Alī and the first caliphs Upon the death of the Prophet in 632, ʿAlī and Muhammad’s family took charge of the arrangements for his funeral. At the same time, discussions began concerning who should succeed Muhammad. Both the anṣār, the people of Medina who had embraced Islam, and the muhājirūn, those from Mecca who had migrated to Medina, wanted the successor to come from their group. In order to avoid division, the leaders of the community assembled at saqīfat Banī Sāʿidah (“the room with the thatched roof of the tribe of Banī Sāʿidah”) to choose a successor. After much debate, Abū Bakr was named caliph (khalīfah, “successor”), the ruler of the Islamic community. By the time ʿAlī finished with matters pertaining to the funeral of the Prophet, he was presented with a fait accompli. He did not protest but retired from public life and dedicated himself to studying and teaching the Qurʾān. He was often consulted, however, by Abū Bakr and his successor, ʿUmar, in matters of state. ʿAlī accepted the selection of ʿUmar as caliph and even gave one of his daughters, Umm Kulthūm, to him in marriage
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 06:43:13 +0000
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