Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled as the fourth Rashidun caliph from 656 until his assassination in 661. He is considered one of the central figures in Shia Islam, the first Shia Imam and, in Sunni Islam, as the fourth of the "rightly guided" (rāshidūn) caliphs.
Alexander Rogers was educated at Haileybury College before joining the Indian Civil Service at the Bombay (Mumbai) Presidency in 1845. He was elected for the executive branch. He served in the Northern Division becoming Collector and Magistrate in 1860, and Revenue and Police Commissioner in 1865. He became a Member of the Council in Bombay in 1872 before retiring in 1879. His publications include History of the Land Revenue Settlement of Bombay, and translations of three modern Persian plays and of Yusuf and Zuleika. He died on 27 November 1910.