Ali Ibn Abi Talib Research Paper

Ali ibn Abi Talib was born in 600 AD to Prophet Muhammad's Uncle, Abu Talib, and was also Prophet Muhammad's son in law. He succeeded Uthman RA as the fourth Caliph and reigned from 656 AD to 661 AD. He was a very religious man and was devoted to the cause of Islam and the rule of justice in accordance with the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad's teachings. Ali inherited the Rashidun Caliphate after the controversial assassination of Uthman RA. He was very different to his predecessor and those differences were seen in his reforms and decisions. Ali opposed the centralization of capital control over provincial revenues, favoring an equal distribution of taxes amongst the Muslim citizens. His policies of offering equality to Muslims who served Islam in its early years and to the Muslims who played a role in the later conquests helped him gain a lot of support, especially among the Ansars and the Quran reciters that sought pious Islamic leadership.

The Umayyads, under the rule of Muawiyya, wanted Ali to punish the rioters who killed Uthman, but Ali prioritized to stabilize the condition of the empire, before punishing the assassins of Uthman. This decision created a rift between the Umayyads and Ali which eventually led to the first civil war in Islamic history. Some Muslims considered Uthman the rightful Caliph who had been unlawfully killed, while the others believed Uthman had fallen into error and therefore his killing was justified. This civil war created permanent divisions within the Islamic community regarding the legitimacy of heir to the caliphate. There were a lot of failed talks between Ali and Muawiyya which led to the Battle of Siffin in 657 AD. The two armies finally agreed to settle the matter of caliphate's reign by