Abu bakr

• Usama (radiyallaho anho)


  A troop prepared by Hazrat Muhammad "Rasool Allah Khatam-un-Nabiyyin Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam" to be sent to Syria
• Hazrat Muhammad "Rasool Allah Khatam-un Nabiyyin Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam" had nominated Usama (radiyallaho anho) to lead an expedition against Syria


  Some weeks before his demise
• The Syrian were persuading Bedouin tribes to attack on the Muslims allied, on the borders and they were so proud that whoever accepted Islam in their area was put to death
• Usama (radiyallaho anho) was to avenge Battle of Mautah also in which his father, Zaid (radiyallaho anho), martyred by the Syrians
• The preparations of the expedition were under way when Hazrat Muhammad "Rasool Allah Khatam-un-Nabiyyin Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam" fell seriously ill and passed away
• That held up Usama's (radiyallaho anho) expedition for some weeks
• As soon as Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) became Caliph, the first thing he thought of, was to send out the expedition
• The demise of Hazrat Muhammad "Rasool Allah Khatam-un-Nabiyyin Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam" led some people to think that Islam was going to end with him
• Many tribes had entered the fold of Islam only a short time before. Many of them now showed signs of bolting out of the fold of Islam
• Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) was facing a difficult situation
• Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) was determined to send out the expedition planned by the Messenger of Allah (azza wa jal)
• Some of the companions said that he had better drop the idea for the time being. Trouble was brewing all around, they said, "It is unwise to send troops out when they are urgently needed at home.
• Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) did not listen to them. ("How can I fold up the flag," he asked, "which Hazrat Muhammad "Rasool Allah Khatam-un-Nabiyyin Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam" himself unfurled? It is simply unthinkable.)
• Someone suggested that Usama was too raw to lead the expedition. It was wiser to put a more experienced man in command
• The suggestion made Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) angry. "What right do I have," he demanded, "to dismiss a man appointed by the Messenger of Allah (azza wa jal)?
• So the expedition left under Usama (radiyallaho anho), about three weeks after the passing away of Hazrat Muhammad "Rasool Allah Khatam-un-Nabiyyin Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam"
• Umar (radiyallaho anho) was also one of the men under Usama's (radiyallaho anho) command. But Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) needed him, at Madinah, for the purpose of advice. So he made a request to Usama (radiyallaho anho), to allow Umar (radiyallaho anho) to remain in Madinah
• The request was granted
• Before the Caliph bade farewell to Usama (radiyallaho anho), he gave him some useful advice
• Advice given by Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) to Usama (radiyallaho anho)

  • Look! Be not dishonest. Do not deceive anyone. Do not hide the booty you get. Do not mutilate anyone. Do not kill the aged, the children and the women. Do not set fire to date-palms; do not cut down fruit trees. Do not slaughter a goat, or a cow, or a camel, except for the purpose of food. You will come across people who have given up the world and are sitting in monasteries. Leave them alone.
• Usama's (radiyallaho anho) expedition proved very successful. He raided the frontier districts of Syria and was back at Madinah after forty days
• Importance of this expedition

  • It proved to be an eye-opener to those who thought Islam was dying out. They got a clear proof that Islam was still able to challenge one of the greatest powers of the world. Some of the tribes that had left Islam re-entered its fold. This expedition not only suppressed the rebellious tribes on borders but also secured the border area from the threat of Byzantine
• Zakaat


  Alms-giving, a religious obligation in Islam
• Refusal to pay Zakaat

  Bedouin attack on Madinah in June-August, 632
• Bedouin attack on Madinah

  1. Some Bedouin tribes were incited by the false prophet; Tulaiha, to attack

  2. To find an excuse for attacking Madinah, these tribes sent deputations to Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho), asking for exemption from Zakaat

  3. Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) told them flatly that he would take Zakat from everyone, even if it were a string to tie a camel

  4. Three Bedouin tribes (Banu Abs, Banu Dhubyan and Banu Sulaim) attacked Madinah, under the command of Tulaiha's brother

  5. The Madenite army surprised them and the Bedouin tribes were defeated in the Battle of Zul-Qissa
• This battle saved Madinah from its menacing Bedouin neighbours
• Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) soon found the country in the grip of a civil war
• The outlying provinces, like Najd, were the first to create trouble
• The wild spirit of the desert rebelled against the moral control of Islam
• Rejection of Zakaat was not the only problem, the arose false prophets and some tribes apostatized Islam and became a constant threat
• Abu Bakr's (radiyallaho anho) response

  1. Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) called a meeting of the Advisory Counsel and sought its advice

  2. Many of the members were for slow action

  3. But Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) would not listen to such counsel

  4. He declared that even if a single kid of goat is due from a man, he must give it, and if he refuses, he will wage war against him
• Among the non-payers of the poor-rate were the neighbouring tribes of Abs and Zibyan, Asad and Fizara
• Tribes' attempt to get exemption from Zakaat

  1. They sent a deputation to the Caliph, offering to stay within the fold of Islam if they were exempted from paying the poor-rate

  2. Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) firmly turned down the proposal
• Abu Bakr (radiyallaho anho) saved Islam by saving its main Pillar
• Had he let the rejection of Zakaat go, then the people would have been encouraged to leave rest of the Islamic obligations, such as Prayer, Fasting and Pilgrimage