Historical Figure
Ali
d. 661
1st Shia Imam and 4th Rashidun caliph (656–661)
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Biography
Ali ibn Abi Talib was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from 656 CE until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Fatima bint Asad, Ali was raised in the household of his cousin Muhammad and was among the first to accept his teachings.
Timeline
The story of Ali, told in moments.
For Shia Muslims, the first Imam, the rightful successor to Muhammad from the start. For Sunnis, the last of the four Rashidun caliphs, revered for courage, piety, and jurisprudence. His shrine at Najaf, Iraq, draws millions of pilgrims annually.
The hijra. Muhammad flees Mecca for Medina. Ali stays behind, sleeping in Muhammad's bed as a decoy so assassins won't pursue. He's roughly 22. He follows days later, on foot, escorting Muhammad's family.
Marries Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter. They'll have four children, including Hasan and Husayn, through whom all of Muhammad's living descendants trace their lineage.
Becomes the fourth caliph after Uthman's assassination. Almost immediately, two rebellions. He defeats Aisha's forces at the Battle of the Camel but can't dislodge Muawiya in Syria. The Battle of Siffin ends in stalled arbitration. His own supporters begin to fracture.
Struck on the head with a poison-coated sword by Ibn Muljam, a Kharijite, while praying at the Great Mosque of Kufa. He dies two days later. Muawiya seizes power. The Sunni-Shia divide crystallizes around this succession.
In Their Own Words (20)
Two things cause people to be destroyed: fear of poverty and seeking superiority through pride.
Majlisi, Bihārul Anwār, vol. 72, p. 39
The best companion and helper is admirable morals.
Majlisi, Bihārul Anwār, vol. 77, p. 149
He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, while he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere.
As quoted in "Considerations By the Way" in Conduct of Life by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The ignorant man does not understand the learned for he has never been learned himself.
The most complete gift of God is a life based on knowledge.
Artifacts (13)
Portrait of a kneeling holy man, from the Prince Salim Album
Mir Sayyid Ali (Persian, active in Iran 1540s–50, active in India 1555–1580)
![True Likeness of the beheaded Turkish officer Ali Bassa [Pasha]](https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AF3347/full/!800,800/0/default.jpg)
Husain Ali Khan Entertaining His Brothers (The Sayyid Brothers)
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