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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Portraits of Youths in Quran and the History of Islam Ali Akbar The Brilliant Sun Of Youth Among the elegant faces of the family of prophethood was one whose name is written, spoken and heard always with the appellation of “the youth”. This is Ali ibn al-Husain, commonly called Ali Akbar, (That is Ali, the elder). This son of Imam Husain (a.s) had just stepped into adolescence.

A brilliant face and such a beautiful way of speech and movement that it seemed Providence had created him with special care. On the day of Ashura he was eighteen years old. His mother was the noble lady named Laila. She was a descendant of Urwah Ibn Masood Thaqafi, one of the four bravest warriors of Arabs in the period prior to Islam. Imam Husain (a.s) had named all his sons after his respected father.

May be since the names of all the three sons was Ali, they were addressed with different appellations of Ali Akbar (Ali, the elder) and Ali Asghar (Ali, the younger) etc. for the sake of identification. Ali Akbar resembled Ali (a.s) in his intelligence, valor and personality, and his physical appearance, facial features; way of walking and talking was exactly like that of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.). Ali Akbar was the first youth to have taken to the field in Kerbala.

According to some other reports he was the first of the youths of Bani Hashim who attacked the opponent army with great zeal and achieved martyrdom for the assistance of his respected father. When Ali Akbar came to Imam Husain seeking permission to take to the battlefield, the Imam glanced at an army of 30000 and then looked at Ali Akbar, that he was going to fight that huge multitude all alone. (We don’t know how Imam Husain felt at that moment).

Though he gave the permission, he added, “My son, Ali Akbar! Bid farewell to your paternal aunt, mother and sisters and then go out for the battle.” Ali Akbar went inside the tent and the ladies surrounded him. There was absolute chaos in the tent. The ladies were saying, “O the memento of the Prophet of Islam, have mercy on our honor and alienhood.

We would not be able to live without you.” But Ali Akbar was such a dignified young man that he saw his father besieged by the foes; and the ferocious army was ready to murder the son of the Prophet. How was it possible to continue seeing the oppressed condition of this father and the painful circumstances to which the women and children were subjected?