How Did Ali ibn Abi Talib Died?

The Agreement of the Khawarij to Kill Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)

The Khawarij agreed to assassinate Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, and Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with them all), as they believed according to their twisted view that these men were the leaders of disbelief, and they wanted to rid the Muslim community of their "evil".

They agreed to carry out the assassinations at the same time, during the dawn prayer on a specific day. Abdul-Rahman ibn Muljam was able to execute his part of the plot, the details of which are explained below.

Ibn Muljam’s Journey to Kufa and His Encounter with Qutam

Ibn Muljam traveled to Kufa, where he met a group of Khawarij. Among them was a woman named Qutam, whose father and brother had been killed in the Battle of Nahrawan. She was extremely beautiful. Ibn Muljam proposed marriage to her, and she agreed on the condition that her dowry be three thousand dirhams, a servant, a slave girl, and the assassination of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Ibn Muljam replied: “You do not want to marry me, you want Ali dead as part of the dowry. If I do this, I will not live”. She responded: “No, I do want to marry you. Perhaps you’ll find a moment when Ali is unaware, and you can kill him. That will quench both our thirsts for revenge. And if they kill you, what is with Allah is better than me or anything in this world”. At that point, he confessed that he had only come to Kufa to kill Ali.

Ibn Muljam Stabs Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had a habit of walking through the streets of Kufa at dawn to wake people for prayer. On that day, as he went out calling, “Prayer, prayer!” the criminal attacked and stabbed him, falsely and maliciously shouting: “O Ali! Do you want to judge using the Book of Allah with your companions? Judgment is only for Allah!”

Two other Khawarij aided him in this crime—one of them was killed, and the other fled.

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed with a poisoned sword. Ibn Muljam had soaked the sword in poison for an entire month. The other two failed to assassinate Muawiyah and Amr as planned. Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was severely injured but survived. As for Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), he did not attend prayer that day due to illness, and the man who led the prayer in his place was killed.

Ali’s Final Will Before His Martyrdom

Before his death, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a comprehensive will that addressed individual, societal, and governmental matters. It came from the heart of a wise man who had learned directly from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) since his youth and was among the most distinguished of his students.

He began his will by invoking the name of Allah, testifying to His Oneness, affirming the message of His Prophet (peace be upon him), and dedicating all his worship, life, death, movements, and stillness to Allah alone.

He addressed his will to his son Hasan, to all his children, and to anyone who received the message. Among his instructions were:

• To fear Allah and remain steadfast in Islam until death.
• To uphold ties of kinship, care for orphans, and be kind to neighbors.
• To recite the Qur’an frequently and act upon it.
• To perform prayer, the pillar of religion.
• To fast, especially during the month of Ramadan.
• To give zakat, which extinguishes the wrath of the Lord.
• To strive in jihad with wealth and soul.
• To never oppress the people under the dhimma (non-Muslims under Muslim protection) nor allow others to do so, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) granted them protection.
• To not fear criticism in upholding the truth, to enjoin good and forbid evil so that the corrupt do not gain control.
• To stay connected, give freely, and avoid division and discord.
• To cooperate in righteousness and piety, and not in sin and aggression.
• He instructed Hasan and Husayn to care for their brother Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, and vice versa, and to consult each other on important matters.

The Martyrdom of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)

After completing his will, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke only the words of Tawheed: “There is no god but Allah,” and continued repeating them until his pure soul departed, patient, steadfast, and seeking reward. This occurred on the 17th of Ramadan. His sons Hasan and Husayn, along with his nephew Abdullah ibn Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with them all), washed his body. He was shrouded in three garments, and Hasan led the funeral prayer over him, offering nine takbirs in recognition of his status.

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the first child to accept Islam, and the fourth of the rightly-guided caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them all).

Summary

A group of Khawarij conspired to assassinate Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, and Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with them). Three of them pledged to carry out the assassinations on the same time and date. Ibn Muljam succeeded in killing Ali after sharpening and poisoning his sword for a month and traveling to Kufa with the help of fellow Khawarij to commit the heinous act.