Historical Background
Muhammad died without a clear hereditary male successor due to the death of his sons during infancy. Because he didn’t appoint anyone to succeed him, there was confusion that created significant divisions in Islam, whose effects remain today. Muhammad asked Abu Bakr to be the principal leader of prayer and this lead to Abu Bakr to be recongnized as the first caliph. He was followed by Umar and then Uthman, and they were both later assassinated. The caliph was Ali, the husband of his daughter Fatima, who was also later assassinated. In 661 C.E. Islam was taken into control by Muhammad’s opponents who ruled from Damascus. This period marks the first and most important division of Islam. They broke into two factions: Shiite and Sunni. The first four caliphs were the most significant because this is where the earliest stage of Islam came. The first four rulers are called the orthodox caliphs. These four men were close to Muhammad and Arabia was their home.Once Islam spread outside of Arabia is when a major change would occur and Islam would now become more urbane and complex. From 661 C.E. to 750 C.E. Islam was controlled by the Umayyad dynasty. This period was called the Damascus caliphate. During this time Islam began adapting elements from architecture to cuisine that were introduced from Syria by the Roman Empire. Control of Islam shifted to Baghdad in 750 C.E. under the Abbasid dynasty. It is believed that this period was the golden age of Islam because it was its cultural peak.
Molly, Michael. (2010). Experiencing the World’s Religions (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. pg. 427 |
Brief history of the Sunni and Shiite split and the Four Caliphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf4NYz0L1Dk |