ʿAbd al-Rahmān b. ʿAmr b. Muljam al-Murādī (Arabic:عبدالرحمن بن عمرو بن ملجم المرادي),known as Ibn Muljam al-Murādī (Arabic:إبن ملجم المرادي) was the Kharijite assassin of Ali b. Abi Talib (a), the first Imam of Shi'a. He pledged allegiance to Imam Ali (a) when he became the caliph of Muslims. Also, he fought alongside Imam Ali (a) in the Battle of Jamal; however, after the arbitration after the Battle of Siffin, Ibn Muljam joined Kharijites. Ibn Muljam fought against Imam Ali (a) in the Battle of Nahrawan, and he was among the few surviving Kharijites. He assassinated Ali b. Abi Talib (a) on the 19th of Ramadan; afterward, he was executed by the sole hit of the sword of Imam al-Hasan (a). He is known as "the most miserable of the first and the last generations" and "the worst evil of all" in hadiths of Ahl al-Bayt (a).
| Murderer of Imam Ali (a) | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Amr b. Muljam al-Muradi |
| Religious Affiliation | Kharijite |
| Lineage | Murad |
| Place of Residence | Kufa |
| Death | 40/661 |
| Cause of Death | He was killed by Imam al-Hasan (a) |
| Burial Place | Kufa |
| Era | Early Islam |
| Known for | Murderer of Imam Ali (a) |
| Activities | Being among Kharijite, Participating in the battle of Nahrawan |
Birth and Lineage
His birth time is unknown, but it is said he has lived in the Age of Ignorance.[1] According to Ibn Sa'd, he was a member of the Murad tribe that was allied with Kinda tribe.[2] In several sources, he has been regarded as a Himyarite from the Tajub tribe (the Tajub tribe was allied with the Murad tribe).[3] As al-Baladhuri said: Tajub was grandfather of Ibn Muljam.[4]
Motives of Assassination
Numerous reasons were mentioned for his motive on the assassination of Ali b. Abi Talib (a):
According to Ibn Sa'd, he has assassinated Imam Ali (a) to seek revenge: After Kharijites were defeated in the Battle of Nahrawan, three surviving members, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muljam, Ibn 'Abd Allah al-Tamimi, and 'Amr b. Bukayr al-Tamimi gathered around in Mecca and planned to simultaneously assassin Imam Ali (a), Mu'awiya and 'Amr b. al-'As. 'Abd al-Rahman was set for the assassination of Imam Ali (a) then he traveled to Kufa, where he met his Kharijite allies. He fell in love with Qatam, the attractive daughter of Shajna b. 'Uday, and proposed to her. Qatam's father and brother were slain in the Battle of Nahrrawan; therefore, she accepted his proposal under some conditions; one of them was the assassination of Imam Ali (a).[5]
According to Ahmad b. A'tham al-Kufi, Ibn Muljam has assassinated Imam Ali (a) only because of Qatam's condition for their marriage: After the Battle of Nahrawan, just before Imam Ali (a) returned to the city, Ibn Muljam informed Kharijites about their defeat to Imam Ali's army. After a while, he fell in love with Qatam, daughter of Adba' al-Tamimi, and proposed to her. On the 23rd of Ramadan, 'Abd al-Rahman was drunk in Qatam's house. She woke him up for the Fajr prayer and sent him to the Mosque of Kufa. Then Ibn Muljam assassinated Imam Ali (a) with a poisoned sword, while Imam was in Sajda in the Fajr prayer.[6]
According to Shi'ite sources, Ibn Muljam al-Muradi has assassinated Imam Ali (a) in the dawn of 19th of Ramadan, 40/January 26, 661 with a poisoned sword; he hit Imam's head while he was in Sajda of Fajr prayer.[7]
Curse of Angels
According to a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a), When Ibn Muljam hit Imam Ali (a), there appeared an impact on the figure of Imam Ali (a) among angles, and afterward, every morning and evening, when angels visit the figure, they curse Ibn Muljam until the Day of Judgment.
His Fate
O sons of 'Abd al-Muttalib, certainly I do not wish to see you plunging harshly into the blood of Muslims shouting "Amir al-Mu'minin has been killed." Beware, do not kill on account of me except my killer. Wait till I die by his (Ibn Muljam's) existing stroke. Then strike him one stroke for his stroke and do not dismember the limbs of the man, for I have heard the Messenger of Allah (S) saying, "Avoid cutting limbs even though it may be a rabid dog."
Nahj al-balagha, letter 47: Will To al-Hasan (a) and al-Husayn (a) after he was wounded by 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muljam
Different fates have been mentioned for Ibn Muljam al-Muradi in historical books. However, it is well-known that Imam Ali (a) ordered his sons to behave with him fairly and equally. After Imam Ali (a) was martyred, Imam al-Hasan (a) gave equal punishment to Ibn Muljam; he was slain with only one equal hit of sword on 21st of Ramadan/January 28. It is also well-known that Umm al-Haytha, daughter of Aswad al-Nakha'i took Ibn Muljam's body and set it on fire.[8]
Burial Place
According to Ibn Batuta: When I traveled to Kufa, on the west side of the cemetery of Kufa, I saw a black spot on a vast white land. I asked for its reason, people believed it was the burial site where the assassin of Ali b. Abi Talib (a), Ibn Muljam, has been buried. Every year people of Kufa, gather woods on his grave and set them on fire for seven consecutive days.[9]
Notes
- ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba, vol. 5, p. 85.
- ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 3, p. 35.
- ↑ Baghdādī, Asmāʾ al-mughtālīn, p. 119.
- ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 2, p. 507.
- ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 3, p. 35-36.
- ↑ Ibn Aʿtham, al-Futūḥ, vol. 4, p. 276-278.
- ↑ Mufīd, al-Irshād, vol. 1, p. 20.
- ↑ Mufīd, al-Irshād, vol. 1, p. 22.
- ↑ Ibn Baṭūṭa, al-Riḥla, vol. 1, p. 167.
References
- Baghdādī, Muḥammad b. Ḥabīb al-. Asmāʾ al-mughtālīn min al-ashrāf fī l-jāhilīyyat wa l-Islām. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmīyya, 1422 AH.
- Balādhurī, Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-. Ansāb al-ashrāf. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī, 1394 AH.
- Ibn Aʿtham al-Kūfī, Aḥmad. Al-Futūḥ. Beirut: Dār al-Aḍwāʾ, 1411 AH.
- Ibn Baṭūṭa, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh. Al-Riḥla. Riyadh: Academy of al-Mamlika al-Maghribīyya, 1417 AH.
- Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī. Al-Iṣāba fī tamyīz al-ṣaḥāba. Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿIlmīyya, 1415 AH.
- Ibn Saʿd, Muḥammad b. Manīʿ al-Baṣrī. Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā. Beirut: Dār al-Ṣādir, 1968.
- Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Al-Irshād. Beirut: Dār al-Mufīd, 1414 AH.