Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq

(May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Hadhrat Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) spent each and every moment of his life in spreading and promoting Islam.  He would always be immersed in the love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  On every occasion, he would benefit from the blessed company of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The verses of the Holy Quran and the Hadith give evidence to his superiority and excellence.

 

In a short period of 2 years and 4 months, Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) accomplished many great tasks for Islam and Muslims.  On the basis of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, Hadhrat Siddiq Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) left his radiant footprints on the caliphate.  When he addressed the people for the first time after becoming the Caliph, he (May Allah be well pleased with him) told the people: O people! Obey me as long as I obey the commands of Allah among you.  If I end disobeying any command of Allah Most High, then obedience to me is not binding on you.

 

If we follow the path of truth in light of the radiant footsteps left by him, then even today we can establish a system based on truth, justice, peace and safety in the whole world.

 

When Hadhrat Siddiq Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) became the caliph, Islam was facing a dangerous situation.  In various places in Arabia, the fires of revolt were raging.  The seat of Islam, Madina Munawwarah and the Muslims were everybody’s target.  The revolt of refusal to pay Zakaat, people defecting from Islam and the turmoil of the false claimants of Prophethood had all raised their ugly heads.

 

Hadhrat Siddiq Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) faced all these challenges unwaveringly, steadfastly and with a deep wisdom and sagacity and with the help of Allah Most High, he put down all these disturbances and united the whole of Arabia under the banner of Islam.  All the tribes of Arabia became an undefeatable force under the banner of Islam.  At that time, Syria and Rome were the 2 great superpowers.  Hadhrat Siddiq Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) sent armies to deal with them.  By the grace of Allah Ta’ala, the efforts of these people bore fruit and the most of Iraq came under the command of Allah and some areas of Syria also came under the Islamic rule.

 

Allah Most High made Hadhrat Siddiq Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) an embodiment of excellence.  All the scholars and Hadith experts agree that after the Prophets, Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) is the most superior of all creation.

 

His greatness is revealed through his very Kuniyah.  In Arabic language, “Bakr” means to go ahead, to lead and “Abu” is used in the meaning of “the one who.”  Thus Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) would be the first is all good works.  He was the first to embrace Islam from among the men.  He was the first one to acknowledge that the incident of Ascension (Meraj) was true.  He is the first caliph of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Many people embraced Islam because of his efforts.  Hadhrat ‘Uthman, Hadhrat ‘Abdur Rahman Bin ‘Auf, Hadhrat Sa’ad Bin Abi Waqqas, Hadhrat Talha, Hadhrat Zubair bin Al ‘Awwam (May Allah be well pleased with them) are some of those who embraced Islam because of Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

He remained a mountain of steadfastness opposing falsehood and untruth.  He readily bore all difficulties without any complaint.  Some Muslims who were slaves to the non-believers and were being tortured were freed by Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) who used his own money to do this.

 

For all these reasons, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) addressed him as “Ateequllah Minan Naar” i.e. who has freedom from hell.