History of Abu Bakr Siddiq(RA)

The First Caliph, Abu Bakr (632-634 A.C.)
"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.