born 0441; 573, Mecca, Hejaz, Arabian Peninsula
died Aug. 23, 634, Medina
One of the close Companions of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslim caliph .
Some Muslim traditions say he was the first male convert to Islam after Muhammad. He became caliph after Muhammad's death in 632, and during his two years in that office he consolidated central Arabia under Muslim control, engaging in the wars of apostasy ( riddah ). He also realized the urgency of expanding the regions under Muslim control in order to maintain peace among Arab tribes.