Abu Bakr The Truest Friend

Before Islam, before prophethood, before any of it Muhammad ﷺ and Abu Bakr ibn Abi Quhafa were already the closest of friends.

Abu Bakr came from the noble clan of Banu Taym within Quraysh. He was a successful merchant, widely respected, known throughout Makkah for his gentle character, his honesty, and his deep knowledge of the Arab tribes and their history.

He was one of the very few people in pre-Islamic Arabia who had already, by his own reasoning, turned away from the worship of idols. He had never bowed to a statue, never drunk wine. Something in him knew those things were wrong, even before the revelation came.

So when the man he had known and trusted his entire life came to him with a message, Abu Bakr was ready to hear it.

When the Prophet ﷺ told Abu Bakr about his prophethood and the revelation, Abu Bakr did not pause. He did not ask for a sign. He did not say "let me think about it."

He said: "I believe you."

And he became the first free adult man to accept Islam.

Then he immediately went to work. He walked to five of his most trusted friends Uthman ibn Affan, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and Talha ibn Ubaydullah and brought every one of them to Islam.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "No one invited to Islam hesitated except Abu Bakr he believed immediately without any doubt."

It was this quality that defined everything else about him. He saw the truth clearly, and he never wavered from it.

When the early Muslims were being tortured for their faith, Abu Bakr (ra) could not stand by. He went into the market and bought the freedom of enslaved believers who were being persecuted.

He freed Bilal ibn Rabah, who had been laid on the burning desert sand with a boulder on his chest, forced to say he denied Allah. Bilal only said: "Ahad. Ahad." One. One.

Abu Bakr paid to free him. He freed Ammar ibn Yasir's mother Sumayya, Amir ibn Fuhayra, and many others whose only crime was believing in Allah.

His father said to him: "Son, I see you freeing weak people. Why not free the strong ones who can protect you?"

Abu Bakr replied: "I am doing this only for Allah."

Allah confirmed: "And his wealth will not benefit him when he falls into ruin. Indeed, guidance is from Us. And indeed to Us belongs the Hereafter and the present world." (Qur'an 92:11-13)

The morning after the Night Journey, when the Prophet ﷺ told the people of Makkah that he had been taken to Jerusalem and back in a single night, many mocked him and some who had accepted Islam began to waver.

They ran to Abu Bakr. They were sure this would shake him. They told him what the Prophet ﷺ had claimed.

Abu Bakr's reply came without a moment's pause:

"If he said it, then it is true."

They pressed him: "You believe he went to Jerusalem and back in one night?" He said: "I believe him in something greater than that. I believe every word that comes to him from the heavens." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3887)

It was for this that the Prophet ﷺ gave him the title that has followed him through all of history: Al-Siddiq The Affirmer of Truth.

When the enemies of Quraysh plotted to kill the Prophet ﷺ, Allah commanded the Hijra. The Prophet ﷺ slipped out of Makkah at night, and Abu Bakr was the only companion chosen to travel with him.

They hid in the Cave of Thawr for three days while search parties scoured the mountains. At one point the enemy came right to the entrance of the cave. Abu Bakr whispered: "O Messenger of Allah, if one of them just looks down at his feet, he will see us."

The Prophet ﷺ replied calmly: "O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two people whose third is Allah?"

Then he said the words that Allah preserved in the Qur'an forever:

"Do not grieve. Indeed Allah is with us." (Qur'an 9:40)

The pursuers turned back. A spider had woven a web across the cave entrance. A bird had built a nest there. Signs of undisturbed stillness no one had entered.

When the Prophet ﷺ passed away, many companions were overwhelmed with grief. Umar (ra) stood declaring that anyone who said the Prophet had died would be punished. People were in shock.

Abu Bakr (ra) came, went to the Prophet ﷺ, uncovered his face, and kissed his forehead. He said: "You were beautiful in life and beautiful in death."

Then he came out and addressed the people with words that steadied an entire ummah:

"Whoever worshipped Muhammad Muhammad has died. Whoever worships Allah Allah is Ever-Living and never dies."

Then he recited: "Muhammad is no more than a messenger. Messengers have passed before him. If he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels?" (Qur'an 3:144)

Umar (ra) said: "By Allah, when I heard Abu Bakr recite it, I was so overcome that my legs gave way beneath me." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3668)

Abu Bakr served as the first Caliph for two years, holding the early Muslim community together at its most fragile moment. He died at 63, just as the Prophet ﷺ had.