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Ali ibn Abi Talib

Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin and the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, married to Muhammad's daughter Fatima. As a boy Ali, who was much younger than the Prophet, lived in Muhammad's house and was practically adopted by him. At the death of the Prophet the confusion over the succession (al-khilafah, hence the "caliphate") to the leadership was heavily debated. Ali's claims, based on his double relationship to the Prophet, were supported by many. But the leadership was given to Muhammad's father-in law, supported by Muhammad's wife A'isha. After two more successors, Ali ibn Abi Talib was declared caliph. But his rule was brief and when he was assassinated those who seized power began the line of the Umayyad caliphs.

The followers of Ali (the shi'ah of Ali) remained faithful and most did not recognize the Umayyad line. This difference among Muslims regarding the succession was the basis of the foundation of Shi'i Islam which is primarily marked by the belief in the succession descending from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib through the Imams. The Sunni Muslims, on the other hand, were those who followed the Umayyad caliphs (and later caliphs) and failed to recognize the line of Imams as the true leaders of Islam. The split was continued in the brief careers of 'Ali's two sons Hasan and Hussein, who were considered the second and third Imams. With Hussein's murder, the hope of the shi'ah for control over Islam was ended and the schism that developed persists to this day.

In considering the question of succession to the Prophet the earliness of conversion, the tribe to which a person belonged, personal closeness to Muhammad, and relationship to Muhammad were all factors. The simplest argument for Ali's right to succeed Muhammad was based on the fact that no one exceeded him in possessing all these requirements. But the Shi'i position also stresses a hadith (saying) attributed to Muhammad which he uttered at Ghadir Khumm. Ther...

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Ali ibn Abi Talib. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 21:00, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708361.html