Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddiq Radhi Allah Anhu
Birth & Name
He is Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddiq, also spelt ‘Siddique’; his actual name
is Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa. His father’s name was Usman Abu Quhafa, and
his mother’s name was Salma, nicknamed Ummul Khayr (mother of goodness).
After his conversion to his Islam, he became famously known by the title as-Siddiq, meaning
‘the truthful’, which is an honour given to him by the Beloved
Messenger of Allah for his steadfast affirmation of Prophethood.1 He was also known by the affectionate nickname of Ateeq, meaning ‘the freed one’, which is reportedly in reference to Prophet’s statement that he is free from the Fire.
2Tirmidhi & Imam
al-Hakim narrate that Sayyida Aisha said, “Abu Bakr entered upon the
Messenger of Allah, who said, ‘Abu Bakr, you are the one Allah has freed
from the Fire.’ From that day, he was known as Ateeq.”
Some other reports also claim that this name was given to him due to
the beauty of his countenance, such as that of Sayyidina Abdullah ibn
Abbas who said, “He was only called Ateeq because of the beauty of his face.”
3 Imam al-Tabarani
He was born two years and several months after the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, in
the blessed city of Makkah. He was of noble and wealthy descent, and of
the Quraysh tribe. Traced back, his genealogy connects with that of the
Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
4 Both genealogies connect at the common ancestor Murrah ibn Kaa’b, in this manner:
• Genealogy of Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddiq: -
son of Usman; son of Amir; son of Amr; son of Kaab; son of Saa’d; son
of Taym; son of Murrah.
• Genealogy of the Beloved Messenger of
Allah: - son of Abdullah; son of Abdul Muttalib; son of Hashim; son of
Abd Manaf; son of Qusayy; son of Kilab; son of Murrah.
Early Life
Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddiq resided in Makkah, and only left the city for
trade purposes. He was very wealthy and respected amongst the Arabs. He
was also one of the chiefs and counsellors of the Quraysh, who admired
him and held him in high esteem.
When the light of Islam began to flourish, he gave up this life of
comfort and reputation for the love of the truth brought by the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
He was one of the most abstinent men during the period of jahiliyyah. He
never composed poetry, and he abandoned alcohol due to his willingness
to protect his own honour. This was even before the advent of Islam and
its laws.
as-Siddiq Embraces Islam
He was the first man to embrace Islam. It is reported that he did not
hesitate to accept Islam upon the Beloved Messenger of Allah’s
invitation; such was his sharp recognition of the truth, and his
sincerity in seeking it. The Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“I have never invited anyone to Islam except that he had an aversion to
it, and irresolution and deliberation, except for Abu Bakr. He did not
delay when I reminded him, and he was not irresolute.”
5 Ibn Ishaq, narrated by Sayyidina Mohammad b. Abdur Rahman b. Abdullah b. al-Husayn b. al-Tamimi
Imam Bayhaqi states, regarding Sayyidina Abu Bakr’s swift acceptance of
Islam: “This was because he used to see the proofs of the Prophethood
of the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and
hear the traces of it before his invitation (to Islam), so that when he
invited him, he had already reflected and thought about it, and he
submitted and accepted Islam at once.”
The Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“I never spoke to anyone about Islam but that they refused me and
rejected my words, except for the son of Abu Quhafa. I never spoke to
him about something but that he accepted it and was steadfast in it.”
6 Imam Abu Nu’aym, Imam ibn Asakir
The Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“I said, ‘People, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all,’ and you
said, ‘You are lying.’ Abu Bakr said, ‘You have told the truth.’”
7 Bukhari, narrated by Sayyidina Abu Darda
Wealth & Generosity
Allah Most High says: “And he will be averted from it (the Fire)
who has the most fearful obedience, the one who gives his wealth
purifying himself, and has in his mind no favour from anyone for which a
reward is expected in return, but only seeking the countenance of his
Lord, Most High. And soon will he attain satisfaction.” [Qur’an
92:17-21]
About the above verses of the Holy Qur’an, Imam ibn Jawzi states, “They
agree unanimously that this was revealed about Sayyidina Abu Bakr.”
The Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him,
said, “No wealth ever benefited me as did the wealth of Abu Bakr.”
Sayyidina Abu Bakr wept and said, “Are I and my wealth for any but you,
Messenger of Allah?”
8 Musnad Imam Ahmad
Imam ibn Asakir narrates that Sayyida Aisha and Sayyidina Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said, “Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him,
accepted Islam on the day that he did and he had forty thousand dinars
(and in a wording — forty thousand dirhams) and he spent them on the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”
Abu Sa’id ibn al-Arabi narrated that Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar said, “Abu Bakr accepted Islam, may Allah be pleased with him,
on the day that he did, and in his house there were forty thousand
dirhams. Then he emigrated to Madinah and he had nothing but five
thousand dirhams. He had spent all of that on freeing slaves and helping
the cause of Islam.”
Imam ibn Asakir narrates that Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said that Sayyidina Abu Bakr freed seven (slaves), each one of whom was being tortured for the sake of Allah.
Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered us to give sadaqah
and that agreed with the property that I had so I said, ‘Today I will
outdo Abu Bakr if I am ever to outdo him,’ and I brought half of my
wealth. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, ‘What have you left for your family?’ I said, ‘I have left the
like of it.’ Then Abu Bakr came with everything that he had, and he
said, ‘Abu Bakr, what have you left for your family?’ He said, ‘I have
left for them Allah and His Messenger.’ I said, ‘I will never ever outdo
him in anything.’”
9 Sunan Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi
Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah reports that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, “We have never been under obligation to anyone but that we have
repaid him, except for Abu Bakr, for he has put obligations on us which
Allah will repay him for on the Day of Rising. No-one's wealth has ever
benefited me as has Abu Bakr’s wealth.”
10 Tirmidhi
Al-Bazzar narrated that Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I came with my father Abu Quhafah to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said, ‘You should have left the shaykh
until I could come to him.’ I said, ‘Rather it is more correct that he
should come to you.’ He said, ‘We would rather be protective of him for
the favours for which we are obliged to his son.’”
Most Knowledgeable Amongst the Companions
Imam Nawawi narrates that Sayyidina Abdullah b. Umar was asked, “Who used to give out fatwa to the people at the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?” He answered, “Abu Bakr and Umar. I don’t know of anyone other than them.”
11 Imam Nawawi’s Tahdhib
Hafiz ibn Kathir reports that Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq was one of the clearest and most eloquent of people.
Another significant incident demonstrates the depth of Sayyidina Abu
Bakr as-Siddiq’s knowledge. It is reported in Bukhari and Muslim,
narrated by Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri: “The Messenger of Allah
addressed the people and said, ‘Allah has given a slave the choice
between this world and that which is with Him. That slave has chosen
that which is with Allah.’ Abu Bakr began to weep and we were
astonished that he should weep like that, just because the Prophet
mentioned that Allah had given a slave a choice. As it turned out, the
Prophet was the one who was given the choice and Abu Bakr was the most
knowledgeable amongst us.”
12 Imam Nawawi’s Tahdhib
This shows the depth and intellect of the mind of Sayyidina Abu Bakr
as-Siddiq, that he instantly understood the meaning of the words of the
Messenger of Allah above any other Companion.
Along with that, he was also the most knowledgeable in the genealogies
of the Arabs, particularly the Quraysh. And in addition, his knowledge
was so vast that he had reached the limit in the interpretation of
dreams. He used to interpret dreams in the time of the Beloved Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The famous scholar of dreams, Imam Mohammad ibn Sireen, said: “Abu Bakr was the most able of this ummah after the Prophet to draw a meaning from a dream.”
Most Learned Amongst the Companions in Qur’an &Sunnah
Hafiz ibn Kathir states that Sayyidina Abu Bakr was the most
knowledgeable of them in the Qur’an, as the Beloved Messenger of Allah
appointed him as their imam in prayer.
He was one of the Companions who had memorised the entire Qur’an.
13 Imam Nawawi’s Tahdhib
In addition to that, Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq was also the most knowledgeable in Sunnah,
having accompanied the Beloved Messenger of Allah throughout his life
and mission. The Companions would refer to him on several occasions, and
he would produce hadith transmissions which were otherwise unavailable to them which he himself had memorised. There are not many hadith transmitted
from him only due to the short time he lived, and the speed of his
death after the Beloved Messenger had passed away – otherwise, they
would have been extensive.
Ruling on Religious Matters
When an issue was presented to him to resolve, he would look in the Book of Allah, the Qur’an. If he found the basis for judgement there, he would give judgement on that basis. If not, he would look to the Sunnah of
the Beloved Messenger of Allah. If he could not find the way, he would
go out and ask, “Do you know whether the Beloved Messenger of Allah gave
a judgement on this?” And perhaps a group would gather around him, each
mentioning a judgement of the Beloved Messenger of Allah, so he would
say, “Praise be to Allah Who has put amongst us those who preserve and
memorise from our Prophet.” If he was unable to find a Sunnah
about it, he would gather the leaders and best of the people, and seek
their counsel. If they would agree on a view, he would give judgement
according to that.
Sayyidina Umar b. al-Khattab used to follow that – if he was unable to find some way in the Qur’an and Sunnah, he
would look to see if Sayyidina Abu Bakr had passed a judgement. If not,
he would call the leaders of the Muslims for their counsel and give a
judgement on the basis of their unanimous agreement.
The Most Courageous of Companions
Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq accompanied the Beloved Messenger of Allah
from the moment he embraced Islam until his death, not leaving him in a
journey or residence except for that which he was authorised to go out
on, such as Hajj or fighting expeditions. He took part in all the
battles, emigrated with him, and was his close companion in the Cave so
that Allah revealed: “The second of the two when two of them were in the
cave, when he said to his companion: ‘Do not grieve. Truly Allah is
with us.’” [Qur’an 9:40]
He strived to the aid of the Beloved Messenger more than once, and gave
great service on the battlefield. He was firm on the Day of Uhud when
all the people had fled.
In a long and intriguing narration, Sayyidina Ali ibn Abu Talib
elaborates on the bravery of Sayyidina Abu Bakr above all the other
Companions, including himself.
Sayyidina Ali ibn Abu Talib said, “Tell me, who is the bravest of men?”
The people replied, “You.” He said, “As for me, I never encountered
anyone but that I took my due from him, but tell me, who is the bravest
of men?” They said, “We don’t know. Who is it?” He said, “Abu Bakr. On
the day of Badr, we made a shelter from the sun for the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then we said,
‘Who will be with the Messenger of Allah so that none of the idolaters
may fall upon him?’ By Allah, none of us drew near except for Abu Bakr
who brandished a sword over the head of the Messenger of Allah. No one
fell upon him but that he in turn fell upon him. So he is the bravest of
men.” He continued, “I saw the Messenger of Allah and the Quraysh
grabbed him. One held him and another threw him down and they were
saying, ‘Are you the one who had made the gods into one god?’ By Allah,
none of us approached except Abu Bakr striking this one, and restraining
that one, and throwing down another, saying, ‘Woe to you! Will you kill
a man because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah?’”
Then Sayyidina Ali raised a cloak which he was wearing, and wept until
his beard was wet, and said, “I adjure you, by Allah! Is the believer of
the people of Fir’awn better or Abu Bakr?” People were silent. He said,
“Will you not answer? By Allah, an hour of Abu Bakr is better than a
thousand hours of the like of the believer of the people of Fir’awn. He
was a man who concealed his iman, and this was a man who was open about his iman.”
14 Musnad Imam al-Bazzar
Best of the Companions in Merit and Status
The best of mankind after the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, were Sayyidina Abu Bakr, then Sayyidina Umar, then Sayyidina Usman, then Sayyidina Ali. After them, the ashra mubashra, (the
ten who were given glad tidings of Jannah by the Beloved Messenger of
Allah), then the people of Badr, then the people of Uhud, then the
people of the oath of allegiance (of Hudaibiya), then the rest of the
Companions. May Allah be well pleased with them all.
Companions’ Statements Regarding His Superior Status
Imam ibn Asakir narrated that Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab ascended the minbar and said, “Definitely the best of this ummah after
our Prophet is Abu Bakr. Whoever says anything else is an inventor of
falsehood. May there be upon him that which is upon the inventor of
falsehood.”
Imam Tabarani narrates that Sayyidina Ali said, “The best of mankind
after the Messenger of Allah are Abu Bakr and Umar. Love of me will
never be united with hatred of Abu Bakr and Umar in the heart of a
believer.”
15 Imam Tabarani’s al-Awsat
Imam ibn Asakir narrates that Sayyidina Ali entered upon Sayyidina Abu
Bakr when he was shrouded and said, “No one who will meet Allah with his
pages (of the records of his deeds) is more beloved to me than this
shrouded one.”
Sayyidina Ammar ibn Yasir said, “Whoever preferred anyone of the
companions of the Messenger of Allah over Abu Bakr and Umar has
belittled the Muhajirun and the Ansar.”
16 Imam Tabarani’s al-Awsat
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar said, “We were choosing between people in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so we chose Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Usman, may Allah be pleased with them all.”
17 Tirmidhi, narrated by Sayyidina Anas b. Malik
Imam Tabarani added, “And the Prophet came to know of that but did not deny it.”
18 Bukhari
Virtues of the Shaykhain i.e. Sayyidina Abu Bakr & Sayyidina Umar
The Beloved Messenger of Allah would come out to his companions whilst
they were sitting together. None would lift their eyes to look at the
Beloved Messenger, except for Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina Umar.
They would gaze upon him and he would gaze upon them, and they would
smile at him and he would smile at them.
19Imam Tabarani’s al-Kabir
This demonstrates
the exclusive closeness to the Beloved Messenger of Allah granted to
the two esteemed Companions. Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that
the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “…And as for my two deputies from the people of earth, they are Abu Bakr and Umar.”
20Tirmidhi
Sayyidina Abu Arwa ad-Dawsi said, “I was with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, (seated) and then Abu Bakr and Umar came up, so he said, ‘Praise belongs to Allah Who has helped me through you two.’”
21 Imam al-Bazzar, Imam al-Hakim & Imam Tabarani’s Awsat
A man came to Sayyidina Ali ibn Hussain and said, “What was the position of Abu Bakr and Umar with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?” He
replied, “Just like their position with respect to him this very hour.”
This is referring to the fact that they are buried beside the Beloved
Messenger.
22 Zawa’id az-Zuhd, narrated from Ibn Abi Hazim
Verses of the Qur’an about Him
• “..the second of the two when two of them were in the cave, when
he said to his companion: ‘Do not grieve. Truly Allah is with us.’”
[Qur’an 9:40]
This is in reference to the incident at Cave Thawr, and it is
unanimously agreed that this verse was revealed about Sayyidina Abu Bakr
as-Siddiq.
• “And take their counsel in the matter.” [Qur’an 3:159]
Imam Hakim reports that Sayyidina ibn Abbas said regarding this verse, “It was revealed about Abu Bakr and Umar.”
• “And the right-acting of the believers..” [Qur’an 66:4]
Imam Tabarani reports that both Sayyidina ibn Umar and Sayyidina ibn
Abbas each said regarding this verse, that it was revealed about
Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina Umar.
• “And we have counselled man with good treatment of his parents... (to the end of verse 16).” [Qur’an 46:15-16]
Imam Asakir reports that Sayyidina ibn Abbas said regarding these
verses (46:15-16), that they were revealed about Sayyidina Abu Bakr
as-Siddiq.
Humility and Forbearance
Abu Salih al-Ghifari reports that Sayyidina Umar used to take care of
an elderly blind woman in one of the outskirts of Madinah at night. He
would give her water to drink and undertake her tasks, but sometimes he
would go to her and find someone else had already done so. Eventually,
Sayyidina Umar waited to see who the other person was, and it was
Sayyidina Abu Bakr. He was the caliph at that time. Sayyidina Umar said,
“You are he, by my life!”
Imam ibn Asakir narrates that after he had become caliph, the servant
girls would go to him with their flocks and he would milk their sheep
for them.
Imam ibn Asakir narrates that when Sayyidina Abu Bakr was praised, he
used to say, “O Allah, you know myself better than I do, and I know
myself better than they do. O Allah, make me better than what they
think, and forgive me for what they don’t know, and don’t take me to
task for what they say.”
The First Caliph of Islam
After the Beloved Messenger passed away, Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
took his rightfully appointed position as his successor and was referred
to as khalifatur Rasul, or successor of the Messenger of Allah.
From the hadith where the Messenger of Allah announces his
departure from this world, the scholars say that the following statement
is an indication of Sayyidina Abu Bakr’s khilafat: “Let there not remain in the masjid a passageway except for the passageway of Abu Bakr.”
23 Bukhari, Muslim. Wording
from Sahih Bukhari, as narrated from Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri: the
Beloved Messenger of Allah said, “Allah has given the option to a slave
to choose this world or what is with Him. The slave has chosen what is
with Allah.” The Messenger of Allah added, “The person who has favoured
me most of all, both with his company and wealth, is Abu Bakr. If I were
to take a khalil (intimate friend) other than my Lord, I would have
taken Abu Bakr as such, but (what relates us) is the Islamic brotherhood
and friendliness. All the gates of the masjid should be closed except
the gate of Abu Bakr.”
This is because he would go out through it to lead the prayer of the Muslims.
Sayyidina Hudhayfa reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “Follow
the lead of the two who come after me, Abu Bakr and Umar.”
24 Tirmidhi, Imam al-Hakim
Sayyidina Mohammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mut’im reported from his father that a
woman asked the Messenger of Allah about something, and he told her to
come to him later. She said, “What do you think if I come and don’t find
you?” as if she meant death. He said, “If you do not find me, then come
to Abu Bakr.”
25 Bukhari, Muslim
Imam ibn Asakir relates that Imam Hasan al-Basri was asked, “Did the Messenger of Allah appoint Abu Bakr as khalifah?” He
was seated so drew himself up and said, “Is it any doubt? You have no
father (an Arabic expression)! By Allah, the One Whom there is no God
but Him, he definitely appointed him as khalifah. He was
certainly more knowing of Allah and more fearfully obedient of Him, and
more strongly fearful of Him than that he should die upon it without
making him take the command.”
His Achievements for Islam
Amongst the significant matters during his days were the despatch of
the army of Sayyidina Usamah ibn Zayd; fighting against those who had
reneged on Islam, and those who refused the zakat; Musaylimah al-Kadhab
(Musaylimah the Liar), and the collection of the Holy Qur’an. He
restored faith to lands where people were turning away from the commands
of Islam, and re-established order where there was chaos.
When the Beloved Messenger of Allah passed away, hypocrisy became apparent amongst the Arabs and many of them reneged on the deen of Islam, refusing to pay the zakat.
In a narration reported by Imam ibn Asakir, Sayyida Aisha said, “When
the Messenger of Allah died, hypocrisy raised its head, the Arabs
reneged and the Ansar secluded themselves. If that which descended upon
my father had come down on the immovable mountains, it would have broken
them...”
Compiling of the Holy Qur’an
Narrated by Sayyidina Zayd ibn Thabit: “Abu Bakr as-Siddiq sent for me
when the people of Yamama had been killed (i.e. a number of the
Prophet's Companions who fought against Musaylimah the Liar).
(I went to him) and found Umar bin al-Khattab sitting with him. Abu
Bakr then said (to me): “Umar has come to me and said, “Casualties were
heavy among the Qurra’ of the Qur’an (i.e. those who knew the Qur’an by
heart) on the day of the Battle of Yamama, and I am afraid that more
heavy casualties may take place amongst the Qurra’ on other
battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur’an may be lost. Therefore I
suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur’an be collected.” I said to
'Umar, “How can you do something which the Messenger of Allah did not
do?” Umar said, “By Allah, it is good!” Umar kept on urging me on the
matter, until Allah expanded my chest to it, and I came to hold the view
that Umar held.”
Then Abu Bakr said (to me), “You are a wise young man and we do not
have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine
Inspiration for the Messenger of Allah. So you should search for (the
fragmentary scripts of) the Qur’an and collect it in one book).”
By Allah, if they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it
would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the
Qur’an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, “How will you do something which the
Messenger of Allah did not do?” Abu Bakr replied, "“By Allah, it is
good.” Abu Bakr kept on urging me to accept until Allah expanded my
chest to it for what He had expanded the chests of Abu Bakr and Umar. So
I started searching for the Qur’an and collecting it from (what was
written on) palmed stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who
knew it by heart, till I found the last verse of Surah al-Tawba (the Surah of Repentance) with Abu Khuzayma al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him.
26 Each verse of the Holy
Qur’an was only recorded if two people brought it forward to Sayyidina
Zayd, except in the case of Sayyidina Abi Khuzayma al-Ansari, or in some
narrations he is called Khuzayma ibn Thabit. The legitimacy of this is
due to the following incident, narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud: The
Messenger of Allah bought a horse from a Bedouin, but the Bedouin said,
“I swear by Allah, I have not sold it to you.” The Messenger of Allah
said, “Yes, I have bought it from you.” The Bedouin began to say, “Bring
a witness.” So Khuzaymah ibn Thabit then said, “I bear witness that you
have bought it.” The Messenger of Allah turned to Khuzaymah and said,
“On what (grounds) do you bear witness?” He replied, “By considering you
trustworthy, Messenger of Allah." Thus the Messenger of Allah made the
witness of Khuzaymah equivalent to the witness of two people. [not
included in Imam Suyuti’s Tarikh]
The verse is, “Verily,
there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves: it grieves him
that you should perish... (to the end of the surah).” Then the
complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur’an remained with Abu Bakr till he
died, then with Umar till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the
daughter of Umar.”
27 Sahi Bukhari
Abu Ya’la narrated that Sayyidina Ali said, “The one with the greatest
reward for the written copies of the Qur’an is Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was
the first to gather the Qur’an between two boards.”
Accomplishments He Was First In
He was the first to accept Islam, the first to collect the Qur’an together, the first to name it as a mushaf (written copy), and he was the first to be named khalifah. He was also the first to make a bayt al maal (a building where zakat and other revenues were stored whilst being distributed).
Final Illness and Departure of as-Siddiq
Imam al-Hakim narrated that Sayyidina ibn Umar said, “The cause of Abu
Bakr’s death was the passing away of the Messenger of Allah. He was
distressed and his body continued to suffer until he died.”
Another report from Imam al-Hakim relates that Sayyidina Abu Bakr and
Sayyidina al-Harith bin Kaladah were eating broth which the former was
given, and Sayyidina al-Harith said, “Lift your hand (from the dish), khalifah of
the Messenger of Allah. By Allah, in it there is a year’s poison. I and
you will die on the same day.” He took his hand away. They both became
increasingly sick and died on the same day at the end of the year.
Imam Ahmad narrates that Sayyida Aisha said, “When death came to Abu
Bakr, he said, ‘What day is it?’ They said, ‘Monday.’ He said, ‘If I die
tonight, do not wait until tomorrow (to bury me), because the most
beloved of days and nights to me is the closest to the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”
Sayyida Aisha said that prior to his death he had a fever for fifteen
days, and did not go out to the prayer. He died before the end of Jumada
al-Aakhira in 13AH, and he was sixty-three years old.
28 Imam al-Waqidi, Imam al-Hakim
Khilafat of Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab
In his final illness, he appointed Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab as his
successor. Some of the Companions entered upon him and one of them
said, “What will you say to your Lord when He asks you about appointing
Umar as khalifah over us when you have seen his toughness?”
Sayyidina Abu Bakr replied, “By Allah, are you trying to frighten me? I
will say, ‘O Allah, I have appointed as khalifah over them the best of Your people.’ Convey from me what I have said to those behind you.”
Imam ibn Asakir
relates that Sayyidina Yasar ibn Hamzah said, “When Abu Bakr’s illness
grew serious, he stood and looked over the people from a small window
and said, ‘I have made a covenant, so will you be contented with it?’ So
the people said, ‘We will be content with it, khalifah of the Messenger of Allah.’ Then Ali stood and said, ‘We will not be content unless it is Umar.’ He said, ‘It is Umar.’”
Thus Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab became the second khalifa of Islam.
Burial of Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
It is reported that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq expressed his will that his funeral or janaza should be taken to the blessed tomb of the Beloved Messenger of Allah and then it should be said, “Assalatu was-salamu alayka ya RasulAllah, Abu Bakr is present at your door.” The companions followed his advice. The doors of the blessed tomb opened on their own, and a voice was heard coming from the blessed grave saying, “Udkhulul Habeeb ila Habeeb [Bring the beloved to his beloved].”
It is reported that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq expressed his will that his funeral or janaza should be taken to the blessed tomb of the Beloved Messenger of Allah and then it should be said, “Assalatu was-salamu alayka ya RasulAllah, Abu Bakr is present at your door.” The companions followed his advice. The doors of the blessed tomb opened on their own, and a voice was heard coming from the blessed grave saying, “Udkhulul Habeeb ila Habeeb [Bring the beloved to his beloved].”
29Imam Fakhr uddin Razi’s Tafsir al-Kabir [not included in Imam Suyuti’s Tarikh]
"The flame suffices the moth; the flower is enough for the bird.
The Beloved of Allah is enough to fulfill Siddiq's needs."
- Allama Iqbal
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