Episode 3: The birth of a caliphate

Succession can be a tricky issue, but succeeding a prophet is pretty much ensured to get thorny. The Umma barely had time to mourn its loss after the death of Mohammad; it immediately faced threats both from within and without. This made finding a new leader all the more pressing, and the haste with which some acted caused rifts in the community that proved tragically durable.

Glossary

• Umma: the Umma is the Arabic noun used to refer to the the entire muslim community.
• Sahaba: literally “the companions”. This term is applied to anyone who formed part of the community of muslims – the Umma – during Mohammad’s lifetime.
• Ansar: literally “the champions”. This designation applies mainly to those from the Aws and Khazraj clans of Medina who joined Islam just before the Quraysh of Mecca had bullied the religion into annihilation. Other converts around this time also count.
• Muhajirun: literally “the emigrants”, referring to the ones who made the trip from Mecca to Medina with the prophet when he first established himself in Yathrib. The muhajirun were mostly made up of Quraysh, though slaves and other loyalists also numbered among them.
• Mawla: the Arabic word for loyalist. It was considered a mark of subservience, though not a shameful one, especially if the tribe or man owed allegiance to was a powerful or otherwise prestigious one. Since a mawla was bound by duty to obey their patron, weaker tribes were often considered mawali (plural form) of their stronger allies. Freed slaves also became mawali of their owners, as they still required the tribe to survive in the harsh Arabian desert.
• Abu Bakr: early muslim, chief of Quraysh’s Taim clan, and best known to muslims as their prophet’s best friend. By this point he had been with Mohammad every step of the way, and in today’s episode we discuss his ascension to be the prophet’s first successor.
• Omar ibn il Khattab: one of the muhajirun. Though he hadn’t joined Mohammad’s religion as early as Abu Bakr, he seems to have been close to both. He’ll be more important later on.
• Abu Ubaydah al Jarrah: another of the muhajirun, he plays a minor part in today’s episode.
• Ali bin abi Talib: the prophet’s cousin, a very important figure in our story. His closeness to the prophet in multiple ways led many to believe that it was his inalienable right to lead the Umma after his kin’s passing. Interestingly, both tribal and islamic justifications are proffered for this; the first stress his leadership of the prophet’s Hashemite clan, the second his exemplary Islamic conduct and penetrative understanding of revelation. Today’s episode discusses how he was passed on for leadership despite these advantages.
• Aisha: daughter to Abu Bakr, and more importantly a wife to Mohammad. Her closeness to both these men will make her very influential in the Umma later on.