Abu Bakr (Arabic: أبو بكر, romanised: ʾAbū Bakr), born Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa (Arabic: عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ, romanised: ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʾAbī Quḥāfa; c. 573 – 23 August 634), was a senior companion, the closest friend, and father-in-law of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. He served as the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruling from 632 until his death in 634. Abu Bakr was granted the honorific title al-Ṣiddīq (lit. the Veracious or Truthful) by Muhammad, a designation that continues to be used by Sunni Muslims to this day.
Born to Abu Quhafa and Umm al-Khayr of the Banu Taym, Abu Bakr was among the earliest converts to Islam and preached dawah to the
polytheists. He was considered the first Muslim missionary, as several companions of Muhammad converted through Abu Bakr. He accompanied Muhammad on his migration to Medina and became one of his bodyguards. Abu Bakr participated in all of Muhammad's campaigns and served as the first amir al-hajj in 631. In the absence of Muhammad, Abu Bakr led the prayers.
Following Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr succeeded the leadership of the Muslim community as the first caliph, being elected at Saqifa. His election was contested by a number of rebellious tribal leaders. During his reign, he overcame a number of uprisings, collectively known as the Ridda Wars, as a result of which he was able to consolidate and expand the rule of the Muslim state over the entire Arabian Peninsula. He also commanded the initial incursions into the neighbouring Sasanian and Byzantine empires, which in the years following his death, would eventually result in the Muslim conquests of Persia and the Levant. Apart from politics, Abu Bakr is also credited for the compilation of the Quran, of which he had a personal caliphal codex. Prior to dying in August 634, Abu Bakr nominated Umar (r. 634–644) as his successor. Along with Muhammad, Abu Bakr is buried in the Green Dome at the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, the second holiest site in Islam. He died of illness after a reign of 2 years, 2 months and 14 days, the only Rashidun caliph to die of natural causes.
Though Abu Bakr's reign was brief, it included successful invasions of the two most powerful empires of the time, the Sasanian and Byzantine empires. He set in motion a historical trajectory that, within a few decades, would lead to the establishment of one of the largest empires in history. His decisive victory over the local Arab rebel forces marks a significant chapter in Islamic history. Sunni tradition reveres Abu Bakr as the first of the Rashidun caliphs and the greatest individual after the prophets and messengers, while Twelver Shia tradition views Abu Bakr as a usurper of the caliphate and an adversary of the ahl al-bayt.
Lineage and titles
According to Ibn Sa'd, Abu Bakr's full name was Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa ibn Amer ibn Amr ibn Ka'ab ibn Sa'ad ibn Taym ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn Al-Nader ibn Kinanah ibn Khouzayma ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudhar ibn Nizar ibn Ma'add ibn Adnan. This lineage meets the lineage of Muhammad at the sixth generation with Murrah ibn Ka'b. However, modern historians do not accept genealogies from the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods as verifiable information. Genealogies were oral products of the ayyām (Days of the Arabs) culture, which was established in Bedouin and semi-Bedouin Arab communities, as part of other traditional narrative forms based on lineage boasting. This form of transmission is one in which narratives are transmitted in a flexible manner, reshaped according to the social expectations present in each performance and the interaction between the narrator and the listener. (The ayyām circulated earlier as scattered oral materials, the formation of the genre as a distinct textual corpus is attributed to the Basran grammarian and lexicographer Abū ʿUbayda Maʿmar b. al-Muthannā (110–209/728–824).)
Names
Abu Bakr's birth name was Abdullah (عبد الله), meaning "servant of Allah". The name by which he is most commonly known, Abu Bakr (أبو بكر), is a kunya literally meaning "father of the firstborn" or "father of youth," derived from the word bakr, meaning "young camel." It is traditionally said he earned this nickname as a child due to his fondness for camels and his role growing up among Bedouin tribes playing with camel calves and goats
Honorifics and epithets
al-Siddiq: ("the truthful") The most famous of his titles, granted by Muhammad after Abu Bakr immediately believed the account of the Isra' and Mi'raj when others doubted. While usually translated as "truthful," historian Fred Donner notes it may also historically relate to his role as a collector of ṣadaqa).
Ateeq: One of his early titles, preceding his conversion to Islam, was Ateeq, meaning "saved one". In a weak narration in Tirmidhi, Muhammad later restated this title when he said that Abu Bakr is the "Ateeq of Allah from the fire" meaning "saved" or "secure" and the association with Allah showing how close to and protected he is by Allah.
'Al-Sahib: He was honorifically called "al-sahib" (the companion) in the Qur'an, describing his role as a companion of Muhammad when hiding from the Quraysh in the Jabal Thawr cave during the Hijra to Medina:
˹It does not matter˺ if you ˹believers˺ do not support him, for Allah did in fact support him when the disbelievers drove him out ˹of Mecca˺ and he was only one of two. While they both were in the cave, he reassured his companion, "Do not worry; Allah is certainly with us". So Allah sent down His serenity upon the Prophet, supported him with forces you ˹believers˺ did not see, and made the word of the disbelievers lowest, while the Word of Allah is supreme. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.[ 9:40 -The Clear Quran]
Al-Atqaa: In a hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas of the exegesis of chapter 92 of the Qur'an by imam Al-Suyuti, we find the word "al-atqāa" (Arabic: الأتقى), meaning "the most pious", "the most righteous", or "the most God-fearing", is referring to Abu Bakr as an example for the believers.
And so I have warned you of a raging Fire, in which none will burn except the most wretched—who deny and turn away. But the righteous will be spared from it – who donate ˹some of˺ their wealth only to purify themselves, not in return for someone's favours, but seeking the pleasure of their Lord, the Most High. They will certainly be pleased.[ 92:14-21 -The Clear Quran]
Al-Awwah: "Al-Awwāh" (Arabic: الأواه) means someone who supplicates abundantly to God, someone who is merciful and the gentle-hearted. Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said that Abu Bakr has also been called al-awwāh for his merciful character.
Early life
Abu Bakr was born in Mecca sometime in 573 to a rich family in the Banu Taym tribe of the Quraysh tribal confederacy. His father was Abu Quhafa and his mother was Umm al-Khayr.
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 calves and goats, and his love for camels earned him the nickname (kunya) "Abu Bakr", the father of the camel's calf.
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 was noted as having a very good memory and 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 Kaaba and asked him to pray before the idols. His father went away to attend to some other business, and Abu Bakr was left alone. 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 Kaaba. Regardless, it recorded that prior to reverting to Islam, Abu Bakr practiced as a hanif and never worshipped idols.
Companionship of Muhammad
While some Sunni scholars and all Shi'a traditions maintain that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the second person to embrace Islam after Khadija, the historian Ibn Kathir, in Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya, disregards this view and classifies the earliest converts by social group: Khadija as the first woman, Zayd ibn Harithah as the first freed slave, Ali ibn Abi Talib as the first child, and Abu Bakr as the first free adult man to embrace Islam.
Subsequent life in Mecca
His wife Qutaylah bint Abd al-Uzza did not accept Islam and he divorced her. His other wife, Umm Ruman, became a Muslim. His conversion also brought many people to Islam. He persuaded his intimate friends to revert, and presented Islam to other friends in such a way that many of them also accepted the faith. Those who converted to Islam at the dawah of Abu Bakr were:
Uthman ibn Affan (the future third Rashidun caliph)
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (a key military leader and member of the shura)
Talha ibn Ubayd Allah (Abu Bakr's cousin and a prominent companion)
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (a wealthy merchant and pivotal member of the early state)
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (the future commander of the Muslim conquest of Persia)
Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (the future commander-in-chief in Syria)
Abu Salama (the Prophet's foster brother and an early migrant to Abyssinia)
Khalid ibn Sa'id (an early convert and future general in the Rashidun army)
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 (four men and four women) and then freed them, paying 40,000 dinar for their freedom. He was known to have freed slaves, including Bilal ibn Rabah, who later became the first Muezzin.
The men were:
Bilal ibn Rabah
Abu Fukayha
Ammar ibn Yasir
Amir ibn Fuhayra
The women were:
Lubaynah
Al-Nahdiah
Umm Ubays
Zunairah al-Rumiya
Most of the slaves liberated by Abu Bakr were either women or old and frail men. When his father asked him why he did not 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.
Persecution by the Quraysh, 613
For three years after the birth of Islam, Muslims kept their faith private. In 613, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was commanded by God to call people to Islam openly. The first public address inviting people to offer allegiance to Muhammad was delivered by Abu Bakr. In a fit of fury, the young men of the Quraysh tribe rushed at Abu Bakr and beat him until he lost consciousness. Following this incident, his mother converted to Islam. Abu Bakr was persecuted many times by the Quraysh. Though Abu Bakr's beliefs would have been defended by his own clan, it would not be so for the entire Quraysh tribe.
Last years in Mecca
In 617, the Quraysh enforced a boycott against the Banu Hashim. Muhammad, along with his supporters from Banu Hashim, were cut off 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 and Eritrea). Abu Bakr, feeling distressed, set out for Yemen and then to Abyssinia from there. He met a friend of his, Ad-Dughna (chief of the Qarah tribe) outside Mecca, who invited Abu Bakr to seek his protection against the Qurayshites. Abu Bakr went back to Mecca, which was a relief for him. But soon due to the pressure of the Quraysh, Ad-Dughna was forced to renounce his protection. Once again the Quraysh were free to persecute Abu Bakr.
In 620, Muhammad's uncle and protector, Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and Muhammad's wife Khadija died. Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was betrothed 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.
Migration to Medina
In 622, on the invitation of the Muslims of Yathrib (later Medina), Muhammad ordered his followers to migrate there. The migration began in batches. Ali was the last to remain in Mecca, entrusted with responsibility for settling any loans the Muslims had taken out, 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 to Medina. Due to the danger posed by the Quraysh, they did not take the road, but moved in the opposite direction, taking refuge in a cave in Jabal Thawr, some five miles south of Mecca. Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would listen to the plans and discussions 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. Amir, 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 see them. Abu Bakr was referenced in the Qur'an in verse 40 of sura at-Tawba: "If ye help him not, still God helped him when those who disbelieve drove him forth, the thaniya ithnayn (second of the two i.e. Abu Bakr); when they two were in the cave, when he said unto his sahib (companion i.e. Abu Bakr): Grieve not. Lo! Allah is with us."
Life in Medina
Kharijah ibn Zaid al-Ansari lived at Sunh, 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. While the climate of Mecca was dry, the climate of Medina was damp, and because of this, most of the migrants fell sick on arrival. Abu Bakr contracted a fever for several days, during which time he was attended to by Kharijah and his family. In Mecca, Abu Bakr was a wholesale trader in cloth and he started the same business in Medina. He opened his new store at Sunh, and from there cloth was supplied to the market at Medina. Soon his business flourished. Early in 623, Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha, who was already married to Muhammad, was sent on to Muhammad's house after a simple marriage ceremony, further strengthening relations between Abu Bakr and Muhammad.
Military campaigns under Muhammad
Battle of Badr
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 likely did not fight in the main battlefield itself, instead acting as one of the guards of Muhammad's tent. In relation to this, Ali later asked his associates as to who they thought was the bravest among men. Everyone stated that Ali was the bravest of all men. Ali then replied:
No. Abu Bakr is the bravest of men. In the Battle of Badr we had prepared a pavillion for the prophet, but when we were asked to offer ourselves for the task of guarding it none came forward except Abu Bakr. With a drawn sword he took his stand by the side of Prophet of Allah and guarded him from the infidels by attacking those who dared to proceed in that direction. He was therefore the bravest of men.
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 Ubayda 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.