Ali ibn Abi ?alib (Arabic: ??? ?? ??? ????) was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad; ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661; and was the first male convert to Islam.

Sunni Muslims consider Ali the fourth and final of the Rashidun (rightly guided Caliphs); while Shi'a Muslims regard Ali as the first Imam and consider him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad; all of whom are members of the Ahl al-Bayt; the household of Muhammad.

This disagreement divides the Ummah (Muslim community) into the Sunni and Shi'a branches. Ali is greatly revered in Shia Islam. Zulfiqar 'bifurcated' (Arabic: ?? ??????? Dhu l-Fiqar) is the sword of Ali. In Arabic the name is commonly transliterated as Dhu al-Fiqar; Thulfeqar; Dhulfiqar; Zoulfikar etc.

Representations of the Prophet Muhammad are controversial; and generally forbidden in Sunni Islam (especially Hanafiyya; Wahabi; Salafiyya). Shia Islam and some other branches of Sunni Islam (Hanbali; Maliki; Shafi'i) are generally more tolerant of such representational images; but even so the Prophet's features are generally veiled or concealed by flames as a mark of deep respect.