Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq — Page 6
HADRAT ABU BAKR ra 6 for people to make donations. * All the devoted companions ra of the Holy Prophet sa sacrificed willingly, according to their means. Some contributed one thousand dirhams (silver coins); some gave four thousand. Some even gave away half of their possessions. However, there was one companion who gathered together all that there was in his house and brought it to the Holy Prophet sa for the cause. Upon seeing how much this companion ra had laid at his feet, the Holy Prophet sa asked him, “Have you left anything at home for your wife and children?” At this, the companion ra replied, “I have left for them, Allah and His Messenger sa ”. 1 Do you know who this loyal companion was? The name of this devotee of the Holy Prophet sa is Ab u Bakr ra. He was one of the first individuals to accept the Holy Prophet sa , and was also his first Khalifah (successor). Indeed, in the history of Islam, the most well-known name after that of the Holy Prophet sa , is that of Hadrat Ab u Bakr ra. He is not only a highly respected figure in Islamic history but also in the history of the world since he was one of those people who changed the course of history. * This was the Siege of Tab u k. In order for the Muslim army to make such a long journey, some 200 miles to the border of Syria, they needed to make many great sacrifices. First of all, they had to leave the heavily-laden fruit trees without harvesting them and to set off in extremely hot weather. Allah mentions this in the Holy Quran, At-Taubah, 9:38-39; 42-47; 81-106 (Publisher)