ABSTRACT
When great leaders leave the scene, there is often a lively debate about who should succeed them. There was a dispute right after the death of the Prophet about who should succeed him as the leader of the Muslim community. Abu Bakr, his father-in-law (one of several), was nominated although ‘Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law were actually more direct family members. According to some historical sources, when the news of Abu Bakr’s nomination spread in Arabia, the uncle of the prophet al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul-Mutalib and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, went to ‘Ali and offered their allegiance and military support if he were to revolt against Abu Bakr’s nomination. According to many Shi‘i accounts, he refused to do so due to the need for unity. ‘Ali did become caliph eventually, the fourth caliph, but his successor and son Husayn was killed at the battle of Karbala and from that time on the family of the Prophet was largely excluded from power, although some local rulers have claimed a link with the family. It is perhaps surprising that Islam should prioritize family in this way, since it sees itself as a universal faith and the Qur’an is critical of tribalism. Why should the family of the Prophet be regarded as so significant, if the Prophet himself was just a man, albeit a highly significant messenger and for some thinkers the perfect man? There are a variety of responses to this question, and throughout this book the issue will be examined from a variety of perspectives. There is no doubt that the personhood of the Prophet is regarded as extremely important by most Muslims, since although the message he delivered came entirely from God and not from him, God chose him to be the messenger, his last messenger, and presumably he was not chosen at random.
