ভূমিকা

If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah. But Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude. (Holy Qur’an, 3:144) Having faced hostile aggression, economic boycott and expulsion, an invitation was extended to the Prophet and his followers to uproot themselves from their homeland and migrate to the desert oasis of Yathrib (which was later renamed Madinah).

The invitation came from the Ansar (Helpers) who were the inhabitants of Madinah.[^1] In the year 622 CE, the Prophet and the Muhajireen[^2] arrived in Madinah and along with the Ansar, they established the first official Muslim state. Chronicles of Saqifah On the 28th of Safar, 632 CE (11 ah), four days after the “Calamity of Thursday” occurred, , the Seal of the Messengers passed away. The believing men, women, and children wandered in shock as if one of their own family members had died.

At the same time, a select few were anxious to gain power. They knew that they could not simply declare themselves as the new guardians of the ummah because the Prophet had already explicitly declared ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib as his successor. Had they done so, even though the Muslims were still in a state of grief, they would have rejected them and their authority. Thus, they took a much more subtle approach.

As the Prophet’s body lay in wait, ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib and the immediate family of the Bani Hashim were busy preparing the Prophet’s body for burial. With the family of the Prophet being preoccupied, several members of the Ansar tribe arranged for a private meeting far away from the Prophet’s mosque at a place called Saqifah Bani Sa’idah. They had grown concerned about the leadership ( khalifah ) of the ummah and wanted to ensure a smooth transition of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib’s office post.