Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid facts for kids

Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid al-Qurashi (born around 1128, died December 21, 1215) was a very important religious leader in Yemen. He was the 5th Da'i al-Mutlaq (which means 'absolute missionary' or 'chief leader') for the Tayyibi Isma'ili community. He held this position from 1209 until his death in 1215.

Ali came from a respected family called the Quraysh. He was a well-known scholar and expert in Tayyibi beliefs. He also wrote several important books about these teachings. Before becoming the chief leader, he worked as a senior helper to the third and fourth Da'i al-Mutlaqs. When he became the leader, his family started a long tradition. For about 250 years, most of the chief leaders came from his family.

Life Story

His Family and Early Work

Ali came from a famous family called the Banu al-Walid al-Anf. This family was part of the Quraysh tribe, which was a very old and important tribe. His family line went all the way back to a person named Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy. He was also a descendant of a prince from the Umayyad dynasty who lived in the 600s.

His great-grandfather, Ibrahim al-Anf, was a supporter of Ali al-Sulayhi. Ali al-Sulayhi was the founder of the Sulayhid dynasty, a ruling family in Yemen. Ibrahim was even sent as a messenger to the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir.

When Ali was young, he studied with his uncle, Ali ibn al-Husayn. His uncle was a ma'dhun (a senior deputy or assistant leader) to the second Da'i al-Mutlaq. After his uncle passed away, Ali continued his studies with another ma'dhun, Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Harithi.

In 1188, when Muhammad ibn Tahir died, Ali took over his role as ma'dhun. He then worked for the third Da'i al-Mutlaq, Hatim ibn Ibrahim.

Ali was based in Sana'a, where he continued the religious work. He often visited the main Tayyibi center in Haraz. Hatim trusted Ali so much that he asked him to educate his own son, Ali ibn Hatim. It was Ali's idea that Hatim chose his son to be the next leader.

When Hatim died in 1199, his son Ali became the leader. He served until his death in 1209. During Ali ibn Hatim's time, the Tayyibis had to leave Haraz and found safety in Sana'a.

Becoming the Chief Leader

Ali ibn Hatim died on May 31, 1209, without a direct heir. So, Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid became the next Da'i al-Mutlaq. He led the community until his death on December 21, 1215, in Sana'a. He was about 90 years old according to the Islamic calendar.

The title Da'i al-Mutlaq meant they were the real leaders of the Tayyibi community. They acted as representatives for the hidden imam, a spiritual leader who was not publicly known.

Even though the next leader, Ali ibn Hanzala, was from a different family, Ali's son, al-Husayn, became the eighth Da'i al-Mutlaq in 1230. After that, with only one short break, the leadership stayed within Ali's family until 1539.

Ali had good relationships with the Hamdanid dynasty and the Ayyubid rulers of Sana'a. His grave was not known for 600 years. It was found in March 2019 in Al-Aghmur, Yemen. The current Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra, Mufaddal Saifuddin, officially announced its discovery on March 25, 2019.

His Writings

Ali was very well-educated and highly respected by other Tayyibi scholars. Hatim ibn Ibrahim once said that Ali had all the qualities needed for a da'i (a religious missionary). Ali was a "prolific author," meaning he wrote many important books about Tayyibi beliefs (called haqa'iq).

Because his works were so highly valued, most of them have survived to this day. Eight of his books have been published in modern times. The handwritten copies of another eight books have not yet been published.

Here are some of his important works:

• Kitāb al-dhakhīra fī l-ḥaqīqa: This book has 33 chapters. It talks about the oneness of God (tawhid), how the universe was created (cosmology), and what happens at the end of time (eschatology). It also discusses the different levels of the religious mission (daʿwa), the imams and prophets, and rewards or punishments.
• Risālat jalāʾ al-ʿuqūl wa-zubdat al-maḥṣūl: This work also covers the oneness of God, cosmology, and eschatology.
• Risālat al-īḍāḥ wa-l-tabyīn: A short book about Tayyibi ideas on creation, the religious hierarchy, and the last Tayyibi imam.
• Risālat tuḥfat al-murtād wa-ghuṣṣat al-aḍdād: This book argues against the claims of a rival group, the Hafizi Isma'ili, about who should be the imam.
• Risāla [fī maʿnā] al-ism al-aʿẓam: A treatise whose author was identified as Ali ibn Muhammad later on.
• Tāj al-ʿaqāʾid wa-maʿdin al-fawāʾid: This book was summarized and translated into English as A Creed of the Fatimids.
• Dāmigh al-bāṭil wa-ḥatf al-munāḍil: A two-volume book that argues against al-Ghazali's work, which was critical of the Isma'ilis.
• Al-Risāla al-mufīda fī sharḥ mulghaz al-qaṣīda: This is a commentary on Avicenna's poem about the soul.
• Dīwān Sayyidnā ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Walīd: This is a collection (diwan) of over 100 poems. These poems include praises for his teachers and discussions about religious beliefs and events of his time.

Some of his other works that are still in manuscript form (not yet published) include:

• Ḍiyạ̄ʾ al-albāb
• Lubb al-maʿārif
• Lubāb al-fawāʾid
• Risālat mulḥiqat al-adhhān
• Mukhtaṣar al-uṣūl: This book argues against the beliefs of Sunnis, Mu'tazilis, Zaydis, and philosophers.
• Risālat al-bayān wa-mudḥiḍat al-buhtān: This work argues against Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Ahwari, who was a rival for the Dā'ī al-Mutlaq position.
• Majālis al-nuṣḥ wa-l-bayān

Sources

• Daftary, Farhad (2004). [Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid at Google Books Ismaili Literature: A Bibliography of Sources and Studies]. London and New York: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-0-8577-1386-5. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid at Google Books.
• Daftary, Farhad (2007). [Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid at Google Books The Ismāʿı̄lı̄s: Their History and Doctrines] (Second ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-61636-2. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-Walid at Google Books.
• Poonawala, Ismail K. (2009). "ʿAlī b. al-Walīd". Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE. Brill Online. DOI:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_22932.