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Throughout
most of the important events of the Prophet Muhammad’s life,
his companion Abu Bakr was by his side.
The
Quraish had devised every possible plan to kill the Prophet,
but all their attempts were in vain.
The
Migration to Madinah
On
the occasion of the migration of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and Abu
Bakr, the Quraish had planned to surround the
Prophet’s house with a group of strong young men, one from
each tribe, to kill him when he left his house. Allah revealed
their plans to the Prophet and so `Ali ibn Abi Talib agreed to
sleep in the Prophet’s house that night. The Prophet walked
right past the young would-be killers while they were waiting
for him. He threw some sand at their faces and recited the
verse from the Qur’an that means [And We have put a barrier
before them, and a barrier behind them, and We have covered
them up, so that they cannot see] (Yasin 36:9) and they were
unaware of him passing by them.
The
next morning the young men who had been chosen to kill the
Prophet discovered `Ali in the
Prophet’s house and they were confused, wondering how
Muhammad had escaped. When the Prophet left his house under
Allah’s protection, he headed straight to the house of Abu
Bakr. Abu Bakr had been waiting for some time until the
Prophet finally said that it was time to leave Makkah and make
the important journey to Madinah (Al-Mubarakphuri, 165-69).
As
he was eagerly waiting, Abu Bakr had been preparing for their
journey. He had two camels that were fed and rested so as to
be ready to carry himself and the Prophet on their long
journey.
Madinah
lies to the north of Makkah, but the Prophet and Abu Bakr left
Makkah with their guide heading south in the hope of tricking
the Quraish and thereby gaining ground. They went to a small
cave called Thawr where they sought safety.
Abu
Bakr loved the Prophet dearly and was committed to the cause
of Islam from the very beginning. He was a tenderhearted man
and all his concern, at that time especially, was centered on
the safety of the Prophet. Abu Bakr carried the Prophet up the
mountain to the cave of Thawr in an attempt to conceal their
footsteps. When they were ready to enter the cave, Abu Bakr
entered first to check that it was safe. He didn’t fear
danger to himself but wanted to ensure the Prophet’s safety.
He cleaned the cave as best he could and bid the Prophet
enter. This action of Abu Bakr was recorded in the Qur’an [If you will not aid him, Allah certainly aided him when those
who disbelieved expelled him, he being the second of the two,
when they were both in the cave, when he said to his
companion: Grieve not, surely Allah is with us] (At-Tawbah
9:40). They stayed there for three nights and Abu Bakr’s
pregnant daughter Asma’ brought them food. She risked great
danger in doing so. Because she tore her belt in two to use
one piece to tie shut the food bag, she gained the epithet the
One with Two Belts.
Meanwhile
the Quraish were baffled about where the Prophet was. They
beat `Ali, trying to get any information out of him concerning
the whereabouts of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They also
threatened Asma’ and slapped her, trying to do the same. But
neither uttered a word. In the end, the Quraish offered a
reward for anyone who found the Prophet. As a consequence, a
number of bounty-hunters sought the prize of a few camels in
hope of catching the Prophet Muhammad (Nadwi, 62).
In
the midst of all this turmoil and strife, Abu Bakr remained
steadfast beside the Prophet until the very end. He, as usual,
was calm and committed, ever kind and generous.
One
group of bounty-hunters came so close to the mouth of the cave
where the Prophet and his companion were hiding that Abu Bakr
asked the Prophet, “What if they were to look through the
crevice and detect us?” The Prophet, ever calm and
self-assured in his perfect faith, replied, “Silence, Abu
Bakr! What do you think of two with whom the third is
Allah!” (Al-Mubarakphuri, 171).
Allah
had ensured the safety of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
Abu Bakr by sending a spider to spin its web across the
entrance of the cave.
Across
the mouth of the cave, a spider had spun its web and two doves
built their nest and laid some eggs in the entrance. When the
bounty-hunters saw this, they naturally believed that the
unbroken web and the undisturbed nest was proof that no one
had entered the cave.
Abu
Bakr witnessed many significant events in the Prophet’s
life. The migration was one of these events. When the Prophet
entered Madinah and the crowds were chanting and singing with
joy and happiness, Abu Bakr was his quiet and noble companion.
The
Battles of the Early Period
Abu
Bakr participated in all the battles with the Prophet and did
the best he could for the sake of spreading Islam. He was
kind, yet brave. Many incidents show some of his
characteristics. One of them was in the Battle of Badr, and
another in the Battle of Tabuk.
The
Battle of Badr was a great test for the Muslims. They were
small in number and had undergone many hardships. They were
greatly outnumbered by the Quraish. The Prophet prayed to
Allah for assistance and to keep their feet firm. He continued
to pray and supplicate until the cloak he was wearing slipped
from his shoulders. Then his ever-faithful companion Abu Bakr
picked up the cloak and put it back around his shoulders and
said, “Prophet of Allah, you have cried out enough to your
Lord. He will surely fulfill what He has promised you”
(Al-Mubarakphuri, 220).
The
Battle of Badr was a test for all the Muslims. Abu Bakr even
had to face his own son `Abdur-Rahman in the fight because he
had not as yet embraced Islam. Abu Bakr did not hesitate to
confront him and even shouted at him asking where was his
wealth (Al-Mubarakphuri, 77).
Later
when the Prophet gathered money for the Battle of Tabuk, the
Muslims gave whatever they could give, but Abu Bakr exceeded
all the records by giving all that he had to the Prophet
without leaving anything for his own family. When the Prophet
asked him what he had left for his family, he replied,
“Allah and His Messenger are enough for them.”
The
Death of the Prophet
In
the days before the Prophet’s death, Abu Bakr was always
near him. Around this time the Prophet was heard to say,
“The fellow in whose company I feel most secure is Abu Bakr.
If I were to make friendship with anyone other than Allah, I
would have Abu Bakr a bosom friend of mine. For him I feel
affection and brotherhood of Islam. No gate shall be kept open
in the mosque except that of Abu Bakr” (Al-Bukhari).
As
the time of his death approached, the Prophet suffered a lot
of pain. When the time came that he could no longer lead the
prayer, he asked that Abu Bakr lead the Muslims in prayer.
`A’ishah, the daughter of Abu Bakr, knew how tenderhearted
her father was and she was afraid he would be too upset to do
this, but the Prophet insisted and so it was. On the last day
of the Prophet’s life, the Muslims were being led by Abu
Bakr in the Fajr Prayer. The Prophet felt a little better so
with the help of two of his companions he looked at the
Muslims praying behind Abu Bakr. He smiled happily and
returned to his room.
The
Prophet (peace be upon him) died just a few hours later.
Everyone in Madinah felt the great loss and experienced
immense sadness. When Abu Bakr heard the news he came
immediately to `A’ishah’s house where the Prophet was. He
gently uncovered his face and kissed him and cried. Then he
said, “I sacrifice my mother and father for your sake.
Allah, verily, will not cause you to die twice. You have just
experienced the death that Allah had ordained”
(Al-Mubarakphuri, 77).
Despite
his sadness, the stance and attitude of Abu Bakr was filled
with confidence when he saw some Muslims confused and
bewildered at how their beloved Prophet could die. He stood
before the Muslims boldly and said, “And now, he who
worships Muhammad, know that Muhammad is dead. But he who
worships Allah, He is Ever Living and He never dies. Allah
says, [Muhammad is no more than a messenger, and indeed many
messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is
killed, will you then turn back on your heels as disbelievers?
And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he
do to Allah, and Allah will give reward to those who are
grateful] (Aal `Imran 3:144).”
In
this way Abu Bakr reminded the people of their true condition:
to worship and obey Allah. It did not take long until the
Ansar (natives of Madinah) and the Muhajirun (Immigrants from
Makkah) acknowledged Abu Bakr as the rightful caliph and
thereby began a new phase in the history of Islam: that of the
rightly guided caliphs.
Abu
Bakr the Caliph
After
the death of the Prophet, the Muslims were to choose a head of
their state. The Muhajirun and the Ansar agreed that the
caliph should be from the Muhajirun. Abu Bakr suggested either
`Umar ibn Al-Khattab or Abu `Ubaidah `Amir ibn Al-Jarrah.
`Umar rose quickly and said, “Abu Bakr, how can I or Abu
`Ubaidah be preferred over you? You are undoubtedly the most
excellent of the Muslims. You were the Second of the Two in
the Cave. You were appointed to lead the prayers during the
Prophet’s illness. Of all the Companions you were the
closest and the dearest to the Prophet. As such you are dear
to us. Stretch out your hand so that we may offer our
allegiance to you.” Yet Abu Bakr did not. `Umar thought that
this delay from Abu Bakr might cause disagreement among the
Muslims, so he took Abu Bakr’s hand and pledged loyalty to
him. The second was Abu `Ubaidah and after him were all the
Muslims.
Abu
Bakr then summoned the Muslims and delivered this remarkable
speech to them:
Help
me if I am in the right; set me right if I am in the wrong. The
weak among you shall be strong with me till, Allah willing,
his rights have been vindicated, and the strong among you
shall be weak with me till, if the Lord wills, I have taken
what is due from him. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and
His Prophet; when I disobey Him and His Prophet, obey me
not.
When
an expedition led by Usamah bin Zaid was to depart to Syria,
Abu Bakr directed it to depart on its mission. Abu Bakr went
to bid farewell to the army and addressed them in the
following terms:
See
that you avoid treachery. Depart not in any wise from the
right. Do not mutilate any one. You should not kill
children, women or old men. Do not injure the date palm; do
not burn it. Do not cut down any tree wherein there is food
for men and beasts. Do not slay the flocks of herds of
camels save for needful sustenance. You may eat of the meat
that the men of the land may bring to you in their vessels,
making mention thereon of the name of Allah. Do not molest
the monks in the churches, and leave them to themselves. Now
march forward in the name of God. Fulfill the mission
entrusted to you. May Allah protect you from sword and
pestilence!
Abu
Bakr died at the age of 63. He was buried on the right side of
the Prophet.
**
Latiefa
Achmat is an Islamic counselor and social worker in
Capetown, South Africa.
Sources
Al-Mubarakphuri,
Safi-ur-Rahman. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar).
Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam Publications, 1996.
Nadwi,
Abul Hasan. Muhammad the Last Prophet – a Model for All
Time. UK: Islamic Academy, 1993.
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