Now, in an Arab tribe, when the Sheykh dies, the elders of the tribe, heads of its great houses and sections, assemble in one of their number’s tent and, sitting in a circle, discuss the subject of his succession.  Theoretically, the choice of a successor is open to any one of them, for the tribe, however large, is all one great family, descended from a common ancestor, and though no one from without could be admitted to the supreme rule, any one from within the tribe can hold office.  But in practice the choice is limited to a few persons.  The reverence of the Arabs for blood, and for selected strains of blood, prevent them, except in very exceptional cases, from changing the dynasty of their rulers.  If the dead man has left behind him a son of full age and respectable qualities, he will, without dispute, be acknowledged Sheykh.  If not, an uncle, a nephew, or a cousin will be chosen.  Only in extreme circumstances of general danger, or of failure of heirs male, can the member of a new family reasonably aspire to power.  Moreover, there is no uniform law of election.  The meeting does not pretend to give a right, only to confirm one; for the right lies not with the electors but with him who can maintain his election.  There is, therefore, no formal system of voting, but the elders having ascertained who among the dead man’s relations commands the strongest following, proceed to acknowledge him by the ceremony of giving him their hands.  He then becomes their Sheykh.  It sometimes happens, however, that parties are so evenly divided between rival leaders that the tribe divides, one section going this way and the other that, until one of the leaders gives in his submission; otherwise the quarrel is decided by the sword.

All these features of the Arabian tribal system of succession may be noticed in the first elections to the Caliphate.  As soon as it was known that Mohammed was indeed dead, a conclave composed of the elders and chief men of Islam, self-constituted and recognizing no special popular mandate, assembled in the house of Omar ibn el Khattub.  This conclave is known to jurists as the Ahl el helli wa el agde, the people of the loosing and the knotting, because they assumed the duty of solving the knotty question of succession.  A nice point had to be decided, just such a one as has in all ages been the cause of civil war in Arabia.  The Prophet had left no son, but more than one near relation.  Moreover, at that moment the new nation of Islam was in danger of internal disruption, and the religious and the civil elements in it were on the point of taking up arms against each other.  The two chief candidates were Ali ibn Abutaleb and Abu Bekr, the one son-in-law and cousin and the other father-in-law of Mohammed—­Ali represented the civil, Abu Bekr the religious party; and as it happened that the latter party was predominant at Medina, it was on Abu Bekr that the choice fell.  He was recognized as head of the more powerful faction, and the chiefs gave him their hands; while civil war was only prevented by the magnanimous submission of Ali.