Four Rightly Guided Caliphs Essay

“O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.” (Quran 5:67) Prophet Muhammad PBUH, was born to a branch of Quraish family. He was born to Abdullah Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib and Amna Bint Wahab in the year 570 C. He received his “call” which is the message from God carried by the angel Gabriel to deliver the truth about God to his people. Prophet Muhammad PBUH, died in the year 632 C due to fever after that the Umma was in the hands of the Caliphate, which was then passed

Muhammad’s father-in-law Abu Bakr took over leadership of the umma as the successor (caliph) of Muhammad. Abu Bakr faced two main tasks: standardization of the Islamic religion and consolidation of the Islamic state. Abu Bakr successfully re-established Muslim authority over the Arabs and oversaw the compilation and organization of the Quran in book form.

When Muhammad died a caliph, or successor, assumed leadership. The two caliphs succeeding Muhammad furthered the Islamic cause by conquering vast territory. Their culture infiltrated lands "from the Pyrenees and Atlantic coast in Spain to the Indus Valley of India and China's far western borders (Andrea 88)." Their world community called Dar al-Islam spread across land and included non-Muslim peoples. Muslims allowed the Christians living in this realm to continue practicing Christianity. However, the Pact of 'Umar, a political document, succinctly laid out the requirements of Christian observance within the presence of Muslims. Although it was a restricted existence for the Christians, the Muslims did practice and offer tolerance towards this disparate religion.

A change that occurred in the political life of Islamic civilization was the shift from the election of a Caliphate to a more dynastical system. Previously, the caliphates were elected by the Islamic community. Capable leaders were preferred over heirs who were not as qualified. Sunni Muslims were firm believers of this concept, while Shia muslims believed that Ali should’ve

In post-classical history, Islam was recognized for its loyalty to Allah and its precise rules of religion. Muhammad, founder of Islam, was born from a nomad-merchant class, giving a pulse to the traveling trait of Islam and its literal veins of expansion throughout the Eurasian borders. While keeping the classic code of Muhammad’s original law underway, Islam’s expansion during 600- 1200 C.E. introduced advanced authority and systems of economic control.

Many Muslims knew the cause of Utham’s death and were angry at Ali, for he had not brought Utham’s killers to justice, one of whom was Mu’awiya, who had been the governor of Damascus and cousin of Utham. When Ali was assassinated in 661 A.D., Mu’awiya felt great pleasure in his death and found his revenge in stealing Ali’s old position; there was, yet again, another Sunni leader. Mu’awiya lead the Sunni Muslims through a prosperous time, the Umayyad dynasty. This period of growth played a huge role in the power, control, and population of the Sunni Muslims while the Shi’ttes remained uninvolved. In the year 661 A.D. many converted to the Sunni ways, for they were very successful.

The Umayya remained a powerful clan as Islam spread under Muhammad and, after his death in 632, his two successors, or caliphs—successors of the Prophet. Still, the clan’s power had far from peaked. After the death of Umar, the second caliph, a member of the Umayya became his successor: Uthman ibn Affan (Kishlansky, Geary and O'Brien). Uthman, however, was quickly murdered because he privileged the Meccan elite over the early converts. Shaken by his death, the Umma charged the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, as being complacent with Uthman’s murder. Eventually Ali himself was murdered by the Umayyad’s supporters, giving rise to an Islamic state ruled by the Umayya, the Umayyad Caliphate, where the Islamic

After Muhammad, they had a caliph which is a spiritual leader. The caliph is to lead the Muslim community. Maintain the religion and defend the land are some of the things in the ordinances of government in Islam. People of Islam wants their religion to continue that’s why they have caliphs. If the caliph doesn’t do his job, there’s a possibility Islam might die down.

Muhammad was the founder of Islam and is usually referred to as the last prophet of God. A caliphate is an area containing a caliph, a person considered a religious successor to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He was a leader of the entire Muslim community. In the period 700 to 1300, the Islamic religion introduced a different view on women, the caliphate became more secular and how they chose the caliph changed, while the religion and traditions of Islam were kept the same.

The Prophet Muhammad’s large influences over the foundations of Islam helped shape its empire into a powerful militant group that would result in the unification of Arabia in 622 AD . From there, Muhammad would be looked to by many as both a religious prophet and a competent military leader. Conquests made my Muhammad lasted from 622 CE to

Following the customs of prosperous family’s, Muhammad passed a fraction of his childhood living with a family in the dessert. Because of this occurrence amid these people is what might have impacted the evolution of Islam. Muhammad started working as a distributor and shortly after that married a wealthy women and had kids. Muhammad began to acquire revelations from God, which then he would overtime declaim ahead to the public. This developed religion had integrated features of Christianity and Judaism. Islam was a creed that declared prophets from these two religions and behold that Islam’s shared the same God as the Christians and the Jews, according to Muhammad being the final diviner. Muslims

I have always assumed that the Sunni and Shia conflict is similar to the war between the Catholic and Protestant, however it is much more complex and different. These two branches of Islam share the same Holy Book and all agree that Allah is there God. Sunni and Shia both believe that the last prophet was Muhammad. However, when Muhammad died, there was a disagreement of who would be Muhammad’s successor. There were two candidates to be the successor of Muhammad, Abu Bakr and Ali bin Abi Talib. Ali bin Abi Talib was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in law. Abu Bakr was Muhammad’s friend and senior companion. The Sunni Muslims believed that the leadership should be granted to the person with most experience. On the other hand, the Shi’a believed the decision should be based purely through Muhammad’s bloodline. The majority of Muslim ended up choosing Abu Bakr to be the Caliph (successor). However, Abu Bakr’s rule was shortlived when he died in 634 CE.

•“When you pray, you should say: Father, your name be revered. Your empire be established. Provide us with the bread we need day by day. Forgive our sins, since we too forgive everyone in debt to us. And don’t make us face the test.” (Luke 11:2-4)

th caliphs and became the caliphate after the assassination of the last rightly guided Caliph Ali.

After ‘The Year of Sorrow’ in which both Muhammad’s uncle- Abu Talib and wife- Kadijah died Muhammad is warned by the angel Gabriel that the situation is getting too dangerous for him in Mecca. “Muhammad knew the faith must find expression in a community which would insure its external force and the opportunity to prevail against opposition” (Cragg). It is at this point that Muhammad is invited to become a leader in Medina (622ce).