A·li 
(ä-lē) Full name Ali ibn Abi Talib. 600?-661.
(ä-lē) Full name Ali ibn Abi Talib. 600?-661. Muslim caliph (656-661) whose reign was marked by the division of Islam into Sunni and Shiite sects. This schism intensified after his assassination by members of a third Muslim sect.