Before Islam:

Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique was a pious man. Before he was a Muslim, he was a rich merchant and was famous even before he embraced Islam for his honesty, justice, and trustworthiness. The Quraish had considered him as a respected man. He had the most important duties in Makkah as no blood-money could be accepted without his approval. The blood-money itself used to be kept by him. He also used to hate liquor as much as he hated it after accepting Islam. He believed it degrades the dignity of a man.

Accepting Islam:

Hazrat Abu Bakr had a sincere affection on the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from his very childhood and he was a member of his close circle. When Muhammad (SAW) was given Prophethood, he secretly informed his closest friend, Abu Bakr. He was the first adult man to accept Islam.

The Spreading of Islam:

Many people accepted Islam because of the persuasions. Some of them were Hazrat Usman, Hazrat Zubair, Hazrat Abdul Rehman, Hazrat Sa’ad, and Hazrat Talha. Relatives of these shining gems of Islam beat Hazrat Abu Bakr but this did not discourage him on his accompany with the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Death of The Prophet and Beginning Caliph Hood:

When the Prophet had passed away, Hazrat Abu Bakr was visiting his wife Kharja for a while. When he returned, he learned the Prophet had passed away. Mournfully, he said, “May my parents be sacrificed on you, by Allah, you will not taste the death twice, the death which was unavoidable, you have tasted today, now there would not be anymore death to you. Hazrat Omar denied the Prophet was dead, and he started a speech swearing he was not dead.

Hearing this, Hazrat Abu Bakr started his own speech, saying, “Behold, if you people worshiped Muhammad (SAW) so he is dead without any shadow of doubt, and if you worshiped Allah so He is alive and will never die. Allah had told us that Muhammad (SAW) was a Prophet and there were many prophets who died earlier.” Soon after, he became the First Caliph of Islam.

Life as a Caliph:

Soon, Hazrat Abu Bakr faced many problems, including false claim of Prophethood. He soon destroyed them, and those who betrayed Islam, and those who refused to pay Zakat. He also conquered Rome and Syria and made them accept Islam.

The Death of Hazrat Abu Bakr: One day, Hazrat Abu Bakr took a bath in cold weather and fell very ill. When there was no hope for recovery, he appointed Hazrat Omar the next Caliph of Islam. His last wishes were to be buried with the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It was fulfilled. Even in the end he was still a true companion of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

You might be wondering where Siddique came from. It means “The True”. And Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique was a person very suitable for the title “Siddique”.

Hazrat Abu Bakr was a sincere Caliph and we still remember his story and doings. If we didn’t these words would have never been revealed for you to know about the life of the First Caliph of Islam.