ʿAlīd family
Quick Summary
The Alid family refers to the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. A faction of the Muslim community, known as the Shi'ah (short for shīʿat ʿAlī, meaning "Alī's faction"), believed that Ali and his descendants were the rightful successors to Muhammad. This belief is a foundational element of Shi'a Islam. The succession dispute after Muhammad's death led to a division within Islam, with the majority supporting the caliphate established by Abu Bakr, while the Shi'ah maintained that leadership should remain within Muhammad's family through Ali.123
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ShiʿiEarly development…successor and, thereafter, members of ʿAlī’s family. Others, however, maintained that with Muhammad’s death the link between God and humankind had ended and the community was to make its own way forward.
Read More…successor and, thereafter, members of ʿAlī’s family. Others, however, maintained that with Muhammad’s death the link between God and humankind had ended and the community was to make its own way forward.
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IslamShiʿism…the restoration of rule to ʿAlī’s family, and from that demand developed the Shiʿi legitimism, or the divine right of the holy family to rule. In the early stages, the Shiʿiah used this legitimism to cover the protest against the Arab hegemony under the Umayyads and to agitate for social…
Read More…the restoration of rule to ʿAlī’s family, and from that demand developed the Shiʿi legitimism, or the divine right of the holy family to rule. In the early stages, the Shiʿiah used this legitimism to cover the protest against the Arab hegemony under the Umayyads and to agitate for social…
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Islamic worldSunnis and Shīʿites…the special claims of the family of ʿAlī, they prompted the Shīʿites to define themselves as a permanent opposition to the status quo. The crystallization of Shīʿism into a movement of protest received its greatest impetus during and just after the lifetime of one of the most influential Shīʿite leaders…
Read More…the special claims of the family of ʿAlī, they prompted the Shīʿites to define themselves as a permanent opposition to the status quo. The crystallization of Shīʿism into a movement of protest received its greatest impetus during and just after the lifetime of one of the most influential Shīʿite leaders…
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- Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah
…extermination against the Umayyads, the ʿAlids, other ʿAbbāsid leaders who had become too popular, and all other claimants to power. He named himself al-Saffah, “the blood-shedder,” because of his savage attacks. He established a firm legal and dynastic base for the ʿAbbāsids. His successor moved the caliphate to Baghdad.
Read More…extermination against the Umayyads, the ʿAlids, other ʿAbbāsid leaders who had become too popular, and all other claimants to power. He named himself al-Saffah, “the blood-shedder,” because of his savage attacks. He established a firm legal and dynastic base for the ʿAbbāsids. His successor moved the caliphate to Baghdad.
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history of ArabiaRegional centresThe ʿAlīd family developed both Sunni and Shiʿi branches, but the latter split into a multiplicity of sects, of which the most important are the “Twelvers” (Ithnā ʿAshariyyah, or Imāmīs), who recognized 12 imams, and the Ismāʿīlī “Seveners” (Ismāʿīliyyah, for Imam Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar), who acknowledged…
Read MoreThe ʿAlīd family developed both Sunni and Shiʿi branches, but the latter split into a multiplicity of sects, of which the most important are the “Twelvers” (Ithnā ʿAshariyyah, or Imāmīs), who recognized 12 imams, and the Ismāʿīlī “Seveners” (Ismāʿīliyyah, for Imam Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar), who acknowledged…
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