Election as Caliph:

• The Prophet (SAW) did not appoint a successor during his life and left this to the Ummah

• After his death, confusion started and everybody demanded that the Caliph should be from among them

• There was a meeting at Saqifa e Banu Saida In Madina to decide on the Caliph. News of this meeting reached Hazrat Abu Bakr, who was in Masjid e Nabvi. He left with Hazrat Umar and Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah for the meeting

• There were arguments between the Muhajireen and the Ansar. Each recalled the services that they had given to Islam

• The Muhajirun argued that as the Prophet (SAW) had been from the Quraish, they reserved this right and people would not accept a Caliph outside the Quraish

• Hazrat Khabab, an Ansar, suggested that two emirs rule. This idea was rejected by Hazrat Umar as there would be disputes between the two Emirs and the unity of Islam would be threatened

• The Ansars eventually gave up the idea of appointment of a caliph among them and they accepted a caliph from the Muhajirun

• Hazrat Abu Bakr suggested Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Ubaidah as the caliph, but both refused due to Hazrat Abu Bakr's seniority

• Hazrat Umar swore allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr and other Muslims soon followed such as Zaid bin Thabit

• Thus Hazrat Abu Bakr assumed the title of "Khalifa tur Rasulullah" (Successor of the Messenger)

• Whenever the Holy Prophet (SAW) could not lead prayers, it was done by Hazrat Abu Bakr

• He was also given the title of Siddique (Testifier of Truth) by the Prophet (SAW)

Problems faced by Hazrat Abu Bakr:

1. Expedition to Syria

2. Apostacy Movement/Ridda Wars (Revolts against Islam):

• Refusal to Pay Zakat

• Tribes backed out of Islam

• False Prophets

3. Compilation of The Holy Quran

4. Wars with the Persians and Romans

Expedition to Syria:

• The Muslims were at threat by the Romans and the Persians

• The expedition was sent to Syria, a province of the Romans

• This was the continuation of the Battle of Mautah

• Before the Prophet (SAW)'s death, he ordered to send an army to Syria headed by Usamah

• The army couldn't leave when the Prophet (SAW) was in this world

• The challenge Hazrat Abu Bakr faced was whether he should send this army to Syria or not as his companions advised him not to send this army since Hazrat Usama was an inexperienced General, and the army needed to solve internal problems

• Hazrat Abu Bakr refused to accept the advice of his companions and said that he did not want to disobey the orders of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

• He refused to change the command of Usamah and eventually, he left for Syria 3 weeks after the Prophet's death he came victorious after 40 days

Importance of the Expedition to Syria:

• The success of Usamah had a great impact on those who thought Islam was dying out after the demise of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

• It demonstrated the Unity and strength of the Muslims. Borders were secured, hostile tribes were influenced

• It showed the firm attitude of Hazrat Abu Bakr

Apostacy Movement/Ridda Wars:

• There were revolts against Islam. Some refused to pay Zakat, some refused Islam entirely

• Another group of people arose as false Prophets

• Tribes such as Banu Asad, Ghatafan, Abbas and Murrah refused to pay Zakat. The reason for this was because their acceptance of Islam was based on Diplomacy and they had taken Islam out of personal allegiance to the Prophet (SAW). The Arabs were also nomadic tribes. They did not want to follow the central government's rules and pay taxes. They reluctantly accepted these during the time of the Prophet (SAW)

• The tribes did not want to accept Islam under Hazrat Abu Bakr's reign. They tried to renew their terms with the Caliph such as Zakat exemption

• Hazrat Abu Bakr called the meeting of Shura (Advisory Council) to seek advice

• The companions advised Hazrat Abu Bakr not to take action on the tribes and to leave them for the time being.

• Hazrat Abu Bakr was firm on taking strict and prompt action so that others may learn a lesson

• The tribes decided to leave Islam and planned to attack Medina in the night. They had some success initially. but the Muslims under the command of Hazrat Abu Bakr repulsed them and the tribes were driven out of Medina.

• When the main Muslim army returned from Syria, Hazrat Abu Bakr took its command. He proceeded towards the tribes at Abraq and defeated them

• The tribes sent their delegates to Hazrat Abu Bakr. They not only agreed to pay Zakat but swore allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr

False Prophets:

Aswad Ansi (Veiled Prophet):

• His real name was Abhal Ibn e Kaab He was called Aswad because of his dark complexion

• He belonged to the Ansi tribe of Yemen

• He was known as Ansi, the veiled Prophet

• He used to cover his face to create mysteries about him

• He declared Prophethood during the life of the Prophet (SAW). He invaded Yemen and became its ruler.

• Ferouz Dhalamy was sent to fight him. Aswad Ansi was defeated and killed during the Prophet's (SAW) life

• His followers under the leadership of Qais bin Yaghus arose again during Hazrat Abu Bakr's reign. Ferous Dhalamy again defeated them and they all surrendered

Tulaiha:

• Belonged to the tribe of Bani Asad in North Arabia, wealthy and a renowned warrior

• Claimed his Prophethood during the life of the Prophet (SAW), but the Prophet died before taking any action against him

• He revolted during Hazrat Abu Bakr's reign and many tribes acknowledged him as a Prophet

• Khalid bin Waleed was sent to defeat him but Tulaiha escaped, sought refuge in Syria and later he accepted Islam and took part in battles such as Qadsiya

Sajjah:

• Belonged to Banu Tamim. She was a Christian soothsayer and she claimed to be the Prophetess

• 4000 People gathered around her and advanced towards Medina

• She heard about the defeat of Tulaiha, got frightened by the Muslims, and wrote a letter to Musalimah for cooperation.

Musalimah Al Kazzab (The Liar):

• Belonged to Bani Hanifa in Central Arabia

• He went to Madina and observed the Prophet(SAW) very closely and he imitated him

• He announced his prophethood during the Prophet(SAW)'s life and wrote a letter to the Prophet(SAW) that the Muslim empire should be divided into 2 with one being led by the Prophet(SAW) and one part by him

• The Prophet (SAW) declared him as Al Kazzab (The liar)

• Muslimah later revolted against Hazrat Abu Bakr

• He encamped at Yamama along with 40,000 people, Hazrat Abu Bakr sent Ikramah and Shurabil to deal with Musalimah. Strict instructions were given to both that the army should not attack individually

• Ikramah reached first and he attacked against the command of Hazrat Abu Bakr. He was thus defeated and so was the army of Shurabil

• After this, Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed was sent. He marched towards Yamama

• Khalid bin Waleed was intercepted by Musalima at Aqraba

• On the first day, Khalid's forces faced defeat

• The next day, Hazrat Khalid adopted a clever strategy to defeat Musalmin. He separated 1000 soldiers from the army and he kept those with him. He attacked Musalmiah's camp with those 1000 soldiers and it was a surprise attack

• A fierce battle was fought at Yamama

• Musalima ran away and took refuge along with his army in a fortified garden

• Hazrat Bra bin Malik jumped into the garden and opened the gates of the Garden for the Muslims

• This battle is known as the Garden of Death

• Musalimah's army was defeated and he was killed by Wahshi

• 800 Muslims were martyred and several companions and huffaz also died in this battle

• Muslimah was the most dangerous false prophet

End of Ridda Wars:

• Hazrat Abu Bakr divided the army into 11 battalions and sent them to different parts of Arabia. 

• Hazrat Abu Bakr crushed all the revolts within the short period of his caliphate

• By 633 the Ridda wars came to an end

• The entire Arabian peninsula came under the banner of Islam once again

• This established the supremacy of Muslims and Islam as a strong religion

• This also showed the unity of Muslims and their firm faith and trust in the Caliph

Conquest Against the Romans and Persians:

• After dealing with the internal issues, Hazrat Abu Bakr turned to external ones

• On the northeast was the Persian Empire, and the Byzantine Empire was on the Northwest

Reasons for war against the Persians:

• The letter sent to the Persian emperor, Khusro Parvez was torn by him

• The Persians were a continuous threat to the boundaries of Islam

• It was an economic necessity as they needed the water roots of Persia

Battle of Kazima:

• Also known as the Battle of Chains

• The Persian commander was Humruz and the Muslim commander was Hazrat Khalid bin Walid

• Khalid killed Humruz, and the Persians were defeated

• The reason this battle is called the Battle of Chains is that the Persians adopted a new strategy. In order not to run from the battlefield, the Persian soldiers had tied themselves to one another with chains

Expedition to Iraq:

• Small skirmishes took place as Madhar, Wajla and Ullis

• Hira, a famous fort of Persia was conquered by Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed. The Persians surrendered and agreed to pay Jizya

• The Muslims then marched towards Anbar, an important commercial centre. The town was protected by walls and a deep moat. Hazrat Khalid adopted a clever strategy to cross the moat by asking his soldiers to fill the moat with the bodies of the weak camels slaughtered for that purpose

• The Persians could not resist the Muslims and they surrendered

• En at Tamur was also conquered along with Duwatul Jandal

• The last battle of this expedition took place at Firad in 634 AD. With this victory, the whole of South and most of North Iraq were conquered

Roman Conquests:

• The Romans were a continuous threat to the Muslims and now the Arab trade with Syria was getting difficult

• In 634 AD Hazrat Abu Bakr raised an army of 27,000 men and divided it into 4 battalions

• 4 generals were appointed, Amr bin Al Aas, Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, Shurabil bin Hasanah and Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah

• Heraclius sent an army against Muslims under the command of his brother Theodorus. Their army was several times bigger than the total Muslim army

• Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed who was busy on the Persian frontiers also joined the army with 9000 men.

Fall of Bostra:

• Hazrat Khalid bin Walid along with Hazrat Shurabil met the Romans at Bostra

• Hazrat Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah also joined the Muslim army at Bostra on the orders of Khalid bin Walid

• The Roman commander was Romanus

• Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed sent Romanus 3 options:

  • Pay Jizya

  • Accept Islam

  • Prepare for battle

  • After discussing and understanding the teachings of Islam, Romanus accepted Islam

  • His army got demoralized and locked themselves in the city

  • Romanus revealed a secret passage to the Muslims and they entered the city

  • This was the first significant victory for the Muslims against the Romans

Battle of Ajnadayn (634 AD):

• In revenge for the defeat at Bostra, Heraclius sent another army against the Muslims in Ajnadayn

• It was a fierce battle

• Hazrat Khalid bin Walid ordered all 4 Generals to gather at Ajnadayn and to have a mighty attack on the Romans

• After a fierce battle, Muslims defeated the Romans in Ajnadayn which was a great shock to the Romans

• After this victory, the Muslim forces marched forward and laid siege to Damascus

Siege to Damascus:

• After the victory of Ajnadayn, Muslims laid siege to Damascus. But this campaign remained incomplete because the news of the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr reached so Hazrat Umar conquered Damascus

Administration during Hazrat Abu Bakr:

• Refused to take salary after gaining power. Later on, he started taking Salary, but on his death bed he asked to sell out one of his properties to return the money taken from the treasury

• He laid the foundation of a democratic government

• He divided the state into provinces

• He defeated the false Prophets and kept the Islamic teachings pure and free from being lost or corrupted

Notes taken in the class of Ayesha Ahsan, Karachi Grammar School