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

"If I were to take a friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr
as a friend." (Hadeeth)
Election to the Caliphate
The Prophet's closest Companion, Abu Bakr, was not present when the
Holy Prophet (peace be on him) breathed his last in the apartment of
his beloved wife of later years, Aisha, Abu Bakr's daughter. When he
came to know of the Prophet's passing, Abu Bakr hurried to the house
of sorrow.
"How blessed was your life and how beatific is your death,"
he whispered as he kissed the cheek of his beloved friend and master
who now was no more.
When Abu Bakr came out of the Prophet's apartment and broke the news,
disbelief and dismay gripped the community of Muslims in Medina.
Muhammad (peace be on him) had been the leader, the guide and the
bearer of Divine revelation through whom they had been brought from
idolatry and barbarism intothe way of God. How could he die? Even
Umar, one of the bravest and strongest of the Prophet's Companions,
lost his composure and drew his sword and threatened to kill anyone
who said that the Prophet was dead. Abu Bakr gently pushed him aside,
ascended the steps ofthe lectern in the mosque and addressed the
people, saying
"O people, verily whoever worshipped Muhammad, behold! Muhammad is
indeed dead. But whoever worships God, behold! God is alive and
willnever die."
And then he concluded with a verse from the Qur'an:
"And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Many Messengers have gone before
him; if then hedies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heels?"
[3:144]
On hearing these words, the people were consoled. Despondency gave
place to confidence and tranquility. This critical moment had passed.
But the Muslim community was nowfaced with an extremely serious
problem: that of choosing a leader. After some discussion among the
Companions of the Prophet who had assembled in order to select a
leader, it became apparent that no one was better suited for this
responsibility than Abu Bakr. A portion of the speech the First Caliph
gave after his election hasalready been quoted in the introduction.
Abu Bakr's Life
Abu Bakr ('The Owner of Camels')was not his real name. He acquired
this name later in life because of his great interest in raising
camels. His real name was Abdul Ka'aba ('Slave of Ka'aba'), which
Muhammad (peace be on him) later changed to Abdullah ('Slave of God').
The Prophet also gave him the title of 'Siddiq' - 'The Testifier to
the Truth.'
Abu Bakr was a fairly wealthy merchant, and before he embraced Islam,
was a respected citizen of Mecca. He was three years younger than
Muhammad (peace be on him) and some natural affinity drew them
together from earliest child hood. He remained the closest Companion
of the Prophet all through the Prophet's life. When Muhammadfirst
invited his closest friends and relatives to Islam, Abu Bakr was among
the earliest to accept it. He also persuaded Uthman and Bilal to
accept Islam. In the early days of the Prophet's mission, when the
handful of Muslims were subjected to relentless persecution and
torture, Abu Bakr bore his full share of hardship. Finally when God's
permission came to emigrate from Mecca, he was the one chosen by the
Prophet to accompany him on the dangerous journey to Medina. In the
numerous battles which took place during the life of the Prophet, Abu
Bakr was always byhis side. Once, he brought all his belongings to the
Prophet, who was raising money for the defense of Medina. The Prophet
asked "Abu Bakr, what did you leave for your family?" The reply came:
"God and His Prophet."
Even before Islam, Abu Bakr was known to be a man of upright character
and amiable and compassionate nature. All through his life he was
sensitive to human suffering and kind to the poor and helpless. Even
though he was wealthy, he lived very simply and spent his moneyfor
charity, for freeing slaves andfor the cause of Islam. He often spent
part of the night in supplication and prayer. He shared with his
family a cheerfuland affectionate home life.
Abu-Bakr's Caliphate
Such, then, was the man upon whom the burden of leadership fell at the
most sensitive period in the history of the Muslims.
As the news of the Prophet's death spread, a number of tribesrebelled
and refused to pay Zakat (poor-due), saying that this was due only to
the Prophet(peace be on him). At the same time a number of impostors
claimed that the prophethood had passed to them after Muhammad and
they raised the standard of revolt. To add to all this, two powerful
empires, the Eastern Roman and the Persian, also threatened the
new-born Islamic state at Medina.
Under these circumstances, many Companions of the Prophet, including
Umar, advisedAbu Bakr to make concessions to the Zakat evaders, at
least for a time. The new Caliph disagreed. He insisted that the
Divine Law cannot be divided, that there is no distinction between the
obligations of Zakat and Salat (prayer), and that any compromise with
the injunctions of God would eventually erode the foundations of
Islam. Umar and others were quick to realize their error of judgment.
The revolting tribes attacked Medina but the Muslims were prepared.
Abu Bakr himself led the charge, forcing them to retreat. He then made
a relentless war on the false claimants to prophethood, most of whom
submitted and again professed lslam.
The threat from the Roman Empire had actually arisen earlier, during
the Prophet's lifetime. The Prophet had organized an army under the
command of Usama, the son of afreed slave. The army had not gone far
when the Prophet had fallen ill so they stopped. After the death of
the Prophet the question was raised whether the army should be sent
again or should remain for the defenceof Medina. Again Abu Bakr showed
a firm determination. He said, "I shall send Usama's army on its way
as ordered by the Prophet, even if I am left alone."
The final instructions he gave to Usama prescribed a code of conduct
in war which remains unsurpassed to this day. Part of his instructions
to the Muslim army were:
"Do not be deserters, nor be guilty of disobedience. Do not kill an
old man, a woman or a child. Do not injure date palms and do not cut
down fruit trees. Do not slaughter any sheep or cows or camels except
for food. You will encounter persons who spend their lives in
monasteries. Leave them alone and do not molest them."
Khalid bin Waleed had been chosen by the Prophet (peace beon him) on
several occasions to lead Muslim armies. A man of supreme courage and
a born leader, his military genius came to full flower during the
Caliphate of Abu Bakr. Throughout Abu Bakr's reign Khalid led his
troops from one victory to another against the attacking Romans.
Another contribution of Abu Bakr to the cause of Islam was the
collection and compilation of the verses of the Qur'an.
Abu Bakr died on 21 Jamadi-al Akhir, 13 A.H. (23 August 634 A.C.), at
the age of sixty-three, and was buried by the side of the Holy Prophet
(peace be on him). His caliphate had been of amere twenty-seven months
duration. In this brief span, however, Abu Bakr had managed, by the
Grace of God, to strengthen and consolidate his community and the
state, and to secure the Muslims against the perils which had
threatened their existence.

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