Ali ibn Abi Talib: Difference between revisions

'''Ali ibn Abi Talib''' (عَلِيّ ٱبْن أَبِي طَالِب) was [[Muhammad]]'s cousin and son-in-law, and was the fourth of the "four rightly guided [[caliph]]<nowiki/>s". The [[Shias|Shia]], emphasizing his status as a member of the prophet's family or "household" (''ahl al-bayt''), consider him the first Imam and rightful successor to Muhammad.

Ali was one of the first of Muhammad's contemporaries to accept [[Islam]], had great repute amongst Muhammad's followers, but was ultimately assassinated by a group called the Kharijites during the civil war that erupted upon his ascension to the seat of the caliph. This group of Kharijites were not from among Ali's primary opposition as a caliph (this being Mu'awiyah's supporters), but were rather defectors who had once sided with Ali against Mu'awiyah.

[[Hadith|Hadiths]] and traditions descriptive of and attributed to Ali are among the most contested between [[Sunni]] and Shi'ite sources, as both had and continue to have political and theological stake in the matter.