Abu Bakr was born in Mecca some time in 573 CE, to a rich
family in the Banu Taym 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).
The lineage of Abu Bakr joined that of Muhammad in the
eighth degree in their common ancestor Murrah ibn Ka’ab.
The lineage of Abu Bakr was: Abu Bakr; the son
of Uthman Abu Quhafa; the son of Amar; the son of Umru; the son of Ka’ab;
the son of Saad; the son of Taym; the son of Murrah.
The lineage of Muhammad was: Muhammad; the son of Abd
Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib; the son of Abdul Muttalib; the son
of Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf; the son of Abd Manaf ibn Qusai; the son
of Qusai ibn Kilab; the son of Kilab ibn Murrah; the son of Murrah.
Abu Bakr was a thin man with white skin. Tabari relates
(Suyuti also relates the same through Ibn Sa’ad 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.
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.
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.
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.
A story is preserved that once when he was a child, his
father took him to the Ka’ba, and asked him to pray before the idols.
His father went away to attend to some other business, and Abu Bakr was left
alone with the idols. Addressing an idol, Abu Bakr said "O my God, I am in
need of beautiful clothes; bestow them on me". The idol remained
indifferent. Then he addressed another idol saying "O God, give me some
delicious food. See that I am so hungry". The idol remained cold. That
exhausted the patience of young Abu Bakr. He lifted a stone, and addressing an
idol said "Here I am aiming a stone; if you are a god protect yourself".
Abu Bakr hurled the stone at the idol and left the Ka’ba. Thereafter, he
never went to the Ka’ba to pray to the idols.
Acceptance of Islam
On his return from a business trip from Yemen , he was
informed by friends that in his absence Muhammad had declared him the Messenger
of God, and proclaimed a new religion. Tabari, the most famous Muslim
historian, in his Ta'rikh quotes from Muhammad Bin Sa'ad Bin Abi Waqqas, who
said:
"I asked my father whether Abu Bakr was the first of
the Muslims. He said, 'No, more than fifty people embraced Islam before Abu
Bakr; but he was superior to us as a Muslim. And Umar ibn Al Khattab had
embraced Islam after forty-five men and twenty-one women. As for the foremost
one in the matter of Islam and faith, it was Ali ibn Abi Talib'
Other Sunnis and all Shi'a Muslims maintain that the second
person to publicly accept Muhammad as the messenger of God was Ali ibn Abi
Talib, the first being Muhammad's wife Khadija.
Life after accepting Islam
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 Abdul - Rahman ibn Abu Bakr accepted Islam, and
Abu Bakr separated from his son Abdul - Rahman.
His conversion brought many people to Islam. He persuaded
his intimate friends to convert to Islam. and presented Islam to others in such
a way that many of his friends accepted Islam.
Those who converted to Islam at the insistence of Abu Bakr
were:
· Uthman
Ibn Affan (who would became the 3rd Caliph)
· Al-Zubayr (played
a part in the Muslim conquest of Egypt )
· Talha
Ibn Ubayd-Allah
· Abdul
Rahman bin Awf (who would remain an important part of the Rashidun
Caliphate)
· Saad
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 dinars for their freedom.
The men were
· Bilal
ibn Ribah
· Abu
Fakih
· Ammar
ibn Yasir
· Abu
Fuhayra
The women were:
· Lubaynah
· Al-Nahdiah
· Umm
Ubays
· Harithah
bint al-Muammil
Most of the slaves liberated by Abu Bakr were either women
or old and frail men. The father of Abu Bakr asked him why he doesn't
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 God, and not
for his own sake. According to Sunni tradition the following verses of
the Qur'an were revealed due to this:
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}.
The Importance, loyalty and virtue of Abu Bakr is described
in Hadith (Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad)" The first person for whom the
scales will be erected for on the Day of Judgment will be `Umar ibn Al-Khattab.
"And the Sahabis (Companions’) knew the virtues of Abu Bakr. "What
about Abu Bakr? "The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon
him)"For the likes of Abu Bakr! There are no scales! If the Iman (Belief
in Allah) of the entirety of Humanity was placed on one end of the
scale and just the Iman of Abu Bakr on the other. The Iman of Abu Bakr would
weigh more heavily than the entirety of Humanity."
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