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Story of Prophet Ibrahim

2015-03-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

Story of Prophet Ibrahim (a) | Print | Ibrahim, known as Khalilullãh (friend of Allah, 4:1 25), lived in the country south of present day ‘Iraq. His father, Azar, used to make idols and sell them. The people of the area used to worship these idols, which they had made themselves, in a temple. Ibrahim was an intelligent young man. It was strange for him to see people bowing down before stone idols which could neither move nor talk. They could not even drive away the flies which sat on their eyes and noses. Ibrahrm wondered why people were so foolish to worship such powerless statues. Ibrahim enquiring mind was in search of Allah. He thought and thought. It occurred to him that the shining moon might be his Lord. But when the moon vanished he said to himself, “No, a vanishing thing cannot be my Lord.” He looked at the sun and said, “It is the biggest and it is my Lord.” But when the sun also went down, Ibrahim said to himself, “No, this cannot be my Lord.” He came to the conclusion that only the Ever-lasting, Ever-present and All-knowing Almighty can be his Lord. The stars, the moon and the sun cannot be the Lord (6:76—79). Ibrahim once asked his father, “0 my father, why do you worship idols which can neither speak nor hear?” Azar became angry and warned Ibrahim not to ask such questions. Ibrahim wished he could show his people the stupidity of worshipping idols. He thought of an idea which would give the people a practical lesson. Once, when people were busy celebrating a festival, Ibrahim went to the temple where the idols were kept. He asked the idols, “How do you do? Here is food and drink. Why don’t you help yourselves?” The stone idols were silent, of course. Ibrahim now took an axe and began to break all the idols except the biggest which he spared for a purpose. .When he had finished, he left the axe hanging round the neck of the biggest idol (21:58). On their return from the festival, people came to the temple to worship the idols and were astonished to see the pitiful condition of their gods. They were shocked, grieved and furious. “Who has done this mischief?” they asked themselves. They thought of Ibrahim, the only one who talked disrespectfully about the idols. They confronted Ibrahim, asking “Who broke the idols?” Ibrahim calmly replied, “Ask the biggest one. “The people knew that the idols could not talk. They said, “0 Ibrahim, don’t you know that the idols can’t talk?” Ibrahim retorted, “Why do you worship them, then? They can’t talk, move or understand anything. Why do you ask them for favour? ”The people had no answer. They were sure that it was Ibrahim who broke the idols. They could not let the matter rest easily. They called a meeting and decided to burn Ibrahim alive. They had to defend their gods (21:59—68). However, Ibrahim was favoured by Allah, so nothing could harm him as he had done the right thing. A big fire was prepared and Ibrahim was thrown into it. But a miracle happened! The fire did not burn him. .Allah protected him. People were amazed to see it and they could not believe their eyes. But it was so. Ibrahim was safe and his persecutors felt sad and helpless (21:69—70). In this way, Ibrahim was given the light of the truth by Allah. Ibrahim was a messenger and servant of Allah (16:120—122; 19:41). He loved Allah more than anything else. He was ready to sacrifice his son Isma’il on Allah’s command. Allah accepted Ibrahim’s readiness and sent a ram to be sacrificed instead (37:101—107). We observe the festival of ‘Idul-Adhã to commemorate this. It was Prophet Ibrahim who rebuilt al-Ka’bah in Makkah with his son Ismail (22:26 27; 2:125—129; 14:35—37). In This Section Ramadan Competition 2010 Ramadan Competition 2009 Ramadan Booklet Study Notes 2009 Stories of Prophets Prophet Adam (a) Prophet Nuh (a) Prophet Ibrahim Prophet Musa, Moses Prophet Isa, Jesus Competition Packages Photo: Sri Lanka Final Exam Photo - Bake Sale for Orphans Photo - Projects 2009 Winner 2009 Ramadan Competition 2009 Participants 2009 Pictures See Projects of 2009 Participants Test Photos of Sri Lanka Participants Bake Sale to Raise Funds for Orphans

Story of Prophet Nuh

2015-03-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

Story of Prophet Nuh (a) | Print | Many hundreds of years passed after Adam, and the earth was filled with his children. As time passed, the children of Adam forgot Allah and started to worship statues made of stones. They became bad and would lie and steal and some became mean and greedy. Allah, the most Merciful, sent Nuh to those people to bring them back to His worship. Nuh invited the people to come back to Tawhid. He asked them to give up idol worship and all the other vices which were ruining them. He warned them about the Day of Judgment (7:59—64). Nuh tried his best for many years to guide his people to worship Allah but they would not listen. They laughed at him, mocked him, despised him and called him crazy and a liar (26:105; 45:9). Nuh lived for 950 years (29:14) but during this long period of time only a few people responded to his call. Even his son and wife did not believe in him. Nah was tired and shocked to see the stone—heartedness of his people. He became so displeased with the stiffness of their opposition to the truth that he ultimately prayed to Allah, “0 Lord, leave not upon the land any one from the unbelievers.” (71:26) He cried unto his Lord saying, “I am vanquished, so give help.” (54:10) He also prayed to Allah to rescue him and his followers (26:118). Almighty Allah accepted Nuh prayers and asked him to build an ark. Nuh started to build the ark. It was not an easy task but Prophet Nuh persevered (11:37). When the people saw Nuh building the ark they laughed at him and thought that he must have gone mad. They could not see the reason for building so huge an ark hundreds of miles away from the sea (11:38). “What is the ark for?” they asked. Soon they were to find out. It was Allah’s plan to cleanse the whole land of unbelievers except the ones who believed and helped Nuh. Nuh told the mockers that a flood would soon overcome them and they would have no place to take shelter. The people laughed even more. But Allah’s plans soon materialized and the disbelievers saw it happen before their own eyes. After many days of hard work, the ark was complete and Allah asked Nuh to take a pair (one male, one female) of all animals into the ark. He and his followers boarded afterwards (11:40—41). Suddenly the skies became dark. It began to thunder and rain. Water poured from above and gushed up from the ground. It rained and rained until the whole land was flooded. Every living thing drowned except those that were in the ark, which was floating on the water (54:11 15). The flood water lasted five months and it destroyed all the disbelievers. Even Nuh's own son — an unbeliever was not saved. Nah had asked permission from Allah to take his son in the ark but this was refused. He was told that an unbelieving son was no part of his family. Nuh felt remorse for asking Allah to rescue his son. He begged Allah to forgive him. Nah and his followers were safe in the ark (11:45—47). At last, the skies began to clear and the ark halted at Mount Judi (in Turkey). Nuh and his followers disembarked (11:44). Thus Allah saved Nab and his followers (29:15). Allah bestowed prosperity and abundance on Nuh’s children. .They spread all over the earth (11:48). Such is the dreadful punishment meted out to the disbelievers. Allah says in the Qur’an, “We drowned those who denied our signs. Lo! they were (such,) blind folk.” (7:64) We should take a lesson from this story that disobedience to Allah leads to total destruction! In This Section Ramadan Competition 2010 Ramadan Competition 2009 Ramadan Booklet Study Notes 2009 Stories of Prophets Prophet Adam (a) Prophet Nuh (a) Prophet Ibrahim Prophet Musa, Moses Prophet Isa, Jesus Competition Packages Photo: Sri Lanka Final Exam Photo - Bake Sale for Orphans Photo - Projects 2009 Winner 2009 Ramadan Competition 2009 Participants 2009 Pictures See Projects of 2009 Participants Test Photos of Sri Lanka Participants Bake Sale to Raise Funds for Orphans

Story of Prophet Adam

2015-03-04T05:09:00.003-08:00

Story of Prophet Adam (a) | Print | Long, long ago, Allah announced to the Angels and Jinn that He would create human beings to worship Him and live on the earth: “I am going to place my Khalifah (deputy or agent,) on earth.” (2:30) The angels asked, “Will You place therein someone who will make mischief and shed blood, while we praise You and glorify You?” (2:30) Allah replied, “Surely I know what you do not know.” (2:30). The angels were silent. Allah informed the angels, “I am about to create a mortal being (Bashar,) from clay. When I have fashioned him and given him life, you must prostrate before him.” (38:71—72) Allah created Adam from clay and gave him the best of forms. He then commanded the angels and Jinn to prostrate before Adam. The angels obeyed; they never disobey Allah. But Iblis, who was one of the Jinn (18:50), refused to prostrate. Allah asked, “What prevented you from prostrating before that which I have created?” Iblis replied, “I am better than him. You have created me from fire hut him You created from clay.” (7:12; 1 5:32—33) His pride led him to disobey Allah. Allah then said, “Get out of here. You are an outcast. My curse is on you till the Day of Judgment.” (1 5:34—35) Iblis vowed to misguide Adam and his children (7:14—18) But, as you know, Allah has given man knowledge and guidance to distinguish between right and wrong to avoid being misguided. Allah taught Adam some names and asked the angels to say those names (2:31).The angels said, “Glory to You, we do not know more than YOU have taught us. Surely You are All-Knowing and the Most Wise.” (2:31) Allah then asked Adam to say those names, and he did so (2:33). Turning to the angels, Allah said, “Did I not tell you that I know everything that is in the earth and the heavens and I also know whatever you disclose and whatever you hide?” (2:33) Allah then asked Adam to live in al-Jannah (Paradise). He had everything to enjoy. But he was alone. So, Allah created Hawwa’ (Eve) as his wife. Now; Adam was happy and living in al-Jannah. Allah said to Adam, “Live with your wife in al-Jannah. Eat freely whatever you like in here. But do not go near that tree.” (2:35).This was intended to test them and teach them self—control. Allah also wanted to see whether they used the knowledge given to them to save themselves from the tricks of Iblis. Iblis was trying hard to misguide Adam and Hawwa’. At last, he succeeded and tempted them to go to that tree. As soon as they approached the forbidden tree, Adam and Hawwa realized they were naked. Until then, they did not know what nakedness was. They had no cause to be ashamed of it. But now they felt ashamed. They tried to cover themselves with leaves and tried to hide. But there was nowhere they could hide from Allah, the All-knowing. Adam and Hawwa’ asked Allah’s forgiveness and it was granted. They prayed: “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and grant us mercy, surely we shall he losers.” (7:23) Allah then commanded Adam and Hawwa to go down to earth and live there. He was very kind and taught them the way to seek forgiveness (2:38—39). He also told them that He would send guidance for them, so that they would not deviate from the Right Path. Allah revealed guidance to Adam and he was made the first prophet on earth. There are important lessons for us to learn in this story.

Story of Prophet Isa (Jesus)

2015-03-04T05:06:00.001-08:00

Story of Prophet Isa (Jesus) (a) | Print | The Banu Israil were given many favours by Almighty Allah but they were very ungrateful. They violated Allah’s orders, ridiculed the prophets and even killed some of them. They started to worship idols and made a mockery of Allah’s message. Allah, the Merciful, again sent a prophet to bring them to the right path. This prophet was ‘Isa, son of Maryam (Mary) (2:87).Allah bestowed on him the Injil (Gospel) and ‘Isa confirmed what was in the Tawrah (Torah) (5:46, 61:6). Prophet ‘Isa had a miraculous birth. He was born of the virgin Maryam without a father, by Allah’s command (19:1 7—2 1). Allah can do anything He likes . Everything is possible for Him. When He wants to get something done, He only says, ‘Be’ and there it is (2:117). We know that Adam was created by Allah without a father and a mother. So, it was no wonder that Allah could create ‘Isa without a father. ‘Isa, born of virgin Maryam, could talk even as a baby. He was made a prophet when he was 30, and he did his duty as a prophet for three years (19:29—34). Allah endowed him with some miraculous powers. He could make birds out of clay, heal leprosy within minutes, restore the eyes of the blind and also make the dead come alive. He could do all these miracles by the mercy of Allah. The Quran mentions the miraculous powers and the birth of ‘Isa in Sarah Al-Imran “(And remember,) when the angels said: 0, Mary! Allah gives you the glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the World and the Hereafter and one of those brought near (‘unto Allah). He will speak to mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous. She (Mary) said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal has touched me? He said, So (it will be,).Allah creates what He wishes. If He decrees a thing, He says to it only: Be, and it is. And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. And will make him a messenger to the Children of Israil, (saying,): I come to you with a sign from my Lord. See! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, by Allah’s leave. I heal him who was born blind and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah’s leave. And I announce to you what you eat and what you store up in your houses. Here truly is a portent for you, if you are to he believers. And I come to you confirming what was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful some of what was forbidden to you. I come to you as a sign from your Lord, so keep your duty to Allah and obey me. Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.” (3:46—51) He asked the people to obey Allah alone but some of his followers made fantasies about him and they considered him a part of Allah, even a son of Allah (5:11 6—i 17). Muslims believe in Isa as a prophet and a servant of Allah (43:59) .They do not believe that he is the son of Allah. Allah does not have a son or daughter. He is not like any of the creatures He has created. There is none like Him. Allah is One and Indivisible. (5:17; 19:35). According to the Qur’an, Prophet ‘Isa was not crucified; rather, he was taken up by Allah, the Almighty and the Most Wise (4:157—158). Everything is possible for Allah. It was He who saved Ibrahim from the fire and Musa from Fir’awn. He is the only Creator of the whole universe and all that is in it. In This Section Ramadan Competition 2010 Ramadan Competition 2009 Ramadan Booklet Study Notes 2009 Stories of Prophets Prophet Adam (a) Prophet Nuh (a) Prophet Ibrahim Prophet Musa, Moses Prophet Isa, Jesus Competition Packages Photo: Sri Lanka Final Exam Photo - Bake Sale for Orphans Photo - Projects 2009 Winner 2009 Ramadan Competition 2009 Participants 2009 Pictures See Projects of 2009 Participants Test Photos of Sri Lanka Participants Bake Sale to Raise Funds for Orphans

2011-12-24T09:03:00.001-08:00

Caliph Abu Bakr's era

During Abu Bakr's reign as caliph, during which he remained occupied with Ridda wars, Umar was one of his chief advisers and secretary. Umar along with Khalid ibn Walid, probably was the architect and main strategist behind the collapse of rebellion in Arabia. Though at the beginning due to the apprehensive situation in Arabia Umar was opposing the military operations against the rebel tribes, possibly to enjoy their support in case of any possible foreign invasion by the Romans or the Persians, but later he seemed to agree with Abu Bakr's strategy to crush rebellion. Khalid ibn Walid by late 632 had successfully united Arabia after consecutive victories against rebels. Later during his own reign,
Umar would mostly adopt the policy of avoiding wars and consolidating his power in the conquered land rather than expanding his empire through continuous warfare.^[30] Prior to Battle of Yamamah, Umar pressured Abu Bakr to call back Khalid, who had killed Malik ibn Nuwayrah, a rebel chief who was a state criminal. Umar was reportedly misguided by Malik's brother that Malik was a Muslim and Khalid killed him because he wanted to marry his wife Layla bint al-Minhal, a renowned beauty in Arabia. While Abu Bakr refused to accept Umar's opinion and Umar continued insisting for Khalid's disposal even after Khalid's conquest of Iraq. It was Umar who advised Abu Bakr to compile Quran in the form of a book, after the death of 300 memorizers of Quran in Battle of Yamamah. Abu Bakr appointed Umar as his successor prior to his death in 634. He was confirmed in the office thereafter.

[edit] Appointment as a Caliph

Due to his strict and autocratic nature, Umar was not a very popular figure among the notables of Madinah and members of Majlis al Shura, accordingly succession of Umar was initially discouraged by high ranking companions of Abu Bakr.^[31]^[32] When Abu Bakr was close to death, he nominated Umar to succeed him as the next Caliph.^[33]
Umar was still well known for his extraordinary will power, intelligence, political astuteness, impartiality, justice and care for poor and underprivileged people.^[34] Abu Bakr is reported to have said to the high-ranking advisers:

His [Umar's] strictness was there because of my softness when the weight of Caliphate will be over his shoulders he will remain no longer strict. If I will be asked by the God to whom I have appointed my successor, I will tell him that I have appointed the best man among your men.^[35]

Abu Bakr was fully aware of Umar's power and ability to succeed him. Succession of Umar was thus not as troublesome as any of the others. His was perhaps one of the smoothest transitions to power from one authority to another in the Muslim lands.^[36] Abu Bakr before his death called Uthman to write his will in which he declared Umar his successor. In his will he instructed Umar to continue the conquests on Iraq and Syrian fronts. Abu Bakr's decision proved to be crucial in the strengthening of the nascent Islamic empire.

[edit] Reign as Caliph

Sword of Caliph Umar, with later hilt

On 22 August Caliph Abu Bakr died. The same day Umar assumed the office of Caliphate. After the assumption of office as the Caliph, Umar addressed the Muslims in his Inaugural address as:

O ye faithful! Abu Bakr is no more amongst us. He has the satisfaction that he has successfully piloted the ship of the Muslim state to safety after negotiating the stormy sea. He successfully waged the apostasy wars, and thanks to him, Islam is now supreme in Arabia. After Abu Bakr, the mantle of Caliphate has fallen on my shoulders. I swear it before God that I never coveted this office. I wished that it would have devolved on some other person more worthy than me. But now that in national interest, the responsibility for leading the Muslims has come to vest in me, I assure you that I will not run away from my post, and will make an earnest effort to discharge the onerous duties of the office to the best of my capacity in accordance with the injunctions of Islam. Allah has examined me from you and you from me, In the performance of my duties, I will seek guidance from the Holy Book, and will follow the examples set by the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr. In this task I seek your assistance. If I follow the right path, follow me. If I deviate from the right path, correct me so that we are not led astray.

[edit] Initial challenges

Umar was already not an endearing figure in Medina. Although almost all of the Muslims had given pledge of loyalty to him, nevertheless he was rather more feared than loved. The first challenge for Umar was to win out his subjects and members of Majlis al Shura.^[37] Umar was a gifted orator, and he would use his ability to get a soft corner in the hearts of people.^[38] On Friday prayers Umar addressed the people as follows:

Brethren, it has come to my notice that the people are afraid of me ... they say that he (Umar) has become the Caliph now, God knows how hard he will be. Whoever has said this is not wrong in his assessment ,,, know ye brethren that you will feel a change in me.^[39] For those who practise tyranny and deprive others of their rights, I will be harsh and stern, but for those who follow the law, I will be most soft and tender.

Umar's addresses greatly moved the people. Next time he addressed the people as:

I will be harsh and stern against the aggressor,^[40] but I will be a pillar of strength for the weak.

I will not calm down until I will put one cheek of a tyrant on the ground and the other under my feet, and for the poor and weak, I will put my cheek on the ground.

The following are the historic words of Umar,^[41] over which he laid foundation of his rule:

By God, he that is weakest among you shall be in my eye the strongest,^[42] until I have vindicated for him his rights; he that is strongest I will treat as the weakest, until he complies with the law.

Umar's stress was on the well being of poor and underprivileged people. As this class made a bulk of any community, the people were soundly moved by Umar's speeches and his popularity grew rapidly and continuously over the period of his reign.^[43] In addition to this Umar, in order to improve his reputation and relation with Banu Hashim, the tribe of Prophet Muhammad and Ali, delivered to him his disputed estates in Khayber. Though he followed Abu Bakr's decision over the dispute of land of Fidak, continued its status as a state property. In Ridda wars, thousands of prisoners from rebel and apostate tribes were taken away as slaves during the expeditions. Umar ordered the general amnesty for the prisoners, and their immediate emancipation.^[44] This made Umar quite a popular leader among the budoiene tribes. With necessary public support with him, Umar took a bold decision of retrieving Khalid ibn Walid from supreme command on Roman front.^[45]

2011-12-24T09:01:00.001-08:00

Umar's (Title of Al Farooq)

Mujahid, on the authority of Ibn Abbas related that he had asked 'Umar bin Al-Khattab why he had been given the epithet of Al-Farooq, he replied: After I had embraced Islam, I asked Mohammad: 'Aren't we on the right path here and Hereafter?' He answered: 'Of course you are! I swear by Allah in Whose Hand my soul is, that you are right in this world and in the hereafter.' I, therefore, asked Mohammad 'Why we then had to conduct clandestine activism. I swear by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth, that we will leave our concealment and proclaim our noble cause publicly.' We then went out in two groups, Hamzah leading one and I the other. We headed for the Masjid Al Haram in broad daylight. When the polytheists of Quraish saw us, their faces went pale and got incredibly depressed and resentful. On that very occasion, Mohammad attached to me the epithet of Al-Farooq.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Migration to Medina

In 622 due to the growing popularity of Islam in the city of Yathrib (later renamed Al-Madīnah Al-Munawwarah, the enlightened city, or simply Medina) Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate to Medina. Muslims usually migrated at night due to fear of Quraish's resistance to that migration, but Umar is reported to have migrated openly during the day time. Ibn Asakir narrated that Ali said: I don’t know of anyone who didn’t emigrate in secret except for Umar ibn al-Khattab; because when he wanted to emigrate he strapped on his sword, put his bow over his shoulder, carried his arrows in his hand, and came to the Ka‘bah where the nobles of Quraysh were in the courtyard. He performed seven circuits, and then prayed two raka‘at at the Station (of Ibrahim). Then he approached their circle one step at a time and said, "Whoever wishes to bereave his mother, orphan his children and widow his wife then let him meet me behind this valley." Not one of them followed him.^[21]^[22]^[23] Umar migrated to Medina accompanied by his cousin and brother-in-law Saeed ibn Zaid.^[18]

[edit] Life in Medina

Medina became the new center of Islam and the religion spread rapidly across Arabia. When Muhammad arrived in Medina, he paired off each immigrant (Muhajir) with one of the residents of the city (Ansari), joining Muhammad ibn Maslamah with Umar(R.A) making them brothers in faith. Later in Umar's reign as caliph Muhammad ibn Muslamah would be assigned the office of chief inspector of Accountability. Muslims remained in peace in Medina for approximately a year before the Quraish raised an army to attack them. In 624 Umar participated in the first Battle between Muslims and Quraish of Mecca i.e. Battle of Badr. In 625 he participated in the Battle of Uhud. In the second phase of Battle when Khalid ibn Walid's cavalry attacked Muslims at the rear changing the victory of Muslims to defeat, rumors of Muhammad’s death were spread. Many Muslim warriors were routed from the battle field, Umar too was initially routed but hearing that Muhammad was still alive he went to Muhammad at the mountain of Uhud and prepared for the defence of the hill to keep the Quraishi army away.^[24] Later in the year Umar was a part of campaign against the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir. In 625 Umar’s(R.A) daughter Hafsah was married to Muhammad.^[25] Later in 627 he participated in the Battle of the Trench and also in the Battle of Banu Qurayza campaign.^[26] In 628 Umar participated in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the witness over the pact.^[26] In 628 he was a part of Muslims' campaign to Khaybar. In 629 Muhammad sent Amr ibn al-A’as to Zaat-ul-Sallasal from where he called for reinforcement and Muhammad sent Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah with reinforcement, serving under him were Abu Bakr and Umar, they attacked and defeated the enemy.^[27] In 630 when Muslim armies rushed for the Conquest of Mecca he was part of that army. Later in 630 he was part of Battle of Hunayn and Siege of Ta'if. He was part of Muslim's army that went for the campaign of Tabuk under Muhammad's command and he was reported to have given half of his wealth for the preparation of this expedition. He also participated in the farewell Hajj of Muhammad in 631.^[28]

[edit] Death of Muhammad

Muhammad died on 8 June 632. Umar was full of grief upon hearing the news of demise of Muhammad. Umar, the devoted disciple, could not accept the reality that the "Messenger of God" had died.^[29] It is said that Umar promised to strike the head of any man who would say that Muhammad died. At this point Abu Bakr is reported to have come out to the Muslim community and gave his famous speech which included:

Whoever worshipped Muhammad, let them know that Muhammad is dead, and whoever worshipped God, let them know that God is alive and never dies.

Abū Bakr then recited these verses from the Qur'an:

Muhammad is but a messenger; messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. If, then, he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heel?

Hearing this from Abu Bakr, the most senior disciple of Muhammad, Umar then fell down on his knees in great sense of sorrow and acceptance of the reality. Sunni Muslims say that this denial of Muhammad's death was occasioned by his deep love for him.^[29]

2011-12-24T09:00:00.001-08:00

Early life

Umar was born in Mecca to the Banu Adi clan, which was responsible for arbitrations among the tribes. His father was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother was Hantammah daughter of Khattab, from the tribe of Banu Makhzum. He was the cousin of Khalid ibn al-Walid, a general who would play an important role later in his life, and during a wrestling match between the two, Umar had his leg broken.^[7] He is said to have belonged to a middle class family. In his youth he used to tend to his father’s camels in the plains near Mecca. His father was famed for his intelligence among his tribe, and is believed to have been a ruthless man and emotional polytheist who often treated Umar badly. As obvious from Umar's own statement regarding his father during his later political rule, Umar said, "My father Al-Khittab was a ruthless man. He used to make me work hard; if I didn't work he used to beat me and he used to work me to exhaustion."^[8]

Despite literacy being uncommon in pre-Islamic Arabia, Umar learned to read and write in his youth. Although not a poet himself, he developed a love for poetry and literature.^[9] According to the tradition of Quraish, while still in his teenage years, Umar learned martial arts, horse riding and wrestling. He was tall and physically powerful and soon became a renowned wrestler.^[9]^[10] Umar was also a gifted orator, and due to his intelligence and overwhelming personality, he succeeded his father as an arbitrator of conflicts among the tribes.^[11]
In addition, Umar followed the traditional profession of Quraish. He became a merchant and had several journeys to Rome and Persia, where he is said to have met various scholars and analyzed the Roman and Persian societies closely. However, as a merchant he is believed to have never been successful.^[12]^[13]

[edit] During the era of Muhammad

[edit] Umar's hostility to Islam

In 610 Muhammed started delivering the message of Islam. Umar, alongside others in Makkah, opposed Islam and threatened to kill Muhammad. He resolved to defend the traditional, polytheistic religion of Arabia. He was most adamant and cruel in opposing Muhammad and very prominent in persecuting the Muslims.^[14] Umar was the first man who resolved that Muhammad had to be murdered in order to finish Islam.^[15] Umar firmly believed in the unity of the Quraish and saw the new faith of Islam as a cause of division and discord among the Quraish.^[14]
Due to the persecution at the hands of the Quraish, Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate to Abyssinia. As a small group of Muslims migrated Umar felt worried about the future unity of the Quraish and decided to have Muhammad assassinated.^[16]

[edit] Conversion

Umar converted to Islam in 616, one year after the Migration to Abyssinia. The story was recounted in Ibn Ishaq's Sīrah: On the way to murder Muhammad, Umar met his best friend Nu'aim ibn Abdi 'Allah who had secretly embraced Islam but he did not tell Umar anything about it. When Umar told him that he was going to kill Muhammad, he was afraid. He knew that Umar would attempt what he said. So just to divert his attention he told him to set his own house in order first, as his sister and her husband had converted to Islam. Umar was taken aback to learn this. Upon arriving at her house, Umar found his sister and brother-in-law Saeed bin Zaid (Umar's cousin), reciting the verses of the Qur'an (Surah Ta Ha).^[17] He started quarreling with his brother-in-law . When his sister came to rescue her husband, he also started quarreling with her. Yet still they kept on saying "you may kill us but we will not give up Islam". Upon hearing these words, Umar slapped his sister so hard that she fell to the ground bleeding from her mouth. When he saw what he had done to his sister, out of guilt he calmed down and asked his sister to give him what she was reciting. She gave him the paper on which was written the verses of the chapter Ta-Ha. He was so struck by the beauty of the verses that he became a Muslim that day. He then went to Muhammad with the same sword he intended to kill him with and converted in front of him and his companions. Umar was 27 when he became Muslim.^[18] Following his conversion, Umar went to inform the chief of Quraish, Amr ibn Hishām, about his new faith. According to one account, Umar thereafter openly prayed at the Kaaba as the Quraish chiefs, Amr ibn Hishām and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, reportedly watched in anger.^[19] This further helped the Muslims to gain confidence in practicing Islam openly. At this stage Umar even challenged anyone who dared to stop the Muslims from praying, although no one dared to interfere with Umar when he was openly praying.
Umar’s conversion to Islam gave power to the Muslims and the faith in Mecca. It was after this that Muslims offered prayers openly in Masjid al-Haram for the first time. Abdullah bin Masoud said:

Umar's embracing Islam was our victory, his migration to Medina was our success and his reign a blessing from Allah, we didn't offer prayers in Al-Haram Mosque until Umar accepted Islam, when he accepted Islam Quraish were compelled to let us pray in the Mosque.^[20]

All these things earned Umar the title of Farooq, meaning he who knows/tells truth from falsehood.

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Death

On 23 August 634, Abu Bakr fell sick and did not recover due to his old age. There are two accounts about the sickness of Abu Bakr. One account states that 8 August 634 was a cold day and when Abu Bakr took a bath, he caught a chill. Another account indicates that, about a year before, along with some other companions, Harith bin Kaladah and Attab bin Usaid, he had eaten some poisoned food which did not affect him for a year.

Abu Bakr developed high fever and was confined to bed. His illness was prolonged and when his condition worsened he felt that his end was near. Realizing his death was near, he sent for Ali and requested him to perform his ghusl since Ali had also done it for the Prophet Muhammad.
Abu Bakr felt that he should nominate his successor so that the issue should not be a cause of dissension among the Muslims after his death, though there was already controversy over Ali not having been appointed.^[56]
He appointed Umar as his successor after discussing with some companions. Some of them favored the nomination and others disliked it, due to the tough nature of Umar.
Abu Bakr thus dictated his last testament to Uthman Ibn Affan as follows:

In the name of Most Merciful God. This is the last will and testament of Abu Bakr bin Abu Quhafa, when he is in the last hour of the world, and the first of the next; an hour in which the infidel must believe, the wicked be convinced of their evil ways, I nominate Umar bin al Khattab as my successor. Therefore, hear to him and obey him. If he acts right, confirm his actions. My intentions are good, but I cannot see the future results. However, those who do ill shall render themselves liable to severe account hereafter. Fare you well. May you be ever attended by the Divine favor of blessing.^[57]

Abu Bakr next asked Aisha as to how many pieces of cloth were used for Muhammad's shroud. Aisha said that three pieces had been used. Abu Bakr thereupon desired the same number for his own shroud. On Monday 23 August 634 Abu Bakr died. The funeral prayer was led by Umar. He was buried the same night by the side of Muhammad's grave in Aisha's house near Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

2011-12-24T08:54:00.001-08:00

Invasion of Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire

Further information: Muslim conquest of Syria

Map detailing Rashidun Caliphates invasion of Levant.

With a successful invasion of Sassanid Persian province of Iraq, Abu Bakr’s confidence grew. He concentrated four large corps at Zhu Qissah and sent them to Roman Syria. Each corps was assigned its own commander and its own target. The leaders of the different corps received intelligence of a concentration of large Byzantine armies at Ajnadayn while on the march. The army stopped its advance and the leaders wrote to Abu Bakr for help. Since the Muslim position in Iraq was stable by now, the Caliph accordingly wrote to Khalid to take half of his forces of Iraq to Syria and to assume command of all Muslim armies in Byzantine Syria. The Byzantine province of Syria in those days consisted of modern day Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and southern Turkey. There were two routes towards Syria from Iraq, one was via Daumat-ul-Jandal and the other was through Mesopotamia passing though Ar Raqqah. Since it was believed that the Muslim armies in Syria were in need of urgent reinforcement, Khalid avoided the conventional route to Syria via Daumat ul Jandal because it was a long route and would take weeks to reach Syria. He also did not take the Mesopotamian route because Roman garrisons held northern Syria and northern Mesopotamia. A conflict with these Roman forces would have forced Khalid to spend too much time while Muslim armies were being outflanked in Syria. Khalid selected, instead, a short and unconventional route to Syria, passing though the Syrian Desert. Although probably hyperbole, some sources state that his soldiers marched for two days without a single drop of water before reaching an oasis that Khalid had selected in advance. Khalid thus entered Northern Syria at a point where he was least expected, catching the Byzantine forces on their right flank. More recent historians have suggested that this surprises attack unhinged the Byzantine defenses in Syria.
Khalid entered Syria in June 634 and quickly captured the border forts of

Map detailing the route of Khalid ibn Walid's invasion of Syria.

Sawa, Arak, Tadmur, Sukhnah. Qaryatayn and Hawarin after the battles of Qaryatayn and Hawarin. After dealing with all these cities, Khalid moved towards Damascus, passing though a mountain pass which is now known as Sanita-al-Uqab (Uqab pass) after the name of Khalid's army standard. From here he moved away from Damascus, towards Bosra, the capital of Ghassanid Arab kingdom, a vassal of Eastern Roman empire. He had ordered other Muslim commanders to concentrate their armies at Bosra, which were still near the Syrian-Arabia border. At Maraj-al-Rahab, Khalid defeated a Ghassanid army of Christian Arabs in a quick Battle of Marj-al-Rahit. Meanwhile Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah, the supreme commander of Muslim armies in Syria had ordered Shurhabil ibn Hasana to attack Bosra.The later laid siege of Bosra with his small army of 4000 men. Roman and Ghassanid Arab garrison, noticing that this might be the advance guard of the larger Muslim army to come, decided to attack and destroy Shurhabil’s army. They came out of the fortified city and attacked Shurhabil, surrounding him from all sides; Khalid reached the arena with his advance guard cavalry and saved the day for Shurhabil. The combined forces of Khalid, Shurhabil and Abu Ubaidah then laid the siege of Bosra, which surrendered some time in mid July 634. thus effectively ending the Ghassanid Dynasty.

Geographical Map detailing the route of Khalid ibn Walid's invasion of Syria.

Here Khalid took over the command of Muslim armies in Syria from Abu Ubaidah, as per the instructions of Caliph. The massive Byzantine armies were concentrating at Ajnadayn to push the invading armies back to desert. Early Muslim sources have mentioned its size to be 90,000, while most of the modern historians doubt the figures, but consider this battle to be the key to breaking the Byzantine power in Syria. According to the instructions of Khalid all Muslim corps concentrated at Ajnadayn, where they fought a decisive battle against Byzantine on 30 July 634. Defeat at the Battle of Ajnadayn, left Syria vulnerable to the Muslim invaders. Khalid decided to capture Damascus, the Byzantine stronghold. At Damascus Thomas, son in law of Emperor Heraculis, was in charge. Receiving the intelligence of Khalid's march towards Damascus he prepared for the defences of Damascus. He wrote to Emperor Heraculis for reinforcement, who was at Emesa that time. Moreover Thomas, in order to get more time for preparation of a siege, sent the armies to delay or if possible halt Khalid's march to Damascus, one such army was defeated at Battle of Yaqusa in mid-August 634 near Lake Tiberias 90 miles from Damascus, another army that halted the Muslim advance to Damascus was defeated in Battle of Maraj as Saffer on 19 August 634. These engagements delayed Khalid’s advance and gave Thomas enough time to prepare for siege. Meanwhile Heraculis's reinforcement had reached the city, which he had dispatched after the bad news of Ajnadyn. Before Heraculis's another regiment could reach Damascus, Khalid had finally reached Damascus. Khalid reached Damascus on 20 August and besieged the city. To isolate the city from rest of the region, Khalid placed the detachments south on the road to Palestine and in north at Damascus-Emesa route, and several other smaller detachments on routes towards Damascus. Heraculis's reinforcement was intercepted and routed at the Battle of Sanita-al-Uqab, 20 miles from Damascus. Khalid's forces withstood three Roman sallies that tried to break the siege. Khalid finally attacked and conquered Damascus on 18 September 634 after a 30-day siege. According to some sources the siege lasted for four or six months. Heraculis, having received the news of the fall of Damascus, left for Antioch from Emesa. The citizens were given peace on the terms of annual tribute; the Byzantine army was given a three-day peace to go as far as they could. After the three-day deadline was over, the Muslim cavalry under Khalid's command attacked the Roman army, catching up to them using an unknown shortcut, at the Battle of Maraj-al-Debaj, 190 miles north of Damascus. Abu Bakr died during the siege of Damascus and Umar became the new Caliph. He dismissed his cousin Khalid ibn al-Walid from the command and appointed Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah the new commander in chief of Islamic army in Syria. Abu Ubaidah got the letter of his appointment and Khalid's disposal during the siege, but he delayed the announcement until the city was conquered.

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Military expansion

Once the rebellions had been put down, Abu Bakr began a war of conquest. Whether or not he intended a full-out imperial conquest is hard to say; he did, however, set in motion a historical trajectory that in just a few short decades would lead to one of the largest empires in history. Abu Bakr began with Iraq, the richest province of Persian Empire. He sent his most brilliant general Khalid ibn al-Walid to invade the Sassanid Empire.

[edit] Conquest of Sassanid Persian Empire

Further information: Islamic conquest of Persia

Map detailing the route of Khalid ibn Walid's conquest of Iraq.

After the Ridda Wars, a tribal chief of north eastern Arabia, Muthanna ibn Haris, raided the Persian towns in Iraq. With the success of the raids, a considerable amount of booty was collected. Muthanna ibn Haris went to Medina to inform Caliph Abu Bakr about his success and was appointed commander of his people, after which he began to raid deeper into Iraq. Using the mobility of his light cavalry he could easily raid any town near the desert and within moments could disappear again in to the desert, into which the Sassanid army was unable to chase them. Muthanna’s acts made Abu Bakr think about the expansion of the Rashidun Empire.^[54]
Abu Bakr started with the invasion of Iraq. The problems faced by Abu Bakr were that the Arabs feared the Persians with a deep, unreasoning fear which ran in the tribal consciousness as a racial complex and was the result of centuries of Persian power and glory. In return the Persian regarded the Arab with contempt. It was important not to suffer a defeat, for that would confirm and strengthen this instinctive fear. To make certain of victory, Abu Bakr decided on two measures; that the invading army would consist entirely of volunteers; and he put in command of the army his best general Khalid ibn al-Walid. After defeating the self-proclaimed prophet Musaylimah in the Battle of Yamama, Khalid was still at Al-Yamama when Abu Bakr sent him orders to invade the Sassanid Empire. Making Al-Hirah the objective of Khalid, Abu Bakr sent reinforcements and ordered the tribal chiefs of north eastern Arabia, Muthanna ibn Haris, Mazhur bin Adi, Harmala and Sulma to operate under the command of Khalid along with their men. In about third week of March 633 (first week of Muharram 12th Hijrah) Khalid set out from Al-Yamama with an army of 10,000.^[54] The tribal chiefs, with 2,000 warriors each, joined Khalid; Thus Khalid entered the Persian Empire with 18,000 troops. After entering Iraq with his army of 18,000, Khalid won decisive victories in four consecutive battles: Battle of Chains, fought in April 633; Battle of River, fought in the 3rd week of April 633; Battle of Walaja, fought in May 633 (where he successfully used a double envelopment manoeuvre), and Battle of Ullais, fought in the mid of May 633. By now the Persian court already disturbed by the internal problems, was down and out. In the last week of May 633, Hira capital city of Iraq fell to the Muslims after resistance in the Siege of Hira. After resting his armies, in June 633 Khalid laid siege of Al Anbar, which resisted and was eventually surrendered after a siege of a few weeks in July 633 after the Siege of Al-Anbar. Khalid then moved towards the south, and conquered the city of Ein ul Tamr after the Battle of Ein ut Tamr in the last week of July 633. By now, almost the whole of Iraq (Euphrates region) was under Islamic control. Khalid got a call of help from northern Arabia at Daumat-ul-Jandal, where another Muslim Arab general, Ayaz bin Ghanam, was trapped among the rebel tribes. Khalid went to Daumat-ul-jandal and defeated the rebels in the Battle of Daumat-ul-jandal in the last week of August 633. Returning from Arabia, he got news of the assembling of a large Persian army. He decided to defeat them all separately to avoid the risk of defeat to a large unified Persian army. Four divisions of Persian and Christian Arab auxiliaries were present at Hanafiz, Zumiel, Sanni and Muzieh. Khalid devised a brilliant plan to destroy the Persian forces. He divided his army in three units, and attacked the Persian forces in brilliantly coordinated attacks from three different sides at night, starting from the Battle of Muzieh, then the Battle of Sanni, and finally the Battle of Zumail during November 633. These devastating defeats ended Persian control over Iraq, and left the Persian capital Ctesiphon unguarded and vulnerable for Muslims attack, before attacking the Persian Capital Khalid decided to eliminate all Persian forces from south and west, he accordingly marched against the border city of Firaz, where he defeated the combined forces of the Sassanid Persians, Byzantine Romans and Christian Arabs in the Battle of Firaz in December 633. This was the last battle in his conquest of Iraq. While Khalid was on his way to attack Qadissiyah, a key fort in the way to Persian Capital Ctesiphon, he received the letter of Caliph Abu Bakr and was sent to Roman front in Syria to assume the command of Muslim armies to conquer Roman Syria.^[55]

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Reign as a Caliph

After assuming the office of Caliphate Abu Bakr's first address was as follow:

I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty and disregard for truth is treachery. The weak amongst you shall be strong with me until I have secured his rights, if God wills; and the strong amongst you shall be weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights of others, if God wills. Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger. But if I disobey God and His Messenger, ye owe me no obedience. Arise for your prayer, God have mercy upon you.

^{[citation needed]}
Abu Bakr's Caliphate lasted for 27 months, during which he crushed the rebellion of the Arab tribes throughout Arabia in the successful campaign against Apostasy. In the last months of his rule, he launched campaigns against the Sassanid Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and thus set in motion a historical trajectory^[45] (continued later on by Umar and Uthman) that in just a few short decades would lead to one of the largest empires in history. He had little time to pay attention to the administration of state, though state affairs remained stable during his Caliphate. On the advice of Umar and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah he agreed to have a salary from state treasury and abolish his cloth trade.

[edit] Ridda Wars

Main article: Ridda Wars

Map detailing the sites of Major battles fought during ridda wars.

Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, threatening the unity and stability of the new community and state. Several Arabic tribes revolted against Abu Bakr. In four of the six centres of the insurrection, the rebels rallied around people who claimed to be prophets, the most prominent among these was Musaylimah. The tribes claimed that they had submitted to Muhammad only, and that with Muhammad's death, their allegiance had ended. This was common practice in pre-islamic Arabia. After the death of a tribal leader the alliance with the tribe of that leader was regarded as having ended.^[48] Thus several tribes acted in accordance to this pre-islamic practice and refused to pay Zakat. Abu Bakr, however, insisted that they had not just submitted to a simple human leader but joined the Muslim religious community, of which he was the new head. So, in contrast to pre-islamic times, their allegiance was not seen as having ended at all.
This was the start of the Ridda wars (Arabic for the Wars of Apostasy). The apostasy of central Arabia was led by self-proclaimed prophet Musaylimah of in al-Yamama, while the other centers were to the south and east in Bahrain, Oman, Mahra region and Yemen.^[45] Abu Bakr planned his strategy accordingly and formed the Muslim army into 11 corps. The strongest corps, and this was the main punch of the Muslim army, was that of Khalid ibn al-Walid and was used to fight the most powerful of the rebel forces. Other corps were given areas of secondary importance in which to bring the less dangerous apostate tribes. Abu Bakr's plan was first to clear the area of west and central Arabia (the area nearest Medina), then tackle Malik ibn Nuwayrah, and finally concentrate against the most dangerous enemy Musaylimah. After series of successful campaigns, Khalid ibn al-Walid finally defeated Musaylimah and his tribe, the Banu Hanifa, in the Battle of Yamama.^[49] The Campaign of the Apostasy was fought and completed during the eleventh year after Hijra. The year 12 Hijri dawned, on 18 March 633, with Arabia united under the central authority of the Caliph at Medina.
This phenomenon was later regarded as primarily a religious movement by Arabic historians. However, the early sources indicate that in reality it was mainly political.^[50]^[51] After all, the revolting Arabs only refused to pay Zakat (Charity), but they did not refuse to perform the salah.^[51] This however is disputed and explained by Muslim scholars in that the dictation of Zakat was one of the Five pillars of Islam and its denial or withholding is an act of denial of a cornerstone of faith, and is therefore an act of apostasy. Bernard Lewis states that the fact that Islamic Historians have regarded this as a primarily religious movement was due to a later interpretation of events in terms of a theological world-view.^[48] The opponents of the Muslim armies were not only apostates, but also - if not most of them - tribes which were largely or even completely independent from the Muslim community.^[51] However, these revolts also had a religious aspect: Medina had become the centre of a social and political system, of which religion was an integral part; consequently it was inevitable that any reaction against this system should have a religious aspect.^[52]

[edit] The Qur'an — preservation

Main article: Origin and development of the Qur'an

According to Sunni Islam, Abu Bakr was instrumental in preserving the Qur'an in written form. It is said that after the hard-won victory over Musaylimah in the Battle of Yamama fought in 632, Umar (the later Caliph Umar), saw that many of the Muslims who had memorized the Qur'an had died in battle. Fearing that the Qur'an may be lost or corrupted, Umar requested the Caliph Abu Bakr to authorize the compilation and preservation of the Book in written format. After initial hesitation, Abu Bakr made a committee headed by Zayd ibn Thabit which included the memorizers of the Qur'an and Umar and to collect all verses of the Book. After collecting all Qur'anic verses from texts in the possession of various sahaba, 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 Caliph Abu Bakr. It is believed that this process happened within one year of the death of Muhammad when most of his sahaba (companions) were still alive.
Prior to his death, Abu Bakr gave this authorized copy of the Qur'an to Umar - his successor. It remained with him throughout his tenure as Caliph (10 years). Prior to his death, Umar gave this Book to his daughter Hafsa bint Umar, who was one of the wives of Muhammad. Umar did not nominate his successor on his deathbed, and thus preferred to leave this copy with Hafsa so as not to indicate his personal preference of who would be the next caliph. Later on, it became the basis of Uthman Ibn Affan's definitive text of the Qur'an which was published far and wide merely 18 years after the death of Muhammad. Later historians give Uthman Ibn Affan the principal credit for re-verification and publishing the Qur'an. Shi'as reject the idea that Abu Bakr or Umar were instrumental in the collection or preservation of the Qur'an.^[53]

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Election of Abu Bakr to Caliphate

Caliph Abu Bakr's empire at its peak in August 634.

Main articles: Succession to Muhammad, Hadith of the pond of Khumm, and List of Sahaba not giving bay'ah to Abu Bakr

After Muhammad's death, previously dormant tensions between the Meccan immigrants, the Muhajirun, and the Medinan converts, the Ansar, threatened to break out and split the Ummah. Other Arabic tribes also wished to revert to local leadership and split from Medina's control. In some places, people claiming prophethood started to establish leaderships to oppose Medina, e.g. Al-Aswad Al-Ansi and Musaylimah. All of which are events that lead to splitting the Muslim community.^[45] The Ansar, the leaders of the tribes of Medina, met in a hall or house called saqifah, to discuss whom they would support as their new leader. When Abu Bakr was informed of the meeting, he, Umar, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and a few others rushed to prevent the Ansar from making a premature decision. Accounts of this meeting vary greatly. All agree that during the meeting Umar declared that Abu Bakr should be the new leader, and declared his allegiance to Abu Bakr, followed by Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, and thus Abu Bakr became the first Muslim caliph, who was given the title, Khalifa-tul-Rasool (Successor of messenger of Allah), a title only accepted by Sunni Muslims. Shias criticise Abu Bakr for forsaking the funeral of Muhammad to attend the political gathering, and believe that Muhammad had already appointed Ali in his lifetime as his successor. This view portrays Abu Bakr and Umar as plotters in a political coup against the Alids. The Ismaili Shia Institute researcher Wilfred Madelung^[46] portrays Abu Bakr as a political opportunist whose character as the founder of Sunni Islam has been extensively embellished by subsequent kings and emperors (caliphs) making it difficult to openly criticise him. Some sects of Islam like Shia strongly believe that Abu Bakr deceived Ali, keeping Ali from his right as khilafat since he was true successor to Muhammad.^[47]

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Other Ahadith on Virtues of Abubakr

There are many ahadith that mention the virtues and special position of Abu Bakr:
Abu Huraira reported that the Islamic prophet Muhammad said, "There is not anyone who may have been kind to us, or helped us without my returning to him (his favor) except Abu Bakr. The kindness that he has shown us, only Allah will reward him for that on the Day of Resurrection. No one's property has been of benefit to me as much as Abu Bakr's. And if I were to take a Khaleel (close friend from my companions) then I would take Abu Bakr as one. But you must know that I am Allah's Khaleel.^[41]^[specify]

Ayshah reported that Muhammad said, "It does not behoove a people who have Abu Bakr among them to have anybody other than him as their imam.^[42]^[specify]
Ayshah also reported that the Muhammad said to her: "Call your father (Abu Bakr) and brother [`Abd al-Rahman] here so I will put something down in writing, for truly I fear lest someone forward a claim or form some ambition, and Allah and the believers refuse anyone other than Abu Bakr." from Sahih Muslim^[specify]
Jubayr ibn Mut'im reported that a woman came and spoke to Muhammad about a matter. He asked her to come back later some time. She said, "Tell me if I come later and do not find you?" Jubayr ibn Mut'im said that it seemed that she meant he may not be alive when she came back. He said, "If you do not find me then go to Abu Bakr."^[43]^[specify]
Abu Hurairah reported that Muhammad said, "Jibreel came to me, held my hand and pointed out to me the gate of Paradise through which my Ummah will enter it." Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger of Allah! I wish that I had been with you and seen the gate!" So, Muhammad said, "Know, O Abu Bakr, you will be the first of my Ummah to enter Paradise."^[44]^[specify]
Ibn Umar said that one day, Muhammad came out and entered the masjid, Abu Bakr and Umar with him, to his right and left. Muhammad had held their hands and he said, "The three of us will be raised on the Day of Resurrection in this way."^[42]^[specify]
Abu Saeed al Khudri reported that Muhammad said: "Every prophet has two wazeer (ministers) from the dwellers of the heaven (angels) and two wazeer from the inhabitants of the earth. So, my wazeer from the dwellers of heaven are Jibrael and Mikael and my wazeer from the earthlings are Abu Bakr and Umar."^[42]^[specify]

2011-12-24T08:48:00.001-08:00

Death of Muhammad

Abu Bakr
An imagining of Abu Bakr stopping the Meccan Mob, in a Turkish miniature from the 16th century C.E.
Rightly-Guided Caliph, Warrior, Reformer, Siddiq, Disciple of Muhammad, Companion of the Cave
Born	c. 573 C.E. Mecca
Died	c. 634 C.E. Medina
Honored in	Islam
Influences	Prophets of Islam
Influenced	Countless future Muslim leaders and clerics

A short time after returning from the farewell pilgrimage, Muhammad became ill. In his fatal illness, Muhammad came out with a piece of cloth tied around his head and sat on the pulpit. After thanking and praising Allah he said,ﺇ ﻥ ﺍ ﷲ ﺧﻴﺮ ﻋﺒﺪﺍ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺍﻟﺪ ﻧﻴﺎ ﻭ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻣﺎ ﻋﻨﺪ ﻩ ﻓﺎ ﺧﺘﺎ ﺭ ﺫ ﻟﻚ ﺍﻟﻌﺒﺪ ﻣﺎ ﻋﻨﺪ ﺍﷲ "Allah has given one of His Slaves the choice of receiving the splendor and luxury of the worldly life whatever he likes or to accept the good which is with Allah. So he has chosen that good which is with Allah."
Abu Bakr wept profusely and said, "Our fathers and mothers be sacrificed for you." The companions were astonished by this (they wondered why Abu Bakr wept), and the people said, "Look at this old man! Allah's Apostle talks about a Slave of Allah to whom He has given the option to choose either the splendor of this worldly life or the good which is with Him, while he says "our fathers and mothers be sacrificed for you". It turned out Muhammad himself was that servant, as Abu Bakr later told the companions.
Muhammad continued:

No doubt, I am indebted to Abu Bakr more than to anybody else regarding both his companionship and his wealth. And if I had to take a Khalil from my followers, I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr, but the fraternity of Islam is sufficient. Let no Door of the Mosque remain open, except the door of Abu Bakr ^[38]

The good referred in the first part means the good in the hereafter. Khalil means intimate friend. The door referred to here is the door to the mosque of Muhammad. When the fever developed he directed Abu Bakr to go to the war following Usama who was 18. When Muhammad died Muslims gathered in Al-Masjid al-Nabawi and there were suppressed sobs and sighs. Abu Bakr came from his house at As-Sunh (a village) on a horse where he had been with his new wife. He dismounted and entered the Prophet's Mosque, but did not speak to anyone until he entered upon 'Aa'isha. He went straight to Muhammad who was covered with Hibra cloth (a kind of Yemenite cloth). He then uncovered Muhammad's face and bowed over him and kissed him and wept, saying, "Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. By Allah, Allah will never cause you to die twice. As for the death which was written for you, has come upon you." 'Umar was making a sermon to the people saying, "By Allah, he is not dead but has gone to his Lord as Musa ibn Imran went and remained hidden from his people for forty days. Musa returned after it was said that he had died. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah will come back and he will cut off the hands and legs of those who claim his death." ^[39]
Abu Bakr arrived and said, "Sit down, O 'Umar!" But 'Umar refused to sit down. So the people came to Abu Bakr and left Umar. Abu Bakr said, "To proceed, 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, "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)
'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 the Prophet had passed away."^[40]

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Military Campaigns under Muhammad

Main articles: Battle of Badr and Battle of Uhud

In 624 Abu Bakr was involved in the first battle between the Muslims and the Quraysh of Mecca, known as the Battle of Badr, but did not fight, instead acting as one of the guards of Muhammad's tent. In 625 he participated in the Battle of Uhud which ended in a rout by the majority of the Muslims. Before the battle begun, Abu Bakr's son Abdu'l-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr, who was still non-Muslim and was fighting from the side of the Quraysh, came forward and threw down a challenge for a duel. Abu Bakr accepted the challenge but was stopped by Muhammad. His son later converted to Islam and gained fame during the Muslim conquest of Syria as a fierce warrior.
In the second phase of the battle, Khalid ibn al-Walid’s cavalry attacked the Muslims from behind, changing a Muslim victory to defeat. Many Muslim warriors fled from the battlefield due to fear or to plunder the spoils of war so did Abu Bakr, however he was among the first to return according to few Sunni Hadith. Ali Ibn Abi Talib was the only one who remained guarding Prophet Muhammad from the attacks of the Quraysh soldiers, majority of Shia and many Sunni Hadith agree to this. Criticisms of his lack-lustre military achievements in comparison with the extremely accomplised Ali should be put into context: Abu Bakr was a middle aged man during these battles, was not a soldier but a merchant by trade, and had never seen battle before - it may thus be unfair to directly compare him with Ali in this regard. In Sunni accounts during one such attack, two discs from Abu Bakr's shield penetrated into Muhammad's cheeks. Abu Bakr went forward with the intention of extracting these discs but Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah requested he leave the matter to him, losing his two incisors during the process. In these stories subsequently Abu Bakr, along with other companions, led Muhammad to a place of safety.^[5]

[edit] Conflict with Jewish tribes

Main articles: Invasion of Banu Nadir, Invasion of Banu Qurayza, and Battle of Khaybar

Later in the year Abu Bakr was a part of campaign again the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir.
In 627 he participated in the Battle of the Trench and also in the Invasion of Banu Qurayza.^[5]
In 628 he participated in Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the witnesses over the pact.^[5]
In 628 he was a part of the Muslim campaign to Khaybar.

[edit] Military campaigns during final years of Muhammad

Main articles: Expedition of Amr ibn al-As, Conquest of Mecca, Battle of Hunayn, Siege of Ta'if, and Battle of Tabouk

In 629 Muhammad sent 'Amr ibn al-'As to Zaat-ul-Sallasal from where he called for reinforcements and Muhammad sent Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. Commanding an army under him were Abu Bakr and Umar and they attacked and defeated the enemy.^[34]
In 630 when Muslim armies rushed for the Conquest of Mecca, Abu Bakr was a part of the army. Before the conquest of Mecca his father Uthman Abu Quhafa converted to Islam. In 630 he was part of Battle of Hunayn and Siege of Ta'if. He was part of the Muslim army in the campaign of Tabuk under Muhammad's command and he was reported to have given all his wealth for the preparation of this expedition.
In 631, Muhammad sent a delegation of three hundred Muslims from Medina to perform the Hajj according to the new Islamic way. Abu Bakr was appointed as the leader of the delegates in some Sunni accounts. If this version is correct Abu Bakr had thus the honor of being the first Amir-ul-Haj in the history of Islam. In 632 Abu Bakr followed Muhammad to Mecca for the farewell Hajj.

[edit] Military campaigns as commander

Main article: Expedition of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

Abu Bakr also led 1 military campaign as commander, known as Expedition of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq,^[35] which took place in Nejd, in July 628 AD,3rd Month 7AH, of the Islamic Calendar^[35] Abu Bakr led a large platoon in Nejd on the order of Muhammad. Many were killed and taken as prisoner.^[36] The Sunni Hadith collection, Sunan Abu Dawud mentions the event^[37]

2011-12-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

Migration to Medina

Main article: Hijra (Islam)

In 622, on the invitation of the Muslims of Medina, Muhammad ordered Muslims to migrate to Medina. The migration began in batches. Ali was the last to remain in Mecca, entrusted with responsibility for settling any loans the Muslims had taken, 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 in his migration for Medina. Due to the danger of the Quraysh, they did not take the road to Medina.
They moved in the opposite direction, and took refuge in a cave in Jabal Thawr some five miles south of Mecca. `Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would listen to the plans and talks 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.^[31] Aamir, 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 sight them. Due to this the following verse of the Qur'an was revealed:

If ye help not (your Leader) (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him; when the unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion: they two were in the cave, and he said to his companion "Have no Fear, for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which ye saw not, and humbled to the depths the word of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. ^{[Quran 9:40]}

'Aa'ishah, Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri and ibn 'Abbaas in interpreting this verse said

Abu Bakr was the one who stayed with the Prophet in that cave

It is narrated from al-Barra' ibn 'Azib, he said,

Once Abu Bakr bought a ride from 'Azib for 10 Dirham, then Abu Bakr said to 'Azib, "Tell your son the Barra to deliver that beast." Then 'Azib said, "No, until you tell us about your journey with the Messenger of Allah when he went out of Makkah while the Mushrikeen were busy looking for you." Abu Bakr said, "We set out from Makkah, walking day and night, until it came the time of Zuhr, so I was looking for a place so that we can rest under it, it came to be that I saw a big rock, so I came to it and there was the place, so I spread a matress for the Prophet, then I said to him, " Rest O' Prophet of Allah." So he rested, while I surveyed the area around me, are there people looking for us coming here to spy... Suddenly I saw there was a shepherd herding his sheep to the direction of the place under the rock wanting to shade himself like us, so I asked, "Who is your master O' slave?" He answered, "Slave of the fulan, someone of the Quraish." He mentioned the name of his master and I knew him, then I asked, "Does your sheep have milk?" He answered, "Yes!" So he took one of the sheep, after that I ordered him to clean the breasts of the sheep first from dirt and dust, then I ordered him to blow his hand from dust, so he pat his two hands and he started milking, while I prepared a vessel with its mouth wrapped with cloth to contain the milk, so I poured the milk that was milked to the vessel and I waited until the bottom was cold, then I brought to the Prophet and it was that he had waken up, instantly I told him, "Drink O' Messenger of Allah." So he started to drink until I saw that he was full, then I told him, "Are we not going to continue walking O' Messenger of Allah?" He answered, "Yes!" At last we continued the journey while the mushrikeen kept looking for us, not that could pursue us except Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Ju'sham who rode his horse, so I said to the Messenger of Allah, "This man has succeeded in pursuing us O' Messenger of Allah," but he answered, "ﻻ ﺗﺤﺰ ﻥ ﺇ ﻥ ﺍﷲ ﻣﻌﻨﺎ" (Do not worry, verily Allah is with us).

It is narrated from Anas from Abu Bakr he said,

I said to the Prophet when were in the cave, "If only they had looked under their feet we would assuredly be seen" The Messenger answered, "ﻣﺎ ﻇﻨﻚ ﻳﺎ ﺃ ﺑﺎ ﺑﻜﺮ ﺑﺎ ﺛﻨﻴﻦ ﺍﷲ ﺛﺎ ﻟﺘﻬﻤﺎ" (What do you think O' Abu Bakr about two people if Allah is the third, meaning God was with them.)^[32]

After staying at the cave for three days and three nights, Abu Bakr and Muhammad proceed to Medina, staying for some time at Quba, a suburb of Medina. While Sunni sources portray Abu bakr in an exalted light in the cave, Shia sources however generally tend to portray the incident in the cave as a Quranic condemndation of Abu Bakr for cowardice and fear.

[edit] Life in Medina

In Medina, Muhammad decided to construct a mosque. A piece of land was chosen and the price of the land was paid for by Abu Bakr. Muslims constructed a mosque named Al-Masjid al-Nabawi at the site and Abu Bakr also took part in construction. Abu Bakr was paired with Khaarij ah bin Zaid Ansari (who was from Medina) as a brother in faith. Abu Bakr's relationship with Khaarjah was most cordial, which was further strengthened when Abu Bakr married Habiba, a daughter of Khaarijah.
Khaarij ah bin Zaid Ansari used to live at Sukh, a suburb of Medina, and Abu Bakr also settled there. After Abu Bakr's family arrived in Medina he bought another house near Muhammad's.^[33]
The climate of Mecca was dry, but the climate of Medina was damp and this adversely affected the health of the immigrants, so that on arrival most of them fell sick. Abu Bakr also suffered from fever for several days and during this time he was attended to by Khaarijah and his family. At Mecca, Abu Bakr was a trader in cloth and he started the same business in Medina. He was a wholesaler, and had his store at Sukh, and from there cloth was supplied to the market at Medina. Soon his business flourished at Medina. Early in 623, Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha, who was already engaged to Muhammad, was handed over to Muhammad in a simple marriage ceremony, and this further strengthen the relation between Abu Bakr and Muhammad.^[5]

2011-12-24T08:43:00.001-08:00

Persecution by the Quraysh, 613

Main article: Persecution of Muslims by the Meccans

For three years after the advent of Islam, Muslims kept secret their faith, and prayed in secret. In 613 Muhammad decided to call people to Islam openly. The first public address inviting people to offer allegiance to Muhammad was delivered by Abu Bakr.^{[citation needed]} In a fit of fury the young men of the Quraysh tribe rushed at Abu Bakr, and beat him mercilessly till he lost consciousness.^[28] Following this incident Abu Bakr's mother converted to Islam. Abu Bakr was persecuted many times by the Quraysh. Abu Bakr's beliefs would have been defended by his own clan, but not by the entire Quraysh tribe.

[edit] Migrations to Abyssinia, 615

Being the first man to go over to Islam, Abu Bakr had brought upon himself the special anger and hatred of the Meccan chiefs. Soon he felt hard pressed and asked permission of Muhammad to go to Abyssinia. The permission was granted and Abu Bakr set off on his journey. However, on the way he met Ibn-ud-Daghinna, the chief of Qara. Under Ibn-ud-Daghinna's protection, he soon came back to Makkah.^[29]

[edit] Last years in Mecca

In 617, the Quraysh enforced a boycott against the Banu Hashim. Muhammad along with his supporters from Banu Hashim, were shut up 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). Abu Bakr, feeling distressed, set out for Yemen and then to Abyssinia from there. He met a friend of his named Ad-Dughna (chief of the Qarah^{[disambiguation needed ]} tribe) outside Mecca, who invited Abu Bakr to seek his protection against the Quraysh. Abu Bakr went back to Mecca, it was a relief for him, but soon due to the pressure of Quraysh, Ad-Dughna was forced to renounce his protection. Once again the Quraysh were free to persecute Abu Bakr.
In 620 Muhammad's wife and uncle died. Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was engaged 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 (night Journey).^[30]

2011-12-24T08:42:00.003-08:00

Acceptance of Islam

On his return from a business trip from Yemen, he was informed by friends that in his absence Muhammad had declared himself the Messenger of God, and proclaimed a new religion. Abu Bakr was the first baligh (post-puberty) free male to accept Muhammad's prophethood (though Shias maintain Abu Talib and other adult members of Muhammad's immediate blood family were, i.e. the Hashemites). Scholars, as well as other Sunnis and all Shi'a Muslims maintain that the second person to publicly accept Muhammed as the messenger of Allah was Ali ibn Abi Talib, though to Shias Ali always knew of Muhammad's status through pre-knowledge.^[22] However, 'Ali was still a pre-pubescent child when he accepted Islam, and therefore may have been excluded from the duties of a Muslim. Also Abu Bakr was the first person outside the family of Muhammad to openly become a Muslim.

[edit] Life after accepting Islam

Islam
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His wife Qutaylah bint Abd-al-Uzza did not accept Islam and he divorced her. His other wife, Um Ruman, became a Muslim. All his children except Abdu'l-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr‎ accepted Islam, and Abu Bakr separated from his son Abdu'l-Rahman.
His conversion brought the most benefit to Islam. Abu Bakr's brought many people to Islam. He persuaded his intimate friends to convert to Islam.^[23]^[24] and presented Islam to others in such a way that many of his friends accepted Islam.
Those who converted to Islam at the instance of Abu Bakr were:^[4]

Uthman Ibn Affan (who would became the 3rd Caliph)
Al-Zubayr (played a part in the Muslim conquest of Egypt)
Talha Ibn Ubayd-Allah
Abdur Rahman bin Awf (who would remain an important part of the Rashidun Caliphate)
Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas (played a part in the Islamic conquest of Persia)
Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (who remained commander in chief of the Rashidun army in Syria )
Abu Salama (Abdullah bin Abdul Asad)
Khalid ibn Sa`id
Abu Hudhaifah ibn al-Mughirah

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 slaves(four men and four women) and then freed them, paying 40,000 dinar for their freedom.^[25]^[26]
The men were

The women were:

Most of the slaves liberated by Abu Bakr were either women or old and frail men.^[27] The father of Abu Bakr asked him to for why doesn't he 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 Allah, and not for his own sake. According to Sunni tradition the following verses of the Qur'an were revealed due to this:^{[citation needed]}

He who gives in charity and fears Allah And in all sincerity testifies to the Truth; We shall indeed make smooth for him the path of Bliss {92:5-7}.

Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification; And have in their minds no favor from any one For which a reward is expected in return, But only the desire to seek the Countenance, Of their Lord, Most High; And soon they shall attain complete satisfaction {92:8-21}.

Shias maintain these verses were revealed about Ali.

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Early life

Abu Bakr was born in Mecca some time in 573 CE, to a rich family in the Banu Tamim clan of the Quraysh tribe. Abu Bakr's father's name was Uthman Abu Quhafa (nicknamed Abu Quhafa) and his mother was Salma Umm-ul-Khair (nicknamed Umm-ul-Khair). Abu Bakr was a thin man with white skin.^[18] Tabari relates (Suyuti also relates the same through Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi's report) from Aisha her description of Abu Bakr:

He was a man with fair skin, thin, emaciated, with a sparse beard, a slightly hunched frame, sunken eyes and protruding forehead, and the bases of his fingers were hairless.^[19]

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 foals and goats, and his love for camels earned him the nickname "Abu Bakr", the father of the foal of the camel.^[20]
When Abu Bakr was 10 years old, he went to Syria along with his father with the merchants' caravan. Muhammad, who was 12 years old at the time, was also with the caravan. In 591 at the age of 18, Abu Bakr went into trade and adopted the profession of cloth merchant, which was the family's business. In the coming years Abu Bakr traveled extensively with caravans. Business trips took him to Yemen, Syria, and elsewhere. These travels brought him wealth and added to his experience. His business flourished and he rose in the scale of social importance. Though his father, Uthman Abu Quhafa, was still alive, he came to be recognized as chief of his tribe. Abu Bakr was assigned the office of awarding blood money in cases of murder. His office was something like the office of an honorary magistrate.^[3]
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 had a very good memory and had a good knowledge of the genealogy of the Arab tribes, their stories and their politics.^[21]

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Lineage and title

Abu Bakr's full name is 'Abd Allah ibn 'Uthman ibn Aamir ibn Amr ibn Ka'ab ibn Sa'ad ibn Tamim ibn Murrah ibn Ka'ab ibn Lu'ai ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr al-Quraishi at-Tamimi.^[6] In Arabic, the name 'Abd Allah' means (servant of God). Although he is most known by his title 'Abu Bakr', he has many other titles. One of his titles was 'atiqe' (the saved one) and he was known by this title before Islam. Muhammad confirmed this title later when he said that Abu Bakr is the 'atiqe' (the one saved from hell fire by God).
[7] He was called 'Al-Siddiq' (the truthful')^[2] by the Prophet after he believed him in the event of Isra and Mi'raj when other people didn't, and Ali confirmed that title several times.^[8]
He was mentioned in the Quran as the "second of the two who lay in the cave" in reference to the event of hijra, with the Prophet Muhammad where they hid in the cave in Jabal Thawr from the Meccan search party that was sent after them, thus being one of few who were given direct reference to in the Quran.^[9]
Imam Jafar al Sadiq famously narrated how the title Siddiq was given to Abu Bakr from Muhammad.^[10]^[11] He was also a direct descendant of Abu Bakr from his maternal side, as well as being a paternal descendant of Ali from his father's side. Jafar al-Sadiq was also the successor of the Naqshbandi Sufi order originating from Abu Bakr himself.^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]
Imam Muhammad al Baqir, the father of Imam Jafar Sadiq also called Abu Bakr with the title Siddiq.^[17]

islam

2011-12-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Abu Bakr (Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa) (Arabic: عبد الله بن أبي قحافة; Transliteration: ʿAbdullāh bin Abī Quḥāfah, c. 573 CE unknown exact date 634/13 AH) was a senior companion (Sahabi) and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death.^[1] As Caliph, Abu Bakr succeeded to the political and administrative functions previously exercised by the Prophet, since the religious function and authority of prophethood ended with Muhammad's death according to Islam. He was called Al-Siddiq (The Truthful)^[2] and was known by that title among later generations of Muslims.

As a young man, Abu Bakr became a cloth merchant and he traveled extensively in Arabia and neighboring lands in the Middle East, through which he gained both wealth and experience. He eventually came to be recognized as the chief of his clan.^[3] On his return from a business trip to Yemen, he was informed that in his absence Muhammad had openly declared his prophethood. Not long after, Abu Bakr accepted Islam and was the first person outside the family of Muhammad to openly become a Muslim. He was instrumental in the conversion of many people to the Islamic faith^[4] and early in 623, Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was married to Muhammad, strengthening the ties between the two men.^[2]
Abu Bakr served as a trusted advisor and close friend to the Prophet. During the lifetime of Muhammad, he was involved in several campaigns such as the Battle of Uhud, the Battle of the Trench, the Invasion of Banu Qurayza, Battle of Khaybar, the Conquest of Mecca, the Battle of Hunayn, the Siege of Ta'if, and the Battle of Tabuk where he was reported to have given all of his wealth for the preparation of this expedition.^[5] He also participated in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the witnesses over the pact.^[5]
Abu Bakr's Caliphate lasted for a little over two years (or 27 months), ending with his death after an illness. Though the period of his caliphate was not long it included successful invasions of the two most powerful empires of the time, 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.

2011-12-22T01:22:00.007-08:00

The Zabur
This term "Zabur" is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew zimra, translated in the King James Version as "psalm" in Ps. 81:2 and 98:5. The Hebrew word has the meaning "song, music", as in Ex. 15:2, "The Lord is my strength and song". It along with zamir (song) and mizmor (psalm) is a derivative of zamar, meaning "sing, sing praise, make music". (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 1, pg. 245.)

In the Koran, the Zabur is mentioned by name only three times:

"...And to David We gave the Psalms." (surah 4:163)
"And it is your Lord that knoweth best all beings that are in the heavens and on earth: We did bestow on some Prophets more (and other) gifts than on others: and We gave to David (the gift of) the Psalms." (surah 17:55)
"Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (given to Moses): 'My servants, the righteous, shall inherit the earth.'" (surah 21:105)

The last reference is of interest because of the quotation from Psalm 37:29 which says, "the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever." Many Muslims scholars think that it also has reference to Exodus 32:13, "...it will be their inheritance forever."
Well-known Christian apologist, C. G. Pfander went as far to say that al-Koran's reference to the Psalms is actually a reference to the third division of the Hebrew Scriptures, known as the Writings or Kethubim: "as it begins with the Psalms, it is so styled in the Gospel (Luke 24:44) and in the Qur'an alike". (The Balance of Truth, pg. 51.)

2011-12-22T01:22:00.003-08:00

What does the Koran say about the previous scriptures?
The Tawrat
The term Tawrat is simply the Arabic equivalent for the Hebrew Torah, normally understood as the law of Moses (Hazrat Musa). The Koran gives abundant testimony to the Tawrat, so much so, that it is mentioned more than any other part of the Bible:

It was We who revealed the Law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the Prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to God's Will, by the Rabbis and the Doctors of Law: For to them was entrusted the protection of God's Book, and they were witnesses thereto: Therefore fear not men, but fear Me, and sell not my Signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers. We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.".... (surah 5:47,48a)

From this quotation it can be seen that the holy Koran highly esteems the Tawrat ("guidance and light"), and as having been revealed by Allah. Also a quotation from the Tawrat is given, which seems to be from Exodus 21:23-25,

But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. (Ex. 21:23-25)

In al-Koran it sometimes appears that the term Tawrat refers not only to the books of Hazrat Musa (pbuh), but to the entire Hebrew Scriptures, especially in verses that mention the Tawrat and Injil together:

He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel (3:3, Pickthall)
Ye People of the Book! Why dispute ye about Abraham, when the Law and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have ye no understanding? (surah 3:65)

Three "people of the book" are in view in these verses -- Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Their respective "books" in a nutshell are the Tawrat, Injil, and Koran. The second verse mentions only two, but implies Muslims, whom the others should emulate. This particular understanding of Tawrat is borne out in the Hadith:

Abu Harairah said: When the Prophet (may peace be upon him) went to his bed, he used to say: O God! Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, Lord of everything, Who splittest the grain and the kernel, Who hast sent down the Torah, the Injil and the Qur'an, I seek refuge in Thee from the evil of every evil agent whose forelock thou seizest...(Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, pg. 1403.)

Of course, the prophet knew that the Zabur had also been sent down, but perhaps in his thinking he was including it under the Tawrat, i.e. the Jewish Scriptures. Another tradition makes an apparent quote from the Tawrat, a prophecy regarding the Prophet:

Ka'b, quoting the Torah, said we find written, "Muhammad God's messenger, My chosen servant, is not rough, or coarse, or loud-voiced in the streets, he does not requite evil with evil, but forgives and pardons. His birthplace will be in Mecca, his place of emigration in Taiba, his kingdom in Syria, and his people will be those who are devoted to praising, who praise God in prosperity and adversity, who praise God in every alighting-place, who declare God's greatness on every rising ground, who watch for the sun and observe the prayer when its time comes, who tie their lower garments round their middle, who perform ablution at their extremities, who crier summons in the open air, who are the same in fighting as they are in prayer, who make a low sound at night like the buzzing of bees." (Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol. 2, pg. 1237.)

The section in bold-type is of interest because of its parallel to Isaiah 42:1-4:

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.

The rest of the quote from the Hadith claims to come from the Tawrat as well. If you compare with the rest of Isaiah 42, you do seem some parallels. For example, Isa. 42:11 speaks of the "desert" and "Kedar", probably being the Arabian desert and the territory of Haidar (Kedar), the forefather of the Prophet (pbuh). As well, Isa. 42:10-12 speak of a lot of people praising God, many of whom live in the Arabian desert. Now back to the real point of all this... This tradition refers to the book of Isaiah as being part of the Tawrat, backing up the idea of the Tawrat sometimes being used to refer to the entire Hebrew Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.

2011-12-22T01:20:00.001-08:00

The Muslim Understanding of the 3 Holy Books
General Muslim understanding today of the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil, is somewhat simplistic. Each is thought to be a revelation in the form of a written book that was given through Hazrat Musa, Dawud, and Isa (peace be upon them) respectively. But there is some divergence of opinion:

Some Say Tawrat equals the Pentateuch:
Three sections of the Bible are cited by the Koran as being Divinely revealed: the Pentateuch, or Books of Moses (Tawrat); the Psalms of David (Zabur); and the Gospels of Jesus (Injil) (Glasse, The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, pg. 72.)
Some Say Tawrat equals the Old Testament:
Others however, would say that the Tawrat is more or less the entire revelation given to the Jews:
It may be inferred from the preceding quote from Fazlur Rahman that the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians may be summed up in the words Torah (or Tawrat) and Evangel (or Injil), i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament. This thinking is partly due to the Koran's own testimony, more of which will be seen later. The same belief is expressed by A.J. Arberry, noted English Muslim in his introduction to his translation of the Koran:
Some Say Tawrat equals a Lost Book:
Abdullah Yusuf Ali seems to equate the Tawrat with the Old Testament, "Vaguely we may say that it was the Jewish Scripture." (Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, pg. 282.) However, because of his belief in the corruption of the Bible, there are qualifiers:
The "mass of traditional writing" to which he refers is the Talmud (Ali, Ibid., pg. 284.) (see section on Interval Between Christ and Muhammad for more).
So in Ali's opinion, the Tawrat no longer exists.
Some Say Injil equals a Lost Book:
Regarding the Injil, the same divergence of opinion is true. This divergence however, is only variations of the same theme. The "same theme" is this, the Injil has been corrupted. Some holding this belief vehemently, say that the Injil is no longer extant, and that today's New Testament bears little, if any, resemblance to the original Injil:
Some Say Injil equals the Gospels of New Testament:
Toward the other end of the spectrum is Cyril Glasse, a western Muslim scholar. He uses three different names for the Injil interchangeably, Gospels of Jesus, the Gospel, and New Testament:
So there is divergence, but it is only a matter of degree. Because of supposed corruption, some Muslims refuse to accept the New Testament as the Injil.
Some Say Injil equals the New Testament:
Some, despite supposed corruption, do identify the two as one and the same. Hughes made an interesting comment along this line back in 1885:
For some Muslims it is difficult to conceive of the fact that Hazrat Isa did not speak or write the Injil. A multiplicity of authors for the various New Testament books is a new concept to them.
All (?) Say Zabur equals the Psalms of Hazrat Dawud (David):
The Zabur or Psalms, does not seem to be a big issue. Except for the comment by Cyril Glasse above about the Psalms, very little is said or discussed about this matter. Some Say Tawrat, Zabur and Injil equals the Bible:
To top this all off, reference must be made to Abd-al-Rahman Azzam, respected Muslim leader and founder of the Arab League, as well as one who was instrumental in steering Malcolm X towards a more orthodox Islam:
In commenting on this quote, Azzam says, "By books is meant the ones revealed by God: the Bible, the Koran." (Azzam, Ibid., pg. 102n.) Azzam equated the other three heavenly books with none other than today's Holy Bible.

2011-12-22T01:19:00.001-08:00

What are the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil?
It is common knowledge that Muslims recognize four remaining holy books out of a total of 104 revelations, of which 100 are missing. Although Muslims are often taught that the 3 remaining books previous to the Koran have been altered, still, Muslims for the most part, respect those 3 holy books. The 3 holy books are known as the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil.

This article will not deal with the Muslim belief in abrogation of previous scriptures, nor will it major on the Muslim belief in the corruption of the scriptures by Jews and Christians. The purpose of this paper is to examine the various opinions held regarding these 3 holy books. How did they come up with that understanding?
Let it be stated here that this author has confidence that the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil extant today amongst Jews and Christians (i.e. the Holy Bible), are the same as those books originally given by almighty God.
Muslim belief about the previous holy books has been in part shaped by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s interaction with Jews and Christians of his time. Some of these Jews and Christians were his earlier converts. The prophet's first wife, Khadijah was known as a Christian before converting to Islam, as was her cousin Waraka (or Warqa), who was considered a serious Bible student and perhaps even a translator of Scripture. So it would be beneficial to try to understand exactly what the Koran says about those holy books, and also what Jews and Christians of that time would have thought about the books. In doing this, we will also look at the holy Injil's use of various titles for different Scriptures.