The caliphate was first entrusted to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq — may Allah be pleased with him — in preference to, and in advance of, the whole ummah; after him came ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, then ʿUthman. The Companions, when they pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was pleased with you for our religion — shall we not, then, be pleased with you for our worldly affairs?” and thus they offered him their pledge.

Abu Bakr’s record of outstanding service, both before and after the Hijrah, made him the most deserving person after the Prophet ﷺ. After him the leadership passed to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab by Abu Bakr’s explicit nomination; then to ʿUthman by the unanimous agreement of the Companions, chosen by the members of the consultative council whom ʿUmar had appointed shortly before his death from among the ten who had been promised Paradise — the very elite of the Companions. When ʿUthman was killed, the caliphate devolved upon ʿAli — may Allah be pleased with him. This is the proper order of the caliphate. Whoever claims that the caliphate after the Prophet ﷺ belonged to ʿAli is in error and at odds with the Prophet ﷺ and the consensus of the Muslims.

The Shiʿah, however, allege that it was ʿAli’s right and style him the sole legatee of the ummah; their aim is nothing but to create turmoil and ignite discord among the people, and they are in no way more discerning than the Companions. Indeed, the Shiʿah accuse the Companions of wrongdoing, and they interpret every deplorable description in the Quran as referring to the Companions, branding them tyrants, unbelievers, and deviants. Because of this, scholars have been keen to set out the doctrine of the caliphate in their creeds, lest anyone be swayed by such defilement. Ranking the four caliphs in this sequence is therefore the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah, for it is the very order established by the Companions themselves.