Muhammad Rashid Feroze - Abu Bakr: The First Caliph

GLIMPSES OF ISLAMIC HISTORY

General Editor: Ashraf Abu Turab

ABU BAKR

THE FIRST CALIPH

Adapted from Arabic by
Dr Muhammad Rashid Feroze

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

The Islamic Foundation 1976/1396 AH

Reprinted 1979/1399 AH, 1982/1402 AH, 1986/1406 AH, 1994/1415 AH, 2005/1426 AH and 2019/1440 AH.

ISBN 0 9503954 4 7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means whatsoever, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

This biography of Caliph Abu Bakr is based upon Sabir Abduh Ibrahims book Abu Bakr , published by Maktaba al-Manar al-lslamia, P.O. Box 633, Kuwait.

Published by

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION,

Markfield Conference Centre,

Ratby Lane, Markfield,

Leicestershire, LE67 9SY,

United Kingdom

Website: www.Islamic-foundation.com

Email:

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Nairobi, Kenya

PMB 3193,

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All enquiries to:

Kube Publishing

Tel: +44(0)1530 249230, Fax +44(0)1530 249656

Email:

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A catalogue record of this book is available from British Library

Printed by

Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport, Hampshire.

FOREWORD

R eading material developed for schools related to Islam, its history and its outstanding people, is hard to find in the English language. Yet the growing generation of young Muslim people is looking for a series of readers which would give them a taste of Islams glorious heritage. The reading of graded readers serves to instil in the young a sense of attachment to the Islamic way of life.

Abu Bakr: The First Caliph the first of the Glimpses of Islamic History seriesis an attempt to meet this need of essential books written by Muslims for young people.

The series tries to catch some of the spirit of the times by bringing into focus the personalities involved. Abu Bakr was the most dedicated companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and this book tells of the great personal sacrifices he made and how he was elected to the office of the Caliphate by the populace after the death of the Prophet. The latter part of the book tells how with great insight he overcame his initial difficulties and disrupted the forces of evil which were fighting tooth and nail to arrest the tide of Islamic movement. The last chapter is a tribute to his great organizational and administrative talents with which he served the Islamic state and built it with great care and caution.

Now a word about the Islamic Foundationthe producers of the present series.

The Islamic Foundation is a research and educational organization founded to improve human communication and develop a better understanding of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It produces literature on Islam in the major languages of the world and aims to produce a graded series of readers and other educational material to cater for the needs of Islamic education at different levels. For beginners, it has published The Children s Book of Islam. For beginners, it has published The Childrens Book of Islam and other texts, which will be followed by a series on Essentials of Islam , a course of some forty lessons on the basic teachings of Islam.

Many people have helped us with their comments and suggestions during the course of translating and producing this book and it would take too much space to thank them all individually. I am indebted to Dr Muhammad Rashid Feroze, who took the trouble of adapting the Arabic text into English, and special thanks are due to Mrs Daphne Buckmaster for her courtesy in revising the manuscript. Mr Sultan Farooqui deserves special mention for the great care with which he made the book presentable with its impressive artwork.

A.A.T.

Contents

THE FRIEND

T he caravan had completed its trade dealings in Syria and was resting before making the return journey to Makkah. A traveller with the caravan, Abu Bakr, had a dream that puzzled him, so he went to see an old man. On hearing the story, the old man raised his head and said: Listen to me; if Allah makes your dream come true, then indeed He will raise a Prophet from your people. And you will be his helper in life and successor after his death. Abu Bakr became quiet on hearing this and, shaking his head in wonder and awe, returned to his tent in peace and tranquility.

After a few days, the caravan proceeded on its way to Makkah, having enjoyed a very successful and profitable trip to Syria. On the journey, the days sometimes passed quickly and sometimes slowly, and Abu Bakr remembered his strange dream and wondered at the old mans interpretation of it. He decided to wait for the appearance of the prophet mentioned by the old man.

At about this time, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) began his mission as commanded by Allah. He invited the people to believe in the Oneness of Allah, the Lord of creation and explained to them why their current beliefs and actions were wrong.

Abu Bakr was a close friend of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and they had both visited Syria with the caravans. (Their conversations have been reported in many sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions.) When Abu Bakr returned to Makkah, the people told him that his friend was suffering from madness. They asked him to talk to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and prevent him from insulting and abusing their gods.

When they met, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr sat down to have a heart-to-heart talk. They had exchanged only a few words when Abu Bakr, realizing this was the message in his dream, declared his firm and unshakable belief in his friend and his religious teachings. Abu Bakr, therefore, became the first person to believe in the call to Allahs faith.

The Middle East during the Life of the Prophet Muhammad

Abu Bakrs conversion to Islam remained a secret except to a few people. But he became a great supporter of Islam and his faith was strengthened rapidly. He made up his mind to spread the teachings of Islam among the leaders and elders of the Quraysh, the noblest tribe of Arabia, without fearing the results, but not until the Prophet (peace be upon him) agreed.

He became a great friend of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) and requested him to start preaching Islam openly, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not agree, saying the moment was not ripe. Abu Bakr repeated his request daily.

They went as a group to the Kaaba, where the elders of the Quraysh sat talking among themselves. They approached the elders and sat down near them. Then Abu Bakr stood up and addressed the people. He invited them to believe in the Almighty Allah who is Unique and has no partner, and to worship and obey Him alone. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sat and listened to the speech. Unfortunately, the early historians of Islam have not reported the text of this first speech, they have only mentioned the following few words: He stood up to address the people, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sitting and listening. Thus Abu Bakr was the first preacher who invited the people to believe in Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him).

The speech was a stern warning to the elders of the Quraysh and their leaders. When they saw Abu Bakr delivering the speech, they attacked him and the small group of Muslims. Utbah ibn Rabah took off his shoes and struck Abu Bakrs face until it started to bleed. The fight between the two parties continued until the arrival of the Bn Tamm, the tribe to which Abu Bakr belonged. They chased the idol worshippers away from Abu Bakr and carried him home, thinking he was going to die.