Difference between revisions of "Abu Bakr" - New World Encyclopedia
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Originally called ''Abd-ul-Ka'ba'' ("servant of the house of God"), on his conversion he assumed the name of ''Abd-Allah'' (servant of God). However, he is usually styled ''Abu Bakr'' (from the Arabic word ''bakr'', meaning a young camel) due to his interest in raising camels. Sunni Muslims also honor him as Al-Siddiq ("the truthful", or "upright"). His full name was Abd-Allah ibn Abi Quhaafah. | Originally called ''Abd-ul-Ka'ba'' ("servant of the house of God"), on his conversion he assumed the name of ''Abd-Allah'' (servant of God). However, he is usually styled ''Abu Bakr'' (from the Arabic word ''bakr'', meaning a young camel) due to his interest in raising camels. Sunni Muslims also honor him as Al-Siddiq ("the truthful", or "upright"). His full name was Abd-Allah ibn Abi Quhaafah. | ||
| − | He was one of Muhammad's constant companions. When Muhammad fled from Mecca in the [[hijra]] of | + | He was one of Muhammad's constant companions. When Muhammad fled from Mecca in the [[hijra]] of 622, Abu Bakr alone accompanied him. Abu Bakr was also linked to Muhammad by marriage: Abu Bakr's daughter [[Aisha]] married Muhammad soon after the migration to [[Medina]]. Once a wealthy man, he was known to have impoverished himself by purchasing the freedom of several Muslim slaves from polytheist masters. |
== Rise to the Caliphate == | == Rise to the Caliphate == | ||
| − | During the prophet's last illness, it is said by some traditions that Muhammad allowed Abu Bakr to lead prayers in his absence, and that many took this as an indication that Abu Bakr would succeed Muhammad. Soon after the latter's death ([[8 June]] [[632]]), a gathering of prominent [[Ansar]] and some of the [[Muhajirun]], in Medina, acclaimed Abu Bakr as the new Muslim leader or [[caliph]] | + | During the prophet's last illness, it is said by some traditions that Muhammad allowed Abu Bakr to lead prayers in his absence, and that many took this as an indication that Abu Bakr would succeed Muhammad. Soon after the latter's death ([[8 June]] [[632]]), a gathering of prominent [[Ansar]] and some of the [[Muhajirun]], in Medina, acclaimed Abu Bakr as the new Muslim leader or [[caliph]]. |
| − | Abu Bakr's | + | Abu Bakr's appointment became the subject of controversial, and the source of the first [[schism]] in Islam, between [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam]]. Shi'a believe that Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, [[Ali ibn Abu Talib]], was his designated successor, while Sunnis believe that Muhammad deliberately declined to designate a successor although Sunni sources have Muhamamd more or less doing so (perhaps these were apocryphal). They argue that Muhammad endorsed the traditional Arabian method of [[shura]] or ''consultation'', as the way for the community to choose leaders. Designating one's successor was the sign of kingship, or ''mulk'', which the independence-minded tribesmen disliked. Whatever the truth of the matter, Ali gave his formal bay'ah, or submission, to Abu Bakr and to Abu Bakr's two successors. (The Sunni depict this bay'ah as enthusiastic, and Ali as a supporter of Abu Bakr and Umar; the Shi'a argue the Ali's support was only pro forma, and that he effectively withdrew from public life in protest). The Sunni/Shi'a schism did not erupt into open warfare until much later. Many volumes have been written on the affair of the succession. |
== The Ridda Wars == | == The Ridda Wars == | ||
| − | Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, threatening the unity and stability of the new community and state. Various Arab tribes of [[Hejaz]] and [[Nejd]] rebelled against the caliph and the new system. Some withheld the [[Zakat]], the alms tax, though they did not challenge the prophecy of Muhammad. Others apostatized outright and returned to their pre-Islamic religion and traditions, classified by Muslims as [[idolatry]]. The tribes claimed that they had submitted to Muhammad and that with Muhammad's death, they were again free. Abu Bakr insisted that they had not just submitted to a leader but joined the Muslim religious community, of which he was the new head. Apostasy is a capital offense under traditional interpretations of Islamic law, and Abu Bakr declared war on the rebels. This was the start of the ''[[Ridda wars]]'', [[Arabic language|Arabic]] for the Wars of [[Apostasy]]. The severest struggle was the war with | + | Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, threatening the unity and stability of the new community and state. Various Arab tribes of [[Hejaz]] and [[Nejd]] rebelled against the caliph and the new system. Some withheld the [[Zakat]], the alms tax, though they did not challenge the prophecy of Muhammad. Others apostatized outright and returned to their pre-Islamic religion and traditions, classified by Muslims as [[idolatry]]. The tribes claimed that they had submitted to Muhammad and that with Muhammad's death, they were again free. Abu Bakr insisted that they had not just submitted to a leader but joined the Muslim religious community, of which he was the new head. Apostasy is a capital offense under traditional interpretations of Islamic law, and Abu Bakr declared war on the rebels. This was the start of the ''[[Ridda wars]]'', [[Arabic language|Arabic]] for the Wars of [[Apostasy]]. The severest struggle was the war with Ibn Habib al-Hanefi, known as "Musailimah the Liar", who claimed to be a prophet and Muhammad's true successor. The Muslim general Khalid bin Walid finally defeated al-Hanefi at the battle of Akraba. |
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From a political point of view, Abu Bakr's actions were absolutely necessary if the new state was to cohere and survive. From a religious point of view, the matter is debatable. Should the state enforce religious affiliation with the sword? In Abu Bakr's time, the answer was ''yes, of course''. All the surrounding kingdoms were [[Caesaropapism|Caesaropapist]] and the new Islamic empire adopted the custom of the times. The idea that church and state should be separate is a later development. | From a political point of view, Abu Bakr's actions were absolutely necessary if the new state was to cohere and survive. From a religious point of view, the matter is debatable. Should the state enforce religious affiliation with the sword? In Abu Bakr's time, the answer was ''yes, of course''. All the surrounding kingdoms were [[Caesaropapism|Caesaropapist]] and the new Islamic empire adopted the custom of the times. The idea that church and state should be separate is a later development. | ||
| − | It is still a matter of | + | It is still a matter of debate as to whether Islam, as a religion, requires the union of church and state for the purest practice of religion, or whether it is possible to interpret the Qur'an and Muhammad's example in such a way as to allow freedom of religion — or irreligion — in a Muslim-majority state. See [[Apostasy in Islam]], [[Islamism]], and [[Liberal movements within Islam]] for further discussion. |
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(This succession also is a matter of controversy; Shi'a Muslims believe that the leadership should have been assumed by Ali ibn Abu Talib, without any recourse to ''shura''.) | (This succession also is a matter of controversy; Shi'a Muslims believe that the leadership should have been assumed by Ali ibn Abu Talib, without any recourse to ''shura''.) | ||
| − | Abu Bakr initially served without pay. His followers insisted that he take an official stipend. At his death, his will returned all these payments to the treasury (''Age of Faith'', Durant, p. 187). | + | Abu Bakr initially served without pay. His followers insisted that he take an official stipend. At his death, his will returned all these payments to the treasury (''Age of Faith'', Durant, p. 187). Sir William Muir ( ) described him as 'simple, diligent, wise and imartial' (1924: 80) |
Abu Bakr lies buried in the [[Masjid al Nabawi]] mosque in Medina, alongside Muhammad and Umar ibn al-Khattab. | Abu Bakr lies buried in the [[Masjid al Nabawi]] mosque in Medina, alongside Muhammad and Umar ibn al-Khattab. | ||
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== Shia view of Abu Bakr == | == Shia view of Abu Bakr == | ||
| − | Shi'a believe that Abu Bakr, far from being a devout Muslim and wise and humble man, was a schemer who seized the Islamic state for himself, displacing the proper heir, Ali. They believe that Abu Bakr and Umar persecuted Ali, his family, and his followers, and in so doing, caused the death of Ali's wife | + | Shi'a believe that Abu Bakr, far from being a devout Muslim and wise and humble man, was a schemer who seized the Islamic state for himself, displacing the proper heir, Ali. They believe that Abu Bakr and Umar persecuted Ali, his family, and his followers, and in so doing, caused the death of Ali's wife Fatimah Zahra (who was Muhammad's daughter) and her unborn child, Al Muhsin. |
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== References == | == References == | ||
* Donner, Fred — ''The Early Islamic Conquests'', Princeton University Press, 1981. | * Donner, Fred — ''The Early Islamic Conquests'', Princeton University Press, 1981. | ||
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| + | * Muir, Sir William — ''The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline and Fall'', edited by T H Weir, Edinburgh, John Grant, 1924 | ||
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Abu Bakr (Arabic: ابو بكر الصديق, alternative spellings, Abubakar, Abi Bakr, Abu Bakar) (c. 573 – August 23, 634) ruled as the first of the Muslim caliphs (632 – 634).
Early life
Abu Bakr was born in Mecca, a Quraishi of the Banu Taim clan. According to early Muslim historians, he was a merchant, and highly esteemed as a judge, as an interpreter of dreams, and as one learned in in Meccan traditions. He was one of the last people anyone would have expected to convert to the faith preached by his kinsman Muhammad. Yet he was one of the first converts to Islam (see below) and instrumental in converting many of the Quraish and the residents of Mecca.
Originally called Abd-ul-Ka'ba ("servant of the house of God"), on his conversion he assumed the name of Abd-Allah (servant of God). However, he is usually styled Abu Bakr (from the Arabic word bakr, meaning a young camel) due to his interest in raising camels. Sunni Muslims also honor him as Al-Siddiq ("the truthful", or "upright"). His full name was Abd-Allah ibn Abi Quhaafah.
He was one of Muhammad's constant companions. When Muhammad fled from Mecca in the hijra of 622, Abu Bakr alone accompanied him. Abu Bakr was also linked to Muhammad by marriage: Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha married Muhammad soon after the migration to Medina. Once a wealthy man, he was known to have impoverished himself by purchasing the freedom of several Muslim slaves from polytheist masters.
Rise to the Caliphate
During the prophet's last illness, it is said by some traditions that Muhammad allowed Abu Bakr to lead prayers in his absence, and that many took this as an indication that Abu Bakr would succeed Muhammad. Soon after the latter's death (8 June 632), a gathering of prominent Ansar and some of the Muhajirun, in Medina, acclaimed Abu Bakr as the new Muslim leader or caliph.
Abu Bakr's appointment became the subject of controversial, and the source of the first schism in Islam, between Sunni and Shia Islam. Shi'a believe that Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abu Talib, was his designated successor, while Sunnis believe that Muhammad deliberately declined to designate a successor although Sunni sources have Muhamamd more or less doing so (perhaps these were apocryphal). They argue that Muhammad endorsed the traditional Arabian method of shura or consultation, as the way for the community to choose leaders. Designating one's successor was the sign of kingship, or mulk, which the independence-minded tribesmen disliked. Whatever the truth of the matter, Ali gave his formal bay'ah, or submission, to Abu Bakr and to Abu Bakr's two successors. (The Sunni depict this bay'ah as enthusiastic, and Ali as a supporter of Abu Bakr and Umar; the Shi'a argue the Ali's support was only pro forma, and that he effectively withdrew from public life in protest). The Sunni/Shi'a schism did not erupt into open warfare until much later. Many volumes have been written on the affair of the succession.
The Ridda Wars
Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, threatening the unity and stability of the new community and state. Various Arab tribes of Hejaz and Nejd rebelled against the caliph and the new system. Some withheld the Zakat, the alms tax, though they did not challenge the prophecy of Muhammad. Others apostatized outright and returned to their pre-Islamic religion and traditions, classified by Muslims as idolatry. The tribes claimed that they had submitted to Muhammad and that with Muhammad's death, they were again free. Abu Bakr insisted that they had not just submitted to a leader but joined the Muslim religious community, of which he was the new head. Apostasy is a capital offense under traditional interpretations of Islamic law, and Abu Bakr declared war on the rebels. This was the start of the Ridda wars, Arabic for the Wars of Apostasy. The severest struggle was the war with Ibn Habib al-Hanefi, known as "Musailimah the Liar", who claimed to be a prophet and Muhammad's true successor. The Muslim general Khalid bin Walid finally defeated al-Hanefi at the battle of Akraba.
Expeditions to the north
After suppressing internal dissension and completely subduing Arabia, Abu Bakr directed his generals towards the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. Khalid bin Walid conquered Iraq in a single campaign, and a successful expedition into Syria also took place. Fred Donner, in his book The Early Islamic Conquests, argues that Abu Bakr's "foreign" expeditions were merely an extension of the Ridda Wars, in that he sent his troops against Arab tribes living on the borders of the Fertile Crescent. Given that the steppes and deserts over which Arabic-speaking tribes roamed extended without break from southern Syria down to Yemen, any polity that controlled only the southern part of the steppe was inherently insecure.
Origins of the Qur'an
Some traditions about the origin of the Qur'an say that Abu Bakr was instrumental in preserving Muhammad's revelations in written form. It is said that after the hard-won victory over Musailimah, Umar ibn al-Khattab (the later Caliph Umar), saw that many of the Muslims who had memorized the Qur'an from the lips of the prophet had died in battle. Umar asked Abu Bakr to oversee the collection of the revelations. The record, when completed, was deposited with Hafsa bint Umar, daughter of Umar, and one of the wives of Muhammad. Later it became the basis of Uthman ibn Affan's definitive text of the Qur'an. However, other historians give Uthman the principal credit for collecting and preserving the Qur'an. Shi'as strongly refute the idea that Abu Bakr or Umar had anything to do with the collection or preservation of the Qur'an.
Death of Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr died on August 23, 634 in Medina. Shortly before his death (which one tradition ascribes to poison, another to natural causes) he urged the Muslim community to accept Umar ibn al-Khattab as his successor. The community did so, without serious incident.
(This succession also is a matter of controversy; Shi'a Muslims believe that the leadership should have been assumed by Ali ibn Abu Talib, without any recourse to shura.)
Abu Bakr initially served without pay. His followers insisted that he take an official stipend. At his death, his will returned all these payments to the treasury (Age of Faith, Durant, p. 187). Sir William Muir ( ) described him as 'simple, diligent, wise and imartial' (1924: 80)
Abu Bakr lies buried in the Masjid al Nabawi mosque in Medina, alongside Muhammad and Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Was Abu Bakr the first man to adopt Islam?
Muslim scholars agree that the first woman to adopt Islam was Khadijah, Muhammad's first wife. However, there is some disagreement whether Ali ibn Talib or Abu Bakr was the first male to convert. Many Muslims learn only that "Abu Bakr was the first adult male; Ali was the first boy". This glosses over the difficulty. One of the earlier sources we have for Islamic history is a work called the Sirat Rasulallah, by Ibn Ishaq, known only from excerpts quoted by Ibn Hisham and Tabari. Ibn Ishaq tells two stories about Abu Bakr's and Ali's conversion. One story puts Abu Bakr first in time, another puts Ali. Since the Sunni/Shi'a schism was hardening just at the time Ibn Ishaq wrote, it seems predictable that two stories would be current: one, Shi'a, putting Ali first, and one, Sunni, putting Abu Bakr first. Without any further evidence, it is impossible to say which story is correct.
It should be noted that while this is a pressing issue from the Shi'a point of view, most Sunnis consider both to be great men and the question of priority a minor one.
Shia view of Abu Bakr
Shi'a believe that Abu Bakr, far from being a devout Muslim and wise and humble man, was a schemer who seized the Islamic state for himself, displacing the proper heir, Ali. They believe that Abu Bakr and Umar persecuted Ali, his family, and his followers, and in so doing, caused the death of Ali's wife Fatimah Zahra (who was Muhammad's daughter) and her unborn child, Al Muhsin.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Donner, Fred — The Early Islamic Conquests, Princeton University Press, 1981.
- Muir, Sir William — The Caliphate: Its Rise, Decline and Fall, edited by T H Weir, Edinburgh, John Grant, 1924
| Preceded by: none |
Caliph 632–634 |
Succeeded by: Umar |
External link
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
ar:أبو بكر de:Abu Bakr et:Abū Bakr fa:ابوبکر fr:Abou Bakr gl:Abu Bakr id:Abu Bakar it:Abū Bakr he:אבו בכר nl:Aboe Bakr no:Abu Bakr pl:Abu Bakr ru:Абу Бекр sv:Abu Bakr zh:艾卜·伯克尔
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