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…