Abu Bakr
From ilmpedia
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq [ra]: The Champion of Truth
His Name and Ancestry
His full name was Abu Bakr Abdullah bin Uthman Abu Quhafah. He had the honorific surname of al-Atīq, which is variously explained by scholars. The majority of scholars hold that Atīq was his surname, not his name. To some he was called Atīq, because he was handsome and graceful. Some argue that he was called Atīq, because of his spotless ancestry.
His real name was Abdullah. He was called Abdul Ka’bah in the Days of Ignorance. Allah’s Messenger [s] named him Abdullah. His mother was Salma bint Sakhr. She was the cousin of Abu Quhafah and was widely known as Ummul Khayr. The name of his father Abu Quhafah was Uthman. Abu Bakr was his Kunya: by-name or agnomen. The Arabs’ polite way of addressing people is by referring to their parenthood, so that one is addressed as father or mother of so and so. This specific kind of by-name, surname is called Kunya, which is often rendered as agnomen. His mother and father both belonged to the Makkan family of Ka’b bin Sa’d of the clan of Taym: a branch of the Quraysh.
Abu Bakr [ra] was younger than the Prophet [s] by two years and two months. He was born and brought up in Makkah. He lived as a well-to-do merchant in Makkah.
Abu Bakr embraces Islam
Among men, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq was the first to believe in the Prophet [s] and was the first to offer Prayers led by the Prophet [s]. In fact, he was the first to embrace Islam among the grown-up men, Ali among the boys; and Khadijah among women.
Abu Bakr belonged to the Prophet’s [s] oldest supporters. He soon assumed an important position in the newly-formed community of believers. Especially characteristic of him was his unshakeable Faith in Allah’s Messenger [s]. On occasions when others doubted; for instance, after the Prophet’s [s] account of his journey at night [al-Mi’rāj] or when they did not know what to make of his conduct, as on the occasion of al-Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty; he remained unshaken. It is this faithfulness, which gained him the surname of as-Siddiq – which means the great confirmer of the truth or the Champion of Truth – which has constantly remained attached to him throughout the historical tradition of Islam.
His character was gentle. During the reading of the Gracious Qur'aan, he shed tears and as his daughter Ai’shah [ra] related, he wept with joy at the news that he might accompany the Messenger of Allah [s] in his emigration.
He was of an open, right thinking nature. He was liked and respected, for he was a man of wide knowledge, easy manners, and an agreeable presence. Many would come to consult him about this or that. He was the embodiment of good and was spotless, just and righteous. It is because of this that when the Prophet [s] invited him to accept Islam, he embraced it without delay. He testified to his Messengership without any hesitation. He feared nothing and took it upon himself to follow and adhere to the truth. He promised to lend all help and support. He fulfilled this promise, in the face of hardship and misery.
Many, including Uthman bin Affan, Talhah bin Ubaydullah, Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, Abdur Rahmaan bin Awf, and Uthman bin Maz’un accepted Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr. May Allah be well-pleased with them all. He purchased the freedom of several slaves. No sacrifice was too great in his eyes for the sake of Allah and His Messenger [s]. He never left the company of the Prophet [s]. Amid the greatest dangers, he faithfully stood by the Prophet [s], his friend and master. His life attained its highest peak when Allah’s Messenger [s] chose him to accompany him when he emigrated from Makkah.
His self-sacrificing companionship was rewarded by his name being made immortal in the Glorious Qur'aan as ‘the second of the two’ [Sūratut Tawbah: 40]. On that very occasion, the Prophet [s] said to Abu Bakr, ‘What could, in your opinion, happen to two [men] who have Allah as the third with them?’ [Bukhari in the chapter of Fadāil Ashāb an-Nabi]
Abu Bakr never left the company of the Prophet [s] without his permission. He emigrated for the sake of his love for Allah and His Messenger [s], leaving his wife and children alone in Makkah, and stayed with the Prophet [s] in the cave and accompanied him in every battle. His family also emigrated to Madinah later with the exception of his son Abdur Rahmaan, who had remained an unbeliever and had fought at Badr against the Muslims, till he finally accepted Islam and emigrated to Madinah.
In Madinah, Abu Bak set up a modest household in the suburb of as-Sunh. Through his daughter Ai’shah [ra], whom Allah’s Messenger [s] had married shortly after the emigration; the tie between the two was strengthened still further. Abu Bakr was the most valiant. He was nearly always with the Prophet [s] and accompanied him on all his expeditions. Allah’s Messenger [s] entrusted him with a standard in the Khaybar Campaign and later in the Tabūk expedition. Allah’s Messenger [s] sent him in the year 9 H. to Makkah to conduct the pilgrimage.
He was the most generous among the Companions of the Prophet [s]. He was the most learned and wise. He had knowledge of the Qur'aan, more than all others. This is the reason why Allah’s Messenger [s] during the days of his final sickness, had delegated the task of leading the prescribed ritual Prayers to him. He had deep knowledge of the Sunnah of the Prophet [s]. The Companions turned to him for opinions. His memory was very strong.
He possessed a keen power of judgement. He enjoyed the sacred company of the Prophet [s] right from the beginning of his Prophethood until the end of his earthly life. These distinctions and outstanding qualities made it possible for Umar bin al-Khattab and his companions to propose Abu Bakr as the head of the Community or Caliph – in Arabic Khalifah, the full title being Khalifat Rasūlullah, the successor for the Messenger of Allah [s].
The suffering of Abu Bakr
Even though Abu Bakr was wealthy and even freed slaves who had embraced Islam, he too was not spared by the Quraysh on account of their hostility ot Islam. Abu Bakr's daughter Asma (ra) narrates that her father had four locks of hair on his head and once he was beaten so badly by the Quraysh that merely touching the locks of his hair would cause it to fall off. However, even at that moment, he kept remembering his Lord by saying : "You are the Most Blessed, O the Possessor of Majesty and Honour."
Caliphate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq: The Great Confirmer of Truth
When the earthly life of Allah’s Messenger [s] had come to an end, the news of the death descended on the Companions like a thunderbolt. They were stunned because of their intense love for him. Every one of the Companions thought that the Prophet [s] was more gracious and considerate to him than to any other Companion. Some of them could hardly believe the news of his death. Umar bin al-Khattab rebuked the man who told him about the Prophet’s [s] death. He went to the Mosque and addressed the people saying, ‘He has not died. He has rather gone to his Lord, just as Musa [as] had gone, remaining absent from his people for forty nights, after which he returned to his people. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah [s] will indeed return, just as Musa had returned to his people.’ Then Umar warned the audience that he would cut off the hands and legs of those men who claimed that the Prophet [s] was dead.
Abu Bakr’s Bravery
When Umar was speaking thus, Abu Bakr arrived on horseback from as-Sunh, for the news had quickly spread over the whole oasis. Without pausing to speak to anyone, he went straight to his daughter’s apartment and drew back from the Prophet’s [s] face the mantle with which they had covered him. He gazed at him and then kissed him between his eyes. He said, ‘Dearest than my father and mother, you have tasted death which Allah decreed for you. No death after that shall befall you.’
When Abu Bakr said ‘Allah would not combine two deaths upon the Prophet [s]’, he was refuting Umar’s claim that the Prophet [s] would come back to life. Reverently he drew the mantle over his face again, and went out to the throng of men who Umar was still addressing. He said, ‘Gently, O Umar!’ After giving praise to Allah, Abu Bakr said, ‘O people, whoso has been wont to worship Muhammad [s] - Muhammad [s] is indeed dead; and whoso has been wont to worship Allah – indeed Allah is Living and dies not.’ Then he recited the following Verse, which had been revealed after the Battle of Uhud: ‘Muhammad is but a Messenger, and Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or be slain, will you then turn upon your heels? Whoso turns upon his heels will thereby do no harm unto Allah, and Allah will reward the thankful.’ [3: 144]
It was as if the people had not known of the Revelation of this Verse until Abu Bakr recited it that day. They took it from him, and it was on all their lips. Umar confessed afterwards, ‘When I heard Abu Bakr recite that Verse, I was so astounded that I fell to the ground. My legs would no longer carry me, and I knew that Allah’s Messenger [s] had died.’
This incident is the strongest evidence of Abu Bakr’s bravery; if bravery is defined as firm and steadfast heart, during the times of hardships and calamities. And there was no calamity what was greater than the death of Allah’s Messenger [s]. May Allah be well-pleased with Abu Bakr, who helped save the Muslim nation from many hardships. He solved many of the problems that afflicted Muslims. He understood the truth on occasions when no one else did; not even Umar.
As for the caliphate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the Great Confirmer of Truth, it came about through the unanimous agreement of the Helpers [Ansār] and the Emigrants [Muājirūn]. There was no disagreement. Then Abu Bakr gave thanks to Allah and addressed the people, saying, ‘I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is faithfulness and disregard for truth is deception. The weak amongst you shall be strong with me until I have secured his rights, if Allah Wills, and the strong amongst you shall be weak with me until I have grabbed from him the rights of others, if Allah Wills. Obey me so long as I obey Allah and His Messenger [s]. If I disobey Allah and His Messenger [s], you owe me no obedience. Arise for your Prayer, Allah have Mercy on you.’
Through his simple but sturdy character and strong determination, Abu Bakr conducted the young State of Madinah through the most difficult and dangerous times, and left it at his death in such a firm position that it could support the rule of the powerful and talented Umar bin al-Khattab.
Expedition to Syrian Border
Abu Bakr had soon an occasion for showing his unwavering resolve to carry out to the utmost the will of Allah’s Messenger [s] in things both big and small. Just before he fell sick, the Prophet [s] had given orders for an expedition to the Syrian border. It was to avenge the disaster which had befallen the Muslim army in the field of Mu’tah. In that expedition, Zayd bin Harithah, who led the army, fell. His son Usamah, though still a young man of seventeen years, was nominated by the Prophet [s] to the command, and bidden to avenge his father’s death. The camp, including all available fighting men, had been formed at Jurf, outside Madinah, on the Syrian road. Usamah had broken the camp on the death of the Prophet [s].
The next day after Abu Bakr was elected Caliph, he took the banner and restoring it to Usamah, in token that he was still commander, bade the army to march to the Syrian border against the Romans. The sense of the army, and of Usamah himself, was against leaving the city thus defenceless, and the Caliph exposed to risk of sudden danger. But Abu Bakr was firm. Calm and unmoved, Abu Bakr said, ‘Were the city swarming round with packs of starving wolves, and I left solitary and alone, the force will go; not a word from Allah’s Messenger [s], my master’s lips, shall fall to the ground.’
It was suggested that instead of Usamah, a more experienced general should command. To this demand, the Caliph’s anger kindled, ‘Shall the Messenger of Allah [s] appoint a man to the command and I, removing him, appoint another in his place?’
While all was ready for the march, Abu Bakr repaired to the camp, and accompanied the army a little way on foot, saying, ‘I will walk and soil my feet, a little moment, in the way of Allah Most High. Truly every step trodden in the Way of the Lord is equal to the merit of manifold good works, and wipes out a multitude of sins.’ After a while, he paused, and said to Usamah, ‘If it be your will, give Umar leave that he may return to the city, for strength and counsel.’ So Usamah gave him leave. What a great discipline!
Abu Bakr Handles Widespread Apostasies [1]
During the Prophet’s [s] twilight days, some of the hypocrites had claimed Prophethood for themselves. Among them was Musailama al-Kadhdhāb – Musailama the Liar. Now, sparked by the Prophet’s [s] passing, large-scale apostasy flared across most of the region. Some of their tribal leaders, who had lost their positions during the Prophet’s [s] lifetime, followed Musailam’s example, giving rise to new false prophets, such as Tulaiha bin Khuwaylid and the false prophetess Sajah bint al-Harith bin Suwaid, a Christian Stalwart.
The situation was so acute that some bedouin Arabs even refused to pay the Zakāt or the Purifying Dues. The situation kindled Abu Bakr’s anger. He insisted, ‘By Allah! I will definitely fight anyone who cleaves [splits or separates] Prayer from Zakāt, for it is an obligation upon the rich. By Allah, if there is even a single cord, used for hobbling the feet of camels, which they once gave to Allah’s Messenger [s] as Zakāt, but have now withheld it, I would fight them over it.’ Abu Bakr stood alone in his resolve, like a firm rock, till every sincere believer sided with him to combat these apostates – the deserters of Faith.
Abu Bakr hurried to Dhul Qassā, some nine kilometers from Madinah. He summoned all the available troops of the Muslim army and distributed them into eleven regiments; appointed a distinguished commander for each, along with a banner and a specific target and fought the rebellious tribes and the false prophets.
Of these, perhaps the biggest and the fiercest battle was waged in Yamāmā against Musailama, whose forces exceeded forty thousand and enjoyed very strong tribal ties in the area. Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl was sent to finish him, but because of his limited success, he was dispatched to some other territory. The army was told to wait for the arrival of a new commander, Khalid bin al-Walid, who, by the Grace of Allah, defeated Musailama’s formidable forces. Following the Prophet’s [s] example, Abu Bakr treated the vanquished mercifully, and thus helped restore peace in the country.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and the Compilation of the Qur'aan
During the battle of Yamāmā against Musailama the Liar, around seventy Companions, who had memorized the Qur'aan, were martyred. This battle took place in the year 12, after the Hijrah. The martyrdom of such a large number of memorizers of the Glorious Qur'aan alarmed Umar [ra]. He went to Abu Bakr and said, ‘Many of the memorizers of the Qur'aan have died. I am scared lest more die in the forthcoming battles. This might lead to the loss of the Qur'aan, unless you compile it.’ Umar [ra] not only realized the danger of this great loss, but also proposed a solution.
Abu Bakr replied, ‘How can I do that which Allah’s Messenger [s] did not do?’ Abu Bakr could not even think of undertaking a project that the Messenger of Allah [s] had neither done nor commanded to be done.
But Umar [ra] continued to convince him. He spoke to him of the merits of such an idea. Finally Abu bakr understood Umar’s arguments and agreed to the project. They both decided to put the Companion Zayd bin Thābit [ra] in charge of collecting the entire Qur'aan in one manuscript. Zayd bin Thābit was the person best suited for the job. He set about collecting the various fragments of the Qur'aan from ‘the pieces of wood and the breasts of people’. The people brought him the scraps and parchments upon which they had written the Qur'aan. Now for the first time, the Qur'aan was in the form of one book, barely two years after the death of the Prophet [s], when all of the prominent Companions were still alive, had the Qur’aan been compiled. The written copy of the Qur'aan was called a Mus’haf. It remained with Abu Bakr and after his death, with Umar [ra], then with Hafsa, the daughter of Umar and a wife of the Prophet [s]. Thus the Qur'aan was preserved in its entirety. None of its Verses was lost or omitted. In this, Abu Bakr accomplished a momentous task. He was the first person to compile the Book of Allah.
Abu Bakr [ra] died on the 22nd Jamād-ul-Ākhira, in the year 13 H., and was buried beside the Prophet [s]. His short reign of about two years and six months was mostly taken up by wars. During his Caliphate, Syria and Palestine were added to the Islamic lands as well as much of Iraq.
Abu Bakr’s [ra] Personality
As Caliph, he lived as simply as before, at first in his house in as-Sunh and subsequently, when the distance became inconvenient, in the town itself.
Tradition gives us a good description of Abu Bakr’s appearance: he was somewhat short in stature, his face thin, smooth, and fair; nose aquiline and sharp; forehead high and deep-seated eyes. His hair scanty; his countenance still in old age was handsome; the expression mild, but wise and resolute. To him, Faith in the Prophet [s] had become second nature. The grand secret of his strength was his Faith in the Messenger of Allah [s]. The question with him ever was: What did Allah’s Messenger [s] command? From this he never moved a hair’s breadth. May Allah be well-pleased with him.
The Prophet peace be upon him has said : "Everyone I called to Islam expressed some hesitation and doubts except Abu Bakr. When I presented Islam to him, he neither hesitated nor expressed any doubts (but accepted immediately)." [2]
Notes
This ilmpedia.net article/entry/page has be contributed by Sister Rukaiah Maulvi. Her books have been published by Dar-us-Salam Publications
