House of Ali ibn Abi Talib
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The House of Ali ibn Abi Talib is a lineage descended from the Banu Hashim branch of the Quraysh tribe. Ali was the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and married his daughter Fatima. Because of this, his family connected two lines of fundamental importance in Islamic history: descent from the Prophet and the political branch later known as the Alids (Caloowiyiinta).
Much of early Islamic history—particularly the power disputes of the first and second centuries of the Islamic calendar—centers on figures from this family. Likewise, the division between Sunni and Shia Islam places considerable weight on the rights and status of these individuals.
Parents and siblings
His father was Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, who protected the Prophet Muhammad while in Mecca. His mother was Fatima bint Asad, also of Banu Hashim. Among his brothers were Talib, Aqil, and Jafar (known as Jafar al-Tayyar); his sisters included Umm Hani and Jumaana.
Wives
His most famous wife was Fatima bint Muhammad; according to most sources, Ali married no other woman while she lived. After Fatima's death, he married other women including Umm al-Banin (Fatima bint Hizam), Layla bint Masud, Asma bint Umays, and al-Sahba bint Rabiah. The number and names of wives vary across historical sources.
Children
Fatima bore Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab, and Umm Kulthum; some sources mention a son named Muhsin who died in infancy. His other children included Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (whose mother was Khawla bint Jafar), al-Abbas, Abdullah, Uthman, and Jafar (born to Umm al-Banin), as well as Umar and Ruqayya. Umama bint Zaynab was the granddaughter of Zaynab bint Muhammad, whom Ali later married. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, born to Asma bint Umays, was raised in Ali's household and is counted among his family.
Impact on history
The descendants of Hasan and Husayn—known as Hasanids and Husaynids—became the foundation of Shia imams and numerous Islamic states, such as the Idrisids of Morocco and the Fatimids. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya was associated with al-Mukhtar's uprising and Kaysani thought. The event of Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE) killed Husayn and many family members, becoming a significant moment in religious and cultural memory.