Notes
1. Tabaqatul Kubra, vol. I, pp. 227-228 and Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, pp. 480-482.
2. Tabaqat-i Kubra, page 228 and Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 100.
3. Seerah-i Halabi, vol. II, page 32.
4. A'lamul Wara', page 39 and Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 50.
5. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 100.
6. Tabaqat-i Kubra, vol. I, page 229 etc. Most of the biographers have quoted this miracle. In view of what we have said regarding miracles in connection with the narrative about Abraha it does not appear appropriate that we should unnecessarily explain away or amend this series of miracles.
7. In Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah of Ibn Abil Hadid this distinction of Ali has been mentioned in suitable words (vide vol. XIII, page 262).
8. Samrah bin Jundab was one of the criminal elements of the Umayyad period. He did not only tamper with facts to the extent mentioned above, but as quoted by Ibn Abil Hadid he also added something to it and said that what was actually revealed about Ali was this verse: And among men is he whose speech about the life of this world causes you to wonder, and be calls on Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the most violent of adversaries. (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:204) During the period of the governor-generalship of Ziyad bin Abih in Iraq, Samrah was the Governor of Basrah. One of the crimes of this man was that he killed eight thousand Muslims and devotees of the family of the Prophet. When Ziyad called for his explanation and said: "How did you pick up courage to kill all these people? Did it not cross your mind that possibly there might be some innocent persons amongst them?" He replied: "I won't mind killing even more than these". His shameful acts are too many to be inserted in these pages. This obstinate man was the very person who rejected the recommendation of the Prophet about respecting rights of a neighbour, and the Prophet said to him: "You are a harmful person and Islam does not allow that one should do harm to others or tolerate harm from them".
9. Before him Jahiz partly mentioned this objection in his book entitled 'al-Usmaniyah'. Please refer in this connection to Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah by Ibn Abil Hadid, vol. XIII, page 262.
10. For example this sentence has not been mentioned in Tabaqat-i Kubra, pp. 227 - 228. Its author was born in 168 A.H. and passed away in 238.A.H. Maqrizi too has not mentioned it in al-Imta'a.
11. Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 72
12. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 99.
13. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 483.
14. Tarikh-i Kamil, lbn Athir, vol. II, page 73.
15. Seerah-i Halabi, vol. II, page 37.
16. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 491; Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 75 and in the footnote of the Tarikh-i Ibn Athir.
17. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. II, page 104.
18. lbn Wazeh Akhbari writes in his history entiitled 'Tarikh-i Ya'qubi' that in the 16th year of 'migration' the second caliph determined to fix a starting point of the history of the Muslims. He wished that it should be the date of the birth of the Prophet or the date of his appointment to the prophetic mission, but Ali did not endorse his views and said that 'migration' should be the origin of Islamic history. (Tarikh-i Ya'qubi, vol. II, page 135).
19. Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 74.
20. Most of the biographers of the Prophet, like Ibn Athir (Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 74) and Majlisi (Bihar, vol. IX, page 88) have quoted this incident, as narrated above, from the sixth Imam with reliable sources. However, the author of 'Hayat-i Muhammad' says: "Saraqah considered these occurrences to be a bad omen and thought that the gods wished to prevent him from this task".
21. Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 75.
22. 'Amali, page 300.
23. Tarikh-i Kamil, vol. II, page 75.
24. Imta'ul Asma, page 48.
25. Tarikh-i Tabari, vol. I, page 106.
26. Usudul Ghabah, vol. IV, page 99.
27. Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 108; but according to some books including Tarikh-i Kamil they were under the guardianship of Mu'az bin 'Afra'.
28. Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 108.,
29. Seerah, vol. I, pp. 500 - 501.
30. Biharul Anwar, vol. XIX, page 126.