The 5 Caliphs of Islam
After the Prophet Muhammad died, Muslims faced a major problem. For he had not named a successor to take his place and lead the community. Citizens agreed to nominating Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father in law and early convert to Islam, and he would be the first Caliph.
In Abu Bakr's time as Caliph he dealt with the ridda which were religious and political uprisings that followed the death of Mohammad in territories his armies had conquered. The leaders of the Ridda refused to pay taxes and began to fight back but Muslim troops defeated them. Abu Bakr showed mercy to some of the leaders and most of them ended up converting to Islam. Abu Bakr's goal was to follow Muhammads intentions of expanding the Muslim community from the Arabian Peninsula into what is now Syria and Iraq. Abu Bakr led pilgrimages to Mecca and two years in to his leadership he passed away and was burried next Muhammad. Abu Bakr showed military strength but also mercy to those he conquered.
The second Caliph was Umar who was also a father in law of Muhammad and was appointed by Abu Bakr as successor. His primary contributions to Islam were his many military victories which ensured a safer community and a rapidly expanding empire. Unlike the Byzantine empire, Umar created a policy of religious tolerance in his new land which was much appreciated by Jews and Christians. He then proceeded to create two taxes. One for the people practicing their own religion in the territory of Islam (jizya), and one for land owners with productive fields (kharaj). These laws gave non-Muslims a reason to convert to Islam so they would not be taxed. By the time Umar died the Muslim empire was second to the Chinese empire in size.
The third Caliph was Uthman who was a member of the Umayyad family. He was not the most popular of the Caliph because of his attempt to create only one strict interpretation of the Koran. His military successes put him in the clear after many unpopular discisions to appoint much of his family to administrative positions and his act of depleting the treasury as a result of his lavish spending habits and lack of financial planning. Uthmann succeeded in creating one interpretation of the Koran and was then asssinated in his own home by Egyptians which began a civil war.
The fourth Caliph was Ali, who joined Muhammad in battle and worked as his secretary otherwise. Ali was elected Caliph after Uthmans assasination. The entire time he was in power, there was constant accusations towards him. Muawiyah, Uthmans cousin refused to accept Ali as Caliph and many civil wars and raids began all throughout his time as Caliph. Ali was assinated by one of his former followers and then Muawiyah elected himself as Caliph.
The last of the five Caliphs was Muawiyah and the Umayyad caliphate. Muawiyah's rule marked the start of the Umayyad Caliphate. They moved the Muslim capital to Damascus in Syria and began conquests to expand Arab rule from Spain and Morocco to the Indus River Valley. Long time rivals the Byzantine and Persian empires faught eachother to exhaustion which played a role in the rapid expansion of Arab rule. The Arabs had improved their fighting methods to using camels and horses which overwhelmed armies. Throughout their many victories, those who were conquered usually converted to Islam because their strong leadership and thought that god really was happy with this religion because of all of their military victories over the many years both before and after Muhammads death.
Throughout the rule of the 5 Caliphs every successor has something in common. They all use military strategies to grow their empire and make it more appealing to non-Arabs. Nearly wars they were a part of ended in their favor and the people they conquered were drawn to their religion because of its endless success and expansion. Just like the saying bigger is better, even when these people's homes and families were torn apart during a war they were captivated by the sheer power and size of the Arab Empire and instantly wanted to be a part of an indestructibe, unbeatable, and undeniably the best and most fortunate empire of their time.
In Abu Bakr's time as Caliph he dealt with the ridda which were religious and political uprisings that followed the death of Mohammad in territories his armies had conquered. The leaders of the Ridda refused to pay taxes and began to fight back but Muslim troops defeated them. Abu Bakr showed mercy to some of the leaders and most of them ended up converting to Islam. Abu Bakr's goal was to follow Muhammads intentions of expanding the Muslim community from the Arabian Peninsula into what is now Syria and Iraq. Abu Bakr led pilgrimages to Mecca and two years in to his leadership he passed away and was burried next Muhammad. Abu Bakr showed military strength but also mercy to those he conquered.
The second Caliph was Umar who was also a father in law of Muhammad and was appointed by Abu Bakr as successor. His primary contributions to Islam were his many military victories which ensured a safer community and a rapidly expanding empire. Unlike the Byzantine empire, Umar created a policy of religious tolerance in his new land which was much appreciated by Jews and Christians. He then proceeded to create two taxes. One for the people practicing their own religion in the territory of Islam (jizya), and one for land owners with productive fields (kharaj). These laws gave non-Muslims a reason to convert to Islam so they would not be taxed. By the time Umar died the Muslim empire was second to the Chinese empire in size.
The third Caliph was Uthman who was a member of the Umayyad family. He was not the most popular of the Caliph because of his attempt to create only one strict interpretation of the Koran. His military successes put him in the clear after many unpopular discisions to appoint much of his family to administrative positions and his act of depleting the treasury as a result of his lavish spending habits and lack of financial planning. Uthmann succeeded in creating one interpretation of the Koran and was then asssinated in his own home by Egyptians which began a civil war.
The fourth Caliph was Ali, who joined Muhammad in battle and worked as his secretary otherwise. Ali was elected Caliph after Uthmans assasination. The entire time he was in power, there was constant accusations towards him. Muawiyah, Uthmans cousin refused to accept Ali as Caliph and many civil wars and raids began all throughout his time as Caliph. Ali was assinated by one of his former followers and then Muawiyah elected himself as Caliph.
The last of the five Caliphs was Muawiyah and the Umayyad caliphate. Muawiyah's rule marked the start of the Umayyad Caliphate. They moved the Muslim capital to Damascus in Syria and began conquests to expand Arab rule from Spain and Morocco to the Indus River Valley. Long time rivals the Byzantine and Persian empires faught eachother to exhaustion which played a role in the rapid expansion of Arab rule. The Arabs had improved their fighting methods to using camels and horses which overwhelmed armies. Throughout their many victories, those who were conquered usually converted to Islam because their strong leadership and thought that god really was happy with this religion because of all of their military victories over the many years both before and after Muhammads death.
Throughout the rule of the 5 Caliphs every successor has something in common. They all use military strategies to grow their empire and make it more appealing to non-Arabs. Nearly wars they were a part of ended in their favor and the people they conquered were drawn to their religion because of its endless success and expansion. Just like the saying bigger is better, even when these people's homes and families were torn apart during a war they were captivated by the sheer power and size of the Arab Empire and instantly wanted to be a part of an indestructibe, unbeatable, and undeniably the best and most fortunate empire of their time.