7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7impoverished, ‘Alī, who was five years old at the time, was
taken under the care of his cousin Muhammad, then still a
businessman in Mecca, who himself had been cared for by
‘Alī’s father as a child. When Muhammad began his career
as a prophet, ‘Alī, only 10 years old, became one of the first
converts to Islam. Later, he married Muhammad’s daugh-
ter Fāt·imah, who bore him two sons, H·asan and H·usayn.
‘Alī is said to have been a courageous fighter in the
expeditions Muhammad conducted to consolidate Islam.
He was also one of Muhammad’s scribes and led several
important missions. When the inhabitants of Mecca
finally accepted Islam without a battle, it was ‘Alī who
smashed their idols in the Ka‘ba (holy shrine).
Muhammad died on June 8, 632. Some say he had nom-
inated ‘Alī as his successor while he was returning from his
“farewell pilgrimage” to Mecca. Others maintain that
Muhammad died without naming a successor. ‘Alī, while
attending the last rites of the Prophet, was confronted by
the fact that Abū Bakr, Muhammad’s closest friend and
the father of ‘Ā’isha, one of the Prophet’s wives, had been
chosen as caliph. ‘Alī did not submit to Abū Bakr’s author-
ity for some time, but neither did he actively assert his
own rights, possibly in order to prevent bloody tribal
strife. He retired and led a quiet life in which religious
works became his chief occupation. The first chronologi-
cally arranged version of the Qur’an is attributed to him,
and his knowledge of Hadith aided the caliphs in various
legal problems.
‘Alī became caliph following the murder of ‘Uthmān,
the third caliph. His brief reign was difficult due mostly
to the corrupt state of affairs he inherited. He based his
rule on the Islamic ideals of social justice and equality, but
his policy was a blow to the interests of the Quraysh aris-
tocracy of Mecca, who had grown rich in the Muslim
conquests. In order to embarrass ‘Alī, they demanded that