Kufa

Kufa is a city in central Iraq near the Euphrates, founded in 638 CE as an Arab garrison town and later a major center of Islamic politics and scholarship.

Battle of al-Qadisiyyah: A battle in 636 in which Arab Muslim forces defeated the Sasanian Empire near al-Qadisiyyah in present-day Iraq. The conquest of Sasanian Iraq preceded the establishment of Kufa as a garrison town.
Ali: The fourth Sunni caliph and the first Shia imam, who ruled from 656 until his assassination in 661. Ali made Kufa his capital during the First Fitna.
Kufan school of Islamic law: An early Iraqi tradition of Islamic jurisprudence associated with Kufa and the use of reasoned legal opinion. Kufan jurists developed methods that later informed the Hanafi legal tradition.
First Fitna: The first major civil war among Muslims, fought from 656 to 661 over leadership of the early caliphate. Kufa became Ali’s base in the conflict that divided the early Muslim community.
Rashidun Caliphate: The first caliphate, ruled by the four successors of Muhammad from 632 to 661. Kufa was founded under the caliphate and became a key provincial center.
Al-Hasan ibn Ali: The elder son of Ali and Fatima, recognized as caliph briefly in 661 and revered as the second Shia imam. His short-lived caliphate depended on support from Kufa before he made peace with Muawiya.
Hanafi school: A Sunni school of Islamic jurisprudence founded by Abu Hanifa and known for systematic reasoning and legal analogy. Its formative legal methods grew from scholarly circles in Kufa.
Battle of Karbala: The 680 battle in which Umayyad forces killed al-Husayn ibn Ali and most of his small company near Kufa. The battle followed failed appeals from Kufa and reshaped the city’s place in Shia history.
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas: An early Muslim commander who led the conquest of Iraq and founded Kufa under Caliph Umar. He established Kufa as a military settlement after the conquest of Iraq.
Al-Husayn ibn Ali: The younger son of Ali and Fatima, killed with his companions at Karbala in 680. Kufan invitations drew al-Husayn toward Iraq, though local support collapsed under Umayyad pressure.

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