A L I 



A L I 



Kliarejites,^ not convinced by Ali's reafoning, affbcintcd In 

 lavms, and fixed upon Naharwan, about four miles to the call 

 of the Ti<:;i-is, for their place of rendezvous. Ali marched 

 out agaiiiil them, and having reclaimed moll of them to their 

 former attachment by perfualion, he deftroyed the relt in 

 battle, and gained again the poflefiion of Arabia. But his 

 rival Moawiyah edablilhed liimfelf in Syria and Perfia, and 

 Amru fei/.ed upon Egypt in his name. The Syrians alfo 

 made an incurfion into Ali's territories, exercifed great 

 cruelty, and committed many depredations. At this time 

 three of the Kliarejites happening to meet at Mecca, con- 

 curred in lamenting the miferics of the civil war which the 

 people were enduring, and refolved to terminate them by nf- 

 laflinating the principal authors of them, -viz. Ali, Moawi- 

 yah, aad Amru. One of them hailened to Damafcus, nnd 

 wounded Moawiyah, but the wound, though dangerous, 

 was not mortal. Another went to Egypt, and entering a 

 niofque, where he expefted to find Amru, miilook another 

 pevion for him, and difpatched him, wliiHl Amru furvived 

 unhurt. The third confpirator, whofe name was Abdalrah- 

 man, was more fuccefsful than either of his two profligate 

 companions. Having arrived at Cufa, he engaged two af- 

 iociates, who joined in aflaulting Ali at the door of the 

 mofque, when Abdalrahman gave him the fatal blow. The 

 expiring caliph left in charge with bis fon Haflan, in cafe of 

 his death, to execute the affaflln at one ftroke, thus humanely 

 guarding againll the lingering torments which ufually ac- 

 corapaiiied the death of offenders. Ali, pierced as it is faid, 

 by a poiibned fword, expired on the fifth day after his 

 wound, in the 63d, 57th, or 58th year of his age, for fuch 

 are the dilferent accounts that are given of his age, in the 

 40th year of the Hegira, A. D. 660. His fcpulchre at 

 Cufa was concealed till the expiration of the caliphate of the 

 Ommiades ; but in the year of the Hegira 367, A. D. 977, 

 Addad cd Dowlat erefted a fuperb monument over it, 

 which has been decorated by the Perfian kings, called, " the 

 dome of the di'lributor of lights and graces," and regarded 

 as a great objeft of the devotion of his votaries. A city, 

 called Melhed Ali, has alfo been built to his honour, not far 

 from the ruins of Cufa. Some of his moil zealous devotees 

 fuppofe that he is itill alive, and expeft his advent in the 

 clouds of heaven to fill the earth with juftice. Ali, after the 

 death of Fatima, by whom he liad three fons, Haflan, 

 Houffain, and Mohaflan, the firfl; of whom -fucceeded him, 

 had eight other wives. The Modem writers, particularly 

 thofe of his feet, fpeak highly of his corporeal, mental, and 

 moral endowments. They extol his valour, munificence, and 

 benignity of temper. Among them he ^.Ifo ranks high as to 

 his learning. Tliere are ftill extant his " Centiloquium," 

 or colleftion of a hundred maxims or fcntences, which has 

 been tranflated from the Arabic into the Perfian and Turkifh, 

 part of which has been publiflied in Englilh by Mr. Ockley ; 

 and alfo Ins " Divan," or collection of verfes. But his mod 

 celebrated relic is a parchment, written in myilerious charac- 

 ters, intermixed with figures, prophetic of all the events that 

 are to happen in the world. This was a depofit in the hands 

 of his family. Many ot Ali's fayings and apophthegms are 

 recorded by authors ; one of the moil inilruflive is the fol- 

 lowing : " He who would be rich without wealth, power- 

 ful without fubjects, and a i'ubjeft without mailer, has only 

 to forfake fin and fene God." 



The appellations by which Ah was honoured by the 

 Arabs are very dillinguifliing and honourable. On account 

 of his fuperior braveiy, they called him " Al Haidar," the 

 lion, and " tlie viftorious Lion of God." They alfo de- 

 nominated him " Wafi," i.f. legatee or heir of Mahomet, 

 ond " Mortadi," o. d. beloved tjy, and acceptable to God. 



He VIM alfo called by his follower:", " thf diflributor of 

 lights and graces ;" and " the king of men." 



Ali has given denomination to a fe6l or party anionjr the 

 Mahometans, who adheretothe right of luccefTion of Ali, the 

 fourth caliph, or fncceflbr of Mahomet, and the reform of 

 Mudulmanifm introduced by him. The fei^laries of Ali arc 

 more particularlv called Suiitks, and Hand oppofcd to the 

 iSo:»NiTKS, or fefl of Omar, who adhere to the law as left 

 by Mahomet, Abubeker and Omar. The followers of Alf 

 have poffefTed various ftatcs in Afiaand Africa ; and at prc- 

 fent the Perfians, part of the Uflnc Tartars, and fome Maho- 

 metan fovereignsof India are of the fedt of Ali ; whilll the 

 Turks are of the feci of Omar, and hold Ali in execration. 

 The diflinguifliing badge of Ali's followers is a red turban, 

 which is worn by the Perfians, who are hence called, in de- 

 rifion by the Turks, " Kifilbachi," i.e. redheads. Mod. 

 Un. Hifl. c. ii. vol. i. Gen. Did. Sale's Prel. Difc. to the 

 Koran. 



ALI BEY, an caflern adventurer, whofe hiflor)'- and 

 exploits have interelled much attention, was probably born 

 among the Abazans, a people inhabiting Mount Caucafus, 

 and brought by the fiave-merchants to one of the annual 

 fales at Cairo, where he was purchafed by the brotlicru, 

 IHiac and Youfef, Jews, employed in the cuftom-houfc, 

 and by them prcfented to Ibrahim, a kiaya, or veteran co- 

 hmel of janizaries, who was then one of the moll con- 

 fiderable men in Egypt. At this time he is fuppofed 10 

 have been 12 or 14 years of age. By the favour of his pa- 

 tron, to whom he rendered the ufual fervices of the Mam- 

 louks, he was taught to read and write, and to perform the 

 cuilomary exercifes of a military kind, in which he difplay- 

 ed a fire and aftivity that obtained for him the appellation 

 of (Ijftidall, or madman. At the age of 18 or 20 his beard 

 was allowed to grow, or he was made free; and his patron 

 gave him a wile and revenues ; promoted him to the rank 

 of kachcf, or governor of a dillrid ; and at length procured 

 him to be elecled one of the 24 beys. Thus favoured and 

 advanced, his ambition was excited ; and the death of Ibra- 

 him, in 1757, opened a free courl'e for the exectition of his 

 projects. After an abfence of a few years, during which 

 he had been engaged in a variety of intrigues, for raifing and 

 difplacing fcvtral chiefs, and two years of which he had 

 pafled in a ftate of exile in Said, or Upper Egypt, devifinjj 

 and maturing his plans of future dominion, he returned to 

 Cairo in 1766; and in one night killed four beys, who 

 were his enemies, baniflied four others, and thus became 

 from that time the chief of the moll numerous party. Not 

 contented with the trivial title and dependent office of 

 bey, he afpired to the title and honour of Sultan of Eg\-pt ; 

 and with thefe views he determined to throw ofl the fupre- 

 macy of the Porte ; and accordingly he expelled the pacha, 

 refuf-:d the cuilomary tribute, and in 1768, he proceeded to 

 coin money in his own name. The attention of the Porte 

 was fo much cx:cupicd by other concerns that he was un- 

 der a neceffity of temporifing ; and Ali, well appriftd of 

 his fituation, puflied forward his enterprifcs with fuccefs. He 

 began with difpoffeffing Hammam, an Arab flicik, of a port 

 of the Said, wliich he liad occupied, and where he had form- 

 ed a power capable of giving dillurbance ; and towards 

 the end of this year, 1769, he fitted out fome vclTcIs at 

 Suez, which were ordered to fcize on Djedda, the port of 

 Mecca, whilll a body of cavalry marched by land to take 

 pofTeHion of Mecca itfelf, whicii was given up to phuider. 

 The projeft which he had formed, in confecpience of the 

 fuggellion of a Venetian merchant, was to make Europe 

 abandon the paflage to the Eall Indies by the Cape of 

 Good HopCj by fyblliluting the ancient route of the Me- 

 4 S ditenaneRn 



