The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (128 page)

(d. 661 (AH 40)).
Cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet
Mu
ammad
, and the fourth Caliph (
Khal
fa
) in Islam. ‘Al
was one of the ten to whom paradise was promised by Mu
ammad. He distinguished himself in all the early battles as a courageous warrior and was consequently nicknamed Haidar (lion) and Murtada (he in whom God is well pleased). During the rule of the first three Caliphs, ‘Al
served as an adviser. After ‘Uthm
n's murder, ‘Al
was proclaimed
khal
fa
(Caliph) by the Medinans. However, ‘Al
's reign was an unhappy and frustrating one, marked by the first civil war in Islamic history, the beginnings of the overt
Sunni
/
Sh
‘a
split in Islam which persists to the present (Sh
‘a being the party of ‘Al
).
Inconclusive military conflict at Siff
n (657 (AH 37)) led to the famous incident where the Syrians hoisted copies of the Qur’