It has to be mentioned right from the beginning that both Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr Assiddeeq had similar ¹ temperaments ². Both were kind, lenient, ³ merciful ⁴ truthful and honest. Both found comfort in solitude ⁵ and abstained ⁶ from drinking alcohol, even before Islam was established ⁷. Abu Bakr's complexion ⁸was fair, and he was rather slim ⁹. He was tender, wise ¹⁰ and solemn ¹¹ and seldom joined¹² in the polytheistic¹³ celebrations of his countrymen ¹⁴ .

After the Prophet had married Khadeejah, the wealthy, 40-year-old landlady¹⁵ from Mecca, his lodging ¹⁶was very close to that of Abu Bakr. According to `Aishah, Abu Bakr's daughter and the prophet's wife after the death of Khadeejah, her father was frequently visited by the Prophet, with whom he developed a strong friendship¹⁷ .

When God's message was revealed¹⁸ to Muhammad, the first man to believe in him was Abu Bakr. In fact, Abu Bakr had always doubted the validity¹⁹ of idolatry²⁰ and had very little enthusiasm²¹ for worshipping ²² idols. So when he accepted Islam he did his best to attract other people to it. Soon `Othman bin Affan, Abdul-Rahman bin Awf, Talhah bin Obaydillah, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, Al-Zubayr bin Al-'Awwam and Abu Obaydah bin AI-Jarrah all flocked to join Muhammad (May God bless him and give him peace). The Prophet once said: ''`Abu Bakr was the only person who accepted Islam immediately, without suspicion.²³

Abu Bakr's occupation was drapery²⁴. Adraper, in order to be successful²⁵ in his trade²⁶ should not go against his customers'²⁷ wishes. Nevertheless, he preached ²⁸the new religion ardently ²⁹without considering how it might affect his business. When the infidels³⁰ started torturing ³¹their poor Muslim slaves³², Abu Bakr intervened ³³. As he was unable to release³⁴ them by force, he paid their masters money and set them free. Bilal bin Rabah was one of those who were tortured in the sun, by being brutally³⁵whipped ³⁶ and covered with heavy rocks while lying on the burning sand in the summer heat. When Islam started, Abu Bakr had 40,000 dirhems but by the time he emigrated to Madina he had only 5,000 left.

When the Prophet spoke with contempt of the disbelievers' gods, the infidels got very irritated and attacked him violently when he was on his way to the Ka'ba. Had it not been for Abu Bakr's intervention, something bad might have happened to him.

As the Qurayshites rejected the Prophet's message, he started to look for another tribe³⁷ which would give him refuge³⁸ .He was accompanied on this search by Abu Bakr. The only shelter³⁹ which they could find was in Yathreb, or Madina, which was then inhabited⁴⁰ by two warring⁴¹ tribes, the Aws and Khazraj. Later, through the Prophet's good offices, the two tribes became united and were given the name of "Ansar" or "Helpers".

Abu Bakr was known as "Assiddeeq' after the incident on the Prophet's midnight journey ⁴² to Jerusalem. The Qurayshites, being experienced⁴³ merchants⁴⁴ knew that such a journey, if it ever happened, would take two months by camel. When Muhammad told them he had accomplished his round trip ⁴⁵to Jerusalem in one night, they scoffed⁴⁶ at him and began to doubt his sanity⁴⁷. As for Abu Bakr, when he first heard of it he thought that they were telling a tale; he then said, "I have always believed his words about heavenly⁴⁸ revelation⁴⁹ how can I disbelieve him about such a secondary wordly matter?"

Because of the ruthless⁵⁰ torturing of the Prophet's followers, many of them emigrated ⁵¹ to Abyssinia. Yet Abu Bakr would not leave. He preferred to stay with the Prophet to support ⁵² him in his time of need and help the new converts. When many Muslims emigrated to Madina, Abu Bakr asked the Prophet's permission to follow suit. He was told to wait because the Prophet himself might leave with him. So he got two camels ready and waited anxiously ⁵³A few days later, while the Prophet's house was besieged ⁵⁴by a group of swordsmen⁵⁵ from all the tribes of Mecca, who had plotted ⁵⁶together to kill him, he left his cousin, `Ali bin Abi Talib, in his bed, slipped⁵⁷ unnoticed from the house, and departed ⁵⁸with Abu Bakr in the early hours of the morning. Their journey from Mecca to Madina was full of romance and adventure. As soon as the besieging swordsmen discovered that they were tricked ⁵⁹, they went in search of the two men. A public prize of a hundred camels was offered to anyone who might find them. However, it happened that when they hid in a cave named Thawr, a spider spun its web⁶⁰ at the opening of the cave, and a pigeon built its nest there. The swordsmen followed their tracks until they reached their hiding place, but, seeing the web and the early hours of the morning. Their journey from Mecca to Madina was full of romance and adventure. As soon as the besieging nest, they went home, telling everyone that further pursuit was fruitless⁶¹ .

Later when the battle of Badr took place between Muslims and non-Muslims, and the latter⁶² out numbered the former by three to one, some sort of canopy ⁶³was erected ⁶⁴ for the Prophet at the battle lines. Abu Bakr alone was entrusted ⁶⁵with his safety. This shows the very close relationship between the two; and when the Prophet's mantle⁶⁶ fell from his shoulders during his earnest⁶⁷ prayer to God, his intimate companion put it courteously ⁶⁸back.

In the battle of Ohod, which took place the following year after Badr, the disbelievers⁶⁹ won the battle because the archers ⁷⁰left their places on the top of the mountain. Only a dozen people stayed with the Prophet on this occasion, one of whom was the staunch⁷¹ believer Abu Bakr.

This loyalty was evident in all the campaigns which the Prophet led, especially those waged⁷² against the Jews of Banu Nadier and Banu Qaynoqa', and against the Jews of Fadak, Tayma' and Khaybar, not to mention the heroic battle of the Trench. In fact, from the very start of the Islamic era^{73 he} was playing the role of vizier ⁷⁴ advising and supporting the Prophet.

In the year 6 A.H. the Muslims attempted⁷⁵ to take Mecca itself, the stronghold ⁷⁶ of polytheism. When they reached the Hodaybiya Valley, Quraysh sent negotiators⁷⁷ to persuade them not to attack the city and agreed to let them in for pilgrimage the following year. The Prophet agreed, but some of his followers refused. They were determined to conquer⁷⁸ Mecca immediately. Abu Bakr stood firmly by the side of the Prophet; but it was only when a full Qur'anic chapter entitled "Fath" or "Conquest" was revealed that they were finally convinced.⁷⁹

When Mecca was at last subdued ⁸⁰, all the tribes of Arabia were convinced that Muhammad was a true apostle sent to them by God. They stopped resisting and sent delegates⁸¹ to Madina proclaiming their allegiance ⁸²to him. While he was busy receiving delegates, he let Abu Bakr preside over the 300 pilgrims. This incident proved of vital⁸³ importance later when a caliph was chosen after the death of the Prophet.

The 10th year A.H. was called "the valediction year", because the Prophet, with 100,000 followers, including Abu Bakr and all the Prophet's household⁸⁴, performed his last pilgrimage and from the top of `Arafat mountain gave his everlasting⁸⁵ speech in which he summarized⁸⁶ the numerous commandments of Islam.

After his return to Madina the Prophet became ill and could not lead the prayers in the Grand Mosque. He gave instructions to 'Aishah' to tell her father to lead the prayers. She pointed out that Abu Bakr's voice was rather low and the worshippers might not hear his recitation ⁸⁷of the Qur'an. She also said that he often wept while praying, and suggested Omar bin al-Khattab as being fitter⁸⁸ for the task ⁸⁹.The Prophet became extremely angry, and gave emphatic⁹⁰ orders that Abu Bakr should lead the prayers. This was taken by the Muslims as another sign to choose Abu Bakr to be their caliph after the Prophet's death.