Aqil ibn Abi Talib

Aqil ibn Abi Talib al-Hashimi was the elder brother of Ali and a cousin of the Prophet, about twenty years older than Ali. He was famed for his knowledge of Arab genealogy and his quick wit. At the Battle of Badr, while still a non-Muslim, he fought on the side of the Meccan polytheists and was taken captive; his uncle al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib ransomed him. Reports differ on whether he embraced Islam before Hudaybiyya or near the conquest of Mecca; he later settled in Medina. He lost his sight late in life and died in Medina during the reign of Mu'awiya or the early days of Yazid's caliphate. Sources disagree on his burial place: well-known reports state he was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi cemetery and that a dome was later built over his grave (removed in 1925), while some authoritative sources state only that he "died in Medina" without specifying the burial site. His Baqi burial should therefore be regarded as a tradition. If the grave in Baqi is genuine, it is today unmarked like the others.