The injury of Imam Ali and his death : a study in neurosurgical and medico legal aspects

Abstract EN

Study of those who changed history usually is limited to their lives and what they have achieved.

However, it would be beneficial to study the medical causes of their death and circumstances surrounded that.

To that end, many studies offered details about the passing of prophets, reformers, politicians, scientists, musicians, and others which may add more aspects to studying these personalities.

This study is an attempt to highlight the medical sequences of death of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, (AS), who was the fourth Caliph of Islam after Prophet Mohammad.

This study is an attempt to arrive to a conclusion as to the direct and indirect causes of Imam Ali’s death in 661 A.D.

after he was hit by Abdul Rahman Ibn Muljim on his head by a poisoned sword.

That hit inflicted a deep wound to the skull, which penetrated to the brain.

Two days after injury he passed away.

Clinical analysis as to the cause of death did not go with the head injury or with the poisons studied to be the definite causes of death.

This work tried to throw some light on many issues; basically on the circumstances when Imam was injured namely, what was his position when he was hit? Where in the head was the injury? What damage did it make neurosurgery, poisoning, history of important people, forensic medicine