Mohammed's Companions > Page1 If we look at Mohammed's
companions and successors we see men who had similar life-styles
as Mohammed, though like Mohammed they may have been mystics and
were pious in their religious beliefs. They do not include monks
or yogis, or people who talked of or sought Self-realization,
but became generals who led armies trying to conquer the world,
something we cannot imagine any yogi attempting to do. The first
Caliph Abu Bakr was a merchant turned general. Like Mohammed he
had the successive Caliphs (heads of Islam) were simultaneously
the leader of the army, the political leader and chief judge, as
well as the leader of the religion. In addition Islamic generals
and soldiers, starting with Mohammed's successors, took
personally from the wealth of the lands they conquered and set
up hereditary pensions for themselves and their families. They
turned themselves not into ascetics but into the new ruling
class. Some Muslims, particularly members of the Shia branch
claim that Mohammed wa