Abstract
This article explores several early Islamic traditions which confront the authority of the Prophet Muḥammad with that of his second successor, the “rightly guided” caliph‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. We asked why these traditions strove to “demonstrate” that the authority of Muḥammad was so superior to that of ‘Umar as if it was not evident. We assume that at the beginning of Islam, after Muḥammad’s death, the caliph’s authority as that of the ultimate religious and political leader replaced that of the Prophet. Later, other traditions were circulated to support the pre-excellence of the Prophet over the caliph. The Muslim community ultimately preferred to formulate its law based on the prophetical authority and not the caliphal one.
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