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World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras - Topics - Abu Bakr and the Caliphate STAFF EDITION | HELP Potomac Falls High School LOGOUT World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras Topics Perspectives Library Databases Quick Search Topics OVERVIEW ACTIVITY DISCUSSION GENERAL RESOURCES REFERENCE ARTICLES ABU BAKR AND THE CALIPHATE ARABIA BADR, BATTLE OF ISLAM MEDINA Topics / Muhammad and the Spread of Islam / The Rise and Rapid Spread of Islam / PRINT THIS DOCUMENT Abu Bakr and the Caliphate EMAIL THIS DOCUMENT CITE THIS DOCUMENT Listen The death of Muhammad in 632 inaugurated a succession crisis, which while resolved in the short term, led to a debate over authority that lasts to this day. Historians hold that Muhammad did not appoint a successor before or at his death, and that not long after his death his friends gathered in Medina to tackle the problem. According to this view, these companions elected Abu Bakr, a member of Muhammad's tribe, the Quraysh, to succeed him. Abu Bakr became the first "caliph," or successor, a position that was to become increasingly important beginning in the Umayyad dynasty period. Abu Bakr was born ca. 573. He is remembered as a close associate of Muhammad's; some stories even refer to him as the first convert to Islam, though this is far from certain. The relationship between Bakr and the prophet was nonetheless close. Muhammad married Bakr's daughter, Aisha, and it was Bakr whom he chose to accompany him on the journey to Medina in 622, known as the hijra. Thereafter, Bakr became one of Muhammad's chief advisers and the organizer of pilgrimages to Mecca. MUSLIM CONQUESTS BIOGRAPHIES MUHAMMAD GLOSSARY TERMS MUSLIM Abu Bakr's close friendship with the prophet and his prominent role in early Islam made him a good choice for successor. Despite the fact that others, in particular Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, might have succeeded the prophet, Bakr's position was quickly recognized by many Muslims. Some Muslims, however, believed that Ali should have been the first caliph. Those Muslims, the Shia, believe that Muhammad had chosen Ali to succeed him and that the prophet's companions had acted contrary to Muhammad's will. MEDIA DOCUMENTS Abu Bakr faced other problems as well. While many tribes were content to follow Muhammad, not all were as eager to follow his replacement. Some discontinued the tribute they had sent, others renounced their new faith. Recognizing that Islam's fragile hold on Arabia's various tribes might break, Abu Bakr campaigned against these recalcitrant tribes. Those battles did more than punish apostasy, however; they also helped unite Arabia under one faith, which hitherto had been fragmented politically and religiously. Moreover, Abu Bakr's soldiers did not stop with bringing Arabia back under control, but made the first real forays into adjacent lands and thus began the initial stages of the Muslim Conquests outside Arabia. The caliphate developed further under Abu Bakr's successors. Umar I inaugurated the first steps towards the bureaucracy that would support later caliphs. For example, he organized the military, established taxation, and installed garrison towns in conquered areas. This was no easy task. Tribes were moved, bringing with them their previous rivalries, and new disputes erupted between newcomers and those who had been there before the conquest. To make matters more complicated, those who had been Muslim longer received more public assistance and plunder, which did not please the newer converts. The administration that Abu Bakr and Umar had begun was not yet organized enough or strong enough to smooth over every dispute. By the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph, these squabbles threatened the new state. The murder of Uthman by unhappy soldiers began the fitna, a term that refers to "trial" or "temptation" and denotes the Muslim Civil War of 656-661 that lasted until the establishment of the Umayyad dynasty. Also at issue during the fitna was the question of who had the right to govern the Islamic state. The soldiers who assassinated Uthman were men loyal to Ali, and upon the death of Uthman, they installed Ali as caliph. Uthman's clan, the Umayyad, reacted with accusations that Ali himself had been involved in the murder. The two sides clashed in 656 in the Battle of the Camel, so named because Muhammad's widow Aisha rode into the battle on an armored camel to oppose Ali, but Ali's troops were victorious. In 657, however, Ali's forces were thwarted at the Battle of Siffin, and some of his supporters deserted him. Ali soon faced these men, the Kharijites, or "deserters," on the battlefield as well. In 661, Ali fell to a Kharijite assassin. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185323?sid=1185319&cid=143&oid=1185319&useConcept=False[9/11/2014 1:57:14 PM] World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras - Topics - Abu Bakr and the Caliphate The Umayyad clan who took over from Ali were members of the same tribe, the Quraysh. Muawiyah, the first Umayyad caliph and progenitor of what was to become a caliphal dynasty, learned from the experiences of his predecessors. Cognizant of the power of individual tribes, Muawiyah wisely included tribal chieftains in his rule, which helped forestall further political upheaval for a time. He also moved the capital of the Muslim world to Damascus in Syria. Even with a political structure in place, succession was not smoothly transferred. Several revolts, including one under Ali's son Husayn ibn Ali, occurred in the late seventh century. A period of peace followed when Marwan I ibn al-Hakam became caliph. Through trusty generals, an increasingly sophisticated bureaucracy, and skillful transformations of the administrative structures that had served the Byzantines and Sassanid Persians, the Umayyads created not only a stable polity, but helped give shape to Islamic identity. MLA Citation Emmons, Jim Tschen. "Abu Bakr and the Caliphate." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. View all citation styles. back to top Entry ID: 1185319 Website Information Databases Databases Contact Terms of Use Multiproduct Home Page United States Geography Customer Support Privacy Policy American History World History: Ancient and Medieval Help MARC Records Pop Culture Universe Eras Mobile Website About World History: The Modern Era Research Tutors Research Wizards Server: WEB2 | Client IP: 208.255.153.244 | Session ID: lkbrasuz1rfovcnjhiznxjnu | Token: C8388D44B3D211477704874B67363959 Referer: http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185323?cid=76&sid=1185322&useConcept=False http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185323?sid=1185319&cid=143&oid=1185319&useConcept=False[9/11/2014 1:57:14 PM]
