Muhammad’s Cousin and Son-in-Law, the Fourth Rightly Guided Caliph
Islamic history records that Ali was Muhammad’s cousin, among the earliest to accept Islam in his youth, who later married Muhammad’s daughter Fatima and became the last of the four "Rightly Guided Caliphs." Sunnis honor him as one of the four caliphs; Shias hold that Ali was Muhammad’s only legitimate successor, and that the line of "imams" begins with him — the dispute over succession is the historical starting point of the Sunni–Shia division. This card states only the facts both sides acknowledge, and makes no theological adjudication of the legitimacy of succession. Ali was assassinated during his caliphate.
Islamic tradition records that Ali was raised from childhood by Muhammad and was among the first to accept Islam. On the eve of Muhammad’s decision to emigrate to Medina, when enemies plotted assassination, Ali volunteered to sleep in Muhammad’s bed in his place to draw the eyes away, so the Prophet could leave Mecca safely — an act especially stressed in the Shia tradition as proof of Ali risking himself to protect the faith.
During Ali’s tenure as fourth caliph, civil war broke out within the Muslim community over power and governance (the Battle of the Camel, the Battle of Siffin), and Ali was at last struck down by a Kharijite assassin in the mosque of Kufa and died of his wound. His death marked the end of the early "era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs," and the Umayyad dynasty was founded thereafter.
Sunnis honor Ali as one of the esteemed four "Rightly Guided Caliphs"; Shias hold Ali to be Muhammad’s only legitimate successor and the start of the line of "imams" — the historical core of the difference between the two great Islamic schools. This site states only the course of events both sides acknowledge and makes no adjudication of legitimacy.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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