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Election as Caliph:
The Prophet (SAW) did not appoint a successor during his life and left this to the Ummah
After his death, confusion started and everybody demanded that the Caliph should be from among them
There was a meeting at Saqifa e Banu Saida In Madina to decide on the Caliph. News of this meeting reached Hazrat Abu Bakr, who was in Masjid e Nabvi. He left with Hazrat Umar and Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah for the meeting
There were arguments between the Muhajireen and the Ansar. Each recalled the services that they had given to Islam
The Muhajirun argued that as the Prophet (SAW) had been from the Quraish, they reserved this right and people will not accept a Caliph outside the Quraish
Hazrat Khabab, an Ansar, suggested two Emirs to rule. This idea was rejected by Hazrat Umar as there would be disputes between the two Emirs and the unity of Islam would be threatened
The Ansars eventually gave up the idea of appointment of a caliph among them and they accepted a caliph from the Muhajirun
Hazrat Abu Bakr suggested Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Ubaidah as the caliph, but both refused due to Hazrat Abu Bakr's seniority
Hazrat Umar swore allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr and other Muslims soon followed such as Zaid bin Thabit
Thus Hazrat Abu Bakr assumed the title of "Khalifa tur Rasulullah" (Successor of the Messenger)
Whenever the Holy Prophet (SAW) could not lead prayers, it was done by Hazrat Abu Bakr
He was also given the title of Siddique (Testifier of Truth) by the Prophet (SAW)
Problems faced by Hazrat Abu Bakr:
Expedition to Syria
Apostacy Movement/Ridda Wars (Revolts against Islam):
Refusal to Pay Zakat
Tribes totally backed out of Islam
False Prophets
3. Compilation of The Holy Quran
4. Wars with the Persians and Romans
Expedition to Syria:
The Muslims were at threat by the Romans and the Persians
The expedition was sent to Syria, a province of the Romans
This was the continuation of the Battle of Mautah
Before the Prophet (SAW)'s death, he ordered to send an army to Syria headed by Usamah
The army couldn't leave when the Prophet (SAW) was in this world
The challenge Hazrat Abu Bakr faced was whether he should send this army to Syria or not as his companions advised him not to send this army since Hazrat Usama was an inexperienced General, and the army needed to solve internal problems
Hazrat Abu Bakr refused to accept the advice of his companions and said that he did not want to disobey the orders of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
He refused to change the command of Usamah and eventually, he left for Syria 3 weeks after the Prophet's death he came victorious after 40 days
Importance of the Expedition to Syria:
The success of Usamah had a great impact on those who thought Islam was dying out after the demise of the Holy Prophet (SAW).
It demonstrated the Unity and strength of the Muslims. Borders were secured, hostile tribes got influenced
It showed the firm attitude of Hazrat Abu Bakr
Apostacy Movement/Ridda Wars:
There were revolts against Islam. Some refused to pay Zakat, some were refusing Islam entirely
Another group of people arose as false Prophets
Tribes such as Banu Asad, Ghatafan, Abbas and Murrah refused to pay Zakat. The reason for this was because their acceptance of Islam was based on Diplomacy and they had taken Islam out of personal allegiance to the Prophet (SAW). The Arabs were also nomadic tribes. They did not want to follow the central government's rules and pay taxes. They reluctantly accepted these during the time of the Prophet (SAW)
The tribes did not want to accept Islam under Hazrat Abu Bakr's reign. They wanted to renew their terms with the Caliph such as Zakat exemption
Hazrat Abu Bakr called the meeting of Shura (Advisory Council) to seek advice
The companions advised Hazrat Abu Bakr not to take action on the tribes and just leave them for the time being.
Hazrat Abu Bakr was firm on taking strict and prompt action so that others may learn a lesson
The tribes decided to leave Islam and planned to attack Medina in the night. They got some success initially. but the Muslims under the command of Hazrat Abu Bakr repulsed them and the tribes were driven out of Medina.
When the main Muslim army returned from Syria, Hazrat Abu Bakr took its command. He proceeded towards the tribes at Abraq and defeated them
The tribes sent their delegates to Hazrat Abu Bakr. They not only agreed to pay Zakat put swore allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr
False Prophets:
Aswad Ansi (Veiled Prophet):
His real name was Abhal Ibn e Kaab He was called Aswad because of his dark complexion
He belonged to the Ansi tribe of Yemen
He was known as Ansi, the veiled Prophet
He used to cover his face in order to create mysteries about him
He declared Prophethood during the life of the Prophet (SAW). He invaded Yemen and became its ruler.
Ferouz Dhalamy was sent to fight him. Aswad Ansi was defeated and killed during the Prophet (SAW)'s life
His followers under the leadership of Qais bin Yaghus arose again during Hazrat Abu Bakr's reign. Ferous Dhalamy again defeated them and they all surrendered
Tulaiha:
Belonged to the tribe of Bani Asad in North Arabia, wealthy and a renowned warrior
Claimed his Prophethood during the life of the Prophet (SAW), but the Prophet died before taking any action against him
He revolted during Hazrat Abu Bakr's reign and many tribes acknowledged him as a Prophet
Khalid bin Waleed was sent to defeat him but Tulaiha escaped, sought refuge in Syria and later he accepted Islam and took part in battles such as Qadsiya
Sajjah:
Belonged to Banu Tamim. She was a Christian soothsayer and she claimed to be the Prophetess
4000 People gathered around her and advanced towards Medina
She heard about the defeat of Tulaiha, got frightened by the Muslims, and wrote a letter to Musalimah for cooperation.
Musalimah Al Kazzab (The Liar):
Belonged to Bani Hanifa in Central Arabia
He went to Madina and observed the Prophet(SAW) very closely and he imitated him
He announced his prophethood during the Prophet(SAW)'s life and wrote a letter to the Prophet(SAW) that the Muslim empire should be divided into 2 with one being led by the Prophet(SAW) and one part by him
The Prophet (SAW) declared him as Al Kazzab (The liar)
Musalimah later revolted against Hazrat Abu Bakr
He encamped at Yamama along with 40,000 people, Hazrat Abu Bakr sent Ikramah and Shurabil to deal with Musalimah. Strict instructions were given to both that the army should not attack individually
Ikramah reached first and he attacked against the command of Hazrat Abu Bakr. He was thus defeated and so was the army of Shurabil
After this, Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed was sent. He marched towards Yamama
Khalid bin Waleed was intercepted by Musalima at Aqraba
On the first day, Khalid's forces faced defeat
The next day, Hazrat Khalid adopted a clever strategy to defeat Musalmin. He separated 1000 soldiers from the army and he kept those with him. He attacked Musalmiah's camp with those 1000 soldiers and it was a surprise attack
A fierce battle was fought at Yamama
Musalima ran away and took refuge along with his army in a fortified garden
Hazrat Bra bin Malik jumped into the garden and opened the gates of the Garden for the Muslims
This battle is known as the Garden of Death
Musalimah's army was defeated and he was killed by Wahshi
800 Muslims were martyred and a number of companions and huffaz also died in this battle
Musalimah was the most dangerous false prophet
End of Ridda Wars:
Hazrat Abu Bakr divided the army into 11 battalions and sent them to different parts of Arabia.
Hazrat Abu Bakr crushed all the revolts within the short period of his caliphate
By 633 the Ridda wars came to an end
The entire Arabian peninsula came under the banner of Islam once again
This established the supremacy of Muslims and Islam as a strong religion
This also showed the unity of Muslims and their firm faith and trust in the Caliph
Conquest Against the Romans and Persians:
After dealing with the internal issues, Hazrat Abu Bakr turned to external ones
On the northeast was the Persian Empire, and the Byzantine Empire was on the Northwest
Reasons for war against the Persians:
The letter sent to the Persian emperor, Khusro Parvez was torn by him
The Persians were a continuous threat to the boundaries of Islam
It was an economic necessity as they needed the water roots of Persia
Battle of Kazima:
Also known as the Battle of Chains
The Persian commander was Humruz and the Muslim commander was Hazrat Khalid bin Walid
Khalid killed Humruz, and the Persians were defeated
The reason this battle is called the Battle of chains is that the Persians adopted a new strategy. In order not to run from the battlefield, the Persian soldiers had tied themselves to one another with chains
Expedition to Iraq:
Small skirmishes took place as Madhar, Wajla and Ullis
Hira, a famous fort of Persia was conquered by Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed. The Persians surrendered and agreed to pay Jizya
The Muslims then marched towards Anbar, an important commercial centre. The town was protected by walls and a deep moat. Hazrat Khalid adopted a clever strategy to cross the moat by asking his soldiers to fill the moat with the bodies of the weak camels slaughtered for that purpose
The Persians could not resist the Muslims and they surrendered
En at Tamur was also conquered along with Duwatul Jandal
The last battle of this expedition took place at Firad in 634 AD. With this victory, the whole of South and most of North Iraq were conquered
Roman Conquests:
The Romans were a continuous threat to the Muslims and now the Arab trade with Syria was getting difficult
In 634 AD Hazrat Abu Bakr raised an army of 27,000 men and divided it into 4 battalions
4 generals were appointed, Amr bin Al Aas, Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Shurabil bin Hasanah and Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah
Heraclius sent an army against Muslims under the command of his brother Theodorus. Their army was several times bigger than the total Muslim army
Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed who was busy on the Persian frontiers also joined the army with 9000 men.
Fall of Bostra:
Hazrat Khalid bin Walid along with Hazrat Shurabil met the Romans at Bostra
Hazrat Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah also joined the Muslim army at Bostra on the orders of Khalid bin Walid
The Roman commander was Romanus
Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed sent Romanus 3 options:
Pay Jizya
Accept Islam
Prepare for battle
After discussing and understanding the teachings of Islam, Romanus accepted Islam
His army got demoralized and locked themselves in the city
Romanus revealed a secret passage to the Muslims and they entered the city
This was the first significant victory for the Muslims against the Romans
Battle of Ajnadayn (634 AD):
In revenge for the defeat at Bostra, Heraclius sent another army against the Muslims in Ajnadayn
It was a fierce battle
Hazrat Khalid bin Walid ordered all 4 Generals to gather at Ajnadayn and to have a mighty attack on the Romans
After a fierce battle, Muslims defeated the Romans in Ajnadayn which was a great shock to the Romans
After this victory, the Muslim forces marched forward and laid siege to Damascus
Siege to Damascus:
After the victory of Ajnadayn, Muslims laid siege to Damascus. But this campaign remained incomplete because the news of the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr reached so Damascus was conquered by Hazrat Umar
Administration during Hazrat Abu Bakr:
Refused to take salary after gaining power. Later on, he started taking Salary, but on his death bed he asked to sell out one of his properties to return the money taken from the treasury
He laid the foundation of a democratic government
He divided the state into provinces
He defeated the false Prophets and kept the Islamic teachings pure and free from being lost or corrupted
Muslim Caliphate during the reign of Hazrat Abu Bakr.
Notes taken in the class of Ayesha Ahsan
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