Description

LINEAGE

Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) was born around 637, to Khawla bint Ja’far al-Hanafiyya, a woman from the Banu Hanifa tribe, and Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A), cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He was the only child of Khawla, a freed slave, whom Hazrat Ali (R.A) had married sometime after the death of his first wife Bibi Fatima (R.A), daughter of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW).

LIFE

After the assassination of the third Rashidun caliph Uthman ibn Affan, Hazrat Ali (R.A) was elected to the caliphate in Medina. During his caliphate, Ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) accompanied Hazrat Ali (R.A) in battles, as his champion and standard-bearer. Ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) was an effective lieutenant for his father Hazrat Ali (R.A) during his caliphate.

Among many others, Ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) is said to have warned Imam Hussain (R.A) not to trust the Kufans, who had betrayed their father Hazrat Ali (R.A) and their brother Imam Hasan (R.A), suggesting that he should instead stay in Mecca or conceal himself in Yemen.

After the assassination of Hazrat Ali (R.A) and the deaths of his two sons Imam Hasan (R.A) and Imam Hussain (R.A), many recognized Ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) as the head of the House of Hazrat Ali (R.A). Indeed, Mukhtar al-Thaqafi soon claimed to represent Ibn Hanafiyya (R.A) in Kufa, calling for revenge for the Karbala massacre. His efforts were bolstered by the defeat of the alternative Tawwabun rebellion in 684.

Mukhtar eventually seized control of Kufa in 686 from Abd Allah ibn Zubayr, who had established in 680 an alternative caliphate in Mecca that rivaled the Umayyads. It is doubtful that Mukhtar represented the quiescent Ibn Hanafiyya (R.A). Nevertheless, the noncommittal response of Ibn Hanafiyya (R.A) was interpreted by a Kufan delegation as an implicit endorsement of Mukhtar, which in turn strengthened the Kufans’ support for the latter.

Mukhtar was defeated and killed in 686–687, yet Ibn Hanafiyya (R.A) was not compromised afterward, which perhaps indicates his weak ties with Mukhtar. Ibn Hanafiyya (R.A) continued to withhold his support from the two rival caliphates until the fall of Zubayr in 692, at which point he pledged his allegiance to the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik. By some accounts, he visited the caliph in Damascus in 692, and who generously compensated him.

Throughout his life, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) remained a figure of intrigue and speculation. Various factions sought to co-opt his name and lineage to further their own political agendas. Despite this, he maintained a stance of relative neutrality, refusing to openly challenge the ruling authorities or claim leadership himself.

LEGACY

Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) passed away in 700 CE, leaving behind a legacy of piety, scholarship, and the embodiment of quiet resistance against oppression. While he never actively sought political power, his name and lineage continued to inspire movements and individuals who sought to uphold justice and righteousness within the Islamic community. Today, he is remembered as a symbol of integrity and steadfastness during a turbulent period in Islamic history.