First Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA) after Prophet Muhammad SAW
Madina is known as the 1st city for the caliphate. At that time it was the capital later moved to Kufa. The first and foremost caliph of Islam was the companion of Prophet Muhammad SAW, Hazrat e Abu Bakr Siddique RA. Abu Bakr RA ruled there from 632 to 634 CE. He was also the father-in-law of Muhammad SAW and he is also known as the pioneer of Islam, he was from the early converts.
Abu Bakr (RA’s)role right after the death of Prophet Muhammad SAW
What a dreadful day that was for all of the Muslims and for the whole of the leadership of Prophet’s time. Every heart was sad and each eye was shedding tears. No one was ready to accept it. What a loss that was!
Hazrat e Umar RA, that was a courageous and brave Muslim companion of a prophet was shocked. There are the famous lines spoken by Hazrat e Umar RA at that time, Umar RA said.
“The messenger of Allah did not die. He is alive. He was struck by lightning-like Moses. If anyone says, ‘Muhammad died’, I will split him into two with my sword.” (Ibn e saad)
Such was the condition of the bravest man of that time.
Hazrat Abu Bakr RA, when heard about the death of Prophet Muhammed SAW, rushed towards His home. He was also shocked and felt as if a vital part of his body cut off. he reached there and kissed the forehead of prophet Muhammad SAW 3 times and said,
O messenger of Allah! Your death is as clean and graceful as your life was. (Ibn e saad)
After that when Hazrat e Abu Bakr (RA) heard about Hazrat e Umar (RA) saying Prophet of Islam did not die. He(Abu Bakr RA) went to a mosque and delivered a speech that has a great place in the history of Islam. He said to people, the given lines mentioned below are also the part of the Quran, for reference you may go to Al-Imran verse number 144, it says,
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئًا وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّهُ الشَّاكِرِينَ
“Muhammad is no more than a Messenger: many were the Messengers that passed away before Him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude”
And then he said, “Whoever worships Muhammad (PBUH) should know that Muhammad (PBUH) died. Whoever worships Allah should know that Allah is Hayy (immortal).” ( Bukhari, ibn e saad)
This was indeed a southing speech for all of the followers of Prophet SAW.
Abu Bakr RA as 1st Caliph of the Caliphate
After the negotiations, the day when the prophet of Islam died, in the evening Hazrat Abu Bakr RA was elected as the 1st caliph of Islam.
Three days earlier to the prophet’s death, He(the Prophet SAW) gave Abu Bakr the charge for the most important pillar of Islam, Namaz. He deserved to be the 1st caliph as he was the closest of all companions of the prophet of Islam and the friend of the cave as well.
Ibn Hajar Asqalani says in his memoir of the allies that when Malik ibn Nuweira acknowledged Islam, the Apostle of God delegated him a Revenue Officer for the clan of Banu Yerba. He gathered assessments from his clan and sent them to Medina. Be that as it may, when he heard the updates on the passing of the Apostle, he quit gathering assessments, and said to his tribesmen that before making any settlements to Medina, he needed to know how the new government in the City of the Prophet had come to fruition.
Malik didn’t pay expenses to the new government in Medina, and Abu Bakr sent a reformatory power under the order of Khalid al-Walid RA to state his position and to gather the defaulted duties.
Abu Bakr went through full one year in battling against the Ahl-er-Ridda and the bogus Prophets. At year’s end, every one of them had been decreased to accommodation, and his position was set up in the nation. In any case, at the fruitful end of these battles, he didn’t need his soldiers to be inactive; he sent them to attack the neighboring nations of Syria and Persia.
The whole of the life of Abu Bakr RA spent in the service of Islam and to glorify its name. although his era remained for a short time it was a vital part of Islamic history. To sum up the whole of Abu Bakr Ra’s remarkable time here in this blog is an impossible thing. So we make it short.
Abu Bakr RA died in august 23, 634 AD. He was buried next to Prophet SAW. A companion in life was a companion after death. May Allah shower his blessing upon Abu Bakr RA.
