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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
Joukowsky_Institute@brown.edu
Precedence in Islam, i.e. how early one converted. According to Kennedy, early Islamic leadership was determined by religious excellence, which was defined by closeness to the Prophet as well as sabiqa (Kennedy, 47). As such, those with sabiqa were chosen as the first Muslim rulers (the Rashidun Caliphs) while the earliest converts – in reality, this usually meant the Muhajjirun – were generally granted a privileged status. For example, the Second Caliph ‘Umar, himself an early follower of Muhammad, offered the earliest converts many of the most prestigious government posts in addition to distributing the diwan proportionally according to sabiqa.