First Fitna
| First Fitna | ||||||||
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| Part of the Fitnas & Military career of Ali | ||||||||
Map of the Ali–Mu'awiya conflict of the First Fitna Region under the control of Caliph Ali
Region under the control of Mu'awiya
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
| Rashidun Caliphate |
Umayyad Syria Uthmaniyya | Kharijites | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
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Ali X Hasan ibn Ali Husayn ibn Ali Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya Malik al-Ashtar X Ammar ibn Yasir † Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr † |
Mu'awiya (WIA) Aisha (POW) Talha † Zubayr X Amr ibn al-'As Marwan ibn al-Hakam (POW) Abd Allah ibn Amir Utba ibn Abi Sufyan |
Abd Allah ibn Wahb † Hurqus ibn Zuhayr † Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam | ||||||
The First Fitna (Arabic: الفتنة الكبرى) was the first civil war in the Islamic community. It led to the end of the Rashidun Caliphate and the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate. The civil war involved three main factions; the supporters of the fourth Rashidun caliph Ali, the supporters of Uthman, primarily led by Mu'awiya and Aisha, and the Kharijites.
The roots of the first civil war can be traced back to the assassination of the second Rashidun caliph, Umar. Before he died from his wounds, Umar formed a six-member council which elected Uthman as the next caliph. During the final years of Uthman's caliphate, he was accused of nepotism and killed by rebels in 656. After Uthman's assassination, Ali was elected the fourth caliph. Aisha, Talha, and Zubayr opposed Ali's accession and revolted against Ali to depose him. The two parties fought the Battle of the Camel in December 656, from which Ali emerged victorious. Afterwards, Mu'awiya, the long-time governor of the Levant, refused to recognise Ali as caliph and declared war. The two parties fought the Battle of Siffin in July 657, which ended in a stalemate and arbitration.
This arbitration was resented by the Kharijites, who declared Ali, Mu'awiya, and their followers to be infidels. Following Kharijite violence against civilians, Ali's forces crushed them in the Battle of Nahrawan. Soon after, Mu'awiya also gained control of Egypt with the aid of Amr ibn al-As.
In 661, Ali was assassinated by the Kharijite Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam. After Ali's death, his eldest son and heir Hasan was chosen as caliph in Kufa. Mu'awiya quickly marched on Kufa with a large army. The embattled Hasan concluded a peace treaty, acknowledging the rule of Mu'awiya, who subsequently founded the Umayyad Caliphate and ruled as its first caliph.