ALI
Ali ibn Abi Talib (Arabic: عليّ بن أبي طالب, romanized: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib; c. 600 – 661 CE) was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the first Shia Imam, and the fourth and last Rashidun caliph, serving from 656 CE until his assassination in 661. He is a prominent member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa, and a participant in the Event of the mubahala. Born to Abu Talib and Fatima bint Asad, Ali was raised in the house of his cousin Muhammad and was among the first to accept Islam. Both Shia and Sunni sources report that Ali was the only person born inside the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam. Several verses of the Quran have been interpreted in Shia Islam as referring to Ali, with some of these interpretations also appearing in the works of Sunni commentators. They include the Verse of walaya, the Verse of Laylat al-mabit, and the Verse of Ikmal ad-Din. Numerous sayings of Muhammad highly praise Ali, including the Hadith of the Position, in which Muhammad compares the position of Ali to himself with the position of Aaron to Moses. Ali played a pivotal role in the early years of Islam when Muslims were severely persecuted in Mecca. He slept in Muhammad's bed, pretending to be Muhammad so that the assassins who had gathered outside the prophet's house would believe that he was still there. This allowed Muhammad to leave Mecca safely and begin his immigration to Medina. The event has been referred to in Quran 2:207, which both Shia and Sunni sources interpret as referring to Ali's willingness to sacrifice himself for Muhammad. After Muhammad's immigration, the prophet gave his beloved daughter Fatima to Ali in marriage and swore a pact of brotherhood with him, a distinction he granted to no one else but Ali. He participated in nearly all of Muhammad's battles against the polytheists and served as the prophet's secretary and deputy, as well as the flag-bearer of his army.
A pivotal event took place in 632 at Ghadir Khumm, where Muhammad, shortly before his death, took Ali by the hand and delivered a speech in which he said "Whoever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla." The word mawla has several meanings depending on the context, including master, protector, ally, supporter, and one with authority. In Shia Islam, it is understood as Muhammad's formal designation of Ali as his successor. Sunni Islam also accepts that the event of Ghadir Khumm took place and that Muhammad made the statement about Ali. However, Sunnis interpret the word mawla in this context as referring to a close associate, friend, supporter, or one deserving loyalty and affection. Therefore, they regard the declaration as a simple affirmation of Muhammad's esteem for Ali, minimizing the event’s importance. When Muhammad died that same year, Abu Bakr was chosen as his successor at Saqifa by a group of Muhammad’s companions in the absence of the Prophet’s family, including Ali, who was attending to Muhammad’s funeral. Shia Muslims hold that Abu Bakr's appointment bypassed Ali's rightful claim to the succession, since the prophet had already designated Ali as his successor at Ghadir Khumm. Sunni Muslims hold that Muhammad left the choice of his successor to the community, and therefore regard Abu Bakr's selection by companions as legitimate. The succession crisis became the initial cause of the division among Muslims that led to the emergence of the two main Islamic branches, Sunni and Shia. Ali withdrew from public life during the reigns of Abu Bakr and his successor Umar. Although his advice was occasionally sought, the differences between Ali, Abu Bakr and Umar were exemplified by Ali's refusal to follow their practices. This refusal cost him the caliphate, which instead passed to Uthman. Ali was also highly critical of Uthman, who was widely accused of nepotism and corruption. Nevertheless, Ali repeatedly mediated between Uthman and the provincial dissidents angered by his policies, and even sent his sons, Hasan and Husayn, to protect Uthman from a possible assassination attempt.
Following the assassination of Uthman in June 656, the people of Medina and many of Muhammad's companions urged Ali to assume the leadership and pledged their allegiance to him. After initial hesitation, he eventually accepted, becoming the fourth and last of the Rashidun caliphs. His caliphate was confronted by two major rebellions, led by Talha and Zubayr, and the prophet’s widow Aisha, who sought to avenge Uthman's death and captured Basra. They were defeated by Ali at the Battle of the Camel in 656. The second rebellion was led by Mu'awiya, whose forces fought Ali at the inconclusive Battle of Siffin in 657, followed by an arbitration process that alienated a group of Ali's army. They became known as the Kharijites, who later rebelled against him and were all crushed by Ali at the Battle of Nahrawan in 658. Ali was assassinated in 661 during the month of Ramadan by the Kharijite dissident Ibn Muljam, who struck him on the head with a poison-coated sword while he was praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa. Ali is revered for his courage, honesty, unbending devotion to Islam, magnanimity, and the equal treatment of all Muslims, irrespective of race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, or social status. He is the archetype of pre-Islamic and Islamic chivalry. Sunni Muslims regard him as the last of the Rashidun ('rightly-guided'), while Shia Muslims venerate him as their first Imam and Muhammad’s rightful successor. Ali's status is said to have been second only behind Muhammad. The Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, is a profoundly holy site in Shia Islam, considered by Shia Muslims as the holiest site in Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. The legacy of Ali is collected and studied in numerous books, the most famous of which being Nahj al-balagha, regarded as one of the most important works of Arabic literature. It holds a particularly prominent place in Shia Islam, and is commonly found in many Shia households, often kept alongside the Quran.
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