This was the first time that the Prophet openly and publicly...

This was the first time that the Prophet openly and publicly called the relations to accept him as the Messenger and Prophet of Allah; he also uses the words " akhí wa wasiyyí wa khalífatí - my brother, my successor, my caliph" for the person who will aid him in this mission. No one answered him; they all held back except the youngest of them - 'Ali bin Abí Talib.

He stood up and said, "I will be your helper, O Prophet of God." The Prophet put his hand on the back of 'Ali's neck and said: " Inna hadha akhhí wa wasiyyí wa khalífatí fíkum, fasma'u lahu wa atí'u - Verily this is my brother, my successor, and my caliph amongst you; therefore, listen to him and obey."[^1] This was a very explicit statement because the audience understood the appointment of 'Ali very clearly.

Some of them, including Abu Lahab, even joked with Abu Talib that your nephew, Muhammad, has ordered you to listen to your son and obey him! At the least, this shows that the appointment of 'Ali bin Abí Talib was clear and explicit, not just implied. Why Doesn't Ibn Hisham Mention this Da'wat? One of the questions raised in relation to this issue is why 'Abdu 'l-Malik Ibn Hisham (d. 213 AH) does not mention this event in his as-Sirah an-Nabawiyya - The Biography of the Prophet?

After all, he is the earliest of all historians. What is known as the Sirah of Ibn Hisham is actually the summary of the book of Muhammad Ibn Ishaq (born in 85 AH in Medina and died in 151 AH in Baghdad). The unabriged version of Ibn Ishaq's history book does not exist anymore.

So the question has to be reformulated: "Did Ibn Ishaq mention the Summoning of the Family event?" The political considerations that influenced Ibn Hisham in deleting certain events and maintaining others is clear from his own statement.

While listing the items that he has omitted, Ibn Hisham writes, "...things which it is disgraceful to discuss; matters which would distress certain people...all these things I have omitted."[^2] Editors of the 1955 Egyptian edition of the Sirah write that Ibn Ishaq had quoted events that would not have pleased the 'Abbasids "like the participation of al-'Abbas with the infidels in the battle of Badr and his capture by the Muslims-the narration that Ibn Hisham later on omitted out of the fear of the 'Abbasids."[^3] Praises of Imam 'Ali bin Abi Talib, especially the traditon of dar, were among the items that Ibn Hisham has deleted in summarizing the Sirah of Ibn Ishaq.