Early years

?Al?’s life, as recorded especially in the Sunni and Shi?i texts, can be divided into several distinct periods separated by major events. The son of Ab? ??lib and his wife F??imah bint Asad, ?Al? was born, according to most older historical sources, on the 13th day of the lunar month of Rajab, about the year 600, in Mecca . Many sources, especially Shi?i ones, record that he was the only person born in the sacred sanctuary of the Kaaba , a shrine said to have been built by Abraham and later dedicated to the traditional gods of the Arabs, which became the central shrine of Islam after the advent of the religion and the removal of all idols from it. ?Al? was related to the Prophet through his father and mother: Ab? ??lib was Muhammad’s uncle and became his guardian when the boy’s father died, and F??imah bint Asad acted as the Prophet’s mother after his biological mother died. When ?Al? was five years old, his father became impoverished, and ?Al? was taken in and raised by Muhammad and his wife Khad?jah . At age 10 ?Al? became, according to tradition, the second person after Khad?jah to accept Islam. Although ?Al?’s father refused to give up his devotion to traditional Arabic polytheism , he accepted ?Al?’s decision, telling him, “Since he [the Prophet] leads you only to righteousness, follow him and keep close to him.”

From Mecca to Medina

The second period of ?Al?’s life, lasting slightly more than a decade, begins in 610, when Muhammad received the first of his revelations , and ends with the migration of the Prophet to Medina in 622. During this period ?Al? was Muhammad’s constant companion. Along with Zayd ibn ??ritha, who was like a son to the Prophet, Ab? Bakr , a respected member of the ruling Quraysh tribe of Mecca, and Khad?jah, he helped to form the nucleus of the earliest Meccan Islamic community. From 610 to 622 ?Al? spent much of his time providing for the needs of believers in Mecca, especially the poor, by distributing what he had among them and helping them with their daily chores.

Both Sunni and Shi?i sources confirm the occurrence in 622 of the most important episode of this period. Muhammad, knowing that his enemies were plotting to assassinate him, asked ?Al? to take his place and sleep in his bed; Muhammad then left Mecca secretly with Ab? Bakr and reached Medina safely several days later (his arrival marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar). When the plotters entered Muhammad’s house with drawn daggers, they were deeply surprised to find ?Al?, whom they did not harm. ?Al? waited for instructions and left sometime later with Muhammad’s family. He arrived safely in Qub? on the outskirts of Yathrib, which soon became known as M?dinat al-Nabi (“City of the Prophet”) or simply Medina , on the instructions of the Prophet. According to some sources, he was one of the first of the Meccan followers of Muhammad to arrive in Medina.