Topic: Four Rightly Guided Caliphs

Assignment by Adeena

Q1: Write short accounts of the lives of any two of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
(b) Explain the significance of one of your chosen figures during his reign as
Caliph.
Ans: Abu Bakr was awarded with such great titles as Saddiq (the Truthful), Ateeq (the one freed
from the fire) and Afzal al Bashar-e-Badal Ambiya (the best of men after Allah’s messengers). He
led a pious and pure life even before his conversion and remained away from the corrupt
practices of pre-Islamic Makkan society. This is the reason that he became the first free male
adult to embrace and this he did without hesitation or questioning. He was an awfully close
friend of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) even before Islam. After the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had
received the first Revelation he thought of approaching his kinsmen and so he told Abu Bakr the
whole story of his experience. Abu Bakr responded to his call and immediately embraced Islam.
The Quran Describes:
“And he who comes with Truth and he who confirms (supports) it such are the people who do
right” (39:33)
After accepting the New Faith, Abu Bakr devoted his life, energies and wealth to preaching Islam.
Many prominent companions are said to have been persuaded by hm to embrace Islam. During
all hardships Abu Bakr stood by the holy’s prophet (PBUH) side. He rendered valuable services
in all the battles, donating all of his wealth for Tabuk.
Finally, it was Abu Bakr who normalized the critical situation arising out the death of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) as nobody was ready to believe this including Umar. Abu Bakr on this occasion
recited these verses:
“Muhammad is no more than a Messenger: many messengers that were sent before him passes
away; if he died or were slain will you then turn back on your heels” (3:144)
Abu Bakr led the daily prayers during the last days of the Holy Prophet’s illness on his
instructions. Unanimously, he was elected the first Caliph of Islam. Abu Bakr continued to
perform meritorious services for Islam even after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as
Caliph. As the news of the Holy Prophet’s death reached different parts of Arabia several tribes
around Madinah and other distant parts began to rise in revolt and some people even claimed
prophethood. They were all successfully crushed by him. He formed a committee of experts led
by Zayn Bin Thabit for the compilation of the Quran.
Umar bin al-Khattab:
Was a bitter enemy of Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) before his conversion. He treated the
early converts of low origin quite mercilessly and according to a tradition the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) had prayed to God for the conversion of either Umar bin al-Khattab Amr bin Hisham
(Abu Jahl) The prayer was soon granted. He started preaching Islam openly and boldly. He is
counted amongst the ten blessed companions and is also a scribe of Divine revelation. It was
Umar who gave the suggestion of summoning the Believers for daily prayers by Adhan (call for
prayer). He also rendered remarkable services in all the battles.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:
“The sun has not risen over a man better than Umar”
Abu Bakr himself nominated him in 634/13 AH. His Caliphate is noted by internal consolidation
of the Muslim Empire accompanied by the expansion of Islamic rule by conquering the lands
under the Persian and Byzantine empires and they included Iraq, Persian, Jerusalem and Egypt.
It is surely the golden period in Muslim history after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Umar
appointed the able and efficient governors in all three conquered territories under his wonderful
administrative system. Umar was final martyred by Firoz, a Persian slave on 3 rd November 644
while offering the morning prayer. He was buried alongside the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Abu
Bakr in Madinah.
Umar left behind him an effective system of administration throughout his empire by appointing
extremely efficient governors and Qadis (Judges) and other state officials. His caliphate brought
a great deal of prosperity and strength for the Muslims.
(B)
Ans: Umar bin Khattab’s caliphate was the most successful and glorious period of early Islamic
history. He not only consolidated the new Muslim empire by establishing an effective system of
governance but also expanded its borders by capturing Persia, Syria, Palestine, Jerusalem and
the fertile land of Egypt. He himself led a simple and pious life and conducted patrolling at night
to ensure the peace and comfort of his people. He laid down the foundation of a lasting
administrative system by dividing the empire into provinces and by placing them under able
administrators, governors and Qadis (judges).
Q2: Write an account of the major contributions made to Islam by Abu Bakr:

(i) During the Prophet’s lifetime,

(ii) During his caliphate
Ans: Abu Bakr was the first male adult to embrace Islam and this he did without any hesitation or
questioning. He was an awfully close friend of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) even before Islam. After the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) had received the first Revelation he thought of approaching his kinsmen and so he told
Abu Bakr the whole story of his experience. Abu Bakr responded to his call and immediately embraced
Islam. The Quran describes:

““And he who comes with Truth and he who confirms (supports) it such are the people who do right”
(39:33)
At Madinah Abu Bakr continued his services for Islam. He paid for the plot of land selected by the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) for the Mosque of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Abu Bakr rendered valuable services in all
the battles. In the battle of Badr he was in charge of the right wing of the troop and fought against his
own Abd-al-Rahman (who had not accepted Islam by that time). In the battle of Uhad he negated the
rumor of the Holy Prophet’s death and acted as a shield for the Holy Prophet (PBUH). In the battle of
Hunayn he remained firm and reorganized the retreating scattered troops that had fleeing away. When
the Holy Prophet (PBUH) began to raise funds for the Tabuk expedition, Abu Bakr placed all his wealth at
the disposal of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Abu Bakr led the daily prayers during the last days of the Holy
Prophet’s (PBUH) illness on his instructions.

(ii)Abu Bakr was unanimously elected the first Caliph of Islam. He sent an army under Usama Bin Zayd to
Syria: firstly, to fulfill the desire of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to punish the Romans and secondly to deter
the northern tribes from rebellion. Abu Bakr had taken his bold decision in the face of opposition from
several companions including Umar. The expedition, however, remained successful as it was able to crush
the rebel tribes. Other Tribes which rebelled were taught lessons by his armies. Some of them led by the
likes of Musailma Kazzab (the liar) and Aswas Ansi had claimed (false) prophethood was also defeated.

Abu Bakr ordered that the Quran be written down in the form of a manuscript and he formed a committee
of experts led by Zayd bin Thabit (RA) for this task.

Throughout Arabia all rebels were suppressed, and tribes brought under control. Abu Bakr now turned
towards the Syria as the hostility between the Arabs and the Byzantines had begun since the Battle of
Mut’ah and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had carried out the Tabuk expedition in order to contain the
Byzantines within their borders. Tabuk expedition in order to contain the Byzantines within their borders.
Then Abu Bakr sent Usama to Syrian expedition for the same purpose. Damascus was finally captured
during Umer’s caliphate. Abu Bakr received the victory news on his deathbed.

Victory of Ajnadayn opened the gates of further victories to the Muslims, and thus Abu Bakr laid the
foundation of the expansion of the Muslim Empire in various directions. He died a natural death and was
buried alongside the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

(b): Explain why he was known as the Honest One (al-Saddiq), and the Savior of Islam?

Ans: Abu Bakr is known as al-Saddiq and the savior of Islam for the sincerity of his faith and the services
rendered by him for Islam. He was the only on who accepted Islam without any hesitation and this fact
was acknowledged by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself. He continued to believe in the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) ever afterwards without questioning him. Again, he was the only one to believe in Holy Prophet’s
(PBUH) experience of the journey of Mairaj (Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) ascension to the heavens by the
command of God). On this occasion, he was awarded the title al-Saddiq by the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Abu Bakr earned the title of the savior of Islam by taking effective measures against such rebels and the
imposters who had raised their ugly heads soon after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He
suppressed the Apostacy movement, using iron hand against the conspirators. His army killed the most
dangerous false prophet, Musailma. He got the Holy Quran compiled and thus ensured the unity of the
Ummah.

Q3: Describe Abu Bakr's activities against the false prophets and apostate tribes?
Ans: When news of the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) reached different parts of Arabia,
in several tribes around Madinah and other distant parts began to rise in revolt. Most of these
tribes had recently embraced Islam and, therefore, had not completely submitted before the
new faith. Many tribes in the north of Madinah also got emboldened by the defeat of the
Muslims in the Battle of Mut’ah against the Romans. Shortly after his death, the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) had already dispatched an army under Usama bin Zaid as a further feedback to the
battle area, which had stopped hearing about the sad demise of the Prophet (PBUH. Abu Bakr
earnestly followed the orders of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and dispatched the expedition
which ultimately met with success u=in crushing the rebel tribe Banu Quza’s near the
Mediterranean coast and it returned without loosing a single man and with rich booty. This
greatly strengthened the Caliph’s position and deterred the evil intentions of the northern
revolting tribes.
Then in June 632 AD the rebel tribes attacked Madinah. These rebels (who had recently
embraced Islam) were not willing to pay Zakat to the newly founded system of Caliphate as
they claimed that their allegiance was with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) only. They were further
instigated by the false prophet Tulayha. They were decisively defeated. Bahrayn, Mahrab,
Oman etc. Now the Caliph turned towards the false prophets and crushed them in what are
known as the Wars of Apostasy or War of Riddah. These were led by three false prophets
namely, Tulayha, Musailma, and the Sajjah.
There was another false prophet Aswad bin Kab Al-Ansi, but he was killed by his own
supporters during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Later, his followers were
defeated by Abu Bakr’s army. He belonged to the tribe of Banu Asad. An army under Khalid
bin Walid was sent which met them at Buzakha. After a fierce battle, Tulayha’s army
surrendered and he himself fled. Later, Tulayha submitted to the second Caliph, Umar.
Musailma was a Yemenite and had claimed (false) prophethood during the last days of the
Holy Prophet (PBUH). He was chief of his tribes and had an army of 40,000 soldiers. He also
married false prophetess Sajjah to further strengthen his leadership. She, however left him
soon and later became Muslim. Khalid bin Walid met his army at the historic Battle of
Yemana in April 633 AD. Muslim losses were hardly a third of the enemy’s. Musailma was
finally killed and the tribe of Banu Hanifa embraced Islam. The outcome of this battle was
another milestone in the Islamic history. Due to the martyrdom of 300 Huffaz, Umar bin
Khattab sensed that those who had learnt the Quran directly from the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
would eventually die. He suggested to Abu Bakr that the Quran be written down in the form
of a complete manuscript. Abu Bakr was hesitant at first but then he agreed and formed a
committee of experts led by Zayd bin Thabit for this task. Thus, another valuable service was
performed by Abu Bakr for Islam.
Bahrayn and Hajer (near the Persian Gulf) were the areas that not only apostatized but also
joined hands with the Persian tribes. Muslim armies were able to crush them and then they
turned towards Oman. The people of Oman had apostatized though their prince remained
loyal to Islam. Hudhayfa and Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl crushed the rebels all the way to Yemen.
This brought an end to the wars of apostasy.
(b) Why is Abu Bakr called the Savior of Islam?
Ans: Abu Bakr is aptly called the savior of Islam because of the vital services rendered by him.
Soon after the Prophet’s (PBUH) death, he was the only one calmed down the shocked Muslim
community. Most of the companions, including Umar, were not ready to believe in the death of
the Prophet (PBUH). Abu Bakr on this occasion, delivered a convincing speech and talked all
about the mortality of Muhammad (PBUH) by reciting.
““Muhammad is no more than a Messenger: many messengers that were sent before him passes
away; if he died or were slain will you then turn back on your heels?” (3:144)
The recitation had magical impact, and all realized that the Prophet (PBUH) had left his worldly
adobe.
Later as Caliph, Abu Bakr suppressed the Apostasy movement and thus preserved the
fundamentals of Islam. False prophets challenged the second component of Shahada- “
Muhammad (PBUH) is the (final) messenger of God”.
The tribes refusing to pay Zakat, likewise, struck at another pillar of Islam and by eradicating
both. Abu Bakr defended basic principals of Islam. Finally, by compiling the Quran, Abu Bakr
ensured the unity of the Muslim community that depended on the Quran- the strongest unifying
force.

NOTES:
The Rightly Guided Caliphs
HAZRAT ABU BAKR (RA)

SIGNIFICANCE OF ABU BAKR DURING THE PROPHET’S LIFETIME:

• Abu Bakr, whose real name was Abdullah, was one of the Prophet’s closest friends.
• Even before accepting Islam, he led a pious and chaste life.
• After the Holy Prophet had received his first revelation, he thought of approaching those closest to
him, so he told Abu Bakr the whole story of his experience.
• Abu Bakr responded to his call and immediately embraced Islam.
• He was the first free adult male and the first person outside the family of the Prophet to become a
Muslim.
• The Qur’an describes his acceptance as: ‘’and he who comes with the truth and he who confirms it
such are the people who do right’’ (39:33).
• He was the first person to testify to the Messenger’s event of Miraj (Prophet’s ascension to the
heavens) and was given the title of ‘’Al Siddique’’ due to his immediate belief of the journey.
• After accepting Islam, he devoted his life and wealth to preaching Islam.
• Abu Bakr’s acceptance proved to be a milestone in the prophet’s mission.
• Prominent companions like Usman, Talha and Zubair are said to have been persuaded by him to
accept Islam.
• He bought and freed a lot of slaves, Bilal being one of the prominent ones.
• When the Holy Prophet started preaching openly, he faced fierce opposition.
• During all such hardships Abu Bakr stood by his side.
• The first public address of inviting people to offer allegiance to the Prophet’s message was delivered
by Abu Bakr.
• At this the youth of Quraish beat Abu Bakr till he fainted.
• In 620AD when the Prophet’s wife died, Abu Bakr’s daughter Ayesha was engaged to the Prophet
whom he married after his migration to Medina.
• In 622AD on the invitation from the Muslims of Medina, the Prophet ordered Muslims to migrate.
• The migration took place in batches and the Prophet was the last one to leave accompanied by Abu
Bakr.
• Both remained in the cave of Saur for three days to hide from the Makkans who wanted to kill the
Prophet and his companion.
• This event is mentioned in the Qur’an: ‘’he is being the second of the two when they were in the
cave’’ (9:40).
• At Medina Abu Bakr continued his services to Islam.
• He paid for the piece of land selected by the Holy Prophet for the mosque of the Prophet (Masjid-e-
Nabvi).
• He rendered valuable services in all the battles.
• In the battle of Badr, he was in charge of the right wing of the troops and fought against his own son
Abdur Rahman.
• In the battle of Uhad, he negated the rumor of the Prophet’s death and acted as a shield to save
him.
• In the battle of Hunaian, he remained firm and reorganized the scattered troops that had started
running away.
• When the Holy Prophet began to raise funds for the Tabuk expedition, Abu Bakr placed all his
wealth at the disposal of the Holy Prophet.
• He was present at the time of the treaty of Hudaibiya and was one of the signatories. He was also
one of the ten blessed companions who were given tidings of heaven during their lifetime.
• He was appointed the first Ameer-e-Hajj (the chief guide of pilgrimage). Abu Bakr led the daily
prayers during the last days of the Holy Prophet’s illness.
• Finally, it was Abu Bakr who normalized the critical situation arising out of the death of the Holy
Prophet, as nobody was ready to believe this including Umar.
• Abu Bakr on this occasion recited these verses: ‘’Mohammad is no more than a messenger: many
messengers that were before him passed away, if he died or were slain will you then turn back on
your heels?’’ (3:144).
• Nobody led the funeral prayers of the Holy Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar were the first of
worshippers.
• He was unanimously elected the first Caliph of Islam.
• Abu Bakr continued to perform meritorious services for Islam even after the death of the Holy
Prophet.
•

SHORT ACCOUNT OF ABU BAKR’S LIFE: (NOV 2004 PAPER 2)

PROBLEMS FACED BY ABU BAKR WITHIN ARABIA:

 REFUSAL TO PAY ZAKAT:

The issue of the refusal to pay Zakat was a great test of the moral courage of Abu Bakr as the first Caliph
of the Holy Prophet. After the demise of the Holy Prophet many surrounding tribes of Medina which had
offered allegiance to Islam, sent a deputation to Abu Bakr with the proposal that their agreement with
the Muslims had ended. A fresh agreement was necessary in which they should be relieved from the
obligation to pay Zakat. Abu Bakr argued that Zakat was a fundamental injunction of Islam and had to be
paid. Seeing their proposal being rejected these tribes decided to forego Islam. Their decision was to
attack Medina when the main Muslim army was in Syria. They attacked at night but found Abu Bakr with
his army ready to fight. The apostates were defeated; many tribesmen died while others fled in
confusion. After this battle many tribes sent their delegates to Medina, offered allegiance and paid Zakat.

APOSTASY MOVEMENT:

After the Prophet’s death, some of the people rose in revolt against the authorities in Medina and
renounced Islam. Abu Bakr, without any delay, launched an expedition against this movement. After
collecting the troops at Medina, he divided them into eleven battalions each with an experienced
commander, and sent them in eleven different directions to crush these revolts. He instructed each
commander to first invite these tribes to Islam. If any refused to comply, they were to be attacked. Some
of the tribes accepted Islam but the others were stubborn and were dealt with harshly. All campaigns
were successful, and Abu Bakr was able to re-establish control of Islam throughout the Peninsula.

FALSE PROPHETS:

In the last days of the Prophet’s life some misguided people arose to claim prophet hood. When Abu Bakr
was elected as the Caliph, they started their preaching openly. Among these false prophets were Tulaiha,
Aswad Ansi, Musailamah and Sajjah. Tulaiha belonged to the Banu Asad tribe in the northern Arabia. An
army under Khalid bin Walid was sent which met them at Buzaka. After a fierce battle Tulaiha’s army
surrendered and he himself fled to Syria. He embraced Islam during the time of the second Caliph.Aswad
Ansi belonged to the Ansi tribe in Yemen. He was an ugly man who kept his face veiled all the time. He
was nicknamed ‘’the veiled prophet’’. Being leader of his tribe, he revolted with the cooperation of the
neighboring chiefs. He was the first false prophet who collected a large army in open revolt against
Islam. He was defeated and killed by the Muslims. The most dangerous of the false prophets was
Musalima. He belonged to a tribe of central Arabia. His tribe accepted him as a prophet. Abu Bakr sent
Shurbhil and Ikramah to crush the rebellion; later Khalid bin Walid joined them. Muslimas, army was
defeated after a fierce battle at Yamamah in 633AD.Musalimah was killed. In this battle about 800
Muslims were martyred. Amongst them were 360 Huffaz (memorizers of the Holy Qur’an). Sajjah was a
woman who belonged to the Bani Tamim tribe. She claimed to be a prophetess and succeeded in
mustering a large following. When Muslimah heard about her claim he invited her to Yamamah. They
decided to join forces and later Musailma married her which ended her adventure of prophet hood and
she lived in obscurity for the rest of her life. When the Muslims conquered Iraq, she entered the circle of
Islam along with her tribe.

COMPILATION OF THE QUR’AN:

In the battle of Yamamah several Huffaz laid down their lives. Hazrat Umar approached Hazrat Abu Bakr
about the compilation of the Holy Quran. He was of the opinion that soon the preservation of the Qur’an
will become a major problem owing to the deaths of the Huffaz. Abu Bakr did not agree in the beginning
but was later convinced by Umar and he ordered the compilation of the Holy Book under the supervision
of Zaid bin Sabit.

3) (a) Trace the major stages in the compilation of the Qur’an in the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
(b) Why did these Caliphs think it was important to make a compilation of the Qur’an?
ANS 3(a): At the time of the Prophet’s death no official copy of the Qur’an existed in a complete written
form. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr some people declared themselves to be prophets. Among them
was Musalima. Abu Bakr waged a war against him and around 360 companions laid down their lives in
that battle, known as the battle of Yamamah. 70 of them had committed the Holy Qur’an to
memory. Hazrat Umar realized that these ‘’oral copies’’ of the Qur’an would gradually diminish because
of natural death or martyrdom in future battles. He suggested to Abu Bakr that the Qur’an should be
compiled for the future generations or else it would meet the same fate as the previous scriptures. Hazrat
Abu Bakr, however, hesitated and said that how could he do something that the Holy Prophet did not
do. Hazrat Umar argued that under the circumstances this was an absolute necessity. According to Hazrat
Abu Bakr, ‘’Umar went on persuading me to accept his suggestion till I was convinced that he was right,
so I accepted his suggestion. ’Abu Bakr directed Zaid bin Sabit, one of the scribes of the Qur’an, to collect
the Quranic verses from every part of the Islamic empire and compile them in a book form. A commission
was appointed and headed by Zaid bin Sabit and its members were a number of companions. Zaid
collected the chapters of the Qur’an from every person who had it in their possession. He collected it from
palm leaves, stones, and pieces of wood and people who had memorized it. He not only collected it, but
also verified it from people who had heard it from the Holy Prophet. Though he himself was a Hafiz of the
Qur’an, he always tried to find a verse in writing before including it in his manuscript. Zaid is reported to
have said that he felt it would be far easier to carry a mountain on his head than to shoulder such a great
responsibility. The script prepared by Zaid remained with the first Caliph and after his death was
transferred to Hazrat Umar, the second Caliph. After Hazrat Umar’s death it was transferred to Hazrat
Hafsa, a widow of the Holy Prophet and Umar’s daughter. This copy of the Qur’an came to be known as
Musaf al-Hafsa i.e., Hafsa’s copy of the Holy Book. By the time of Usman’s Caliphate, the Islamic state had
expanded well beyond Arabia. The new converts of these areas recited the Qur’an in their own
dialects. Disputes rose among these people and some of them insisted that their style of recitation was
correct, and the others were not. One of the companions of the Prophet approached the Caliph and told
him about the possible danger of the division of the Ummah. Usman took immediate action and he
declared that the Muslims should unite on a uniform way of recitation. He got the copy of the Qur’an from
Hazrat Hafsa and gave it to a team of four companions which was headed by Zaid bin Sabit. It was decided
that one standard version of the Qur’an would be written in the dialect of the tribe of the Quraish. The
Holy prophet was from the Quraish, the Quran had been revealed in that dialect, and it was felt that this
was the right dialect for the recitation of the Qur’an. This team made several copies from the original text
and made sure the surahs, too, were arranged in order. The Qur’an was read out loudly from the beginning
to the end in the Prophet’s mosque from these copies, so that not a shadow of doubt remained in
anyone’s mind that changes had been introduced in the text. These copies were sent to the capital city of
every province of the Muslim states with a teacher to teach how to recite the Qur’an properly and
correctly. Instructions were also given that in the future, copies should be made only from the official text
and that if anyone had a copy with a different text, it should be burnt. Hazrat Usman is known as the Jami-
al-Quran which means that he brought the Muslims around to a uniform reading of the Quran. The Quran
that is being read today is the same as in the time of Abu Bakr. Nothing has been added or deleted from
it and the arrangement of the chapters and verses are in the same order as proclaimed by the Holy
Prophet, in accordance with Divine instructions.

ANS 3(b): The two Caliphs performed remarkable services to Islam by compiling the Holy Quran.
Both were driven by different circumstances. Abu Bakr, being a staunch follower of the Prophet, was
reluctant to compile the Quran but on Umar’s insistence, was convinced of doing so. He realized if the
memorizers of the Quran were either killed or died naturally with the passage of time, a situation of
confusion might arise throughout the Muslim world regarding the exact number of verses and surahs of
the Quran. If the future generations of the Muslims had no single copy of the Quran, they might be misled
as the Quran is the basis of all thought and action for the Muslims. Usman, likewise, faced another
challenging situation. Several newly converted Muslims in non-Arab territories began to argue about the
ways of recitation of the Quran. There was a danger of the growth of sects amongst Muslims regarding
the way of recitation because every group insisted that their dialect was the correct one and the others
were wrong. This meant that various groups might oppose each other and disunity amongst Muslims
might threaten their fraternity. So, Usman took a wise, timely action by compiling and standardizing the
Holy Book and burning all the copies which did not match the official and approved text.

SAVIOUR OF ISLAM:
Abu Bakr is aptly called the savior of Islam because of the vital services rendered by him. Soon after the
Prophet’s death, he was the one to calm down the shocked Muslim community. Most of the
companions including Umar were not ready to believe in the Prophet’s death. Abu Bakr on this occasion,
delivered a convincing speech talked all about the mortality of Mohammad by reciting: ‘’Mohammad is
no more than a messenger: many messengers that were before him passed away, if he died or were
slain will you then turn back on your heels?’’ (3:144). Later as a Caliph he suppressed the apostasy
movement and thus preserved the fundamentals of Islam. False prophets challenged the second
component of Shahada— ‘’Mohammad is the final Messenger of God.’’ He defeated the false prophets
and thus kept the unity of Islam. He fought and won against the tribes refusing to pay Zakat. By
eradicating both, Abu Bakr defended the basic principles of Islam. Finally, by compiling the Qur’an, Abu
Bakr ensured the unity of the Muslim community that depended on the Qur’an.

ELECTION:

Prophet did not nominate a successor. After his death there was an argument between the ansar and
mahajireen. Both wanted that the caliph should be from their group. A suggestion was given that there
should be two caliphs, one from each group. Abu Bakr reminded them that the prophet instructed that
the leader should be from the Quraish tribe. He suggested the names of Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah and Umar
bin Khataab.But Umar took Abu Bakr’s hand and pledged his loyalty to him. On seeing this everyone did
the same. He was unanimously elected the first Caliph.

WHY HE WAS CALLED AL-SIDDIQUE:

First free male to accept Islam. Believed in the ‘’Miraj’’ (Prophets ascension to the heavens).

ADMINISTRATION:
Laid the foundation of a truly democratic state. Always took advice from the great companions of the
Prophet in all important matters. Divided the state into provinces, each had a governor. The governor was
responsible for military and administrative affairs. Governor had an ‘’amil’’ to collect taxes and ‘’qazi’’ to
administer justice. All commanders and governors were selected on merit. He offered himself and his
officers for strict accountability. He built a ‘’bait-ul-maal’’ (treasury) to collect revenue. Established
military cantonments and maintained a reserve force. Expanded the Muslim Empire to Iran Syria and
Rome. Ensured the safety of non-Muslim subjects and allowed them to perform their religious duties. His
annual income was 6000 Dirhams which he returned to the state by issuing instructions to sell a piece of
land he owned when he was on his death bed.

LIST OF QUESTIONS:

4 (a) Write an account of the major contributions made to Islam by Abu Bakr:
(i) During the Prophet’s lifetime; [4]
• He was the Prophet’s friend from childhood.
• He was one of the first to accept Islam.
• He brought others to accept Islam.
• He remained loyal to the Prophet at all times, good and bad.
• He expressed belief in the Prophet’s Night Journey.
• He bought slaves who were Muslim and freed them.
• He accompanied the Prophet on the hijra.
• He gave his daughter `A’isha to be the Prophet’s wife.
• He made a financial contribution to the expedition to Tabuk.
(ii) During his caliphate. [8]
• He steadied the mourning community after the Prophet’s death.
• He continued the Prophet’s intention to send expeditions to the north.
• He fought against the tribes who withheld zakat.
• He fought against the false prophets.
• These were Musaylima, Tulayha, Aswad al-Ansi and Sajjah.
• He arranged to have the first collection of the Qur’an made.

Conversion of Abu Bakr (Nov ’09 paper 1):

Abu Bakr: close friend of the prophet from childhood and amongst the first to convert (first free adult
male); he became Muslim without hesitation; was open about calling others to the new faith and
persuaded many to accept Islam; he purchased slaves and set them free; he was the first person to
openly invite people to the new faith and was beaten severely.

Submitted by Adeena Farooq

Class O1R