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Abū Ṭālib (ʿImrān) b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib
(3,556 words)

Abū Ṭālib (ʿImrān) b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (d. ten years after the advent of Islam, December 619 or January 620) was the father of Imam ʿAlī and the paternal uncle of the Prophet Muḥammad. He was a defender of the Prophet in the early years following the advent of the prophetic mission (biʿtha).

Most of what the extant narratives say about Abū Ṭālib's life has been a constant subject of debate and controversy. A major part of the dispute arises from the fact that Abū Ṭālib, as the father of ʿAlī and as the great forefather of all the Ṭālibids, was gi…

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Bahramian, Ali and Translated by Farzin Negahban, “Abū Ṭālib (ʿImrān) b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib”, in: Encyclopaedia Islamica, Editors-in-Chief: Farhad Daftary. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875-9831_isla_SIM_0219>
First published online: 2015



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