From the time of the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection, no other prophet will come to this world. But his Caliphs will come into the world. Many Caliphs have come to the world since his death. Four peoples are called Caliphs Ar-Rashedin among them. Abu Bakr Siddiq (R) was the first Caliph of Islam among the four Caliphs of Rashedin.
So now I will mention some reliable information about him, which will make his brief identity clear to you. And I will present to you some of the things narrated directly from him that will inspire you to do good deeds. So let’s know some details about him.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (R) and his brief acquaintance
Abu Bakr’s real name is Abdullah bin Abu Kuhafa. And his father’s name was Othman bin Amer bin Amr bin Ka’ab bin Sa’d bin Ti’m bin Murrah, and his mother’s name is Ummul Khair and her name is Salma bint Sakhr bin Amer bin Ka’b bin Sa’d bin Ti’m bin Murrah. [Tabaqat al-Kubra, volume 3, page 169]
Abu Bakr Siddiq’s (R.) name was Abd Kaaba in the age of ignorance and his nickname is Abu Bakr. After accepting Islam, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) changed his name to Abdullah. His title was As-Siddique. He was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, more than two years after the birth of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). His dynasty was Quraish. He was the man who accepted Islam first of all among men. He was a revered person among all Makkans. And he was very kind and tolerant.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (R) and his childhood
Allah Ta’ala has created him with the quality of consideration and good nature. As a child, he wasted no time in sports like other bad boys. And as a child, he helped his father with all his chores. As he grew older, his knowledge, intelligence, judgment, and business acumen increased. He spent his childhood doing good deeds.
Why was Abu Bakr (R) called Siddiq?
The etymology of the word Bakr means to be a pioneer. Since he was a pioneer in great work, he was called Abu Bakr. According to some, he was skilled in camel care and service. For that reason, he became popularly known as Abu Bakr. [Al-Misbahul Munir, volume 1, page 356]
There are several reasons why he got the Siddiq title. The most famous reason for this is that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told the people of Makkah about the Miraj, they denied it and disbelieved him. Many didn’t deny this, but they were skeptical. But Abu Bakr (R) believed in all matters related to Miraj without hesitation. And he accepted every word of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) as accurate and correct. From then on, he became known as Siddiq. [Dalail -un- Nubuwwah, Hadith 652]
Event of Abu Bakr Siddiq (R) accepting Islam
From an early age, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) knew Abu Bakr as the most virtuous, truthful, and respectable man among the people of Makkah. From childhood, they developed a deep love and friendship.
Long before the Prophet (peace be upon him) attained prophethood, Abu Bakr (R.) saw in Him many signs and symptoms, through which he had complete faith that Allah would choose Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a prophet. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) finally invited him to Islam after receiving his prophethood, he immediately accepted the invitation to Islam without any thought. And he believed in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sincerely. [Dalail -un- Nubuwwah, Hadith 469]
What did Abu Bakr (R) do?
His main source of livelihood was business. In the pre-Islamic era, he was a wealthy businessman among the Quraish. He made a living by earning business. Even after becoming Caliph, he traded in cloth for six months.
Then he was later forced to leave the business for the welfare of Muslims due to the insistence of Umar (R) and Abu Ubaydah (R) and agreed to accept an ordinary person’s allowance from the state treasury in the required proportions as decided by the consultation meeting. He also ordered to return the wealth of Muslims to the state treasury before his death, which had with his wealth. [Fath al-Bari, volume 7, page 13]
His family
Abu Bakr also had four wives. He married two of them before Islam. Their names are Qutaylah bint Abdul Uzza and Umm Ruman bint Amir.
From the womb of Qutaylah, a son and a daughter were born. The son’s name is Abdullah (R.), and the daughter’s name is Asma (R).
From the womb of Umm Ruman (R.), a son and a daughter were born. The son’s name is Abdur Rahman (R.), and the daughter’s name is Ayesha (R).
The two women whom Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.) married after accepting Islam were Asma bint Umais (R.) and Habibah bint Kharijah (R).
From the womb of Asma bint Umais (R.), a son was born. His name is Muhammad bin Abu Bakr (R). And from the womb of Habibah bint Kharijah (R.), a daughter was born. Her name is Umm Kulsum (R).
How many hadiths did Abu Bakr (R) narrate?
He always was cautious that nothing would come out of his mouth, which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had not said. It is because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed us to take the utmost care in narrating the hadith from him.
Abu Bakr (R) was cautious in narrating the hadith. The number of hadiths narrated by his source is very few. At present, the number of hadiths narrated in his source in various books of hadith is not more than 150. Imam Nawabi (Rh) mentioned the number of hadiths narrated from his source as 142. [Tarikh al-Khulafa, page 71]
A story about his Taqwa
He always feared Allah Ta’ala. The only goal behind all the deeds of his life was to gain the pleasure of Allah, to attain success and welfare in the Hereafter.
It is narrated that once, he saw a bird sitting on a tree. He addressed him and said, ‘O bird, good news for you. I swear to Allah, I wish I could be like you! You stay on the tree, eat the fruit, then fly away. There is no reckoning on you, no punishment.
By Allah, I wish I were a tree on the side of the road. The camel would pass by me. Then he would grab me and put me in his mouth. Then he would chew on me. After that, he would swallow me. Then he would get me out (from his own body) as an animal’s feces. (Alas!) If I were not human. [The Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, volume 8, page 144]
Indeed in these words of Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.), there are instructive things for the wise.
His advice
He did good deeds himself and advised others to do good deeds as well. He kept himself away from bad deeds and kept others away. Some of the advice he gave:
- The biggest truth is to protect the Amanat, and the biggest lie is to betray the Amanat.
- O peoples, those who worship Muhammad (peace be upon him) should know that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is dead. And let those who worship the One Allah, know that He is eternal. He will never die.
- When the heart becomes hard, the tears dry up. And because of committing more sins, the heart becomes hard.
- You correct yourself. Then people will be correct for you.
- Indeed Allah will not accept Nafl worship until the Obligation worship is performed.
How did Abu Bakr (R) die?
13 Hijri 6th Jamadius Sunny Monday was very cold. On this day, he took a bath and contracted a high fever. His sickness was increasing day by day so much that he couldn’t get out of the house for prayer with the congregation. This fever persisted for 15 days until his death. Abu Bakr (R) ordered Umar (R) to lead the prayers at that time. [Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, Hadith No. 4383]
At last, when the time of his death came, he kept reciting, ‘(O my Lord!) Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous.’ He then died after Maghrib Salah before Isha. This day was 13 AH, 22nd Jamadius Sunny on Tuesday. [Al-Kamil Fi At-Tarikh, volume 1, page 395]
The caliphate period of Abu Bakr (R) was two years, three months, and ten days. Some say 20 days. Some say his caliphate period was two years four months. He was 63 years old at the time of his death, the age at which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) died. Allah has united them in the soil (i.e., grave) as He has united them in life (i.e., age). Allah is pleased with him, and he is delighted with Allah. [Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, volume 9, page 574]
Here is some vital information about Abu Bakr Siddiq (R) from the pages of Islamic history, which I have briefly described to you. Maybe, one day this article can come in handy for you.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us Tawfiq so that we can always satisfy Him (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala).
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