Dr. Sano Koutoub Moustapha, professor of Fiqh and Its Principles, International Islamic University, Malaysia, states: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never stated in any hadith the names of his caliphs at all, nor did he even mention their numbers be it 12 or 11. He passed away without appointing anybody to replace him and be his caliph. Based on that, the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) elected the first caliphs, who were Abu Bakr, then `Umar, `Uthman, and `Ali. Accordingly, one should not make it difficult for him or herself by trying to know the names of the so-called 12 caliphs, rather than loving and respecting all the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for their great deeds and actions. Indeed, from the Islamic viewpoint, the caliph must be elected by the people in order for him to lead them.”