Tarikh Islam

The history of allegiance or a formal public acknowledgement of allegiance as a mutual pact among Arabs can be traced back to pre-Islamic period. This social custom has been admitted in Islam too, and the Prophet made use of it. In the Islamic history, the rulers have always viewed peopl's homage and their oath of allegiance as a means for the solidarity of their government, and always considered themselves in need of people's support and confidence. In Islam, the principal characteristic of allegiance lies in the fact that it is voluntary; otherwise, it would be illegtimate and invalid. After the demise of the Prophet, on the day of Saqifa, a groupwith a predetermined plan appointed Abu Bakr as the Caliph. They did their best to stabilize his authority. They even won homage for him by using force. Ali (pbuh) and some members of Banu Hashim were at the head of those dissenting Abu Bakr's Caliphate. In this paper, an attempt is made to prove that Ali's allegiance to Abu Bakr after the Prophet's demise was taken by force in rushing to Fatima's house. Of course, his oath of allegiance took place after the martyrdom of Fatima (pbuh) and was based on expediency and preserving Islamic unity. Thus, at the time when Abu Bakr was striving against apostates, Imam Ali was obliged to swear allegiance to him.