Senin, 03 Desember 2012
Sedekah
Keutamaan Sedekah
Keutamaan Sedekah
Diceritakan, ketika Nabi Ayub AS sedang mandi tiba-tiba Allah SWT mendatangkan seekor belalang emas dan hinggap di lengannya. Baginda menepis-nepis lengan bajunya agar belalang jatuh. Lantas Allah SWT berfirman, ''Bukankah Aku lakukan begitu supaya kamu menjadi lebih kaya?'' Nabi Ayub AS menjawab, ''Ya benar, wahai Sang Pencipta! Demi keagungan-Mu apalah makna kekayaan tanpa keberkahan-Mu.''
Kisah di atas menegaskan betapa pentingnya keberkahan dalam rezeki yang dikurniakan oleh Allah SWT. Kekayaan tidak akan membawa arti tanpa ada keberkahan. Dengan adanya keberkahan, harta dan rezeki yang sedikit akan bisa terasakan mencukupi. Sebaliknya, tanpa keberkahan rezeki yang meskipun banyak akan terasakan sempit dan menyusahkan.
Agar rezeki yang Allah SWT berikan kepada kita menjadi berkah, Rasulullah SAW menganjurkan kepada umatnya untuk memperbanyak sedekah. Kata Rasulullah SAW, ''Belilah semua kesulitanmu dengan sedekah.'' Dalam hadis lain, Rasulullah SAW menjelaskan, ''Setiap awal pagi, semasa terbit matahari, ada dua malaikat menyeru kepada manusia di bumi. Yang satu menyeru, 'Ya Tuhanku, karuniakanlah?ganti kepada orang yang membelanjakan hartanya kerena Allah'. Yang satu lagi menyeru, 'Musnahkanlah orang yang menahan hartanya'.''
Sedekah walaupun kecil tetapi amat berharga di sisi Allah SWT. Orang yang bakhil dan kikir dengan tidak menyedekahkan sebagian hartanya akan merugi di dunia dan akhirat karena tidak ada keberkahan. Jadi, sejatinya orang yang bersedekah adalah untuk kepentingan dirinya. Sebab, menginfakkan (belanjakan) harta akan memperoleh berkah, dan sebaliknya menahannya adalah celaka.
Sedekah memiliki beberapa keutamaan bagi orang yang mengamalkannya. Pertama, mengundang datangnya rezeki. Allah SWT berfirman dalam salah satu ayat Alquran bahwa Dia akan membalas setiap kebaikan hamba-hamba-Nya dengan 10 kebaikan. Bahkan, di ayat yang lain dinyatakan 700 kebaikan. Khalifah Ali bin Abi Thalib menyatakan, ''Pancinglah rezeki dengan sedekah.'' Kedua, sedekah dapat menolak bala. Rasulullah SAW bersabda, ''Bersegeralah bersedekah, sebab yang namanya bala tidak pernah bisa mendahului sedekah.''
Ketiga, sedekah dapat menyembuhkan penyakit. Rasulullah SAW menganjurkan, ''Obatilah penyakitmu dengan sedekah.'' Keempat, sedekah dapat menunda kematian dan memperpanjang umur. Kata Rasulullah SAW, ''Perbanyaklah sedekah. Sebab, sedekah bisa memanjangkan umur.''
Mengapa semua itu bisa terjadi? Sebab, Allah SWT mencintai orang-orang yang bersedekah. Kalau Allah SWT sudah mencintai seorang hambanya, maka tidak ada persoalan yang tidak bisa diselesaikan, tidak ada permintaan dan doa yang Allah tidak kabulkan, serta tidak ada dosa yang Allah tidak ampuni, dan hamba tersebut akan meninggal dunia dalam keadaan husnul khatimah (baik).
Kekuatan dan kekuasaan Allah jauh lebih besar dari persoalan yang dihadapi manusia. Lalu, kalau manfaat sedekah begitu dahsyatnya, masihkah kita belum juga tergerak untuk mencintai sedekah? Wallahu a'lam bis-shawab.
Diceritakan, ketika Nabi Ayub AS sedang mandi tiba-tiba Allah SWT mendatangkan seekor belalang emas dan hinggap di lengannya. Baginda menepis-nepis lengan bajunya agar belalang jatuh. Lantas Allah SWT berfirman, ''Bukankah Aku lakukan begitu supaya kamu menjadi lebih kaya?'' Nabi Ayub AS menjawab, ''Ya benar, wahai Sang Pencipta! Demi keagungan-Mu apalah makna kekayaan tanpa keberkahan-Mu.''
Kisah di atas menegaskan betapa pentingnya keberkahan dalam rezeki yang dikurniakan oleh Allah SWT. Kekayaan tidak akan membawa arti tanpa ada keberkahan. Dengan adanya keberkahan, harta dan rezeki yang sedikit akan bisa terasakan mencukupi. Sebaliknya, tanpa keberkahan rezeki yang meskipun banyak akan terasakan sempit dan menyusahkan.
Agar rezeki yang Allah SWT berikan kepada kita menjadi berkah, Rasulullah SAW menganjurkan kepada umatnya untuk memperbanyak sedekah. Kata Rasulullah SAW, ''Belilah semua kesulitanmu dengan sedekah.'' Dalam hadis lain, Rasulullah SAW menjelaskan, ''Setiap awal pagi, semasa terbit matahari, ada dua malaikat menyeru kepada manusia di bumi. Yang satu menyeru, 'Ya Tuhanku, karuniakanlah?ganti kepada orang yang membelanjakan hartanya kerena Allah'. Yang satu lagi menyeru, 'Musnahkanlah orang yang menahan hartanya'.''
Sedekah walaupun kecil tetapi amat berharga di sisi Allah SWT. Orang yang bakhil dan kikir dengan tidak menyedekahkan sebagian hartanya akan merugi di dunia dan akhirat karena tidak ada keberkahan. Jadi, sejatinya orang yang bersedekah adalah untuk kepentingan dirinya. Sebab, menginfakkan (belanjakan) harta akan memperoleh berkah, dan sebaliknya menahannya adalah celaka.
Sedekah memiliki beberapa keutamaan bagi orang yang mengamalkannya. Pertama, mengundang datangnya rezeki. Allah SWT berfirman dalam salah satu ayat Alquran bahwa Dia akan membalas setiap kebaikan hamba-hamba-Nya dengan 10 kebaikan. Bahkan, di ayat yang lain dinyatakan 700 kebaikan. Khalifah Ali bin Abi Thalib menyatakan, ''Pancinglah rezeki dengan sedekah.'' Kedua, sedekah dapat menolak bala. Rasulullah SAW bersabda, ''Bersegeralah bersedekah, sebab yang namanya bala tidak pernah bisa mendahului sedekah.''
Ketiga, sedekah dapat menyembuhkan penyakit. Rasulullah SAW menganjurkan, ''Obatilah penyakitmu dengan sedekah.'' Keempat, sedekah dapat menunda kematian dan memperpanjang umur. Kata Rasulullah SAW, ''Perbanyaklah sedekah. Sebab, sedekah bisa memanjangkan umur.''
Mengapa semua itu bisa terjadi? Sebab, Allah SWT mencintai orang-orang yang bersedekah. Kalau Allah SWT sudah mencintai seorang hambanya, maka tidak ada persoalan yang tidak bisa diselesaikan, tidak ada permintaan dan doa yang Allah tidak kabulkan, serta tidak ada dosa yang Allah tidak ampuni, dan hamba tersebut akan meninggal dunia dalam keadaan husnul khatimah (baik).
Kekuatan dan kekuasaan Allah jauh lebih besar dari persoalan yang dihadapi manusia. Lalu, kalau manfaat sedekah begitu dahsyatnya, masihkah kita belum juga tergerak untuk mencintai sedekah? Wallahu a'lam bis-shawab.
Jumat, 09 November 2012
Rabu, 07 November 2012
Abu Bakar Ash-Shiddiq
Abu Bakr (Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa) (Arabic: عبد الله بن أبي قحافة, Transliteration: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Quḥāfah, c. 573 CE – 23 August 634 CE) also known as Abū
Bakr as-Șiddīq (Arabic:
أبو
بكر الصديق) was a senior companion (Sahabi) and the
father-in-law of the Islamic
prophet Muhammad.
He ruled over the Rashidun
Caliphate from 632–634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death.[1] As Caliph, Abu Bakr succeeded to the political and
administrative functions previously exercised by Muhammad, since the religious
function and authority of prophethoodended with
Muhammad's death according to Islam.
He was called Al-Siddiq (The Truthful)[2] and
was known by that title among later generations of Muslims.
As a young man, Abu Bakr became a cloth
merchant and he traveled extensively in Arabia and neighboring lands in the Middle East, through
which he gained both wealth and experience. He eventually came to be recognized
as the chief of his clan.[3] On his
return from a business trip to Yemen,
he was informed that in his absence Muhammad had openly declared his
prophethood. Not long after, Abu Bakr accepted Islam and was the first person
outside the family of Muhammad to openly become a Muslim. He was instrumental in the conversion
of many people to the Islamic faith[4] and
early in 623, Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was married to Muhammad,
strengthening the ties between the two men.[2]
Abu Bakr served as a trusted advisor and
close friend to Muhammad. During the lifetime of Muhammad, he was involved in
several campaigns such as the Battle of Uhud,
the Battle
of the Trench, the Invasion of Banu Qurayza, Battle of Khaybar,
the Conquest
of Mecca, the Battle of Hunayn,
the Siege
of Ta'if, and the Battle of Tabuk where
he was reported to have given all of his wealth for the preparation of this
expedition.[5] He
also participated in theTreaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the
witnesses over the pact.[5]
Abu Bakr's Caliphate lasted for a little
over two years (or 27 months), ending with his death after an illness. Though
the period of his caliphate was not long, it included successful invasions of
the two most powerful empires of the time, a remarkable achievement in its own
right. He set in motion a historical trajectory that in few decades would lead
to one of the largest empires in history.
Lineage and title
Abu Bakr's full name was 'Abd Allah ibn
'Uthman ibn Aamir ibn Amr ibn Ka'ab ibn Sa'ad ibn Taym(from whom the at-Taymi
al-Quraishi) ibn Murrah ibn Ka'ab ibn Lu'ai ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr al-Quraishi.[6] In Arabic, the name 'Abd Allah' means
"servant of Allah". One of his early titles, preceding his conversion
to Islam, was atiqe, "the saved one". Muhammad later
reaffirmed this title when he said that Abu Bakr is the 'atiqe' (the one saved
from hell fire by God).[7] He was
called 'Al-Siddiq' (the truthful')[2] by
Muhammad after he believed him in the event of Isra and Mi'raj when
other people didn't, and Ali confirmed
that title several times.[8]
He was mentioned in the Quran as the "second of the two who
lay in the cave" in reference to the event of hijra, with Muhammad
where they hid in the cave in Jabal Thawr from
the Meccan search
party that was sent after them, thus being one of few who were given direct
reference to in the Quran.[9]
Imam Jafar al Sadiq famously narrated how
the title Siddiq was given to Abu Bakr from Muhammad.[10][11] He
was also a direct descendant of Abu Bakr from his maternal side, as well as
being a paternal descendant of Ali from
his father's side. Jafar al-Sadiq was also the successor of the Naqshbandi Sufi
order originating from Abu Bakr himself.[12][13][14][15][16]
Imam Muhammad al Baqir, the father of
Imam Jafar Sadiq also called Abu Bakr with the title Siddiq.[17]
Early life
Abu Bakr was born in Mecca some time in
573 CE, to a rich family in the Banu Taym[18] clan of the Quraysh tribe.
Abu Bakr's father's name was Uthman Abu Quhafa (nicknamed Abu
Quhafa) and his mother was Salma
Umm-ul-Khair (nicknamed Umm-ul-Khair).
The lineage of Abu Bakr joined that of
Muhammad in the eighth degree in their common ancestor Murrah ibn Ka'b.
The lineage of Abu Bakr was: Abu Bakr;
the son of Uthman
Abu Quhafa; the son of Amar; the son of Umru; the son of Kaab; the son
of Saad; the son of Taym; the son of Murrah.
The lineage of Muhammad was: Muhammad;
the son of Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib; the son of Abdul Muttalib; the
son of Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf; the son of Abd
Manaf ibn Qusai; the son ofQusai ibn Kilab; the
son of Kilab
ibn Murrah; the son of Murrah.[18]
Abu Bakr was a thin man with white skin.[19] Tabari
relates (Suyuti also
relates the same through Ibn
Sa'd al-Baghdadi's report) from Aisha her description of Abu Bakr:
He was a man with fair skin, thin,
emaciated, with a sparse beard, a slightly hunched frame, sunken eyes and
protruding forehead, and the bases of his fingers were hairless.[20]
He spent his early childhood like
other Arab children of
the time among the Bedouins who
called themselves Ahl-i-Ba'eer- the people of the camel, and developed a particular fondness for
camels. In his early years he played with the camel foals and goats, and his
love for camels earned him the nickname "Abu Bakr", the father
of the foal of the
camel.[21]
When Abu Bakr was 10 years old, he went
to Syria along with his father with the merchants' caravan. Muhammad,
who was 12 years old at the time, was also with the caravan. In 591 at the age
of 18, Abu Bakr went into trade and adopted the profession of cloth merchant,
which was the family's business. In the coming years Abu Bakr traveled
extensively with caravans. Business trips took him to Yemen, Syria, and elsewhere. These travels
brought him wealth and added to his experience. His business flourished and he
rose in the scale of social importance. Though his father, Uthman Abu Quhafa,
was still alive, he came to be recognized as chief of his tribe.
Like other children of the rich Meccan
merchant families, Abu Bakr was literate and developed a fondness for poetry. He used to
attend the annual fair at Ukaz,
and participate in poetical symposia. He had a very good memory and had a good
knowledge of the genealogy of
the Arab tribes, their stories and their politics.[22]
A story is preserved that once when he
was a child, his father took him to the Kaaba, and asked him to pray before the idols. His father
went away to attend to some other business, and Abu Bakr was left alone with
the idols. Addressing an idol, Abu Bakr said "O my God, I am in need of
beautiful clothes; bestow them on me". The idol remained indifferent. Then
he addressed another idol saying "O God, give me some delicious food. See
that I am so hungry". The idol remained cold. That exhausted the patience
of young Abu Bakr. He lifted a stone, and addressing an idol said "Here I
am aiming a stone; if you are a god protect yourself". Abu Bakr hurled the
stone at the idol and left the Kaaba.
Thereafter, he never went to the Kaaba to pray to the idols.[23]
On his return from a business trip
from Yemen, he was
informed by friends that in his absence Muhammad had declared himself the
Messenger of God, and proclaimed a new religion. Tabari, the most famous Muslim
historian, in his Ta'rikh quotes from Muhammad Bin Sa'ad Bin Abi Waqqas, who
said:
"I asked my father whether Abu Bakr
was the first of the Muslims. He said, 'No, more than fifty people embraced
Islam before Abu Bakr; but he was superior to us as a Muslim. And Umar ibn
Khattab had embraced Islam after forty-five men and twenty-one women. As for
the foremost one in the matter of Islam and faith, it was Ali ibn Abi
Talib'"[24][25]
Other Sunnis and all Shi'a Muslims
maintain that the second person to publicly accept Muhammed as the messenger of
God was Ali ibn Abi Talib,
the first being Muhammad's wife Khadija
Life after accepting Islam
His wife Qutaylah bint Abd-al-Uzza did not accept Islam
and he divorced her. His other wife, Um Ruman, became a
Muslim. All his children except Abdu'l-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr accepted Islam, and
Abu Bakr separated from his son Abdu'l-Rahman.
His conversion brought many people to
Islam. He persuaded his intimate friends to convert to Islam.[27][28] and
presented Islam to others in such a way that many of his friends accepted
Islam.
Those who converted to Islam at the
insistence of Abu Bakr were:[4]
·
Uthman Ibn Affan (who
would became the 3rd Caliph)
·
Al-Zubayr (played
a part in the Muslim conquest of Egypt)
·
Abdur
Rahman bin Awf (who would remain an important part of the Rashidun
Caliphate)
·
Sa`d
ibn Abi Waqqas (played a part in the Islamic conquest of Persia)
·
Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (who remained commander
in chief of the Rashidun
army in Syria )
·
Abu Salama (Abdullah
bin Abdul Asad)
Abu Bakr's acceptance proved to be a
milestone in Muhammad's mission. Slavery was
common in Mecca, and many slaves accepted Islam. When an ordinary free man
accepted Islam, despite opposition, he would enjoy the protection of his tribe.
For slaves however, there was no such protection and they commonly experienced
persecution. Abu Bakr felt compassion for slaves, so he purchased eight slaves
(four men and four women) and then freed them, paying 40,000dinar for their freedom.[29][30]
The men were
The women were:
·
Lubaynah
Most of the slaves liberated by Abu Bakr
were either women or old and frail men.[31] The
father of Abu Bakr asked him to for why doesn't he liberate strong and young
slaves who could be a source of strength for him, Abu Bakr replied that he was
freeing the slaves for the sake of God, and not for his
own sake. According to Sunni tradition the following verses of the Qur'an were
revealed due to this:[citation needed]
He who gives in charity and fears Allah And in all sincerity testifies to
the Truth; We shall indeed make smooth for him the path of Bliss {92:5–7}.
Those who spend their wealth for increase
in self-purification; And have in their minds no favor from any one For which a
reward is expected in return, But only the desire to seek the Countenance, Of
their Lord, Most High; And soon they shall attain complete satisfaction
{92:8–21}.
Shias maintain these verses were revealed
about Ali.
Persecution by the Quraysh, 613
Main article: Persecution of Muslims by the Meccans
For three years after the advent of Islam, Muslims kept secret their faith,
and prayed in secret. In 613 Muhammad decided to call people to Islam openly.
The first public address inviting people to offer allegiance to Muhammad was
delivered by Abu Bakr.[citation needed] In a fit of fury the
young men of the Quraysh tribe
rushed at Abu Bakr, and beat him mercilessly till he lost consciousness.[32] Following
this incident Abu Bakr's mother converted to Islam. Abu Bakr was persecuted
many times by the Quraysh. Abu Bakr's beliefs would have been defended by his
own clan, but not by the entire Quraysh tribe.
Being the first man to go over to Islam, Abu Bakr had brought upon himself
the special anger and hatred of the Meccan chiefs. Soon he felt hard pressed
and asked permission of Muhammad to go to Abyssinia. The permission was granted
and Abu Bakr set off on his journey. However, on the way he met
Ibn-ud-Daghinna, the chief of Qara. Under Ibn-ud-Daghinna's protection, he soon
came back to Makkah.[33]
In 617, the Quraysh enforced a boycott against the Banu Hashim. Muhammad
along with his supporters from Banu Hashim, were shut up in a pass away
from Mecca. All social
relations with the Banu Hashim were cut off and their state was that of
imprisonment. Before it many Muslims migrated to Abyssinia (now
Ethiopia). Abu Bakr, feeling distressed, set out for Yemen and then to
Abyssinia from there. He met a friend of his named Ad-Dughna (chief of
the Qarah[disambiguation needed] tribe)
outside Mecca, who invited Abu Bakr to seek his protection against the Quraysh.
Abu Bakr went back to Mecca, it was a relief for him, but soon due to the
pressure of Quraysh, Ad-Dughna was forced to renounce his protection. Once
again the Quraysh were free to persecute Abu Bakr.
In 620 Muhammad's wife and uncle died. Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was engaged to Muhammad, however it
was decided that the actual marriage ceremony would be held later. In 620 Abu
Bakr was the first person to testify to Muhammad's Isra and Mi'raj (night
Journey).[34]
In 622, on the invitation of the Muslims
of Medina, Muhammad
ordered Muslims to migrate to Medina. The migration began in batches. Ali was
the last to remain in Mecca, entrusted with responsibility for settling any
loans the Muslims had taken, and famously slept in the bed of Muhammad when the
Quraysh led by Ikrima attempted to murder Muhammad as he slept. Meanwhile Abu
Bakr accompanied Muhammad in his migration for Medina. Due to the danger of the
Quraysh, they did not take the road to Medina. They moved in the opposite
direction, and took refuge in a cave in Jabal Thawrsome five
miles south of Mecca. `Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would
listen to the plans and talks of the Quraysh, and at night he would carry the
news to the fugitives in the cave. Asma
bint Abi Bakr, the daughter of Abu Bakr, brought them meals every
day.[35] Aamir,
a servant of Abu Bakr, would bring a flock of goats to the mouth of the cave
every night where they were milked. The Quraysh sent search parties in all
directions. One party came close to the entrance to the cave, but was unable to
sight them. Due to this the following verse of the Qur'an was
revealed:
If ye help not (your Leader) (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him; when the unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion: they two were in the cave, and he said to his companion "Have no Fear, for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which ye saw not, and humbled to the depths the word of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. [Quran 9:40 ]
'Aa'ishah, Abu
Sa`eed al-Khudri and ibn 'Abbaas in interpreting this verse said
Abu Bakr was the one who stayed with the
Prophet in that cave
It is narrated from al-Barra'
ibn 'Azib, he said,
One time, Abu Bakr bought a ride from
'Azib for 10 Dirham, then Abu Bakr said to 'Azib, "Tell your son the Barra
to deliver that beast." Then 'Azib said, "No, until you tell us about
your journey with the Messenger of Allah when he went out of Makkah while
the Mushrikeen were
busy looking for you." Abu Bakr said, "We set out from Makkah,
walking day and night, until it came the time of Zuhr, so I was looking for a place so that we
can rest under it, it came to be that I saw a big rock, so I came to it and
there was the place, so I spread a mattress for the Prophet, then I said to
him, " Rest O' Prophet of Allah." So he rested, while I surveyed the
area around me, are there people looking for us coming here to spy... Suddenly
I saw there was a shepherd herding his sheep to the direction of the place
under the rock wanting to shade himself like us, so I asked, "Who is your
master O' slave?" He answered, "Slave of the fulan, someone of the
Quraish." He mentioned the name of his master and I knew him, then I
asked, "Does your sheep have milk?" He answered, "Yes!" So
he took one of the sheep, after that I ordered him to clean the breasts of the
sheep first from dirt and dust, then I ordered him to blow his hand from dust,
so he pat his two hands and he started milking, while I prepared a vessel with
its mouth wrapped with cloth to contain the milk, so I poured the milk that was
milked to the vessel and I waited until the bottom was cold, then I brought to
the Prophet and it was that he had waken up, instantly I told him, "Drink
O' Messenger of Allah." So he started to drink until I saw that he was
full, then I told him, "Are we not going to continue walking O' Messenger
of Allah?" He answered, "Yes!" At last we continued the journey
while the mushrikeen kept looking for us, not that could pursue us except Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Ju'sham who
rode his horse, so I said to the Messenger of Allah, "This man has
succeeded in pursuing us O' Messenger of Allah," but he answered, "ﻻ
ﺗﺤﺰ ﻥ ﺇ ﻥ ﺍﷲ ﻣﻌﻨﺎ" (Do not worry, verily Allah is with us).
It is narrated from Anas from Abu
Bakr he said,
I said to the Prophet when were in the
cave, "If only they had looked under their feet we would assuredly be
seen" The Messenger answered, "ﻣﺎ ﻇﻨﻚ ﻳﺎ ﺃ ﺑﺎ ﺑﻜﺮ ﺑﺎ ﺛﻨﻴﻦ
ﺍﷲ ﺛﺎ ﻟﺘﻬﻤﺎ" (What do you think O' Abu Bakr about two people if Allah
is the third, meaning God was with them.)[36]
After staying at the cave for three days
and three nights, Abu Bakr and Muhammad proceed to Medina, staying for some time at Quba, a suburb
of Medina. While Sunni sources portray Abu bakr in an exalted light in the
cave, Shia sources however generally tend to portray the incident in the cave
as a Quranic condemndation of Abu Bakr for cowardice and fear.
Migration to Medina
In 622, on the invitation of the Muslims
of Medina, Muhammad
ordered Muslims to migrate to Medina. The migration began in batches. Ali was
the last to remain in Mecca, entrusted with responsibility for settling any
loans the Muslims had taken, and famously slept in the bed of Muhammad when the
Quraysh led by Ikrima attempted to murder Muhammad as he slept. Meanwhile Abu
Bakr accompanied Muhammad in his migration for Medina. Due to the danger of the
Quraysh, they did not take the road to Medina. They moved in the opposite
direction, and took refuge in a cave in Jabal Thawrsome five
miles south of Mecca. `Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would
listen to the plans and talks of the Quraysh, and at night he would carry the
news to the fugitives in the cave. Asma
bint Abi Bakr, the daughter of Abu Bakr, brought them meals every
day.[35] Aamir,
a servant of Abu Bakr, would bring a flock of goats to the mouth of the cave
every night where they were milked. The Quraysh sent search parties in all
directions. One party came close to the entrance to the cave, but was unable to
sight them. Due to this the following verse of the Qur'an was
revealed:
If ye help not (your Leader) (it is no
matter): for Allah did indeed help him; when the unbelievers drove him out: he
had no more than one companion: they two were in the cave, and he said to his
companion "Have no Fear, for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down
His peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which ye saw not, and
humbled to the depths the word of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is
exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise. [Quran 9:40 ]
'Aa'ishah, Abu
Sa`eed al-Khudri and ibn 'Abbaas in interpreting this verse said
Abu Bakr was the one who stayed with the
Prophet in that cave
It is narrated from al-Barra'
ibn 'Azib, he said,
One time, Abu Bakr bought a ride from
'Azib for 10 Dirham, then Abu Bakr said to 'Azib, "Tell your son the Barra
to deliver that beast." Then 'Azib said, "No, until you tell us about
your journey with the Messenger of Allah when he went out of Makkah while
the Mushrikeen were
busy looking for you." Abu Bakr said, "We set out from Makkah,
walking day and night, until it came the time of Zuhr, so I was looking for a place so that we
can rest under it, it came to be that I saw a big rock, so I came to it and
there was the place, so I spread a mattress for the Prophet, then I said to
him, " Rest O' Prophet of Allah." So he rested, while I surveyed the
area around me, are there people looking for us coming here to spy... Suddenly
I saw there was a shepherd herding his sheep to the direction of the place
under the rock wanting to shade himself like us, so I asked, "Who is your
master O' slave?" He answered, "Slave of the fulan, someone of the
Quraish." He mentioned the name of his master and I knew him, then I
asked, "Does your sheep have milk?" He answered, "Yes!" So
he took one of the sheep, after that I ordered him to clean the breasts of the
sheep first from dirt and dust, then I ordered him to blow his hand from dust,
so he pat his two hands and he started milking, while I prepared a vessel with
its mouth wrapped with cloth to contain the milk, so I poured the milk that was
milked to the vessel and I waited until the bottom was cold, then I brought to
the Prophet and it was that he had waken up, instantly I told him, "Drink
O' Messenger of Allah." So he started to drink until I saw that he was
full, then I told him, "Are we not going to continue walking O' Messenger
of Allah?" He answered, "Yes!" At last we continued the journey
while the mushrikeen kept looking for us, not that could pursue us except Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Ju'sham who
rode his horse, so I said to the Messenger of Allah, "This man has
succeeded in pursuing us O' Messenger of Allah," but he answered, "ﻻ
ﺗﺤﺰ ﻥ ﺇ ﻥ ﺍﷲ ﻣﻌﻨﺎ" (Do not worry, verily Allah is with us).
It is narrated from Anas from Abu
Bakr he said,
I said to the Prophet when were in the
cave, "If only they had looked under their feet we would assuredly be
seen" The Messenger answered, "ﻣﺎ ﻇﻨﻚ ﻳﺎ ﺃ ﺑﺎ ﺑﻜﺮ ﺑﺎ ﺛﻨﻴﻦ
ﺍﷲ ﺛﺎ ﻟﺘﻬﻤﺎ" (What do you think O' Abu Bakr about two people if Allah
is the third, meaning God was with them.)[36]
After staying at the cave for three days
and three nights, Abu Bakr and Muhammad proceed to Medina, staying for some time at Quba, a suburb
of Medina. While Sunni sources portray Abu bakr in an exalted light in the
cave, Shia sources however generally tend to portray the incident in the cave
as a Quranic condemndation of Abu Bakr for cowardice and fear.
[edit]
Life in Medina
In Medina, Muhammad decided to construct
a mosque. A piece of
land was chosen and the price of the land was paid for by Abu Bakr. Muslims
constructed a mosque named Al-Masjid
al-Nabawiat the site and Abu Bakr also took part in construction.
Abu Bakr was paired with Khaarij ah bin Zaid Ansari (who was from Medina) as
a brother in faith. Abu Bakr's relationship with
Khaarjah was most cordial, which was further strengthened when Abu Bakr married
Habiba, a daughter of Khaarijah.
Khaarij ah bin Zaid Ansari used to live
at Sunh, a suburb of Medina, and Abu Bakr also settled there. After Abu Bakr's
family arrived in Medina he bought another house near Muhammad's.[37]
The climate of Mecca was dry, but the
climate of Medina was damp and this adversely affected the health of the
immigrants, so that on arrival most of them fell sick. Abu Bakr also suffered
from fever for several days and during this time he was attended to by
Khaarijah and his family. At Mecca, Abu Bakr was a trader in cloth and he
started the same business in Medina. He was a wholesaler, and had his store at
Sunh, and from there cloth was supplied to the market at Medina. Soon his
business flourished at Medina. Early in 623, Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha, who was already engaged to Muhammad, was
handed over to Muhammad in a simple marriage ceremony, and this further
strengthened the relation between Abu Bakr and Muhammad.[5]
Main articles: Battle
of Badr and Battle of Uhud
In 624 Abu Bakr was involved in the first battle between the Muslims and
the Quraysh of Mecca, known as the Battle of Badr, but
did not fight, instead acting as one of the guards of Muhammad's tent. In 625
he participated in the Battle of Uhud which
ended in a rout by the majority of the Muslims. Before the battle begun, Abu
Bakr's son Abdu'l-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr, who was still non-Muslim
and was fighting from the side of the Quraysh, came forward and threw down a
challenge for a duel. Abu Bakr accepted the challenge but was stopped by
Muhammad. His son later converted to Islam and gained fame during the Muslim conquest of Syria as a fierce warrior. In
the second phase of the battle, Khalid
ibn al-Walid’s cavalry attacked the Muslims from behind, changing a
Muslim victory to defeat. Many Muslim warriors fled from the battlefield due to
fear or to plunder the spoils of war so did Abu Bakr, however he was among the
first to return according to few Sunni Hadith. Ali Ibn Abi Talib was
the only one who remained guarding Muhammad from the attacks of the Quraysh
soldiers, majority of Shia and many Sunni Hadith agree to this. Criticisms of
his lacklustre military achievements in comparison with the extremely
accomplished Ali should be put into context: Abu Bakr was a middle aged man
during these battles, was not a soldier but a merchant by trade, and had never
seen battle before – it may thus be unfair to directly compare him with Ali in
this regard.
However it is related that once Ali asked his associates as to who did
they think was the bravest among men. Everyone replied that Ali was the bravest
of all men. Thereupon Ali said:
No. Abu Bakr is the bravest of men. In the Battle of Badr we
had prepared a pavillion for the prophet, but when we were asked to offer
ourselves for the task of guarding it none came forward except Abu Bakr. With a
drawn sword he took his stand by the side of Prophet of Allah and guarded him
from the infidels by attacking those who dared to proceed in that direction. He
was therefore the bravest of men.
[38] In Sunni accounts
during one such attack, two discs from Abu Bakr's shield penetrated into
Muhammad's cheeks. Abu Bakr went forward with the intention of extracting these
discs but Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah requested he leave the matter to him,
losing his twoincisors during
the process. In these stories subsequently Abu Bakr, along with other
companions, led Muhammad to a place of safety.[5]
Main articles: Invasion of Banu Nadir, Invasion of Banu Qurayza, and Battle of Khaybar
Later in the year Abu Bakr was a part of campaign against the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir.
In 627 he participated in the Battle
of the Trench and also in the Invasion of Banu Qurayza.[5] In
this battle, Muhammad divided the ditch into a number of sectors and a
contingent was posted to guard each sector. One of such contingents was under
the command of Abu Bakr. The enemy made frequent assaults in the attempt to
cross the ditch. All such assaults were repulsed. Abu Bakr showed great courage
in guarding the belt of the trench in his sector. To commemorate this event a
mosque was later constructed at the site where Abu Bakr had heroically repulsed
the charges of the enemy. The mosque was later known as 'Masjid-i-Siddiq'.[39]
In 628 he participated in Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and was made one of the
witnesses over the pact.[5]
In 628 he was a part of the Muslim campaign to Khaybar.
Main articles: Expedition of Amr ibn al-As, Conquest of Mecca, Battle of Hunayn, Siege of Ta'if,
and Battle
of Tabouk
In 629 Muhammad sent 'Amr ibn al-'As to
Zaat-ul-Sallasal from where he called for reinforcements and Muhammad
sent Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. Commanding an army under
him were Abu Bakr and Umar and
they attacked and defeated the enemy.[40]
In 630 when Muslim armies rushed for the Conquest of Mecca,
Abu Bakr was a part of the army. Before the conquest of Mecca his father Uthman Abu Quhafa converted
to Islam.
In 630 he was part of Battle of Hunayn and Siege of Ta'if. In
the Battle of Hunayn as the Muslim army passed through the valley of Hunayn
some eleven miles north east of Mecca a rain of arrows fell on it let
loose by a group of archers of the hostile tribes that lay hid in the mountain
pass. Taken unaware the advance guard of the Muslim army fled in panic. There
was considerable confusion, and the camels, horses and men ran into one another
in the attempt to seek cover. Muhammad stood firm. There were only nine
companions around him including Abu Bakr. All the rest had fled. Under the
instructions of Muhammad, Abbas shouted at the top of his voice "O Muslims
come to the Prophet of Allah". The call was heard by the Muslim soldiers
and they gathered beside Muhammad. When the Muslim had gathered in sufficient
number, Muhammad ordered a charge against the enemy. In the hand to hand fight
that followed the tribes were routed and they fled to Autas.
Muhammad posted a contingent to guard the Hunayn pass and led the main army
to Autas. In the confrontation at Autas the tribes could not withstand the
Muslim onslaught. Finding the resistance useless the tribes broke the camp and
retired to Ta'if.
Abu Bakr was commissioned by Muhammad to lead the attack against Ta'if.
From Autas the Muslim forces set out for Ta'if. The tribes shut themselves in
the fort and refused to come out in the open. The Muslim employed catapults to
throw stones in the town, but this did not lead to any tangible results. The
Muslim tried the testudo device whereunder a group of soldiers shielded by a
cover of cowhide advanced to set fire to the gate. The enemy threw red hot
scraps of iron on the testudo which made it ineffective.
The siege dragged on for two weeks, and still there was no sign of the fall
of the fort. Muhammad held a council of war. Abu Bakr advised that the siege
might be raised and that God would Himself make arrangements for the fall of
the fort. The advice was accepted, and in February 630, the siege of Ta'if was
raised and the Muslim army returned to Mecca. A few days later Malik bin Auf the commander, came to Mecca and became a Muslim. Thus the
forecast of Abu Bakr came to be fulfilled, and the God Himself arranged for the
surrender of Ta'if.[41]
In 630 AD Muhammad decided to lead an expedition to Tabuk[disambiguation needed] on
the Syrian border.
In order to finance the expedition Muhammad invited contributions and donations
from his followers. Uthman provided
ten thousand camels. Umar made
a liberal contribution. When Muhammad asked him how much he had left for
himself and his family he said that he has given one half of his wealth for the
cause of God and had left one half for himself and his dependents. Then Abu
Bakr came loaded with his contribution and Muhammad put him the same question
as to how much wealth he had for himself and his family. Abu Bakr said "I
have brought all that I had. I have left Allah and His Prophet for myself and
my family". This episode has formed the theme of one of the poems of Allama Iqbal. The
last verse of this poem reads:
For the moth the lamp, and for the nightingale the flower For Siddiq God
and His Prophet Suffice.
The call to arms was given at a very critical period. The weather was
burning hot. Crops were ripe and ready for harvesting. The journey was long and
arduous. Many persons preferred to stay back. In spite of these obstacles and
difficulties, an army of thirty thousand persons was raised. The army assembled
at Al Jorf outside Medina.
Muhammad remained at Medina for some time to attend to other affairs, and at Al
Jorf Abu Bakr deputised for Muhammad and led the prayers.
The Muslim army reached Tabuk after a weary march. At Tabuk the standard of
the army was entrusted to Abu Bakr. There were no Byzantine forces
to meet the Muslims. On coming to know of the advance of the Muslim army the
Byzantines had withdrawn their army well within Syria. The Muslim achieved their object without
fighting a shot. The Byzantines who had at one time threatened to invade Arabia were no longer in the mood to
measure swords with the Muslims.[42]
In 631 AD, Muhammad sent from Medina a delegation of three hundred Muslims
to perform the Hajj according
to the new Islamic way. Abu Bakr was appointed as the leader of the delegates.
Abu Bakr had thus the honour of being the First Amir-ul-Hajj in the history
of Islam.
Some time after Abu Bakr and his party had left for Hajj, Muhammad received
a revelation about the regulation of the Hajj, and the ordering of
relationships with the infidels. It is related that when this revelation came,
some one suggested to Muhammad that he should send news of it to Abu Bakr.
Muhammad said that only a man of his house could proclaim the revelation.
Muhammad summoned Ali, and asked him to proclaim the revealed verses to the
people on the day of sacrifice when they assembled at Mina.
Ali went forth on Muhammad's slit-eared camel, and overtook Abu Bakr. When Ali
joined the party, Abu Bakr wanted to know whether he had come to give orders or
to convey them. Ali said that he had not come to replace Abu Bakr as
Amir-ul-Hajj, and that his only mission was to convey a special message to the
people on behalf of Muhammad.
At Mecca, Abu Bakr presided at the Hajj ceremony, and Ali read the
proclamation on behalf of Muhammad. The main points of the proclamation were:
1.
Henceforward the non-Muslims were not to
be allowed to visit the Kaaba or
perform the pilgrimage.
2.
No one should circumambulate the Kaaba
naked.
3.
Polytheism was
not to be tolerated. Where the Muslims had any agreement with the polytheists such
agreements would be honoured for the stipulated periods. Where there were no
agreements a grace period of four months was provided and thereafter no quarter
was to be given to the polytheists.
From the day this proclamation was made a new era dawned in Arabia. Henceforward Islam alone was to be
supreme in Arabia.
In some quarters an argument is advanced that as on this occasion the
proclamation was read by Ali on behalf of Muhammad, this establishes the
precedence of Ali over Abu Bakr, and that therefore when after the death of
Muhammad, Abu Bakr became the Caliph in
disregard of the claims of Ali, he was a usurper.
On this occasion Ali did not replace Abu Bakr as Amir-ul-Hajj. Ali was
merely assigned a special mission to read the proclamation as according to
Muhammad only a man from his own house could communate the revelation. We can
thus say that on this occasion Abu Bakr represented the temporal side, while
Ali represented the spiritual side. After the death of Muhammad there was no
longer the question of any spiritual representation; the issue was only
temporal representation, and for this Abu Bakr was the best choice as he had
thus represented Muhammad even in his lifetime.[43]
[edit]
subsequent kings and emperors (caliphs) making it difficult to openly
criticise him. Some sects of Islam like Shia strongly believe that Abu Bakr
deceived Ali, keeping Ali from his right as khilafat since he was true
successor to Muhammad.[56]
Sunnis on the other hand believe that all the Muslims in Madina gave their
allegiance to Abu Bakr, including Ali. All Sunnis acknowledged Abu Bakr as the
rightful successor to Muhammad. On account of him being one of the earliest of
companions, and on account of his aiding and supporting Muhammad in his mission
from the very early days of Islam, from his deep knowledge and piety from
having spent so many years with Muhammad, and on account of so many indications
that Muhammad gave that Abu Bakr is the right successor. Examples of these
include Muhammad specifically designating Abu Bakr to lead the Muslims in
prayer in his last days when he was too ill to lead the prayer. Muhammad also
appointed to Abu Bakr to lead the pilgrimage to Makka. There was also a time
when a woman came to Muhammad with a question and he asked her to come back
tomorrow, she then asked "What if I do not find you", and he then
said "Go to Abu Bakr". According to Sunnis all of these show the
virtue of Abu Bakr and his being the rightful successor.[citation needed]
After assuming the office of Caliphate Abu
Bakr's first address was as follow:
I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If
I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth
is loyalty and disregard for truth is treachery. The weak amongst you shall be
strong with me until I have secured his rights, if God wills; and the strong
amongst you shall be weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights of
others, if God wills. Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger. But if I
disobey God and His Messenger, ye owe me no obedience. Arise for your prayer,
God have mercy upon you.
Abu Bakr's Caliphate lasted for 27 months, during which he crushed the
rebellion of the Arab tribes throughout Arabia in the
successful campaign
against Apostasy. In the last months of his rule, he launched
campaigns against the Sassanid Empire and
the Eastern
Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and thus set in motion a
historical trajectory[54] (continued
later on by Umar andUthman) that in just
a few short decades would lead to one of the largest empires in history. He had little time to pay
attention to the administration of state, though state affairs remained stable
during his Caliphate. On the advice of Umar and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah he
agreed to have a salary from state treasury and abolish his cloth trade.
Main article: Ridda
Wars
Map detailing the sites
of Major battles fought during ridda wars.
Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, threatening the unity
and stability of the new community and state. Several Arabic tribes revolted
against Abu Bakr. In four of the six centres of the insurrection, the rebels
rallied around people who claimed to be prophets, the most prominent among
these was Musaylimah.
The tribes claimed that they had submitted to Muhammad only, and that with
Muhammad's death, their allegiance had ended. This was common practice in
pre-Islamic Arabia. After the death of a tribal leader the alliance with the
tribe of that leader was regarded as having ended.[57] Thus
several tribes acted in accordance to this pre-Islamic practice and refused to
pay Zakat. Abu Bakr,
however, insisted that they had not just submitted to a simple human leader but
joined the Muslim religious community, of which he was the new head. So, in
contrast to pre-Islamic times, their allegiance was not seen as having ended at
all.
This was the start of the Ridda wars (Arabic for the
Wars of Apostasy). The apostasy of central Arabia was led by self-proclaimed
prophet Musaylimah of in al-Yamama,
while the other centers were to the south and east in Bahrain, Oman, Mahra region and Yemen.[54] Abu
Bakr planned his strategy accordingly and formed the Muslim army into 11 corps. The strongest corps, and this was the
main punch of the Muslim army, was that of Khalid
ibn al-Walid and was used to fight the most powerful of the
rebel forces. Other corps were given areas of secondary importance in which to
bring the less dangerous apostate tribes. Abu Bakr's plan was first to clear
the area of west and central Arabia (the area nearest Medina), then
tackle Malik
ibn Nuwayrah, and finally concentrate against the most dangerous
enemy Musaylimah. After series of successful campaigns, Khalid ibn al-Walid
finally defeated Musaylimah and his tribe, the Banu Hanifa, in theBattle of Yamama.[58] The
Campaign of the Apostasy was fought and completed during the eleventh year
after Hijra.
The year 12 Hijri dawned, on 18 March 633, with Arabia united under the central
authority of the Caliph at Medina.
This phenomenon was later regarded as primarily a religious movement by
Arabic historians. However, the early sources indicate that in reality it was
mainly political.[59][60] After
all, the revolting Arabs only refused to pay Zakat (Charity), but they did not refuse
to perform the salah.[60] This
however is disputed and explained by Muslim scholars in that the dictation of
Zakat was one of the Five pillars of Islam and its denial or withholding is an
act of denial of a cornerstone of faith, and is therefore an act of
apostasy. Bernard
Lewis states that the fact that Islamic Historians have
regarded this as a primarily religious movement was due to a later
interpretation of events in terms of a theological world-view.[57] The
opponents of the Muslim armies were not only apostates, but also – if not most
of them – tribes which were largely or even completely independent from the
Muslim community.[60] However,
these revolts also had a religious aspect: Medina had become the centre of a social
and political system, of which religion was an integral part; consequently it
was inevitable that any reaction against this system should have a religious
aspect.[61]
Main article: Origin and development of the Qur'an
According to Sunni
Islam, Abu Bakr was instrumental in preserving the Qur'an in written
form. It is said that after the hard-won victory over Musaylimah in the Battle
of Yamama fought in 632, Umar (the later Caliph Umar), saw
that many of the Muslims who had memorized the Qur'an had died
in battle. Fearing that the Qur'an may be lost or corrupted, Umar requested the
Caliph Abu Bakr to authorize the compilation and preservation of the Book in
written format. After initial hesitation, Abu Bakr made a committee headed
by Zayd
ibn Thabit which included the memorizers of the Qur'an and Umar
and to collect all verses of the Book. After collecting all Qur'anic verses
from texts in the possession of various sahaba, Zayd ibn Thabit and
members of his committee verified the reading by comparing with those who had
memorized the Qur'an. After they were satisfied that they had not missed out
any verse or made any mistakes in reading or writing it down, the text was
written down as one single manuscript and presented in a book form to the
Caliph Abu Bakr. It is believed that this process happened within one year of
the death of Muhammad when most of his sahaba (companions) were still alive.
Prior to his death, Abu Bakr gave this authorized copy of the Qur'an to
Umar – his successor. It remained with him throughout his tenure as Caliph (10
years). Prior to his death, Umar gave this Book to his daughter Hafsa bint Umar, who
was one of the wives of Muhammad. Umar did not nominate his successor on his
deathbed, and thus preferred to leave this copy with Hafsa so as not to
indicate his personal preference of who would be the next caliph. Later on, it
became the basis of Uthman
Ibn Affan's definitive text of the Qur'an which was
published far and wide merely 18 years after the death of Muhammad. Later
historians give Uthman Ibn Affan the principal credit for re-verification and
publishing the Qur'an. Shi'as reject the idea that Abu Bakr or Umar
were instrumental in the collection or preservation of the Qur'an.[62]
Once the rebellions had been put down, Abu Bakr began a war of conquest.
Whether or not he intended a full-out imperial conquest is hard to say; he did,
however, set in motion a historical trajectory that in just a few short decades
would lead to one of the largest empires in history. Abu Bakr began with Iraq, the richest province of the Persian
Empire. He sent his most brilliant general Khalid ibn al-Walid to invade
the Sassanid
Empire.
Further information: Islamic conquest of Persia
Map detailing the route
of Khalid ibn Walid's conquest of Iraq.
Abu Bakr was strong enough to attack the Persian Empire in the north-east
and the Byzantine Empire in the north-west. There were three purposes for this
conquest: 1. Along the borders between Arabia and these two great empires were
numerous Arab tribes leading a nomadic life and forming a buffer-like state
between the Persians and Romans. Abu Bakr hoped that these tribes might accept
Islam and help their brethren in spreading it. 2. The Persian and Roman
taxation laws were arbitrary and oppressive; Abu Bakr believed that they might
be persuaded to help the Muslims, who sought to release them from injustice. 3.
Two gigantic empires surrounded Arabia, and it was unsafe to remain passive
with these two powers on its borders. Abu Bakr hoped that by attacking Iraq and
Syria he might remove the danger from the borders of the Islamic State.[63] A
tribal chief of north eastern Arabia, Muthanna ibn Harithah, raided the Persian
towns in Iraq. With the success of the raids, a considerable amount of booty
was collected. Muthanna ibn Harithah went to Medina to inform Caliph Abu Bakr
about his success and was appointed commander of his people, after which he
began to raid deeper into Iraq. Using the mobility of his light cavalry he
could easily raid any town near the desert and within moments could disappear
again in to the desert, into which theSassanid army was
unable to chase them. Muthanna’s acts made Abu Bakr think about the expansion
of the Rashidun
Empire.[64]
Abu Bakr started with the invasion of Iraq. The problems faced by Abu Bakr
were that the Arabs feared the
Persians with a deep, unreasoning fear which ran in the tribal consciousness as
a racial complex and was the result of centuries of Persian power and glory. In
return the Persian regarded the Arab with contempt. It was important not to
suffer a defeat, for that would confirm and strengthen this instinctive fear.
To make certain of victory, Abu Bakr decided on two measures; that the invading
army would consist entirely of volunteers; and he put in command of the army
his best general Khalid ibn al-Walid. After defeating the self-proclaimed
prophet Musaylimah in the Battle of Yamama, Khalid was still at Al-Yamama when
Abu Bakr sent him orders to invade the Sassanid Empire. Making Al-Hirah the
objective of Khalid, Abu Bakr sent reinforcements and ordered the tribal chiefs
of north eastern Arabia, Muthanna ibn Harithah, Mazhur bin Adi, Harmala and
Sulma to operate under the command of Khalid along with their men. In about
third week of March 633 (first week of Muharram 12th
Hijrah) Khalid set out from Al-Yamama with an army of 10,000.[64] The
tribal chiefs, with 2,000 warriors each, joined Khalid; Thus Khalid entered the
Persian Empire with 18,000 troops.
After entering Iraq with his
army of 18,000, Khalid won decisive victories in four consecutive
battles: Battle
of Chains, fought in April 633; Battle of River,
fought in the 3rd week of April 633; Battle of Walaja,
fought in May 633 (where he successfully used a double envelopment manoeuvre),
and Battle
of Ullais, fought in the mid of May 633. By now the Persian court
already disturbed by the internal problems, was down and out. In the last week
of May 633, Hira capital
city of Iraq fell to the Muslims after resistance in the Siege of Hira. After
resting his armies, in June 633 Khalid laid siege of Al Anbar, which
resisted and was eventually surrendered after a siege of a few weeks in July
633 after the Siege
of Al-Anbar.
Khalid then moved towards the south, and conquered the city of Ein ul Tamr
after the Battle of Ein ut Tamr in the last week of July
633. By now, almost the whole of Iraq (Euphrates region) was under Islamic
control. Khalid got a call of help from northern Arabia at Daumat-ul-Jandal,
where another Muslim Arab general, Ayaz bin Ghanam, was trapped among the rebel
tribes. Khalid went to Daumat-ul-jandal and defeated the rebels in the Battle of Daumat-ul-jandal in the last week of
August 633. Returning from Arabia, he got news of the assembling of a large
Persian army. He decided to defeat them all separately to avoid the risk of
defeat to a large unified Persian army. Four divisions of Persian and Christian Arab
auxiliaries were present at Hanafiz, Zumiel, Sanni and Muzieh. Khalid devised a
brilliant plan to destroy the Persian forces. He divided his army in three
units, and attacked the Persian forces in brilliantly coordinated attacks from
three different sides at night, starting from the Battle of Muzieh,
then the Battle
of Sanni, and finally the Battle of Zumail during
November 633. These devastating defeats ended Persian control over Iraq, and
left the Persian capital Ctesiphon unguarded
and vulnerable for Muslims attack, before attacking the Persian Capital Khalid
decided to eliminate all Persian forces from south and west, he accordingly
marched against the border city of Firaz, where he defeated the combined forces
of the Sassanid
Persians, Byzantine Romans and
Christian Arabs in the Battle of Firaz in
December 633. This was the last battle in his conquest of Iraq. While Khalid was
on his way to attack Qadissiyah, a key fort in the way to Persian Capital
Ctesiphon, he received the letter of Caliph Abu Bakr and was sent to Roman
front in Syria to assume the command of Muslim armies to conquer Roman Syria.[65]
Further information: Muslim conquest of Syria
Map detailing Rashidun
Caliphates invasion of Levant.
With a successful invasion of Sassanid Persian province of Iraq, Abu Bakr’s
confidence grew. He concentrated four large corps at Zhu Qissah and sent them
to Roman Syria. Each corps was assigned its own commander and its own target.
The leaders of the different corps received intelligence of a concentration of
large Byzantine armies at Ajnadayn while on the march. The army stopped its
advance and the leaders wrote to Abu Bakr for help. Since the Muslim position
in Iraq was stable by now, the Caliph accordingly wrote to Khalid to take half
of his forces of Iraq to Syria and to assume command of all Muslim armies in
Byzantine Syria. The Byzantine province of Syria in those days consisted of
modern day Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and
southern Turkey. There were
two routes towards Syria from Iraq, one was via Daumat-ul-Jandal and the other
was through Mesopotamia passing though Ar Raqqah. Since it
was believed that the Muslim armies in Syria were in need of urgent
reinforcement, Khalid avoided the conventional route to Syria via Daumat ul
Jandal because it was a long route and would take weeks to reach Syria. He also
did not take the Mesopotamian route because Roman garrisons held northern Syria
and northern Mesopotamia. A conflict with these Roman forces would have forced
Khalid to spend too much time while Muslim armies were being outflanked in
Syria. Khalid selected, instead, a short and unconventional route to Syria,
passing though the Syrian
Desert. Although probably hyperbole, some sources state that his
soldiers marched for two days without a single drop of water before reaching an
oasis that Khalid had selected in advance. Khalid thus entered Northern Syria
at a point where he was least expected, catching the Byzantine forces on their
right flank. More recent historians have suggested that this surprises attack
unhinged the Byzantine defenses in Syria.
Khalid entered Syria in June 634 and quickly captured the border forts of
Map detailing the route
of Khalid ibn Walid's invasion of Syria.
Here Khalid took over the command of Muslim armies in Syria from Abu Ubaidah, as per the instructions of Caliph. The massive Byzantine armies were concentrating at Ajnadayn to push the invading armies back to desert. Early Muslim sources have mentioned its size to be 90,000, while most of the modern historians doubt the figures, but consider this battle to be the key to breaking the Byzantine power in Syria. According to the instructions of Khalid all Muslim corps concentrated at Ajnadayn, where they fought a decisive battle against Byzantine on 30 July 634. Defeat at the Battle of Ajnadayn, left Syria vulnerable to the Muslim invaders. Khalid decided to capture Damascus, the Byzantine stronghold. At Damascus Thomas, son in law of Emperor Heraculis, was in charge. Receiving the intelligence of Khalid's march towards Damascus he prepared for the defences of Damascus. He wrote to Emperor Heraculis for reinforcement, who was at Emesa that time. Moreover Thomas, in order to get more time for preparation of a siege, sent the armies to delay or if possible halt Khalid's march to Damascus, one such army was defeated at Battle of Yaqusa in mid-August 634 near Lake Tiberias 90 miles from Damascus, another army that halted the Muslim advance to Damascus was defeated in Battle of Maraj as Saffer on 19 August 634. These engagements delayed Khalid’s advance and gave Thomas enough time to prepare for siege. Meanwhile Heraculis's reinforcement had reached the city, which he had dispatched after the bad news of Ajnadyn. Before Heraculis's another regiment could reach Damascus, Khalid had finally reached Damascus. Khalid reached Damascus on 20 August and besieged the city. To isolate the city from rest of the region, Khalid placed the detachments south on the road to Palestine and in north at Damascus-Emesa route, and several other smaller detachments on routes towards Damascus. Heraculis's reinforcement was intercepted and routed at the Battle of Sanita-al-Uqab, 20 miles from Damascus. Khalid's forces withstood three Roman sallies that tried to break the siege. Khalid finally attacked and conquered Damascus on 18 September 634 after a 30-day siege. According to some sources the siege lasted for four or six months. Heraculis, having received the news of the fall of Damascus, left for Antioch from Emesa. The citizens were given peace on the terms of annual tribute; the Byzantine army was given a three-day peace to go as far as they could. After the three-day deadline was over, the Muslim cavalry under Khalid's command attacked the Roman army, catching up to them using an unknown shortcut, at the Battle of Maraj-al-Debaj, 190 miles north of Damascus. Abu Bakr died during the siege of Damascus and Umar became the new Caliph. He dismissed his cousin Khalid ibn al-Walid from the command and appointed Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah the new commander in chief of Islamic army in Syria. Abu Ubaidah got the letter of his appointment and Khalid's disposal during the siege, but he delayed the announcement until the city was conquered.
On 23 August 634, Abu Bakr fell sick and did not recover due to his old
age. There are two accounts about the sickness of Abu Bakr. One account states
that 8 August 634 was a cold day and when Abu Bakr took a bath, he caught a
chill. Another account indicates that, about a year before, along with some
other companions, Harith bin Kaladah and Attab bin Usaid, he had eaten some
poisoned food which did not affect him for a year.
Abu Bakr developed high fever and
was confined to bed. His illness was prolonged and when his condition worsened
he felt that his end was near. Realizing his death was near, he sent for Ali
and requested him to perform his ghusl since Ali had also done it for
Muhammad.
Abu Bakr felt that he should nominate his successor so that the issue
should not be a cause of dissension among the Muslims after his death, though
there was already controversy over Ali not having been appointed.[66]
He appointed Umar as his successor after discussing with some companions.
Some of them favored the nomination and others disliked it, due to the tough
nature of Umar.
Abu Bakr thus dictated his last testament to Uthman Ibn Affan as
follows:
In the name of Most Merciful God. This is the last will and testament of
Abu Bakr bin Abu Quhafa, when he is in the last hour of the world, and the
first of the next; an hour in which the infidel must believe, the wicked be
convinced of their evil ways, I nominate Umar bin al Khattab as my successor.
Therefore, hear to him and obey him. If he acts right, confirm his actions. My
intentions are good, but I cannot see the future results. However, those who do
ill shall render themselves liable to severe account hereafter. Fare you well.
May you be ever attended by the Divine favor of blessing.[67]
Abu Bakr next asked Aisha as
to how many pieces of cloth were used for Muhammad's shroud. Aisha said that
three pieces had been used. Abu Bakr thereupon desired the same number for his
own shroud. On Monday 23 August 634 Abu Bakr died. The funeral prayer was led
by Umar. He was buried the same night by the side of Muhammad's grave in Aisha's
house near Al-Masjid al-Nabawi
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