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‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب; Transliteration: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, 13 Rajab, 24 BH – 21 Ramaḍān, 40 AH; approximately March 17, 599 or 600 – January 27, 661) was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who ruled over the Rashidun empire from 656 to 661. Sunni Muslims consider ʿAlī as the fourth and final Rashidun (Rightly Guided Caliph) while Shī‘a Muslims regard Ali as the first Imam and consider him and his descendants as the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of which are members of the Ahl al-Bayt, the household of Muhammad. This disagreement split the Muslim community into the Sunni and Shī‘a branches.
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