150TH
KHUTBAH DELIVERED AT AREA 10 JUMA’AH
MASJID ABUJA, BY YAHYA GARBA AL-YOLAWI, ON 26TH R/AWWAL 1439AH/ 15TH DEC. 2017
TOPIC: MORAL LESSONS
FROM LIFE-TIME OF ABUBAKAR AS-SIDDIQ (R.A)
In the name of Allah
the Most Gracious the most Merciful
Respected brothers and sisters in Islam;
today’s sermon will look at the enviable legacies and various moral and life
lessons from lifeof a great personality and the companion of the prophet
Abubakar as-Siddiq(RA) who sacrificed his life, his wealth and everything for
the sake of Allah in protecting religion
of Islam and the messenger Allah S.A.W.
The Companions of the
Prophet (S.A.W) – and their students and successors in righteousness, people of
the first period of Islam, are the
best of all generations. They are the
defenders of Islam, guides for humankind and lions in the battle field. They
are the participants of the great and historic incidents and events and the
bearers and transmitters of this religion to all who came after them.
They have the strongest
iman amongst the people; they are the most well-grounded in knowledge, and have
the most pious of hearts and the purest of souls. They were specifically chosen
by Allah SWT and favored them with the sight of His Prophet –S.A.W -. He
honored them by allowing them to hear his voice and listen to his speech. They
received the religion from him in a fresh and new manner, it took root in their
hearts, their souls found tranquility with it and they remained firm on it as
that of stability of the mountains. It enough to point at their excellence
character that Allah addressed them with His saying:“You are the best people
ever raised up for mankind…”Q 3: 110
The meaning of which
is, you are the best of all peoples and the most beneficial for the people.In
Saheeh Muslim, Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the
Messenger of Allah SAW – said: “The best of my ummah, is the generation that I
have been sent in, then those who proceed after them…”[Muslim, 4/1964.
It is also related by 'Imran ibn Husain with
the following wording: 'The best of my ummah is my generation, then those who
proceed them...’ al-Bukhari, (7/3 Fath) and Muslim, 4/1964]
One who studies the
life of these righteous people, reads their biographies, perceives their beautiful
qualities and virtues and reflects on what they were upon, such as the
tremendous character and mannerisms they had; their adherence to the noble
Messenger S.A.W -; their preservation over Iman, fear of sins and disobedience;
caution of riyaa’ and hypocrisy; their responsiveness to obedience; competing
in performing good deeds; their perception to this transitory world and
dedication to the everlasting Hereafter; will fine qualities and numerous
characteristics and attributes that attract him towards a truthful
impersonation of them and a desire to adorn oneself with their qualities. Mention
of them, reminds of Allah and thinking over their conditions, strengthens Iman
and cleanses the heart.
ABUBAKAR AS-SIDDIQ
(R.A)
The fisrtKhalifaof the
prophet (SAW) Abu Bakr As-siddiq, his real name was Abdullah ibnabiQuhafa, and
he was given the title of “As Siddiq” by the messenger, His father, ‘Uthman, was known as Abu Quhafah
and his mother, Salma, was known as UmmulKhair. He was two and a half years
younger than the prophet (s.a w).
ABUBAKAR (RA) THE FIRST
AMONG MEN TO ACCEPT ISLAM
Abubakar (RA) was
always a very close Companion of the Prophet (SAW) , he knew him better than
any other man. He (RA) knew how honest and upright the Prophet (SAW) was. Such
knowledge of the Prophet made Abu Bakrbe the first man to follow the Message of
Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He was indeed the first adult male to accept Islam.
The Prophettold Abu Bakr
(RA) what had happened at Mount Hira’, he told him that Allah SWT has revealed
to him and made him His Messenger. When Abu Bakr heard this from the Prophet
(SAW) he did not stop to think, he at once became a Muslim. He submitted to
Islam with such determination that once the Prophet himself remarked: “I called people to Islam, everybody thought
over it, at least for a while, but this was not the case with Abu Bakr (RA),
the moment I put Islam before him, he accepted it without any hesitation”. He
was titled As-Siddiq by the Prophet (SAW) because his faith was too strong to
be shaken by anything.
In fact, Abu Bakr (RA)
was more than a great believer, as soon as he became a Muslim, he immediately
began to preach Islam to others. Abu Bakr (RA) made it his primary mission in
life to spread the message of Islam to others. Many embraced Islam at his hands; here are
some: ‘Uthmanibn ‘Affaan, ‘Abdur-Rahmanibn ‘Auf, Sa’dibnAbeeWaqqaas,
Az-Zubairibn Al-‘Awaam and Talhahibn‘Ubaidullah (RA). These particular five
were the fruits of Abu Bakr’sDawah. Once these five brave men entered the fold
of Islam, others began to follow.
HIS SERCRIFICE TO ISLAM
AND THE PROPHET (S.A.W)
Abu Bakr’s love of the
Prophet (SAW) was so great that he was willing to sacrifice his life for the
sake of protecting and comforting the Prophet (SAW). Such love and sacrifice
were demonstrated when one day theProphetwas saying his prayers in the Ka’ba,
while some of the chiefs of Mecca were sitting in the court yard of the Ka’ba.
Seeing the Prophet praying; ‘Uqbah bin AbiMu’eet took a long piece of cloths
and put it around the Prophet’s neck and twisted it hard in an attempt to
strangle the Prophet (SAW) to death. At that moment Abu Bakr (RA) happened to
pass by from a distance, he saw ‘Uqbah trying to strangle the Prophet (SAW) to death. Immediately Abu Bakr (RA) ran to
the help of the Prophet (SAW), he pushed ‘Uqbah aside and took the cloth from
around the Prophet’s neck. Thereupon the enemies of Islâm came down upon Abu
Bakr and beat him seriously , although Abu Bakr (RA) with faith like a rock did
not care for his own suffering, he was glad that he was able to save the
Prophet of Allah (SAW), even at the risk of his own life.
HIS FINANCIAL SACRIFICE
FOR ISLAM AND THE PROPHETS (S.A.W)
Abu Bakr (RA) with the
wealth he had, also had a major role in freeing some of the Muslim slaves, who
were brutally tortured by their heartless Mushrik masters to give up the Faith
and return to their masters’ beliefs. The heartless monsters tried all kinds of
torture: they made them lie all naked on the burning desert sand, putting big
stones on their chest, as well as other kinds of torture. Here Abu Bakr’s
wealth came to the rescue, as he bought the poor helpless slaves from their
inhuman masters and set them free, Bilal Al-Habashi, the slave of Umayya bin
Khalaf, was among those who were set free by Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased
with him). Bilal became afterwards the Mu’azzin at the Prophet’s mosque.
HIS SECRIFICE DURING MIGRATION
TO MADINAH
Islam was growing
rapidly in Mecca, the enemies of Islam were getting frustrated by this rapid
growth. The Chiefs of Mecca found that it is necessary for them to get rid of
the Prophet (SAW) before Islam can cause a real threat to them, so they planned
to kill the Prophet. Allah (SWT) revealed to his Prophet (SAW) the intentions
of the non-believers and ordered him to migrate to Madinah. So the Prophet (SAW)
quickly went to Abu Bakr’s house who was among the few that were left in Mecca
with the majority of Muslims having already migrated to Madinah.
The Prophet (SAW)
informed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was commanded to
migrate to Madinah that night and that he has chosen him to have the honor of
joining him on his migration. Abu Bakr’s heart was full of joy : “I have been looking forward to this day for
months” he exclaimed.
The Meccans were so
eager to find the Prophet (SAW) they were searching for him like mad hounds.
Once they came to the mouth of the cave, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with
him) grew pale with fright, he feared not for himself, but for the life of the
Prophet (SAW) . However, the Prophet (SAW) remained calm and said to Abu Bakr
“do not fear, certainly Allah is with us”. Such words quickly calmed down Abu
Bakr and brought back tranquility to his heart. Allah says: If you do not aid
the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven
him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to
his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And Allah
sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not
see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of
Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise”.Q9:40
SOME OF THE DISTINCTIVE
QUALITIES AND ACHIEVEMENT OF ABUBAKAR (RA) TOWARD HIS RELIGION
Abu Huraira reported
that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to his companions, “Who has observed
fast among you today?” Abu Bakr (RA) replied, “Me.” He (SAW) said, “Who among
you followed a funeral procession today?” Abu Bakr (RA) replied, “Me”. He said, “Who among you has fed a poor person
(today)?” Abu Bakrreplied, “Me”. He (SAW) said, “Who among you visited a sick
person today?” Abu Bakr (RA) said, “Me.” Upon this the Messenger of Allah (SAW)
said, “Anyone in whom (these good deeds) are combined will certainly, enter
paradise.” So Abu Bakr (RA) lived in the
moment, using every second of his time to improve himself as a Muslim.
. - The Prophet (SAW) said: “Abu-Bakr has
favored me much with his property and company. If I were to take a Khalil (an
intimate friend) from mankind I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr.”
-If the Iman of Abu
Bakr was put on one side of the scale and the iman of this entire Ummah on the
other, Abu Bakr’siman would have outweighed.
- Throughout his life,
the Prophet (SAW) appointed only one man to lead Muslims in prayer in his
place, and that man was,ofcourse, Abu Bakr (RA).
PARTICIPATION IN
BATTLES
Abu Bakr (may Allah be
pleased with him), being the closest of Companions to the Prophet took part in
all the battles that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had fought.
At Uhud and Hunain,
some members of the Muslim army showed signs of weakness, however, Abu Bakr’s
faith never wavered, he always stood like a rock by the side of the Holy Prophet
(SAW).
HIS FINANCIAL SACRIFICE
FOR ISLAM
Tabuk was the last
expedition of the Holy Prophet(SAW). He was keen to make it a great success, he
therefore asked people to help the expedition with whatever they could. This
brought the best out of Abu Bakr who beat all records as he took all his money
and household articles and heaped them at the Prophet’s feet.
“Have you left anything
for your children?” asked the Prophet (SAW). Abu Bakr (RA) then responded with
great faith “Allah and his Messenger are enough for them”. Companions standing
around were stunned they realized that whatever they do they could not out do
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in the field of service to Islam.
THE SUCCESSOR OF THE
PROPHET
The first Hajj under
Islam was in the ninth year of Hijra. The Prophet was too busy at Madinah to lead the Hajj, so
he sent Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as his agent, he was to lead
the Hajj in place of the Prophet (SAW).
The Prophet (SAW) led
the prayers himself ever since he arrived to Madinah. During his last illness,
the Prophet (SAW) could no longer lead the prayers, He was too weak to go to
the mosque, He (SAW) therefore had to choose someone to fill such high position
after him. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was also the one who was
honored to be chosen by the Prophet (S.A.W) for such a task.
When the news of the
Prophet’s death came out, many Muslims were confused and stunned. Umar himself
was so overcome with emotions that he drew his sword and declared: “If anyone
says that the Messenger of Allah is dead, I will cut off his head”.
Muslims stayed in such
state until Abu Bakr arrived and gave his famous address: “O People! If anyone
among you worshiped Muhammad, let him know that Muhammad is dead. But those who
worshiped Allah, let them know that He lives and will never die. Let all of us
recall the words of the Qur’an. It says: “Muhammad is only a Messenger of
Allah, there have been Messengers before him. What then, will you turn back
from Islam if he dies or is killed?” Suddenly Abu Bakr’s words started to sink
in, and in no time confusion was gone.
Having shrugged off the
shocking news of the Prophet’s death, Muslims realized that they need someone
to fill the position of leadership amongst them.
The two main groups
amongst Muslims were Muhajirun (refugees from Mecca), and Ansar (the people of
Madinah). The Ansar gathered at the ThaqifaBaniSaida their meeting place. Saad
bin Abada the Ansar leader suggested that the Caliph should be from amongst
them. Although many refused saying that the Muhajirun in right have a better
claim to Khilafah. When the news reached Abu Bakr (RA), he quickly went to
their gathering, fearing that confusion might spread once again, and said :
“Both Muhajirun and Ansar have done great service to Islam. But the former were
the first to accept Islam, they were always very close to the Messenger of Allah
(SAW) . So, O Ansar, let the Caliph be from amongst them”. After a short discussion,
the Ansar agreed that they should choose the Caliph from amongst the Muhajirun,
being from the tribe of Quraish and being the first to accept Islam.
Abu Bakr (RA) then
asked people to choose between Umar bin Al-Khattab and Abu UbaidaIbn A-Jarrah.
Hearing this, both men jumped to their feet and exclaimed: “O Siddiq, how can that be? How can anyone
else fill this position as long as you are among us? You are the top man
amongst heMuhajirun. You were the Companion of the Prophet (SAW) in the Thawr cave.
You led prayers in his place, during his last illness. Prayer is the foremost
thing in Islam. With all these qualifications you are the fittest person to be
the successor of the Holy Prophet (SAW) . Hold out your hand that we may pledge
loyalty to you”.
But Abu Bakr (may Allah
be pleased with him) did not stretch out his hand. Umar saw that the delay
might lead to the reopening of the disagreements so he himself took Abu Bakr’s
hand out and pledged loyalty to him. Others followed by example, and Abu Bakr
became the first Caliph by general consent of the Muslims.
After his election as
the Caliph, Abu Bakr addressed the Muslims with these words:
“O People! I have been
chosen by you as your leader, although I am no better than any of you. If I do
any wrong, set me right. Listen, truth is honesty and untruth is dishonesty.
The weak among you are the powerful in my eyes, as long as I do not give them
their dues. The powerful among you are weak in my eyes, as long as I do not
take away from them what is due to others".
“Listen carefully, if
people give up striving for the Cause of Almighty Allah, He will send down
disgrace upon them. If people become evil-doers, Almighty Allah will send down
calamities upon them".
“Obey me as long as I
obey Allah and His Rasul (SAW). If I disobey Allah and His Rasul, you are free
to disobey me.”
Conclusion
These are some of the quality
of the humble and generous Companion who believed the Prophet in everything to
the extent that he was called As-Siddiq, by the Prophet (SAW). His great
personality and service to Islam and Muslims earned him the love and respect of
all Muslims, so that he was chosen as the first Caliph after the death of the
Prophet (SAW) by all Muslims. His life is lessons to the entire muslims and
muslim politicians everywhere in the world particularly in Nigeria.
Kindly share it to others
For questions or suggestions, pls call 08039584612 OR e-mail yahyalyolawi@gmail.com
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