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A Short Biography of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique
It
is as clear as the sun that the Prophet of Allah is the most excellent and
intellectual of all His creatures, and after him, the beloved Sayyiduna Abu
Bakr Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him). He helped Muhammad (peace be
upon him) every time. He was counted among the noble of Quraish, who were
well-reputed in both periods, the Age of Ignorance and the Islamic era.
Name & Pedigree: Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn Uthman ibn
Aamir ibn Amr ibn Ka'b ibn Sa'd ibn Taym ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b.
Title:
His title was Atique, and he is popularly known as Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased
with him).
His Life Before Islam: Hazrat Sayyiduna Abu Bakr
Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him) never bowed down to idols. He was a
Monotheist before accepting Islam. Once, his father took him to an idol temple
and said, "These are your real gods, bow down to them." After leaving
him there alone, when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddique faced the idols, he said,
"I'm hungry, feed me. I'm undressed, give me a cloth. I'm going to hit you
with a stone; if you are gods, save yourselves from me." They were mere
stones; how could they answer? He took a stone and threw it upon the idols,
smashing them and disheveling them.
When
his father saw the condition of the idols, he angrily took him to his mother
and explained the matter. His mother said, "Let him live his own
life." When he was born, she heard an invisible voice saying, "O
honest servant, there is good news for you; this child is Atique, his name is
Siddique in the sky, and he is the friend of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him)."
This
history was explained by Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) in an
assembly. After that, Sayyiduna Jibreel (May Allah be pleased with him)
appeared before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said, "Abu
Bakr spoke the truth, and he is truthful and honest." He repeated this
statement three times.
Accepting Islam: One day, he went to Syria (Sham) for trading.
There, he had a dream and asked a Hermit about it.
Hermit:
Where are you from?
Abu
Bakr: I am from Mecca.
Hermit:
Which tribe do you belong to?
Abu
Bakr: I am one of the Quraish.
Hermit:
What do you do?
Abu
Bakr: I am a merchant.
Hermit:
If Allah wills to make your dream come true, He will send a Prophet who will be
from your caste, and you will be his minister in his life and his inheritor
after he has passed away.
Sayyiduna
Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) hid this event and never revealed it
to anyone. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) announced his
prophethood, he told Abu Bakr what he had seen in his dream as proof. No sooner
had he heard it than he embraced the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
kissed his forehead, and chanted the Kalimah: "Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha
illallah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah" (I bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah). Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated,
"No one was happier than the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in
Makkah when I embraced Islam."
Propagation of Islam: He had the esteem of being the
first to propagate Islam because the day he accepted Islam, he invited many
others towards Islam, such as Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Talha, Hazrat Zubair, and
Hazrat Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (May Allah be pleased with them). The next day, many
others accepted Islam, such as Uthman ibn Ma'zun, Hazrat Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah,
Hazrat Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, Hazrat Abu Salamah, and Hazrat Arqam ibn Abi
al-Arqam (May Allah be pleased with them). After that, he devoted his whole
life to the propagation of Islam.
Demise:
After spending his whole life serving the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
he passed away on the 22nd of Jamadi al-Akhir, 13 AH, leaving behind an example
of truthfulness and sincerity for generations to come.
O Allah, shower Your mercy upon Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique, the truthful friend and companion of Your Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Grant him an elevated station in Paradise for his unwavering support and service to Islam. Make us among those who follow in the footsteps of the noble Companions and propagate the true faith with sincerity and courage. Ameen.