Ali ibn Abi Talib

Ali was raised in the Prophet's household from childhood due to a famine that had strained Abu Talib's large family. He was approximately ten years old when he became the first young person to accept Islam. On the night of the Hijrah, Ali volunteered to sleep in the Prophet's bed while the Quraysh assassins surrounded the house. He lay wrapped in the Prophet's green cloak, knowing he could be killed. After the Prophet's safe departure, Ali remained in Makkah for three days to return the trusts that people had deposited with the Prophet — a testament to the Prophet's reputation even among his enemies — before making the Hijrah on foot. At Khaybar, after several Companions had led unsuccessful assaults on the fortresses, the Prophet said: 'Tomorrow I shall give the banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and whom Allah and His Messenger love. Allah will grant victory through him.' Every Companion hoped to be chosen. The next morning, the Prophet called for Ali, who was suffering from an eye ailment. The Prophet applied his saliva to Ali's eyes, and they were cured instantly. Ali then led the charge and conquered the fortress. The Prophet said to him: 'You are to me as Harun was to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me.' He married the Prophet's daughter Fatimah, and from them came Hasan and Husayn, described by the Prophet as 'the leaders of the youth of Paradise.'