Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn

Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Abdullah Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn ( April, 61 AH - Tenth of Muharram the 10th of October, 61 AH) was the youngest child of Husayn ibn Ali (the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia Imam) and Rubab (the daughter of the chief of the Kinda Imra al-Qays tribe). He is honored by Muslims as the youngest martyr of the Battle of Karbala.

Abdullah "Ali al-Asghar" ("Youngest Ali") ibn Husayn was born in Medina. He was one of the three sons of Husayn. The other two were Ali ibn Husayn, the fourth Shia Imam, and Ali Akbar ibn Husayn, who was also killed by Yazid's forces in the Battle of Karbala. His sisters were Sakina (Rukayya), 4 years old, Sakinah (Fatema Kubra) and Fatema Sugra. Imam Husain took Ali Asghar in battlefield to show the condition of 6 month old child without water. The tragedy was that in place of giving him water, Ali al-Asghar was killed by Hurmala who shot an arrow that pierced his neck. According to both Shia and Sunni traditions, the arrow was three-headed.


Imam Husayn's Shrine, where Ali Asghar is buried with his father
Ali Asghar's death at 6 months old occurred on, 10 Muharram 61 AH, which is known as Ashura. He is considered a martyr.
[edit]Reverence after his death

Ali al-Asghar is buried along with his brother Ali al-Akbar with Husayn in Karbala, Iraq, which is now the most visited shrine in the world.[1] In Muharram ceremonies and commemorations, Ali al-Asghar is represented as an innocent child suffering unbearable thirst. His death is mourned at length in rawza-khani (recital of the Rawdat ash-Shuhada "The Paradise of the Martyrs") literature and in early ta'ziya (passion play) traditions, a complete majles was dedicated to Ali al-Asghar, with the infant's cradle a conspicuous element on the stage. Ali al-Asghar is also represented in Muharram processions and mourned in folklore.