a brief review on why and how to form the saqeefah

What does the word “Saqifah” mean?
Saqifah is derived from the root “Saqf,” meaning a place that has a roof or canopy. Some linguists have defined Saqifah as any place that has a roof, whether it has a platform or elevation in front of it or not, but it should be visible and distinct from a distance.

Why did they build Saqifahs?
The people of Arabia built canopies for homes, shops, and mosques to escape the intense heat. They used to make these canopies from mats or rugs made of goat wool and would gather there during their free time to discuss the latest news and important social matters. It seems that some tribes, or possibly all of them, had a Saqifah for public purposes and meetings.

Why did people gather at Saqifah Banu Sa’ida among other Saqifahs?
After the Prophet (PBUH) passed away, the Ansar tribe decided to appoint the leader of the Khazraj tribe, Sa’d ibn Ubadah al-Khazraji, as the Caliph. Therefore, they all gathered at the Saqifah next to Sa’d’s house, which became known as Saqifah Banu Sa’ida. Among the Muhajirun, only three individuals became aware of this event: Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu Ubayda al-Jarrah, who attended the Saqifah together.

Why did the Ansar think of gathering at the Saqifah?
The painful news of the Prophet’s (PBUH) passing spread among the Ansar and Muhajirun. The Ansar, upon hearing this news, quickly rushed to the Saqifah to discuss this very significant event.
The question to ask is: Why did the Ansar gather at the Saqifah, and what was the reason behind nominating Sa’d ibn Ubadah, the leader of the Khazraj, as the leader? Were they unaware of Ali’s (AS) selection for leading the Islamic Ummah, or did many of them not attend Ghadir Khumm? What led them to make such a decision?

Analysts and historians have different opinions on why the Ansar, who fully supported the Holy Prophet (PBUH), thought of appointing a successor for the Prophet after his death:
Some analysts believe that the reason for the Ansar gathering at the Saqifah was their fear for their future and fate after the death of the Messenger of God (PBUH), especially since they were worried about the possibility of a united front being formed by the Quraysh (who were the Muhajirun) against them after the conquest of Mecca. Supporters of this theory suggest that the Ansar’s knowledge of a plan devised by a group of Muhajirun to succeed the Prophet influenced this gathering.

Some writers, like Allama Muzaffar, believe that the Saqifah gathering was a result of the following issues:
a) The Ansar considered Islam as their child due to their sacrifices of life, wealth, and children for it and saw themselves as the most deserving and concerned to preserve it.
b) The Ansar tribes feared retaliation from the Quraysh, as most of the Quraysh leaders had been killed in the Prophet’s battles by the swords of the Ansar. Additionally, the Prophet had promised them that the rulers after him would oppress them, urging them to be patient and enduring in such circumstances.
c) The Ansar felt that the Quraysh would not accept the Prophet’s words about Ali (AS).

Others believe that Abu Bakr officially announced the news of the Prophet’s (PBUH) death in the mosque, and a gathering of the people of Medina surrounded him and pledged allegiance to him. This event created doubt in the minds of the Ansar present in Medina regarding the correctness of appointing a Caliph from among themselves, leading to the Saqifah gathering.

Some have also mentioned that the desire for power, which is a natural human instinct, was a driving force that led Sa’d ibn Ubadah, a prominent Arab leader, to the Saqifah despite his illness, hoping to be pledged allegiance to.

The Criterion for Choosing the Caliph
The main criterion for choosing the Caliph at the Saqifah was to prevent this position from going to the Banu Hashim and to restore the lost status of the power-seeking Quraysh.

The Banu Umayyah, who had waged the greatest wars and conspiracies against Islam during the time of the Prophet (PBUH), eventually had to accept a bitter defeat and lived among the Muslims with disgrace and dishonor. However, after the incident that took place following the Prophet’s death (PBUH) in the Saqifah, which resulted in the exclusion of the Banu Hashim from the Islamic government and management of the newly formed and chaotic society, conditions were created that ultimately led to the complete dominance of the Banu Umayyah over the Islamic society.

This is mentioned in one of the most reliable Sunni sources, “Sahih al-Bukhari”:
That day, a group of the Ansar had gathered in the Saqifah to choose a leader for the Muslims. They intended to choose Sa’d ibn Ubadah al-Ansari, the leader of the Khazraj tribe, as their leader. However, Abu Bakr defeated the Ansar by raising the banner of the Quraysh’s virtue. He said, “The leader of the Muslims must be from the Quraysh,” relying on the principle of the Quraysh’s superiority over other Arab tribes. A principle that Islam fought against, as the Prophet only placed the leadership of the Ummah in the hands of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS).

The narrations and reports about the discussions that took place that day in the Saqifah reveal that the criterion for choosing the Caliph in that gathering primarily revolved around “being from Quraysh.”

Ibn Abi al-Hadid, in his commentary on Sermon 26 of Nahj al-Balagha, says that Umar told the Ansar, “By God, the Arabs will never agree to have you as rulers because the Prophet (PBUH) is not from your tribe. But the Arabs will certainly not refuse to have a man from the Prophet’s tribe rule them. Who can contest us in the rule and inheritance of Muhammad when we are his close relatives?”

In Ibn Ishaq’s narration, it is stated: “You know well that this group from the Quraysh holds a position and status that other Arab tribes do not have, and the Arab tribes will not agree on anyone other than a man from the Quraysh.”

Abu Bakr also said: “The Arab tribes will not accept anyone as the successor of the Messenger of God (PBUH) except the Quraysh.”

The implication of this statement is that the essential requirement for leading the Muslims is not merit, piety, or virtue, but the “tribal nobility,” which was considered to be exclusively in the Quraysh; because the Quraysh had religious and financial aristocracy during the time of ignorance. Therefore, after the Prophet (PBUH), the Quraysh were the ones entitled to take charge of the Muslim community and rule over everyone.

This was the most significant advantage that Abu Bakr and his supporters used to overcome the large group of Ansar that day.

A summary of the events of the first half-century of Islam shows that what happened in the “Saqifah” was not just a defeat for the Ansar in the face of the Quraysh’s privilege-seeking but also laid the foundation for a series of other issues and problems that would open up in the Islamic world.