Abu Bakr As-Siddique

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His real name was Abdullah, and Abu Bakr was his kunya name, and the title given to him was ‘Siddique’, ‘the true’; and ‘Attiq’, ‘the generous’, due to his generosity and kind hearted to others, even in pre Islamic Arabia. The name of his father was Uthmaan, and his kunya was Abu Quhaafah. His mothers name was Salma, and her kunya was Ummul-Khair.

From his fathers’ side, his family tree is recorded as being:Abdullah ibn Uthmaan ibn Aamir ibn Amr ibn Ka’ab ibn Sa’ad ibn Taim ibn Murrah ibn Ka’ab ibn Lavial Qarshi al-Tamimi

And from his mothers’ side, his genealogy runs as:Ummul khair bint Sakhar ibn Amr ibn Ka’ab ibn Sa’ad ibn Taim ibn Murrah (Tabaqat ibne sa’ad volume 1) 

According to the genealogy and lineage of Abu Bakr and Muhammad ibn Abdullah, they are both connected through both of their ancestors, ‘Murrah’. 

Abu Quhafa stubbornly kept the religion of his forefathers for a long time, until the conquest of Makkah when he embraced islaam whole-heartedly. He presented himself before the prophet, who in turn said, “why has he been given the trouble to come here? I would have preferred to go to him myself.” After that, the holy prophet put his hand on his chest with affection, recited the words of Allah, and exalted him to Islam. He lived a long life, and passed away during the caliphate of his son Abu Bakr Siddique. Due to his old age, at this time, he had lost his eyesight. He died at the age of 97 during 14 A.H. [Al Isaba Vol 4] Abu Bakr was the father of Ayesha, the most beloved wife of the prophet of Allah.

Abu Bakr had 4 wives who all gave him children.

• Asma bint Omais (the former wife of Ja'far ibn abi Taalib; she later married Ali ibn Abi Talib when Abu Bakr had passed away, and when Ali’s wife Faatimah had passed away) who was the mother of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr;
• Umm Roomaan, the mother of Aaisha and Abdur-Rahmaan;
• Qateela (or Qatla), the mother of Asma and Abdullah; and
• Habeeba bint Kharja, the mother of the youngest daughter of Abu Bakr, Umm Kulthoom.
  

The mother of Abu Bakr, UmmulKhair, embraced Islaam at the very beginning of its advent. Only 39 people had accepted it at the time, and she had the honour of being one of them. This was at the time when Islaam was being practiced upon in secret, before the revelations came to the Nabi to proclaim Islaam publicly.

During this time, the frustration and devotion of Abu Bakr to Islaam appeared. On occasion he got permission from the Nabi to deliver a public lecture to a gathering in Makkah about Islaam. However the pagans had no idea what he was talking about and became furious. Thus they began beating Abu Bakr. A man from the tribe of Taim whom at the time was a non muslim, saw and saved Abu Bakr from the clutches of the pagans, because they were both from the same tribe.

Ummulkhair was taken by Abu Bakr to the house of Arqam ibn Abi Arqam to accept Islam at the hands of the prophet, after he had been telling her about this just and excellent faith that the prophet had brought. [al-isaba vol 8] She also had a  long life like her husband, and died during her sons' caliphate. However she died before her husband [al-isaba vol 4]

Before Islam Abu Bakr was a rich businessman. Even in preislamic Arabia, he was known for his sincerity, justice, and honesty. Thus he was given the name 'siddiq' and 'attiq'. Before islam he was assigned as the chief of Ushnaq, and no blood money [in case of murder] could be accepted without his permission. The blood money itself was kept by him, in his trust, and no persons would accept it from anybody else. [kanz-ul-ummal vol 6]

He also had the characteristics of a sensible and upright man, and hated the sight of alcohol even before Islam.   Before prophethood was given to Muhammad, Abu Bakr and him were good friends, they often travelled on business trips together and spent time together [kanz-ul-ummal vol 6]

Although there are many differences in who the first peson was to accept Islam after Prophethood was given to Muhammad, the majority of scholars are of the view that Abu Bakr was the first adult male to accept it. A poem by Hassan ibn Thaabit the famous poet of the time, confirms it.

He says, “When you are grieved for one of your brethren, do remember your brother Abu Bakr because of his deeds. After the holy prophet, he was the most pious person and doing justice, whatever responsibilities he accepted, he fulfilled them. He is the second to none who faces difficulties with a smile. He is the first among the mankind who has confrmed the descendant of the messengers.”

Scholars have very gracefully classified the first converts to islam after rasulullahs messengerhood as follows: the first adult lady to accept islam, was Khadeejah, the wife of the prophet; amongst children, Ali ibn abi Taalib; amongst freed slaves, Zaid ibn Haarithah; amongst slaves, Bilaal ibn Rabah; and amongst adult males, Abu Bakr Siddique. [Fath ul Baari]

Through the efforts and dawah of Abu Bakr, he caused Uthmaan ibn Affaan, Zubair ibn al-Awwaam, Abdur-rahmaan ibn 'Auf, Sa’ad ibn abi Waqqas, Talha ibn Abdullah, Abu Ubaida, Abu Salma, Uthmaan ibn Maz’oon, and Khaalid ibn Saeed ibn al-Aas to accept Islam. All these personalities great gave service to the deen of Allah, and no doubt, Abu Bakr will be rewarded for every single of their deeds in this manner.

In the hadeeth of Bukhari, it says that Ayesha narrates that the holy prophet used to visit the house of Abu Bakr twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening. Thus they were close friends, and the prophet shared many secrets with him. Because Abu Bakr was rich and successful, not to mention very well known and popular man amongst the Arabs, he assisted the prophet in innumerable ways in propagating the faith. Many slaves Abu Bakr purchased and freed for the sake of Allah, those slaves who were tortured at the hands of the pagans for accepting Islaam. Because of the justice of Islaam, the deen attracted mainly slaves and women, who were given no rights whatsoever in pre-Islamic Arabia. Some of the many slaves that Abu Bakr purchased and set free due to the persecution they faced, were Bilaal ibn Rabah, Aamir ibn Fahira, Nazira, Nahdia, Jaria, Bani Momal, and the daughter of Nadia.

Upon occasion the prophet was being beaten by the pagans so mercilessly because he was telling people about islaam, that he almost fainted. Abu Bakr saw this and rushed to the site, crying "May Allah teach you a lesson, are you going to kill a man who says Allah is one?” [Fath ul Baari vol 7]

Similarly, when Uqba ibn Mu’eet wrapped a cloth around the prophets neck, trying to strangle him in it, by chance Abu Bakr was the fortunate man walking past who would save the nabi, and said, “Are you going to kill a man who has brought to you the signs of Allah and says the Lord of the universe is my Allah?” [Bukhari] When Islaam began to spread, times became extremely difficult for the muslims. Even Abu Bakr, with his power, trust and wealth in the eyes of the people before Islaam faced persecution, severe persecution, just like the slaves at the time, such as Bilaal ibn Rabah, Sumayya, Yassir, and so many others. When Talha ibn Abdullah accepted Islaam through the dawah of Abu Bakr, his uncle Nofal ibn Khuwailid tied both of them with a rope and beat them severely for their accepting Islaam. Nobody came to the help of Abu Bakr, nor of Talha. [Tabaqat ibn Sa’ad vol 1]

Due to these extremely painful circumstances, Abu Bakr considered migrating elsewhere, so that he could practice the Islaam he knew peacefully without persecution. He left his house, intending to go to Abyssinia. When he reached a place called Bark-al-Nema, he met the chief of the Qara tribe, Ibne Daghna. He asked Abu Bakr where he was heading towards. He replied, ‘My tribe has exiled me, and I am thinking to go to some other country where I can offer my prayers freely’. Ibne daghna said, ‘A man of your stature cannot be exiled. You help the poor, take care of your relatives and are a hospitable person. Come with me, stay in your country and pray to your god.’ Thus he came back to Makkah with the chief, who proclaimed publicly, ‘From today onward, Abu Bakr is under my protection, such a person should not be exiled who helps the helpless, takes care of the poor and his relatives, and is hospitable.’ The Quraishites accepted the protection offered by Ibne Daghna, but argued against him performing his prayers publicly, he could do whatever he liked inside his house. Abu Bakr had created a section in front of the courtyard of his house to perform prayers in. Thus it was considered praying in public when he did, and so the Quraish argued against this.

When the Muslims increased day by day, and the city of Madinah too had become filled with people wanting to embrace Islaam, the hostility also increased. Muslims of Makkah began preparing to migrate to Makkah, as did Abu Bakr. But the holy prophet told him not to prepare or pack his bags, as he would be accompanying the prophet when he received the command by Allah, for he himself to migrate. Overjoyed that he would have the honour of being the sole and only person to accompany Allah’s messenger to Madinah, he spent 4 months in waiting for the command from Allah, for Muhammad ibn Abdullah to migrate. On this occasion, Aaishah narrated in Bukhaari, that the prophet used to visit her house in the morning and evening. One day he came to her house at a time he never did before, and he had his face covered. As he entered the house, he said, ‘If there is anybody else here, tell him to leave the place’. Abu Bakr replied that no body else was present except his own family members. The holy prophet then told them that he had received the orders for migration. Having had waited for this day for almost 4 months, he immediately began packing his bags for the journey. Aaishah and Asma assisted in the packing. Asma could not find any rope to knot some of the things together, so she tore her own cloth that was folded around her waist, and fastened the goods with it. Abu Bakr had already arranged 2 camels. One he offered to the prophet, and mounted the other himself. Thus in this way, the nabi of Allah and the Siddiq began their journey to Madinah.

When they reached the cave of Thaur, Abu Bakr entered the cave first and set it straight from the inside, covering every hole he found. Then he requested the prophet of Allah to enter inside it and rest, and the prophet did so, resting his heads on the legs of Abu Bakr Siddique. It so happened that a venomous snake came through via a hole in the cave. Abu Bakr not wanting it to harm or disturb the prophet, placed his heel on the mouth of the hole and the snake bit him. Pain naturally followed, but he didn’t move an inch, because of the prophet resting. A tear drop fell from the eyes of Abu Bakr and landed on the face of the prophet. On seeing his companion in agony, the prophet asked ‘what is the matter O Abu Bakr?’ he replied, ‘may my parents be sacrificed for you, a snake has bitten me’. The prophet immedialtely placed his saliva on the place of the snake bite, and the venom did not harm Abu Bakr. [Zarqani vol 1]

Abu Bakr had directed his son Abdullah to report every incident that took place in Makkah to them at night, and told his slave Aamir ibn Fahira that he should take the sheep for grazing within the vicinity of Makkah, and then bring the flock near the cave of thaur. In this way the footsteps of Abdullah in the sand would be covered up, and no disbeliever would be able to find them. Asma also took food for them, and at other times the milk of the sheep was used as their food. They spent 3 days and 3 nights in this secrecy, where no disbeleiver suspected where they were [Bukhari] The same day the prophet had received the order for migration and left, the Quraishites had met and planned to slay the prophet. They decided for a person from each of the tribes to kill Muhammad, therefore the responsibility would fall on all the tribes, and not on any individual. Abu Jahl and others kept a close watch on the prophets house, and when they entered his bedroom at the kept time, they didn’t find Allahs Messenger, instead they found ali who was sleeping in the bed of the prophet. From there they went straight to Abu Bakrs home, asking Asmaa where her father and Muhammad were, as no doubt they would be together. When Asmaa said she had no idea of where they were, Abu Jahl slapped her hard on the face. [Seerat ibne Hishaam vol 1]

Immediately the arrogant chieftains set a price on the man who found Muhammad and Abu Bakr, of a reward of 100 camels. Many disbelievers set out greedily to find the companions for this reward, but all were unsuccessful. There was not a nook or cranny that they left behind and didn’t look in. in fact one of them got so close to the cave, that Abu Bakr feared they would be caught. At this time he said to rasoolullah, “If one of them looks down at his feet he will see us.” He said, “What do you think, O Abu Bakr, of two the third of whom is Allaah?” (Bukhaari)

On the 4^th day, the two companions carried on with the journey. Now instead of 2, there were 4 persons. Abu Bakr mounted his slave Aamir ibn Fahira on his camel to guide the way. Abd ibn Ariqat was in front of all and he was to clear the path, Muhammad on the second camel, and Abu Bakr making sure they were not being followed. On occasion he saw one of the horse riders of quraish, Suraqa ibn Ja’asham approaching very fast. Abu Bakr in fear exclaimed ‘O rasulullah! The horse rider has approached very near!’ the holy prophet replied with comfort, ‘don’t be afraid and don’t be grieved, our Lord is with us.’

He prayed to Allah for safety, as a result, the feet of the horse of Suraqa began to sink in the sand, and it could not move forward. He dismounted from the horse, and according to the superstitious custom of the pagan arabs, tossed a coin on the ground, to see whether it was an ill omen to follow the caravan. The coin appeared in the form of it being an ill omen to follow the caravan. But he was not satisfied, seeing the caravan disappearing, he began chasing them again, but again the horse began sinking into the ground, so he abandoned the chase. [Bukhari]

Abu Bakr, being the well known man and popular figure he was, met many people on the way from makkah to madinah. When they asked him who the man with him was [Muhammad], whom they hadn’t seen before, he replied it was their leader, and so carried on the journey.  The caravan reached near madinah after a tiring journey on the 12^th of rabbi ul awwal, 14 A.H. They rested in Quba, but then moved to Bani Amr ibn Auf. The ansaar who had been waiting for their arrival began pouring in large numbers. At first they thought Abu Bakr was Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as he was the one receiving them all. But when the sun began to rise, and Abu Bakr ran to spread a sheet of cloth to protect the prophet against the suns rays – they realized that the prophet of Allah was sitting to the side, and they determined who their beloved prophet was. [Bukhari]

The prophet stayed in Quba for a few days, and then moved to Madinah. He lived in the house of Abu Ayyub Ansaari, and Abu Bakr stayed in the house of Kharjah ibn Zaid ibn Abi Zuhair [Tabaqat ibne sa’ad vol 1] But the climate of madinah was very different to that of the one in makkah. Abu Bakr suffered from severe fever, so much so that they thought his life was coming to an end. Once Ayesha asked him about his health, and he replied, ‘everybody spends his life among his family, but the death is nearer than the strings of his shoes.’When Ayesha realized the sickness of her father, she immediately told the prophet, who raised his hands in supplication and said, “Oh Allah! Please infuse in our hearts the love of madinah as much as we loved makkah, and even more. And please save us from the disease and help us and save us from the epidemic of fever.” (Bukhari)

When the prophet joined the ansaar and muhaajir as brothers in islaam to increase the love and brotherhood between them, he did so according to the dignity of the persons on both sides. Abu Bakr was befriended with Haarithah ibn Zuhair, a nobleman of Madeenah. [usd-ul-ghaba] Muslims from various places began to settle and gather in Madinah, to practice Islam freely. Thus the idea of constructing the first Mosque came into the mind of the Prophet of Allah. The piece of land which was originally selected for this purpose belonged to 2 orphan children. Though their guardians insisted to offer this land free of cost, but the holy prophet did not like to take it free, due to it belonging to the orphans. Abu Bakr was the one who offered to pay the price for the land, so that the orphans would receive their fair due, and so the first Mosque could be constructed. [fath ul bari vol 7] Not only did he pay for the entirety of the construction, but physically assisted the building of it, even though he wasn’t young and fit like most of the other men.

Abu Bakr took part in the battle of Badr. When the Muslims became victorious and the battle was finished and cleaned up – the Prophet asked the companions what they thought should be done with the 70 or so prisoners of war (POW). Umar immediately said they shuld be killed – as was the custom in pre-Islamic Arabia. But Abu Bakr said that these people should be treated mercifully and set free after taking a set ransom from them, as these people may not also accept islam, but they are also members of their tribes. They holy prophet ordered for the opinion of Abu Bakr to be carried out. [Muslim]

He also took part in the battle of Uhud. Not only did he stand by the Prophet until the end, when many Muslims mistakenly began dispersing from their standing points, but he was part of the small group of muslims who were sent by the prophet to chase the fugitive non muslims.  After this, many battles were fought, such as the battle of Ahzaab, Bani Mustaliq, the battle against Bani Naadhir, etc. Abu Bakr fought in all the battles on the side of the Muslims.

In 6 A.H, the battle against Bani Mustaliq was fought. The Muslim army was triumphant, and after coming back from this expedition, the Muslim army encamped for one night outside of Madinah. Ayesha was also accompanying the Prophet at the time. It was here that the evil rumours spread of Ayesha having committed zina with the sahaabi Safwan ibn Mo’attal. Nemat and Mistah ibn Asasa, the servants of Abu Bakr who had been from childhood brought up by him and looked after by him, were the main instigators and spreaders of this rumour. This was no doubt a time of sadness and grieving for Abu Bakr, for his daughter’s chastity to be pointed at and doubted. Abu Bakr with utmost patience stayed quiet and talked neither to Ayesha, nor to anybody else about the rumours, and left the issue that he knew not about in the Hands of Allah. For love of his daughter he and his wife didn’t tell Ayesha what was being spread about her. And out of love for the rasoolullah, they didn’t turn defensive about Ayesha – as only Allah knew what had happened when Ayesha was left behind – and no body, not even her parents could argue her case. Thus when Allah swt stood in defense of the beloved wife of Rasoolullah, and the ayaats of her chastity were revealed, Ayesha’s status was raised in the eyes of her parents, and in the eyes of her husband, Muhammad ibn Abdullah.

At the time of the treaty of Hudaibiyah,  when the Muslims thought Uthmaan ibn Affaan [whom had been sent as their spokesperson to Makkah to the Quraysh] had been martyred, and were giving ba’yah to the prophet under the tree [Ba’et Ridhwaan], the Quraish sent Urwah ibn Mas’ud to them to negotiate. Whilst talking to the prophet of Allah, he remarked, “By Allah, I see some people amongst you that if a bad time befell upon you they will flee from you.”

Abu Bakr immediately replied, “Do you think that we can ever leave our Prophet?”

He asked who it was that had spoken. When somebody replied that it was Abu Bakr, ‘Urwah replied, “If I not been under the debt of your help sometime back, I would have insulted you in the worst manner.” [Bukhari] When the treaty of hudaybiyah was settled, it was clear that it was more in the favour of the non muslims than the muslims. On this occasion, Umar said to Abu Bakr “Why this truce with them in such an undignified manner?” At this Abu Bakr who no doubt with his close companionship with the Prophet had deeper insight than anybody else, replied “Muhammad is the Rasool of Allah, he should not disobey Him, He is always his companion and supporter.” [Bukhari]

In 7 A.H. the battle of Khaybar took place. at the beginning Abu Bakr was placed as the commander of this battle, but it was actually Ali who conquered Khaybar [Bukhari]. During the same year in the month of Sha’ban was sent to curb the Bani Kalab tribe [Zarqani vol 2]. He returned successfully from this expedition, and was then sent to deal with the Bani Fazara. He was a success yet again, and brought a lot of wealth and prisoners of war [Muslim].

The Quraish of Makkah betrayed the treaty of hudyabiyah, and so the Holy Prophet gathered an army of 10 000 Muslims, and marched towards Makkah. This occasion is called the Conquest of Makkah – that took place without any bloodshed at all. The muslims entered the city peacefully, and granted safety to all those in Makkah. Abu Bakr’s father Abu Quhaafah had been residing in Makkah for all those years without his son. Abu Bakr went to meet him and brought him to the prophet of Allah, and Abu Quhaafah accepted Islaam [Asaba-e-Tazkirah]. Before returning from Makkah, the Muslims had to fight the battle of Hunain against the Hawazan tribe. Abu Bakr fought here also, and later on the Muslims besieged Taif. Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr was injured during this siege by an arrow from Abdullah ibn Thaqafi and eventually died during the early khilaafat period of his father [Usd-ul-ghaba].

In 9 A.H. a rumour reached Madinah that the emperor of Rome was going to invade the Arabian peninsula. Because of recent continuous wars, the economic system of the Muslims at the time was very weak. Thus the prophet suggested that everyone donate money voluntarily in the name of Allah for the preparation of war against Rome. Everybody donated openly with all they had. On this occasion, Umar brought belongings from his house, and the prophet asked him what he had left for his family. He replied he had brought half of whatever was in his house and left the other half for his family. When Abu Bakr arrived, and the same question was posed to him, he replied that he had brought everything that was in his house, and had left behind Allah and His Messenger for his family [Abu Dawood]. With the money generously given, a powerful army was gathered and arms bought. The army then marched towards the border of Syria, however when the army reached Tabook, the rumour proved to be false and thus no battle was fought [Tabaqat ibn Sa’ad].

The same year in 9 A.H. the Holy Prophet appointed Abu Bakr as the leader of the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah, and the Prophet told him to announce at the great gathering at Mina that hence forth no infidel was allowed to perform Hajj, nor any naked person [Bukhari].

Many misconceptions were created later that the leadership was transferred from Abu Bakr to Ali for whatever reason – however this is not true, and Ali himself cleared up any rumours that the Prophet took back the authority from Abu Bakr and handed it to him. It was simply that whilst one was doing his appointed duty (Abu Bakr), another task came up and so the other was sent to complete that (Ali) [Fath-ul-Bari vol 8].

In 10 A.H. the Holy Prophet performed the last pilgrimage of his life, which is known as Hajja-tul-widaa (the farewell pilgrimage). Again Abu Bakr accompanied him. On his return to Madinah, the Prophet addressed the people, saying: “Allah has given his men a choice to choose between this world and the world of eternity, but the men preferred the world of eternity.”

Hearing this, Abu Bakr began to weep. The congregations were astonished as to what happened to Abu Bakr and why he was weeping [Bukhari]. But the insight and closeness Abu Bakr had, was unmatched by anybody, and he clearly understood that the ‘his men’ rasoolullah was referring to, was nobody other than the prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah himself. After this, the prophet fell sick. The illness came so fatal that after a few days he could not even stand and lead the prayers, so he asked Abu Bakr to lead the prayers on his behalf. After hearing this, Ayesha suggested that Umar be made Imaam to lead prayers, as her father was a soft hearted man and may not be able to handle the imaamat of all the people. She also told Hafsah bint Umar al Khattab about it. But the Holy prophet angrily replied, “You people seem to be the same people who wanted to cheat Prophet Yousuf” [Bukhari]. When Abu Bakr came to know of this, Umar said to him, “You deserve the most” [Bukhari]

So, from that day, Abu Bakr began leading the prayers. One day when he was, the prophet entered the mosque. Abu Bakr withdrew wishing for the Prophet to continue leading the prayers, but the Prophet ushered him to carry on leading the prayers and sat down on his right hand side and completed his prayers” [Bukhari].

On the Monday 12^th of Rabbi ul awwal, 11 A.H. was the day Muhammad ibn Abdullah breathed his last. On this day whilst Abu Bakr was leading the prayers, the prophet glanced from his room and smiled happily. Abu Bakr thought he’d like to join the prayer, and wanted to step back, but the prophet pointed and told him to continue the prayer and finish it [bukhari]. On this day, the prophet looked a lot better outwardly, and so the companions thought his condition may have improved. And so Abu Bakr asked permission from rasoolullah to visit his wife Habeebah bint Khareja bint Zuhair who lived in a place called Sakh [Bukhari]. By the time he came back, the Prophet had passed away. There was a lot of people who had gathered in front of the Mosque. Abu Bwent straight through to the room of Ayesha his daughter, kissed the prophets forehead and weeping said, “may my parents be sacrificed for you, by allah, you will not taste the death twice, the death which was unavoidable, you have tasted it today, now there would not be any more death to you.”

he covered his face with the cloth and came out of the house. Umar was shouting at the crowds and repeatedly swearing whilst crying that the prophet had not died. Abu Bakr took the other side and began his own speech, and people began to listen. He said, “Behold! If you people worshipped Muhammad, he is dead without any shadow of a doubt, and if you worshipped allah, He is alive and will never die. Allah has told us that Muhammad is a prophet, and there were many prophets who have died before him.” The speech was so heart rendering that everybody was moved and came to reality of the situation. Abdullah ibn Masud narrates that “by allah! We felt that this revelation did not exist before.” [Bukhari]

On the sad demise of the Prophet of Allah, the hypocrites immediately began to spread lies and misunderstandings amongst the Muslims. The Ansaar of Al Madinah began to gather at a place called Thaqifa Bani Sa’eda and began the discussion of the khilaafat, that was obviously now going to be needed as the leader [ameer] now that the Nabi Muhammad ibn Abdullah had passed away.  On hearing this, the muhaajir also began to gather there. Arguments arose, and the ansaar and muhaajir who had been brothers for nearly 13 years began disputing. The ansaar said the khalifah should be from amongst them, and the muhaajir said it should be amongst them. Had Umar and Abu Bakr not arrived on the scene in time, this brotherhood would have been crushed forever.  The ansaar then claimed that there should be 2 khalifahs, one from the ansaar and one from the muhaajir. It was clear that this duality could produce negative results. It seemed at this time that the khilaafat would have gone completely to ansaar, as they were the majority, however the problem would have been that none of the Arabian peninsula would have accepted it and bowed before them as they did not recognise the leadership of any tribes except for those of the muhaajirs, and primarily, the Quraish. Even amongst the ansaar there were the two tribes – Aws and Khazraj, and even they didn’t agree with each other in totality and had many differences.

Abu Bakr suggested ‘The Ameer should be from us and ministers from Ansaar.’ Hearing this Khabbab ibn al-munzar said, ‘No no, by Allah, one Ameer should be ours and one yours.’

Abu Bakr who was full of wisdom, judged the situation well and addressed the congregation with due respect and gentleness. He said, ‘Gentleman, I acknowledge your merits and meritorious services rendered by you, but the fact is that the Arabs at large will never accept any Ameer except from the Quraishites. The immigrants embraced Islaam before anybody else so they had a priority and in addition to it, they enjoyed family relationship with the Holy Prophet hence they deserve more than you people. Look here Abu Ubaida ibn Jarrah and Umar ibn Khattab are present among us. You can select any one of them and extend your hand to obey him.’

but Umar ibn Khattab stepped forward, and extended his hand to Abu Bakr saying, ‘No, we give our hand to you, because you are our Ameer, since you are the best person among all of us and you had been the dearest to the Holy Prophet.’ [Bukhari vol 1]

It was a fact, that no body was older than Abu Bakr in the congregation, and he was the most reputed and respected one. He was the closest to Muhammad from the beginning to the end of his life. Immediately the muhaajir and ansaar unanimously stood and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr there and then, recognizing him as their Ameer. Thereafter the matter of khilaafat was resolved, and the funeral ceremony of the Prophet was prepared for.

The next day, all the Muslims gathered in the Prophet’s Mosque and a pledge was given in public [general election]. Abu Bakr then delivered the following speech from the mimbar [pulpit]:O people, now it is beyond doubt that I have been elected your ameer, although I am not better than you. Help me if I am on the right track. Set me right if I do any wrong. Truth is a trust and falsehood is treason. The weak among you shall be the strong with me till Allah Willing, if his rights have been vindicated, and the strong among you shall be weak with me, if I have taken what is due from him. No nation gave up Jihad in the path of Allah but Allah abased it, and a people who indulged in acts of shamelessness are bound to be subjected to Divine Punishment. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Prophet, when I disobey Him and His Prophet then obey me not. And now rise for prayers, May Allah have mercy on you.’ The Be’at of Ali ibn Taalib. Though all the Muslims offered be’at to Abu Bakr within a matter of a few days through consensus, confusion has later been caused as to why Ali was not of those who offered be’at. 6 months went by until finally Ali offered pledge to Abu Bakr. However in the books of history it has been explained clearly why he delayed it for such a long period of time, where Ali himself explained. It is narrated by Ibn-e-Sa’ad that Muhammad ibn Sireen has reported that when be’at of Abu Bakr took place, Ali refrained from it for the time being and kept himself house bound. Abu Bakr sent him a message saying, ‘What is the matter in delaying my be’at? Don’t you accept me as Ameer?’

Ali sent a reply, ‘I do not reject your caliphate but I have taken an oath that I will not wear all my clothes except for time of prayer until I completely collect the Quran.’ [Bukhaari]

As soon as Abu Bakr took over as khalifah, he had to face innumerable problems and issues. People began claiming prophethood, others began to refuse to pay the annual zakaat, and some began rebelling against the caliphate. Above all this, there was an expedition waiting to be sent to Syria under the command of Usaama ibn Zaid that the Prophet had planned and decided. Now the issue came of what to do since the prophet had passed away? The companions suggested that the expedition be postponed due to the many other issues that had arisen of false prophets and others, however Abu Bakr said, ‘By Allah, if Madeenah becomes so empty of men that any blood thirsty animal comes to my leg, then I will not postpone this expedition.’ [Tareekh-ul-Khulafa]. Never would he think of delaying a matter that had been prioritized by the Prophet himself.

So the expedition began to Syria under the leadership of Usaama ibn Zaid, the great warrior. Abu Bakr accompanied him by foot to some distance, whilst Usaama was on a horse with his army behind him, and gave him valuable instructions. Usaama requested the khalifah to mount on the horse otherwise he too would dismount and walk alongside him. But the humble leader stated, ‘It does not matter if I take some steps for the sake of Allah, and get dirt on my feet. The Ghazis are awarded 700 virtues for each step taken for the sake of Allah Almighty.’ [Tibri]

Usaama entered Syria and returned victorious after 40 days.

False Prophets
During the lifetime of the Prophet, there appeared false prophets, and after his demise, there appeared even more.
In 10 A.H. Musailamah Kadhdhaab wrote the Prophet Muhammad, ‘I am a partner in your Prophet-hood. Half the world belongs to me, and half to you.’

The prophet replied, ‘From Muhammad the Prophet of Allah, to Musailamah the Liar. Undoubtedly the whole of this earth belongs to Allah and He gives it from among His people to those whom He desires to give and for the pious is triumph, in the end.’ [Tareekh-e-Tibri]

After the Prophet had died, more claimants appeared professing prophet hood, and began to gain power amongst the weak. Taliha ibn Khawailid professed Prophet-hood in and around his dwelling. The tribe of Banu Ghazfan was at his back, Ainiya ibn Hassan was its Chief. Similarly, Aswad Ansi claimed prophet-hood in Yemen and Musailimah ibn Habib in Yamama. The madness of this professing had gone to such an extent that soon arrived female claimants. Sajah bint harisa Tamimi declared herself as a Prophetess. Her main supporter was Ashath ibn Qais. To double her strength, Sajah married Musailamah Kadhdhaab. Abu Bakr knew he had to do something about this disease that was spreading to all parts of Arabia. The companions gathered to try curbing the situation. Abu Bakr asked for the most suitable companion who could rid of these liars. Ali was suggested, but at the time he did not want to take part in any worldly affairs.

Khalid ibn Waleed was then elected as the Commander. It was 11 A.H. when Khalid commanded this expedition along with Sabit ibn Qais Ansaari and an army of Ansaar and Muhaajir.  They first attacked the group of Taliha and killed his followers. He then captured Ainiya ibn Hassan and sent him to Madeenah along with 30 prisoners. On arrival at Madeenah however, Ainiyah accepted Islaam. Taliha managed to escape and left for Syriah, and some time later wrote a couplet of verses in an apologetic manner for his wrong doings, and embraced Islaam. [Tareekh-e-Yaqoobi]

Sharjeel ibn Hasna was sent by Abu Bakr to rid of Musailama. But before he could take action against him, Khalid ibn Walid was also assigned the job to help him. He defeated Maja’a and then had a direct encounter with Musailama himself. Musailama and his followers fought fiercely and the Muslims suffered large casualties; many of those whom were killed were Huffaz-e-Quran. However the Muslims were victorious and Musailama was killed by Wahshi. His wife Sajah who also had claimed prophet hood escaped and ran away to Basra where she died a few days later. [Tareekh-e-Yaqoobi vol 2]

Aswad Ansi had proclaimed himself a prophet during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. He was killed in a state of intoxication by Qais ibn Makshooh  and Feroze Waileme during the regime of Abu Bakr [Tareekh-e-Tibri]

Collection and Compilation of the Quran
During the battles against the claimants of Prophethood, many Muslims were martyred, including many Huffaz of the Quran especially in the battle of Yamama. Umar feared that if this carried on, portions of the Quran may be lost. He brought it to Abu Bakr that the collection and compilation of the Quran must be seriously thought about. At first Abu bakr replied ‘A task which the Prophet Muhammad did not undertake, how can I do it?’

However Umar’s persistence made Abu Bakr realize how important this task was. He therefore gave Zaid ibn Thaabit the task to collect the Quran, since he was the first ones to write down the revelations as instructed by the Prophet of Allah. At first he too hesitated. But realizing the importance of the matter, collected the various scattered portions of it, and compiled it into a form of a book. [Bukhari vol 2]

Generally the revelation of the Quran was done on the occurrence of certain occasions, and the companions used to write them down on whatever they could – bone, leather sheets, palm trees, stones, or paper if found, and used to arrange it according to the instructions of the Holy Prophet. If two surahs were revealed together, he used to have them written separately. When one surah was completed, the other started, and the prophet himself had assigned the titles of the surahs in his own lifetime. This is clear from many ahadeeth stating that the prophet recited such and such a surah. Bukhari narrates that the Prophet recited Surah Baqarah, Surah Aal-e-Imraan and Nisa many times. In fact there is no book of hadeeth that does not have a mention of Surah Faatiha and Ikhlaas. As many misconceptions have been spread that the naming and compiling of surahs were not done in the life of the Prophet, it is important to outline this point. What was done in the khalifat of Abu Bakr has been clearly explained by Haafiz ibn-e-Hajar Al Asqalaani in his book, ‘The explanation and commentary of Bukhaari’, “Allah Almighty says in the Quran, ‘Yatloo Suhofan Mutahharatan’. The Quran was of course written in chapters, but it was scattered and unarranged. Abu Bakr collected it in one volume and preserved it until Uthmaan had it copied and distributed in large numbers in different cities and countries.” [Fath-ul-Bari vol 9]

So the various scattered verses were gathered and compiled into book form by Zaid ibn Thaabit, under the orders of Abu Bakr Siddique.

The compiled book – the Quran, was kept preserved safely in the custody of Abu Bakr. Then it was kept by Umar ibn Khattab. He handed it over to his daughter Hafsah bint Umar with instructions that it should not be given to anybody. If anybody wanted to copy it or wanted to correct one’s own book, he may be allowed to benefit from it. Therefore, when Uthmaan was elected Khalifah, he requested it on loan from her and got it copied and distributed to different places. But the original volume was kept with Hafsah bint Umar. When Marwan was appointed Governor of Madeenah, he wanted to take the volume from Hafsah, but she refused to give it to him because of the amaanah with her father of the responsibility of it, and kept it with her till she passed away. On her demise, Marwan took it from Abdullah ibn Umar and destroyed it [Fath-ul-Bari vol 9]

Conquests
The Arabian peninsula shared its borders with 2 of the greatest empires of the time. On one side was Syria governed by the Romans, and on the other was Iran, governed by the Keyanis.
Both of these empires tried vigorously to capture the areas of Arabia, in particular the Keyanis. So much so, that they even succeeded in capturing parts of Arabia’s lands. During the dynasty of Shahpur ibn Asdashir, they conquered Hijaaz and Yemen. Similarly, Sabor Zil Aktaf, after conquering Hijaaz and Yemen, reached up to Al-madeenah. He was a staunch enemy of the Arabs. Whenever he captured any Arab chieftains, he brutally used to torture them by removing their shoulders from their roots. Thus he was given the name of ‘Al Aktaf’, meaning, having shoulders. [Tareekh-ul-Tawaal]

However the arabs never allowed any foreigners to fully occupy their land, and always revolted against them at the right times.
Thus although many attempts were made, no body could ever invade Arabia. Not only this, their geographical location was on their side, with huge mountainous ranges on their North, and being surrounded by water on the other 3 sides. The weather was also far too extreme for anybody who hadn’t been brought up in such a country. Thus the culture and traditions remained within the arabs without outside influence, and their ethnic purity was maintained.
On certain occasions, the arabs themselves captured Iran and founded their own states within it. Apart from the rulers of Yemen, the tribe of Mu’aadh ibn Adnan settled there permanently and ruled it. One of their rulers, Umar ibn Addi made Kheerah his capital.
No doubt they didn’t let him rule for a long time, and recaptured it. But Umar ibn Addi stayed there as a tax paying governor of their empire. Due to this, many arab tribes occasionally settled in Iran.
But the relations between the Arabs and the Iranians were very old and not so strong. In the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, the war of Zeeqar was fought between Arabs and Iranians, and the Arabs were victorious. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, ‘This is the first time Arabs have taken revenge from non-Arabs.’ [Aqd-ul-Fareed vol 3]

Similarly in 6 A.H. when the Prophet wrote letters to different kings and invited them to Islaam, the emperor Pervaiz of Iran on this very weak and grudge bearing relationship replied, ‘How can a slave of mine dare to write to me in such a manner?’ [Tibri]

The other side to the peninsula – namely the Romans, had old links with the Arabs. Many of the arab tribes such as Saleh, Jazzam, and Ghassan had settled in the border districts of Syria. Slowly they converted to Christianity and established their own states. Because of the religious affinity, they developed an fondness of the Romans. The Christians of Syria, like the pagans of Makkah, began to oppose Islam in 6 A.H. when Wahia Kalbi was returning after delivering the message of Islaam to Qaisur-e-Rome, the Syrian Arabs looted all his belongings [usd-ul-ghaba]. Similarly the ruler of Basra, Umar ibn Sharjeel killed Haris ibn Omair, the messenger of the Holy Prophet. In 8 A.H. the battle of Mo’ata was fought only to take the revenge of his assassination and in the fierce battle a lot of companions of the Prophet of Allah were martyred. [Tabaqat ibn-e-Sa’ad & Maghazi]

In 9 A.H. the rumour spread of the Romans attacking Arabia. The Muslims were fearful as their economic system was weak, and the roman army was indeed to be large. However this rumour was but a rumour.

So in 11 A.H. the Prophet appointed Usaamah ibn Zaid as the commander of battalion to invade Syria, before their army would invade the Muslims. Unfortunately before the army marched forward, the Prophet passed away. It was Abu Bakr who then ordered Usaama to march forth.

The Iran expeditionIran was in chaos. It had lost its previous strength and greatness; Yazd Gard the emperor of Iran was under-age and a woman namely Puraan Dakht was ruling in his name. The arab tribes of Iran who had suffered a lot from the reckless behaviour of the Iranian authorities were simply waiting for an opportunity. They found their time and revolted against the government. Two chieftains of Wayal tribe, Muthna Shebani and Swaid Ajli gathered small bands and started destruction and ravaged around Wahla.

Muthna who had already embraced Islaam felt that he alone could not face this great empire. He presented himself to the Ameer Abu Bakr for permission to invade Iran. He along with his entire tribesmen attacked Iran and entered its borders. By this time, Khalid ibn Waleed had completed his task to destroy the claimants of prophet-hood, and so Abu Bakr re-directed him as reinforcement to Muthna. Upon arrival of the great Khalid ibn Walid, the war position completely changed. Conquering Banqia and Kaskar, and other places, he entered the borders of the non-Arab kingdoms. Here he defeated the emperor of Jordan and engaged in war with Noman, the King of Hayra. Noman was defeated and ran to Median. From here, Khalid marched to Khorlak but the inhabitants requested for the truce and offered the army 100,000 dirhams. All in all, he ended up conquering the entire Hayra [Tareekh-e-Yaqoobi vol 2]

SyriaThe expedition of Iran was yet on going and in progress, but a war erupted during this time on the Syrian front. In 13 A.H. Abu Bakr assembled the companions and consulted them. It was decided that attack on Syria must be forged from different directions and instead of having one front, the attention of the enemies should be diverted and divided onto different fronts. Thus Abu Bakr cleverly appointed different commanders to command the different armies. Abu Ubaida was given the Humas front, Yazeed ibn Abi Sufyan was given Damascus, Sharjeel ibn Hasna was given Jordan, and Amr ibn Al-‘Aas was given the Palestine front. The total number of Mujahideen numbered 27,000. The Qaisar-e-Rome had already made a counter strategy and appointed different commanders to face the different Muslim armies accordingly. The Mujahideen realizing the changes gathered their army at one place and informed Abu Bakr. They told him the opposing army was of a massive number and requested him to send any reinforcements. However there was no army available in the city of Madeenah. So, Abu Bakr wrote to Khalid ibn Waleed that he should leave Iran, and proceed with his army towards the Syrian battlefield, handing over his present command to Muthna. Immediately on receiving the order he did accordingly, and marched with his army to Syria to join his brothers in the Syrian battlefield [Tareekh-e-Tibri]

On his way there, Khalid ibn Waleed had to face many small battles.  But as soon as he left the borders of Hayra and entered Ain-ul-Tamar, he found the emperor Kisra himself, ready for a fight with his large army. Uqba ibn Abi Hilal was the commander-in-chief of his army. Khalid ibn Waleed killed Uqba, and his army over-powered them. He marched on ahead, but Huzail ibn Imran with a band of army men tried to engage him in battle again. Huzail was killed and many of his tribesmen were taken as prisoners and sent to Madinah. Khalid then led his army further on and reached Anbar, they crossed the desert of Anbar and camped at Tadmir. The people of Tadmir besieged themselves in a fort and continued fighting but didn’t last long and surrendered. From there they rode to Horaan where they had a fierce fight with the opposing army. But that too was conquered, and from there he went straight to join the awaiting Muslim army. The combined and united army of Muslims marched forward upon their arrival, and captured Basra, Fahal and Ajnadain. The battle of Ajnadain was a very fierce and huge battle where a lot of Muslims were killed. However in the end they were victorious. In the month of Jamadi-ul-Awwal, 13 A.H., Ajnadain finally fell into the hands of the Muslims.

[Tareekh-e-Yaqoobi vol 2]

From Ajnadain, the Muslim army moved to Damasucs and put it under siege. But before this city was captured, Abu Bakr passed away.

Apart from the two huge conquests of iran and Syria, Abu Bakr sent Uthmaan ibn abi al-‘aas to Towj, who conquered it as well as the vicinities of Makran. Similarly A’la ibn Hazrami was appointed to capture Zarra. Not only did he conquer it, but gained so much wealth from the area that when it reached Madinah, Abu Bakr was in a position to distribute one dinar to every man, woman and slave residing in Madeenah Munawwara. [Tareekh-e-Yaqoobi vol 2]

Abu Bakr in totality was the khalifah for approximately 2 years and 3 months. In this period he annihilated the false liars who claimed prophet-hood, those who refused to pay zakaat, and began the mission to spread Islam to al corners of the world. One day when it was very cold he took a bath and perchance fell ill due to this. He had a very high fever and this remained for almost 15 days. During this period he became so weak he couldn’t even travel to the mosque for prayers. Thus Umar ibn al Khattab was told to lead the prayers. As his sickness increased and he knew that his decreed time for death was drawing close, he gathered the companions and brought up the issue of the next khalifah. He suggested the name of Umar ibn al Khattab. Abdur-rahman ibn ‘Auf said, ‘there is no doubt about the abilities of umar, he deserves the most, but he is violent in nature.’ Uthmaan said, ‘umar is better internally than outwardly.’ Some companions hesitated about the idea of Umar being caliph due to him being considered harsh and of a violent nature. But Abu Bakr knew Umar like no other, and replied, ‘when he will feel the responsibilities of caliphate, he will become a soft man.’ Yet another companion said, ‘knowingly that he has a fierce nature and still you are nominating him as caliph, think it over please, since you have to answer about this decision to Allah Almighty as well.’ To this he replied, ‘I will humbly submit to Allah that I selected the best person amongst you.’

everybody was satisfied with the selection, and all doubts were cast aside. Thus Uthmaan was told to write the charter of khilaafat and to write the name of Umar. This was then given to his slave to read aloud to the public of Madeenah. He himself went to the upper most storey of his home, and addressed the people ‘Look, I have not selected my brother or my relative to the high post, but have nominated the one who is the best among you.’

the public were pleased with the choice, and so Abu Bakr called for Umar, and presented before him valuable advice for his role as Khalifah. [Tabaqat ibne Sa’ad vol 3]

After handling the future of his people, Abu Bakr then turned to his own family. He had given one of his land properties to Ayesha which was situated in Madeenah or probably near Bahrain. Out of the love and care of feelings he had in his heart for others he asked Ayesha, ‘O my beloved daughter, during my days good and bad you had been very dear to me, but the property I have given you I hope that you would share it with your brothers and sisters.’ [tabaqat ibne sa’ad vol 3]

He then as stated in his last will, asked her to clear all outstanding debts of his from the bait-ul-maal.  He said, “Ever since I have taken the burden of Khilaafat, I have been taking to very simple and cheap food and wearing coarse clothing. From the accounts of bait ul maal, I have taken this ragged cloth, one camel, and a slave. Please after my death, return all these things to umar so that I do not feel any liability.” [tabaqat ibne sa’ad]

Ayesha also narrates that he told her to search the house after him, and if she could find anything lying around in his house, she should return it to the state. But when she searched she found nothing of the sort, his house was empty. [Tabqat ibne Sa’ad Vol 3 ]

he also instructed her for him to be buried in the same clothes he’d be wearing when he died. Ayesha replied that the clothes were very old, and those for the dead person should be new. But he replied, ‘the living persons had this right of wearing new clothes than the dead ones, for me, these old and tattered ones are enough.’

He then asked what day it was, and was told it was Tuesday. He then asked what day it was the prophet had died, and was told it was also a Tuesday. He said that he too would like to die on this day, and so his desire was fulfilled. His soul was lifted on Tuesday Jamadi ul Awwal 13 A.H at the age of 63. [Tabaqat ibne Sa’ad]

His wife Asma bint Omais performed the bath. Umar led the funeral prayer. Uthmaan, Talha, Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakr and Umar lowered his body into the grave. In this manner, the closest companion of the Prophet was laid to rest on the right hand side of the Prophet of Allah. May we be raised with such a great personality on the Day of Judgment.

Achievements
Looking into the life of Abu Bakr, it would seem as though after the Prophet Muhammad’s demise, he was the one who brought Islaam back to life. According to Tibri, the entire Arabian Peninsula revolted against the Islamic government and began returning to ignorance and vices except for the tribes of Thaqeef and Quraish. People began claiming Prophet-hood even more, people began fighting amongst each other, lies were spread about caliphate, people began to refuse to pay the obligatory zakaat, threats were made to the Muslims by the Romans and Iranians. But the likes of Abu Bakr were the ones who stood upright and held on to the teachings of the beloved Prophet Muhammad. With their wisdom, courage and steadfastness, they stood up to the falsehood that began spreading, and re instilled the spark of Islaam into so many hearts that could have deviated.

Abu Bakr laid the foundations for expeditions, for a political system, for khilaafat, for the removal of falsehood and the installment of truth.

His own election was based on systemization, on a public election and public consent. On all major issues he consulted the major companions who knew the Deen of Allah well, who had wisdom and insight into the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abdullah. The Prophet during his final year when he prepared Usaama for the expedition into Syria, nominated Umar ibn al Khattab to accompany Usaama. But the Prophet passed away before the expedition happened and so, Abu Bakr convinced Usaama that Umar was needed more in Madeenah and should leave without him, as Umar was required for consultations and any problems which may arise. [Tabaqat ibne Sa’ad, Maghazi]

When the question of the expedition arose, Abu Bakr put this matter to the companions. Most of them were hesitant to involve the Muslims into something so dangerous, but Ali proved it was necessary, the companions and agreed, and so Abu Bakr ordered for it to be carried out. [tareekh-e-Yaqoobi vol 2 page 149]

Similarly, when people began refusing to pay zakaat and Abu Bakr wanted to wage Jihad against those who refused, he first consulted the honourable companions on what they thought. However, although Abu Bakr consulted a group of companions, the actual setting up of a shoorah council system was established properly at the caliphate of Umar. But Abu Bakr was the one who initiated and laid the foundations for it.

Ibn sa’ad beautifully states, ‘when Abu Bakr Siddique had to face any tough task, he consulted the intelligent and theologians amongst the muhaajir and ansaar, such as umar, uthmaan, ali, abdur-rahman ibn auf, mu’aadh ibn jabal, ali ibn ka’ab and zaid ibn thaabit. All these persons were also allowed to issue the judicial decree.’ [Tabaqat ibn sa’ad vol 2, page 109]

Administration of the country
after the system of government was established, Abu Bakr began creating the principles on how to administrate the country. The new conquests had only just begun into other countries, and so he decided the Islamic government should be considered as within the boundaries of the Arabian Peninsula. He divided the Peninsula into different districts and provinces:
1. Madinah
2. Makkah
3. Taif
4. Sana
5. Najran
6. Hadhr-a-Mawt
7. Bahrain
8. Domat-ul-Jandal [Tareekh-e-Tibri page 2136]

Each province had its own governor who was the head of and managed the general affairs of that province. And within each provincial area, there were many heads of the various departments. For example, Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah before becoming the commander-in-chief of Syria was the chief collector of revenue of that province. Umar ibn al-Khattab was appointed as Chief Justice and Uthmaan ibn al-Affaan and Zaid ibn Thaabit were the executives. [Tareekh-e-tibri page 2135]

while appointing governors and heads of departments, he gave preference to those who during the lifetime of the prophet had an experience of similar posts. He also gave posts to people in provinces or areas that they may already have served in. for example, during the lifetime of the prophet, Attab ibn Asayed was the governor of Makkah; for Taif, Uthmaan ibn Abi Al-A’as; for Sana, Muhaajir ibn Omayya; for Hadhr-a-Mawt, Ziad ibn Labeed and for Bahrain, A’la ibn Hazrami were already assigned posts of Governors, and so Abu Bakr ordered them to continue their duties in that very position. [Tareekh-e-tibri page 2083]

Whenever Abu Bakr appointed any person in any respective and important position, he sternly used to inform him of his duties in detail. For example when he appointed Amr ibn Al-A’as and Walid ibn Uqba as revenue collectors for the tribe of Qaza’a, he instructed them:
’whether you are in public or private, beware of the wrath of allah almighty. One who fears Allah, He makes such an arrangement for his livelihood that none can imagine. One who fears Allah, He forgives his sins and doubles the reward. Helping the human being is the best piety. You are following such a path that is shown by Allah, in such a way where there is no excesses and deficiencies. There’s no room for any negligence in the matters of faigth and strengthening of khilaafat. Therefore, never let the lustfulness and negligence come near to you.’

Similarly, when Yazeed ibn Sufyaan was assigned the governor of Syria, abu bakr said to him,
’O Yazeed! You had relatives there, may be you will try to benefit them. In fact this is the only danger that I am afraid of. The Prophet has said that whosoever becomes the ameer of the muslim’s, he should not give any concessions to anyone. If he does so, he will have the curses from Allah and Allah will not accept any of his sacrifices and apologies, and he will enter Hell.’ [musnad, Volume 1, page 6]

In day to day and general matters, Abu Bakr was known for his soft heartedness and weak emotions, but in matters of administration and systemization Abu Bakr was stern and critical; in matters where he was to be held responsible in front of Allah Almighty of those who were under his charge, he paid great attention and never let matters slip easily.

during the war of Yamama, the commander-in-chief of Musailamah Kadhdhab, the false claimant of prophet-hood, dodged Khalid ibn Waleed and successfully saved the lives of the followers of Musailamah. Khalid ibn Waleed instead of giving him a punishment, married his daughter. Since a lot of the Muslims had been martyred in this war, Abu Bakr was extremely angry with what Khalid had done. He wrote a letter to him saying, ‘Ropes of your tent were stained with the blood of Muslims, and you were busy in the enjoyments inside it.’ [Yaqoobi, vol 4, page 148]

Maalik ibn Nuwayrah refused to pay zakaat, and Khalid ibn Waleed was appointed to punish him but killed him in due process. People criticized him for doing so, saying that Khaalid dismissed that Maalik prayed and was a Muslim. Ibn Hajar said in al-Isaabah (5/755): His brother Mutammim came to Abu Bakr and eulogized his brother and urged him to pay the diyah and return the prisoners, so Abu Bakr set the prisoners free. Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkaar said that Abu Bakr ordered Khaalid to divorce the wife of Maalik, and ‘Umar rebuked Khaalid sternly about the case of Maalik, but Abu Bakr pardoned him. End quote. Because Maalik ibn Nuwayrah was one of the leaders and nobles of his people, and his stance was not clear at the beginning, his brother Mutammim ibn Nuwayrah complained to Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) about what Khaalid had done, and he rebuked Khaalid and said that he had erred by rushing to kill Maalik ibn Nuwayrah before referring the matter to Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq and the senior Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them).  

However Abu Bakr with is wisdom saw the issue at hand, and did not punish Khaalid for it.
(See the full story about Khaalid ibn Waleed and Maalik ibn Nuwayrah)

Judicial system
Once during the time of the Prophet Muhammad, a man from the Aslam tribe came to him and confessed his sin of adultery. The prophet asked him if he had told anybody else, and he replied he had not. The prophet told him, ‘You should renounce it and keep it as a secret, Allah will also keep it a secret because He accepts it if any of His slaves repents on his sin.’
This man could have been saved from stoning, as is the punishment prescribed for adultery, but out of guilt he insisted 4 times on his crime, and eventually the Prophet ordered for the stoning to take place. [Abu Dawood]

Once during his caliphate, ash’ath ibn qais who once claimed prophet-hood was brought before him as a prisoner. Ash’ath apologized for the problems he had caused and embraced Islaam. not only did abu bakr mercifully forgive him, but also gave him the hand of his sister, Umme-Fareedah. [Aal-Targheeb Wal-Tarheeb vol 3]

In terms of safety and security, it was Umar ibn al khattab who began and implemented a proper department of police and justice for the security of the people. But Abu Bakr initiated the act and appointed Abdullah ibn Mas’ood as the chief of watch and ward and constitutionally specified punishments against certain crimes. For example, the conduct of the prophet Muhammad was different for people who had committed the crime of drinking alcohol since no punishment is specified for this in the Quran. But abu bakr penalized the law of punishment to this act, and set 40 lashes to the one who drank. [Musnad ibne-hanbal vol1]

During the regime of abu bakr, some new crimes were witnessed. For example, khalid ibn waleed once wrote to abu bakr, asking him for his advice on the punishment for a person who commits the crime of illat-e-ubna. This was a new crime to the arabs, and so abu bakr gathered prominent companions and asked them their opinion. Ali suggested that such a person should be burnt alive, and all others present consented to it. [Yaqoobi, vol 2 page 149]

Once abu bakr came to know that muhajir ibn omayya, the governor of yamama gave a punishment of cutting the hands of 2 women who sang songs of ridicule about the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims. He was very annoyed with what Muhajir had done, and wrote him a letter saying, ‘No doubt that degradation of the Prophet is a big crime and had you not hastened to punish them I would have awarded them a death penalty, because if they had converted to Islam and after that abused the Prophet, they would have turned apostate, and if they were non Muslims and paying the tax [jizyah], they betrayed their promise. But the one who only called bad names to Muslims, she should not have been awarded any punishment as if she had been an ordinary Muslim woman. She should only have been given a warning, and if she was a non-Muslim tax payer, I would have ignored her being an infidel, which is not a great crime. She should not have a punishment for simply mocking Islaam. since it is your first mistake, I forego it, otherwise you must have been taken to task. Look, beware of crossing the laws of Islam, it is a crime which creates hatred.” [Tareekh-e-Khulafa]

Revenue System

During the lifetime of the prophet muhammad, there was no regular revenue department. Whenever any money was received from any source, it was immediately distributed. During the caliphate of abu bakr, the same system and method was carried on. Accordingly, he distributed in his first year of caliphate 10 dinar to every slave, man and woman, and all the free citizens of madinah. In the second year, there was more income and he paid everyone 20 dinaars. A person raised an objection why everybody had been treated equally [as in slaves and free men/women]. Abu bakr replied, ‘Virtues and high post does not match with low or high yearning of food.’ [Tabaqat ibne Sa’ad vol 3]

However near to the end of his caliphate, he developed an independent departmental system for revenue collection, similar to a treasury. But it never happened that a large amount was deposited, as his caliphate was merely 2 and a half years. Again, he had laid the foundations for the Muslims after him to take up and expand. Once somebody asked him, ‘O Ameer, why don’t you have a security guard for the bait-ul-maal [treasury]. He replied, ‘one lock is enough for it.’ [tabaqat ibne sa’ad]. This was because again, there was no large amount ever deposited in it during his time, and therefore full security measures were never needed for it. After abu bakr passed away, umar in the company of abdur-rahmaan ibn auf, uthmaan and other companions visited Sakh to inspect the bait-ul-maal. They found only 1 dinaar in it. The people present there exclaimed in shock, ‘may allah bless abu bakr, how is it like that?’ [i.e. only one dinaar in the public treasury]. They summoned the in-charge treasurer and asked him how much money had been poured in there since it was started. He replied, ‘200,000 dinaars.’ [Tabqat ibne Sa’ad vol 3]. In other words, every time something entered the bait ul maal, abu bakr would distribute it to the citizens and slaves of madeenah.

War strategies
During the lifetime of the Prophet of Allah, there was no fixed army for expeditions or wars. Whenever a battle was going to be fought, people voluntarily gathered to fight for the sake of Allah swt. Similarly, during the time of abu bakr, it was the same. However he introduced a few changes: before the army was dispatched, he used to form different battalions, and separate battalion commanders were appointed. For example when the army was dispatched to Syria, the adopted strategy was that on national level they were one army, but every tribe had its own banner, and his own tribesmen under their leaders command. The new post of commander-in-chief was created by abu bakr for the first time. The first commander-in-chief for the muslim army was khalid ibn waleed. [fatooh-ul-buldaan page 115] The benefits of dividing the army in such a way were many. One was that the mujahideen could fight a much larger roman army in a better way. Khalid ibn waleed used the method of giving specific responsibility to different battalion commanders at a different moment in time and different direction. In this way, the army was saved from problems and indiscipline. [Tareekh-e-tibri]

When a war was fought at the time of the prophet and the 4 khaleefah’s after him, it was in the name of allah and to promote the cause of Islaam. Therefore the army was mould in such a way morally, that they were unmatched. Whenever an army was dispatched, abu bakr always walked alongside them on foot to some distance, giving them instructions and orders on the way.

When the expedition was sent to Syria, he gave the commander the following instructions, ‘you will find a nation who has reserved herself for the prayer of god, leave it. I give you 10 instructions, 1. never kill a woman 2. never kill a child 3. never kill an old man 4. don’t cut the tree which bears fruit 5. don’t annihilate a populace place 6. don’t kill a goat 7. don’t kill a camel except for eating purposes 8. don’t put any oasis on fire 9. don’t embezzle any riches collected after the holy war 10. don’t ever be a coward. [Tareekh-ul-khulfa page 96]

Abu bakr had allocated a separate amount to purchase war materials through money which poured into the capital through various sources. He even spent the money which was supposed to be the share of allah, the holy prophet and his family members on the purchase of war materials, as this is how the prophet of allah had spent it. [Kitab ul khiraj page 12]

a special grazing field was fixed to rear the camels and hoses at baqih where 1000’s of animals were reared. There was another grazing field at rabza where the animals of sacrifice were kept. [kanz-ul-ummal vol 3 page 132] According to one report, abu bakr had collected 500 ahadeeth, but before his death destroyed them. However Allama Dhahaabi has proved this statement as wrongly attributed to him and incorrect. Nevertheless, abu bakr was very careful about narrations or attributing things to the messenger of allah and the deen of allah. He once assembled the companions and said, ‘you people narrate such ahadeeth in which you yourself differ with each other. The people who will come after you will find much more differences, so do not narrate the hadeeth of the prophet. if anyone asks about it, tell him that we have a book [Quran], and of what Quran says lawful is lawful, and about which things quran says is unlawful, they are unlawful.” It does not mean he closed the door for narrating hadeeth. It simply shows how careful and conscience he was of narrating things and incorrectly attributing such statements to the prophet of allah.

Once a problem of the heritage was asked, about how much share a grandmother should get from the heritage. The Quran does not elaborate this matter, so he asked how the prophet had tackled such a problem. Moghaira ibn Sho’aba was present and said in such a case that the Prophet Muhammad had given the grandmother one sixth of the share. To be more careful, he asked moghaira if he could produce another witness to certify this. Muhammad ibn musailama stood up from the companions and verified it [tazkira tul huffaaz vol 3 page 3]

It is necessary for every Muslim to know the authenticity of hadeeth before narrating them to others. However this does not mean we question all the hadeeth we hear and criticize them, but instead it should encourage us to find out of their authenticity and its correctness in wording, before blindly passing on to others.

Department of Justice
Abu Bakr developed his department of law, justice and jurisprudence to carry out research and critical approach to related problems for the benefit of the public. He appointed those people who he considered having the best knowledge of the subject, and were very honourable and respected, to issue a decree [law]. Nobody else was allowed to issue except for these people. They were:

1.     Umar

2.      Uthmaan

3.     Ali

4.     Abdur-rahmaan ibn auf

5.     u’aadh ibn jabal

6.       Ali ibn Ka’ab

7.        Zaid ibn Thaabit

And Umar also followed this example during his caliphate.

During the khilaafat of Abu Bakr, the entire tribe of bani wayel who were Christians and infidels embraced islaam through the efforts of mathna ibn haritha. Similarly many tribes who had settled in and around iran and Syria embraced islaam through the efforts of khaalid ibn waleed. The Christian monk of Hayra also embraced Islaam. ash’ath of yemen and his companions again joined the folds of islam. Taliha who also claimed prophet-hood ran away to Syria during the attacks of Khalid ibn Waleed and also embraced Islam. He wrote the following verses of poetry: ‘Would Abu Bakr like it if I came back, and can the sins I have committed by my hands be pardoned? After seduction, I now stand witness to the truth, and I will not back out.’ On receiving these verses, Abu Bakr forgave him and allowed him safe passage back into madeenah. But before Taliha reached Madeenah, Abu Bakr had already passed away.

When riches began to pour into Madeenah from the war in Bahrain, Abu Bakr made an announcement that if the prophet Muhammad had owed anything to anybody, then he should take it from Abu Bakr now. Jabar told Abu Bakr that the prophet had promised to give him the money as much as a ful hand take for 3 times. Abu Bakr gave it to him exact in the same manner. [tabaqt ibne sa’ad vol 3 page 151]. Moreover on the information of Abu bashir, he gave him 1400 dirhams. [tabaqat ibne sa’ad]

some misunderstandings did develop after the prophet’s death regarding the property of bagh-e-fidk and one fifth share of ahle be’at between Faatimah and other relatives of the Prophet. however Abu Bakr pacified all grievances before his death. [sada al-ghaya]

He always cared about the family members the prophet left behind, and looked after the wives of the prophet with all due respect and love. Ikrimah ibn abi jahl married one of the wives of the Prophet, Qatila bint Qais. He wished that both of them should be burnt alive. But Umar stopped him and said they had simply had a wedding contract, but she could not join a wedlock and never entered the haram, hence she could not be considered one of the ummahaatul momineen [Sada al Ghaya]

The holy prophet usually visited Umm Aiman. Abu Bakr followed this example and also often visited Umm Aiman. Similarly, the holy prophet had freed a slave called sunder, and in his will referred that every Muslim should give him proper respect. Abu Bakr fixed for him a permanent pension that he went on receiving, till his last days. [tazkara momineen]

When the prophet Muhammad had given protection to the minorities even in the territories conquered and ruled by the Muslims. Abu Bakr carried on this manner of giving the minorities their rights. When the treaty was signed with the residents of Hayra, it included, ‘their prayer houses and churches will not be demolished nor their such places will be destroyed where they can get a shelter at the time of an invasion of their enemy. No restriction will be imposed on ringing the bells on religious occasions. They will not be stopped to bring out their altar on the days of their religious festivals.’ [kitaab-ul-kheraj]

During the leadership of Abu Bakr, the rate of tax to the minorities was very nominal, only those people were asked to pay who could afford to do so. Thus 1000 persons of Hayra out of a total 7000 were required to pay the tax. The rest of them were required to pay a nominal 10 dirhams per year. Part of the agreement was also that if anybody became too old, poor or disabled, he would not be asked to pay anything, rather he would be sponsored by the bait ul maal [kitaab-ul-kheraj].

His character was such that upon occasion he was with the Prophet discussing matters in his home. That day he had already invited three companions for dinner at his house, but due to having to go to the house of the prophet for important discussion, he returned home late. He had told his son abdur-rahmaan to serve the guests before he returned. When abdur-rahmaan asked them, they refused to eat until the host was present. When Abu Bakr returned he saw that the guests had not eaten anything. He was extremely angry with his son as to why he had not served them even though he was not present, and said, ‘by Allah! I will not give him anything to eat tonight!” fearing his father, Abdur-rahmaan hid himself from his father, and then told him that he asked them to eat but had refused. His guests confirmed this, and said, ‘by allah if you do not allowed Abdur-rahmaan to eat, we will also not eat anything.’ Abdur-rahmaan narrates, that on that night they had such a blessing of Allah that despite they’re eating to their fill, their food was not falling short hence they some sort of it to the prophet as well. [Bukhari]

Was the family of Abu Bakr not indeed great? It was Abu Bakr himself who was given the honour of accompanying the prophet on the most difficult journey of his life. It was his son Abdullah who gave them news in the cave. It was his slave Amir ibn Fahira who grazed his sheep around the cave to cover the tracks of Abdullah, it was his daughter Asma who gave them food in the cave and it was his daughter Ayesha who was the most beloved of wives to the prophet of Allah. It was their household the Prophet of Allah visited twice a day.  It was about Abu Bakr that the Prophet of Allah said, ‘as far as my economic help and my companionship is concerned, Abu Bakr excels everybody else. If I would have been allowed to make a friend of mine other than Allah Almighty, it would have been Abu Bakr. But the love for Islamic brotherhood is of course superior to it.’ [Bukhari]

later on, he ordered that all the doors of the houses that opened in the courtyard of the Mosque in Madeenah be closed down except the door of Abu Bakr [Bukhari]. Similarly once Amir ibn al-A’as asked the prophet of Allah, ‘amongst the men whom do you love the most?’ he replied, ‘Abu Bakr’. [Bukhari].  It was Abu Bakr who could keep the prophet smiling. Upon occasion when Ali decided to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl, the prophet was very angry with him. But when he saw Abu Bakr, his mood immediately changed. Similarly one day the prophet of Allah kept quiet for a whole day, and none dared to ask him what was wrong.

It was Abu Bakr who was suggested to ask the prophet of Allah what was wrong, and when he did ask, the prophet said, ‘I have been given all the information today about what will happen in this world and the world hereafter.’ He then told the congregation about everything in detail.

He kept even the most ordinary secrets of the people that nobody would have even thought twice about him knowing about a matter. For example, when Umar offered his daughter Hafsah’s hand in marriage to Abu Bakr and Uthmaan, they both remained quiet as though they were not pleased with accepting the proposal. Despite Umar being extremely saddened at this, they did not say what the prophet had confided with them. Later on, Abu Bakr approached Umar, and said, ‘I knew that the Prophet of Allah was going to accept the proposal, but I was not in a position to open this secret before time.’ [Bukhari]. The only reason he and Uthmaan remained silent was because the prophet had told them he was intending on proposing to Hafsah. But this news that would have overjoyed Umar, they did not reveal.

It was this sincere and honest character that made him such a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
The Prophet himself had awarded him a property situated at Khaybar. He also had some properties within the vicinity of Madinah, Bahrain and other places. [Tabaqat ibne sa’ad vol3]

He was eloquent and an excellent orator, though he had no formal education. He had excellent qualities and a remarkable nature, that was influenced greatly by his close friend, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. His power of speech and wisdom is clear by the incident at Banu Thaqifa, where he reapplied the concept of brotherhood to the Ansaaar and Muhaajir who almost lost it.

He once gave a speech where he said, ‘where are those young, bright and beautiful faces that allured the people? Where are those kings and emperors who built great cities and fortified them? Where are those brave and courageous warriors? The turn of time has rendered all of them low and powerless, their limbs have been broken and they are lying in the darkness of their graves.’ [Tareekh-e-khulafa]

He excelled in having knowledge of genealogy – a matter which was at the time greatly admired and awed at. Zubair ibn mut’am who was considered as one of the greatest genealogists amongst the companions said that he had learnt the art from Abu Bakr, who was the greatest master of it throughout Arabia [Tareekh-e-khulafa]

Once the prophet of Allah told the poet hassan ibn thaabit, ‘Go to Abu Bakr and learnt he knowledge of genealogy from him because he has no match in this field throughout Arabia.’ [istiyab vol 3]

he was also gifted by Allah in having the ability to interpret dreams. Many a time the companions approached him to ask him the interpretation of their dreams. For example Khalid ibn Saeed before coming to Islaam had a dream that his father was putting him into a great fire, and the Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah passed nearby and held him from his waist, drew back and saved his life. Abu Bakr told him, ‘you have been instructed through this dream that you should accept the truth of Islaam, and it is your father who is compelling you to remain an infidel. But should you obey the orders of the prophet Muhammad, you will be in benefit.’ [Mustadrak-e-haakim vol3]

His daughter Ayesha had a dream before the demise of the Prophet that three moons had descended into her room. She told it to her father who remained quiet. When the prophet passed away and was buried in her room, he told her ‘Look Ayesha! This is the first and the most important moon of your room.’ [Muwatta imam Maalik] Upon occasion abu bakr asked the prophet about the following verse:
’Not your desires nor those of the people of the Book [can prevail], whoever works evil will be requited accordingly.’ Surah Nisa V 123

Abu bakr asked, ‘shall we really be avenged for our sins?’
the prophet replied, ‘ May Allah forgive you abu bakr, don’t you ever fall sick? Don’t you ever feel grieved? And don’t you ever get troubled due to some problem?’ Abu bakr replied, ‘yes all these things do happen to everybody.’
’All this is a type of revenge’ [as mentioned in the verse] the prophet replied. [ibne jareer tibri vol 5]

once he asked in a public gathering, ‘You people might be reading this verse of the Quran: ‘O you who believe! Guard your own soul, if you follow [right] guidance, no hurt can come to you.’ [surah maaidah v 105]

But I have heard from the prophet of allah that when the people see that some unsuitable work is going on and they do not make any effort to stop it, the punishments from Allah befall on everybody. Don’t consider that this verse means that only the wrong doers will be punished.” [Ibne Jareer vol 7 page 90]

His insight and knowledge of the Quran and the verses of Allah swt were clearly manifest at the time of the Prophet’s death, when he publicly immediately announced the verse of the Quran, ‘Muhammad is no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. If he died or were slain, will you then back on your heels?’ [Surah aale-imraaan 144]

An issue that came up at the time of Abu Bakr that he cleverly solved by his knowledge of the Quran, was when the question came up of the share of heritage to a grandfather. The question was, if somebody dies and leaves behind a grandmother/grandfather, a brother and a sister, and there is no will of his/her, who will inherit his property, the grandfather or the grandmother, the brother or the sister?

Abu Bakr and 14 of the sahaabah including Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abu Musa Ash’ari, held the opinion that the grandfather may be considered as the father, and the brother and the sister may be considered as the indirect heirs. But the large number of companions considered the brother and the sister as the direct heirs. This difference was actually based on the Arabic word ‘Kalaalah’ in the verse of the Quran, “They ask you for a legal decision, say, Allah directs [thus] about those who leave no descendants or ascendants as heirs. If it is a man that dies leaving a sister but no child, she shall have half the inheritance.” [Surah Nisa 176]

In this verse father is not specified, however everyone agreed that ‘kalaalah’ means the absence of the father. However abu bakr spoke out and said that the grandfather should also be ignored and in its support he quoted another verse from the Quran, “and if a man or a woman has a distant heir [having left neither parent nor child], and he [or she] has a brother or sister [only on the mother’s side] then to each [the brother and the sister] of them got the sixth.” [Surah Nisa 12]

in this verse, cousin sisters and brothers are discussed. It clearly means that no direct heir of deceased is there. If the grandfather/grandmother of the deceased is alive, he would not be considered as kalaalah, and stepbrothers would not be considered as heirs. So, on the basis of this verse, the definition of kalaalah must be observed accordingly and a difference in the meaning must not unnecessarily be created [Bukhari]

Since abu bakr lived only 2 years and 3 months  after the prophet, very few ahadeeth are narrated by him. However his knowledge of the prophet and what he did and said [ahadeeth] – he had plenty of knowledge about. This is clear from the way he led the muslims during his khilaafat, systemized the community, implemented the laws that were in accordance of the Prophet and Allah, and advised the Muslims and leaders on a regular basis.

This includes upon the time of the death of the Prophet when there was a dispute of where he should be buried. Immediately abu bakr said, ‘I had heard from the prophet of allah that he burial place of a prophet is the place where he takes his last breath.’ [Muwatta imaam maalik page 20]

it is stated in musnad darimi:‘Whenever any case of dispute was put before abu bakr, first of all he would take guidance from the quraan. If he found the related matter in it, he gave his decision strictly in accordance with it. If he did not find such a case, there he would benefit from the hadeeth. And if he did not find such a thing in the hadeeth, he consulted the Muslims.’  This is a great statement, as the scholars who came after him followed the same suit, and so we have ‘ijmaa [consensus of the scholars], and qiyaas [analogy] which are and always have been used to decide on matters not directly implied in the quran and the hadeeth.

It is related in tabaqat ibne sa’ad, vol3, “if I indulge in putting my remarks in imaginary questions, there would not be an earth which would carry the burden of weight and there would be no sky which will provide me shade.’

Ibn Sireen says that abu bakr was very much afraid of giving his opinion about the unknwn religious questions. But he did use his perception when it was unavoidable.

Before Islaam
once during jaahiliyyah, he was traveling to an unknown place. His guide took him through a place and said, ‘in this place such treacherous and shameless people are living that a person is ashamed of passing through it.’ Abu bakr immediately stopped him and said, ‘I cannot go through such a shameful place’. [kanz-ul-ummal vol 6 page 132]

Once his slave brought him something to eat and he ate it. Later his slave told him how he got that food. He said “once during the period of ignorance, I foretold a person about his fortune, but actually I did not know this art, but it proved true to him. I had just cheated him, but today he met me and presented these meals.” On hearing this, he vomited all he had eaten and said, “whosoever eats anything earned lawfully, hell is his place.” [Bukhari]

one day in the house of Ayesha two girls were singing a song of a historic war of Bu;ath on the day of Eid. The prophet was lying on the floor with his face to the other side. Abu bakr entered the house and said, ‘why such a satanic thing and that too in the presence of the prophet.’ the holy prophet said, ‘abu bakr, let them sing, every nation enjoys eid day and today its our eid day.’ [bukhari]

”The excellence of the piety of a person can be gauged from the fact that his legs and limbs and his actions refrain from doing any unappreciable work. Similarly, his heart should refrain from thinking and feeling any bad thoughts. Similarly, his tongue refrains from speaking bad words.” And so was the excellence of Abu Bakr. Once abu bakr and umar developed some misunderstanding between them, and abu bakr used harsh words during the conversation. When he realized he asked umar to forgive him for what he had just said. Hurt by the words, Umar refused, and so abu bakr went straight to the prophet and explained the situation. The holy prophet assured him thrice, ‘be calm abu bakr, allah will forgive you.’ Meanwhile umar felt guilty for not accepting his apology and set out to find him. When he reached the house of the prophet, he saw abu bakr saying, ‘o prophet of allah, it was my fault, I am cruel, I made an access to him’. However the holy prophet said, ‘when I declared prophet-hood, every one of you declared me a liar except abu bakr, who not only accepted me as a true prophet, but also helped me financially and morally. Do you want that this companion of mine should leave me?’ [Bukhari]

It is narrated in tabaqat ibne sa’ad vol 1, that although he accepted the responsibility of khilaafat, from the bottom of his heart he disliked it. Many a time it is reported that he made requests to the public in his speeches for anybody who was ready to take the responsibility of khilaafat from him, to do so.

Ra’fe Tai has narrated that once he aske dhim for some good advice, and abu bakr replied, “may allah bless you, keep fast, offer prayers, pay zakaat, perform hajj, and my best advice is that never accept khilaafat or leadership, because the responsibilities of ameer are enhanced many fold in this world. And on the day of resurrection, his accountability will be very strict, and the list of all his actions very long.”

Abu Bakr was an extremely humble person. He used to graze his sheep personally and tended to the sheep of his neighbours. When he became the Khaleefah, a young girl of one of his neighbours asked, ‘who will milk our sheep now?’ when abu bakr heard this, he said, “by allah, I will do it, I hope the caliphate will not stop me from serving the public.” [tabaqat ibne sa’ad vol 1]

abu bakr by business, was a cloth merchant. His profession was trade. During the Islamic era and before that, he traveled far to places with his goods. A year before the prophet passed away. He had traveled with his goods to Basra. [Sunan ibne majah]. Whilst he was ameer, one day he was seen with bundles of cloth on his shoulders going to the market. On his way he met umar and abu ubaida. They both asked him where he was going, when he said ‘to the market’, they replied, “you are the head of the state of muslims, please go home, we will fix a salary for you.” [tabaqat ibne sa’ad vol 1]

It was decided amongst the companions that he should be provided with meat equal to half the size of a goat, and clothes to his family to meet the necessities of their lives. [Tabaqat vol 3 ]

it is narrated in bukhaari that due to heavy responsibility of khilaafat, he could not always spend time to do his personal business, so he told the companions, “my people know that my business was quite moderate and I could look after my family very comfortably. But now I am busy in the execution of the job for the nation. The family of abu bakr will take reasonable money from the national exchequer and work for it.” [Bukhari]

Ibne sa’ad [vol3] further expands and gave the details of payment to Abu bakr and his family. He said, “He would get two pieces of long cloth. When it was worn out, he replaced it. Traveling charges and conveyance facilities were provided in the same manner as he had them., before coming Ameer. There was no preference in stipend even for his dependents.”

Despite his old age he accompanied the army to a distance each time they set out on expeditions. The army commander would be on horseback, and abu bakr walking alongside the horse on foot. Such was his humbleness and brotherhood, that despite having the leadership and authority to use to his advantage, he preferred the simple and humble life. A true democracy, made by the people, for the benefit of the people.

It is said in usd ul ghaba vol 3 that if anyone praised him, he would say, “oh Allah! You know me better than myself, better than these people know about me. Oh Allah! Please prove me even better than what they think about me, forgive my mistakes and never make me accountable to the unasked for admiration of these people.”

frightened by the thought of being thought of as the proud, when the prophet said, “one who holds his long clothes with pride, allah almighty will not even look at that person on the day of resurrection.” At this, abu bakr said, “sometimes my clothes also fall like this.” To this the prophet replied, “but oh abu bakr, you don’t do it out of pride.” [Bukhari] Abu bakr is one of those who assisted the prophet before the conquest of makkah, concerning whom the verse was revealed, “Not equal among you are those who spent [freely] and fought before the Victory [conquest of makkah] (with those who did so later), those are higher in rank than those who spent (freely) and fought afterwards.” [surah hadeed, v 10]

abu bakr possessed a fortune of approximately 400,000 dirhams before embracing islam, but he spent it all in the cause of Allah and Islaam. [Ibne sa’ad] the prophet always appreciated this and said, “there is no better obligation on me than the sacrifices of abu bakr and his wealth.” [kanz-ul-ummal vol 6 page 316] Most of those who embraced Islaam at its early stages were slaves and poor people. Abu Bakr was one of those who accepted Islaam whilst being rich and wealthy, having a good business, being well-known and popular, and having a great reputation. He sacrificed all this for the sake of Allah, and assisted Muhammad ibn Abdullah in his mission to spread the Deen of Allah. Some of the slaves he freed were Bilal ibn Rabah, Nahdia and her daughter, Nazira, Aamir ibn Fahira and Jaria bani Momal. In his will he left one fifth of his wealth for the poor and needy [Kanz-ul-ummal]

Despite his reputation amongst the people, he was fully aware of him being answerable on the day of judgment in front of Allah Almighty. When he used to pass by birds, he is known to have said, ‘Be happy that you have this life for just picking your food, and you sit under the shade of the trees. You will not be accounted for; on the day of resurrection, would it be that Abu bakr is like you.” Kanz ul ummal vol 6 page 312

On occasion the Prophet asked his companions, ‘who is fasting amongst you?’ abu bakr replied ‘I am’. Then the prophet asked, ‘has anyone amongst you attended any funerals today? Anyone of you offered meals to any needy persons? Or anyone attended to any patient?’ It was abu bakr who replied in the affirmative for all of them. The prophet then said, “one who has done so many good things in one day, surely he will be placed in heaven.” [Muslim]

Upon occasion Abu Bakr and Umar were sitting in the masjid very uneasy due to extreme hunger, the prophet arrived to the masjid and also said he is in the same situation. Abul Hatheem Ansaari came to know of it, took them to his house and offered them meals.” [Muwatta Imaam Maalik]