A Brief History of Islam The Rightly Guided Caliphs Upon the
death of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, the friend of the Prophet and
the first adult male to embrace Islam, became caliph. Abu Bakr
ruled for two years to be succeeded by 'Umar who was caliph for
a decade and during whose rule Islam spread extensively east and
west conquering the Persian empire, Syria and Egypt. It was
'Umar who marched on foot at the end of the Muslim army into
Jerusalem and ordered the protection of Christian sites. 'Umar
also established the first public treasury and a sophisticated
financial administration. He established many of the basic
practices of Islamic government. 'Umar was succeeded by 'Uthman
who ruled for some twelve years during which time the Islamic
expansion continued. He is also known as the caliph who had the
definitive text of the Noble Quran copied and sent to the four
corners of the Islamic world. He was in turn succeeded by 'Ali
who is known to this day for his eloquent sermons and letters,
and also for his bravery