Al-Rashidun: The Way of the Rightly Guided
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AUTHOR: KRISTEN OBARSKY
We have all seen with our own eyes leaders who go astray and abuse power, but how often are we reminded of those prominent leaders who are gentle, kind, and virtuous, living a life of piety?
How often do we get caught up in negative news cycles about leaders, and want a break from all that noise with some good news for once?
This book was my good news. It was a solace for a sad heart in sad times—as Muslims, we have a legacy of great, humble, sensitive, righteous leaders called the Rashidun. These four men, called the Rightly Guided Caliphs, succeeded Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and led Islam in greatness and expansion—not just of borders, but of hearts.
My heart found consolation in them and in the book’s discussion of the mujaddidin, righteous leaders who come to revive the faith and look to the Rashidun, inshallah, as their example in leadership. More importantly, however, this book helped me realize that Islam itself is actually the good news.
The powerful foreword of this book juxtaposes the current corruption of the world with the times of the Rashidun, acknowledging the heavy-handed, dominant, powerful Qurasyh, who banned, starved, physically abused, and economically bullied its people. The Rashidun battled through that noise and bad news by softening hearts with the good news of Allah.
It really made me proud to read this. Very few books have given me body chills, and this was one of them. It compiled the teachings of the Rashidun, including their words and actions, as well as how they lived and how they died. There are too many gems and insights to mention, but it was a perfect balance of hadith, history, and the authors’ commentaries.
You can sense the great love, admiration, and deep spiritual and intellectual understanding of the authors as you move through the chapters, and you might hope to also have a connection to these spiritual giants. Through their good character, they inspired many to accept and love the faith. May we embrace their noble qualities. I hope you have the chance to read this book for yourself, and I hope you find it just as comforting as I did. I hope it feels like good news.