Part 5

~Umar further said; "I wish I were a hair in Abu Bakr's breast." (Reported by Musaddid.)

~Umar was also reported to have said: "The smell of Abu Bakr was far more better than the smell of musk."

* Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, is reported to have said: "The best of people after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, are Abu Bakr and ~ Umar. Never should I be loved by a man who hates Abu Bakr and * Umar.”

“Hadith with an unbroken chain, of narrators.

“Ali narrates: “Never did I compete with Abu Bakr in doing good deeds but found that he outdid me." (Reported by At-Tabaraani.)

Ar-Rubayyi> Ibn Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "We read about the Companions of Prophets, yet we did not find that any of them had a Companion like Abu Bakr AsSideeq " (Reported by Ibn * Asaakir.)

Az-Zuhri_ said, "One of the virtues of Abu Bakr was that he never had doubt concerning Allah."

Az-Zubayr Ibn Bakkaar said: "I heard some scholars say, the orators of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, were Abu Bakr As-Sideeq and ~ Ali Ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with them both."

Ar-Rubayyi Ibn Anas said, “Abu Bakr is like rain wherever it falls it brings good."

Abu Bakr is Called As-Sideeq:

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was uplifted to the Heavens, just after the demise of the Prophet's uncle, Abu Taalib, and his wife Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her. It was a time of sadness and disconsolation for the Prophet, and the situation for Islam appeared to be dark. It was there that he was assured of the destiny of Islam.

The morning after his ascension, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told the Quraysh that he had been carried from Makkah to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and

from there he had ascended to the heavens. He narrated to them what he had seen.

When the non-believing Quraysh heard of the Prophet 's ascension to heaven, they regarded it as an absurdity, and began to ridicule the Prophet for his declaration. "This is unbelievable!" they exclaimed. “It takes a month for a caravan to go the Levant (Ash-Shaam) and a month to return, how could you do the return journey in one night?"

There were also some Muslims who wavered in believing the ascension of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to the heavens. Some of them went to Abu Bakr and informed him of the Prophet ‘s journey to Jerusalem and ascension to the heavens. Some expressed doubt about the veracity of the ascension, but when this question was posed to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, he silenced them with his unforgettable words: "If he (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) says so, then he is truthful. There is nothing to be surprised about. I believe him when he says that he received a revelation from Heaven in an hour of the day or night. And that is beyond what you cavail at. "

It was on that occasion that he earned the title As-Sideeq. May Allah be pleased with him and rest his soul in peace.

Second of the Two:

Having heard the news of the success of Muslims in preaching Islam in Madeenah, the unbelievers at Makkah grew more and more furious and began to inflict intolerable atrocities on Muslims. The savagery and torture of the Quraysh escalated and the Muslims could not endure the severe maltreatment. Makkah was no longer a safe place for

Muslims to dwell in. At that point, Allah Almighty gave the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, permission to emigrate to Yathrib (Madeenah). In the name of religion the Muslims were to leave their homes and hearths, and begin a new life in another city.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, allowed Muslims to emigrate for Madeenah in batches. Only the Prophet. Abu Bakr, “Ali and the helpless honorable souls, who had been detained in confinement or were unable to break free from slavery, remained there. When Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, sought permission to emigrate to, the Prophet said to him, “Don't be in hurry, for it may be that Allah will give you a companion." Abu Bakr took this to imply that he was to accompany the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the journey. He felt happy and honored at the prospect of being the Prophet's traveling companion to Yathrib. He bought two camels, and made other preparations for their travel.

In the meantime, the Quraysh of Makkah made a plot to murder the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, but Almighty Allah foiled their evil conspiracy. The Quran makes mention of this plot:

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"Remember How the Unbelievers plotted against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee, or get thee (of thy home). They plot and plan and Allah too plans, but the best of planners is Allah." (Al-Anfaal: 30)

One hot afternoon, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, went to the house of his companion, Abu Bakr, and

gave him the tidings that the time for their emigration had come. "Allah has given me permission to leave the city and emigrate," the Prophet said. "Together with me? " asked Abu Bakr. "Together with you, " replied the Prophet. The two camels were saddled, and they hired ~ Abdullaah Ibn Urayqit, who then had not yet embraced Islam, to lead them on the way.

The assassins kept vigil all night long, waiting to pounce on the Prophet the moment he left his house. Every now and then they peeped through a hole in the door to make sure that he was still lying on his bed. The Prophet and ~ Ali were soon aware of their presence; and the Prophet picked up a cloak that he used to sleep with and gave it to * Ali, saying, "Sleep on my bed, and wrap yourself in this green cloak of mine. Sleep in it, and no harm shall befall you." Then the Prophet stepped out of his house casting a handful of dust at the assassins and began to recite:

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"Ya-seen. The Quran, full of wisdom. Thou art indeed one of the Messenger, on a straight way. " (Yaseen: 1-4)

He came to the words:

"And We have put a_ bar in front of them and a bar behind them, and further, we have covered them up, so that they

cannot see." (Yaseen: 9) At that point the Prophet went out

of the house and passed between them unnoticed and went on

At dawn, the assassins barged into the Prophet 's house and to their utter surprise, found that the person lying in the Prophet 's bed was “Ali, and not Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. This created a stir in the whole city.

Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companion Abu Bakr proceeded to hide in a neglected cave a few miles south of Makkah on Mount Thawr. When they had ventured a little beyond the precincts of Makkah, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, halted his camel, looked back, and said: "Of all Allah's earth, you are the dearest place unto me and the dearest unto Allah, and had not my people driven me out of you, I would not have left you. "

Abu Bakr first walked into the cave of Thawr. He plugged all the holes, cleaned it and then asked the Prophet to step in. They stayed in that cave for three nights. During that period, ~Abdullaah, son of Abu Bakr, would go to see them daily after dusk and apprise them of the situation in Makkah. “Aamir Ibn Fuhayrah used to steal away unobserved every evening with a few goats to cover up the tracks of * Abdullaah and furnish them with a plentiful supply of milk. Asmaa’, daughter of Abu Bakr, also came with a bag of provisions; but she had forgotten to bring a rope, so she took off her girdle and cut it into two, using one to tie the bag and keeping the other for herself. *

Abu Bakr was very afraid for the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him. One day, the enemy reached the mouth

*For this reason she carned the title “Dhatu-Nitagayn ", or the woman of the two

of the cave and came close to finding the two faithful souls. At that point, Abu Bakr whispered to the Prophet : "What if they were to look through the crevice and detect us? We are unarmed and at the bottom of the cave." Thereupon, the Prophet reassured him saying,

"Have no fear, for Allah is with us." (At-Tawbah: 40) Then the Prophet said to him, "What do you think of two when Allah is their third?"

Quraysh, on the other hand, were quite baffled and exasperated. A price was set upon the Prophet 's head. They offered a hundred camels as a reward for whoever could seize Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and bring him back. This had spurred many to try their luck. Among those who were on the lookout for the Prophet and his Companion to win the reward was Suraqah Ibn Maalik. He, as Ibn AlQayyim narrates, received information that a party of four had been spotted on a certain route. So he decided to pursue it secretly so that he alone would gain the reward. He mounted one of the best horses and went in pursuit of the Prophet and Abu Bakr. On the way, the horse stumbled and Suraaqah fell. He later resumed the chase but was once again curbed the same way, yet the lust for material gain made him pay no heed to it. Again he swung himself into the saddle and galloped on at a breaking speed till he came quite close to the Prophet. Abu Bakr's heart palpitated and he told the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah, we are done for. " But the Prophet said, "Be not cast down, for Allah is certainly with us.”

The repeated stumbling and falling from Suraqah's horse made him realize that the Prophet was protected against him,

and that it was a constant warning from Allah because of his evil design against the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He immediately changed and the sworn enemy turned into an honest believer. Approaching the Prophet with a penitent heart, Suraaqah begged for forgiveness in complete humility. The Prophet forgave him and confirmed it with a token written by Abu Bakr on a_ piece of parchment. Then Suraaqah hurried back to Makkah and tried to foil the attempts of those who went out in pursuit of the Prophet and his Companion.