من تولى قيادة المسلمين بعد وفاة النبي؟

After the Prophet ﷺ's death, the Muslims chose Abu Bakr at al-Saqifa, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali. This is the order that the Sunna regards. The Shia hold that the Prophet designated Ali, and historians read these events in several ways.

Who led the community after the Prophet's death, and by what means is the imamate established?

After the Prophet's death, the Muslims gathered at al-Saqifa and chose Abu Bakr as caliph. Then Umar took charge, then Uthman, then Ali. Among Sunnis these are the Rightly Guided Caliphs, as the entry The Rightly Guided Caliphate sets out. The Shia hold that the Prophet designated Ali at Ghadir Khumm, and that the imamate after him belongs to Ali and his descendants. This is a fundamental point of disagreement between the two schools. Historians present the events and differ in how they read them: was the choice a selection by consultation (shura), a struggle for power, or a dispute over a designation (nass)? The entry itself sets out these positions without deciding between them. This question is linked to later events such as the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffin. Those who want more should begin with the entry on the Shia.

sunni

The caliphate by choice and allegiance (bay'a), in the order Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, then Ali.

Sunnis hold that Abu Bakr took the caliphate by allegiance at al-Saqifa, then appointed Umar as his successor. Umar then made the consultation (shura) among six men, who chose Uthman, and then Ali became caliph, as Al-Tahawi affirms in his creed.

academic

Historians differ in their assessment of choice and designation, and do not agree on a single preference.

Historians note that the early sources report these events in conflicting accounts. They read the events of al-Saqifa and the consultation as political contests. They divide over whether the imamate was designated by text: some favour the reading of choice, while others take the textual evidence seriously, as the historian Madelung presents it.

shia-twelver

The Prophet designated Ali, and the three caliphs before him took power without designation.

The Twelver Shia hold that the Prophet designated Ali as imam after him, and that al-Saqifa went against that designation, as modern Shia authors present their school.

Detailed legal and theological matters, and the views of other schools on the imamate, will be added once their sources are available.