ABU BAKR (573–634)

Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa, the first caliph (r. 632–634), and a member of the clan of Taym of the tribe of the Quraysh, was the first adult male convert to Islam, and the Prophet's close companion. A merchant and an expert on the genealogies of the Arab tribes, Abu Bakr came to be known as al-Siddiq, the truthful, or the one who trusts, a reference to the fact that he alone immediately believed the Prophet's story of his night journey to Jerusalem. Recognized even in Mecca as the foremost member of the Muslim community after Muhammad, he is credited with the purchase and release of several slaves, including Bilal, renowned for proclaiming the first Muslim call to prayer. Abu Bakr was chosen by Muhammad to accompany him on his "flight" or hijra to Medina in 622 C.E. He became Muhammad's father-in-law when his young daughter, ˓A˒isha, married the Prophet.

Taking the title Khalifat rasul Allah, meaning Successor to the Messenger of God, Abu Bakr became the first caliph of Islam upon Muhammad's death in 632 C.E. Just before his death, Abu Bakr refused to recall the expedition sent to Syria. At the same time, he was forced to battle the wars of Apostasy, or Ridda, against the Yemen, Yamama, and the tribes of Asad, Ghatafan, and Tamim, who refused to pay the tithe or zakat, which was considered an integral part of accepting Islam. It was because of the death of many leaders during these battles that Abu Bakr, on the advice of ˓Umar, ordered Zayd b. Thabit to compile a collection of the Qur˒anic verses.

See alsoCaliphate ; Succession .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kennedy, Hugh. The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphate. London: Longman Group Ltd., 1986.

Motzki, Harald. "The Collection of the Qur˒an: A Reconsideration of Western Views in Light of Recent Methodological Developments." Der Islam 78 (2001): 1–34.

Watt, Montgomery W. "Abu Bakr." In Encyclopedia of Islam. 2d ed. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1960.

Rizwi Faizer