Question: A person considered a religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad (Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullāh) and a leader of the entire Muslim community would have used what financial institution?

Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and a member of the "Ahl al-Bayt".  Shias regard Ali as the first Imam and is considered, along with his descendants, to be one of the divinely appointed successors of Muhammad who are claimed by the Shia the only legitimate religious and political leaders of the Muslim community.  Although Ali was regarded, during the lifetime of Muhammad, as his initial successor, it would be 25 years before he was recognized with the title of Caliph "(successor)".  Like the rest of his household, Shias claim that Ali is infallible and sinless and is one of The Fourteen Infallibles of the household of Muhammed. <SEP>  Historically, it was a financial institution responsible for the administration of taxes in Islamic states, particularly in the early Islamic Caliphate.  It served as a royal treasury for the caliphs and sultans, managing personal finances and government expenditures.  Further, it administered distributions of zakat revenues for public works.  Modern Islamic economists deem the institutional framework appropriate for contemporary Islamic societies. Bayt al-mal (بيت المال ) is an Arabic term that is translated as "House of money" or "House of Wealth." <SEP> The succession to Muhammad raises questions about the leadership of Islam after his death: Muhammad's successor, how they should be elected, conditions of legitimacy and the role of successor.  Answers to these questions have led to several divisions in the Muslim community since the first century of Muslim history, giving rise to the Sunni, Shia and Khawarij schools.  After Muhammad's death in AD 632, disagreement broke out over who should succeed him as leader of the Muslim community.  Since none of his sons survived into adulthood, hereditary succession was not an option.  Umar (Umar ibn al-Khattab), a prominent companion of Muhammad, nominated Abu Bakr.  Others added their support, and Abu Bakr was made the first caliph.  This choice was disputed by some of Muhammad's companions, who believed that Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib), the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, had already been designated as his successor by the Prophet.  During the First and Second Fitnas the Islamic community divided into a number of groups, each of which had a specific idea about successorship.  After the Rashidun caliphate evolved into monarchies and sultanates, Sunnis held power in most areas; Shias emerged in opposition. <SEP>  Historically, the caliphates were polities based in Islam which developed into multi-ethnic trans-national empires. A caliphate (Arabic: خِلافة‎ ‎ "khilāfa") is a territory under the leadership of an Islamic steward known as a caliph ( , Arabic: خَليفة‎ ‎ "khalīfah ",    ), a person considered a religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad (Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullāh) and a leader of the entire Muslim community.  During the medieval period, three major caliphates existed: the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) and the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258).  The fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate, established by the Ottoman Empire in 1517, was a manifestation whereby the Ottoman rulers claimed caliphal authority.  During the history of Islam, several other Muslim states, almost all of them hereditary monarchies, have claimed to be caliphates.