2. Leadership after Muhammad A caliph is a successor Responsibility = to act as the political and military leader of the Muslims
3. The First Caliph: Abu Bakr Muhammad’s father-in-law & one of Muhammad’s most respected companions An assembly of tribal leaders in Medina chose Abu Bakr as successor First task was to put down revolts by tribes in the area where Islam was not practiced
4. The Second Caliph: Umar Muhammad’s long-time friend and advisor Before his death, Abu Bakr appointed Umar as his successor. Umar encouraged his armies to conquer more lands
5. The Third Caliph: Uthman Muhammad’s long-time friend and advisor A council that was elected by Umar before his death appointed Uthman to power He continued to conquer other lands and expand the empire (pushed Muslim forces into North Africa)
6. The Fourth Caliph: Ali or Mu’awiya? the Islamic Empire grew so rapidly that many cultures and people had to come together to unify some groups didn’t want to Uthman was murdered by a group or unhappy people from Egypt
7. Ali was the natural choice as Uthman’ssuccesor He participated in elections before He belonged to Muhammad’s bloodline Muhammad had trusted him also Mu’awiya was a relative of Uthman a popular governor in Syria
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9. Ali tried to negotiate but there was no agreementAli ruled for 5 years before he was murdered. Mu’awiya then became caliph in 661 CE
10. Why did the Muslims divide in 2? BIG QUESTION: Who was Muhammad’s rightful successor? His descendents? OR Elected caliphs?
11. Shi’ites Translates to “the party of Ali” Those who accept ONLY MEMBERS OF MUHAMMAD’S FAMILY as his successors Ali is given the title of Imam – meaning divinely guided as success “Imam” took on a strong sense of spiritual authority
12. Sunnis Those who claim to follow the Sunna, or example of the prophet Muhammad They accept the election of the first 4 caliphs They do not accept the concept of “Imam” but instead believe that every individual has a relationship with God
13. Both Sunnis and Shi’ites All Muslims are united in their common belief in Allah They all revere the Qu’ran as Allah’s word Muhammad is recognized as Allah’s prophet by all
14. Statistics today… What does this data tell us about the controversy between the groups today?
