Arab Conquests and the Legitimacy of the al-Rashidun

The legitimacy of the early caliphs was seriously challenged by the lack of consensus among the Ummah and their strong competitors. On the other hand, Abu Bakr's first act after solving the problem of murtads (apostates) was the beginning of the conquests, which brought in great wealth and prosperity. There seems to be a strong link between the conquests and the reputation and legitimacy of the caliphs. This study first examines the role of conquests in legitimizing the rule of the first three caliphs and then discusses its closure during the caliphate of Imam Ali (AS) and its effect on the emergence of government issues. The findings of this study indicate that the benefits of the conquests played a major role in the satisfaction of the Arabs with the caliphs' rule, but the government problems had been grown since the relatives of Uthman got the profits and then the conquests during the caliphate of Imam Ali (AS) were closed.