A L I 



movcaW; on thf centre of tiie i;illnimcnt, 3'iJ carrying two 

 figits, which are crcc^td perjn-nd.cularly at the two txtre- 

 iniucs of it. 



ALHIRTO, in AJlronomy, a fixed liar of the thiid mag- 

 nitude, in the conlieUation Capricorn. Tiiis is otlvr- 

 wife called roj/nim ^til/in.r. Near tiiis liar, in the year 1600, 

 appeared a new ilar, which lalled tuentyone years, and then 

 .ditappeared aj>in. 



ALHUVS Point, in Girojn!/>'>y, is litinted upon a river 

 falling into the Baltic, in a bay which bears nearly N. N. W. 

 a little well-.rly from tlie illiiid of Boniholm. If a fliip is a 

 lea'-"ae call of this point, the courfe will be due north to the 

 Jjoltom of the bay, having the land all the way on the lar- 

 board, but the depth of the water is uncertain. It is in N. 

 lat. 55"^ 3J'. li. long. 14° 30'. Mulham's Naval Ga/.. 



A LI, in Bio^ra/>'iy, the fon of Abu Taleb, who was un- 

 cle of Mahomet, and was eminently diftinguilhcd among the 

 Mahometans, both during the life and after the death of 

 ihcir prophet. Ali was an early convert to the divine mil- 

 fion of his coufiii, and contributed, in no fmall degree, by his 

 .zeal and activity, to the fuccefs of liis cauie. Having been 

 taken in his infancy inider the pvotcAion of Abubeker, tJie 

 father-in-law of Mahomet, and the ardent promoter of his 

 intereil, he w-as directed by his patron to fummon the kin- 

 died of the prophet, to receive from him a folemn declara- 

 tion of his p'-ophetic office. Mahomet, after announcing his 

 commiffion to his afl'emhled relatives, alked tliem who would 

 become his vizir or vicegerent ? Whilll they were lielitating, 

 Ali flartcd up and exclaimed, witli the enthufialm that 

 marked his characler, " I, O prophet of God, will be thy 

 vizir ; 1 myfelf will beat out the teeth, pull out the eyes, 

 rip open the bellies, and cut off the legs of all who fliall daie 

 to oppofe thee." Upon this Mahomet embraced Ali with 

 great affection, and enjoined all who were prelcnt to regard 

 Him as his deputy. I'o him he afterwards committed the 

 promulgation of the ninth chapter of the Koran ; which com- 

 miffion he executed at Mecca, by reading 20 or 30 verfesof 

 this chapter to thofe who were affenibled, and then announc- 

 ing to them four particulars which were ftritlly to be ob- 

 ferved, viz. " that no idolater is to come near the temple of 

 Mecca after this year ;" " that no man is to prefume to 

 compafs the Caaba naked for the future ;" " that none but 

 true believers (liall enter paradife ;" and " that public faith 

 is to be kept." Ali was equally celebrated for his eloquence 

 tind his valour ; his furname of " the Lion of God, always 

 victorious," fufficiently evinces his military renown ; and as 

 lie UicceedcJ hisfatherin being chief of the illuftrious family 

 of Halhem, and hereditary guardian of the city and temple 

 v{ Mecca, and had married Fatimah, the daughter of Maho- 

 met, liis talents and liis rank, as well as his near relation to 

 ■the prophet, and the perfoual favuiir by which he had been 

 diftingulllied, ellablilhed claims of pre-eminence, which na- 

 tarally direfted his views to the honour of fuceeeding Maho- 

 met in the regal office. To this honour he alfo alpired ; 

 but he wifely declined contending for it during the three ca- 

 liphates of Abubeker, Omar, and Othman. Upon the af- 

 faffmation of the lad of thefe, Ali w'as unanimoufly elected 

 caliph. When he was urged by fome of tlie chief Modems 

 to accept the office, he faid to them, " If you intend to re- 

 cognize my authority as the fuccelfor of Mahomet, fwear to 

 be faithful to me, or elfe permit me to take the oath of alle- 

 giance to one of you." As foon as he was elected, he halt- 

 Aued to the raofque at Medina, at the time of prayer, in a 

 ;thin cotton gown, tied about him with a girdle, with a coarfe 

 turban upon his head, carrying his llippcrs in one hand, and 

 in the other a bow, which he ufed as a walking itick, and 

 jvas there publicly inaugurated, in the 35th year of the He- 



A L I 



gira, A. D. fijy. As foon as Ayedia, the daughter of Abn- 

 beker, and the widow of Mahomet, heard of Ali's eleftion, 

 (he expreffed her difapprobation ; having conceived an invin- 

 cible prejiuiice againil him, becaufe, as it is faid, he had dif. 

 covered her infidelity to the prophet ; and Telha and Zobeir, 

 two pcrfons of great influence, who had concurred in the 

 choice, fled to Baiforah, and there railed the ilandard of re- 

 bellion. Ali had alfo roufed the refenlment of a llroiig party, 

 by difplacing thofe governors of the provinces, who had 

 been appointed by his predeccffor Othman. Ayellia appeared 

 at the head of the mal-contents at Bafforah, and there Ali 

 met them with an inferior force w ith regard to number, but 

 formed of veteran troops. Ayeilia was mounted on a great 

 camel, in a pavilion refembling a fort of cage, from which 

 circuinftance the day of battle was called the i/ny of tl"; 

 camel. Ali gained a complete victory. Telha was llain in the 

 engagement ; Zobeir was afterwards affaflinated ; and Ayeflia 

 was taken prifoner ; and, after fome fubmiffion, treated cour- 

 teoully, and fent back to Medina. The next enterprife of 

 Ali was diretted againft Moawyah, a former governor of 

 Syria, who had been proclaimed caliph, and was fupported 

 by the houfe of Ommijah, and by Ainru, the conqueror of 

 Egypt. The armies met at the plain of Seffein, on the 

 weilern banks of the Euphrates. After feveral ikirmiflics, 

 and an ineffeftual challenge of Moawyah to fmgle combat, 

 the hofllie forces engaged, and the contell was continued all 

 night, to the great difadvantage of the Syrians ; and tins 

 night was denominated by the Arab hiftorians, " the valinnt 

 night." As victory was likely loon to be decided in fa- 

 vour of Ali, Moawyah, in concert with Amru, contrived an 

 artifice that might induce the caliph's men to defeit. With 

 this view they ordered lome of their men to cany lances, 

 bearing upon their points copies of the Koran, at the head 

 of the troops, and to cry out as they advanced, "This is the 

 book that ought to decide all differences between us ; this is 

 the book of God between us and you, which abfolutely prohi- 

 bits the effufion of human blood." Ali was thus compelled by 

 fome of his troops, who threw down their anns, to found a re- 

 treat, and thus to give up the contell in the moment of vic- 

 tory, and after having loft, as it is faid, 25,000 men, and killed 

 45,000 of the enemy. The difpule was iubmitted to arbi- 

 tration, and the two perfons, by whofe award it was to be 

 determined, concurred in depofing Ali. Sentence was pro- 

 nounced on a tribunal erected between the two armies. Abu 

 Mufa, one of the arbitrators, firll pronounced his award : 

 " 1 depofe from the caliphate both Ali and Moawyah, in 

 the fame manner as I take this ring off my finger." Amni, 

 the other arbitrator, immediately alcended the tribunal, and 

 faid, " I concur with Abu Mula in depofing All, and con- 

 fer the caliphate upon Moawyah ; I therefore invcft that 

 prince with the fupreme authority in the fame manner as I 

 put this ring on my finger. And this 1 am the more dif- 

 pofed to do, as he has jullice on his fide ; having been de- 

 clared by Otlmian his fucceffor, and being the moil worthy 

 of the Mollems to occupy the high ftation to which I now 

 advance him." Thus commenced that fchifm among the 

 Mahometans, which has produced animofity and mutual ex- 

 communication, and which is vifible to this day in the rooted 

 antipathy that fubfills between the Turks and Pcrfians. All 

 and his adherents were difgnfted and irritated ; but they 

 were under the neceffity of acquitfcing and retiring to Cufa, 

 where Ali was foon deferted by the Kharejita, I. e. as the 

 name imports, rebels or rcvolters. Thefe were called Mo- 

 hiiHemhes, or judiciarians, becaufe the reafou they gave for 

 their revolt was, tbat Ali had referred a matter concerning 

 the religion of Gud to the judgment of men ; whereas, in 

 fuch cafcj the judgment belonged folely to G.od. Tiic 



Kharcjites 



