The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (130 page)

n's policies, appointed new governors, initiated a programme of tribal reorganization, and moved the capital to K
fa. ‘Al
's opponents constituted the Quraysh élite, particularly the Umayyah clan who had proved their administrative skills in the rapidly expanding empire. The Arab-Islam polity could only function with the co-operation of the Quraysh. The Mu‘awiyya/‘Al
struggle had deeper implications for the Islamic community than merely the avenging of ‘Uthm
n's murder, or the dominion of Syria or Iraq; it opened up the two different directions of the Muslim community. ‘Al
's programme was utopian, looking for the pure Islamic state, whereas that of Mu‘awiyya was more of a secular nature.
In Shi‘ite understanding, ‘Al
is
wal
Allah
, ‘the friend of God’, closest to him in sanctity. As such he is distinguished from Mu
ammad, who is (merely!),
nab
, prophet. The family descent via ‘Al
designates the legitimate
Im
m
, which can never, for a Shi‘ite, be a matter of election—the most fundamental division from the Sunnis.

 
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