Mushaf, Hadith, Tasawwuf, Fiqh and Poetry

The Mushaf

The Holy Quran. The Holy Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet in parts from time spread over a period of twenty-three years. Whenever the Holy Prophet received the revelation, he would dictate it to some person who would record it on some piece of leather, date skin or even bones and stones. The principal scribe of the Holy Prophet was Zaid bin Thabit. Many companions committed the entire Quran to memory, and these "Huffaz" could recite the entire Quran from memory. The Holy Prophet kept all the piece of leather, date stones and other materials on which the verses of the Holy Quran were recorded in his custody.

The need for the compilation of the Holy Quran. During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, revelation was a constant process, and there was no occasion for giving the various verses the form of a book. After the death of the Holy Prophet, the process of revelation came to close, and now the need for some sort of compilation was felt. In the battle of Yamamah, most of the "Huffaz" were martyred. It struck Umar that if the "Huffaz" died, there was the danger that at one stage there would be no body who could be depended upon as the custodian of the Holy Quran.

The project compilation of the Holy Quran. Umar suggested to Abu Bakr that all the revelations of the Holy Quran should be collected, and compiled in the form of a book. Abu Bakr was in the first instance reluctant to undertake the project for the reason that as the Holy Prophet had not felt the necessity of such compilation; it did not behoove him, as the successor to the Holy Prophet, to take any initiative in the matter. Umar, however, continued to press his proposal. He argued that as during the life-time of the Holy Prophet, the process of revelation was continuous, there was no occasion for stringing the various verses in the form of a compilation, but after the death of the Holy Prophet, and the cessation of the process of revelation, the position had changed, and it devolved on the successor of the Holy Prophet to suitably conserve the Holy Quran lest it might be lost or corrupted in the course of time. The argument appealed to Abu Bakr, and on further consideration, he agreed to undertake the project.

Zaid bin Thabit. Zaid bin Thabit was summoned by Abu Bakr and entrusted with the task of collecting all the verses, and compiling them in a book form. Zaid's immediate reaction to proposal was that if he had been asked to remove a mountain from its original site, and place it elsewhere, he would have considered it easier than the task of compiling the Holy Quran. Abu Bakr appreciated the difficulties of Zaid bin Thabit, but observed that the word of God had to be preserved for the guidance of the coming generations, and the task had to be undertaken, whatever the odds. Zaid accepted the commission, and after hard labor and in consultation with the various companions of the Holy Prophet produced a compilation. Abu Bakr was himself a Hafiz. He, therefore, checked the compilation of Zaid very minutely, and after making whatever changes were necessary, he kept the finally approved copy in his personal custody. He gave the sacred compilation the name of "Mushaf".

Abu Bakr and the Hadith

The Hadith. When companions of the Holy Prophet heard anything from him, or saw him doing an act, they faithfully preserved an account of what he had said or done. When all such accounts were compiled and edited, the corpus became the Hadith, a source for the Muslims.

Items of the Hadith attributed to Abu Bakr. Out of the entire collection of Hadith running into thousands of items, only 142 items are attributed to the authority of Abu Bakr. Of all the companions of the Holy Prophet, Abu Bakr was the closest to him, and one would expect Abu Bakr to be a repository of a larger number of traditions. The comparatively smaller number of traditions owing their authority to the reporting of Abu Bakr is attributed to the extraordinary care and caution exercised by Abu Bakr in sifting the tradition.

Ayesha's account of the preservation of traditions by Abu Bakr. According to Ayesha, Abu Bakr had originally a collection of over five hundred traditions, and he deposited the compilation with her for custody. Ayesha relates that one night she noticed that Abu Bakr felt very restless. He tossed about in the bed, and could not sleep. Ayesha got worried whether he was suffering or was worried. He made no reply, but remained restless throughout the night. The following morning he asked Ayesha to bring him the collections that he had deposited with her. She brought the compilation and he set fire to it. On the enquiry of Ayesha, Abu Bakr explained his conduct thus: "The collection contained many traditions that I had heard from other people. I thought that if I died and left behind traditions accepted by me as authentic, but really not so, then I would have to answer for that."

Traditions authenticated by Abu Bakr. Some of the tradition authenticated by Abu Bakr are as follows:

If the water is flowing, any aquatic animal found dead therein would be Halal.
He who cleanses his teeth pleases God.
If a man is with Wudu, and then takes his meals, he need not have the Wudu again.
He who offers the morning prayers comes under the protection of Allah.
No prophet dies until he offers prayers behind some one of his followers.
If any body sins, and then offers prayers of repentance, Allah pardons him.
The prophet dies at the spot where he is to be buried.
The Jews and the Christians have earned the displeasure of God for worshipping the graves of their prophets.
The dead man suffers because of the mourning over his dead body.
Give in charity, even though it may be a single date.
Do your job yourself. Do not put yourself under the obligation of any person for doing anything for you.
He who deceives a Momin (firm believer) is accursed.
He who is bad tempered, dishonest, unjust and tyrannous has no place in paradise.
Prophets of Allah leave nothing to be inherited
He who travels in the way of Allah has a claim to paradise.
Wherever there are two Muslims, the third one among them is Allah.
Do not speak a lie, for a falsehood poisons faith.
A just ruler is the shadow of Allah on earth.
He who helps a person in distress earns the protection of Allah.
If the people of paradise were to trade in anything they would have traded in cloth.
He who wants to escape from torture of hell should not be hard on the people.
If you wish for the mercy of Allah, be kind to His people.
The people who abandon Jihad will not prosper.
He who builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build a house for him in the paradise.
Religion is the standard of Allah, hold it aloft.
On the occasion of the pilgrimage, the most excellent actions are the raising of the voice in the talbiyah, and the shedding of the blood of the animals brought for sacrifice.
He whose feet becomes dusty in the service of Allah, Allah will preserve him from hell fire.
Infidelity moves more stealthily among my people than the creeping of an ant.
There is no part of the body that complains not of the sharpness of the tongue.
The thief must be put to death for the fifth theft.
The Friday prayer is an atonement for all that occurs until the next Friday prayer, and ablution on a Friday is an atonement for ablutions until the next Friday.
To every one who, has fought at Badr, is announced the tiding of paradise.
He who condoles with a bereaved mother, Allah will cover him with His shadow.
A slanderer will not enter paradise.
Neglect not to invoke Allah against Satan.
The Surah of Hud has made me (the Holy Prophet) grey.

Abu Bakr and Tasawwuf

Tasawwuf. Tasawwuf stands for purification. According to the Holy Quran, the purpose of Islam is that: "Allah wishes to remove from you all uncleanliness, and He will purify you a complete purifying. " Abu Bakr was a pure soul, and he had all the attributes, which are the sine qua non of Tasawwuf.

Junaid. Abu Bakr was the first person to give instructions about the reciting of the sacred Kalimah as a means for purification of the heart. According to Junaid, a prominent Sufi of Baghdad, the noblest saying about 'unification' is that of Abu Bakr who said: "Glory to God who has not vouchsafed to His creatures any means of attaining knowledge of Him except through impotence to attaining such knowledge". The implication is that Ijz or helplessness is the only way of attaining the knowledge of God. The test of learning is that one should have the feeling that he has yet much to learn."

Imam of the Sufis. Ali Hajveri has stated in his classic work Kashful Mah jub, that Abu Bakr is the Imam of the Sufis. Most of the Sufi orders originate with Ali, but the Naqshbandi order originates with Abu Bakr who is regarded as the first person to perceive the truth about Sufism. The Sufis maintain that Abu Bakr rose to the highest stage of Tasawwuf, and that he had some of the qualities that characterized the Prophet Abraham. The Holy Quran confers on Abraham the title of Awwah, one who sighs much, and this was the name by which Abu Bakr was known among his companions. Abu Bakr would often sigh and say, "I wish I were a bird", or "I wish I were a tree'', or again "I wish I were a hair on the body of a Momin". On seeing a bird perched on the branch of a tree, Abu Bakr would heave a sigh and say, "O bird you are happy. You eat of the fruits of the tree, and live under its shadow. You have no fear of rendering accounts. How I wish I had been in a position similar to yours".

Sufic thought of Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr said: "Our abode in this world is transitory. Our life therein is but a loan. Our breaths are numbered, and our indolence is manifest. "

According to Abu Bakr's way of thinking, the world is too worthless to engage our thoughts for whenever you occupy yourself with what is perishable, you are made blind to what is eternal. This is obviously the thought of a Master Sufi.

Philosophy of the life of Abu Bakr. According to Ali Hajveri the approach of a Sufi is as follows: "O God give me plenty of the world, and make me desirous of renouncing it. First bestow on me goods that I may give thanks for them, and then help me to abstain from them for Your sake so that I may have the treble merit of thanksgiving, liberality and abstinence, and that my poverty may be voluntary, not compulsory."

This was the basic approach of Abu Bakr as well. By hard work and labor he amassed considerable wealth, and then spent it entirely in the way of Allah. Abu Bakr led the life of a poor man, but he was not poor in the sense that he had no money; he was poor only in the sense that he had no desire for money. Poverty in his case was not compulsory it was voluntary. In the case of a person who has no resources, poverty is compulsory. On the other hand, a person who has enough of money but prefers to live like a poor man takes over to poverty in a voluntary way. Abu Bakr's life was a striking example of preferring voluntary poverty to compulsory poverty in the Sufi way.

Apogee of Tasawwuf. According to a well-known anecdote, the Holy Prophet invited contribution from the Muslims for financing the expedition to Tabuk. In response to the invitation Umar brought a considerable portion of his wealth. As he came loaded with the contribution, Umar thought that day he would surpass Abu Bakr in the matter of service to Islam. The Holy Prophet was very happy to receive the contribution from Umar. "Have you left anything for yourself" asked the Holy Prophet, and Umar replied, " I have left one half for myself. Then Abu Bakr came with his contribution, and when the Holy Prophet put him the same question he promptly replied, "I have brought all I had, I have left Allah and His Prophet for myself and my dependents. " This approach marks the apogee of Tasawwuf.

Fear of God. The main plank of Sufism is fear of God. Throughout his life, Abu Bakr was guided by the principle of the fear of God. As the caliph, he enjoined all the functionaries of the State to fear God. It is on record that when offering prayers the fear of God would so overwhelm Abu Bakr that he would look like a stick of dry wood.

Abu Bakr's Prayer. The usual prayer of Abu Bakr was: "O Allah You know me better than I do; And I know myself better than the people, O Allah make me better than what the people think of me, and forgive me for the sins which the people do not know, and do not call me to account for what the people say about me." It is the typical prayer of a Sufi. Equation between man and God. When the Holy Prophet died, and the people would not believe that he was dead, Abu Bakr said: "Whoever worshipped Muhammad, let him know that Muhammad is dead, but whoever worships the God of Muhammad, let him know that He lives and dies not." This classic quotation which has passed into history is an embodiment of the highest values of Islam and Sufism. It sets an equation between man and God, and it cannot be put in more meaningful words than what Abu Bakr did. That is the most consummate thought of a Sufi.

Abu Bakr's way of Sufism. According to Data Ganj Bakhsh, Abu Bakr's way of Sufism was the contemplative way as compared to the purgative way of Umar. When Abu Bakr prayed he recited the Holy Quran in a low voice, while Umar recited the Holy Quran in a loud voice. When the Holy Prophet asked Umar the reason for his reciting the Holy Quran in a loud voice he said "I wake the drowsy and drive away the devil." When Abu Bakr was asked to explain why he recited the Holy Quran in a low voice, he said, "He with whom I converse will hear." With Abu Bakr the recitation of the Holy Quran was the means of communion with God and that was the Sufi way.

Father of Tasawwuf. Tasawwuf is the way of truth. Tasawwuf implies that a Sufi should be assiduous in piety. It also means that one should give up all else for God's sake. The keynote of Tasawwuf is selfless devotion. If we study the attributes of Abu Bakr, we are struck by the fact that all the attributes that go to make a Sufi were very conspicuous with Abu Bakr. He was "Siddiq" endowed with the vision to perceive that truth. He was most assiduous in piety. He gave away all his wealth for God's sake. He was selfless. When he became the Caliph he stated on oath that he had never coveted the office. Abu Bakr was the symbol of selflessness among the companions of the Holy Prophet. His devotion and dedication to Allah, His Prophet, and lslam were of the highest order, and no other companion of the Holy Prophet excelled him in that respect. No wonder Abu Bakr is the "Father of Tasawwuf".

Abu Bakr and Fiqh

Origin of Fiqh. The Holy Prophet got most of his knowledge directly from God through the process of revelation. Whenever the Holy Prophet had a difficult point to decide, he got the guidance from Allah. After the death of the Holy Prophet, the process of revelation ceased, and the task before the Muslims was to take decisions in the light of guidance that could be obtained from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. That gave rise to Fiqh, the application of the principles of Islam to the day to day problems, and the settlement of disputes.

Father of Fiqh. The process of Fiqh began with Abu Bakr, and he is regarded as the 'Father of Fiqh'. He was the first to frame the rules of Ijtihad. He laid down the principle that in deciding a case he would obtain guidance the first instance from the Holy Quran. If the Holy Quran was silent in the matter, he would look for guidance to the traditions of the Holy Prophet as duly authenticated. If the traditions were also silent he was to decide the case according to his best judgment He held: "If my decision is just then it will be from God. If it is erroneous, it will be mine, and may God pardon me."

Primacy of Abu Bakr in the matter of Fiqh. According to traditions, a woman came to the Holy Prophet in the last days of his life, and asked for his decision on a particular point. The Holy Prophet was unwell, and he asked her to come again. The woman said, "If I come next, and you are not there, to whom should 1 go?" The Holy Prophet said, "In that case go to Abu Bakr". That establishes the primacy of Abu Bakr in the matter of Fiqh.

Burial of the Holy Prophet. Immediately on the death of the Holy Prophet controversy arose as to the place where the Holy Prophet should be buried. Many different opinions were expressed in the matter. One view was that the Holy Prophet should be buried in the Prophet s mosque. Another view was that he should be buried in the common graveyard at Madina where his companions were buried. One view was that he should be buried at Jerusalem where other prophets lay buried. And yet another view was that he should be buried in the Holy Ka'aba at Makkah. As successor to the Holy Prophet, Abu Bakr gave the decision that in accordance with a tradition of the Holy Prophet, the prophets are to be buried at the spot where they breathe their last, and as such he should be buried in the quarter of Ayesha where he had breathed his last. This decision commanded the approval of all, and was duly carried into effect

Property at Fidak. The Holy Prophet had some property at Fidak. The income from the property was utilized for the maintenance of the family of the Holy Prophet, and for other beneficial purposes. After the death of the Holy Prophet, Fatima and some other members of the Holy Prophet's family lodged a claim for the inheritance of the property. Abu Bakr ruled that, according to a tradition of the Holy Prophet, all that the prophets leave is for the community, and the usual laws of inheritance are not to apply to such property. Abu Bakr accordingly did not accept the claim for inheritance. He ruled that the property would be state property, but the income therefrom would be utilized for the same purposes for which it was utilized during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet.

Exemption from Zakat. Immediately after the death of the Holy Prophet when the wave of apostasy spread over the land, some of the tribes demanded that they should be exempted from the payment of Zakat. The companions around Abu Bakr advised that in view of danger that threatened the Muslims, the demand should be exempted Abu Bakr held that the payment of Zakat was a fundamental requirement of Islam, and it was not open to him to compromise on a fundamental injunction of Islam. He accordingly rejected the demand, and declared that if Zakat was not paid, he would fight for it.

Obedience to the orders of the Holy Prophet. During his lifetime the Holy Prophet had ordered that an expedition should be sent to Syria under the command of Usama b Zaid. After the death of the Holy Prophet the general view of the companions was that in view of the danger that threatened Madina, the expedition to Syria should be abandoned. It was held that if the expedition was to be necessarily sent, a veteran commander should be appointed instead of Usama who was a young lad of nineteen only. Abu Bakr held that as on these points the Holy Prophet had already given specific instructions, it was not open to him to amend or vary the orders of the Holy Prophet. He therefore ordered that the expedition to Syria was to be undertaken under the command of Usama as ordered by the Holy Prophet.

Murder of Malik b Nuweira. When in the campaign against Bani Tamim, Khalid b Walid killed Malik b Nuweira, and married his beautiful wife Laila and it was alleged that Khalid was guilty of murdering a Muslim, Abu Bakr held that as Commander in the field, Khalid had the authority to exercise his discretion, and if Malik had been killed it was, in the circumstances of the case, a lapse and not a willful murder. Abu Bakr settled the case by paying blood money to the heirs of Malik. When Umar insisted on the punishment of Khalid Abu Bakr declared that he could not sheathe the sword, which God had willed to be wielded against the infidels.

Al Faja'a. Al Faja'a, an adventurer posed to be a Muslim, and got some arms from Abu Bakr to fight against the apostates. Al Faja'a betrayed the trust. Action was taken against him. He was taken captive, and brought to Madina where Abu Bakr ordered him to be roasted alive. Later, Abu Bakr regretted the decision. He wished he had pardoned him or killed him in some other way.

Father's share. Once a man complained before Abu Bakr that his father wanted to appropriate all that he had. Abu Bakr summoned the father, and asked him to take as sufficed for his maintenance, and leave the rest to his son.

A son disowned by the father. Once a man was brought before Abu Bakr who had been disowned by his father Abu Bakr ordered: "Smite him on his head for Satan is in his head."

Vow of silence. Once Abu Bakr went to a woman of the tribe of Ahmas called Zaynab. She did not speak as she was under a vow of silence. Abu Bakr said to her, "Speak, for silence is not lawful; it is one of the practices of the times of Ignorance."

Loss of an ear. Once in a quarrel a person had been deprived of an ear. Abu Bakr awarded him fifteen camels. He said, "The hair and turban will conceal the disgrace of it."

Killing a man in anger. Once Abu Bakr was enraged with a man and his anger became violent. One of the companions said, "O Caliph, shall I cut off his head?" Abu Bakr said, "Woe to you, this is not lawful."

Unlawful food. Once a slave of Abu Bakr brought him some food that he ate. Later the slave told him that he had earned some money by telling fortune, and the food had been purchased with that money. Abu Bakr held that such food was unlawful. He put his hand on his throat and vomited what was in his stomach.

Pre destination. Once Abu Bakr was asked, "Do you think that fornication by a man is predestined?" He was next asked, "If it is predestined why should the man be punished?" Abu Bakr said, "The man is responsible for his act, but God knows beforehand how a man would act."

Insulting the Holy Prophet and satirizing the Muslims. In Yemen, a woman in her songs said nasty things against the Holy Prophet. Another woman recited verses satirizing the Muslims. Muhajir b Umayya, the Governor of Yemen cut off the hands of both the women. When the case was reported to Abu Bakr he held that the women who had insulted the Holy Prophet should have been killed, while the other woman who had merely satirized the Muslims deserved a lenient treatment.

Asma bint Numan. In Yemen, Ikramah married a lady Asma bint Numan. The marriage became the subject of criticism because at one time Asma had been married to the Holy Prophet, and it was not lawful for a Muslim to marry a woman the Holy Prophet had married. Abu Bakr decided that as in that case the Holy Prophet had returned the lady to the tribe without consummating the marriage, there was no objection to a Muslim marrying her.

Marriage to the first husband. Once a woman was divorced by a person, and she married another man. Before her second marriage was consummated she reconciled with her former husband, and wanted to return to him. Abu Bakr ruled that she could not return to her first husband unless the second marriage was consummated, and she was properly divorced.

The case of Umar's son Aasim. Umar divorced one of his wives, and she took her young son Aasim with her. One day Umar saw his son playing in the street. He lifted the boy and brought him to his house. The mother applied to Abu Bakr for the restoration of the child. Umar resisted the suit, but Abu Bakr decided the case against Umar, and awarded the custody of the child to the mother.

Grandfather's share. In a case where the father was not alive, but the grandfather was alive, Abu Bakr awarded to the grandfather the share otherwise admissible to the father.

Share of the grandson. In a case where the son was not alive, Abu Bakr awarded to the grandson the share otherwise admissible to the son.

Share of the grandmother. In a case, Abu Bakr awarded the grandmother one-sixth share in the property left by the grandson.

Execution of the thief. Once a man came to Abu Bakr from Yemen. His hands had been cut off for some act of theft. He stayed with Abu Bakr for the night, and prayed for all the time. The man represented that the Governor of Yemen had cut off his hands in a high handed way. Abu Bakr felt impressed with the piety of the man, and thought that perhaps the Governor of Yemen had been unfair to the man. In the morning, Asma the wife of Abu Bakr complained that she had lost her locket. On enquiry it transpired that the man had stolen the locket, and sold it to a goldsmith. Abu Bakr ordered the man to be killed.

Mutilation. About awarding the punishment of mutilation, Abu Bakr addressed a Governor as follows: "I have heard that you laid hands on a woman who had showered abuses on me, and you got her hands amputated. God has not sought vengeance even in the case of polytheism, which is a great crime. He has not permitted mutilation even with regard to manifest infidelity. Try to be considerate and sympathetic in your attitude towards others in future. Never mutilate because it is a great offence. God purified Islam and the Muslims from rashness and excessive wrath. You are well aware of the fact that those enemies fell into the hands of the Messenger of Allah who had been recklessly abusing him, who had turned him out of his home, and who had fought against him, but he never ordered their mutilation." (Abu Bakr ke Sarkari Khatut by Khurshid Ahmad Fariq.)

Poetry in the Time of Abu Bakr

Poetry. Abu Bakr's caliphate lasted for some two years only. The period was occupied first by apostasy wars, and then by wars in Iraq and Syria. The Holy Quran dominated the intellectual scene, and there was accordingly not much of activity in the field of poetry. The Arabs had, however, an inherent taste for poetry, and the age did produce some eminent poets. Some of the events of the period were duly celebrated in poetry.

Abu Bakr. There is some controversy on the point whether Abu Bakr was or was not a poet. The Holy Quran did not talk of poets and poetry in favorable terms, and as such the early Muslims avoided poetry. Islam condemned frivolous poetry only; it allowed poetry of inspiring and ennobling character. A poem was written by Abu Bakr on the occasion of the expedition of Ubayda bin Al Harith. We have quoted these verses in an earlier part of this book in the Chapter entitled "Expedition of Ubayda bin Al Harith".

Fatima Zahra. Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the Holy Prophet wrote an elegy on the death of the Holy Prophet. Some of the verses of the elegy are: "It is not wondrous that whoever smells the fragrance of Muhammad's tomb will never smell another perfume. Destiny hurt me with a bereavement so sad and so dark that if it had fallen on the days, they would have been turned into eternal nights."

Ali. After the death of Fatima, addressing her grave, Ali said: "O thou grave, to thee I resort for paying homage unto thee, O thou! The repository of my beloved; Ye answer me not, O thou beloved tomb! What ails you, you respond not to the supplications. Art thou out of humor, because of the love that I bore ye".

Khansa. Among the Arabian women who excelled in poetry, the place of honor is held by Khansa. She wrote elegies mourning the death of her brother Bakr. The following lines are well known: Sunrise awakes in me the sad remembrance of Bakr and I recall him at every sunset."

Mutamim bin Nuweira. Mutamim bin Nuweira mourned in elegiac verses the death of his brother Malik bin Nuweira. The death of Malik was also mourned by another poet Abu Namir Saadi. He wrote: O ye man, tell the people of your tribe that they should ride away from here forthwith; for with the murder of Malik the night has become endless. By his high handedness Khalid killed Malik and married his wife Laila.

Hassan bin Thabit. Hassan bin Thabit was the poet laureate of Islam. He wrote some verses in the praise of Abu Bakr. These verses are: When thou rememberest the affliction of a faithful brother then remember too thy brother Abu Bakr and what he hath done, the best of men, the most pious and just of them save the Prophet, and the most faithful in performing what he hath undertaken the second, the follower, the place of whose witnessing is extolled and the first among those who have borne witness to the Prophet. He also said: The second of the two in the glorious cave and verily, the enemy went round about it when they ascended the mountain, and verily they knew that he was the beloved of the Apostle of God Who hold no one his equal among the people.

Labid. Labid was another eminent poet of the age. Once he went to Abu Bakr and recited the verse. "Is not every thing but God unprofitable?" Abu Bakr said, "You have spoken truly". Labid continued: "And every joy is surely fleeting". Abu Bakr exclaimed, "Here you are wrong. "There is with God a joy that never passes away." After Labid had left, Abu Bakr said, "Sometimes a poet speaks words of wisdom."

Afif bin Mandhar. Afif bin Mandhar celebrated the victory of the Muslims in Bahrain in the following terms: "Did you not see that under the behest of God the river became subservient to the Muslims; we prayed to God and He in His bounty made the channel dry to make the way for the Muslims; and like the communities of old we saw the river split in two channels to make way for the Muslims."

Qa'qa. Qa'qa', a valiant commander of the army of Khalid composed the following verses with reference to the battle of Firaz In Iraq: "We grappled with the forces of Rome and Persia at Firaz, and the Muslim forces overpowered the enemy; so violent was our charge that the forces of the enemy could not withstand it and they were scattered like the leaves of trees. We captured them in large numbers, and drove them before us like cattle." 'Atika. On the death of Abdullah a son of Abu Bakr his wife 'Atika composed an elegy in the course of which she said: "Abdullah, I have sworn that my eyes shall never cease grieving for thee; and my body shall ever remain covered with dust."

Khufaf b Nudbah. Khufaf b Nudbah as Salami known as one of the poets of "Arab Chivalry" mourning the death of Abu Bakr said: "Tell every living thing that there is no permanence for it: And for the whole universe its decree is destruction. The goods of men are but as a trust, borrowed on the condition of repayment, and a man strives, but there is one who lies in wait for him, the eye mourneth for him with the severity of grief he groweth old, or is slain or subdued sickness that hath no remedy makes him to lament, verily, Abu Bakr was as the rain what time Orion causeth not the herbage to grow with moisture, neither the youth that wears the Mizar nor one that wears the Rida he who strives to attain unto the excellence of his days earnestly, is apart and solitary upon the earth."