(Arabic; " Rightly Guided ")
First four caliph s of the Islamic community: Abū Bakr , Uthmān ibn Affān , and Alī .
As Islam 's first rulers after Muhammad , they assumed all his duties except prophecy: they led the congregation in prayer, delivered the Friday sermons, and commanded the army. The caliphate of the Rashīdūn expanded the Islamic state beyond Arabia into Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iran, and Armenia. They were also responsible for the adoption of the Islamic calendar and the establishment of an authoritative reading of the {{link=Qur'an">Qurān .