|
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq - The First Caliph (632-34)
By Farida Khanam
Abu Bakr was a rich
merchant of Makkah, belonging to the Quraysh tribe. At the time when Muhammad
(SAWS) was endowed with prophethood, Abu Bakr had gone to Yemen on business.
When he came back, people immediately came to him to give him the 'strange' news
of Muhammad (SAWS) receiving revelation from God.
Having been the Prophet's close friend since boyhood (born in Makkah in 573
A.D., he was just three years younger than the Prophet), Abu Bakr was too keenly
aware of the sincerity and truthfulness of the Prophet (SAWS) to have any
misgivings.
However, on hearing this news, Abu Bakr went to see the Prophet (SAWS), and
asked him about the message of this religion that he was preaching. Having
unshakeable faith in the Prophet, he accepted Islam without second thoughts.
That is why he was given the title "As Siddiq (the upright)" by the Prophet
(SAWS).
He was thus the first male convert to Islam, and was one of the Prophet's oldest
supporters. Abu Bakr's father, Uthman, (better known as Abu Qahafa) and his
mother, Salma, had named him Abdul Ka'ba, meaning "the servant of the Ka'ba".
But when he embraced Islam, the Prophet (SAWS) changed this pagan name to
Abdullah and gave him the surname of Abu Bakr.
Even prior to Islam Abu Bakr had been respected for his good moral character. He
was honest and truthful and had good relations with everyone. The Quraysh
trusted him and consulted him for solutions to their problems. Now, after having
accepted Islam, he began to spread the word of Allah in his own social circle.
As a result of his efforts some very promising and talented people accepted
Islam, most of whom were his friends. They were - Uthman ibn Affan, Zuabyr ibn
Al Awwam, Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Ubaydah ibn Al Jarrah,
Khalid ibn Sa'eed, etc.
When the Quraysh came to know of his role in the spread of Islam, they turned
against him and began to persecute him. But he patiently bore all their
oppression, and faithfully stood by the Prophet (SAWS) amidst all dangers. He
spent all his wealth in the cause of Islam.
It was because of his sincerity and dedication to the cause of Islam that the
Prophet (SAWS) chose him to accompany him when he migrated from Makkah to
Madinah. His self-sacrificing friendship and his devotion to the cause of Islam
was rewarded by his name being immortalized in the Qur'an as
"the second of the two" . (9:40)
In obedience to a divine injunction, the Muslims then left their hearth and home
for Madinah. But the Quraysh did not allow them to rest in peace even in Madinah.
They waged many battles in their bid to uproot the Muslims from the city. Abu
Bakr took part in all these battles. He was always with the Prophet (SAWS) and
accompanied him on all his campaigns. He never showed any weakness, always
standing like a rock by the side of the Prophet (SAWS).
Tabuk was the last expedition of the Prophet of Islam. He asked people to give
generously in aid of it. Abu Bakr was the only person to give all he had to the
cause of Islam. The Prophet (SAWS) asked him whether he had anything left for
his wife and children. He replied that Allah and His Apostle were enough for
them.
No one could surpass him so far as selfless service to Islam was concerned. Not
only was he the first man to accept Islam, but he was also the foremost among
the Muslims to uphold the cause of Allah.
After Makkah was conquered, the Prophet (SAWS) sent Abu Bakr in 631 to Makkah to
lead the Hajj on behalf of the Prophet. Abu Bakr read the sermon (Khutbah) of
Hajj.
Ever since the Prophet (SAWS) had come to Madinah, he had been in the habit of
leading the prayer himself. During his last illness the Prophet became so weak
that he could not come to the mosque for this purpose. The Prophet (SAWS) then
asked Abu Bakr to conduct the prayer in the mosque and to lead the Muslims in
his stead.
Aisha, who was Abu Bakr's daughter and the wife of the Prophet (SAWS), thought
that her tender-hearted father would not be able to bear this burden. She
therefore requested the Prophet to ask someone else to perform this duty. But
the Prophet (SAWS) did not change his mind.
Thus, in the lifetime of the Prophet, Abu Bakr came to fill the highest office.
This distinction made it possible for Umar and his friends, after the Prophet's
death in 632, to propose Abu Bakr as the head of the community. Abu Bakr thus
became Caliph (the successor of the Prophet) by the general consent of the
people.
Thanks to his simple but firm character, he was able to lead the young Muslim
community successfully through the most difficult times. After the death of the
Prophet (SAWS), a number of the Arab tribes revolted. Most of them had embraced
Islam after the conquest of Makkah in 8 A.H. and had not had the opportunity to
undergo any proper training by the Prophet (SAWS). Being used to a free and easy
life, they found such Islamic injunctions as zakat (alms taxes) and jihad more
than they could tolerate. They were under the impression that, after the
Prophet, God's succour had come to an end.
But Abu Bakr did not let the situation get out of hand. He dealt with them
firmly, having chosen the brave general Khalid ibn al Walid as the commander of
his forces. He managed to suppress all revolts and brought all the Arabian
tribes under the control of Islam.
Abu Bakr treated the vanquished mercifully. This helped to re-establish peace in
the country. Arabia was brought under control within less than a year. Later,
Abu Bakr sent Khalid and other able generals on a campaign against Persia and
Byzantine.
By resorting to theses measures Abu Bakr very successfully brought about
much-needed unity among the Muslim community. During his short rule, the Arabian
army saw several victories. Al-Hira in Persia was conquered in 633.
Soon after, Abu Bakr took ill in 13 A.H. On his deathbed what Abu Bakr feared
more than any thing was division among the Muslims. He wanted to make sure that
no difference should divide them after he was gone. After much thought, he
decided to nominate Umar as his successor. When he put his choice before the
senior companions, they all approved of it. When all of the companions had
agreed to this, he went ahead with the nomination. Abu Bakr passed away two
weeks after the appointment of Umar.
According to his wish, Abu Bakr was buried by the side of the Prophet (SAWS),
and his body was wrapped in the same old clothes in which he had died. His rule
had lasted for two years and three months.
Abu Bakr had lived a very simple and modest life. He had had neither servants
nor bodyguards. He used to come early in the morning to the Prophet's mosque to
carry out the duties of the state and to perform the congregational prayers. He
even did routine chores at home, sweeping the floor, feeding and milking the
goats, etc.
Abu Bakr lived and worked for Islam till his last breath. Although his rule
lasted only for two years, three months and ten days - a very short span of time
for a nation - he had been able to perform great feats. One of the many great
contributions made by Abu Bakr was the collection and collation of the Qur'an in
codex form. His achievements have rendered his name immortal.
Back
|
