What are the successors of Muhammad called?

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The successors to the Prophet Muhammad were called the Caliphs.

Muhammad's father-in-law, Abu Bakr, was elected as the first Caliph. Then came Umar and Uthman. The fourth Caliph was Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law to Muhammad, whom the Shi'ites believe to have nominated Ali to be his immediate successor.

Disagreement over the succession became a major cause of friction and led to the division of Islam along Sunni and Shia lines.

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