born 0441; 645, Arabian Peninsula
died 683, Damascus, Syria
Second caliph (680683) of the Umayyad dynasty .
He oversaw the events at the Battle of Karbal 0101; (680), which contributed to the eventual split of Islam into Sunnite and Sh 012B; 02BD; ite sects. He succeeded his father, Mu 0101; wiyah I , as caliph, keeping Mu 0101; 02BD; wiyah's advisers and retaining most of his policies, while reforming the financial system, adjusting tax policy, and improving the irrigation system of the Damascus oasis. See also fitnah ; al- Husayn ibn Al 012B; .