Ali
`Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661. A son of Abu Talib, Ali was also the first male who accepted Islam. Sunnis consider Ali the fourth and final of the
Rashidun, while Shi`is regard `Ali as the first Imam after Muḥammad, and consider him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of whom are members of the
Ahl al-Bayt, the household of Muhammad. This disagreement split the
Ummah into the Sunni and Shi`i branches. Muslim sources state that `Ali was the only person born in the Kaaba sanctuary in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. His father was Abu Talib and his mother was Fatima bint Asad, but he was raised in the household of Muhammad, who himself was raised by Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle and `Ali's father. When Muhammad reported receiving a divine revelation, `Ali was the first male to accept his message and first to convert to Islam at the age of 12, dedicating his life to the cause of Islam. Ali migrated to Medina shortly after Muhammad did.