Description

LINEAGE

Hazrat Muhammad al-Awsat ibn Ali (R.A) was born in 635 AD in Medina. He was born to Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A) and Umama bint Abi al-As (R.A). Hazrat Muhammad al-Awsat ibn Ali (R.A) is commonly known as Hilal ibn Ali (R.A).

LIFE

Nothing is known about his life other than his role in the Battle of Karbala. He had a brother, Awn (R.A), who lived in Shaam or Ta’if (modern-day Saudi Arabia). The governor of Khorasan, Qays ibn Murrah, feared an uprising against his rule, and sent a strong army to fight followers of Hilal. In the ensuing battle, Hilal (R.A) was injured, and his brother and many of his followers were killed.

It is said that he wrote shortly before his death of a dream, in which his grandfather Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), his father Hazrat Ali (R.A), and his half-brother Al-Hussain (R.A), were waiting for him to join them. So he fasted the next day, breaking his fast with an apple. He reported his dream on the following day to his companions, Yaqub and his son, and announced that he would be their guest in the evening, before dying in the night. Then after his death, Yaqub and his sons gave him a ritual bath and buried his body, where a shrine now stands, acting as a place of refuge for friends and followers of the Ahl al-Bayt.

He passed away in 684 AD. His mausoleum was established in Aran, Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran.

LEGACY

While specific details about the life of Hazrat Muhammad al-Awsat ibn Ali (R.A) are not as extensively documented as his brothers, his association with the Ahl al-Bayt and his upbringing in their household certainly left a profound influence on him.

Hazrat Muhammad al-Awsat ibn Ali (R.A) inherited the legacy of bravery that characterized his family. He was raised in an environment deeply rooted in Islamic teachings and principles, under the supervision of his father, Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A).