Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq
Rightly-Guided Caliphs · Sunni · 573–634 CE
At a glance
| Category | Rightly-Guided Caliphs |
|---|---|
| Tradition | Sunni |
| Lifespan | 573–634 CE |
| Region | Hijaz |
| Role | First Rāshidūn caliph (632–634); closest Companion |
| Note | Led the Ridda wars reuniting Arabia |
Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq was among the earliest converts to Islam and the closest Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, who chose him as his companion on the migration to Medina. On the Prophet's death in 632 the community at Medina acclaimed him as its leader, making him the first caliph in the Sunni reckoning of the Rightly-Guided succession.
His short reign (632–634) was decisive: he held the young state together through the Ridda wars, which reunited the Arabian tribes under Islamic authority, and set in motion the conquests that would soon carry the faith beyond Arabia. Sunni tradition venerates him as the foremost of the Companions; assessments of the early caliphate differ between the Sunni and Shiʿi traditions, which Chronicle presents side by side.
First caliph in Sunni tradition; views on the early caliphate differ across traditions.