Imam Ali's (عليه السلام) sons

Ali (عليه السلام) had 12 sons (including the unborn Mohsin (عليه السلام)). Two of the twelve were named Omar and Uthman. When you hear the name Omar today you usually immediately and automatically think of Omar Ibn al-Khattab. However, back at the time, this was not the case and the names such as Aisha, Omar and Uthman were very popular and very common Arab names. In fact, the brothers over at Answering-Ansar provided a list of the numerous companions who shared their names. So basically, Imam Ali (عليه السلام) did not name his sons after the two caliphs.

A suitable comparison would be if a staunch anti-George Bush father were to name his sons George and Richard. These two names are very popular indeed and no one would even think for a second he had named his sons that in honour of George Bush and Dick Cheney. If in 1400 years time the names George and Richard become associated with the current US President and vice-president, people would probably claim that this anti-US individual loved the Bush government, but we know from looking from an objective point of view, this is incorrect.

My Sunni friend once said in a discussion, “So why don’t you name your sons Yezid, Saddam and Adolf?” I replied to him, “Brother you are missing the point. The names Yezid, Saddam and Adolf are always associated with Yezid Ibn Muawiya, Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler. They are the first people you think of when the names are mentioned. However, during Imam Ali’s (عليه السلام) time, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab and Uthman Ibn Affan would not spring to mind when their first names were mentioned. This is the crucial point.”

The Sunni propagandist may say is it not too big of a coincidence for Imam Ali (عليه السلام) to have named two of his sons Omar and Uthman without having the caliphs in mind. I reply by saying if an anti-USA father were to name his sons George and Richard would anyone start talking about coincidences? No. As we can see the argument is weak but I will entertain it for a second. If the Sunni propagandists say that it is unlikely Imam Ali (عليه السلام) named his sons those names simply because the names were popular while there were many other popular Arab names, we respond to them by saying Imam Ali (عليه السلام) never named any of his sons Marwan, Hakam, Amr, Aas, Waleed, Mugheera, Khalid, Sufyan etc all of which are other popular Arab names shared by the enemies of the Commander of the Faithful (عليه السلام). Therefore, when you think about it carefully it is not appropriate to claim the coincidence is too big, as there were so many people opposed to Imam Ali (عليه السلام), many of them with popular Arab names. Remember to keep in mind Imam Ali (عليه السلام) had twelve sons in total.

As for the claim Imam Ali (عليه السلام) named all his sons after beloved ones (e.g. Jafar after Jafar Al-Tayyar (عليه السلام)) this is not always the case as indicated by the example of Aun Ibn Ali (رضي الله عنه).

In fact, Imam Ali (عليه السلام) did indeed name his son Uthman in honour of someone;
“I name this child Uthman after my brother Uthman Ibn Ma’dhoon (رضي الله عنه)” Bihar Al-Anwar Volume 45 Page 38, Maqatil Al-Talibeyeen Page 55

I also want to keep in mind the likely possibility that Imam Ali (عليه السلام) named his son Omar as a tool of facilitating closeness and reconciliation between the bitterly divided and warring Muslims. A Shia man I know named his daughter Aisha to please his Sunni wife, and so it is absolutely probable Imam Ali (عليه السلام) named his son Omar to bring together the various factions of Muslims who were deeply divided i.e. for the greater good. Personally speaking, I lean towards this idea.

In conclusion, Imam Ali (عليه السلام) did not name his sons Omar and Uthman out of love for the two caliphs, and his stance towards them is perfectly clear, as are the injustices they perpetrated.

NOTE:
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