It is reasonable to ask how a man who held power for only 27 months could lay the foundations ¹ of such a far flung2empire which contained the most enlightened ³ parts of the ancient world.

There is nothing striking ⁴in the early life of this man. Abu Bakr's sub-tribe ⁵was called Taym, before Islam. He himself was the head of his sub-tribe. He was the best-informed genealogist ⁶in Mecca and he was an honest and trustworthy⁷ merchant.

He is known by five different names, which is a mark of activity and efficiency⁸ Before Islam he was called `Abdul-Ka'ba (servant of the Ka'ba). Then the Prophet changed it to `Abdullah (servant of God). Then he was called 'Ateeq', i.e. the one released⁹ from hell. Later he was named Abu Bakr because he was the first man to accept Islam. Finally he was called Assiddeeq owing to his unwavering ¹⁰ belief in all that the Prophet had said.

Abu Bakr is known to have had an attractive ¹¹personality and this is why he was liked by everyone who met him. He had a fair complexion, a slim body and a thin face, with rather sunken ¹² eyes and a high forehead ¹³. His daughter `Aishah described him as being of a lenient temperament, with a sober attitude and a good sense of humour. Being endowed ¹⁴ with such qualities, he had a wide ¹⁵ circle of acquaintances ¹⁶, who admired his kindness, humility and knowledge.

He married four times. Qutaylah, his first wife, gave birth to two children, Abdullah and Asma'. Umm - Ruman, his second wife, gave birth to two more children, Abdul-Rahman and `Aishah. After his emigration to Madina he married two other wives, Habeebah and Asma'.

Abu Bakr was tender-hearted¹⁷and compassionate¹⁸ . He sympathized ¹⁹ with the poor and pitied ²⁰ the miserable. Usually, when reciting the Qur'an, he was deeply touched and wept. ²¹After the battle of Badr, when the Prophet took a lot of captives from the Qurayshites, the captives ²² were defended by Abu Bakr. He spoke kindly on their behalf and managed to calm the Prophet's anger against them and then persuaded him to accept a ransom ²³and set them free.

Though Abu Bakr was kind-hearted,²⁴ he sometimes lost his temper and became extremely angry, especially when there was some sort of attack on Islam. When the Muslims emigrated to Madina, the Jews tried to win them over²⁵ to their side, hoping that the two warring Madinan tribes of Aws and Khazraj would continue their feuds²⁶ When they realized that Islam managed to unite the two warring tribes, the Jews started plotting against them. They used to meet in the house of one of their rabbis ²⁷who was called Finhas. Abu Bakr went to Finhas and advised him to accept Islam, pointing out that Muhammad was undoubtedly ²⁸a prophet, and Finhas must realize this as it was definitely mentioned in the Old Testament ²⁹.Finhas scoffed at his words and accused Allah of being poor as he, in the words of the Qur'an, demanded a loan and promised a manifold recompense to those who would lend him money. Hearing the Qur'an's words wrongly interpreted, Abu Bakr got angry and slapped³⁰ Finhas on the face shouting ³¹"By God, were it not for the contract³² between us, I would cut off ³³ your head!" At that time there was an agreement ³⁴ of peaceful co-existence ³⁵between Muslims and Jews.

But Abu Bakr's main characteristic ³⁶ was his strong religious belief. From the moment he embraced ³⁷ Islam he never suspected anything that the Prophet said or did. He followed his teachings meticulously38 offered all he possessed in order to launch ³⁹the new religion, and was never afraid to fight for its sake⁴⁰ in the fiercest⁴¹ battles. During the twenty years of his friendship with the Prophet neither his enthusiasm nor his belief wavered ⁴²He was so spiritually⁴³ uplifted ⁴⁴ that, in following the example of the Prophet, he got very close to perfection. In the presence of the Prophet he was practically eclipsed, ⁴⁵but in his absence he shone like a star. When the Prophet was alive he al ways supported him, and after his death he took over the torch of Islam and advanced with it steadfastly ⁴⁶to enlighten the world.

Nothing can illustrate⁴⁷ his staunch belief better than his wager ⁴⁸with the Qurayshite infidel. This took place when the Romans, during their incessant ⁴⁹wars with the Persians, were defeated just a few years before the Muslims emigrated to Madina. The disbelievers celebrated the occasion because the losers were people of the Book, whose Bible was revealed from heaven like the Qur'an. Soon after, Chapterof the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet, prophesying ⁵⁰that the Romans would be victorious in less than ten years. The Qurayshite infidel laid a ten-camel wager against a Roman victory, and Abu Bakr accepted the wager. Seven years later (2 A.H 623 A.D.) the Persians were badly routed ⁵¹ and the Romans won a decisive victory. Ironically⁵² enough, the Muslims had their own brilliant victory on that day (17th Ramadhan, 2 A.H.), when they defeated the Qurayshites in the most significant⁵³ battle of Badr.

Among Abu Bakr's many virtues were impartiality⁵⁴ and justice. He considered all individuals equal in the eye of the law, and thought that the only way for anyone to excel was through piety and good works. The first day he became caliph, he delivered this oration: "I have been chosen caliph, though I am not the best of you. If I prove to be good, please help me. But if I prove to be to the contrary, then don't hesitate to put me right. Truth means honesty; and lies mean dishonesty. The weak among you is strong before the law until he is redeemed ⁵⁵ from oppression ⁵⁶ and the strong among you is weak before the law until he abstains from oppression. As long as I obey God and His Prophet, you have to obey me. But if I become disobedient ⁵⁷ then you can disobey me."

Abu Bakr did not differentiate⁵⁸ between nationalities⁵⁹as he was fully aware⁶⁰ of the internationalism ⁶¹ of Islam. He left in office Bazan, the Persian ruler of Yemen, because since his conversion⁶²to Islam during the life of the Prophet he had never shown any sign of defection⁶³. Salman was also a Persian who was treated with great respect. Suhayb, who was of Greek origin, was no less esteemed ⁶⁴ Bilal the Abyssinian, Zayd bin Harithah, the Prophet's freed slave, and his son Osamah, were all treated with reverence ⁶⁵and respect⁶⁶. In the following chapters we will examine some of these challenges; but here it is enough to mention his obstinacy ⁶⁷ in fighting the apostates⁶⁸When the Prophet died, most of the Arabian tribes stopped paying the Zakat. They considered it a heavy burden ⁶⁹which they all wished to shed⁷⁰It seemed impossible for Abu Bakr to face such a huge⁷¹ revolt, and many advisers, among whom was Omar bin al-Khattab, tried to persuade him to give in. Yet, he wouldn't. Instead, he vowed ⁷²to oppose the rebels ⁷³even though he had to tackle the tremendous ⁷⁴ alone. He swore, "I will not forgo even a rope which they used to give to the Prophet."

Finally, his prudence and firmness⁷⁵ were among his outstanding ⁷⁶characteristics. He used to consider every problem thoughtfully⁷⁷ , and he was always willing to hear from his counsellors ⁷⁸; but when he had reached a decision, he used to bring it into effect as efficiently and quickly as he could.

His clemency ⁷⁹ was well known to everybody. Yet when the safety of the state was at stake⁸⁰ he became extremely firm and tough. Many insurgents ⁸¹ were put to death when they refused ⁸² to repent or pay the Zakat. Many people spoke badly of Khalid bin al -Waleed, the Prophet's appointed leader, whom Abu Bakr trusted implicitly⁸³ , only to admit in the end that Abu Bakr was a better judge of men and was right about him. After great deliberation ⁸⁴he decided to appoint `Omar bin al-Khattab his successor. Talhah bin `Obaydillah and others went to him during his illness and complained that' Omar was unfit for the post owing to his harsh attitude⁸⁵. He sat up angrily⁸⁶in bed and said, "I can see that every one of you wants to be caliph; but I have chosen the one whom God likes best, the one most suitable to guide you along the right path⁸⁷ At the time of prayers, he let his wife Asma' help him to the door, and addressed the congregation ⁸⁸, praising ⁸⁹ his successor and asking for their opinion. They all agreed with his choice and the decision was approved.

It should be stressed ⁹⁰here that by following the godly teachings of Islam to the letter, and by keeping those teachings always in mind, Abu Bakr proved well able to do justice to the grand post of caliph. He whole-heartedly ⁹¹devoted himself to his job, so much so that he neglected the affairs of his family. In this way, he accomplished a significant task: - the linking of the prophetic era of heavenly revelation and the era of the fast extending empire of Islam. When he died, he passed the responsibility of controlling his already settled state to'Omar bin al-Khattab, who proved no less capable of the post.'Omar bin al-Khattab extended his realm further than anyone had expected by pushing his frontiers to the edge of both the Roman and the Persian empires.