Rashidun Caliphate

The Rashidun Caliphate (Arabic: الخلافة الرّاشدة, romanized: al-Khilāfat ar-Rāshidah) is the early Islamic polity led by the first four successive caliphs (lit. "successors") Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, collectively known as the Rashidun, or "Rightly Guided" caliphs. These early caliphs led the Muslim community from the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632 CE to the foundation of the Umayyad Caliphate in 661 CE. The title Rashidun stems from the doctrine in Sunni Islam that the caliphs were "rightly guided". Endowed with superior piety and wisdom, their era is regarded in Sunni Islam as a "golden age", second only to the lifetime of Muhammad in sanctity and in providing moral and religious guidance. Sunni Muslims consider the "rightly.