Was Hazrat Ali (RA) born inside the kabba with the walls cracked?

Question

I heard that Imam Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) was born inside the Ka'bah, that is the walls cracked and he was delivered inside the kaabah. My question is what is the validity of this story according to the Shia? Did the events in this story actually happen? I am looking for clear cut evidences of the veracity of this story and the events in it according to the Shia view.

Answer 1

In order to answer this question, one may use the quote by Nuru'd-din Bin Sabbagh Maliki (or the similar ones mentioned here) stating that Ali(a.s.) was born inside the Ka'ba and this was unique to him alone.

Nuru'd-din Bin Sabbagh Maliki in his Fusulu'l- Muhimma, Fasl I, p.14:

"No one before Ali was born in the Ka'ba. This was a distinction given to Ali in order to enhance his honor, rank, and dignity."

[People reported to be born in the Kaaba]

Or one may mention the last dialogues between Sa'sa'a bin Sohan and Imam Ali (A.S.) before Imam's death in which Imam Ali (a.s.) introduces himself superior to Jesus (as) with the sign of his birth inside Kaaba:

[...]Sa'sa'a asked: "Who is superior, you or Jesus?" Ali said: "I am superior, for when Mary became pregnant by the Grace of Allah, and the time of her delivery approached, a revelation was granted to her: 'Leave this holy House for this is a House for prayers, not a place for the delivery of children.' Accordingly, she left the holy House and went to the wilderness where she gave birth to Jesus. But when my mother, Fatima Bint-e-Asad, felt labor pains within the precincts of the holy Ka'ba, she clung to the wall and prayed to Allah in the name of that House and the builder of that House, to lessen her pain. Soon a fissure appeared in the wall, and my mother heard a mysterious voice telling her, "O Fatima! Enter the House of the Ka'ba.' She went in, and I was born inside of the holy Ka'ba."

Source:

The Book: PESHAWAR NIGHTS By: Sultanu'l-Wa'izin Shirazi
Translated by: Hamid Quinlan and Charles Ali Campbell Published 1996 by Pak Books, P.O. Box EE, Palisades, NY 10964

Or even one may point at the crack on the wall of Kaaba which you can see on The Yemeni Corner. It is said that although the walls of Kaaba has been rebuilt many times since the birth of Imam Ali (a.s.), but this crack keeps reappearing^(Reference). You can somehow see this fact in the pictures below:

But to my view, none of these proofs is as strong as the fact that throughout the history, no other place has been identified to be the birthplace of this great Imam. In other words, this absence of any other potential alternative is a good proof to such a belief.

Answer 2

In the name of Allah the compassionate the merciful

Ali was born on the 13th of Rajab of the 30th year of the Elephant (A.D. 600). His cousin, Muhammad, was now 30 years old. Ali's parents were Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, and Fatima, the daughter of Asad, both of the clan of Hashim (1).

Masoodi Which is entitled as the herodotus of arabs writes in his "The Golden Meadows" (Murooj-udh-Dhahab) as such:

one of the greatest distinctions that Ali enjoyed was that he was born in the House of Allah.

Many other authors have confirmed the birth of Imam Ali (a.s) in Kaaba. Some of them are as following:

1.Muhammad ibn Talha el-Shafei in Matalib-us-saool, page 11.

2.Hakim in Mustadrak, page 483, Vol. III.

3.El-Umari in Sharh Ainia, page 15.

4.Halabi in Sira, page 165, Vol. I.

5.Sibt ibn al-Jauzi in Tadhkera Khawasil Ummah, page 7.

6.Ibn Sabbagh Maleki in Fusoolul Mohimma, page 14.

7.Muhammad bin Yousuf Shafei in Kifayet al-Talib, page 261.

8.Shablanji in Nurul Absar, page 76.

9.Ibn Zahra in Ghiyathul Ikhtisar, page 97.

10. Edvi in Nafhatul Qudsia, page 41 (1).

Also some references such as ( Al-Mustadrak 3:483) have confirmed Kaaba cracked and Fatima bint Asad entered it to give birth into Imam Ali (a.s.).

(1)- http://www.al-islam.org/story-of-the-holy-kaaba-and-its-people-shabbar/first-imam-ali-ibn-abu-talib

Answer 3

According to all sources of Shia it is a fact that Imam Ali (as) was born inside the Kaaba.

Shaikh Mofid (as an authentic and famous source of Shia) mentioned that Imam Ali (as) was born in Kaaba.., you can read it as the following issue:

شيخ مفيد : (الامام علی علیه السلام) ولد بمكة في البيت الحرام يوم الجمعة الثالث عشر من رجب سنة ثلاثين من عام الفيل ، ولم يولد قبله ولا بعده مولود في بيت الله تعالى سواه إكراما من الله تعالى له بذلك وإجلالا لمحله في التعظيم . الشيخ المفيد ، أبي عبد الله محمد بن محمد بن النعمان العكبري البغدادي (متوفاي413هـ) ، الإرشاد في معرفة حجج الله علي العباد ، ج 1 ، ص 5 ، تحقيق : مؤسسة آل البيت عليهم السلام لتحقيق التراث ، ناشر : دار المفيد للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع - بيروت ، الطبعة : الثانية ، 1414هـ - 1993 م

To know regarding the circumstances of the birth of Imam Ali (as), please read the following matter:

Firstly, regarding the time of the story: It was Friday 13th of the month of Rajab 30 Amulfeel , the wife of Abu Talib ( Fatima binte Asad, the mother of Ali (as)) entered the precincts of the kaaba and prayed to God saying o’ my protector ease my pain.’ Then all of a sudden the wall of the Kabba opened up and she, As if by some unseen force went inside the Kaaba and the wall closed. Eventually, Imam Ali (as) the son of Abu Talib was born inside the Holy Kaaba. Hazrat Fatima binte Asad stayed inside the Kaaba for three days. On the 3rd day she came out through the door and Muhammad was waiting outside. She told Prophet Muhammad (S) that the boy had not taken any milk. Muhammad gave him the first feed from his mouth and afterwards asked his uncle Abu Talib that he wished to adopt the baby.

Some of the other authorities who have affirmed Ali's birth in the Kaaba, are such as:

1.Muhammad ibn Talha el-Shafei in Matalib-us-saool, page 11.

2.Hakim in Mustadrak, page 483, Vol. III.

3.El-Umari in Sharh Ainia, page 15.

4.Halabi in Sira, page 165, Vol. I.

5.Sibt ibn al-Jauzi in Tadhkera Khawasil Ummah, page 7.

6.Ibn Sabbagh Maleki in Fusoolul Mohimma, page 14.

7.Muhammad bin Yousuf Shafei in Kifayet al-Talib, page 261.

For further information, please refer to the sources.

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Sources:

www.al-islam.org (1)

www.al-islam.org (2)

Answer 4

In the name of Allah, the most compassionate, the most merciful.

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First I must mention that the birth of the faithful Imam Ali in Ka’ba in the Shia viewpoint is definite and constant and repeated many times in narrations:

شيخ مفيد رضوان الله تعالي عليه: ولد بمكة في البيت الحرام يوم الجمعة الثالث عشر من رجب سنة ثلاثين من عام الفيل ، ولم يولد قبله ولا بعده مولود في بيت الله تعالى سواه إكراما من الله تعالى له بذلك وإجلالا لمحله في التعظ

Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, was born on Friday, on the thirteenth of the month of Rajab, thirty years after the massacre at the house of God in Mecca. No one Neither before nor after him born in the house of God. The born of “Amir Almo’menin“ in the house of Allah is a great virtue and honor which Allah assigned to him to celebrate his dignity and worth.

حاكم نيشابوري: فقد تواترت الأخبار أن فاطمة بنت أسد ولدت أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب كرم الله وجهه في جوف الكعبة

There are many narrations that Fatima Bint Asad bore amir almomenin Imam Ali ibn abi Talib “karam Allah vajha” , Inside Ka’ba.

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Some other narrations:

سبط ابن جوزي: وروي أن فاطمة بنت أسد كانت تطوف بالبيت وهي حامل بعلي (ع) فضربها الطلق ففتح لها باب الكعبة فدخلت فوضتعه فيها .

علي بن الحسين مسعودي: وكان مولده في الكَعبة

گنجي شافعي: «ولد أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب بمكة في بيت الله الحرام ليلة الجمعة لثلاث عشرة ليلة خلت من رجب سنة ثلاثين من عام الفيل ولم يولد قبله ولا بعده مولود في بيت الله الحرام سواه إكراما له بذلك ، وإجلالا لمحله في التعظيم .

ابن صباغ المالكي: ولد علي ( عليه السلام ) بمكة المشرفة بداخل البيت الحرام في يوم الجمعة الثالث عشر من شهر الله الأصم رجب الفرد سنة ثلاثين من عام الفيل قبل الهجرة بثلاث وعشرين سنة ، وقيل بخمس وعشرين ، وقبل المبعث باثني عشرة سنة ، وقيل بعشر سنين . ولم يولد في البيت الحرام قبله أحد سواه ، وهي فضيلة خصه الله تعالى بها إجلالا له وإعلاء لمرتبته وإظهارا لتكرمته .

حلبي: لأنه ولد في الكعبة وعمره (يعني النبي) (ص) ثلاثون سنة

And the question is why? Why Imam Ali ibne abi Talib was born inside the Kaaba? Maybe Alusi gives us the answer:

Mahmud al-Alusi says:

«سبحان من یضع الاشیاء فی مواضعها و هو احکم الحاکمین»

Glory be to God who puts everything in its place and hi is the most just of all judges