Uthman ibn Ali
Uthman ibn Ali (Arabic: عثمان بن علي) was a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah bint Huzam. Uthman was martyred in the Battle of Karbala is highly honored by Muslims. According to some hadiths, Uthman was 21 and had no children when he was martyred. His grave is in the mausoleum of the collective grave of the martyrs of Karbala in the shrine of Husayn ibn Ali.
Biography
He was son of Ali and Fatima bint Hizam.[1] Apparently, 'Uthman did not get married and had no children.[2] According to both Shia and Sunni sources, Ali named his son after Uthman ibn Affan.[2][3][4] Shia scholar Al-Murshid Billah quotes a narration from Abu Saeed:
Ali, I asked: “May Allah make you safe, who is this young one besides you?” He replied: “This is `Uthman bin `Ali, I named him after `Uthman bin `Affan
— al-Amali al-Ithneeniyyah 1/488 by Al-Murshid Billah
Sunni scholar Ibn Asakir quotes a narration from Abu Saeed:
My uncle told me, from his father, from Amro bin Qays, from `Atiyyah, from Abu Sa`eed: I passed by a young boy with bangs sitting next to `Ali Ibn Abi Talib, so I said: “Who is the boy next to you?” He answered: “This is `Uthman bin `Ali, I called him after `Uthman bin `Affan.
— Tareekh Madinat Dimashq by Ibn Asakir 45/304
Later weak sources indicate that Ali named his son Uthman after Uthman ibn Maz'un.[3]
Martyrdom
According to the report which has mentioned the age of 'Uthman b. 'Ali, 21 years old at the time of martyrdom.[5] After the martyrdom of non-Hashemite companions of Imam al-Husayn, Banu Hashim went to the battlefield. The first person from among the children of Ali who went to the battlefield was Abu Bakr ibn Ali. After him, according to a report, it was 'Abd Allah and Ja'far, brothers of 'Uthman from the same mother.[6] After them, Uthman went to the battlefield. Khawli ibn Yazid al-Asbahi shot an arrow at 'Uthman’s forehead and throw him down the horse. Then, a man from Banu Darim tribe beheaded him.[7]
Legacy
The name of 'Uthman has been mentioned and praised in the Ziyarah al-Nahiyya al-Muqaddasa attributed to the Mahdi:
"Peace be with you, O 'Uthman ibn Ali (a) and the mercy of Allah and His blessings [be upon you], for how great your position is, and how pure your remembrance is, and how clear your influence is, and how famous your blessing is, and how high your praise is, and how great is your glory."
