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ABU BAKR (RA) [632 – 634 AD/ 11-13 AH]
SIGNIFICANCE OF ABU BAKR DURING THE PROPHET’S LIFETIME:
Abu Bakr, whose real name was Abdullah, was one of the Prophet’s closest friends.
Even before accepting Islam, he led a pious and chaste life. After the Holy Prophet had
received his first revelation he thought of approaching those closest to him so he told
Abu Bakr the whole story of his experience. Abu Bakr responded to his call and
immediately embraced Islam. He was the first free adult male and the first person
outside the family of the Prophet to become a Muslim. The Qur’an describes his
acceptance as: ‘’and he who comes with the truth and he who confirms it.....such are
the people who do right’’ (39:33).
After accepting Islam he devoted his life and wealth to preaching Islam. Abu Bakr’s
acceptance proved to be a milestone in the prophet’s mission. Prominent companions
like Usman, Talha and Zubair are said to have been persuaded by him to accept Islam.
He bought and freed a lot of slaves, Bilal being one of the prominent ones. When the
Holy Prophet started preaching openly he faced fierce opposition. During all such
hardships Abu Bakr stood by his side. The first public address of inviting people to offer
allegiance to the Prophet’s message was delivered by Abu Bakr. At this the youth of
Quraish beat Abu Bakr till he fainted. He was the first person to testify to the
Messenger’s event of Miraj (Prophet’s ascension to the heavens) and was given the
title of ‘’Al Siddique’’ due to his immediate belief of the journey.
In 620AD when the Prophet’s wife died, Abu Bakr’s daughter Ayesha was engaged to
the Prophet whom he married after his migration to Medina.
In 622AD on the invitation from the Muslims of Medina, the Prophet ordered Muslims
to migrate. The migration took place in batches and the Prophet was the last one to
leave accompanied by Abu Bakr. Both remained in the cave of Saur for three days to
hide from the Makkans who wanted to kill the Prophet and his companion. This event
is mentioned in the Qur’an: ‘’he being the second of the two when they were in the
cave’’ (9:40).
At Medina Abu Bakr continued his services to Islam. He paid for the piece of land
selected by the Holy Prophet for the mosque of the Prophet (Masjid-e-Nabvi). He
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rendered valuable services in all the battles. In the battle of Badr, he was in charge of
the right wing of the troops and fought against his own son Abdur Rahman. In the
battle of Uhad, he negated the rumour of the Prophet’s death and acted as a shield to
save him. In the battle of Hunaian, he remained firm and reorganised the scattered
troops that had started running away. When the Holy Prophet began to raise funds for
the Tabuk expedition, Abu Bakr placed all his wealth at the disposal of the Holy
Prophet. He was present at the time of the treaty of Hudaibiya and was one of the
signatories. He was also one of the ten blessed companions who were given tidings of
heaven during their lifetime. He was appointed the first Ameer-e-Hajj (the chief guide
of pilgrimage). Abu Bakr led the daily prayers during the last days of the Holy Prophet’s
illness.
Finally it was Abu Bakr who normalised the critical situation arising out of the death of
the Holy Prophet, as nobody was ready to believe this including Umar. Abu Bakr on this
occasion recited these verses: ‘’Mohammad is no more than a messenger: many
messengers that were before him passed away, if he died or were slain will you then
turn back on your heels?’’ (3:144). Nobody led the funeral prayers of the Holy
Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar were the first of worshippers. He was unanimously
elected the first Caliph of Islam. Abu Bakr continued to perform meritorious services
for Islam even after the death of the Holy Prophet.
WHY HE WAS CALLED AL-SIDDIQUE:

Believed in the ‘’miraj’’ (Prophets ascension to the heavens)
The holy Prophet travelled on Buraq from Makka to Jerusalem and from there to the
presence of Allah himself in heaven. He returned from there to Makka in one night.
When he told people they did not believe him. But when Abu Bakr heard this he
believed that moment without hesitation. So the holy Prophet called him al-Siddiq.
He confirmed the incident of miraj
Conversion of Abu Bakr (Nov ’09 paper 1):
Abu Bakr: close friend of the prophet from childhood and amongst the first to convert
(first free adult male); he became Muslim without hesitation; was open about calling
others to the new faith and persuaded many to accept Islam; he purchased slaves and
set them free; he was the first person to openly invite people to the new faith and was
beaten severely.
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ELECTION:

Prophet did not nominate a successor.

After his death there was an argument between the ansar and mahajireen.

Both wanted that the caliph should be from their group.

A suggestion was given that there should be two caliphs, one from each group
was given by Ansars at saqifah banu as- saidah.

Abu Bakr reminded them that the prophet instructed that the leader should be
from the Quraish tribe.

He suggested the names of Ubu Ubaidah bin Jarrah and Umar bin Khataab.

But Umar took Abu Bakr’s hand and pledged his loyalty to him.

On seeing this everyone did the same.

He was unanimously elected the first Caliph.
PROBLEMS FACED BY ABU BAKR WITHIN ARABIA:
REFUSAL TO PAY ZAKAT:
The issue of the refusal to pay Zakat was a great test of the moral courage of Abu Bakr
as the first Caliph of the Holy Prophet. After the demise of the Holy Prophet many
surrounding tribes of Medina which had offered allegiance to Islam, sent a deputation
to Abu Bakr with the proposal that their agreement with the Muslims had ended. A
fresh agreement was necessary in which they should be relieved from the obligation to
pay Zakat. Abu Bakr argued that Zakat was a fundamental injunction of Islam and had
to be paid. Seeing their proposal being rejected these tribes decided to forego Islam.
Their decision was to attack Medina when the main Muslim army was in Syria. They
attacked at night but found Abu Bakr with his army ready to fight. The apostates were
defeated; many tribesmen died while others fled in confusion. After this battle many
tribes sent their delegates to Medina, offered allegiance and paid Zakat.
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APOSTASY MOVEMENT:
After the Prophet’s death, some of the people rose in revolt against the authorities in
Medina and renounced Islam. Abu Bakr, without any delay, launched an expedition
against this movement. After collecting the troops at Medina, he divided them into
eleven battalions each with an experienced commander, and sent them in eleven
different directions to crush these revolts. He instructed each commander to first
invite these tribes to Islam. If any refused to comply they were to be attacked. Some of
the tribes accepted Islam but the others were stubborn and were dealt with harshly.
All campaigns were successful and Abu Bakr was able to re-establish control of Islam
throughout the Peninsula.
FALSE PROPHETS:
In the last days of the Prophet’s life some misguided people arose to claim prophet
hood. When Abu Bakr was elected as the Caliph they started their preaching openly.
Among these false prophets were Tulaiha, Aswad Ansi, Musailamah and Sajjah. Tulaiha
belonged to the Banu Asad tribe in the northern Arabia. An army under Khalid bin
Walid was sent which met them at Buzaka. After a fierce battle Tulaiha’s army
surrendered and he himself fled to Syria. He embraced Islam during the time of the
second Caliph.
Aswad Ansi belonged to the Ansi tribe in Yemen. He was an ugly man who kept his
face veiled all the time. He was nicknamed ‘’the veiled prophet’’. Being leader of his
tribe he revolted with the cooperation of the neighbouring chiefs. He was the first false
prophet who collected a large army in open revolt against Islam. He was defeated and
killed by the Muslims.
The most dangerous of the false prophets was Musalima. He belonged to a tribe of
central Arabia. His tribe accepted him as a prophet. Abu Bakr sent Shurbhil and
Ikramah to crush the rebellion; later Khalid bin Walid joined them. Musalima,s army
was defeated after a fierce battle at Yamamah in 633AD.Musalimah was killed. In this
battle about 800 Muslims were martyred. Amongst them were 360 Huffaz (memorizers
of the Holy Qur’an).
Sajjah was a woman who belonged to the Bani Tamim tribe. She claimed to be a
prophetess and succeeded in mustering a large following. When Musalimah heard
about her claim he invited her to Yamamah. They decided to join forces and later
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Musailma married her which ended her adventure of prophet hood and she lived in
obscurity for the rest of her life. When the Muslims conquered Iraq she entered the
circle of Islam along with her tribe.
COMPILATION OF THE QUR’AN:
In the battle of Yamamah several Huffaz laid down their lives. Hazrat Umar approached
Hazrat Abu Bakr about the compilation of the Holy Qur’ran. He was of the opinion that
soon the preservation of the Qur’an will become a major problem owing to the deaths
of the Huffaz. Abu Bakr did not agree in the beginning but was later convinced by
Umar and he ordered the compilation of the Holy Book under the supervision of Zaid
bin Sabit.
CONQUESTS:
Various campaigns and battles
Hazrat Usama’s Expedition:
A few days before his death, Muhammad (PBUH) had been preparing an expedition to
suppress rebellious tribes on the Syrian border.
These troops were temporarily stationed near Madina.
On hearing the news of the Prophet (PBUH)’s death, the troops of this expedition
broke camp and returned to Madina.
As Madina had only light defenses, Hazrat Abu Bakr’s companions advised against
sending the expedition.
However, to honor the Prophet (PBUH)’s last words, he ordered the expedition to set
forth and march in the name of Allah as before.
Accordingly, Hazrat Usama bin Zaid, the commander, left Madina with his army in
June 632 AD.
After ten days, he engaged the enemy, Banu Quza, and returned to Madina victorious
and with a large bounty.
This expedition:
I) Secured the border area against Byzantine attacks.
II) Suppressed the tribes on the border.
III) Was a Muslim expression of faith and trust in their religion and their solidarity. It
showed that they could hold their own, even in bleak times.
IV) Strengthened the courage of the depressed people of Madina.
V) Was a setback for Bedouin tribes preparing for rebellion and assaults against
Madina.
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Campaign in Bahrain:
Suppression of those who had aided Musailma.
The ruler who had accepted Islam in Muhammad (PBUH)’s time had been responsible
for the conversion of many of his subjects to Islam. After the ruler’s death, many people
apostatized.
Even though the Persian Empire supported the rebels, the Muslims crushed them
completely.
Campaign in Oman and Mahrah:
The ruler who had accepted Islam in Muhammad (PBUH)’s time had been responsible
for the conversion of many of his subjects to Islam. After the ruler’s death, many people
apostatized.
The people were suppressed and they laid down their arms.
The people of Mahrah region had also apostatized. They were also subdued. They
accepted Islam and were granted amnesty.
Campaign in Yemen:
The Persian governor who had accepted Islam in Muhammad (PBUH)’s time had
been responsible for the conversion of many of his subjects to Islam.
Aswad Ansi succeeded in gaining a large following. Soon, he became powerful
enough to challenge the governor.
At the caliph’s orders, the Muslim army engaged and utterly destroyed the rebels.
The rest laid down their arms. Those who accepted Islam were granted amnesty.
Campaign in Hadramawt:
The Kindi tribe of Hadramawt revolted in 633 AD.
They apostatized from Islam and refused to pay taxes.
In a battle, a large number of apostates were killed. The survivors laid down their
arms.
Campaign in Eastern Iraq:
The following were the causes of the war between the State of Madina and the
Persian Empire:
I) Ill-treatment of Muhammad (PBUH)’s envoy by Khusroe Parvez.
II) Ill-treatment of Arab tribes in the Persian Empire.
III) Persian intrigues in Arabia, i.e. instigating Yemen to rise against Madina, and
possibly incited Sajjah to falsely claim prophethood.
IV) Decay of the Persian Empire: since the death of Khusroe Parvez, numerous weak
princes had ascended the throne of the empire.
V) Lure of fertile lands and booty.
VI) Refusal of Persians to trade with Islamic Arabia.
VII) Battles between border-patrol forces.
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In 633 AD, Hazrat Khalid bin Walid was ordered by the Caliph to proceed to the
Persian border.
Four columns, each under a different commander, were ordered to reinforce Hazrat
Khalid bin Walid’s army.
Hazrat Khalid bin Walid sent Hurmuz, the commander of the Persian army, a letter
asking him to choose from one of the following options:
I) Accept Islam.
II) Pay Jizya.
III) Prepare for war.
Hurmuz chose the last option.
Through fast marches, Hazrat Khalid’s army surprised the enemy. The Persians were
forced to go into battle immediately.
Hurmuz’s troops were tied together with chains so that they would fight bravely.
However, this lead to their undoing as thousands of men could not retreat and
maneuver before a swift Muslim assault.
As the Persians tried to retreat while bound in chains, thousands of them were
massacred.
Thus, the Battle of Kazima is also known as the Battle of Chains.
Hurmuz was killed in the battle and thousands of his men were taken prisoner.
Battle of Mazar:
Another Persian army crossed the Tigris at Mazar. Survivors of Hurmuz’s army joined
up with them.
They halted at Mazar and set camp.
As soon as Hazrat Khalid reached Mazar, he was informed of the Persian
concentration. He attacked immediately and routed the enemy.
Muslims overtook the fleeing enemy and killed many, while a large number drowned in
the Tigris.
The inhabitants of Mazar offered submission and agreed to pay Jizya.
Battle of Walaja:
The Persian emperor sent two more armies to engage the Muslims.
This army group crossed the Euphrates and set camp at Walaja.
The Persians were massacred and most of the enemy was annihilated.
Battle of Ulleis:
The Persians joined forces with Christian Arabs.
They camped 10 miles from Walaja.
A greater part of the enemy army was destroyed.
Conquest of Hira:
Hazrat Khalid marched towards Hira.
The governor of Hira abandoned his city and took flight.
Hira was occupied without opposition.
Campaign in Western Iraq:
Towards the end of June 633 AD, Hazrat Khalid marched towards Anbar.
Anbar was an important trading town and caravans came here from Persia and Syria.
The town was protected by walls and a deep moat.
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Hazrat Khalid ordered the old and weak camels to be killed and their carcasses
dumped into the moat.
This formed a bridge and the Muslim forces attacked the wall.
Finding his situation hopeless, the governor surrendered. The Persian army and their
families were allowed to withdraw peacefully.
Muslims occupied the town of Anbar.
With the siege and conquest of another large fortified town, En-at-Tamr, the entire
region from Uballa to Anbar came under Muslim control.
Campaign in Syria:
In February 634 AD, Hazrat Abu Bakr called for Jihad against Syria.
By March, he had assembled a large force of four corps, 7,000 men each,
commanded by
Amr bin Aas, Yazeed bin Abu Sufyan, Shurabhil bin Hassan and Abu Ubaydah bin
Jarrah.
Khalid bin Walid marched from Hira with 9,000 men towards Syria.
Battle for Basra:
When Hazrat Khalid approached Basra, he came to know that a detachment of 4,000
Muslim warriors under Shurabhil was fighting the Byzantine Empire.
He sent a message to Hazrat Abu Ubaydah to meet him.
Soon, the Byzantine and Muslim armies faced each other.
Hazrat Khalid offered Islam to the enemy commander, Romanus, who embraced it.
Surprised by their commander’s defection, they withdrew to the city and locked its
gates.
During the night, Romanus led a detachment of Muslims, through a secret tunnel, into
the city.
The Byzantines were killed in large numbers and the survivors surrendered.
Battle of Ajnadein:
Determined to teach the Muslims a lesson, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius massed
his forces at Ajnadein, a place west of Jerusalem.
Hazrat Khalid integrated and massed all the Muslim forces in Syria for the attack on
the enemy forces at Ajnadein.
When the Byzantine commander died, the enemy fled and was killed in large
numbers.
Siege of Damascus:
Marching towards Damascus, Muslims came upon a large number of Byzantine troops
blocking their way.
After these troops had been defeated, the survivors fled to Damascus and locked the
gates.
Damascus was laid siege from 21 August – 23 August 634 AD.
On 23 August, the news of the death of the caliph reached the Muslims and they left
for Madina.
It was during the caliphate of Hazrat Umar that Damascus finally fell into the hands of
Muslims.
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ADMINISTRATION:

Laid the foundation of a truly democratic state.

Always took advice from the great companions of the Prophet in all important
matters.

Divided the state into provinces, each had a governor.

The governor was responsible for military and administrative affairs.

Governer had an ‘’amil’’ to collect taxes and ‘’qazi’’ to administer justice.

All commanders and governors were selected on merit.

He offered himself and his officers for strict accountability.

He built a ‘’bait-ul-maal’’ (treasury) to collect revenue.

Established military cantonments and maintained a reserve force.

Expanded the Muslim Empire to Iran Syria and Rome.

Ensured the safety of non-Muslim subjects and allowed them to perform their
religious duties.

His annual income was 6000 Dirhams which he returned to the state by issuing
instructions to sell a piece of land he owned when he was on his death bed.
3) (a) Trace the major stages in the compilation of the Qur’an in the time of the Rightly Guided
Caliphs.
(b) Why did these Caliphs think it was important to make a compilation of the Qur’an?
ANS 3(a): At the time of the Prophet’s death no official copy of the Qur’an existed in a
complete written form. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr some people declared
themselves to be prophets. Among them was Musalima. Abu Bakr waged a war against
him and around 360 companions laid down their lives in that battle, known as the
battle of Yamamah. 70 of them had committed the Holy Qur’an to memory. Hazrat
Umar realized that these ‘’oral copies’’ of the Qur’an would gradually diminish because
of natural death or martyrdom in future battles. He suggested to Abu Bakr that the
Qur’an should be compiled for the future generations or else it would meet the same
fate as the previous scriptures. Hazrat Abu Bakr, however, hesitated and said that how
could he do something that the Holy Prophet did not do. Hazrat Umar argued that
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under the circumstances this was an absolute necessity. According to Hazrat Abu Bakr,
‘’Umar went on persuading me to accept his suggestion till I was convinced that he was
right so I accepted his suggestion.’’
Abu Bakr directed Zaid bin Sabit, one of the scribes of the Qur’an, to collect the
Quranic verses from every part of the Islamic empire and compile them in a book form.
A commission was appointed and headed by Zaid bin Sabit and its members were a
number of companions. Zaid collected the chapters of the Qur’an from every person
who had it in their possession. He collected it from palm leaves, stones, and pieces of
wood and people who had memorized it. He not only collected it, but also verified it
from people who had heard it from the Holy Prophet. Though he himself was a Hafiz of
the Qur’an, he always tried to find a verse in writing before including it in his
manuscript. Zaid is reported to have said that he felt it would be far easier to carry a
mountain on his head than to shoulder such a great responsibility.
The script prepared by Zaid remained with the first Caliph and after his death was transferred to
Hazrat Umar, the second Caliph. After Hazrat Umar’s death it was transferred to Hazrat Hafsa, a
widow of the Holy Prophet and Umar’s daughter. This copy of the Qur’an came to be known as
Musaf al-Hafsa i.e. Hafsa’s copy of the Holy Book.
By the time of Usman’s Caliphate the Islamic state had expanded well beyond Arabia. The new
converts of these areas recited the Qur’an in their own dialects. Disputes rose among these
people and some of them insisted that their style of recitation was correct and the others were
not. One of the companions of the Prophet approached the Caliph and told him about the
possible danger of the division of the Ummah. Usman took immediate action and he declared
that the Muslims should unite on a uniform way of recitation. He got the copy of the Qur’an from
Hazrat Hafsa and gave it to a team of four companions which was headed by Zaid bin Sabit. It was
decided that one standard version of the Qur’an would be written in the dialect of the tribe of
the Quraish. The Holy prophet was from the Quraish, the Quran had been revealed in that
dialect, and it was felt that this was the right dialect for the recitation of the Qur’an. This team
made several copies from the original text and made sure the surahs, too, were arranged in
order. The Qur’an was read out loudly from the beginning to the end in the Prophet’s mosque
from these copies, so that not a shadow of doubt remained in anyone’s mind that changes had
been introduced in the text. These copies were sent to the capital city of every province of the
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Muslim states with a teacher to teach how to recite the Qur’an properly and correctly.
Instructions were also given that in the future, copies should be made only from the official text
and that if anyone had a copy with a different text, it should be burnt.
Hazrat Usman is known as the Jami-al-Quran which means that he brought the Muslims around
to a uniform reading of the Quran. The Quran that is being read today is the same as in the time
of Abu Bakr. Nothing has been added or deleted from it and the arrangement of the chapters and
verses are in the same order as proclaimed by the Holy Prophet, in accordance with Divine
instructions.
ANS 3(b): The two Caliphs performed remarkable services to Islam by compiling the Holy Quran.
Both were driven by different circumstances. Abu Bakr, being a staunch follower of the Prophet,
was reluctant to compile the Quran but on Umar’s insistence, was convinced of doing so. He
realized if the memorizers of the Quran were either killed or died naturally with the passage of
time, a situation of confusion might arise throughout the Muslim world regarding the exact
number of verses and surahs of the Quran. If the future generations of the Muslims had no single
copy of the Quran, they might be misled as the Quran is the basis of all thought and action for
the Muslims.
Usman, likewise, faced another challenging situation. Several newly converted Muslims in nonArab territories began to argue about the ways of recitation of the Quran. There was a danger of
the growth of sects amongst Muslims regarding the way of recitation because every group
insisted that their dialect was the correct one and the others were wrong. This meant that
various groups might oppose each other and disunity amongst Muslims might threaten their
fraternity. So Usman took a wise, timely action by compiling and standardising the Holy Book and
burning all the copies which did not match the official and approved text.
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