The Main Issues Confronting the Rightly Guided Caliphs During the Period 632-661 CE and Their Success in Securing the Future of Islam
A) The death of Muhammad in 632 created confusion in the nascent
Muslim community, for Muhammad and had left no details as to who
should succeed him. Indications were made for Abu bakr to be the first
caliph as the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said
‘If I were to take a friend other than my lord, I would take Abu bakr
as a friend’ (hadith).
After a heated discussion by the senior members of the community, Abu
bakr was selected as the first caliph. However, the confusion did not
end with Abu bakr’s accession. Tribes all around Arabia broke out in
open revolt, while they continued to acknowledge Muhammad as a
prophet, they refuse to send taxes to medina now that Muhammad was
dead. Known as ‘Wars of Apostasy’ in Muslim chronicles, the rebellions
were not subdued until the end of 633. At the same time a number of
impostors claimed that the prophethood had passed on to them after
Muhammad. Despite these internal problems, Abu bakr pursued Muhammad’s
expansionist policy and sent Muslim forces into Syria and Iraq,
initiating their eventual conquest. The prophet had sent an army out
before he died which had not gone far. After the death of the prophet
the question raised whether the army should carry on or called for the
defence of medina. Abu bakr should determination and said
“I shall send usama’s army on its way as ordered by the prophet, even
if I am left alone”
Khalid was chosen by Abu bakr to lead the army as he had a reputation
and led his troops from one victory to another. Abu bakr also
colle...
... middle of paper ...
... expand the Muslim empire but lost land, this
was because he had to deal with Uthman’s problems and of his own. By
the time Ali was caliph some of the Muslim lost faith in Islam and
therefore rebelled against Ali. He had so much to deal with, that he
had no time to expand the Muslim empire or the religion. All the
Caliphs were successful because if they did not follow one after
another then the future of Islam could have been destroyed, with no
one to lead the Islamic community when they were undeveloped. The
diversion of the Muslim community in to two groups was not down to the
caliphates but down to the Muslims. They had the wrong idea. Shi’a
opposed the caliphate system in favouring Ali. The Qurra never
accepted Mu’awiya so Qurra formed a group called the Shi’a. All four
caliphs were related to Muhammad in some way.
Cobb, Paul. "Introduction." Ibn Munqidh, Usama. Book of Contemplation Islam and the Crusades. New York: Penguin Books, 2008. xv-xlii.
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