Khalifa Abu Bakr - Anecdotes of Abu Bakr 3

He was asked to sheathe his sword. At the Battle of Uhud, Abdul Rahman a son of Abu Bakr again fought against the Muslims. Before the battle began Abdul Rahman stepped forth from the ranks, and threw a challenge to the Muslims to let some one step forward and have a duel with him. Abu Bakr accepted the challenge, and was about to fight a duel with his son, when the Holy Prophet commanded, "Sheathe your sword and do not make us anxious about your person".

He slapped a Jew in the face. Finhas, a Jewish rabbi said; "We are rich but your Allah is poor. We are independent of Him but He needs us, Had He been independent of us, He would not have given us interest, which He has denied to you." Abu Bakr felt outraged at this blasphemy. He slapped the Jew in the face and said, "Were it not for the treaty between the Muslims and the Jews, I would have cut off your head O enemy of Allah."

Fight for the Prophet. When the Muslims encamped at Hudaibiya, Urwa b Masud came to see the Holy Prophet on behalf of the Quraish. He insinuated that at the time of crisis, the followers of the Holy Prophet were likely to abandon him. Thereupon Abu Bakr flared up and said, "May God curse you; how dare you think that we will abandon the Holy Prophet. Rest assured, we will fight to the last for him."

Hold fast to the stirrup of the Holy Prophet. Umar regarded the treaty of Hudaibiya as humiliating to the Muslims. He saw Abu Bakr and wanted him to persuade the Holy Prophet to withdraw from the pact. Abu Bakr said, "The Holy Prophet knows things more than we do. What the Holy Prophet has done is in the interests of the Muslims. Do not be critical. Hold fast to the stirrup of the Holy Prophet."

Judging what he did not know. In the case of the ordeal of falsehood, after God had revealed to the Holy Prophet the innocence of Ayesha, she said to Abu Bakr, "Father would you not have pardoned me if there had been no revelation." Abu Bakr said, "What heaven would cover me, and what earth would carry me if I judged that which I did not know?"

He wanted God to forgive him. Mistah was a relative of Abu Bakr whom Abu Bakr used to pay an allowance. Mistah took active part in spreading the calumny against Ayesha. Thereupon Abu Bakr swore that he would no longer help Mistah. Thereupon the verse descended on the Holy Prophet, "Let not those in affluence swear not to aid poor kinsmen. Let them forgive. Do you not wish that God should forgive you?" Hearing this Abu Bakr restored the allowance to Mistah saying, "Yes, I wish Allah to forgive me."

His feet became dusty in the service of God. When Usamah's army left for Syria, Abu Bakr walked for some distance along with the army to see it depart. Usamah was riding on horseback, and he requested Abu Bakr that he should be permitted to dismount or the Caliph should also ride on a horse. Abu Bakr said, "No, neither shall you dismount nor shall I mount a horse, for according to a tradition of the Holy Prophet, he whose foot becomes dusty in the way of God will be preserved from hell fire."

He excelled all in the matter of generosity. For the financing of the expedition to Tabuk, the Holy Prophet invited contributions from all his followers. Umar made a liberal contribution. When the Holy Prophet asked him, how much he had left for himself and his family, he said that he had given one half of his wealth for the cause of Allah and had left one half for himself and his family. Then Abu Bakr came loaded with his contribution, and the Holy Prophet put him the same question as to how much he had left for himself and his family. Abu Bakr said, "I have brought all that I had. I have left Allah and His Prophet for myself and my family". Thus Abu Bakr excelled every one in generosity.

He anticipated Umar. It is related that a blind old woman lived in a suburb of Madina and had no one to support her. Umar used to go in disguise to the house of the old woman, but was always surprised to find that someone else had anticipated him and had supplied the wants of the old woman. One night Umar went to the house of the old woman earlier than usual and hid himself to watch as to who attended to the wants of the old lady. He had not to wait long for soon a man arrived who attended to the needs of the old woman, and this man was Abu Bakr.

Foremost in breaking glad tidings. Once in the presence of Abu Bakr and Umar the Holy Prophet said that the recitation of the Holy Quran by Ibn Masud was the most perfect, and had been approved of by God. Later, Umar went to the house of Ibn Masud to tell him of the approval of God. He thought that he would be the first man to give the glad tidings to Ibn Masud. When Umar reached the house of Ibn Masud he found that Abu Bakr had already been to the house of Ibn Masud and has informed him of the glad tidings.

Sweet dish. It is related that one of the wives of Abu Bakr once wished for a sweet dish. The Caliph said that he had no money for such a luxury. She said, "Then permit me to save something daily, and then have a sweet dish when sufficient amount has been collected". This he permitted and in the course of a few days she saved some amount. Abu Bakr deposited the amount in the treasury. He had his daily allowance reduced by the amount of the saving, holding that if something could be saved it meant that the allowance sanctioned in his favor was excessive to that extent.

The physician. During the course of his last sickness, some companions who visited him said, "O Caliph of the Prophet, should we call a physician to examine you?" He said "The physician has already examined me". What did he say, they asked. He said that the physician had said that he would do with the patient what he would will.

Encomium for the Prophet. During the course of his illness while looking at Abu Bakr, Ayesha recited: "That bright face whose freshness gives water to the clouds, is affectionate towards the orphans, and protects the honor of the widows." Abu Bakr opened his eyes and said, "No, the Holy Prophet alone deserves this encomium."

The coffin. When at the point of death, Abu Bakr desired that the two pieces of the cloth that he was wearing should be washed and used for his coffin, while the third piece could be purchased. Ayesha said that they were not so poor as to be not able to purchase all the three pieces. He said, "New pieces of cloth can be better utilized for the living than for the dead. The cloth that covers the dead body is for absorbing blood and pus only."