Wikipedia's first sentence called it “where the companions of the islamic founder muhammad gathered on the day of his death to appoint abu bakr as th”. Today it says “among the most controversial events in early islam”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Saqifah , also known as "Saqifa Bani Saeda" is where the companions of the Islamic founder Muhammad gathered on the day of his death to appoint Abu Bakr as the Caliph of the Prophet. The Shi'ites believe that Muhammad had designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor; this conflict led to deep schisms in Islam and is widely believed to be the core reason for most of the setbacks Islam has faced since then, including the tragic death of Husain ibn Ali , the Prophet Muhammad 's grandson. At the Prophets death many people were distraught. Omar Al-Khattab was threatening to kill anyone who claimed that the Prophet was dead. Abu Bakr stated, "Let all those who worship Muhammad know that he is dead. Let all those who worship Allah know that he is alive and can never die." The companions gathered to choose a caliph. The Muslim Ummah consisted of 2 main groups of people. Those from Mecca (the Muhajjar) and those from Medina (the Ansar). The people wanted to get 2 different caliph's, one for each city. Upon hearing of this Abu Bakr knew that this was wrong and went to discuss this with everyone. The Ansar wanted a caliph because it was they who did most of the battles in the recent history. He convinced the Ansar to accept a caliph from Mecca. The Ansar did all of their good works and deeds for the pleasure of Allah, not for their own glory. By arguing over this issue they were attempting to examplify their own glory. Abu Bakr nominated, Omar or Abu Obaidah to be caliph. They both denied it, knowing that with Abu Bakr present they would be inadequate to lead. Thus a consensus was reached to have Abu Bakr become the 1st caliph. The companions insisted that it had to be Abu Bakr. He was one of the first people to accept Islam. He was the Prophet's companion when he went on Hijrah. When the prophet was unable to lead prayer, it was Abu-Bakr who lead the prayer. It was for these, along with many other reasons that everyone thought that he should be the first caliph. v t e1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16629579.
The opening as it stood in 2010 22 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
to Muhammad Saqifah , ( ) also known as Saqifat Bani Sa'ida or Saqifa Bani Saeda ( ), was a roofed building used by the tribe, or banu , of Sa'ida , of the faction of the Khazraj , of the city of Medina in the Hejaz , northwestern Arabia .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 365855520.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Saqifah is significant as the site where, after Muhammad 's death, some of his companions gathered and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr , electing him as the first Caliph .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 952706970.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The meeting where the succession of the Islamic prophet Muhammad was debated Life Mecca Hijrah First Islamic state After Conquest of Mecca Farewell Pilgrimage ( Farewell Sermon ) Hadith Milestones and records Career Military Diplomatic Miracles Quran ( First revelation ) Isra and Mi'raj Splitting of the Moon Views and Perspectives Views Jews Christians Perspectives Islam Bible Judaism Medieval Christian Historicity Criticism Succession Saqifah Ghadir Khumm Companions of Muhammad Hadith of the pen and paper Ahl al-Bayt Praise Salawat Naat Mawlid Related Mohammedan Mahound Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Possessions Relics Seal History of Islam Islam portal Biography portal v t e The Saqifa ( ) of the Banu Sa'ida clan refers to the location of an event in early Islam where some of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr as the first caliph and successor to Muhammad shortly after his death in 11 AH (632 CE ).The Saqifa meeting is among the most controversial events in early Islam, due to the exclusion of a large number of Muhammad's companions, including his immediate family and notably Ali , his cousin and son-in-law.The conflicts after Muhammad's death are considered as the roots of the current division among Muslims.Those who accepted Abu Bakr's caliphate were later labeled Sunnis , while the supporters of Ali's right to caliphate were later labeled Shia .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176531237.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Meeting on the succession to Muhammad Life Mecca Hijrah First Islamic state After Conquest of Mecca Farewell Pilgrimage ( Farewell Sermon ) Hadith Milestones and records Career Military Diplomatic Miracles Quran ( First revelation ) Isra and Mi'raj Splitting of the Moon Views and Perspectives Views Jews Christians Perspectives Islam Bible Judaism Medieval Christian Historicity Criticism Succession Saqifah Ghadir Khumm Companions of Muhammad Hadith of the pen and paper Ahl al-Bayt Praise Salawat Naat Mawlid Related Mohammedan Mahound Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Possessions Relics Seal History of Islam Islam portal Biography portal v t e The Saqifa ( Arabic : سَقِيفَة , romanized : Saqīfah ) of the Banu Sa'ida clan refers to the location of an event in early Islam where some of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr as the first caliph and successor to Muhammad shortly after his death in 11 AH (632 CE ). The Saqifa meeting is among the most controversial events in early Islam, due to the exclusion of a large number of Muhammad's companions, including his immediate family and notably Ali , his cousin and son-in-law. The conflicts that arose soon after Muhammad's death are considered to be the main cause of the current division among Muslims. Those who accepted Abu Bakr's caliphate were later labeled Sunnis , while the supporters of Ali's right to caliphate were later labeled Shia .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1288783959. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “where the companions of the islamic founder muhammad gathered on the day of his death to appoint abu bakr as th”. Today it says “among the most controversial events in early islam”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
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2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
where the companions of the islamic founder muhammad gathered on the day of his death to appoint abu bakr as th
Now
among the most controversial events in early islam
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
