Malik al-Ashtar

Malik al-Ashtar, romanized: Mālik al-Ashtar), born Mālik ibn al-Ḥārith al-Nakhaʿī al-Madhḥijī, was an Arab military commander and tribal leader of the Nakha branch of the Madhhij confederation. A prominent figure during the Rashidun Caliphate, he is best known as the most loyal and formidable general of the fourth Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib. In Kufa, Malik emerged as a leader of the opposition against Caliph Uthman, playing a key role in the events leading to the Caliph's death. Following the election of Ali, he emerged as the most determined and militant of the Caliph's followers, playing a pivotal role in persuading the qurra to support him during the First Fitna and holding senior commands at the battles of the Camel and Siffin. In 658, while traveling to assume the governorship of Egypt, Malik was assassinated by poisoning in al-Qulzum. His death was a major strategic blow to Ali’s administration and facilitated the Umayyad conquest of Egypt.