Shi'a View of Abu Bakr - Introduction

Introduction

Abu Bakr is reported to have been an acquaintance of the Prophet Muhammad before the Prophet announced his Prophethood. However, beyond this not much is known about Abu Bakr's early life except that he was by profession a merchant like many of the Quraish. His tribe Bani Taim nor Abu Bakr were of any particular influence in Mecca. Unlike his fellow tribesmen and most of the Quraish, Abu Bakr was not an idol worshipper. The Prophet's uncles Abu Talib, Hamza, Abbas and even Abu Lahab were amongst the chiefs of Mecca whereas Abu Bakr had no such respect or distinction.

In the early years of his mission the Prophet Muhammad was mainly reliant on the support of his wealthy wife Khadija and the protection of his uncle Abu Talib . The Prophet used Khadija's wealth to help his poor followers especially those who were slaves. Abu Talib protected the Prophet from the chiefs of the Quraishiate tribes who threatened to harm or even kill him. Abu Talib had raised the Prophet like a son and his house was the platform from which the Prophet began his mission to propagate Islam. Khadija and Abu Talib died in the same year and following their deaths, Muhammad decided to migrate from Mecca to Medina.

The Prophet had spent 13 years in Mecca trying to spread Islam and during these 13 years he suffered extreme persecution and hostility and life threatening situations. However, Abu Bakr even though an early convert did not play a significant role in the propagation of Islam. May be this was due to his placid nature. It is known that Nuafal Ibn Khuwalid beat him and his cousin Talha and tied them up with a single rope and dragged them through the streets of Mecca.

Abu Bakr accompanied the Prophet to Medina when the Prophet migrated to Medina. However, it is reported that whilst the Prophet and Abu Bakr were hiding in a cave, Abu Bakr got frightened when a party of the Quraish searching for the Prophet came near the cave.

Abu Bakr showed no valour or distinction in any of the battles fought with the Quraish. In the Battle of Uhad, he and his close friends Umar and Usman fled from the battlefield when the Quraish spread the rumour that the Prophet had been killed. Similarly, he and his two friends fled from the Battles of Khyber and Hunain. In the Battle of the Ditch Abu Bakr showed no courage or valour and like his two close friends, he also declined to accept the challenge of Amr Ibn Abduwad. In fact there is no historical evidence that Abu Bakr had ever killed a single non-believer during any of the battles.

The fact is that Abu Bakr showed no qualities of leadership or distinction that the Prophet would have been inclined to nominate him as his successor. However Abu Bakr succeeded in getting his daughter Aisha married to the Prophet. Aisha was clever and ambitious. The Prophet's love for his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali and their sons Hassan and Hussain made Aisha very jealous and all her life she carried this jealousy and hate for Fatima, Ali and their children.

Aisha was instrumental in securing her father's caliphate.The Prophet during his last Hajj had indicated that his time in this world was short and he made it clear that Ali was to succeed him. This did not go down well with Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman, Khalid bin Walid, Saad Ibn Abi Waqas and many others who for one reason or another held a grudge against Ali.

It appears that there was political polarization within the Prophet's companions. The rich and powerful clustered around Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman whereas the likes of Ammar Yasir, Miqdad, Salman, Bilal, Abu Zar Ghaffari who had great names but no wealth or social status clustered around Ali.

Ali alone had killed the most brave and famous warriors and chiefs of the Meccan tribes especially the Bani Ummaya. The Quraish in particular the Bani Ummaya never forgot the humiliation of defeat which Ali had inflicted on them.

Ali was also famous for his strong views on welfare, social justice and equality. Ali was the friend and champion of the poor and deprived. He was therefore, unacceptable as the Caliph to the elite of the then Muslim society. On the other hand Abu Bakr was a perfect candidate. He was a wealthy man and as later events proved he advanced and protected the interests of elite rather than the poor.

There are firm and sound traditions that the Prophet had suspected Abu Bakr and Umar and their comrades' intentions to usurp power. In the first instance the Prophet tried to remove them from Medina. He assembled an army under the leadership of Usama bin Zaid to avenge the defeat of the Battle of Mutah and ordered Abu Bakr and Umar and their supporters to join this army and leave Medina. However, Abu Bakr,Umar and their comrades realized that the Prophet intended to remove them from Medina disobeyed his orders and stayed in Medina. Just before his death, the Prophet asked for a pen and paper to have his will written but Umar prevented this.

As soon as the Prophet died, Umar pretended to be overcome by grief and threatened to kill any person who said that the Prophet had died. Apparently, Abu Bakr calmed him down. Then word reached them that the Ansars had gathered in Saqifa to elect a caliph. All of sudden Umar regained his senses and along with Abu Bakr and Usman left the Prophet's funeral arrangements and hastened to Saqifa. Most notable is that they did not bother to tell Ali or Abbas or any other person about the gathering of the Ansar and their own departure.

At Saqifa, instead of persuading the Ansar to abandon the election of the caliph and to wait until after the burial of the Prophet, Umar nominated Abu Bakr as the caliph on the grounds that he was a close relative of the Prophet. After a lot of bickering, swearing and political manoeuvring Abu Bakr was elected caliph.

Ali upon that Abu Bakr had been elected caliph said: "If his claim for the caliphate was based on him being a close relative of the Prophet then nobody was closer to the Prophet than I and if his claim was based on shura then what kind of a shura was this in which I and Bani Hashim were not invited"

It is a historical fact that Ali never accepted public office under Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman. Ali who was always in forefront of jihad during the life of the Prophet never participated in any of the wars with the Byzantines or Persians. Throughout the reigns of the first three caliphs, Ali remained in relative obscurity.

Shi'a believe he and Umar conspired to take over power over the Muslim nation after the death of Muhammad – a coup d'état against Ali.