A Simple Guide to ISLAM
Pious Caliphate
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After Makkah was conquered, the Prophet sent Abu Bakr in 631 to
Makkah to lead the Hajj on behalf of the Prophet. Abu Bakr read
the sermon (Khutba) of Hajj.
Ever since the Prophet had come to Madinah, he had been in the
habit of leading the prayer himself. During his last illness the
Prophet became so weak that he could not come to the mosque
for this purpose. The Prophet then asked Abu Bakr to conduct the
prayer in the mosque and to lead the Muslims in his stead. Aisha,
who was Abu Bakr’s daughter and the wife of the Prophet, thought
that her tender-hearted father would not be able to bear this
burden. She therefore requested the Prophet to ask someone else
to perform this duty. But the Prophet did not change his mind.
Thus, in the lifetime of the Prophet, Abu Bakr came to fill the
highest office. This distinction made it possible for Umar and his
friends, after the Prophet’s death in 632, to propose Abu Bakr as
the head of the community. Abu Bakr thus became Caliph (the
successor of the Prophet) by the general consent of the people.
Thanks to his simple but firm character, he was able to lead the
young Muslim community successfully through the most difficult
times. After the death of the Prophet, a number of the Arab tribes
revolted. Most of them had embraced Islam after the conquest of
Makkah in A.H. 8. and had not had the opportunity to undergo
any proper training by the Prophet. Being used to a free and easy
life, they found such Islamic injunctions as zakat and jihad more
that they could tolerate. They were under the impression that, after
the Prophet, God’s succour too had come to an end.
