The community gathers at the Saqifa and chooses Abu Bakr, the Prophet's closest companion, as caliph; his short reign fights the Ridda wars against Arabian tribes that withhold allegiance, and begins the compilation of the Qur'an after the losses at Yamama.
Tagged: Ibadi Islam Muslim Sunni Islam
The Event
- Date
- 632–634 (exact)
- Era
- Rashidun; Standard periodization of Islamic history
- Location
- Medina; today Medina, Saudi Arabia
- Traditions
- Islam
- Streams
- Sunni Islam, Ibadi Islam
- Key figures
- Abu Bakr, Zayd ibn Thabit
- Key texts
- Qur'an (first compilation)
Primary Sources
- Al-Tabari, History
Secondary Sources
- Kennedy, The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates (Routledge, 3rd ed. 2016)
- Crone, God's Rule: Government and Islam (Columbia, 2004)
Provenance: HIST-0207; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-27.
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