ذِكْرُ تَسْمِيَةِ الْمُصْطَفَى ﷺ عَلِيًّا أَبَا تُرَابٍ

A man came to Sahl bin Saʿd and said, "This is so-and-so," meaning the Governor of Medina, "He is calling ʿAli bad names near the pulpit." Sahl asked, "What is he saying?" He (i.e. the man) replied, "He calls him (i.e. ʿAli) Abu Turab." Sahl laughed and said, "By Allah, none but the Prophet ﷺ called him by this name and no name was dearer to ʿAli than this." So I asked Sahl to tell me more, saying, "O Abu ʿAbbas! How (was this name given to ʿAli)?" Sahl said, "ʿAli went to Fatima and then came out and slept in the Mosque. The Prophet ﷺ asked Fatima, "Where is your cousin?" She said, "In the Mosque." The Prophet ﷺ went to him and found that his (i.e. ʿAli's) covering sheet had slipped of his back and dust had soiled his back. The Prophet ﷺ started wiping the dust off his back and said twice, "Get up! O Abu Turab (i.e. O. man with the dust).  

هَذَا فُلاَنٌ لأَمِيرِ الْمَدِينَةِ يَدْعُو عَلِيًّا عِنْدَ الْمِنْبَرِ قَالَ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا قَالَ يَقُولُ لَهُ أَبُو تُرَابٍ فَضَحِكَ قَالَ وَاللَّهِ مَا سَمَّاهُ إِلاَّ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُ اسْمٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ فَاسْتَطْعَمْتُ الْحَدِيثَ سَهْلاً وَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَا عَبَّاسٍ كَيْفَ قَالَ دَخَلَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَى فَاطِمَةَ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَيْنَ ابْنُ عَمِّكِ قَالَتْ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْهِ فَوَجَدَ رِدَاءَهُ قَدْ سَقَطَ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ وَخَلَصَ التُّرَابُ إِلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَجَعَلَ يَمْسَحُ التُّرَابَ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ فَيَقُولُ اجْلِسْ يَا أَبَا تُرَابٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ  

[Machine] I heard him say, "If the most beloved names to Ali are Abu Turab, then he is happy to be called by it, and he was not given the name Abu Turab except by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was angry with him one day." So he left and leaned against the wall, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came looking for him but did not find him in the house. He asked Fatimah, "Where is your cousin?" She said, "He went out angry." So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered someone to look for him. The person said, "He is lying against the wall, with his garment removed from his back and covered in dust." So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiped the dust off his back and said, "Sit, O Abu Turab."  

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ إِنْ كَانَتْ لَأَحَبَّ أَسْمَاءِ عَلِيٍّ ؓ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو تُرَابٍ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَيَفْرَحُ أَنْ يُدْعُوهُ بِهَا وَمَا سَمَّاهُ أَبَا تُرَابٍ إِلَّا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ غَاضَبَ يَوْمًا فَاطِمَةَ ؓا فَخَرَجَ فَاضْطَجَعَ إِلَى الْجِدَارِ فَجَاءَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَطْلُبُهُ فَلَمْ يَجِدْهُ فِي الْبَيْتِ فَقَالَ لِفَاطِمَةَ «أَيْنَ ابْنُ عَمِّكِ؟» قَالَتْ خَرَجَ آنِفًا مُغْضَبًا فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنْسَانًا مَعَهُ يَطْلُبُهُ فَقَالَ مُضْطَجِعٌ فِي الْجِدَارِ وَقَدْ زَالَ رِدَاؤُهُ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ وَامْتَلَأَ تُرَابًا فَجَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَمْسَحُ التُّرَابَ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ وَيَقُولُ «اجْلِسْ يَا أَبَا تُرَابٍ»  

[Machine] This is Fulan, a prince from the city, inviting you tomorrow to meet at the pulpit. He said, "What should I say?" He said, "You should say, 'Abu Turab.'" Sahel laughed and then said, "By Allah, no one called him by this name except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and by Allah, there was no name dearer to him than this." Abdul Aziz said, "My father, O Abu Abbas, how did that happen?" He said, "Ali entered upon Fatima, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , then he came out and lay down in the mosque. Then the Prophet ﷺ entered upon Fatima and said, 'Where is your cousin?' She said, 'He is over there in the mosque.' So the Prophet ﷺ went out and found his cloak had fallen from his back and dust had settled on it. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiped the dust off his back and said, 'Sit, O Abu Turab, sit, O Abu Turab.' By Allah, there was no name dearer to him than the name that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called him."  

هَذَا فُلَانٌ لَأَمِيرٌ مِنْ أُمَرَاءِ الْمَدِينَةِ يَدْعُوكَ غَدًا فَتَسُبَّ عَلِيًّا عِنْدَ الْمِنْبَرِ قَالَ فَأَقُولُ مَاذَا؟ قَالَ تَقُولُ أَبُو تُرَابٍ فَضَحِكَ سَهْلٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَاللهِ مَا سَمَّاهُ إِيَّاهُ إِلَّا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَاللهِ مَا كَانَ مِنِ اسْمٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ قَالَ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ فَقَالَ أَبِي يَا أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ كَيْفَ كَانَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ دَخَلَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَى فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَدَخَلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى فَاطِمَةَ فَقَالَ «أَيْنَ ابْنُ عَمِّكِ؟» قَالَتْ هُوَ ذَاكَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَوَجَدَ رِدَاءَهُ قَدْ سَقَطَتْ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ وَخَلُصَ التُّرَابُ إِلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَجَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَمْسَحُ التُّرَابَ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ وَيَقُولُ «اجْلِسْ أَبَا تُرَابٍ اجْلِسْ أَبَا تُرَابٍ» وَاللهِ مَا كَانَ لَهُ اسْمٌ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُ مَا سَمَّاهُ إِيَّاهُ إِلَّا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ