Ali Assassinated: Islam's Defining Schism Begins
He was the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, one of the first Muslims, and the fourth caliph — and he was murdered in a mosque in Kufa while at morning prayer, struck with a poisoned sword by a Kharijite assassin. He died two days after the attack. His death created the Shia-Sunni split that has defined Islamic history ever since. He is buried in Najaf, Iraq. His shrine is one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
January 27, 661
1365 years ago
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