Previous   Next
Home » Images » 0032 Pictures From History » CPA0015962

India: Ali ibn Talib, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, fourth Rashidun Calpih (Sunni) and first Imam (Shia). Hyderabad, c. 1800

India: Ali ibn Talib, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, fourth Rashidun Calpih (Sunni) and first Imam (Shia). Hyderabad, c. 1800

Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب;, c.598-661 CE). The son of Abu Talib, Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam.

Sunnis consider Ali the fourth and final of the Rashidun (rightly guided) Caliphs, while Shia regard Ali as the first Imam and consider him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of which are members of the Ahl al-Bayt, the household of Muhammad. This disagreement split the Ummah (Muslim community) into the Sunni and Shia branches.

Quick links to other images in this gallery: