The most significant dispute that arose immediately after the death of the Prophet was that of choosing the Prophet’s successor. Ali bin Abi Talib thought that he was within his rights to succeed the Prophet because he had been close to the Prophet from the beginning of his mission. Therefore, Ali, Zubayr and some people of Banu Hashim assembled in Fatimah’s house, while the Ansar met elsewhere to choose an Amir (leader) from among themselves. The Ubayda also joined the Ansar. They discussed and debated the matter, unsure who would be chosen or how it should be done. The Ansar wanted the Prophet’s successor to come from among them, but Abu Bakr made a significant observation.

“Yes, the Ansar deserve this honour, but the Arabs believe the Quraysh to be unrivalled in the art of administration, and no Arab will accept a ruler who is not from the Quraysh. The Quraysh are superior to others in respect to lineage and family.”

Abu Bakr then caught the hands of Umar and Abu Ubayda and said, “I choose either of these two to be our Amir.”

“One Amir from among us, and one from among you,” someone from the Ansar suggested. People began to raise their voices. Suddenly, Umar asked Abu Bakr to extend his hand.

When he did so, Umar pledged his allegiance to him. One by one, everyone else followed Uma’s lead and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, who thus became the Prophet’s successor.