The Early Expansion of Islam

Lesson 10 of 13 • 5 upvotes • 11:56mins

Abhyudaya Kelkar

This lesson is a sequel to the previous one, dealing with Islam. Here in this lesson, the events that took place during the Rashidun Caliphate will be discussed. The immediate successors of Mohammed got divided as Sunnis and Shias. They followed different political streams. Sunnis had their ‘Caliphs’, while Shias had their ‘Imams’. After the first three caliphs, Abu bakr, Umar and Uthman (Usman), the first Imam of the Shias, Ali, also became the fourth Caliph of the Sunnis. At the same time, the first Muslim Civil War (the First Fitna) started and Ali was assassinated ending the Rashidun Caliphate. Umayyads succeeded them who were tyrants, according to the chroniclers. How the confrontation between them and the successors of Ali culminated into the Karbala Incident, has been explained in the lesson.