Abu Bakr

Abu-Bakr (573-634) was the first of the Muslim caliphs.

He was originally called Abd-el-Ka'ba ("servant of the temple"),

and received the name Abu-Bakr, which means "father of the virgin",

as a consequence of the marriage of his virgin daughter Aisha to

Muhammad.

He was born at Mecca in the year A.D. 573, a

Koreishite of the tribe of Beni-Taim. Possessed of immense

wealth, which he had himself acquired in commerce, and

held in high esteem as a judge, an interpreter of dreams

and a depositary of the traditions of his race, his early

accession to Islam was a fact of great importance. On

his conversion he assumed the name of Abd-Alla (servant of

God). His own belief in Muhammad and his doctrines was

so thorough as to procure for him the title El Siddik

(the faithful), and his success in gaining converts was

correspondingly great. In his personal relationship to the

prophet he showed the deepest veneration and most unswerving

devotion. When Muhammad fled from Mecca, Abu-Bakr was

his sole companion, and shared both his hardships and his

triumphs, remaining constantly with him until the day of his

death. During his last illness the prophet indicated Abu-Bakr

as his successor by desiring him to offer up prayer for the

people. The choice was ratified by the chiefs of the army,

and ultimately confirmed, though 'Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, disputed it, asserting his own title to the dignity. After

a time 'Ali submitted, but the difference of opinion as to his

claims gave rise to the controversy which still divides the

followers of the prophet into the rival factions of Sunnites and

Shiites.

Abu-Bakr had scarcely assumed his new position

(632), under the title Califet-Resul-Allah ("successor of the

prophet of God"), when he was called to suppress the revolt

of the tribes Hejaz and Nejd, of which the former rejected

Islam and the latter refused to pay tribute. He encountered

formidable opposition from different quarters, but in every

case he was successful, the severest struggle being that with

the impostor Mosailima, who was finally defeated by Khalid

at the battle of Akraba. Abu-Bakr's zeal for the spread of

the new faith was as conspicuous as that of its founder had

been. When the internal disorders had been repressed and

Arabia completely subdued, he directed his generals to foreign

conquest. The Irak of Persia was overcome by Khalid in a single

campaign, and there was also a successful expedition into

Syria.

After the hard-won victory over Mosailima, Omar, fearing

that the sayings of the prophet would be entirely forgotten

when those who had listened to them had all been removed by

death, induced Abu-Bakr to see to their preservation in a written

form. The record, when completed, was deposited with Hafsa,

daughter of Omar, and one of the wives of Muhammad. It was held

in great reverence by all Moslems, though it did not possess

canonical authority, and furnished most of the materials out

of which the Quran, as it now exists, was prepared. When

the authoritative version was completed all copies of Hafsa's

record were destroyed, in order to prevent possible disputes and

divisions.

Abu-Bakr died on the 23rd of August 634. Shortly

before his death, which one tradition ascribes to poison,

another to natural causes, he indicated Omar as his successor,

after the manner Muhammad had observed in his own case.

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Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed