As mentioned in lecture, Muhammad was more than just a prophet. He was also political, social, spiritual, and religious leader. Of course after his death in 632, there was no prophet who could succeed him. The Sunnis believed that Abu Bakr, also known as Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa, deserved to be his successor, while the Shi’ites believed that Ali ibn Abi Talib deserved this role.
According to the reading, Muhammad’s trusted counselors believed that Abu Bakr deserved to be the leader. Abu Bakr led the prayers in the mosque and supervised the assemblies of Muslims during the last days of the prophet’s life. He was the first caliph to succeed Muhammad who was labeled as the successor of the messenger of God, or Khalifah Rasul Allah (Ochsenwald and Fisher 37-38).
One of Abu Bakr’s major achievements was that he launched a series of military battles, known as the Ridda Wars, in which some treacherous Muslims started disapproving of his authority as well as the faith after Muhammad’s death. In other words, their actions were seen as a renunciation of Islam which Abu Bakr was able to put an end to by the year 633. This allowed Abu Bakr to unify Arabia and, in turn, expand …show more content…
By doing so, he succeeded in reintegrating the rebellious tribes into the Caliphate. Then, he could turn his attention to the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires. Along with the other caliphs, he protected the religion and contributed to the spread of Islam beyond Arabia. Without the protection of the religion, there would not have been any Muslims today who would take their religion seriously and try to get closer to God. Also, the spread of Islam beyond Arabia might have made it possible for Islam to spread globally. Proof of this is that there are many Muslims today living in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and many more countries. These Muslims do their best to stick to their beliefs and traditions and attempt to keep a close connection to
According to the reading, Muhammad’s trusted counselors believed that Abu Bakr deserved to be the leader. Abu Bakr led the prayers in the mosque and supervised the assemblies of Muslims during the last days of the prophet’s life. He was the first caliph to succeed Muhammad who was labeled as the successor of the messenger of God, or Khalifah Rasul Allah (Ochsenwald and Fisher 37-38).
One of Abu Bakr’s major achievements was that he launched a series of military battles, known as the Ridda Wars, in which some treacherous Muslims started disapproving of his authority as well as the faith after Muhammad’s death. In other words, their actions were seen as a renunciation of Islam which Abu Bakr was able to put an end to by the year 633. This allowed Abu Bakr to unify Arabia and, in turn, expand …show more content…
By doing so, he succeeded in reintegrating the rebellious tribes into the Caliphate. Then, he could turn his attention to the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires. Along with the other caliphs, he protected the religion and contributed to the spread of Islam beyond Arabia. Without the protection of the religion, there would not have been any Muslims today who would take their religion seriously and try to get closer to God. Also, the spread of Islam beyond Arabia might have made it possible for Islam to spread globally. Proof of this is that there are many Muslims today living in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and many more countries. These Muslims do their best to stick to their beliefs and traditions and attempt to keep a close connection to