leadership would eventually bring about the major Shi’a division, and the seeds of that division were sown here. Abu Bakr was an old man and led Islam for only two years. His first task was to convince the Arab peoples that their allegiance was to Islam, not merely to Muhammad. There was a real danger that the grand alliance built up under the charismatic leadership of Muhammad would simply disappear with his death. He succeeded not merely in consolidating Muhammad’s work but actually in expanding