Part 23

"O Allah! Grant Islam strength through “Umar Ibn AlKhattaab." (Reported by At-Tabraani.)

"If a people give up Jihad in the Cause of Allah, Allah will smite them with humiliation." (Reported by At-Tabraani.)

"If a person builds a mosque for Allah's Sake, Allah will build him a house in Paradise." (Reported by At-Tabraani.)

"To look at “Ali (Ibn Abi Taalib) is an act of worship." (Reported by Ibn ~ Asaakir.)

Abu Bakr's Last Illness:

On_ the 7th of Jumadah Al-Aakherah, 13 AH - the 8th of August 634 C.E, Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, may Allah be pleased with him, fell ill with a roaring fever. Everything was done to bring the fever down, but all was in vain. It became clear to the aged caliph that his end had come.

Even suffering on his last days and passing through the agony of death, Abu Bakr's mind was preoccupied with the future of Islam, He wanted to make sure that nothing would go wrong with the Muslim's affairs after his absence. Hence he spent every ounce of his energy neutralizing the violent storms of unrest that broke loose after the death of the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him. He did not want this to happen after his own death.

Abu Bakr Nominates “Umar as Caliph:

The Muslims’ welfare had always been Abu Bakr's priority, may Allah be pleased with him. He allowed nothing to prevail that would weaken Islam after his demise. What he feared most was division among Muslims. Knowing and fearing division between Muslims, like after the death of the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him. he wanted to avoid a

repetition of this by trying to ensure that no differences that existed would divide Muslims after his farewell. The strength of the Muslim community lay in unity, and as such it had to be preserved at any cost.

As his health deteriorated and he took a serious turn for the worse, Abu Bakr gave more and more thought to his successor. Should he himself name the best man. or should he leave the matter to be decided by the people after his death? In the latter case, quarrels might arise, since he had seen some confusion after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, for the election of a caliph. These would certainly shake the very foundations of Islam. He was in an awkward position and it was a perplexing issue. Abu Bakr was not willing to take that risk, and thus he preferred to let the Muslims decide the matter in his presence.

After deep thought and thorough investigation, he nominated ~Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him. He summoned the Shura (consultation) Council in order to discuss the issue of electing the second Muslim caliph. Most of the Companions agreed with Abu Bakr's proposal, save for someone's objection on ~Umar's strictness. He said, "No doubt, ~Umar is the best of men, but he is rather strict." That was the only ground on which ‘Ali and Talhah, may Allah be pleased with them both, did not agree with Abu Bakr on. But Abu Bakr rejected their plea on the grounds that the burden of caliphate would make him gentler.

Since there was no opposition to Abu Bakr's view, ‘Umar was declared the next caliph of the Muslims, and all the Companions of the Prophet, including ‘Ali and Talhah, swore allegiance to him.

Although the appointment (election) of “Umar Ibn AlKhattaab did not take place in the same way as it happened with Abu Bakr, it was democratic in the sense that the nomination of “Umar took place after fair consultation with the Shura Council.

When all Companions agreed, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, summoned *Uthmaan Ibn *Affaan, may Allak be pleased with him, and dictated to him ~Umar's nom:nation. He ordered him to write: "Bismillaah-irrahmaanirRahcem (In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful). This is the will of Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Quhaafah while he is about to leave this world and head for the next (the Hereafter), and at a time when even a non-believer starts to believe, a great sinner returns to repose faith in Allah, and even a liar starts to tell the truth. | appoint ~ Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab as your caliph after I pass away. So listen to him and obey (his orders). I have spared no effort in doing good for the Sake of Allah, His Prophet , and for seeking the welfare of His Religion and you, and for myself. If he deals with you justly, this is what 1 expect from him, but if he acts otherwise, then to every man will come the punishment of the sin he earned. I am keen on bringing about welfare (to you), yet I know nothing about the unseen. And soon the wrong-doers will know what vicissitudes their affairs will take!" Then, the will was sealed, and *Uthmaan came out with “Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab and [bn Saeed Al-Qurazi to read out the will to the people. ~ Uthmaan said: "Do you agree to pledge allegiance to the one referred to in this will (i.e. “Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab)?" They all replied in the affirmative, and then pledged allegiance to “Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.

After obtaining the people's approval in general terms, Abu Bakr lay on the bed, and prayed: "O Allah! I have taken

this step in the best interest of the Muslims. I feared disunion among them, so I took this step, the consequences of which are best. known to You. I spared no effort and exercised my personal judgment and appointed for them a man who is the best and the strongest of them, who is a very keen worker for the wellbeing of the people. O Allah, they are Your slaves; their affairs lie in Your Hands, so set right for them their affairs, and keep them on the right path. Make him (* Umar) one of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, help him follow the guidance of the Prophet of mercy (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him), and the guidance of the righteous servants after him. (O Allah) set right for him the affair of his nation."

Abu Bakr's Advice to the New Caliph:

~Abder-Rahmaan Ibn *Abdellaah Ibn Saabit narrates: "When Abu Bakr As-Sideeq, was about to breath his last, he summoned ~Umar [bn Al-Khattaab, and said to him: '* Umar! Be conscious of Allah, Bear in mind that some of the duties you owe to Allah are to be carried out during the daytime, and not at night, and some of them are to be carried out at night and not during the day; and that Allah does not accept a supererogatory act till the obligatory one is performed.

Only those who stick to the truth in this world and suffer tribulations in its cause will come out successful on the Day of Judgment. And it is worthy of those who stick to the truth to find their good deeds heavy on the scales (on the Day of Judgment). And only those will be condemned on the Day of Judgement who follow falsehood in this world and show indifference to its consequences. And it is humiliating for those who follow falsehood and show indifference to its consequences to find their scales of good deeds light (on the Day of Judgment).

Allah, Exalted be He, mentions (in the Quran) the good deeds in the world of the people of Paradise, and that He has forgiven them their evil decds. So if it occurs that you mention the people of Paradise, then say. ‘I fear lest 1 would not be among them', And Allah, Exalted be He, mentions the evil deeds of the people of Hell-Fire, and that He does not reject their good deeds. So if it occurs that you mention the people of Hell-Fire, then say, ‘I hope I will not be among them’.

A_ person should strike a balance between hope and fear; he should fear Allah and not lose hope in His Mercy. If you follow my advice, nothing unknown will be more beloved to you than death; but if you reject it, nothing unknown will be more displeased to you than death, and you are not able to escape it."

When It Was Time to Meet His End:

Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, died in the year 13A.H. (634AC) after suffering from fever for 50 days during which he gave instructions that ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab should lead the people in Salaah. There is a story, which accuses the Jews of putting poison in his food, but it lacks authenticity. When he died, he was sixty three years old, and his caliphate had lasted only two years and three months. During his illness he refused to consult a doctor, and when he was asked to do so, he said that he had consulted Allah and that he was in His hands. All the time he was thinking of Islam and its future stability.

Before his death he asked how the Prophet was dressed when he was laid in his coffin. Being informed that he was dressed in three garments, Abu Bakr asked that his two old

garments be used. A third new one was also bought. He disliked extravagance and stressed that the living were more important than the dead. His last words were: "O Allah! Let me die as a Muslim, and let me join the company of the righteous!"

His wife, Asmaa', and his son, * Abdur-Rahmaan, bathed him, and he was buried in *Aaishah's room, just beside the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him. First, ~ Umar led the burial prayer in the mosque, then he, ~Uthmaan, Talhah and *Abdur-Rahmaan supervised the burial. His head was laid just near the Prophet 's shoulders.

The inhabitants of Madeenah were deeply affected by Abu Bakr's death and were stunned by it just as they were when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, died. * Ali Ibn Abi Taalib hastened to his house, weeping, and said: "May Allah rest your soul in peace! You were the first to accept Islam; the staunchest in belief; the closest upholder of the Prophet ; the firmest defender of Islam, and the closest in conduct to the Prophet . May Allah reward you for the efforts you did in service of Islam, the Prophet and the Muslims! You believed the Prophet when all people disbelieved him; you were generous with him when everybody else was mean; you stood by his side when others let him down; and Allah has called you the Truthful in His Book. You were a bulwark for Islam, and a thunderbolt for the unbelievers. You were never a coward, but were as steadfast as a mountain. As the Prophet said, you were weak in body but strong in faith. You were humble in soul but great in Allah's Sight. You were venerable in the world and revered among the believers. You were unprejudiced; the weak were strong before you till you redeemed them from oppression; and the strong were weak before you until they abstained from oppression. May Allah not deprive us of your blessing; nor may He let us go astray after you have departed from this life."