The Prophet Muhammad Pocket Guide

Abu Bakr Siddiq Abu Bakr was the first man outside the Prophet’s family to accept Islam. A kind and generous man, and a wealthy merchant, he persuaded many of his friends to accept Islam. The Prophet once said, ‘No one has been a better companion to me than Abu Bakr.’ He migrated to Madinah along with the Prophet and was called, ‘Second of the Two’. His daughter ‘A’ishah was married to the Prophet Muhammad . On the occasion of the Tabuk expedition he contributed all his wealth to the cause of Islam. The Prophet toward the end of his life, asked Abu Bakr to lead the prayers – the highest honour in Islam. He was chosen as the first Caliph after the death of the Prophet. It was a critical time, for many tribes whose faith was not yet strong were rebelling to the point of leaving Islam. Abu Bakr successfully handled the situation. The following is his first address on becoming the Caliph: “I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty and disregard for truth is treachery. … Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger. But if I disobey God and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience.” He died a little more than two years after the death of the Prophet and was buried by his side. Umar Farooq The Prophet Muhammad gave Umar the title of “Al Farooq”, which means, “The one who distinguishes between right and wrong.” Umar was a man of strong conviction; and would become furious when anyone accepted Islam. Once he even set out, sword in hand, to kill the Prophet. But he had a change of heart and accepted Islam. The Prophet had prayed to God to make Islam strong with the conversion of Umar. At the time of the Prophet’s demise, the Ansar and the Prophet’s clan (Banu Hashim) both wanted the next Caliph to be from amongst them. It was a very delicate situation. But Umar defused it by taking Abu Bakr by the hand and swearing allegiance (bait) to him. The rest of the Muslims followed. The Prophet once said that “Satan does not use the paths that Umar walks on.” Umar was subsequently nominated by Abu Bakr to succeed him as the Caliph. He was a skilled administrator and deeply concerned about the welfare of his people. During his Caliphate Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Iran and Syria came under Islamic rule. In spite of this, he lived simply, wearing clothes which would have many patches. He was the Caliph for over ten years. After his death he was buried by the side of the Prophet Muhammad . Here are some of his sayings: “To speak less is wisdom, to eat less is health and to sleep less is worship.” “After faith (Iman) the best blessing is to have a good wife.” Uthman ibn Affan During the Caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, Islam spread to distant lands. One great contributing factor was his final compilation and dissemination of the Quran. Prior to this, a final copy of the Quran had been compiled by Abu Bakr, but since differences had been noted in the recitation of the Quran in different region, had had this copy of the Quran double checked and then organized the distribution of final copies.