MUHAMMAD IBN AL-HANAFIYAH

born , 637 died 710, Medina, Arabia [now Saudi Arabia] Muslim religious figure who many thought was the legitimate caliph. He was a son of 'Ali, the fourth caliph, but not by his wife, Fatimah, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. By nature, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was retiring and inclined to avoid partisan strife; he acted with much caution despite the support of various factions that would have made him caliph. He eventually pledged allegiance to the Umayyad caliph 'Abd al-Malik, from whom he received a large annual pension.