The Prophet's Heir: The Life of Ali ibn Abi Talib by Hassan Abbas (review)

After the Prophet Muhammad (S), ʿAlī ibn Abi Ṭālib (A) has no parallel in terms of the amount of attention he has received in Islamic literature. As Hossein Nasr informs us, he has inspired scholars and mystics of different religions and regions¹. Therefore, restricting ʿAlī to Shi'a Muslims or Islam alone would be a great injustice to his personality and the status he holds.

A glimpse of the literature produced by his devotees—which includes Christians and Hindus as well as agnostics—informs readers that he was the mystic of all mystics, the helper of the oppressed and poor, the flagbearer of justice and patience, and the possessor of knowledge. Although his enemies (both in his time and more recently) have tried hard to suppress his influence, ʿAlī has always emerged victorious. Hassan Abbas attempts to understand how he continues to defeat his opponents in The Prophet's Heir: The Life of Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

The author starts with an explanation of why this book is needed. He posits that most biographies are written or commissioned in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia and as a result, they have a sectarian (subjective) view of ʿAlī which provides an 'incomplete and even a disingenuous picture' of him (5). He poses two important questions at the outset; why is ʿAlī so special and unique (10) and can examining Muslim history and studying ʿAlī's life help us understand the spirit of Islam better (11)?

The first chapter presents the historical details of the emergence of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. It mentions how during the toughest days of the nascent community, ʿAlī built an 'inseparable' relationship with Muhammad, particularly during the social boycott of Muhammad and his followers by the Quraysh. That is when ʿAlī learned about the seen and unseen worlds (38).

The second chapter covers the military confrontation with Quraysh, four battles i.e. Badr, ʾUḥud, Khandaq and Khaybar, the peaceful capture of Makkah. The chapter shows how ʿAlī was the main confidant of Muhammad throughout, his go-to warrior and aide.

The third chapter focuses on the last days of the Prophet Muhammad and highlights how the Prophet gave direct and indirect hints about ʿAlī as his successor. The fourth chapter details the succession of the first three caliphs, how ʿAlī was sidelined in all three successions and the conflict between Abu Bakr, the first caliph and companion of the Prophet, and Lady Fātima al-Zahrā, the Prophet's daughter and ʿAlī's wife. The fifth chapter discusses the caliphate of Imam ʿAlī, its early years and his manifesto for undoing the corrupt practices of his predecessors, particularly Uthman. Then it goes to highlight Mūʿāwīyah's opposition to ʿAlī's rule and the birth of the Khawārij movement which ultimately took his life. The last chapter briefly discusses various elements that appeared after ʿAlī's demise i.e. Mūʿāwīyah's rule, Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī's assassination, the conflict between Yazīd ibn Mūʿāwīyah and Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, ʿAlī's legacy and his influence on the Ottomans and Sufis.

One of the strengths of the book is the author's consistent and successful attempt to present or prove ʿAlī as the Prophet's heir both in the spiritual and political sense. He maintains this assertion by providing numerous anecdotes, hadiths, Qur'anic verses and sayings of the Ahl al-Bayt throughout the book. For example, the author argues that the job of assisting the Prophet, especially spiritually, "was always designed for ʿAlī and ʿAlī alone' (78). He cites the incident when Abu Bakr was appointed to convey the newly revealed surah al-Tawbah to polytheists who were reverting to pre-Islamic practices. Abu Bakr was on his way when the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet and said that the revelation could only be...