Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, the best Companion

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Our master Abu Bakr was the first man to enter Islam and is considered the best among the Companions. He possessed many noble qualities such as forbearance, courage, and generosity. In the eleventh year of the Hegira, he was appointed as the first Caliph, and all the Companions agreed on his Caliphate. He was also known by the nicknames ^Atiq and As-Siddiq."

His lineage

His name was ^Abdu l-Lah Ibnu Ab i Quhafah ^Uthman Ibni ^Amir Al-Qurachiyy. Some people said that before he converted to Islam, he was known as ^Abdu l-Ka^bah. However, after he embraced Islam, the Prophet ﷺ renamed him ^Abdu l-Ka^bah. His family tree can be traced back to Murrah Ibnu Ka^b, and his mother was his father's paternal cousin, which made him closely related to the noble Prophet.

The birth of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

He was born three years after the Year of the Elephant, which made him three years younger than the Messenger ﷺ. He had a slim body, a white face, a prominent forehead, and no sideburns. He was considered the best of the Companions and was the first man to embrace Islam at the age of 37. According to 'Anas, Abu Bakr used to dye his hair using henna or katam, a plant similar to henna used for dyeing.

History of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

He was a prominent figure of Quraysh and a respected scholar. He was well-liked by his community and known for his forgiving nature and commanding presence. He was also incredibly courageous, patient, generous, and compassionate, and was considered the most generous of all companions. He spent 26 years as a follower of Islam and was appointed as the caliph on the day the Prophet passed away in the year 11 of the Hegira. The companions all unanimously agreed with his caliphate and pledged their allegiance to him.

Abu Bakr: the first Caliph

On the day of the Prophet's death in the eleventh year of the Hegira, he was sworn in and given the pledge of allegiance as the successor of the Prophet. This oath ceremony took place in the courtyard of the Bani Sa^idah. All the companions, including ^Aliyy and Al-^Abbas, swore their allegiance to him. The companions were unanimous in recognizing the legitimacy of his caliphate.

His nickname ^Atiq, the freedman of fire

Ibnu l-Jawziyy reported in the book Sifatu s-Safwah that Abu Bakr was given the nickname "^Atiq", which has three different opinions surrounding its origin.

• The first opinion is from ^A'ichah. When asked about the nickname, she said that the Prophet ﷺ looked at Abu Bakr one day and said:

هذا عتيق الله من النار

(Hadha ^Atiqu l-Lahi mina n-nar)

This means "He is the man that Allah freed from hellfire."

• The second opinion suggests that it was a name given to him by his mother and is held by Musa Ibnu Talh.
• Finally, the third opinion suggests that he was so-called because of the beauty of his face and is held by Al-Layth Ibnu Sa^d.

Abu Bakrs-Siddiq, the one who bears witness

The Prophet gave Abu Bakr the nickname As-Siddiq due to his unwavering faith and loyalty. It means "the one who testifies" and refers to his role in testifying to the truth of the Prophet's message. He ﷺ said:

يكون بعدي اثنا عشر خليفة أبو بكر الصديق لا يلبث إلا قليلا

(Yakunu ba^d i ‘ithn a ^achara khalifah Ab u Bakr As-Siddiq la yalbathu ‘ill a qalilan)

This means "There will be twelve caliphs after me, and Abu Bakr As-Siddiq will only remain in power briefly."

Al-Hakim reported in Al-Mustadrak that the mother of the believers ^A'ichah said: "The idolaters had approached Abu Bakr and told him: "Your companion claimed to have travelled to Baytu l-Maqdis during the night”. Ab u Bakr asked them "Did he say that?" They said to him, "Yes." He then said, "If he claims that, then it is the truth. I believe even more than that. I believe in what is revealed to him in the morning and the night."

After this event, Abu Bakr was dubbed "As-Siddiq" i.e., “the one who bears witness”. This account was reported by As-Suyutiyy in ‘Tarikhu l-khulafa'.