Abu Bakr As-Siddiq
“If I were to take a friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr as a friend...” (Muslim)
"If I were to take a friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr as a friend..." (Muslim)
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq  was the Khalifah of the messenger of Allah  . His name was Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa whose lineage connects to the Prophet .
Mus’ab ibn az-Zubayr stated that the Ummah agreed unanimously in naming him As-siddiq because he did not hesitate to state the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah .
His sacrifices for the sake of Islam were innumerable. Amongst his sacrifices were the night of ascension, and his replying to the non-believers, and his level of steadfastness. Abu Hurairah said: “When the Messenger of Allah was made to travel to Jerusalem on the night of ascension, He said “Jibraeel, my people will not believe me”. To this Jibraeel  replied “Abu Bakr will believe you and he is As-siddiq.””
Aa’ishah  narrates that though Abdullah was his name, the name Ateeq was used more. Aa’ishah further narrates ‘Once my father came to the Prophet , and the Messenger of Allah said to him, “You are Allah’s freed one from the fire.” So he was known as Ateeq.
Birth And Early Life
He was born two years and some months after the Prophet and he passed away when he was sixty-three years old.
His early life was in Makkah which he only left for trade and he had great wealth amongst the people. Abu Bakr was one of the chiefs of the Quraysh and the wisest in the direction of affairs. Then as he entered Islam, he gave preference to it over everything else and entered into it whole-heartedly.
His Description
Hazrat Abu Bakr was a fair man of slender build. He had a prominent forehead with deep set eyes. He was gaunt-faced and the back of his hands were fleshless. His hair had become white and he used to dye his beard with henna.
His Acceptance Of Islam
He was the first amongst the men to accept Islam and the first to perform prayers with the Prophet .
His Companionship And Expeditions
The Ulama have mentioned that Hazrat Abu Bakr accompanied Rasululah from the moment he accepted Islam until his death. He did not leave the Prophet’s side in a journey or in residence except when the apostle of Allah authorised him to go out in battles. He gave splendid services in all the battles and was firm in the battles where all the people fled; he emigrated with the Prophet leaving his household striving for the pleasure of Allah and his Rasul and was also Rasulullah's close companion in the cave.
Abu Hurairah said: “The angels made each other rejoice on the Day of Badr saying, ‘Do you not see As-Sideeq with the messenger of Allah ?’”
Hazrat Abu Bakr was the bravest of the companions. Ali , said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah and the Quraysh had grabbed him. One of the men held him and threw him down and was saying ‘Are you the one who have made all the gods into one god?’ By Allah, none of us approached except Abu Bakr who struck the men of the Quraysh single-handed.”
Spending His Wealth On The Messenger Of Allah And His Generosity Over All The Companions
Allah says in the Quran:
‘And he will be averted from it (the Fire) who has the most fearful obedience, the one who gives his wealth purifying himself.’ (92:17-21)
Ibn al Jawzi  said: “it has been agreed unanimously that this Ayat was revealed for Hazrat Abu Bakr .”
Rasulullah said “No wealth has ever benefited me as much as the wealth of Abu Bakr .”
Aishah narrates, ‘On the day my father accepted Islam, he had forty thousand dinaars and he spent that money on the Messenger of Allah ’.
When Abu Bakr emigrated to Madinah, he only had five thousand dirhams, he had spent the rest of his money in freeing slaves for the cause of Islam.
Ibn Umar said: I was with the Prophet and Abu Bakr Siddeeq was with him, and he had a large cloak made out of coarse goat-skin fastened over his chest with a skewer. Jibra’eel descended upon Nabi and asked the apostle of Allah ‘Why is it that I see Abu Bakr with a cloak fastened around him with a skewer?’ To this the Messenger of Allah replied ‘Oh Jibra’eel he spent his wealth upon me before the Opening of Islam. Jibra’eel said, ‘Allah sends greetings of peace to him and says to him, ‘Are you pleased with Me in this poverty of yours or displeased?’’ Abu Bakr replied, ‘Am I displeased with my Lord? I am pleased with my Lord.’
Umar ibn al-khattab said: “The Messenger of Allah ordered us to give Sadaqah and I thought that today I will out-do Abu Bakr if I ever had to out-do him and thus brought half of my wealth. Rasulullah asked ‘What have you left for your family?’ I replied that I have left half of my wealth. Then Abu Bakr came with everything that he had and Rasulullah asked ‘What have you left for your family? Abu Bakr replied, 'I have left Allah and His Messenger .'”
Umar ibn al-khattab said: “I realised that I will never ever outdo him in anything.”
Abu Hurairah said: “Rasulullah said: ‘I have never been under obligation to anyone to anyone but that I have repaid him, except for Abu Bakr , Allah will repay him on the Day of Reckoning’.”
Abu Bakr as-sideeq was the most knowledgeable of the Companions. He was the most knowledgeable in the Sunnah. When the companions referred to him for any advice, he would produce the Sunnah of Prophet which he had memorised. Along with his being the most knowledgeable, he was the most intelligible servants of Allah . There are not many Ahadeeth that include Abu Bakr in the chain of narrations because he only lived for a short period after the demise of Rasulullah . Had he lived longer, his narrations would have been extensive.
Abu Bakr used to also interpret dreams at the time of Rasulullah .
Az-Zubayr ibn Bakr said: “I heard one of the people of knowledge saying, ‘The most eloquent of those of the companions of Rasulullah was Abu Bakr .’”
His Memorisation Of The Qur’aan
An-Nawawi states that Abu Bakr was one of the companions of Rasulullah who had memorised the Qur’aan.
His Eminence Amongst The Companions
It has been agreed unanimously that the best of creation after Rasulullah was Abu Bakr then Umar , then Uthmaan , then Ali and then the rest of the ten companions who were given the glad tidings of eternal bliss.
Salamah bin Akwah said: Rasulullah said, “Abu Bakr is the best of mankind unless it is a Prophet.”
Jibra’eel informed the apostle of Allah: ‘The best of your Ummah after you is Abu Bakr .’
As-Shabi said: “Allah endowed Abu Bakr with four qualities which he did not bestow on anyone else: He named him as-Sideeq and no one apart from him was given this title; He was the companion Rasulullah in the cave; He was Rasulullah's closest companion at the time of migration, and the Prophet ordered him to lead the Salaat during the life of the Prophet .”
Jafar mentioned that Abu Bakr used to listen to the conversations that occurred between Rasulullah and Jibra’eel even though he could not see Jibra’eel .
Election Of Caliphate
The Prophet's closest Companion, Abu Bakr , was not present when the Holy Prophet breathed his last in the apartment of his beloved wife of later years, Aisha , Abu Bakr's daughter. When he came to know of the Prophet's passing, Abu Bakr hurried to the house of sorrow.
"How blessed was your life and how beatific is your death," he whispered as he kissed the cheek of his beloved friend and master who now was no more.
When Abu Bakr came out of the Prophet's apartment and broke the news, disbelief and dismay gripped the community of Muslims in Medina. Muhammad had been the leader, the guide and the bearer of Divine revelation through whom they had been brought from idolatry and barbarism into the way of God. How could he die? Even Umar , one of the bravest and strongest of the Prophet's Companions, lost his composure and drew his sword and threatened to kill anyone who said that the Prophet was dead. Abu Bakr gently pushed him aside, ascended the steps of the lectern in the mosque and addressed the people, saying
"O people, verily whoever worshipped Muhammad , behold! Muhammad is indeed dead. But whoever worships God, behold! God is alive and will never die."
And then he concluded with a verse from the Qur'an:
"And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Many Messengers have gone before him; if then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heels?" [3:144]
On hearing these words, the people were consoled. Despondency gave place to confidence and tranquillity. This critical moment had passed. But the Muslim community was now faced with an extremely serious problem: that of choosing a leader. After some discussion among the Companions of the Prophet who had assembled in order to select a leader, it became apparent that no one was better suited for this responsibility than Abu Bakr . A portion of the speech the First Caliph gave after his election has already been quoted in the introduction.
Abu Bakr’s Caliphate
Such, then, was the man upon whom the burden of leadership fell at the most sensitive period in the history of the Muslims.
As the news of the Prophet's death spread, a number of tribes rebelled and refused to pay Zakat (poor-due), saying that this was due only to the Prophet . At the same time a number of impostors claimed that the prophethood had passed to them after Muhammad and they raised the standard of revolt. To add to all this, two powerful empires, the Eastern Roman and the Persian, also threatened the new-born Islamic state at Medina.
Under these circumstances, many Companions of the Prophet , including Umar , advised Abu Bakr to make concessions to the Zakat evaders, at least for a time. The new Caliph disagreed. He insisted that the Divine Law cannot be divided, that there is no distinction between the obligations of Zakat and Salat (prayer), and that any compromise with the injunctions of God would eventually erode the foundations of Islam. Umar and others were quick to realise their error of judgment. The revolting tribes attacked Medina but the Muslims were prepared. Abu Bakr himself led the charge, forcing them to retreat. He then made a relentless war on the false claimants to prophethood, most of who submitted and again professed Islam.
The threat from the Roman Empire had actually arisen earlier, during the Prophet's lifetime. The Prophet had organized an army under the command of Usama , the son of a freed slave. The army had not gone far when the Prophet had fallen ill so they stopped. After the death of the Prophet the question was raised whether the army should be sent again or should remain for the defence of Medina. Again Abu Bakr showed a firm determination. He said, "I shall send Usama's army on its way as ordered by the Prophet , even if I am left alone."
The final instructions he gave to Usama prescribed a code of conduct in war which remains unsurpassed to this day. Part of his instructions to the Muslim army was: "Do not be deserters, nor be guilty of disobedience. Do not kill an old man, a woman or a child. Do not injure date palms and do not cut down fruit trees. Do not slaughter any sheep or cows or camels except for food. You will encounter persons who spend their lives in monasteries. Leave them alone and do not molest them."
Khalid bin Waleed had been chosen by the Prophet on several occasions to lead Muslim armies. A man of supreme courage and a born leader, his military genius came to full flower during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr . Throughout Abu Bakr's reign Khalid led his troops from one victory to another against the attacking Romans.
Another contribution of Abu Bakr to the cause of Islam was the collection and compilation of the verses of the Qur'an.
Abu Bakr died on 21 Jamadi-al Akhir, 13 A.H. (23 August 634 A.C.), at the age of sixty-three, and was buried by the side of the Holy Prophet . His caliphate had been of a mere twenty-seven months duration. In this brief span, however, Abu Bakr had managed, by the Grace of Allah , to strengthen and consolidate his community and the state, and to secure the Muslims against the perils which had threatened their existence.
Page created: 26/04/2008
Page last updated: 02/08/2008
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