e-Karrar manifested in every battlefield like a sudden bolt of lightning, and no opponent could withstand the force of his youthful courage and indomitable spirit.
This world of colour and fragrance has witnessed many accomplished and distinguished personalities, yet the unique excellences bestowed through the companionship and training of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were granted in their fullest measure only to Hazrat Ali. His lofty scholarly stature and intellectual eminence were widely acknowledged not only among the Sahabah but also among the Ummahat al-Mu’minin. A glimpse of this recognition may be cited, by way of example, from al-Riyad al-Nadirah. When Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aishah was asked about Hazrat Ali, she remarked:
“There is none who knows the religious rulings better than Ali.”
(al-Riyad al-Nadirah, Ali ibn Abi Talib, “Dhikr Ikhtisasih bi-Annahu A‘lam al-Nas,” vol. 2, p. 159; Khilafat-e-Rashidah, p. 292)
Likewise, Hazrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas states:
“Whenever we asked him—may Allah be pleased with him—about any religious matter, we always found his answer to be correct.”
(Khilafat-e-Rashidah, p. 292)
The Scholarly Rank and Quranic Insight of Hazrat Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada
The scholarly rank and stature of Hazrat Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada, his deep understanding of the Quran, his grasp of inner realities, and his juristic competence were distinguished and unparalleled among both the earliest and the later generations. Allah endowed him with such exalted intellectual and rational capacities that issues regarded by others as complex and insoluble were resolved by him with remarkable ease. Many of the senior Companions would seek refuge with Allah from moments when a difficult problem might arise and Hazrat Ali was not present to resolve it.
Hazrat Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib narrates:
كَانَ عُمَرُ يَتَعَوَّذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنْ مُعْضِلَةٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا (وفي رواية: لَيْسَ لَهَا) أَبُو الْحَسَنِ
“Hazrat Umar used to seek refuge with Allah from a complicated matter for which Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abi Talib was not available.”
(Fada’il al-Sahabah, vol. 2, p. 803, no. 1100)
Several eminent Companions testified that Mawla Ali was the trustee of both outward and inward knowledge. Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud stated:
إِنَّ عَلِيًّا بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ الظَّاهِرِ وَالْبَاطِنِ
“Indeed, Ali ibn Abi Talib possesses knowledge of both the outward and the inward dimensions [of the Quran].”
(Hilyat al-Awliya, vol. 1, p. 105)
His legal opinions were regarded as final and decisive by even the most resolute of the Companions. Hazrat Sa‘id ibn Jubayr narrates from Sayyid al-Mufassirin Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas, who said:
“When we find confirmation of a matter from Sayyiduna Ali, we do not turn to anyone else.”
(al-Isti‘ab, vol. 3, p. 207)
Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah states:
عَلِيٌّ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِالسُّنَّةِ
“Ali is the most knowledgeable of all people regarding the Sunnah.”
(Tarikh Madinat Dimashq, vol. 42, p. 408)
It is an established reality that the one who is the greatest scholar of the Sunnah is also the greatest scholar of the Quran. Accordingly, Sayyiduna Faruq al-Azam Umar identified the true scholars in the following words:
إِنَّهُ سَيَأْتِي نَاسٌ يُجَادِلُونَكُمْ بِشُبُهَاتِ الْقُرْآنِ، فَخُذُوهُمْ بِالسُّنَنِ، فَإِنَّ أَصْحَابَ السُّنَنِ أَعْلَمُ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ
“Soon there will come people who will argue with you using the ambiguous verses of the Quran; confront them with the Sunnah, for indeed the people of the Sunnah are the most knowledgeable of the Book of Allah.”
(Sunan al-Darimi, vol. 1, p. 37, no. 19)
Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman reports that he asked Hazrat Ata:
أَكَانَ فِي أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ أَحَدٌ أَعْلَمَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ؟ قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا أَعْلَمُهُ
“Was there anyone among the Companions of Mustafa (peace be upon him) who was more knowledgeable than Ali?” He replied: “No—by Allah, I do not know of anyone.”
(al-Musannaf, Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 17, p. 123, no. 32772)
For this very reason, no one other than Mawla Ali ever claimed: “Ask me whatever you wish, and I will answer you from the Quran.” This claim was made by him alone. Hazrat Abu al-Tufayl narrates:
“Sayyiduna Ali said: ‘O people, ask me! By Allah, you will not ask me about anything until the Day of Judgment except that I shall inform you about it. Ask me about the Quran, for by Allah, there is not a single verse of the Quran except that I know whether it was revealed at night or by day, on plains or in the mountains.’”
(Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 42, pp. 397–398)
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud states:
“We were present in the assembly of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) when a question was raised concerning Sayyiduna Ali. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Wisdom was divided into ten parts; nine parts were granted to Ali, and one part was distributed among all the remaining people.”
(Hilyat al-Awliya, vol. 1, p. 104)
Hazrat Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib states:
“Among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), no one ever made the declaration ‘Saluni’ (Ask me) except Ali ibn Abi Talib.”
(Fada’il al-Sahabah, vol. 2, p. 802, no. 1098)
Why should the scholarly stature of Mawla Ali not be exalted, when it has been narrated concerning him that he is the Gate of Knowledge? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
اَنَا مَدِينَةُ الْعِلْمِ وَعَلِيٌّ بَابُهَا
“I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate.”
Mawla Ali: The Founder of Standard Arabic Grammar
A powerful proof of Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada being the Gate of Knowledge, even for ordinary students like myself, lies in the fact that he is the founder of a discipline without which no one can truly be called a scholar. Today, if a person possesses the ability to understand the Quran and Hadith, that ability exists solely due to the science whose foundation was laid by the Gate of Knowledge, Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada, namely, Arabic grammar (Ilm al-Nahw).
Anyone with even a basic association with knowledge and learning understands how essential familiarity with a language’s vocabulary is for comprehending it. As for the Arabic language, its importance requires no elaboration. Mastery of the Arabic lexicon is as indispensable as knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah themselves; rather, a proper understanding of the Quran and Hadith is contingent upon linguistic mastery.
Whether it is the Noble Quran, the Prophetic Hadith, classical Arabic prose, Arabic poetry, or Arabic lexicography, comprehension of all of these is dependent upon Arabic grammar. For this reason, it has been said regarding these sciences:
اَلصَّرْفُ أُمُّ الْعُلُومِ وَالنَّحْوُ أَبُوهَا
“Sarf is the mother of all sciences, and Nahw is their father.”
The founder and originator of both these sciences was the Gate of the City of Knowledge, Sayyiduna Mawla Ali. He was the first to dictate their foundational principles and to distinguish between ism (noun), fi‘l (verb), and harf (particle). Later, for ease of learning, the knowledge he taught was divided into two branches: one came to be known as Sarf and the other as Nahw. In reality, Sarf itself is a branch of Nahw, and the originator of both remains Sayyiduna Ali.
An objection is often raised by some people that it is not permissible to refer to Hazrat Ali as Mawla. The answer to this objection is clear and firmly established, because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) himself declared concerning Hazrat Ali:
“For whomever I am the Mawla, Ali is also his Mawla.”
While explaining the meanings of the word Mawla in Mirat Sharh Mishkat, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi clarifies that the term carries multiple meanings, such as friend, helper, freed slave, or emancipator. He further explains that in this hadith the word Mawla does not mean caliph, ruler, or sovereign; rather, it is used in the sense of a beloved friend, supporter, and one who stands close in affection and assistance.
When understood in this correct and balanced context, Hazrat Ali is indeed the friend and helper of all Muslims. For this reason, he is respectfully and lovingly remembered as Mawla Ali (see Mirat al-Manajih, vol. 8, p. 376).
It is precisely this spiritual rank that earned him the crown of leadership among the devoted servants of the Ummah. He is the noble husband of the Lady of Paradise and the revered father of Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Husayn. In the presence of a great gathering of Companions, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) raised his blessed hand and proclaimed:
“Man kuntu Mawlahu fa Aliyyun Mawlahu.”
Just as people would turn to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in times of hardship and distress and, through his attention and supplication, find relief from their difficulties, so too they would turn to the court of Ali al-Murtada. By his spiritual attention and prayer, by the permission of Allah, many found their difficulties eased and their hardships removed. For this reason, he continues to be remembered among the believers as Mushkil-Kusha, the reliever of distress, by the permission of Allah Almighty.
The Spiritual Power of Hazrat Mawla Ali
Hazrat Imam Yusuf al-Nabhani, quoting Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, records a remarkable incident that illustrates the spiritual rank and karamat (divinely granted grace) of Sayyiduna Hazrat Ali al-Murtada. This account is mentioned in Jami ‘Karamat al-Awliya.
He writes that there was an Abyssinian (Habashi) slave who held deep love and devotion for Hazrat Haydar-e-Karrar. On one occasion, this slave was brought before Amir al-Mu’minin Hazrat Ali on a charge of theft. After confessing to the crime, the legal punishment was carried out, and his hand was amputated according to Islamic law.
After the judgment, as the slave was returning from the court of Hazrat Ali al-Murtada, he met Hazrat Salman al-Farsi and Hazrat Ibn al-Kawwa, who asked him, “Who cut off your hand?”
The slave replied, “It was the leader of the believers, the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and the husband of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Batul—Ali al-Murtada, may Allah honour his noble face.”
Ibn al-Kawwa said in surprise, “He cut off your hand, and yet you speak of him with such praise?”
The slave replied, “Why should I not praise him? Through this punishment, he has saved me from punishment in the Hereafter.”
Hazrat Salman al-Farsi was deeply moved by these words. He went to Hazrat Mawla Ali and narrated the entire incident. Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada immediately summoned the slave. He placed the severed hand back at the wrist, covered it with a cloth, and recited some supplicatory words.
After a short while, a voice was heard saying, “Remove the cloth.” When the cloth was removed, the hand was found to be fully restored, whole, and functioning, by the permission of Allah.
(Jami’ Karamat al-Awliya, vol. 1, p. 423)
A Testimony to the Spiritual Grace of Hazrat Mawla Ali
ʿAllamah Taj al-Din al-Subki (may Allah have mercy on him) records in Tabaqat that once Hazrat Haydar-e-Karrar was accompanied by his two noble sons when, in the stillness of the night, they heard someone reciting verses in a voice filled with pain and sorrow:
يَا مَنْ يُجِيبُ دُعَاءَ الْمُضْطَرِّ فِي الظُّلَمِ
يَا كَاشِفَ الضُّرِّ وَالْبَلْوَى مَعَ السَّقَمِ
إِنْ كَانَ عَفْوُكَ لَا يَرْجُوهُ ذُو خَطَإٍ
فَمَنْ يَجُودُ عَلَى الْعَاصِينَ بِالنِّعَمِ
O You who answer the supplication of the distressed in the darkness,
O You who remove affliction, calamity, and illness,
If the sinner cannot hope for Your forgiveness,
Then who, besides You, will bestow blessings upon the disobedient?
Upon hearing these verses, Hazrat Ali instructed that the person be found and brought before him. The man was discovered crawling with great difficulty and was presented to Hazrat Ali al-Murtada.
Hazrat Ali asked him, “What calamity has afflicted you? Speak.”
The man replied that he had lived a life immersed in pleasure and sin, while his father repeatedly warned him to fear Allah Most High. One day, overcome by anger, he struck his father. His father then said, “I will complain against you before Allah at the Kaʿbah.”
After his father returned from Makkah, the man’s right side became paralyzed. Stricken with remorse, he begged his father for forgiveness and tried repeatedly to please him. Eventually, his father agreed to return to the House of Allah and pray for him. The son arranged a she-camel for the journey, but along the way the camel became uncontrollable, causing the father to fall from a rock and pass away.
After hearing the account, Hazrat Ali al-Murtada said, “If your father became pleased with you, then Allah, the Most Merciful, is also pleased with you.”
The man swore by Allah that his father had truly forgiven him.
Upon hearing this, Hazrat Haydar-e-Karrar rose, performed several units of voluntary prayer, and made supplication to Allah. He then turned to the man and said, “Rejoice and stand up.”
The man stood and began to walk normally. He had been completely cured, by the permission and mercy of Allah Most High.
Many such incidents from the blessed outward life of Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada are recorded in the works of history. Beyond these historical reports, the books of the Sufis contain countless accounts, spiritual unveilings, and lived experiences which testify that the flow of his spiritual grace continues even in the present age. In reality, his excellences are a continuation of the excellences of Prophethood itself, for every miracle of a saint is, in essence, a continuation of the miracles of a Prophet. The true and original source of all such wonders remains the sacred person of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Hazrat Ali: The Gate of the Sciences of Spirituality
Regarding Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada, the Seal of the Messengers (peace be upon him) said:
اَنَا مَدِينَةُ الْعِلْمِ وَعَلِيٌّ بَابُهَا
“I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate.”
Sayyiduna Haydar-e-Karrar himself states:
عَلَّمَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَلْفَ بَابٍ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ، يَنْفَتِحُ مِنْ كُلِّ بَابٍ أَلْفُ بَابٍ
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught me a thousand chapters of knowledge, from each of which a thousand further chapters were opened.”
Dear readers, who can truly estimate the vastness of a knowledge whose gates number in the millions?
Hazrat Shaykh Abd al-Haqq Muhaddith Dehlavi (may Allah have mercy on him) relates that Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada once said:
“When I gave the final ritual washing to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), a few drops of water remained upon his blessed eyelids. I absorbed those drops with my tongue, and instantly a vast ocean of knowledge, gnosis, wisdom, and insight began to surge within my breast.”
Some of the eminent commentators of Hadith, while explaining the saying “Ana Madinat al-Ilm wa Ali Babuha” (“I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate”), clarify that the word ilm here does not refer merely to the outward knowledge of the Shari‘ah. That outward knowledge was also possessed by the other Rightly Guided Caliphs and many noble Companions. Rather, what is intended by this statement is the knowledge of spirituality (ilm al-ruhaniyyah).
Thus, by declaring Hazrat Ali to be its gate, it was proclaimed that no seeker of these inner and spiritual sciences can attain success without first approaching this door. For this reason, all major spiritual paths, whether Chishti, Qadiri, Naqshbandi, or Suhrawardi, ultimately receive their spiritual grace from this very Gate of Knowledge and reach their intended destination through it.
Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Thani writes in his Maktubat:
“Among the paths that lead to Allah Most High, one path is connected with proximity through Wilayah. Its guide is Sayyiduna Hazrat Ali (karam Allah wajhah). Even before his physical birth, Hazrat Ali was the refuge and sanctuary of this station, just as he remained so after his physical birth. Whoever received divine grace and guidance did so through this path, and through him alone, because he stands nearest to the final point of this path.”
(Maktub 123, Daftar Thalith, Hissah Duwum, p. 1425)
In another letter from the first volume of the Maktubat, Hazrat Mujaddid Alf Thani states:
“Hazrat Amir (Sayyiduna Ali) says: ‘I have come to teach you the knowledge of the heavens.’ When I turned my attention fully to this matter, I found that among all the Rightly Guided Caliphs, this station was exclusively associated with Hazrat Amir al-Mu’minin Ali al-Murtada.”
In Maktub 251 of the first volume, he further writes:
“Since Hazrat Amir (Sayyiduna Ali) bears the burden of Wilayah Muhammadiyyah (peace be upon him), therefore the Aqtab, Abdal, and Awtad, who belong to the category of reclusive saints, derive their spiritual authority from him…”
Conclusion
In conclusion, the personality of Amir al-Mu’minin Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib stands as a complete embodiment of Prophetic inheritance, uniting knowledge and practice, spirituality and governance, courage and compassion, outward Shari‘ah and inward Haqiqah. His scholarly authority, unanimously acknowledged by the greatest of the Companions; his role as the Gate of the City of Knowledge; his foundational contribution to the sciences of Arabic grammar; and his enduring spiritual influence upon the paths of Wilayah together affirm that his station is neither exaggerated nor limited to a single dimension of excellence.
Rather, it represents a divinely ordained continuation of the light of Prophethood itself, flowing through the noble channel of Mawla Ali by the will and permission of Allah Most High. To recognize him as Mawla, Mushkil-Kusha, and the Imam of the people of knowledge and spirituality is not an innovation, but a reaffirmation of Prophetic testimony and the consensus of the Ummah’s greatest scholars and spiritual authorities.
Thus, love for Hazrat Ali, adherence to his teachings, and acknowledgment of his exalted rank are not merely expressions of devotion; they are essential to preserving the balance, depth, and spiritual vitality of the Islamic intellectual, ethical, and moral tradition.
Bibliography
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13. Taj al-Din al-Subki. Tabaqat.
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16. https://www.dawateislami.net/events/ur/hazrat-sayyiduna-ali
17. Fayzi, Qari Zuhur Ahmad. “The Scholarly Rank and Intellectual Eminence of Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada.” Minhaj al-Quran Website.
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A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a classical Islamic scholar [Aalim, Faazil and Mutakhassis Fi al-Adab al-Arabi wa al-Ulum al-Shariah] with a Sufi background and an English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/happy-birthday-mawli-ali/d/138284
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