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The System of the Khulafa (Caliphate)
The Caliphate of Abu Bakr al Siddiq رضي الله عنه
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The System of the Khulafa (Caliphate)
The Caliphate of Abu Bakr al Siddiq رضي الله عنه
Summary
The System of the Caliphate
The ummah already believed in one ummah (community) and one state ruled by Sharia, and in carrying Islam beyond its borders, when they were shaken by the death of the Messenger ﷺ. Anas ibn Malik said that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered Madinah it was filled with light, and when he died the city became dark and they no longer recognised their own hearts (Ahmad 3/221, al Tirmidhi 5/588, Ibn Majah 1/522, Ibn Kathir, al Bidayah wa al Nihayah 5/308).
The shock reached the point that Umar ibn al Khattab may Allah be pleased with him initially insisted that the Messenger ﷺ had not died and threatened with his sword anyone who said so, likening his absence to the absence of Musa عليه السلام from his people (Abd al Razzaq, al Musannaf 5/433, Ibn Saʿd, al Tabaqat 2/266–269, Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid 5/185).
Abu Bakr entered, uncovered the Prophet ﷺ, kissed him and said, “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. You were pleasant and pure in life and in death” (al Tirmidhi, Kitab al Wafah, al Nasai p. 73, Abu Yaʿla, Ahmad, Ithaf al Khiyarah 2/530).
He then announced to the people that whoever had worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad had died, and that whoever worships Allah, Allah is living and never dies, and then recited from the Qur’an until the Companions wept (al Bukhari 1241, Fath al Bari 7/30, 8/146).
Because authority in Islam could not remain vacant while the state was still young and surrounded by powerful tribes, the senior Companions moved quickly to appoint a leader.
The basic conditions they observed were that the leader be Qurashi, precede others in Islam, serve the daʿwah and the state, have a clear standing with the Prophet ﷺ, and be someone whom the ummah could broadly accept.
The Muhajirun gathered around Abu Bakr, while the Ansar gathered in the Saqifah of Banu Saʿidah around Saʿd ibn Ubadah to discuss leadership. When news of the Saqifah reached the Muhajirun, they went to their Ansari brothers, recognising that the Ansar had a share in this right (al Bukhari 6830, Abd al Razzaq 5/439, Ibn Saʿd 3/615, Ibn Hisham as transmitted by Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari 12/153).
Two Ansaris, ʿUwaym ibn Saʿidah and Maʿn ibn ʿAdi, met them and informed them that some of the Ansar wanted the caliphate for themselves, which shows that the Ansar were not on a single view (Abd al Razzaq 5/445, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/563, Ahmad 1/56, al Bukhari 5/110).
In the Saqifah, an Ansari speaker stressed that they were the supporters of Allah and the battalion of Islam and complained that a small group of Muhajirun now wished to exclude them from authority (al Bukhari 4021).
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him acknowledged their virtues but argued that leadership among the Arabs was only recognised for Quraysh, who were central in lineage and home, and that the Arabs would not unite behind anyone else. He proposed that the Muhajirun be leaders and the Ansar be ministers, warning them not to split Islam or be the first to introduce something new into it. (al Bukhari, al Baghawi, Abu Nuʿaym, Tarikh al Islam 3/5).
When some suggested appointing two leaders, one from the Muhajirun and one from the Ansar, Abu Bakr rejected this and Umar replied that two swords cannot fit into one scabbard, making clear that dual authority would tear them apart. (Ahmad 5/185, Ibn Saʿd 3/212, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/561, al Baladhuri, Ansab al Ashraf, al Tabarani 5/114, Ibn Kathir 5/281, al Bukhari 5/88, al Tirmidhi, al Nasai).
Zayd ibn Thabit, the scribe of revelation from the Khazraj, then reminded them that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was from the Muhajirun and that the Ansar were his supporters, so they must now support the Muhajirun as they had supported him. Abu Bakr praised the Ansar, supplicating for them and affirming that without this stance agreement would not have been possible. (Ahmad 5/185, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/561, Ibn Saʿd 3/212, al Baladhuri, al Tabarani 5/114, Ibn Kathir 5/281).
From the authentic reports it becomes clear that the Saqifah meeting was relatively brief, marked by serious consultation rather than physical confrontation, and that much of what later sources related of harshness and struggle rests on weak narrations that distort the true, controlled and responsible nature of that gathering. (Khilafat Abi Bakr al Siddiq, Abd al Aziz al Muqbil p. 42, al Tabari 3/199, al Suhayli 4/270, Ibn Kathir 5/286, al Khuzai p. 36, Ibn Hajar p. 129).
The Caliphate of Abu Bakr al Siddiq رضي الله عنه
Once agreement had settled that the caliph must be from the Muhajirun, Abu Bakr nominated Umar and Abu Ubaydah. Umar refused and said, “Rather we pledge allegiance to you. You are our leader, the best of us, and the most beloved of us to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ” (al Bukhari 6830).
He reminded them that the Prophet ﷺ had ordered Abu Bakr to lead the prayer and asked who could feel at ease advancing before him, and they sought refuge with Allah from that (al Nasai 2/74–75, Sahih Sunan al Nasai 1/168, Ibn Saʿd 2/224, 3/178, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/567, Ahmad 1/213, Fadaʾil al Sahabah 1/182, al Bukhari 8/211, al Tirmidhi, al Nasai p. 76, al Muqbil p. 42).
Umar then gave his bayʿah, followed by the Muhajirun and then the Ansar, forming the private pledge in the Saqifah (al Harith ibn Abi Usamah, Bughyat al Bahith 3/753, Ibn Hisham 4/66, Ibn Kathir 5/280, 6/340, Abd al Razzaq 11/336, al Bukhari 1/100, Abd al Razzaq 5/437).
The date was Monday, the twelfth of Rabi al Awwal in 11 AH. The next day Abu Bakr went to the masjid, Umar addressed the people, apologised for his earlier reaction to the death of the Prophet ﷺ and clarified Abu Bakr’s virtues, then called him to the minbar for the public pledge from the community at large (al Muqbil 57–58, al Tabari 3/199, al Suhayli 4/270, Ibn Kathir 5/286, al Khuzai p. 36, Ibn Hajar p. 129, al Bukhari 1/100, Abd al Razzaq 5/437).
Reports describe groups gathering around Abu Bakr while he said, “Pledge allegiance to me upon hearing and obeying Allah and His Book, then the amir” (Musa ibn Uqbah, Tarikh al Islam 3/8, Ibn Kathir 5/281, 6/341, al Hakim 3/66).
In his first sermon as caliph he declared that he had been placed in authority though he was not the best of the people, asked for help when he did well and correction when he erred, affirmed that truthfulness is trust and lying is betrayal, promised to support the weak until their rights were restored and to restrain the strong until he took from them the rights of others, warned that abandoning jihad brings humiliation and that spreading obscenity brings punishment, and set the rule that obedience to him depended upon his obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ (Ibn Hisham 4/66, Ibn Kathir 5/280, 6/340, Abd al Razzaq 11/336).
Abu Bakr himself testified that he had never sought leadership, had never asked Allah for it, and that he accepted it only out of fear of tribulation and reliance upon Allah, wishing that the strongest of the people in carrying this burden could stand in his place (Musa ibn Uqbah, Tarikh al Islam 3/8, Ibn Kathir 5/281, 6/341, al Hakim 3/66). His caliphate was thus a sacrifice for the unity of the ummah and the protection of the state, not a personal gain, and Allah supported him because of the sincerity of his intention.
The choice of Abu Bakr, from Banu Taym, one of the weaker clans of Quraysh, shows that the decisive criterion was faith and virtue rather than tribal power (al Bukhari 2/10, 5/8, 6/17, Fath al Bari 7/30, 8/146).
Authentic reports show that Ali ibn Abi Talib may Allah be pleased with him was upset at not being consulted and that the matter of Fadak and the inheritance of the Prophet ﷺ delayed the renewal of his public bayʿah, since Abu Bakr relied on the hadith, “We prophets are not inherited from; whatever we leave is charity” (al Bukhari 6275, Muslim 3/1380).
Other reliable reports show Ali explaining later that their only objection was being left out of the consultation, while affirming that Abu Bakr was the most deserving after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, mentioning that he was the companion in the cave and that the Prophet ﷺ had ordered him to lead the prayer (Musa ibn Uqbah, al Maghazi, Tarikh al Islam 3/8, Ibn Kathir 6/341, Kitab al Sunnah 2/563).
Ibn Kathir and Ibn Hajar combined the reports by stating that Ali pledged with the rest of the Muslims at the beginning, then renewed his pledge after the death of Fatimah to remove what remained of estrangement (Ibn Kathir 5/281, 5/321, 6/341, Fath al Bari 7/495).
Full Article
The System of the Caliphate
The belief in one ummah and one state, within which the rulings of the Sharia prevail, together with the strong desire to convey the message of Islam beyond its borders, had become firmly rooted in the Muslim elite when they were confronted with the painful event of the death of the Messenger ﷺ.
In that situation there appeared the superiority of Abu Bakr’s knowledge, the firmness of his heart, his bravery and boldness, and the strength of his judgment. (Fath al Bari 7/30, 8/146.)
Despite the shock that struck the elite and the general body of Muslims, the importance of establishing authority in Islam made them move quickly towards choosing a ruler even before they had completed the funeral and burial of the noble body to its resting place.
Behind this rapid movement there may have been the awareness among the leading figures of how serious the surrounding circumstances were for the muslims, which had only existed for a single decade.
Within that decade the state had been founded, its lands had expanded, and it had gained supporters within the three Hijazi cities in particular. At the same time, the great tribes with their large numbers, spread throughout the deserts and open lands, still surrounded the Islamic centres from every direction.
The Sharia conditions for choosing the first responsible authority over the state were limited to his being from Quraysh, and to his standing which would be defined by his precedence in Islam, his service to the da’wah and to the state, his status with the Prophet ﷺ, and the possibility that the ummah, or most of it, would agree upon the legitimacy of his assuming the leadership of the state and the succession to Prophethood.
The elite were represented by the Muhajirun, who looked towards Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him, while some of them were occupied together with Ali may Allah be pleased with him in preparing and burying the Prophet ﷺ.
On the other side were the Ansar, who gathered around the leader of the Khazraj, Sa’d ibn Ubadah, and held a meeting in the Saqifah of Banu Sa’idah to discuss the new situation.
The Ansar were the original inhabitants of Madinah. They had given refuge to the Muhajirun, supported Islam with their lives and wealth, prepared for it all the means of stability and spread, and were known for their preference for others, their patience, their jihad, and their sacrifices. Was it not then their right to hold the leadership of the state and to take care of Islam?
They said: ‘It is not a problem for you not to go near them. Conclude your matter among yourselves.’
Authentic reports have revealed the names of these two men from the Ansar as ‘Uwaym ibn Sa’idah and Ma’n ibn Adi. Their stance shows that there was not a single unified position among all of the Ansar. (al Musannaf, ʿAbd al Razzaq 5/445. al Musannaf, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/563. al Musnad, Ahmad 1/56. al Sahih, al Bukhari 5/110.)
This also suggests that the number of Muhajirun who entered the Saqifah was limited, and that Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu Ubaydah may have entered first, then the rest of the Muhajirun followed them. (Fath al Bari, 12/151, 12/153.)
Some narrations, which are weak, mention that the Muhajirun argued against the Ansar with the hadith, “The leaders of this matter are from Quraysh.” However, it seems that this hadith did not occur to their minds at that moment, or that Abu Bakr included its meaning within his words.
The first view is stronger, because if the hadith had been mentioned clearly it would have brought the debate to a swift end in favour of the Muhajirun without the need for the discussion to continue. (al Musannaf, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/563. al Musnad, Ahmad 1/5, with a chain whose narrators are trustworthy, although the report is mursal from Humayd ibn ʿAbd al Rahman al Humayri, who is a trustworthy faqih. al Bazzar and Ibn Taymiyyah considered it sound. Minhaj al Sunnah al Nabawiyyah, Ibn Taymiyyah 1/536. Kanz al Ummal, al Muttaqi al Hindi 5/638, quoting Ibn al Mundhir.)
The Ansar, in their discussion, looked at the caliphate from the narrow perspective of the circumstances of the society of Madinah and the historical relationship between the Muhajirun and the Ansar.
The Muhajirun, however, looked with a wider view at the level of the entire state and what would follow if authority were to move away from Quraysh.
This would bring serious consequences, because the Arabs could accept their leadership because of their standing among them. If the Ansar were to take it, dangerous divisions might emerge that would lead to the disintegration of the Islamic state.
A number of the Ansar then put forward the notion of appointing two leaders, one from the Muhajirun and one from the Ansar.
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him said: “No. We are the leaders, and you are the ministers.” Umar said: “Two swords in one scabbard will not work together.” (al Musnad, Ahmad 5/185, with a sound chain. al Tabaqat, Ibn Saʿd 3/212. al Musannaf, Ibn Abi Shaybah 14/561. Ansab al Ashraf, al Baladhuri, section al Shaykhan p. 65. al Muʿjam al Kabir, al Tabarani 5/114. al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 5/281. al Sahih, al Bukhari 5/88. al Shamaʾil al Muhammadiyyah, al Tirmidhi p. 308. Mukhtasar al Shamaʾil, al Albani p. 198. Kitab al Wafah, al Nasai.)
Thus it was the Khazraj who gave up their claim, following the truth and taking into account the interests of Islam, and their giving up was not because the Aws did not want the Khazraj to hold the caliphate, as Abu Mikhnaf claims. (al Tarikh 3/221–222, Al Tabari quoting Abu Mikhnaf.)
The Caliphate of Abu Bakr al Siddiq رضي الله عنه
He reminded them also of his role in the migration, saying that Abu Bakr was the companion of the Prophet ﷺ in the cave. Then Umar pledged allegiance to him, and the Muhajirun pledged allegiance to him, and then the Ansar pledged allegiance to him. (al Musnad, al Harith ibn Abi Usamah, with a good chain. Bughyat al Bahith, al Haythami 3/753. al Sirah al Nabawiyyah, Ibn Hisham 4/66, and Ibn Kathir authenticated its chain in al Bidayah wa al Nihayah 5/280, 6/340. al Musannaf, ʿAbd al Razzaq 11/336, through Maʿmar who said: some of the people of Madinah narrated to me, meaning some of my companions. al Sahih, al Bukhari 1/100. al Musannaf, ʿAbd al Razzaq 5/437.)
From a survey of the authentic reports about the meeting in the Saqifah and the pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr as caliph, it becomes clear that the meeting did not last long, that there was no lengthy debate between the Muhajirun and the Ansar, that there was no competition and struggle over taking the caliphate, that there was no harshness in speech, no threats, and no physical fighting between those present.
All of this is what some of the weak reports about the Saqifah portray, and what some contemporary authors have repeated, thereby distorting the bright image of that lofty historic meeting which determined the future of the caliphate and the Islamic state with decisiveness, restraint, and a strong sense of responsibility that rose above trivialities and personal desires. (Khilafat Abi Bakr al Siddiq, ʿAbd al ʿAziz ibn Sulayman al Muqbil p. 42. al Tarikh, al Tabari 3/199. al Rawd al Unuf, al Suhayli 4/270. al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 5/286. Takhrij al Dalalat al Samʿiyyah, al Khuzai p. 36. Fath al Bari, Ibn Hajar p. 129.)
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him was not eager for leadership. Rather, he disliked taking it on because he knew how great its responsibility was before Allah the Exalted and because he feared falling short in it, even though the Sahabah knew that he was the most deserving of it and the strongest of them in bearing it.
Abu Bakr spoke frankly to the Muslims about his feelings on more than one occasion. He said: “By Allah, I was never eager for leadership for a single day or night, and I never desired it. I never once asked Allah the Mighty and Majestic for it in secret or in public.
However, I was afraid of tribulation. I have been charged with a great affair for which I have no strength and no power except by Allah the Mighty and Majestic. I would love that the strongest of the people in carrying it were in my place today.” (al Maghazi, Musa ibn ʿUqbah. Tarikh al Islam, al Dhahabi 3/8. al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 6/341, and he said: its chain is good, al Bidayah wa al Nihayah 5/281. al Mustadrak, al Hakim 3/66, and he authenticated it, and al Dhahabi agreed.)
What great feelings these are, and how lofty is the one who carried them, aware as he was of Allah’s rights and the rights of the subjects.
How deep his faith was, how beautiful his reliance, how complete his humility, and how truthful his hopes.
He found no path before him except to accept taking on the caliphate, so that he could lead the ummah along the path of unity and faith and raise high the banner of the Islamic message, even though his own soul did not incline towards bearing that immense burden out of fear of falling short and failing.
In this way, his taking on the caliphate was a sacrifice from him for the sake of Islam and the ummah of Islam, and not a gain that he sought for himself. Allah supported him because of the sincerity of his intention and the soundness of his direction.
The pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr in the Saqifah came to be known as the private pledge. It was on Monday, the twelfth of Rabi al Awwal in the year 11 AH.
On the following day, Tuesday, he went out to the masjid and the people pledged allegiance to him in what became known as the public pledge, after a sermon that Umar ibn al Khattab delivered.
In it he apologised for his stance regarding the death of the Prophet ﷺ and his denial of it, and he clarified Abu Bakr’s rank in companionship and migration, while Abu Bakr remained silent and did not speak until Umar finished his sermon and then invited Abu Bakr to ascend the minbar and receive the pledge of allegiance from the people. (Khilafat Abi Bakr, ʿAbd al ʿAziz al Muqbil 57–58. al Tarikh, al Tabari 3/199. al Rawd al Unuf, al Suhayli 4/270. al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 5/286. Takhrij al Dalalat al Samʿiyyah, al Khuzai p. 36. Fath al Bari, Ibn Hajar p. 129. al Sahih, al Bukhari 1/100. al Musannaf, ʿAbd al Razzaq 5/437.)
An eyewitness of that day described how the pledge was given to Abu Bakr. Groups of people would gather around him and he would say to them: “Pledge allegiance to me on hearing and obedience to Allah and to His Book, then to the amir.” (al Maghazi, Musa ibn ʿUqbah. Tarikh al Islam, al Dhahabi 3/8. al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 6/341, and he said its chain is good, al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 5/281. al Mustadrak, al Hakim 3/66, and he authenticated it, and al Dhahabi agreed.)
This brief sermon contained the outline of the relationship between the ruler and the ruled. It made clear that his arrival to the caliphate came by the will of the ummah and through an explicit contract: obedience from the people in return for the ruler’s commitment to the Sharia.
It also affirmed the ummah’s oversight over his policies, helping him in what is good and correcting him when he deviates, as well as his commitment to establishing justice and jihad and to purifying the society of moral corruption. All of this is in addition to what the beginning of the sermon reveals of Abu Bakr’s intense humility.
In truth, the election of Abu Bakr to the caliphate shows the dominance of faith values and the submission of personal considerations to them. Abu Bakr was from the clan of Taym, and Taym was one of the weaker clans of Quraysh. (Sahih al Bukhari 2/10, 5/8, 6/17. Fath al Bari, Ibn Hajar 7/30, 8/146.)
Authentic reports indicate that Ali ibn Abi Talib may Allah be pleased with him was upset at not being consulted about the caliphate, and the report in the two Sahihs suggests that his pledge of allegiance was delayed for six months.
It links this delay to Abu Bakr not accepting the request of Fatimah the daughter of the Messenger ﷺ to inherit what Allah had granted His Messenger in Madinah, the land of Fadak, and what remained of the fifth of Khaybar.
Other authentic reports show that Ali had pledged allegiance on the very day of the public pledge, and that he later clarified the reason for his earlier upset, saying: “We were only upset because we were left out of the consultation. We certainly see Abu Bakr as the most deserving of the people to it after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
He is the companion in the cave, the second of the two, and we know his honour and seniority. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered him to lead the people in prayer while he was still alive.” (al Maghazi, Musa ibn ʿUqbah. Tarikh al Islam, al Dhahabi 3/8. al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 6/341, with a sound chain. Kitab al Sunnah, ʿAbdullah ibn Ahmad 2/563.)
Ibn Kathir and Ibn Hajar brought these authentic reports together by stating that Ali pledged allegiance at the start along with the people, then pledged again after the death of Fatimah as a renewal of the first pledge and as a way of removing what had occurred of estrangement due to the disagreement about the inheritance. (al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, Ibn Kathir 5/281, 5/321, 6/341. Fath al Bari, Ibn Hajar 7/495.)
ʿAṣr al Khilāfah al Rāshidah Muḥāwalah li Naqd al Riwayah al Tārīkhiyyah Wifq Manāhij al Muḥaddithīn page 45-54
