A man who is known as Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) is a man who was always on the side of Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) and his constant companion as mentioned in a portion of ayah from Surah At-Taubah ayat 40 that read in English “…. and he said to his companion (Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him))”[1]. He was as if the right hand of Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him). Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) has played a significant role in Islam during the Meccan era. His actual name is Abdullah ibn ‘Uthman ibn ‘Aamir ibn Amr ibn Ka’ab ibn Sa’ad ibn Teem ibn Murrah ibn Ka’ab ibn Luaiy ibn Ghalib Al Qurashee At-Teemee. His lineage met with the family of Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) at the level of their forefather, Murrah ibn Ka’ab. He was known as Abu Bakr because of his significant important role in a huge Arab tribe. He was from the Quraish tribe who was the people of Makkah and the safeguard of the Kaabah.

Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) has contributed a lot towards Islam throughout his life. InsyaAllah, we will discuss his contributions towards Islam specifically during the Meccan era in this humble essay.

1. EXCELLENT CHARACTER

Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him), a person with great character, continually looking for the true religion throughout his life even before the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. When Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) first brought the message of Islam, he was the first free man to accept it, as mentioned by Imam Ibn Kathir[2]. He never hesitated and immediately accepted Islam.

He accepted Islam on the very moment he heard about it from Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him). He continually believes in the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him). Even during the history of Isra’ wa Mikraj’ when most people did not believe in Rasulullah (peace and blessing be upon him). That is the reason why he was given the title of As-Siddiq by Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him).

2. DAKWAH

From the moment Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) embraced Islam, he preaches the message of Islam towards the intellectuals among the Quraish in Makkah. He presented the teaching of Islam beautifully with his wisdom and intelligence. Many prominent companions embraced Islam at his hands which includes Az- Zubair Ibn Awwam, Uthman ibn Affan, Talhah ibn Ubaidullah, Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, Uthman ibn Madh’oon, Abu Ubaidah, Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, Abu Salamah and Al-Arqam (may Allaah be pleased with them). Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu has also done his dakwah towards his family members and household, and most of them have accepted his dakwah.

3. COURAGEOUS

Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu was very brave. He conveyed the message of Islam to disbelievers even when the Muslims’ number was tiny with only 38 male. He always urged Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) to preach Islam openly. He became the first Muslim of his nation to give sermon inviting people towards Allah. In the incident where he gave lectures openly, the Quraish people were enraged, and he was almost killed. When he regained his consciousness, the safety of Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) was the first thing that he was concerned with. His love towards Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) is greater than his love towards his own life and his family.

4. DEDICATED TO THE CAUSE OF ISLAM

After Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him), Abu Bakar (may Allaah be pleased with him) was the first person to be harmed in the way of Allah. He was the first to defend Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) and he was the first to invite others to the way of Allah. Abu Bakr freed up his entire schedule and dedicated all his time to the cause of Islam during that time in Makkah.

Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) is a person with great wealth, high ranking and from noble line. He has used these qualities for the benefit of Muslims and Islam. Abu Bakr has freed many of the slave men, slave women and slave girls in Makkah during the early years. He freed those who accepted Islam regardless of their costs to remove them from the harm that they suffered from their master due to their acceptance of Islam. In his mind, Muslim slaves are his equals and his brother in faith.

Many of the polytheists make fun of him and claimed that his action was a waste of money because he spent on the weak and the poor. Among the slaves that he freed includes Bilal Bin Rabah, Aamir ibn Fuhairah, Umm Ubais, Zinneerah, An-Nahdiyyah, and her daughter. Due to his generosity, Allah has revealed verses in the Quran mentioning about his action that can be recited until the last day. The verses are ayat 5 to 21 in Surah Al-Lail [3]

Even though he was among the high ranking society of Quraish with great wealth and gained protection from his clan men, Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) still could not escape the torturing from the Quraish. For the sake of Allah, he made his first attempt to migrate from Makkah to Abyssinia when Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) gave permission to migrate to avoid bad treatment from their people and to freely worship Allah. It shows that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) was willing to leave his homeland, his family and his wealth to gain the pleasure of Allah. However, his plan changed and he returned to Makkah after Ibn Ad-Dughnah guaranteed him protection and he continued with his dakwah in Makkah.

5. ELOQUENCE

When the situation of Muslims worsen in Makkah, Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) looked for alternatives. Besides the migration of the Muslims to Abyssinia, Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) was also looking for tribes that were willing to welcome him and his Companions and defend Islam. During the Hajj season, he met with the representatives of different tribes. Abu Bakr was there acted as the speaker for Rasulullah due to his vast knowledge of the genealogy and history of the tribes. Abu Bakr benefited Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) in many ways, more so than any other companions. As a speaker to the representative, he used his eloquence and good manners to introduce Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) to the tribes’ leaders.

6. ACTED ON QURAN

Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) is a person who acted on the Quran. He contemplated, understand and act based on the Quran that makes him a great role model of Muslims and gives a great impact on his dakwah work during the Meccan era.

Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) has chosen Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) to be his companion during his migration to Madinah when the assault on Muslims became harder in Makkah. He was the only companion of Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) during this great event. He had the honour of leaving Makkah to Madinah for the sake of Allah.

He was with Prophet Muhammad  (peace and blessing be upon him) in the cave. In a hadeeth, Abu Bakr said, ”While I was in the cave, I said to the Rasulullah, ‘If one of them were to look underneath his feet, he would see us.’ Rasulullah said, ‘What do you think, O Abu Bakr, about two, when Allah is their third?’” [4]. He cared a great deal for Rasulullah’s well-being. When Rasulullah asked him why he kept changing positions during the journey, Abu Bakr responded, ‘When I think about someone waiting to ambush you, I walk in front of you; and when I remember that people are pursuing you, I walk behind you.”[5]

It is not a surprise that Allah has revealed few verses in the Quran mentioning about him and he was the best among the companions and has been given the good news of Jannah. He has contributed a lot not only during the Meccan era but throughout his life for the sake of Allah.

[1] Al-Quran (9:40)

[2] Al Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah

[3] Tafsir Ibn Kathir Quran (92:5-21)

[4] Sahih Bukhari, hadith number 3653

[5] Abu Bakr-Siddeeq Afdalus Sahaabah Wa Ahaqqihim Bil Khalifah

References:

1. The Biography of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (Darussalam, 2007)

2. Al Bidaayah Wan Nihaayah ( Darussalam)

3. Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Darussalam)