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What is the reason for saying "may Allah honor his countenance" when mentioning Ali ibn Abi Talib, and is it due to the unattractiveness of his appearance and his dark complexion?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

No specific reason has been mentioned for singling out Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, with the phrase "may Allah honor his face." Scholars have not stipulated a particular reason for this; rather, these are mere justifications that are not considered genuine reasons. Among these justifications are that he never prostrated to an idol, or that he never looked at anyone's private parts. However, other Companions share these characteristics, and there is no authentic evidence to prove these justifications as the reason for this distinction. Some scholars have mentioned that this distinction has become a slogan for the innovators.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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