The renowned companion, Sayyidina Abu Abdul Rahman Safinah (may Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:"The caliphate of prophethood will last for thirty years; then Allah will give His kingdom to whomever He wills."[Sunan Abi Dawood, Book of Sunnah, Chapter on Caliphs, Hadith 4646, and its chain is Hasan]
This Hadith is also classified as Hasan by Tirmidhi [2226], Ibn Hibban [Al-Ihsan: 6943/6904], and Ahmad bin Hanbal [Al-Sunnah Al-Khallal: 636].
In another narration, Sayyidina Safinah (may Allah be pleased with him) explained the duration of the rightly guided caliphs to his student by counting:
Sayyidina Irbad bin Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:"One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in prayer, then he turned to us and delivered a profound sermon that made our hearts tremble and our eyes tear up. Someone said, 'O Messenger of Allah! It is as if this is a farewell sermon; what do you instruct us?' He said, 'I advise you to fear Allah, and to listen and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave is made your leader. Whoever lives among you after me will see much discord, so hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs. Adhere to them with your teeth and beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is a misguidance.'"[Sunan Abi Dawood: 4607, and its chain is authentic]
This Hadith is also authenticated by Tirmidhi (2676), Ibn Hibban (Mawarid: 102), Hakim (Al-Mustadrak 1/95-96), and Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him).
In this authentic Hadith, the command to hold fast to the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs refers to Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Sayyidina Umar al-Farooq, Sayyidina Uthman Dhul-Nurain, and Sayyidina Ali Murtaza (may Allah be pleased with them all). Among these, the first two were fathers-in-law of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the other two were his sons-in-law. The first two rightly guided caliphs are Sayyidina Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), the foremost in faith and the best after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the martyred leader. Among the last two, Sayyidina Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was married to two daughters of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was married to Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (died 324 AH) said:"We believe that the four Imams (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali) are the rightly guided caliphs and the best among people, with none equal to them in virtue."[Al-Ibanah 'an Usul al-Diyanah p. 60, point 29]
In the book attributed to Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi (died 321 AH), known as 'Aqeedah Tahawiyyah, these same caliphs are also considered the rightly guided caliphs.[See: Sharh 'Aqeedah Tahawiyyah, verified by Shaykh al-Albani, p. 533-548]
Every Muslim is obligated to love these rightly guided caliphs and all the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
This Hadith is also classified as Hasan by Tirmidhi [2226], Ibn Hibban [Al-Ihsan: 6943/6904], and Ahmad bin Hanbal [Al-Sunnah Al-Khallal: 636].
In another narration, Sayyidina Safinah (may Allah be pleased with him) explained the duration of the rightly guided caliphs to his student by counting:
- Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) - two years.
- Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) - ten years.
- Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) - twelve years.
- Ali Murtaza (may Allah be pleased with him) - six years.
Sayyidina Irbad bin Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:"One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in prayer, then he turned to us and delivered a profound sermon that made our hearts tremble and our eyes tear up. Someone said, 'O Messenger of Allah! It is as if this is a farewell sermon; what do you instruct us?' He said, 'I advise you to fear Allah, and to listen and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave is made your leader. Whoever lives among you after me will see much discord, so hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs. Adhere to them with your teeth and beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is a misguidance.'"[Sunan Abi Dawood: 4607, and its chain is authentic]
This Hadith is also authenticated by Tirmidhi (2676), Ibn Hibban (Mawarid: 102), Hakim (Al-Mustadrak 1/95-96), and Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him).
In this authentic Hadith, the command to hold fast to the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs refers to Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Sayyidina Umar al-Farooq, Sayyidina Uthman Dhul-Nurain, and Sayyidina Ali Murtaza (may Allah be pleased with them all). Among these, the first two were fathers-in-law of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the other two were his sons-in-law. The first two rightly guided caliphs are Sayyidina Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), the foremost in faith and the best after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the martyred leader. Among the last two, Sayyidina Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was married to two daughters of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was married to Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (died 324 AH) said:"We believe that the four Imams (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali) are the rightly guided caliphs and the best among people, with none equal to them in virtue."[Al-Ibanah 'an Usul al-Diyanah p. 60, point 29]
In the book attributed to Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi (died 321 AH), known as 'Aqeedah Tahawiyyah, these same caliphs are also considered the rightly guided caliphs.[See: Sharh 'Aqeedah Tahawiyyah, verified by Shaykh al-Albani, p. 533-548]
Every Muslim is obligated to love these rightly guided caliphs and all the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
