ISLAM FOR BEGINNERS BRS 107.pdf - CUEA

terms such as God loves them, believers, people without pride, people whose paradise isassured. John Esposito remarks that:The period between 632 and 661 is the normative period to which the Umma hasoften returned for guidance and inspiration. During this time, the spread of Islamand conquest of Arabia were completed, and Islam rule was extended throughoutmuch of the middle East and North Africa. 31Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim describe the merits of the companions of the holyprophet as proof and confirmation of their election as leaders. Unlike Muhammad, the fourcaliphs were elected by a group of people; they are regarded as the best leaders afterMuhammad.Though the elections conducted were not transparent and free, leadership belonged tothem and to nobody else. As Muhammad, they were the organizing forces in the Ummaand the relations between man and Allah, between individuals, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, as well as man and things. They were to take care of the commutative,associative and social justice of the community. Abu Bakr reigned from 632 to 634, `Umarwho can be compared to Saint Paul -he spread Islam beyond the arabic peninsula- led thecommunity from 634 to 644, `Uthman who did the first edition of the Qur’an ruled from 644to 656, and the last `Ali, in spite of the civil war that broke out in the `Umma governed the`Umma from 656 to 661.5. LEADERSHIP AFTER THE PERIOD OF RASHIDUNThough the period of the first four Caliphs of Islam is regarded as the best of times, it hassome black holes. We remember, for instance, that `Umar met a violent death in 644,`Uthman was killed when he was reciting the Qur’an in 656, `Ali was stabbed and killed inthe mosque of Kufa in 661. In addition, the first divisions in Islam -Sunnism, Shi`ism,Kharijism- originated from this period.L. Esposito wrote:The issue of leadership after the death of Muhammad led to a major split in theMuslim community and gave rise to its two major branches or divisions: the Sunni31 . John Esposito (ed), The Muslim community in history in Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995).Frederic N. Mvumbi,OP Page 72 of 85