Ali al-Balkhi

According to the genealogist Ibn 'Inaba, the father of Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abi Talib al-Balkhi was a descendant of Husayn ibn Ali, while his mother was a descendant of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah.^[1] Both Husayn and Ibn Hanafiyyah were sons of the fourth Rashidun caliph Ali, hence Al-Balkhi is only a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on his father's side while he is a descendant of Ali on both father and mother's side.^[2] His uncle, Muhammad ibn 'Ubayd Allah, was the head of the al-ʿAlawiyyīn (direct descendants of Ali) in Seljuk-ruled Khorasan.^[1]

Al-Balkhi was a scholar and jurist with a nobleman status amongst the Seljuk court.^[3][4][5][6] Despite his nobility, he attempted to maintain a status as a devout Sufi ascetic. He was also a religious teacher who became remarkable for his recitation of the Qur'an.^[7] A mosque was constructed as a memorial to him, which became erroneously attributed to the actual Rashidun caliph Ali and was eventually replaced by the larger Blue Mosque.^[4][5][6]

• List of Hanafis
• List of Maturidis