The intense love of Hazrat Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddique(R.

A)
On 3 May 2013, Muslims across the world have commemorated the death anniversary of the first adult male who embraced Islam. He is known as Abu Bakr As Siddique, meaning the truthful one. He was the closest friend of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) and the first caliph of Islam. Writing about this personality, William Muir said : Abu Bakr's judgment was sound and impartial; his conversation agreeable and his demeanor affable and much sought after by the Quraysh and he was popular throughout the city.... The faith of Abu Bakr was the greatest guarantee of Muhammad's sincerity in the beginning of his career, and indeed, in a modified sense, throughout his life. To have such a person as a staunch adherent of his claim, was for Muhammad a most important step. William Muirs last sentence in this analysis is probably due to his looking at the issue as a historian, trying to understand how Muhammad could have been such a successful leader in such a short period of time. It fails to acknowledge that Hazrat Abu Bakrs decision to support Islam at its very beginning is primarily motivated by his own will and his receptivity to the beauty of the Message of Islam. Still, this analysis of his does throw sufficient light on the importance and greatness of the closest companion of Beloved Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). There is no doubt that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique would not have become what he became had it not been for the extraordinary influence and special consideration given to him by the Holy Prophet of Islam. Yet, it cannot be overlooked that this was a man who devoted himself wholly for the cause of Islam from the very beginning and whose love for the Beloved Prophet was truly unparalleled in history. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) also played a pivotal role at the passing away of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). At a time when there was considerable fear that Islam had become weak, he displayed uncomparable leadership qualities to keep his troops motivated and quell rebellions which could have had considerable impact on the purity of the newly founded religion. Although his caliphate did not last for more than two years, it included successful invasions of the two most powerful superpowers of the time, the Byzantine and Persian empires; a remarkable achievement in its own right. He set in motion a historical trajectory that in few decades would lead to one of the largest empires in history. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(RA) is also credited for having started the process of preserving the Holy Quraan in its pristine form, exactly as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) over a period of 23 years, thus ensuring that the Message sent by Allah to humanity through the Blessed Messenger be forever transmitted in its original form to all generations that would follow till the end of times.

His accepting Islam without asking for proof.

It is known from reliable sources that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) was the childhood friend of Aminas son. His life history is therefore very important to anyone who wants to know deeper about Muhammad himself. And indeed there are many aspects of Hazrat Abu Bakrs life that any Muslim should ponder upon and understand the true value of this brave man, who has really influenced the course of human history in many ways. Before the advent of Islam, Mecca was a city where people indulged in polytheism, adultery, drinking of liquor, murder and many other vices. Hazrat Abu Bakr(R.A) never came close with those practices, even before Islam. He was a man of pure character, gentle, kind towards his neighbours and spending as much as his time with his childhood friend Muhammad(pbuh). He grew up with the Prophet, bonding with him as his bosom friend and realizing that this companion of his was no ordinary person. When Muhammad(pbuh) was nine or twelve years old, he accompanied his uncle Abu Talib with a merchantcaravanasfarasSyria.AtBostra,nearoneofthehaltswheretheMeccancaravanalwaysstopped, there was a cell which had been lived in by a Christian monk for generation after generation. Bahira, who now lived in the cell had some old manuscripts informing about the coming of a Prophet to the Arabs.

Bahira,whowaswellversedinthecontentsofthisbook,feltthatthecomingoftheprophetwouldbeinhis lifetime. So when the Meccan caravan came near to his cell, he saw some miraculous signs; for example whencaravantookrestunderatreenearby,itlowereditsbranchesoverthem,sothattheyweredoublyin the shade. Bahira knew that such a portent, though unobtrusive, was of high significance. He invited the men of Quraysh to have food with him. So they came to his cell, but the Meccans left Muhammad to look after their camels and their baggage. As they approached, Bahira scanned their faces one by one. But he could see nothing which corresponded to the description in his book. Perhaps they had not all come. After enquiry, they finally invited Muhammad(pbuh) aswell.Oneglanceattheboysfacewasenoughtoexplain themiraclestoBahira;andlookingathimattentivelythroughoutthemealhenoticedmanyfeaturesofboth face and body which corresponded to what was in his book. Bahira said to Abu Talib:Take thy brothers son back to his country, and guard him against the Jews, for by God, if they see him and know of him that whichIknow,theywillcontriveevilagainsthim.Greatthingsareinstoreforthisbrotherssonofthine.It is highly probable that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) was aware of what Bahira the monk had said about his friend or could it be that he was also in the same caravan. No one knows for sure. Yet, it seems that he wasalwaysintheexpectationabouttheannouncementofProphethoodfromhisbosomfriend.

One day when Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) climbed mount Safa in Mecca and called the people and asked them if they would believe him if the told them that a huge army was coming from the other side of the mount to attack them, they all said yes because they trusted him. He then told them that he was a Prophet of God and that there is only one God to be worshipped. His people instantly rejected him. At that time, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) was not even in Mecca. He had travelled to Yemen on a business trip. When he came back he first met the leaders of the Quraish. They asked him, O Abu Bakr, havent you heard the latest news ? He replied, What news ? So they told him, The orphaned nephew of Abu Tlib has just claimed to be the Prophet of Allah. When Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) heard this news, his heart jumped as if he had been waiting to hear about this for such a long time. He immediately left there and came to meet Allahs Messenger(pbuh) and asked him, Have you announced your Prophethood ? When the Holy Prophet(pbuh) replied affirmatively, at that very moment Hazrat Abu Bakr(R.A) expressed his acceptance of Islam and said, I heartily accept you as Allahs true Messenger. His overwhelming love did not ask for any proof nor did he feel any hesitation to have faith. This attitude of his was more than once praised publicly by Holy Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).

Unsurpassble service to the cause of Islam

The first place of Islamic education and propagation took place somewhere near the rock of Safa, a placed called Darul Arqam. There, the Holy Prophet(pbuh) used to personally brief his Companions about the teachings of Islam. It is to be noted that given the intensely unfavourable climate in Mecca, Islam spread in a clandestine manner and gradually when the number of Muslims reached 39, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) sought permission to propagate Islam openly. Because of his insistence, the Holy Prophet(pbuh) finally gave his permission. Thus, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) delivered a sermon in public and consequently the polytheists of Macca attacked him. He was so brutally assaulted that he started to bleed all over. No one could recognise him. When his tribesmen came to know about it, they carried him away. When he regained consciousness, his family asked him if he would have some food or drink. They saw some feeble movements on his lips and they brought their ears close to his mouth. They were shocked to hear from those trembling lips him saying : O people, please tell me, in what condition is my master ? In spite of his condition, he was still thinking of his Prophet(pbuh), his mission and his objective. Such was the resolution of this great man, steadfast, committed and without fear. In his desire to spread the message of peace, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (R.A) did not hesitate do spend his

wealth. Indeed, he had a major role in freeing some of the Muslim slaves, who were barbarically tortured by their heartless masters. The heartless monsters tried all kinds of torture: they made them lie naked on the burning desert sand, putting big stones on their chest, as well as other kinds of torture. Among the slaves who were saved by Abu Bakr's wealth, one was named Hazrat Bilal Al-Habashi(R.A), the slave of Umayya bin Khalaf. The same Bilal would later become the first Muezzin to the Call of Prayer, the Azaan.

HazratAbuBakrSiddique(R.A)notonlyspenthiswealthbuthespenthisenergyonthebattlefieldaswell. He is one of the few Companions who took part in all the battles that Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) had fought. At Uhud and Hunain, when some members of the Muslim army showed signs of weakness, he stoodfirm.HewasalwayslikearockbythesideoftheProphet.Hisactionswereguidedbyhisintenselove forhisProphetandthiswasillustratedattheHudaibiyapeacetalks.Duringnegotiations,thespokesmanof QuraishwastouchingthebeardoftheHolyProphet(pbuh)everynowandthen.HazratAbuBakrslovefor the Prophet was so great that he could bear anymore, he took out his sword and looked angrily at the man sayingifthathandtouchesthebeardoftheProphet(pbuh)again,itwillnotbeallowedtogoback. HazratAbuBakrSiddique(R.A)isoftenmentionedwithpraisewhenTabukismentioned.Thiswasthelast expedition of the Holy Prophet(pbuh). He was keen to make it a great success, he therefore asked people to helptheexpeditionwithwhatevertheycould.ThisbroughtthebestoutofHazratAbuBakrSiddique(R.A) whobeatallrecordsashetookallhismoneyandhouseholdarticlesandheapedthemattheProphetsfeet. Have you left anything for your children? asked the Holy Prophet(pbuh). Hazrat Siddique Akbar(R.A) then responded with great faith Allah and his Messenger are enough for them. Companions standing around were stunned and realized that whatever they did they could not outdo Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A)inthefieldofservicetoIslam.

The passing away of the Holy Prophet() and Abu Bakrs legacy
When the Prophet passed away, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) was at a place called Sukh. As soon as he was informed, he rushed to Madina Munawwara. He saw that all the Companions were sitting near the Prophets house in the Masjid Nabawi and they were weeping. As soon as he came, he entered the room. The Holy Prophet(pbuh) was covered with a white Yemeni blanket. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) removed the blanket from the blessed face and bowed to give a respectful kiss. Weeping profusely, he said, O Messenger of Allah, may my mother and father be your ransom. Allah will not descend death upon you twice. Death had to come once, so it has come, thats all. After that, he came out of the room. He assembled all the Companions to comfort them and enjoin them for patience. He then delivered a speech. It was a very critical moment since many prominent Companions, including Umar the Great, had refused to accept that Allahs Prophet had passed away. Hazrat Abu Bakrs historical speech not only brought calm and order, it ensured that the emerging Muslim community would be focused on their mission on earth which is to bring the message of peace to all humanity. By the same token, that speech highlighted Hazrat Abu Bakrs own lofty spiritual status, his leadership qualities, his wisdom and above all the major reason why he was being considered by the Holy Prophet as his first Caliph when the latter repeatedly asked him to conduct the congregational prayers during his last days illness. The following are his actual words: OPeople!if anyone amongst you used to worship Muhammad, then Muhammad has passed away, but if (anyone of) you used to worship Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die. Allah said (in the Holy Book), "And Muhammad is but a messenger; the messengers have come before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful." (3.144)

Later Hazrat Umar said, "By Allah, when I heard Abu Bakr reciting it, my legs could not support me and I fell down at the very moment of hearing him reciting it, declaring that Muhammad had passed away." The next day, after having been chosen by the Companions of the Holy Prophet(pbuh) to become the first Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) addressed the gathering of Muslims in the Prophet's mosque urging them to continue their path as true Muslims and to give him loyalty and support as long as he is obeying the Commands of Allah and His Messenger(pbuh).He said: "O People! I have been chosen by you as your leader, although I am no better than any of you. If I do any wrong, set me right. Listen, truth is honesty and untruth is dishonesty. The weak among you are the powerful in my eyes, as long as I do not give them their dues. The powerful among you are weak in my eyes, as long as I do not take away from them what is due to others. This was his view of the role of a statesman, someone who is appointed to serve his people, not to serve himself. In fact, when he fell ill and knew his time was near, he returned to the state treasury all his allocations and allowances. Although he was legally entitled to them according to Shariah, he was never attached to material things. As a true Siddiq he displayed high integrity and all his actions were guided by his uncomparable piety.

The critical years

After the passing away of the Holy Prophet(pbuh) the emerging Muslim Ummah was confronted with critical issues which demanded extraordinary skills and leadership qualities. Already, some time before Muhammads death, a very dangerous sedition (Fitna) had cropped up. Musaylima Kazzaab had declared himself prophet. This was a major issue that had to be dealt with quickly. Some tribes even apostatized just after the passing away of the Holy Prophet(pbuh). On top of that, some other false prophets appeared on the scene namely Aswad Ansi, Tulaihi bin Khuwailid and Sajah bint Al Harith. The apostates thought they could crush the Muslim state because its leader was now a feeble old man. Soon they would discover how wrong they were in their assessment. The belief in the finality of the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet(pbuh) is a pillar of Islam. It is a fundamental belief and those who think that a Prophet can come after Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) are outside the fold of Islam. All the Companions knew this and for that reason, they were ready to sacrifice their lives to preserve the faith in the finality of Muhammads Prophethood (Aqueeda Khatme Nubuwwat). So Hazrat Sayyidina Siddique Akbar(R.A) mobilized all his troops and formed 11 corps, each having its own commander. The first Khalifa of Islam launched the forces of Islam against the apostates in spite of the looming threat in the north from the Byzantine empire. It was primary to preserve the true faith of Islam and do away with the apostates. Had he left them alone, Islam could have disappeared.

At the battle of Yamamah apostasy was given a very severe blow with the death of Musylimah Kazzaab. (The liar). Although the apostate casualty was much heavier, the Muslims nonetheless lost 1200 men among them 300 Hafiz ul Quran(memorizers of the Quraan). Fearing that the Qur'an may be lost or corrupted, Hazrat Umar(R.A) requested the Caliph Abu Bakr(R.A) to authorize the compilation and preservation of the Book in written format. So Hazrat Abu Bakr set up a committee headed by Zayd ibn Thabit to collect all verses of the Book. After collecting all Qur'anic verses from texts in the possession of various companions, Zayd ibn Thabit and members of his committee verified the reading by comparing with those who had memorized the Qur'an. After they were satisfied that they had not missed out any verse or made any mistakes in reading or writing it down, the text was written down as one single manuscript and presented in a book

form to the Hazrat Abu Bakr(R.A). It is believed that this process happened within one year of the death of Muhammad when most of his companions were still alive.
Another big decision was that taken by Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A) when some tribesmen refused to pay the Zakat. He said, I swear by Allah that if they refuse to give even a dried prawn that they used to give as Zakaat during the time of the Holy Prophet(pbuh), I will fight them to get it. [Bukhari]. The Companions approved of his stance. Had he relented at that time, Zakat, a pillar of Islam could have disappeared. Hazrat Abu Bakrs caliphate is also marked by incredible conquests far and wide. Two superpowers were overcome under the able command of Khalid bin Waleed, the sword of Allah. The expansion of the territory gave rise to new challenges which were ably met thanks to his approach and the core message of Islam itself coming to new peoples as a liberator not as oppressor. Within a short time, Islam would become a great power, dominating the world not with sheer military force but with the power of love, peace, brotherhood, scientific quest and a renaissance in the arts and literature. Conclusion HazratAbuBakr(R.A)passedawayon22JamadiulAakhir13A.H,(22August634).Hisrulelasted2years and3months.Hewas63yearsold. Hehadlivedaverysimple,piousanduprightlife.HewasatrueservantofAllahandameticulousfollower of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). He wore ordinary clothes and his meals were very simple. He attended to household work and would go out at night and seek the poor and destitute. Humility and modesty were the keynotes of his character. He felt embarrassed when people showered praises on him or showed him immenserespect.Heoftenfastedduringthedayandspentthewholenightinprayerandmeditation. Islam was fortunate to such able men to serve it at such critical moments in history. Hazrat Abu Bakrs actions were all grounded in intense love for the Holy Prophet(pbuh). His family was blessed by Allah and his noble progeny went on to serve Islam for centuries. Mauritius has been privileged to welcome his descendants in great personalities such as Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui(R.A){37th generation], Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqui(R.A)[38th generation]. Like their illustrious ancestors, these missionaries have sacrificed their whole lives and their money in the service of Islam. Like Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddique(R.A), these great MuballigheIslam had immense love for the Holy Prophet(pbuh) and their character similarly affable, affectionate and polite. Our country is indeed blessed to have been able to benefit from their blessed presence and through their great services the Muslim community has prospered and preserved its faith against all odds. Nowadays, it is Maulana Anas Noorani Siddiqui(DBA) [39th generation]whoiscontinuingtheworkstartedbyhisforefathers. AbdusSaboorMohamedSaleh authorofTheSiddiquipathoflove publishedbyDawahwalIrshaadCommitteeof WorldIslamicMissionMauritius