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A converse to the previous image, this Ottoman miniature shows ‘Ali receiving the bay’ah in order to ratify his claim to the title of caliph-imām. It is a reflection of Sunnī historical memory because it reinforces the Sunnī notion that leadership of the ummah was determined through a process of communal consensus rather than through Prophetic designation, as Shī‘ī Muslims would later contend. Depicted in this way, ‘Ali’s accession is consistent with the political precedent set down by Abū Bakr in the wake of the Prophet’s death and shows ‘Ali’s leadership as a continuation of the first iteration of the Sunnī-Jamā‘ī Imamate. In this image, ‘Ali’s status as a venerable companion and pious forebear is maintained without ascribing to him special qualities in terms of uniquely divine knowledge and legitimacy.

The Abbasid Caliphate: Administrative Divisions During Hārūn al-Rashīd’s Reign (786 – 809)

Name: Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad’s Foster Brother, Cousin, and Son-in-law, Receiving the Bay’ah (oath of allegiance) in Kufa (modern-day Iraq), 656 CE.

Material: JPEG image

Size: 844 x 1200 pixels

Date: 16th or 17th century (?)

Place of Origin: Ottoman Empire

Location: University of Chicago

Source and Registration#: Professor John E. Woods

John Woods

Professor of Iranian and Central Asian History, and of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations

Alexander Barna

Outreach Coordinator, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago