Will you give information about Hz. Ali's wives and children? Did Hz. Ali have three sons: Hasan, Husayn and Muhsin? Why do we not see Muhsin in history at all?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Hz. Ali’s son Muhsin (or Muhassin) died at a very young age. Besides, Hz. Ali had many other children apart from Hz. Hasan and Hz. Husayn.

Hz. Ali is of Sons of Hashim. He is the son of Abu Talib, the paternal uncle of the Prophet (pbuh). His wives and his children from them are as follows:

1) Hz. Fatima: She is the youngest daughter of the Prophet (pbuh). She is the first wife of Hz. Ali. Hz. Ali did not marry anybody else before Hz. Fatima died. 1 His children from Hz. Fatima are Hasan Husayn, Muhsin, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum.

When Hz. Umar was the caliph, he married Umm Kulthum, who was born before the death of the Prophet (pbuh). The reason why he married Umm Kulthum was this: "On the Day of Judgment, all lineages and causes will end the Prophet’s lineage and cause will not end." He knew about it. Zaynab (Zaynab al-Kubra) married Abdullah b. Jafar.

2) Ummul-Banin bint Hizam from the tribe of Amir b. Kilab: Hz. Ali had four children from her: Abbas, Jafar, Abuddullah and Uthman.

3) One of her wives was Layla bint Mas'ud from the tribe of Tamim: He had two children from her: Abdullah and Abu Bakr.

4) Asma bint Umays from the tribe of Has’ami: Yahya and Muhammed al-Asghar (Muhammad junior) were born from her.

5) Sahba bint Rabia from the tribe of Ju’sham b. Bakr is also among the wives of Hz. Ali. She was a slave from Taghlib. Hz. Ali had two children called Umar and Ruqiyya from this slave. (The owner of a female slave can have a sexual intercourse with her without marriage. This is called istifrash. Owning a female slave is stronger than marriage; therefore, the owner of a slave can have sexual intercourse with her. If the female slave gives birth to a child out of this intercourse, she is called "Umm Walad=Mother of child". She cannot be sold. Her child has the status of being free. Umm Walad becomes free if her owner says she is free or when he dies. In addition, it is permissible to marry the female slave of another person with the permission of her owner according to Islam. 2 The issue of Hz. Ali's female slave and his children from her should not confuse us.)

6) Umame, the daughter of Abul-As b. Rabi, a son-in-law of the Prophet (pbuh), is also a wife of Hz. Ali. Muhammad al-Awsat (Muhammad, the middle) was born out of this wife.

7) Hawle bint Jafar al-Hanafiyya. Muhammad, who was known as "Ibn-Hanafiyya" was born out of this wife.

8) Umm Said, the daughter of Urwa b. Mas'ud ath-Thaqafi. Hz. Ali had two daughters from this wife: Umm Husayn and Ramla al-Akbar.

Apart from them, Hz. Ali had other daughters and sons from her female slaves. Hz. Ali had fourteen sons and eighteen daughters. However, his progeny continued with his sons called Hz. Hasan, Hz. Husayn, Muhammad (Ibn Hanafiyya), Abbas and Umar. Most of his sons were martyred in Karbala in 60 H. 

Footnotes:

1. Ahl al-Bayt, see hadiths related to Hz. Fatima. "Hz. Fatima is a piece of flesh from me. What distresses her distresses me too." For his children, see Tarikhul-Khamis. II/283.
2. For detailed information, see Osmanlı'da Kölelik Cariyelik ve Harem, p. 208 ff. Çok evlilik yerine cariyelerin istifraş edilebilmesi. ibid, p. 212 ff.; Ubancı, M. A. Osmanlı'da Modernleşme Sancısı, translated by Cemal Aydın, İstanbul 1988 p. 359-365; for the issue of slaves, see İslâm Tarihi, Hitti, II/369-371 (Köleler Taba­kası); Ahkâm-ı Kur'âniye, p. 133, 136; the issue of marrying female slaves in the decrees of the Quran.

(Assoc. Prof. Murat Sarıcık, Hz. Ali, Dört Halife Dönemi)

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