Therefore...

Therefore, `Abbas took charge of Talib, Hamzah agreed to take up guardianship of Ja`far and the Prophet (a.s) himself requested his uncle to allow him to take the responsibility of `Ali (a.s). The fact is that from the Day of Creation `Ali (a.s) had been earmarked for him! The drought came as a blessing in disguise for `Ali (a.s) that he came under the direct tutelage of the Prophet (a.s).

Ibn Jarir al-tabari writes: “It was Allah’s Blessing for `Ali (a.s) that the Quraysh suffered one of the worst droughts at the time. This way Allah accomplished what He had planned for `Ali (a.s)”[1] It is natural that children do not want to be separated from their parents. But the Prophet’s love and affection did not let `Ali (a.s) feel much for the separation from his father and mother. He found his father’s affection in the affectionate looks of the Prophet (a.s).

He received a wealth of joy and happiness under his loving care. The Prophet (a.s) used to feed the child with his own hands, made him sleep near himself. He took care of the child day and night and attended to all his needs himself. `Ali (a.s) himself says about his upbringing: “I was still a child that the Prophet (a.s) took the responsibility of my upbringing. He used to keep me close to his chest. He made me sleep near him and made me smell his fragrance.

He used to chew some food and then feed it to me.[2] This was an example of `Ali’s physical upbringing. But since the Prophet (a.s) was created by Allah for the moral uplift of the entire world, one can imagine the attention and training that he would provide to the one who has been specifically earmarked for his personal tutelage! On the one hand he was `Ali’s benefactor and on the other he was the Mentor for the Entire World.

In these circumstances, definitely `Ali (a.s) would receive the best of training and upbringing imaginable! Therefore, the prophet (a.s) paid utmost attention to the development of the intellectual and moral development of his ward. `Ali (a.s) says about his moral training thus: [1] Tārīkh al-Tabarī, Vol 2, Page 57 [2] Nahj al-Balāghah “I used to trail the Prophet (a.s) the way a she-camel’s little one trails it!