The core religious allegory of Islam starts with Muhammad’s revelations in the caves and ends with the death of the fourth successor Ali, almost forty years later. The allegory is analogous to the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in Christianity. During Muhammad’s lifetime, his community gained control over the Arabian Peninsula. Though he passed away in 632, Islam’s story continued through his four closest followers: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, who together formed the Rashidun, or Rightly Guided One’s. Together, they established the first Islamic state, the Caliphate. In just thirty years, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered all of Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and even parts of the Byzantine Empire in Anatolia. In some ways, this new state resembled a democracy. All four leaders were elected by council representatives. But the transition of power between these leaders was not straightforward.