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"If I were to
take a friend other than my Lord, I
would take Abu Bakr as a friend." (Hadith)
Election to the
Caliphate
The Prophet's closest
Companion, Abu Bakr, was not present
when the Holy Prophet (peace be on him)
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
(peace be on him) 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
tranquility. 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 Life
Abu Bakr ('The Owner of
Camels') was not his real name. He
acquired this name later in life because
of his great interest in raising camels.
His real name was Abdul Ka'aba ('Slave
of Ka'aba'), which Muhammad (peace be on
him) later changed to Abdullah ('Slave
of God'). The Prophet also gave him the
title of 'Siddiq' - 'The Testifier to
the Truth.'
Abu Bakr was a fairly
wealthy merchant, and before he embraced
Islam, was a respected citizen of Mecca.
He was three years younger than Muhammad
(peace be on him) and some natural
affinity drew them together from
earliest child hood. He remained the
closest Companion of the Prophet all
through the Prophet's life. When
Muhammad first invited his closest
friends and relatives to Islam, Abu Bakr
was among the earliest to accept it. He
also persuaded Uthman and Bilal to
accept Islam. In the early days of the
Prophet's mission, when the handful of
Muslims were subjected to relentless
persecution and torture, Abu Bakr bore
his full share of hardship. Finally when
God's permission came to emigrate from
Mecca, he was the one chosen by the
Prophet to accompany him on the
dangerous journey to Medina. In the
numerous battles which took place during
the life of the Prophet, Abu Bakr was
always by his side. Once, he brought all
his belongings to the Prophet, who was
raising money for the defense of Medina.
The Prophet asked "Abu Bakr, what
did you leave for your family?" The
reply came: "God and His
Prophet."
Even before Islam, Abu
Bakr was known to be a man of upright
character and amiable and compassionate
nature. All through his life he was
sensitive to human suffering and kind to
the poor and helpless. Even though he
was wealthy, he lived very simply and
spent his money for charity, for freeing
slaves and for the cause of Islam. He
often spent part of the night in
supplication and prayer. He shared with
his family a cheerful and affectionate
home life.
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 (peace be on him).
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 realize 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 whom
submitted and again professed lslam.
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 were:
"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 (peace be on
him) 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 (peace be on him). His caliphate
had been of a mere twenty-seven months
duration. In this brief span, however,
Abu Bakr had managed, by the Grace of
God, to strengthen and consolidate his
community and the state, and to secure
the Muslims against the perils which had
threatened their existence.
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