Abstract
BIATH POLICIES IN HULEFA-I RASHIDIN PERIOD
Homage means obeying to rules and executive and the word is used by sect, congregation and sometimes colloquially in our daily life. However, this concept has to be examined in the framework of the changes in the historical and political structure, the literature and the changes in the historical process. When Hz. Muhammad died, there was a political vacuum between Muslims and they were in a conflict with the new executive that would govern the state. This disagreement became a caliphate issue and found place in various disciplines. All the community obeyed the rules of the Head of the State and supported each decision that the Head of the State made. Caliphate started with Hz. Ebubekir and lasted till Hz. Ali and in later periods, especially in Emevis Period, it was converted into Sultanate. At first, homage was a volunteer action but later in some periods it was an obligatory action. Homage had the meaning of following the rules of the Head of the State and in later periods it had the meaning of obeying to the Caliph and entering under the Caliph’s rule. However during Abbasid and Ottoman Empire it had a meaning, content and nature even if it was not precise. In classical Islam, Homage occupies a wide area and it has been understood as a part of Caliphate rather than an element of Coliphate. In our study, by starting with conceptual framework, we tried to study on the meaning of homage in Prophet Period, four Caliphs of Islam Period and Classical Islamic Sects.
Keywords
Biat, The Best of the Present, Hizb, Imam, Caliphate
