His exact birth date is unknown. A transmitted age of nineteen creates an obvious chronological problem when compared with Imam Ali's death in 40 AH, so no certain birth year or age is assigned.
Jafar ibn Ali
PER-000044
Ahl al-Bayt
Probable
General area known
Imami source baseline
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Jafar ibn Ali, Peace Be Upon Him, was a son of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and Umm al-Banin Fatima bint Hizam, a full brother of al-Abbas, Abd Allah, and Uthman ibn Ali, and one of the Hashimite martyrs of Karbala. Very little independent detail about his life has survived, but his loyalty to Imam Husayn, rejection of the safe-conduct offered through Shimr, and martyrdom on Ashura in 61 AH are clearly preserved in biographical and maqtal traditions.
He was martyred at Karbala on 10 Muharram 61 AH, corresponding to 680 CE, while supporting Imam Husayn. The killer is variously reported as Khawli ibn Yazid or Hani ibn Thabit.
He is traditionally included in the collective burial of the Hashimite martyrs at Karbala, but no separate identified grave is historically established. The current file contains no individual shrine or location linkage.
Biography and historical profile
Jafar ibn Ali, Peace Be Upon Him, was a son of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and one of the four sons of Umm al-Banin Fatima bint Hizam al-Kilabiyya. His full brothers were al-Abbas, Abd Allah, and Uthman ibn Ali. He must be distinguished from Jafar ibn Abi Talib al-Tayyar and Jafar ibn Aqil, because several martyrs connected with Karbala bore the name Jafar. The explicit identification of his father and mother is therefore essential.
His exact birth date is not securely preserved. Maqatil al-Talibiyyin transmits that he was nineteen at his death, but that number does not fit straightforwardly with the death of Imam Ali in 40 AH. Later works also circulate different birth years. A responsible profile may describe him as a young Hashimite martyr, but should not assign a certain age or birth year.
In 61 AH he was among the members of Banu Hashim who remained with Imam Husayn at Karbala. No secure evidence survives for an independent scholarly office, authored work, or large corpus of hadith under his name. His historical identity rests primarily on his place in Ali's family, his brotherhood with al-Abbas, and his support of Husayn during Ashura.
On the evening of the ninth of Muharram, Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan offered safe-conduct to the sons of Umm al-Banin on the basis of tribal kinship. Al-Mufid's al-Irshad and the early Taff narrative preserve the answer of al-Abbas, Jafar, and Uthman ibn Ali that they would not accept protection while the grandson of the Messenger of God remained without safety. Some transmissions also name Abd Allah explicitly. The secure core is their rejection of personal survival at the price of abandoning Imam Husayn.
On 10 Muharram 61 AH, corresponding to 680 CE, Jafar was killed with the other young men of Banu Hashim. Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani's Maqatil al-Talibiyyin preserves his martyrdom, but reports disagree over the killer. One transmission names Khawli ibn Yazid al-Asbahi, whereas devotional visitation texts and later maqtal literature name Hani ibn Thabit al-Hadrami. The profile therefore does not present one attribution as undisputed, and it does not treat reported combat verses or casualty counts as certain history.
The collective burial tradition of Karbala remembers him with the other Hashimite martyrs near the shrine of Imam Husayn, but there is no strong evidence for a separately identified individual grave. His memory is that of a young Hashimite who chose loyalty, family duty, and support of Husayn over a tribal offer of safety. Preserving his biography responsibly means stating the secure lineage and martyrdom clearly while keeping his age, killer, and individual burial appropriately qualified.
His exact birth date is not securely preserved. Maqatil al-Talibiyyin transmits that he was nineteen at his death, but that number does not fit straightforwardly with the death of Imam Ali in 40 AH. Later works also circulate different birth years. A responsible profile may describe him as a young Hashimite martyr, but should not assign a certain age or birth year.
In 61 AH he was among the members of Banu Hashim who remained with Imam Husayn at Karbala. No secure evidence survives for an independent scholarly office, authored work, or large corpus of hadith under his name. His historical identity rests primarily on his place in Ali's family, his brotherhood with al-Abbas, and his support of Husayn during Ashura.
On the evening of the ninth of Muharram, Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan offered safe-conduct to the sons of Umm al-Banin on the basis of tribal kinship. Al-Mufid's al-Irshad and the early Taff narrative preserve the answer of al-Abbas, Jafar, and Uthman ibn Ali that they would not accept protection while the grandson of the Messenger of God remained without safety. Some transmissions also name Abd Allah explicitly. The secure core is their rejection of personal survival at the price of abandoning Imam Husayn.
On 10 Muharram 61 AH, corresponding to 680 CE, Jafar was killed with the other young men of Banu Hashim. Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani's Maqatil al-Talibiyyin preserves his martyrdom, but reports disagree over the killer. One transmission names Khawli ibn Yazid al-Asbahi, whereas devotional visitation texts and later maqtal literature name Hani ibn Thabit al-Hadrami. The profile therefore does not present one attribution as undisputed, and it does not treat reported combat verses or casualty counts as certain history.
The collective burial tradition of Karbala remembers him with the other Hashimite martyrs near the shrine of Imam Husayn, but there is no strong evidence for a separately identified individual grave. His memory is that of a young Hashimite who chose loyalty, family duty, and support of Husayn over a tribal offer of safety. Preserving his biography responsibly means stating the secure lineage and martyrdom clearly while keeping his age, killer, and individual burial appropriately qualified.
Historical importance and legacy
Jafar ibn Ali's first historical importance lies within the Hashimite family circle that died with Imam Husayn at Karbala. As the son of Ali and Umm al-Banin and the full brother of al-Abbas, his martyrdom forms part of the shared sacrifice of Umm al-Banin's four sons.
The rejection of Shimr's safe-conduct is the clearest ethical element of his remembrance. It presents principled loyalty and solidarity with Husayn in place of tribal privilege, without requiring later rhetorical embellishments to be treated as early history.
His profile is also a lesson in source criticism: the identity and martyrdom are strong, while the exact age, killer, and separate grave remain disputed. Stating those limits does not diminish his honor; it preserves his sacrifice with historical integrity.
The rejection of Shimr's safe-conduct is the clearest ethical element of his remembrance. It presents principled loyalty and solidarity with Husayn in place of tribal privilege, without requiring later rhetorical embellishments to be treated as early history.
His profile is also a lesson in source criticism: the identity and martyrdom are strong, while the exact age, killer, and separate grave remain disputed. Stating those limits does not diminish his honor; it preserves his sacrifice with historical integrity.
Family relationships
👪 Parents
Father
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib
Probable
Mother
Umm al-Banin Fatima bint Hizam
Probable
🌱 Children
Tahir ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Harun ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Ali ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Idris ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Abd Allah ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Abd al-Aziz ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Hasan ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Ibrahim ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Musa ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Ahmad ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
al-Abbas ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
al-Muhsin ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Amina al-Sughra bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Amina bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Aminah bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Asma bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Durayha bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Hakima bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Hasana bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Isa al-Majd ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Ishaq ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Ismail ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Kalim bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Khadija bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Kulthum al-Sughra bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Maryam bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Maymuna bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Muhammad Abu Jafar ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Sukayna bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Sumayya bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Ubayd Allah ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Abd Allah bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Ahmad bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm al-Fadl bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm al-Hasan bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm al-Husayn bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm al-Qasim bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Farwa bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Isa bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Jafar bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Muhammad bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Musa bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Umm Salama bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Yahya ibn Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Zaynab bint Jafar ibn Ali al-Hadi
Sources
Maqatil al-Talibiyyin | Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani | Entry on Jafar ibn Ali, page 88; pagination varies by edition | https://books.rafed.net/view/3214/page/88 | Maternal identification through Umm al-Banin, martyrdom, the reported age of nineteen, and one killer attributionAl-Irshad fi Ma'rifat Hujaj Allah ala al-Ibad | Shaykh al-Mufid | Volume 2, page 39; pagination varies by edition | https://www.masaha.org/book/view/1843/page/39 | Shimr's safe-conduct, the answer of al-Abbas, Jafar, and Uthman, and the pre-Ashura setting
The Event of Taff, the Earliest Historical Account of the Tragedy of Karbala | Abu Mikhnaf tradition preserved through al-Tabari | Safe-conduct chapter; online text | https://al-islam.org/hi/node/31388 | The safe-conduct offered to the sons of Umm al-Banin and their rejection
The Martyrdom of Banu Hashim in Karbala | Meysam Karbasizadeh | Message of Thaqalayn, volume 15, number 3 | https://al-islam.org/message-thaqalayn/vol-15-no-3-autumn-2014/martyrdom-banu-hashim-karbala-described-al-hilli/martyrdom | Comparative list of the Hashimite martyrs and inclusion of Jafar ibn Ali
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