‘Alī al-Hādī (Arabic: علي الهادي النقي‎), also known as ‘Alī an-Naqī (March 5, 828 – June 27, 868) was the tenth of the Twelve Imams. He was born ‘Alī ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Alī.

• Quotations related to ‘Alī al-Hādī an-Naqī at Wikiquote

Birth and family life

‘Alī al-Hādī was born in Madīnah to the ninth Shī‘ah Imām, Muhammad al-Taqi, and Lady Sumānah. He was eight years old when his father died, and when he was appointed with Imāmate. During the remaining years of the Caliphate of al-Mu‘tasim and the five year Caliphate of al-Wāthiq, al-Hādī and the Shī‘ah community of Madīnah lived in relative peace, with al-Hādī mostly engaged in teaching.

House arrest

In 848 during the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil, he was summoned to Baghdad and put under house arrest in Samarra, along with his son Hasan al-Askari. His time in prison was a time of great persecution against the Shia. The quarter of the city where al-Hadi lived was known as al-Askar since it was chiefly occupied by the army (askar) and, therefore, al-Hadi and his son Hasan are both referred to as 'Askari or together as al-‘Askariyyān ("the two ‘Askariyy"). According to Twelvers, al-Mutawakkil attempted to kill al-Hadi at least once but was frustrated by a miracle.