Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; c. 600 – 661 CE) was once the ultimate Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, the successor nation to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's political dominions.
He is regarded by means of Shia Muslims to be the first Imam, the rightful non secular and political successor to Muhammad.
The difficulty of succession prompted a important rift between Muslims and divided them into two important branches:
Shia following an appointed hereditary management amongst Ali's descendants, and Sunni following political dynasties.
Ali's assassination in the Grand Mosque of Kufa via a Kharijite coincided with the upward thrust of the Umayyad Caliphate.
The Imam Ali Shrine and the town of Najaf have been constructed round Ali's tomb and it is visited every year by way of hundreds of thousands of devotees.
