Ali al-Asghar (Fidem Pacis)

Abdullah Ali al-Asghar (680 - 7**) was a prominent figure in early Islamic history, and the fourth Caliph according to the traditional numbering. He was the third son of Hussein ibn Ali, and thereby a grandson of the first Caliph, Ali, and a great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

Early life
At the time of Asghar's birth, Arabia was in a fragile truce between the supporters of the sons of Ali and the supporters of the Umayyad family, who had murdered Ali and usurped the caliphship. Ten years before, Asghar's uncle Hassan had agreed a treaty with the Umayyad caliph Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, whereby Muawiyah's successor would be chosen not by him but by a shura council. After Hassan's death however the treaty was broken, and Muawiyah appointed his own son Yazid as successor.

When Asghar was only two weeks old, Muawiyah died and Yazid proclaimed himself caliph. Hussein and his supporters disputed this and began travelling to Mecca to organize a rebellion. Before they could go far, however, their party was ambushed by Umayyad troops and Hussein and almost all his family were killed. Asghar was the only survivor, having been sent in secret to Axum as a precaution against such a disaster.

These events caused outrage not just in Arab lands but also in the wider Muslim world. Romania and Axum both declared war on the Umayyads and began preparing for an invasion of Arabia. Yazid was soon defeated and executed, and Asghar was proclaimed Caliph.

However, Asghar was by this time still less than two years old, so preparations were made for a regency. After much debate, it was decided that all of the Arab clans should be involved in governance in order to avoid such a situation occurring again, and so the Arab Republic was created in order to govern the region until Asghar came of age. Meanwhile, the religious duties of the caliphship would be performed by Emperor Constantine IV, while Axumite troops would be responsible for keeping the peace in Yemen and the Hejaz.