 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
The first era of Islam is known as the era of the rightly guided caliph. During this era, the four leaders were from the first generation of Muslims who accepted Islam during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (may Allahs Peace and Blessings be upon him).They were amongst the first to accept Islam while Muhammad was in Mecca and his following was weak and persecuted . Understanding the meaning of the word Caliph is vital to understand the role of the Caliphate. Abu Bakr was Prophet Muhammads closest companion and best friend Abu Bakr became the leader after Prophet Muhammad died, and he had a daunting task. Many of the tribes that had become Muslim, began to revolt against the new leader. However, Abu Bakr and his trusted general Khalid ibn Waleed, fought the rebels into submission and held the Muslim world together. Abu Bakr's reign only lasted two years. He developed a serious fever that he never recovered from Before he died, he nominated Umar, another close companion of Prophet Muhammad, as the next leader. With Umar as leader, the Muslim world began a period of vast expansion and development that was never equaled. Omar ruled for 10 years. During this time, the Muslim world evolved from a small confederation of Arab tribes, to become the most powerful empires on earth. The Muslims conquered most of the Roman lands in the Middle East, including Damascus, Jerusalem, and Egypt.
caused difficulties later, however as there was much friction between the Arab rulers and their Persian subjects. This discord would lead to the formation of the Abbasid dynasty a century later. Caliph Umar was stabbed during prayer by a disgruntled Persian Christian. As he lay dying, Umar left instructions to his companions on how they should appoint the next Caliph. These companions were also close friends and companions of Prophet Muhammad as well. Eventually the companions chose Uthman to become the next ruler. Uthman was a very old man by the time he became ruler. He left much of the running of the Islamic empire to members of his family. This gave some people the opportunity to sow discord amongst the populace. After a while, these malcontents became powerful enough to demand Uthman give up the leadership When Uthman refused, they infiltrated Medina (the capital at the time) and surrounded his house. They eventually broke into the house and assassinated Uthman while he was reading the Quran. These rebels pretended to support Ali ibn Abi Talib, another close companion of Prophet Muhammad. They pressured him into accepting the position of ruler, but because of the anger throughout the Muslim world at Uthmans murder, Ali never enjoyed complete sovereignty. Many of the influential Muslims in the empire refused to acknowledge Ali. Though Ali ibn Abi Talib was the fourth leader of the Muslims, he never experienced a moments peace. Throughout his entire five year reign, he was constantly fighting Muslims insurgents. Caliph Ali was also assassinated, and his main rival Muawwiyah became the ruler. Muawwiyah was a relative of Uthman. Muawwiyah had refused to accept Alis authority until Uthmans killers were punished. Muawwiyah and Uthman both belonged to the Umayyad clan of Mecca. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Righteous Caliphs
| Islamic Learning Materials |