4 Caliphs

Were the consecutive successors of Sayyiduna Rasulullah
(sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
These four Khulafaa (pl. for Caliph) are called the "Khulafaa-e-Rashidun" or the "Rightly Guided Caliphs." Together, these four Khulafaa ruled the Islamic State for about 29 years. They are called "Rightly Guided"because they ruled the people of that time exactly according to the Holy Quran and the commands of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).

Quotation
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) has said:
"Those who are desirous of following anyone, should follow the Sahaba who were the best of community, whose hearts were pure, whose wisdom was profound and who did not believe in the exhibition of outer life. They were a people whom Allah had selected His Nabi (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) and who extended His religion to the world. Therefore, try to imitate their ways and manners, for by Allah, they were rightly guided people."

A Hadith on the Status of the Four Khulafa
In the book, "Shawaa'idul-Haqq", Sayyiduna Shaikh Abu Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu) narrates the following incident.
Once I visited the Holy City of Makkah and met a man who claimed that he never felt thirsty. When I asked him the reason for this strange event, he replied, "There was a time when I did not have any respect for the Sahaba of Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). One night, I dreamt that it was the Day of Qiyamah and there were many people in various queues looking very thirsty and ragged. I decided to follow a queue. We arrived at the Fountain of Kauther and saw that it had four corners. At each corner were the four Caliphs, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, Sayyiduna Uthman and Sayyiduna Ali (radi Allahu anhum). I thought that there was no need for me to approach the first three Caliphs as I only believed in Sayyiduna Ali (radi Allahu anhu). Yet, when I approached him, he turned his head away in displeasure. Feeling extremely alarmed, I approached...