Abu Bakr (), born Abd Allah ibn Abi Quhafa (; 23 August 634), was a senior companion, closest friend, and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who served as the first Rashidun caliph, ruling from 632 until his death in 634. Abu Bakr was granted the honorific title (lit. the Veracious or Truthful) by Muhammad, a designation that continues to be used by Sunni Muslims to this day.
Born to Abu Quhafa and Umm al-Khayr of the Banu Taym, Abu Bakr was among the earliest converts to Islam and preached dawah to the polytheists. He is considered the first Muslim missionaries, as several companions of Muhammad converted through him. He accompanied Muhammad on his migration to Medina and became one of his bodyguards. Abu Bakr participated in all of Muhammad's campaigns against the polytheists and served as the first Amir al-Hajj, the leader of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. In Muhammad's absence, Abu Bakr led the prayers.
Following Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr succeeded him as the first caliph. During Abu Bakr's reign, he overcame a number of uprisings, collectively known as the Ridda Wars, thereby consolidating and expanding Islam over the entire Arabian Peninsula. He commanded the initial incursions into the neighbouring Sasanian and Byzantine Empires, which in the years following his death, would result in the Muslim conquests of Persia and the Levant under his successor, Umar (). Apart from politics, Abu Bakr is credited for the compilation of the Quran, of which he had a personal caliphal codex. Along with Muhammad and Umar, Abu Bakr is buried in the Green Dome at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, the second holiest site in Islam. He died of illness after a reign of two years, two months, and fourteen days, making him the only Rashidun caliph to die of natural causes.
Though Abu Bakr's reign was brief, he initiated campaigns against both the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires, the two most powerful empires of the time, which had been weakened by decades of internal conflict and war with each other. Under Abu Bakr's successor, Umar, the Rashidun Caliphate crushed the Sasanian Empire and conquered more than two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire, including the Levant and Egypt. Abu Bakr thus set in motion a historical trajectory that, within a few decades, would lead to the establishment of one of the largest empires in history. His decisive victory over the local Arab rebel forces marked a significant chapter in Islamic history. Sunni tradition reveres Abu Bakr as the first of the Rashidun caliphs and the greatest individual after the prophets and messengers, while Shia tradition holds that his accession to the caliphate bypassed Ali's rightful succession and regards him as an adversary of the Ahl al-Bayt.
Early life
Abu Bakr was born in Mecca sometime in 573 to a rich family in the Banu Taym tribe of the Quraysh tribal confederacy. His father was Abu Quhafa and his mother was Umm al-Khayr. Through his patrilineal descent, his ancestry meets that of Muhammad at their common ancestor, Murrah ibn Ka'b.
He spent his early childhood like other Arab children of the time, among the Bedouins who called themselves Ahl-i-Ba'eer (the people of the camel) and developed a particular fondness for camels. In his early years, he played with the camel calves and goats, and his love for camels earned him the nickname (kunya) "Abu Bakr", the father of the camel's calf.War and Peace in the Law of Islam by Majid Khadduri, translated by Muhammad Yaqub Khan Published 1951 Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Ishaat Islam, original from the University of Michigan, digitised 23 October 2006
Like other children of the rich Meccan merchant families, Abu Bakr was literate and developed a fondness for poetry. He used to attend the annual fair at Ukaz, and participate in poetical symposia. He was noted as having a very good memory and a good knowledge of the genealogy of the Arab tribes, their stories and their politics.Al-Zarkali, Al-A'lam, Dar al-Ilm lil Malayeen, 15th edition, May 2002
A story is preserved that once when he was a child, his father took him to the Kaaba and asked him to pray before the idols. His father went away to attend to some other business, and Abu Bakr was left alone. Addressing an idol, Abu Bakr said, "O my God, I am in need of beautiful clothes; bestow them on me". The idol remained indifferent. Then he addressed another idol, saying, "O God, give me some delicious food. See that I am so hungry". The idol remained cold. That exhausted the patience of young Abu Bakr. He lifted a stone, and, addressing an idol, said, "Here I am aiming a stone; if you are a god protect yourself". Abu Bakr hurled the stone at the idol and left the Kaaba. Regardless, it recorded that prior to reverting to Islam, Abu Bakr practiced as a hanif and never worshipped idols.
Companionship of Muhammad
While some Sunni scholars and all Shi'a traditions maintain that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the second person to embrace Islam after Khadija, the historian Ibn Kathir, in Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya, disregards this view and classifies the earliest converts by social group: Khadija as the first woman, Zayd ibn Harithah as the first freed slave, Ali ibn Abi Talib as the first child, and Abu Bakr as the first free adult man to embrace Islam.
Subsequent life in Mecca His wife Qutaylah bint Abd al-Uzza did not accept Islam and he divorced her. His other wife, Umm Ruman, became a Muslim. His conversion also brought many people to Islam. He persuaded his intimate friends to revert,Al-Bidaya wa l-Nihaya 3/26Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions by Wendy Doniger and presented Islam to other friends in such a way that many of them also accepted the faith. Those who converted to Islam at the dawah of Abu Bakr were: Uthman ibn Affan (the future third Rashidun caliph) Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (a key military leader and member of the shura) Talha ibn Ubayd Allah (Abu Bakr's cousin and a prominent companion) Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (a wealthy merchant and pivotal member of the early state) Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (the future commander of the Muslim conquest of Persia) Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (the future commander-in-chief in Syria) Abu Salama (the Prophet's foster brother and an early migrant to Abyssinia) Khalid ibn Sa'id (an early convert and future general in the Rashidun army)
Abu Bakr's acceptance proved to be a milestone in Muhammad's mission. Slavery was common in Mecca, and many slaves accepted Islam. When an ordinary free man accepted Islam, despite opposition, he would enjoy the protection of his tribe. For slaves, however, there was no such protection and they commonly experienced persecution. Abu Bakr felt compassion for slaves, so he purchased eight (four men and four women) and then freed them, paying 40,000 dinar for their freedom.Tabaqat ibn Sa'd 3/ 169, 174Tarikh ar-Rusul wa al-Muluk 3/ 426 He was known to have freed slaves, including Bilal ibn Rabah, who later became the first Muezzin.
The men were: Bilal ibn Rabah Abu Fukayha Ammar ibn Yasir Amir ibn Fuhayra
The women were: Lubaynah Al-Nahdiah Umm Ubays Zunairah al-Rumiya
Most of the slaves liberated by Abu Bakr were either women or old and frail men.The Mohammedan Dynasties: Chronological and Genealogical Tables with Historical Introductions (1894) by Stanley Lane-Poole, published by Adamant Media Corporation When his father asked him why he did not liberate strong and young slaves, who could be a source of strength for him, Abu Bakr replied that he was freeing the slaves for the sake of God, and not for his own sake.
Persecution by the Quraysh, 613
For three years after the birth of Islam, Muslims kept their faith private. In 613, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was commanded by God to call people to Islam openly. The first public address inviting people to offer allegiance to Muhammad was delivered by Abu Bakr.Muslim persecution of heretics during the marwanid period (64-132/684-750), Judd Steven, Al-Masq: Islam & the Medieval Mediterranean, April 2011, Vol. 23, Issue 1, pp. 1–14. In a fit of fury, the young men of the Quraysh tribe rushed at Abu Bakr and beat him until he lost consciousness.Abu Bakr by Atta Mohy-ud-Din, published 1968 S. Chand Original from the University of Michigan, digitised 6 January 2006, ASIN B0006FFA0O. Following this incident, his mother converted to Islam. Abu Bakr was persecuted many times by the Quraysh. Though Abu Bakr's beliefs would have been defended by his own clan, it would not be so for the entire Quraysh tribe.
Last years in Mecca In 617, the Quraysh enforced a boycott against the Banu Hashim. Muhammad, along with his supporters from Banu Hashim, were cut off in a pass away from Mecca. All social relations with the Banu Hashim were cut off and their state was that of imprisonment. Before it, many Muslims migrated to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia and Eritrea). Abu Bakr, feeling distressed, set out for Yemen and then to Abyssinia from there. He met a friend of his, Ad-Dughna (chief of the Qarah tribe) outside Mecca, who invited Abu Bakr to seek his protection against the Qurayshites. Abu Bakr went back to Mecca, which was a relief for him. But soon due to the pressure of the Quraysh, Ad-Dughna was forced to renounce his protection. Once again the Quraysh were free to persecute Abu Bakr.
In 620, Muhammad's uncle and protector, Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and Muhammad's wife Khadija died. Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was betrothed to Muhammad; however, it was decided that the actual marriage ceremony would be held later. In 620, Abu Bakr was the first person to testify to Muhammad's Isra and Mi'raj.Islam (Exploring Religions) by Anne Geldart, published by Heinemann Library, 28 September 2000
Migration to Medina
In 622, on the invitation of the Muslims of Yathrib (later Medina), Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate there. The migration began in batches. Ali was the last to remain in Mecca, entrusted with responsibility for settling any loans the Muslims had taken out, and famously slept in the bed of Muhammad when the Quraysh, led by Ikrima, attempted to murder Muhammad as he slept. Meanwhile, Abu Bakr accompanied Muhammad to Medina. Due to the danger posed by the Quraysh, they did not take the road, but moved in the opposite direction, taking refuge in a cave in Jabal Thawr, some five miles south of Mecca. Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would listen to the plans and discussions of the Quraysh, and at night, he would carry the news to the fugitives in the cave. Asma bint Abi Bakr, the daughter of Abu Bakr, brought them meals every day.Islamic Culture by the Islamic Cultural Board Published 1927 s.n. Original from the University of Michigan, digitised 27 March 2006. Amir, a servant of Abu Bakr, would bring a flock of goats to the mouth of the cave every night, where they were milked. The Quraysh sent search parties in all directions. One party came close to the entrance to the cave but was unable to see them. Abu Bakr was referenced in the Qur'an in verse 40 of :
Life in Medina