The Four Caliphs, by Hassan Amdouni

This work presents the four Caliphs who succeeded the Prophet Muhammad (SWS) and who are commonly called the Rightly Guided Caliphs, al-khoulafâ' ar-rachidûn . They are Abou Bakr as-Siddiq, 'Omar Ibn al-Khattâb (al-Fâroûq), 'Othmân Ibn 'Affân (Dhou an-Nûrayn) and 'Alî Ibn Abî Tâlib (Abou Tourâb); It exhibits the life and works of these four illustrious figures brought successively to the direction of the State.

Their biography effectively takes us into the history of the beginnings of Islam, a unique period following the death of the Prophet (SWS), during which the foundations of civilization and Muslim society were laid to give all their greatness, prosperity and power to this civilization which radiated throughout the world for centuries.

These pious men, whose appointment was made by consultation or by election, showed exemplary behavior and total devotion in the direction of the affairs of the nascent state. A boû Bakr as-Siddîq achieved the unity of the Arabian peninsula and organized expeditions to spread Islam; 'Omar Ibn al-Khattâb gave a solid structure and administration to the new and still expanding state; 'Othman Ibn 'Affân remained an example of integrity and tolerance in the management of the state; 'Alî Ibn Abî-Tâlib, enamored of justice, had the heavy responsibility of keeping the Muslims united.

This book, the fruit of in-depth research, based on the undisputed references of other Muslims such as Ibn Kâthir, at-Tabarî, as-Suyoûtî and Ibn Sa'd for the ancients and al-kindahlawî for the contemporaries, provides a clear, precise synthesis and objective historical events generating the greatness of Islam and its apogee.