The Turkish history book Mir’ât-i-kâinât, which is a compilation of a number of books and was prepared by
Muhammad bin Ahmad Efendi, who is also known with the sobriquet ‘Niþancýzâde’,
provides a concise and explicit account of the greatness of the Sahâba and the
superior merits each of them was gifted with. The following is an English
translation of the passages borrowed from that book. Niþancýzâde (Muhammad bin
Ahmad Efendi) was born in the hijrî year 962, and passed away in 1031 [1622
A.D.]. He completed his book in the time of Sultân Ahmad Khân I, the fourteenth
Ottoman Pâdishâh.
Who is called a Sahâbî:
According to a great majority of scholars, once a male or female Muslim has
seen Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa
sallam’ only for a short time, no matter whether he/she is a child or an adult,
he/she is called a Sahâbî with the proviso of dying with îmân (as a Believer);
the same rule applies to blind Muslims who have talked with the blessed Prophet at least once. If a disbeliever sees
the Prophet and then joins the Believers
after the demise of the Messenger of Allah, he is not a Sahâbî; nor is a person
called a Sahâbî if he deserted Islam afterwards although he had seen the
blessed Prophet as a Muslim. A person who
deserts Islam after having attained the honour of being a Sahâbî and then becomes
a Believer again after the demise of the Messenger of Allah, is a Sahâbî. Since
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa
sallam’ was a Prophet for
genies as well, a jinnî also can be a Sahâbî. Sahâbîs in the mass are called Ashâb-i-kirâm or Sahâba.
Superiorities of the Ashâb-i-kirâm: According to information given in the book Mawâhib-i-ladunniyya, the
Ashâb-i-kirâm ‘alaihim-ur-ridwân’, after prophets, and after the angels
occupying special higher positions, are the highest community of the entire
creation. Each and every Sahâbî is higher than all the rest of this Ummat
(Muslims). All the people who believe in the prophethood of Muhammad
‘alaihis-salâm’, i.e. all Muslims, regardless of their races and
nationalities and the countries they live in, are the Ummat of Muhammad
‘alaihis-salâm’. We, Muslims, are the Ummat of Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’.
Despite the hadîth-i-sherîf which states, “My Ummat are auspicious like rain. It cannot be known which
Muslims
are more auspicious, the earlier ones, or the later ones,”
advantageous positions attained on account of the amount of thawâb earned are
not indications of superiority. Indeed, no other superiority can equal a
superiority gained by having seen Rasûlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’. When the Ashâb-i-kirâm ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anhum ajma’în’ conquered Damascus, the Damascene Christians observed their
graceful manners and attitudes with profound admiration and swore that the new
comers were superior to the Hawârîs, i.e. the Apostles of Îsâ (Jesus) ‘alaihis-salâm’.
Who on earth could ever argue against a superiority witnessed (and
acknowledged) even bythe enemy? The hundred and tenth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra
purports: “Ye are the best of Ummats, ...”
And the hundredth âyat of Tawba sûra purports: “The
vanguard (of Islam) –The first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those
who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in all good deeds,–
Well-pleased is Allâhu ta’âlâ
with them, as they are with Him: For them hath He prepared
Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever: That is the supreme
Felicity.”
It is stated as follows in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Do not vituperate against my Sahâba! If a Muslim belonging to the
generations that will come after my Sahâba dispenses a mountain of gold in the
name of alms, he will not attain thawâb half as much as the thawâb which one of
my Sahâba would attain by giving a handful of barley.” A hadîth-i-sherîf quoted by Munâwî and Bayhakî reads as follows: “My Sahâba are like the stars in the sky. If you follow any one of
them you will attain hidâyat.” It is stated in
another hadîth-i-sherîf: “Avoid being hostile towards my Sahâba! Fear Allah. He who loves
them does so because he loves me. He who is hostile to them is so because he is
my enemy. He who hurts them will have hurt me. And to hurt me certainly means
to hurt Allâhu ta’âlâ.” It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “The best of peoples are the Muslims who live in my time. Those who
see them are the next best after them. And the third best people are those who
see the people who have seen them. There will also be people not good at all
among the generations that will come after them.” Another hadîth-i-sherîf reads as follows: “Muslims
contemporary with me are the best among my Ummat. The
next best people are those who will come after them. And those who
will come after them are the third best.” It is stated in
another hadîth-i-sherîf, which is quoted
by Munâwî and Tirmuzî: “The fire of Hell will not burn
a Muslim who has seen me or one who has seen a Muslim who has seen me.” These âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs clearly state the superiority of the Ashâb-i-kirâm ‘radiy-Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în’.
We must hold all the Ashâb-i-kirâm ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anhum ajma’în’ in high esteem and love them all. As is unanimously stated in
books of aqâid (credal matters), “It is necessary to know all the Ashâb-i-kirâm
as great and superior people, to have a good opinion of them, and to believe
that they were true and pious Muslims. We should not criticize or curse any one
of them; we should never feel inimical towards any one of them; and we should
avoid the ambivalence of loving some of them while feeling animosity against
other Sahâbîs. We should avoid the absurd expectation that we will have loved
some of them by being inimical towards others or by maligning or cursing them.
The facts we have stated have been corroborated by definitely authentic
documents and substantiated proofs.
It is not sinful to feel more sympathy for a certain
Sahâbî, on account of his worldly accomplishments, than for another Sahâbî who
you know is higher, although you believe certainly that the latter is higher.
For instance, if one of the descendants of Hadrat Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anh’, e.g. a Sayyid, loves Hadrat Alî, his ancestor, more than he loves Hadrat
Abû Bakr although he holds Hadrat Abû Bakr in higher esteem than Hadrat Alî in
matters pertaining to the Hereafter, he is not sinful for his emotional
predilection. For, worldly sympathy is not something within a person’s will.
Sa’duddîn Teftâzânî makes the following explanation in Sharh-i-Aqâid, one of the basic books of the Ahl
as-Sunnat: “We have to believe in the fact that the differences and wars among
the Sahâba were based on benevolent reasons. It is not permissible to curse or
blame any one of the Ashâb-i-kirâm. And it is kufr to malign a Sahâbî who is
praised in the Nass (âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs with clear meanings); Hadrat Âisha is
one of the Sahâbîs in that category. If a Sahâbî is not individually praised in
the Nass, it is an act of heresy and
a
grave sin to malign him.” It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf
written in the book Mawâhib-i-ladunniyya:
“Hold your tongue when my Sahâba are mentioned! Do
not say something that may be blasphemy against their honour!” It is
stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person vituperates against one of my Sahâba, beat him!”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf, quoted by Tabarânî and
Munâwî, reads as follows: “A person who curses a prophet is to be killed, and
a person who curses my Sahâba is to be beaten.” It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf quoted in the book Jâmi’us-saghîr, by Hadrat Jelâladdîn Suyûtî: “My Sahâba will have faults and mistakes. Allâhu ta’âlâ will forgive
them their faults.” It is stated in the book Khulâsat-ul-fatâwâ: “It
is an act of disbelief to curse Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar. Yet it is
heresy and aberration, not disbelief, to believe that Hadrat Alî was higher
than they were.” When Hadrat Imâm a’zam Abû Hanîfe was asked what the Madhhab
of Ahl as-Sunnat wa’l-jamâ’at was, he
replied: “It is to believe in the superiority of Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat
’Umar, to love the two sons-in-law of Rasûlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’, to make masah on the two mests on your feet,
during the performance of ablution,[1]
and to perform namâz behind any Muslim, regardless of whether he is good or
bad.” According to information given in the book Âdâb-ul-menâzil,
it is not an act of disbelief to curse a certain Sahâbî only once; it is an act
of aberration. A person who commits the act of cursing once or twice or three
times is chastised with flogging. He who commits the act more than three times
is to be killed.
Scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat group the Ashâb-i-kirâm
‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în’ in three categories in respect of
superiority.
1– Muhâjirîn (Migrators): Those who left their homes and countries, in Mekka
or elsewhere, and migrated to Medîna, before the conquest of Mekka. Those
people embraced Islam either before or after joining Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa
sallam’ (in Medîna). Hadrat ’Amr ibn al-’Âs was one of them.
2– Ansâr (Helpers, Supporters): Muslims who lived in the
---------------------------------
[1] There is detailed information on how to
make masah on the pair of mests as you make ablution in the third chapter of
the fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss. Please see the list at the end of
this book.
city of Medîna or in places near the blessed city, as well as
those who belonged to the two tribes called Aws and Hazraj, are called Ansâr
‘ridwânullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în’. Indeed, those people promised all sorts
of help and sacrifice for the sake of our master Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’, and they did keep their
promises.
3– The other Sahâbîs ‘ridwânullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în’: They are the people who
became Believers upon the conquest of Mekka or afterwards in Mekka or
elsewhere. They are not called Muhâjirîn or Ansâr. They are only called
Sahâbîs. According to an observation in the book entitled Jâmi’, by ibn Esîr Izzaddîn Alî Jazrî, the
Muhâjirîn are higher than the Ansâr, the earlier ones of the Muhâjirîn are
higher than those Ansâr who embraced Islam later, the earlier ones of the Ansâr
are higher than the later ones of the Muhâjirîn, and yet there is many a later
Sahâbî higher than many another Sahâbî who embraced Islam earlier. For
instance, Hadrat ’Umar and Bilâl Habashî are higher than a number of other
Sahâbîs who joined the Believers earlier. Imâm Suyûtî states as follows in the
book entitled Târîh-ul-Khulafâ: As is unanimously stated by scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat, the
(earliest) four Khalîfas of the Messenger of Allah are the highest ones of the
Ashâb-i-kirâm. The next highest Sahâbîs are the remaining six of the ten
fortunate people who were blessed with the Glad Tidings of Paradise, and also
Hadrat Hasan and Hadrat Husayn. The highest Sahâbîs next after them are the
three hundred and thirteen (313) Sahâbîs who, together with these twelve
(highest) Sahâbîs, joined the Holy War of Badr. The next highest Sahâbîs are
the seven hundred (700) heroes who fought in the Holy War of Uhud. The next
highest Sahâbîs are the fourteen hundred (1400) people who promised the
Messenger of Allah, under a tree, saying, “We will rather die than go back,” in
the sixth year of the Hijrat. The well-known covenant is called Bî’at ur-Ridwân.
It is stated as follows in a hadîth-i-sherîf
quoted in the book of tafsîr entitled Bahr-ul-’ulûm:
“Abû Bakr is the most compassionate Muslim in this Ummat.
’Umar has the rigidest religious perseverance. ’Uthmân has the most hayâ (sense
of shame). Alî is the one who answers every
question in the Sharî’at. Mu’âdh is the one who is most knowledgeable in halâls
and harâms. Abiyy bin Kâ’b is the
best reader (or reciter) of the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Huzayfa-t-ibn
Yemân is the one who recognizes the hypocrites. He who wants to see Îsâ’s
‘alaihis-salâm’ zuhd should look at the zuhd Abû Zer has! Paradise is in love
with Salmân-i-Fârisî. Khâlid bin Walîd is the sword of Allah. Hamza is the lion
of Allah. Hasan and Husayn are the highest ones of the young people of
Paradise. Ja’far bin Abî Tâlib will be flying with the angels in Paradise.
Bilâl will be the first to open the gate of Paradise. Suhayb-i-Rûmî will be the
first to drink from my pond Kawthar. On the Rising Day, Abû-d-Derdâ will be the
first person with whom angels will shake hands. Every prophet has a friend. Sa’d bin Mu’âdh is my
friend. There are people whom every prophet chooses from among his Ummat. Talha and Zubayr are the ones I have
chosen. Every prophet has an assistant who performs his private chores. Enes bin Mâlik
is my assistant. There are hakîms in every Ummat. Abû Hurayra is the one of my
Ummat who utters the most hikmat. Hassân bin Thâbit’s speech has been endowed
with a powerful effect by Allah. The voice of Abû Talha in the battlefield is
stronger than that of a division of soldiers.” Alâuddîn Alî
Samarkandî, the author of the book Bahr-ul-’ulûm,
passed away in the Anatolian city Lârende in the year 860.
Hadrat Imâm Suyûtî quotes the following hadîth-i-sherîf in the book Târîh-ul-Khulafâ (History of the
Khalîfas): “Abû Bakr is the most compassionate one
of my Ummat. ’Umar is the most austere one in performing the commandments of
Allâhu ta’âlâ. ’Uthmân has the most hayâ (sense of
shame). Alî is the best in solving the difficulties in the
Sharî’at. Abû ’Ubayda bin Jerrâh is the most trustworthy one of my Ummat. Abû
Zer is the most zâhid[1] one of my Ummat. Abû-d-Derdâ is the one with the most acts of
worship. Mu’âwiya bin Abî Sufyân is the most clement and the most generous one
of my Ummat.”
Rasûlullah’s governors:
The following information is provided in the book Hamis,
---------------------------------
[1] Person with much zuhd, which in turn means
to abstain from most of the mubâhs (Islam’s permissions) for the fear that they
may be harâm (forbidden by Islam).
which was written in 940 by Qâdî Husayn of Diyar-i-Bakr: Bâzân,
who had been appointed governor of Yemen by the Persian Shâh Husraw, joined the
Believers. The Rasûl (Messenger) ‘alaihis-salâm’ let him retain his position.
Hence, Bâzân was the first Muslim governor. The Rasûl ‘alaihis-salâm’ appointed
Khâlid bin Sa’îd to the city of San’a (in Yemen); Ziyâd bin Esed to the city of
Hadremût; Abû Mûsa-l-Esh’ârî to the city of Aden; Abû Sufyân bin Harb to the
province of Nejrân; Yazîd, who was Mu’âwiya’s elder brother, to the city of
Teymâ; Attâb bin Esyed to the city of Mekka; and ’Amr bin ’Âs to the city of
Ammân, (in Jordan). Qâdî Husayn bin Muhammad passed away in Mekka in 960.
Rasûlullah’s
secretaries:
Hadrat Abû Bakr; ’Umar; ’Uthmân; Alî; Talha; Zubayr; Sa’d
bin Abî Waqqâs; Muhammad bin Salama; Erqam bin Abî Erqam; Abdullah bin Erqam;
Mughîra bin Shu’ba; Abiyy bin Kâ’b; Zayd bin Thâbit; Abû Sufyân bin Harb, and
also his son Mu’âwiya, and also Mu’âwiya’s elder brother Yazîd bin
Abî-s-Sufyân; Khâlid bin Walîd; ’Amr ibn ’Âs; and Huzayfa bin Yemân were a few
of them. He had other secretaries as well. Their total number is forty-three.
Zayd bin Abî-th-Thâbit and Mu’âwiya bin Abî-s-Sufyân were the longest in office
‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’.
He sent abroad fourteen diplomatic agents. Hadrat ’Amr bin
’Âs was one of them. The blessed Messenger sent him as an ambassador to Ammân,
afterwards appointing him governor of Ammân.
The book Istî’âb consists of
two thousand and seven hundred and seventy biographies of male Sahâbîs and
three hundred and eighty-one biographies of female Sahâbîs. Hâfidh Yusûf bin
Muhammad bin Qurtubî, the author of the book entitled Istî’âb fî ma’rifat-il-Ashâb, passed away in 463
[1071 A.D.]. According to an observation in the book entitled Mawâhib-i-ladunniyya, an untold number of people
had already embraced Islam by the time Rasûlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ passed away. There were ten thousand Sahâbîs by
the time Mekka was conquered, seventy thousand Sahâbîs during the Holy War of
Tabuk, and ninety thousand during the blessed Messenger’s Farewell Hajj. The
earth enjoyed carrying on its shoulders more than one hundred and
twenty
thousand living Sahâbîs by the time the Sultân of Creation honoured the
Hereafter with his blessed presence.
With the exception of a few of Rasûlullah’s ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’
kinsfolk, all the Ashâb-i-kirâm of the Messenger of Allah ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anhum ajma’în’ were junior to him in age.
According to information which the book entitled Fawâyikh-i-Miskiyya presents on the
authority of Imâm Wâqidî, the following blessed Sahâbîs outlived all the
others:
Abdullah bin Abî Awfâ ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ passed
away in the city of Kûfa in the eighty-sixth year of the Hegira.
Abdullah bin Yesr passed away in Damascus in the
eighty-eighth year (of the Hegira).
Sahl bin Sa’d ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ passed away in
Medîna in the ninety-first year of the Hegira, when he was a hundred years old.
Enes bin Mâlik passed away in Basra in the ninety-third
year.
Abû-t-tufayl Âmir bin Wâsila passed away in Mekka in the
hundredth year of the Hegira.
He was the last blessed Sahâbî to pass away.
The blessed Messenger never told anyone clearly who was to succeed him
as Khalîfa. By appointing Hadrat Abû Bakr as imâm (to conduct the prayers of
namâz in jamâ’at) for his place eight days before his demise, he implied Hadrat
Abû Bakr’s future caliphate. It was a considerably long time before Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ became ill,
when one day he stayed home instead of going out to the mosque (to conduct the
namâz in jamâ’at), sending his blessed Sahâba the message that he wished them
to perform the namâz (without him as their imâm). Because Hadrat Abû Bakr was
absent, Hadrat ’Umar assumed the duty as imâm. When the blessed Messenger heard
Hadrat ’Umar’s voice, he stated: “No. No. Allâhu ta’âlâ and Muslims
approve of Abû Bakr. Let Abû Bakr conduct namâz!” At another time he
said to Hadrat Alî: “I asked of Allâhu ta’âlâ three times
that you be the highest of my Sahâba. Allâhu
ta’âlâ approved that Abû Bakr be the highest.”
On various occasions Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu
’alaihi wa sallam’ implied that after him Hadrat Abû Bakr would be (the first)
Khalîfa. For instance, during the construction of (the
mosque
called) Mesjîd-i-sherîf after the blessed migration to Medîna, the Best of
Mankind placed a stone for the foundation with his blessed hand and said to
Hadrat Abû Bakr to get a stone and place it next to his. Then he asked Hadrat
’Umar to put another stone next to Hadrat Abû Bakr’s stone. Then he ordered
Hadrat ’Uthmân to put another stone near the one which Hadrat ’Umar had placed.
When Hadrat ’Uthmân put his stone next to Hadrat ’Umar’s stone, the blessed Prophet stated, “These
people are my Khalîfas after me.” It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf quoted in Imâm Ahmad’s Musnad and in
Munâwî’s book Kunûz-ud-deqâiq: “After me, pay homage to these two people: Abû Bakr and
’Umar.” One day a woman came with a request. The blessed Messenger
told her to come back later. When the woman asked him what she was to do in
case she did not find him there when she came back, the Prophet said: “If you cannot find me go
to Abû Bakr! He is my Khalîfa after me.” Towards his demise he
ordered: “Fetch me some paper and a pen! I shall
write something for Abû Bakr.” Then he stated: “Allâhu ta’âlâ and Muslims are pleased with Abû Bakr.”
Allâma ibn-ul-Hemmâm provides the following explanation in his book entitled Musâyara: Allâhu ta’âlâ had
imparted to His blessed Messenger ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam’ that
Hadrat Abû Bakr would be (the first) Khalîfa. Yet He had not ordered him to
tell his Ummat (Muslims) about it.
Hadrat Abû Bakr was born two years and a couple of months after the
Messenger of Allah. His father’s name was Abû Quhâfa ’Uthmân. His ancestral
chain converges with that of the Messenger of Allah on the seventh father
backwards. Formerly, his name was Abdulkâ’ba. The blessed Messenger
‘alaihis-salâm’ changed it to ‘Abdullah’. ‘Abû Bakr’ means ‘Bakr’s father’. He
did not have a son named Bakr. However, it was customary in Arabia to prefix
the surname (‘Abû’, which means) ‘Father of a son’ to a male baby’s name so
that he should have a son (when he grew up). Therefore his father had named him
Abû Bakr. He was also called Atîq, which
means ‘emancipated (man)’, on account of the various hadîth-i-sherîfs
containing the Glad Tidings that he had been emancipated from Hell. Another
sobriquet he had had the honour of being called was Siddîq,
which Allâhu ta’âlâ had conferred on him upon
his instant affirmation of Rasûlullah’s (ascent
to heaven called)
Mi’râj.
He was a white-complexioned, luminous-faced and slim person. Even before
embracing Islam, he was among the eminent, notable, distinguished and
authoritative disbelievers of Qoureish. It was in those days of nescience yet
when he was renowned for his exceptional chastity, dignity and integrity. Nor
had he ever tasted wine or recited poetry. He was one of the prominent and
wealthiest merchants of Mekka. He had an intrinsic disposition to goodness and
a singular taste of charity. Long before the advent of Islam, he and the
Messenger of Allah had shared the sincere and compassionate feelings of an
intimate friendship in their early youth. So heartfelt and so pure was the
affection that the two adolescents had had for each other. Many a soothsayer
and religious scholar he had met during his trade expeditions would tell him
that a latest-time Prophet would come and that
he would be one of his Sahâbîs. As soon as the Messenger of Allah called him to
Islam, he became a Believer willingly. His mother Umm-ul-khayr was one of the
earliest Believers. However, his father ’Uthmân was very old when he embraced
Islam upon the conquest of Mekka. Abû Bakr was the only Sahâbî whose parents,
children and grandchildren, all of them, embraced Islam; there was none else.
In Mekka, during the Hegira, in Medîna, in all the Holy Wars as well
as in peace-time, he would never leave the Messenger of Allah alone. He was Rasûlullah’s faithful companion, confident, and
counsellor in all matters. The hadîth-i-sherîf,
“Allâhu ta’âlâ has supported me with four viziers.
Two of them are angels. Their names are Jebrâ’îl and Mikâil. And two of them
are human. Their names are Abû Bakr and ’Umar,” indicates his high
honour. The Ashâb-i-kirâm would make a ring around the Messenger of Allah when
they sat in his presence. The blessed Messenger would have Abû Bakr seated on
his right-hand side, with ’Umar seated on the Prophet’s
left. He would never let anyone occupy a seat prior to that of Abû Bakr or take
his seat in his absence. His seat would be vacant when he was absent. In moral
and habitual aesthetics, in valour, in generosity, in knowledge, in
intelligence, and particularly in taqwâ (fear of Allah, abstinence from His
prohibitions), he was superior par excellence to all the other Sahâbîs. “Abû
Bakr is the bravest of us all,” was Hadrat Alî’s acknowledgement. When the
Messenger of Allah passed
away,
most of the Arabian peasants abandoned Islam and lapsed into apostasy. When
Hadrat Abû Bakr became Khalîfa, he ordered to make war against the renegades.
The Sahâba asked how they could make war against entire Arabia. Upon this he
drew his sword and proceeded. And so did the Sahâba, behind him. The sûra of
Wa-l-layl was revealed to praise him. The blessed Messenger’s statement, “Abû Bakr’s property has been of such great benefit as no one
else’s has been to me,” is written in Imâm Ahmad’s Musnad as well as
in Munâwî. He dispensed all his earnings from trade for the sake of the
Messenger of Allah.
Whenever a canonical question arose during his caliphate,
he would look up the Qur’ân al-kerîm and the hadîth-i-sherîfs he knew for an answer. When he could not find an answer, he
would ask the Sahâba. If they could not find a hadîth-i-sherîf by which to solve the question, they would continue their
research, trying to reach a consensus in the last resort and adapting their
practices to the result of the consensus. In case they did not reach a
consensus, he (Hadrat Abû Bakr) would solve the matter with his own ijtihâd. As
for Hadrat ’Umar’s ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ policy during his caliphate;
whenever he did not find an answer for a certain question after the first stage
of his research which he would normally do by minutely scanning the Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs, he would search for an
ijtihâd which Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ might have employed for the
solution of the question. Otherwise, he would employ his own ijtihâd.
He had remarkably great intelligence. When, one day, the beloved Prophet ‘alaihis-salâm’ stated, “Allâhu ta’âlâ has told a slave of His to make a choice
between the world and the Hereafter. The slave said he would prefer the
blessings closer to his Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ),” he immediately
inferred that Rasûlullah’s demise was imminent,
and wept bitterly. That unbelievable comprehensive speed displayed by Hadrat
Abû Bakr aroused great admiration among the Sahâba. Rasûlullah
‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ had stated: “The
imâm should be one with the best knowledge of the Qur’ân al-kerîm.” When the blessed Prophet ordered Hadrat Abû Bakr to take his place and
conduct the prayers of namâz as the imâm of the jamâ’at, that prophetic
instruction connoted, incidentally, the implication that Hadrat Abû Bakr was
the best of all the Sahâba in
knowledge
of the Qur’ân al-kerîm. He was at the same time
the best-informed Sahâbî concerning hadîth-i-sherîfs
and Rasûlullah’s âdâb (beautiful manners which
Islam commends highly and which the Prophet
himself exemplified best). Whenever the Sahâba had difficulty solving a certain
canonical problem, they would ask him and he would solve the problem. The
reason for the relatively low number of the hadîth-i-sherîfs
which have been conveyed to us on his authority was his rather short life after
the Messenger of Allah, and that limited period he spent grappling with
renegades and rebels. Another area wherein he was best among the Sahâba was
interpretation of dreams. According to ibn Shîrîn, who was one of the notables
of the Tâbi’în and renowned for the accuracy of his dream interpretations,
“With the exception of the Messenger of Allah, Abû Bakr is the most superior in
interpreting dreams.” In genealogy of the Arabian tribes, especially in fixing
the names of the Qoureish ancestry, he had no rival. The best was he also in
foresight, in accurate guesswork, and in circumspection. In secular matters,
the Messenger of Allah would always consult with him. A hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “Jebrâ’îl said
to me: Allâhu ta’âlâ commands that you should consult with Abû Bakr.”
The injunction, “Consult with them in your
activities,” in the hundred and fifty-ninth âyat of ’Imrân sûra was
revealed to order consultation with Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar. Hadrat
Abû Bakr was one of the few Sahâbîs who learned the entire Qur’ân al-kerîm by heart.
There are a number of âyat-i-kerîmas and myriads of hadîth-i-sherîfs stating that Hadrat Abû Bakr was the highest of mankind, with
the exception of prophets. A few of them are:
The phrase,
“... No more than
one companion: They two were in the Cave, ...” in the
fortieth âyat of Tawba sûra, praises Hadrat Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anh’. It is unanimously stated (by Islamic scholars) that the fifth âyat of
Wa-l-layl sûra indicates the high honour of Hadrat Abû Bakr. Also, the
seventeenth âyat of the same sûra was revealed for the sake of Abû Bakr.
Another âyat-i kerîma which is said to have been revealed for Hadrat Abû Bakr
is the two hundred and seventy-fourth (274) âyat of Baqara sûra. As a matter of
fact, he gave ten thousand coins of gold secretly at night and ten thousand
openly during the day in order to attain the various blessings inherent in
giving alms. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf reported
by Daylamî and written in Munâwî: “Abû Bakr is the best and the highest of all mankind. Only, He is
not a prophet.” Another hadîth-i-sherîf reported by Daylamî and written in Munâwî reads: “Abû Bakr’s title is Atîq among the creatures of heaven. It is Atîq
on the earth as well.”
It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf reported on the authority of Abû Nu’aym ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’
and written in Munâwî: “Abû Bakr is a person whom Allâhu ta’âlâ has freed from
fire.”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf states: “Except for prophets, the sun
has not risen over a person higher than Abû Bakr.”
It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “No other person has been so useful as
Abû Bakr to me, both in terms of sohbat and in property. If I were to have a
friend other than my Rabb, (i.e. Allâhu ta’âlâ,) I would have Abû Bakr as a friend.”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “Of all my Ummat, Abû Bakr will be the
first to enter Paradise.”
It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf reported by Daylamî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ and written in Munâwî:
“It is wâjib (incumbent) upon all my Ummat to love Abû Bakr and to pay gratitude to him.”
It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf reported by Khatîb-i-Baghdâdî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ and written
in Munâwî: “On the Judgement Day, everybody shall
be judged. Only Abû Bakr shall not be judged.”
When, one day, the Messenger of Allah stated, “There are three hundred and sixty beautiful moral habits. Allâhu ta’âlâ will give one of
those beautiful moral habits to one of His slaves, if He wishes to do so. Then
He will let him go into Paradise on account of that beautiful moral habit,” Hadrat Abû Bakr asked, “Yâ Rasûlallah! Do I have one of those
beautiful moral habits?” “Yes. You have all those moral
habits,” was the blessed Prophet’s reply.
One day, the âyat-i-kerîma, “O you the nafs who is mutmainna!...” was recited completely. Hadrat Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anh’ asked: “Yâ Rasûlallah! What a beautiful thing that is!” Upon this the
Best of Mankind gave the Glad Tidings: “As you die, the
angel will say so to you.”
One day Hadrat Abû Bakr was offended by one of the Sahâba.
When the blessed Messenger ‘alaihis-salâm’ heard
about that, he convened the Ashâb-i-kirâm and admonished them: “Allâhu ta’âlâ sent me as His Messenger to you. You would not
believe me. Abû Bakr was the only one to believe me. He supported me both with
his property and with his life. For my sake, do not hurt this friend of yours!” From that day on, no one ever said or did anything to hurt
Hadrat Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’.
It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “I asked Jebrâ’îl ‘alaihis-salâm’ about
’Umar’s superior merits. Jebrâ’îl said to me: If I were to list ’Umar’s high
merits for a period of time as long as the prophethood of Nûh (Noah) ‘alaihis-salâm’, (i.e. nine hundred and fifty years,) I would not be through with them (at the end of that long period). However,
all the goodnesses which ’Umar possesses would amount to equal only one of the
goodnesses of Abû Bakr.”
When Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam’ was asked to name the
person he loved most, he uttered the name “Âisha.” When he was asked to name the man he loved most, he said: “Âisha’s father.” And when he was asked who
was the man he loved second most, he replied: “’Umar bin Khattâb.”
One day the blessed Prophet pointed to Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar and said: “These two are the highest of the people of Paradise, with the
exception of prophets.”
One day, with Abû Bakr on the Prophet’s right-hand side and ’Umar on his
left ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’, and the Prophet holding their hands with his blessed hands, they entered the
mesjîd-i-sherîf (the blessed mosque), and the blessed Prophet said: “On the Rising Day, we, three of us, shall arrive like this.”
One day, upon seeing Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar, the
Best of Mankind stated: “These two are identical with
my sight and hearing.”
One day he said to those two blessed people: “May hamd (praise and gratitude) be to Allâhu ta’âlâ, who has supported me with you two!”
In another hadîth-i-sherîf, he said to the two people: “I will not
disagree with you on anything whereon you two agree.”
He stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf which is
reported by Daylamî
‘rahimahullâhu
ta’âlâ’ and written in Munâwî: “Every prophet has a halîl (sincere
friend). And my halîl is Abû Bakr.”
It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “Among every prophet’s Ummat there are people very dearly
beloved to the prophet. Abû Bakr and ’Umar are my choice.” ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’.
The blessed Messenger stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “As I ask of my Ummat (to say and believe
in the meaning of) the phrase ‘Lâ ilâhe il-l-Allah’,
likewise, I ask of them to love Abû Bakr and ’Umar.” ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’.
In another hadîth-i-sherîf, which is reported by ibn ’Âbidîn ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ and
written in Munâwî, the Honour of Creation stated: “It is îmân (belief, Islamic faith) to love Abû Bakr and ’Umar. And enmity against them is kufr (unbelief).” On account of this hadîth-i-sherîf, all the Islamic scholars agree on that it is kufr to anathemize
Hadrat Abû Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar or to bear hostility against them; they (the
Islamic scholars) invoke Allâhu ta’âlâ’s condemnation on Shiites on account of
their inimical attitude towards the two most blessed Sahâbîs.
It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “If the îmân of Abû Bakr were to be
weighed against the total sum of the îmâns of all other people, Abû Bakr’s îmân
would prove to be heavier.” ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ
’anh’.
Hadrat Alî acknowledges: “I have found Abû Bakr ahead of
me in all the areas of goodness in which I have endeavoured to be the best.”
He, again, acknowledges: “After the Messenger of Allah, Abû Bakr and ’Umar are
the most auspicious of all people. Love of me and animosity against Abû Bakr
and ’Umar cannot coexist in a Believer’s heart.” Whenever Hadrat Alî made a
khutba he would invoke: “Yâ Rabbî! Rectify our manners (so that we may attain
Thine approval), as Thou hast done with the Khulafâ-ir-râshidîn!” When he was
asked who were the people he meant by ‘Khulafâ-ir-râshidîn’, he said, “They are
Abû Bakr and ’Umar, whom I love very much.”
Hadrat ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ would always say:
“Abû Bakr is our sayyid (master).” One day he said: “I wish I were one of the
hairs on Abû Bakr’s chest!” On another occasion he said: “I wish to see Abû
Bakr every moment in Paradise.” Another acknowledgement from Hadrat ’Umar: “I
have failed in all my emulations with Abû Bakr in all sorts of
goodness.”
Hadrat Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ was called
‘Eywâh’ on account of his great clemency and compassion.
Whenever (the angel) Jebrâ’îl ‘alaihis-salâm’ talked with
the Messenger of Allah, Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ was the only Sahâbî
to hear the angel’s voice.
The great scholar Bedreddîn Mahmûd bin Ahmad Aynî provides
the following information in his book Zayn-ul-mejâlis: Hadrat Abû Bakr as-Siddîq ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ held a pebble in
his blessed mouth for twelve years lest he should say something which Allâhu ta’âlâ would dislike, as the saying
went: “The worst disaster will come via one’s own tongue.” He would take the
pebble out whenever he meant to say something compatible with the Sharî’at and
with the Islamic manners (adab). He would fast in summertime, and not in
winter. So great was his fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ that one day he saw a bird and said to it: “O you, bird! How lucky
for you! You eat fruit and perch in the shades of leaves. You will not be
called to account on Judgement Day. I wish Abû Bakr were a bird like you!” At
another time he said, “I wish I were green grass, so that animals would eat me
and I would not be recreated and called to account on Judgement Day!”
When Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ passed away, the Ansâr came together and proposed a two-caliph system, one from among them and one from among the Muhâjirîn. Upon hearing about their proposal, Hadrat Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ made for the scene, taking Hadrat ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ along. He quoted the hadîth-i-sherîf, “Khalîfas are from the tribe of Qoureish,” to the Ansâr. And Hadrat ’Umar added: “O you Ansâr! Have you forgotten that the Messenger of Allah designated Hadrat Abû Bakr as imâm (for his place)? Which one of you could claim to be higher than Abû Bakr?” The Ansâr replied with one accord: “We consign ourselves to Allâhu ta’âlâ to protect us from professing superiority to Abû Bakr.” They unanimously voted Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ Khalîfa. Hadrat Alî and Hadrat Zubayr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’ were not present. The following day the two blessed Sahâbîs joined the others in the mosque, and thus Hadrat Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ was elected Khalîfa by a unanimous vote of all the Ashâb-i-kirâm ‘radiy-
Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în’. According to books of Tafsîr (exegesis of the Qur’ân al-kerîm), the injunction which purports,
“Tell the ones of the Arabs who turn away from thee ...,”
in Tawba sûra, implies that Hadrat Abû Bakr’s caliphate was rightly-guided.
Indeed, it is an established fact that, after the revelation of this âyat-i-kerîma, calling Muslims to Holy War against the
Pagans was after Hadrat Abû Bakr’s ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ calling to Holy
War against renegades. The âyat-i-kerîma
purports: “If you obey him Allâhu ta’âlâ will reward
you with thawâb.” If Hadrat Abû Bakr’s ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’
caliphate had been unjust, obedience to him would not have been blessed with a
promise of thawâb (rewards in the Hereafter).
According to an observation in the book entitled Mawrid-il-letâfa, by Amîr
Jemâleddîn Yûsuf Zâhirî, of all people, three persons were called ‘Khalîfa’ by
Allâhu ta’âlâ: Âdam ‘alaihis-salâm’; Dâwûd (David) ‘alaihis-salâm’; and Hadrat
Abû Bakr ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’.
Hadrat Abû Bakr appointed Hadrat ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu
ta’âlâ ’anhumâ’ hâkim (judge) and Hadrat ’Uthmân ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’
secretary. Abû Ubayda ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ was Chief of the Police
Office. He wore Rasûlullah’s ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam’ silver ring on his
finger. He did not give up trade after becoming Khalîfa. The Ashâb-i-kirâm
‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în’ would not approve of his continuing with
the business of trade, and thereupon he was entitled to receive a stipend,
which consisted of half a sheep daily; an annual income of twenty-five hundred
(2500) silver aqchas; and two sets of clothing, one in summer and one for
winter months.
This is the end of the part we have borrowed from the book
entitled Mir’ât-i-kâinât.
Allâhumma innî a’ûdhu-bika min ’azâb-il-qabri min ’azâb-in-nâr;
Wa min fitna-t-il-mahyâ wa-l-memâti wa min fitna-t-il-Mesîh-id-dejjâl.