Arabia & the CaliphatesAsiaAfricaMajor empire

Rashidun Caliphate

632 CE – 661 CE · about 29 years

The Rashidun Caliphate was the state led by the first four caliphs after the Prophet ﷺ: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. Within three decades it conquered the Sasanian Empire and Byzantine Syria and Egypt. Civil strife (the First Fitnah) ended with the rise of the Umayyads in 661.

Key facts

Dates	632 CE – 661 CE
Region	Arabia & the Caliphates
Continent	Asia, Africa
Capitals	Medina, Kufa
Founder	Abu Bakr
Religion(s)	Islam
Peak extent	≈ 6.4 million km² (c. 655 CE) – source

Before & after

Preceded by

Sasanian Persian Empire Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) Ghassanid Kingdom

Followed by

Umayyad Caliphate

In the Islamic timeline

Rightly Guided Caliphate (al-Khilafah al-Rashidah) — Topic node for the same caliphate.
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (Abdullah ibn Uthman) (RA) — First caliph (632–634).
Umar ibn al-Khattab (al-Faruq) (RA) — Second caliph (634–644).
Uthman ibn Affan (Dhu al-Nurayn) (RA) — Third caliph (644–656).
Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) — Fourth caliph (656–661).
First Fitnah (Battles of the Camel and Siffin) — The civil war of 656–661.
Khalid ibn al-Walid (Sayf Allah) (RA) — Commander in the Ridda wars, Iraq and Syria.
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (RA) — Commander of the conquest of Syria.
Amr ibn al-As (RA) — Led the conquest of Egypt (640–642).
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (RA) — Victor of al-Qadisiyyah.
Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (RA) — Governor of Syria under Umar and Uthman.
al-Hasan ibn Ali (RA) — Briefly caliph after Ali in 661 before his treaty with Mu'awiya.
al-Husayn ibn Ali (RA) — Grew up during the Rashidun era.

Sources

Dates follow widely used reference works; many ancient dates are approximate or debated. Neutral summary for general reference.