Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, May Allah be pleased with him
~ The Mountain of Truthfulness~

Riddah Conflict 2: vs. Musaylimah Al-Kadhaab (The Liar)
- Musaylimah was from Bani Haneefah the tribe of Central Arabia

- Visited Madeenah during the lifetime of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

- On the return from Madeenah, he claimed to be the Prophet of Allah and formed and new creed

Musaylimah’s new creed includes:
1. His followers were exempted from Siyaam (fasting) and paying Zakah

2. The number of daily prayers was reduced

3. Adultery and drinking were made lawful to his people

4. He forbade his followers to cohabit with their wives once they became mothers.

5. A scripture (he had himself composed) was recited as an imitation to the Divine Qur’an and claimed to be revealed from Allah

How he won the hearts of his people?
- He had an attractive personality

- Endowed with superb physique

- An eloquent speaker and could sway the masses

- He exploited these qualities of his and succeeded in winning over a considerable following

His interaction with the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
- When his illness was becoming serious, the Prophet asked him to abandon his pretensions.

- However, Musaylimah sent an impudent letter to the Prophet:
“From Musaylimah, the Prophet of Allah, to Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah. Surely Allah has made me your partner in Prophet Hood. Let us divide the earth between ourselves.”

- The Prophet (Peace be upon him) then replied:
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah, to Musaylimah the Liar! To proceed. Verily the land belongs to Allah and he inherits it to whom He wishes. And the outcome will always be for the believers.”

Women claimed Prophet Hood: Zujaha
- She was an Arab lady who belonged to the tribe of Bani Tameem

- Claimed prophet hood after soon after Tulayhah and Musaylimah did.

- Succeeded in mustering a good following from among the Bani Taghlib, the clan of her mother.

- Attempted to gather followers from her father’s clan as well, so she contacted Malik Ibn Nuayrah, the chief of Bani Yarboo’.

- Malik acknowledge Zujaha’s prophetess and incited her to crush Bani Yarboo’ (who were actually opposed to him)

- The combined forces of Malik and Zujaha received some initial success.

- Then, Zujaha decided to proceed to Yamamah, the stronghold of the false prophet, Musaylimah Al Kadhaab

- Under the spell of the magnetic personality of Musaylimah, Zujaha agreed to marry Musaylimah and they joined forces to destroy the Muslims.

Ar – Rijaal (the man, another follower of Musaylimah)
- Came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and converted to Islam

- He learned the Qur’an as well

- He went back to his old tribe (Bani Haneefah) to refute the claims of Musaylimah

- He fell victim to the blandishments (pujuk rayu) of Musaylimah and falsely declared that he was witness to the fact that the Prophet had acknowledged Musaylimah as co-sharer in the divine mission.

- The Fitnah was larger since he learned Islam directly from the Prophet and that increased the credentials of Musaylimah

- The number of Musaylimah’s followers thus increased.

The Beginning of the enormous battle
- Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entrusted Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl to crush Musaylimah.

- Sharhabeel ibn Hasanah was to advance with another column to the assistance of Ikrimah.

- Though strict orders were given to Ikrimah by Abu Bakr not to engage in a battle, he was so anxious to get the better of him that he immediately started fighting Musaylimah

- The Muslims were beaten back with considerable loss.

- Some time later, Sharhabeel arrived in Yamamah valley with his column

- Again, his army was also defeated by Musaylimah.

- Two successive defeats created an embarrassing situation for the Muslims.

- This raised the morale of Musaylimah’s followers and they proudly declared that indeed Musaylimah was a prophet and divine help was on their side

- Abu Bakr commissioned Khalid Al Waleed (May Allah be pleased with him) to set off on a campaign against Musaylimah.

- Elaborate arrangements were made to reinforce the army of Khalid

- Seasoned soldiers were included in the force under his command:
1. Al Baraa’ ibn Malik and Thabit ibn Qays led the contingents of the Ansaar
2. Abu Hudhayfah and Zayd led the contingents of the Muhajireen

- Abu Bakr permitted the veterans of Badr to join forces of Khalid.

- Among others, those who joined the force were Abdur Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, Abdullah ibn Umar and Abu Dujaanah the re-owned warrior of Uhud (May Allah be pleased with them all)

The Battle of Yamamah soon begins…

Bismillah,
Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

InshaAllah, let's continue our journey to learn the life of our great Khalifah, Abdullah ibn Uthman, a.k.a Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sit back and enjoy...!

----

Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, May Allah be pleased with him
~ The Mountain of Truthfulness~

Now that the zakat withholders had been successfully taken care of, the Muslims, under the leadership of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him), moved on to fight the other group, the apostates.


Reasons for Apostasy:
- Recent conversion -- eman were yet to penetrate deeply into their hearts, hence their uncertainty about Islam.

- Tribalism -- they would rather accept a liar from their own tribe than truth brought by members of other tribe.

- Lack of education -- they haven't acquired enough knowledge of Islam to prevent them from acknowledging other prophet than Muhammad sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

Options given to Arabs:
1. ISLAM, or
2. DEATH (= war)

Options given to the rest of the people:
1. ISLAM, or
2. Remain in their religion and pay Jizyah (= tax given towards the service of protecting them), or
3. War

Why the different treatment?
- The kufr of the Arab = kufr of arrogance, because they actually know where the truth lies.

-The people from Makkah and Madina are not allowed to disobey Allah, lest others will be inclined to follow suit.

-When Arabs hold on to their deen, they are the best of people; when they commit sin, they are the evilest of people.

Huroob ar-Riddah: The War on Apostasy
- Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) formed eleven corps, each with its own commander, flag, and target.

- First corp: led by Khalid al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him), fighting against Tulayha al-Asdee, the first person to attack Madina, and subsequently to proceed against the Bani Tameems.

- Second corp: led by 'Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl (may Allah be pleased with him), fighting against the false prophet, Musaylimah al-Kadhhaab (Musaylimah the Liar) of Banu Hanifah.

- Other commanders were 'Amr ibn al-'Aas, Sharahbil ibn Hasanah, Khalid ibn Sa'id, Turayfah ibn Haajiz, al-'Alaa' ibn Hadrami, 'Aghrafah ibn Harsama, Hudhaifah ibn Muhsan, Muhajir ibn Abi Umayyah, and Suwaid ibn Maqran (may Allah be pleased with them).

Instructions from the Khalifah:
1. Have taqwa and be conscious of Allah the Almighty.

2. Exert the utmost effort and intend it only for the sake of Allah.

3. Do not molest or attack any tribe that respond with the Adhan.

4. Those who do not respond with the Adhan are to be dealt with by fire and sword.

5. All apostates who murder Muslim are to be killed.

6. All apostates who burn Muslims alive are to be punished likewise.

7. Fight until total destruction unless the apostate tribes surrender unconditionally to Islam.

8. Hold tight to the vow they have pledged.

9. Never depart from their assigned target unless instructed otherwise.

"... And he who refuses to return to Islam, and persists in hostility will be given no quarter; force will be used against him, he will be put to sword, slaughtered, or burnt to death..." -- Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)

"... Calling the Adhan will be regarded as an indication of the acceptance of Islam. If there is no Adhan, this will be taken to mean that the tribe persists in its apostasy." -- Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)

Riddah Conflict 1: vs. Tulayha as-Asdee of Banu Asad
- 9th Hijra, he came to the Prophet (may peace be upon him) and became Muslim.

- 10th Hijra, he became murtad and laid claim to prophethood.

- The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed that he be killed, but the mission failed and his tribe began to claim that no sword could harm their so-called 'prophet'.

- When the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, many other tribes started to acknowledge Tulayha as the prophet, claiming that a living prophet was to be preferred to a dead one.

- Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) commisioned Khalid al-Walid's corp to confront them.

- Tulayha himself did not partake in the battle. He hid inside a tent, pretending to await inspiration from Heaven.

- His followers soon realized that he was an imposter when he sent out a nonsense and ambiguous message which he claimed to come from Allah.

- They retreated and most of the tribes surrendered and accepted Islam.

- Tulayha escaped to as-Shaam with his wife and later on reembraced Islam when it came to as-Shaam.

- Later, he joined the Muslim army in the battles of Qadisiyyah and Nahawand, and become a shaheed in the latter one.

Bismillah...

Assalamu'alaykum warahmatullah,

Insha'Allah, we will continue on our journey learn about the precious life Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (May Allah be pleased with him)...

------------------------

Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, May Allah be pleased with him
~ The Mountain of Truthfulness~

"They were like sheep in the wild, on a stormy night, on a plain of wild beasts."
'Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her)

Problems occurred after the passing of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
- The leader of certain tribes start claiming to be prophet
o However, Mecca, Madina and Tha'if remained steadfast in Islam
o Those people who claimed prophethood had a huge army ready to attack Madinah

- There are also people who refused to pay zakah

- Abu Bakr's priority was to wag war against those who refused to pay zakah. It was first opposed by the companions and suggested instead they should fight those who apostatized.

Fighting the Zakah Withholders
- The tribes of Murrah, 'Abs, Tha'labah Ibn Sa'd, and Kinanah, assembled at Abraq and Dhul Qissah close to Madeenah.

- They sent a deputation to Abu Bakr to tell him that with the passing of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), they were exempted from paying zakah.

- Abu Bakr felt that it was incorrect to hold that Islam was a matter of agreement between the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and the tribes.

- Islam is covenant with Allah (SWT), and Allah exists, the passing away of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) after the fulfillment of his mission did not in any way, affect their allegiance to Islam.

- Abu Bakr came to the conclusion that he had no jurisdiction to grant exemption from zakah.

- As the successor of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) it devolved on him to enforce the command of Allah in letter as well as in spirit, and not to seek to modify if for one reason of the other.

- Abu Bakr then met the delegation of the tribes and explained to them the philosophy of zakah.

- Abu Bakr argued that zakah being a fundamental injunction of Islam had to be paid with good grace, and any refusal to pay zakah implied apostasy.

"By Allah, I will fight those who distinguish between salaah and zakah, because zakah is the compulsory right to be taken from one's property (according to Allah's command). By Allah, if they refuse to give me even the cord used for hobbling the feet of a camel, which they used to pay zakah at the time of the Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him), I would fight them for withholding it."
Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him)

"By Allah, there was no doubt that Allah guided Abu Bakr's heart towards the decision to fight them, which I later found was the truth."
'Umar ibn Al Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him)

The Battle of Dhul Qissah
- The tribes took the rejection of request as a challenge.

- Islam sat lightly on them and tribal feelings were most dominant in them.

- They preferred to forego Islam rather than yield to the dictates of the authorities in Madinah.

- Since the Muslim army under the leadership of Usama ibn Zayd was in their expedition against the Romans the tribes thought that there was hardly any fighting force with the Muslims in Madinah and such city was vulnerable.

- The tribes concentrated their forces at Dhul Hissa and Dhul Qissah to the north east of Madinah on the way to Najd, and decided to launch the attack against Madinah.

- Abu Bakr discerned that the tribes meant mischief when they left with a sullen mood.

- He immediately gave orders to Muslims to make their arrangements for the defense of Madinah.

- Strong pickets under Khalid Al Walid, Az Zubayr, Talhah, Abdul Rahman ibn 'Awf, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (May Allah be pleased with them) were posted at strategic approaches to the city.

- Abu Bakr assembled all the adult male in the prophet's mosque and informed them about the impending danger of an attack from the tribes.

- He brought home to them the point if the staked their everything in the way of Allah, Allah would come to their help as He had helped them during the lifetime of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

"The delegation noticed that your number is few, and you do not know whether they will attack you by day or at night, and they are not far from you, so be on your guard and make arrangements."
Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (May Allah be pleased with him)

- Three days later, the zakah withholders made brisk movement in the camp of the tribes Dhul Hissah.

- The Muslim scouts informed Abu Bakr that the tribes planned to attack Madinah that night

- Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him), as the head of the contingent, took position at a strategic point in the direction of Dhul Hissah from where the attack was expected.

- The tribes launched the attack at midnight and hope that they would take the city by surprised without any fighting force in Madinah.

- As the tribal force advanced in the darkness of the night fully assured of their victory, the contingent of Abu Bakr leapt on the advancing horde, and took them unawares.

- Many tribesmen fell victims to the swords of the Muslims; the rest fled in utter confusion.
The retreating tribesmen were joined by their reserves.

- In battle at Dhul Hissah, the Muslims (though few in number) fought with grim determination.
- In Madinah, Abu Bakr rallied Muslim forces and mustered all available reserves to attack the enemy.

- In the late hour of the night, the Muslim army led a violent attack against the enemy at Dhul Hissah.

- The tribes retreated to Dhul Qissah and the Muslim army pursued them there.

- There was fighting at Dhul Qissah but the tribal force could not withstand the fury of the attack of the Muslims.

- Before dawn, the Muslims had won victory and they were the masters of Dhul Qissah.

"O successor of Allah's Messenger, do not expose your life to danger, for if you are harmed there would be no guide for Muslims, so send a man in your behalf, and if he is killed, send another one."
Muslim Army

"Nay, by Allah I will never do this, not will I sacrifice your souls to save myself."
Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (May Allah be pleased with him)

- Such was the ideal Abu Bakr, who fought in defense of Islam in the absence of Usama ibn Zayd.

Lessons from the Battle of Dhul Qissah
- It was the firs significant event of the caliphate of Abu Bakr.

- In the midst of the most adverse circumstances, he remained firm and never lost faith.

- By refusing the compromise on principles in spite of heavy odds, he managed to preserve the five pillars of Islam. (Otherwise, we would be left with four, Allahu ta'ala a'lam)

- After the battle of Dhul Qissah, many tribes sent their delegations to Madinah and swore allegiance to the authorities of Madinah and paid zakah. (Alhamdulillah)

- The tribes that did not favor Islam openly apostatized.

- Hence, the issue was not between Muslims and Muslims; the issue was between the Muslims and the apostates.

- The battle of Dhul Qissah set the stage for apostasy campaigns.

Bismillaah ..

As salaamu 'alaykum Brothers & Sisters ..may this email find all of you in the best of health and sweetness of emaan, in shaa' Allaah.

Al hamdu lillaah, we're done for the 1st term of the History of the Khulafaa! Deep in our heart, we hope that all of you have benefitted immensely from this small effort. May Allaah, subhaanahu wa ta?aala, increase our understanding of this Deen and engrave the utter love of Rasool Allaah, sal Allaahu ?alayhi wa sallaam, and his beloved companions, radhiyallaahu 'anhum, in our hearts, aameen!

Guess what? The most awaited moment has come! In shaa' Allaah today we're going to present to you a *short* quiz which contains 4 questions regarding the 1st term materials. Short in terms of the questions, but longggg in terms of answers. Just kidding! We promise, it won?t be hard in shaa? Allaah. As long as you've understood the materials well and have reflected upon them, in shaa? Allaah you're ready to go!

Don't forget your *bismillaah* & du'aa before taking the quiz. Make a pure intention that you want to benefit the most out of these questions, and bi idznillaah, you'll ultimately benefit!

--let the quiz begin ?

a) In your opinion, what is one the most outstanding characters that Abu Bakr was known of? After learning this magnificient conduct, how would you follow his footsteps in applying it?

b) In reflecting on the life of 'Abdullaah Ibn Zubayr, what are the factors that shape & build his strong personality? Elaborate from different aspects such as the environment he was in (ie excellent parents), his knowledge, his worship,etc.

c) Extract 1 da'wah technique/ "gem" from the incident at Saqeefat Bani Saa'idah in which Abu Bakr was chosen to be the Khalifah (this is one of the questions that came out during our exam for this class!)

d) What are the benefits that you can dig out after this 1st term of learning the History of the Khulafaa??
--

Please take time to think and reflect in answering this quiz. Preserve your sincere intention and seriousness in learning about this Deen. May our sincerity and endless effort in seeking knowledge cause us to enjoy His Pleasure in this life & the Hereafter, and untimately lead us into Jannatul Firdaws, aameen!

Please submit your answers to lehigh_pc_team@yahoo.com before 11. 59pm of April 17th, 2005. Include your full name, university /location (if applicable) and your valid email address.

Jazaakum Allaahu khayr ..bittaufeeq fii imtihaan!

--"LPC Quizzing Team"

--------------------------
By the way, for the record, we have received only 0 participations, hrmm... what does that tell us? No one is up for the challenge? Maybe we should make the quiz easier huh? I guess it's just tooooooo hard...

Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, radhiyallaahu ‘anhu
~ The Mountain of Truthfulness~

“By Allah, never on any day or night did I covet to be the leader. Nor did I desire it. Nor did I ever ask Allah for it, neither privately nor publicly. Rather, it was the fear I had of the Fitnah. There is no rest for me in leadership. It is a task that I was branded with which I have no power or ability except in the strength of Allah azza wa jall. How I wish that the most capable person in this affair were in my position today”
-Abu Bakr radi Allahu ‘anhu

Pre-Khilafah Period

1. Before his passing, Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam, had given hints to the people that Abu Bakr should be the khalifah. The hints are:

o Abu Bakr was asked to lead the solah when the Prophet SAW was not able to do so.

o The Prophet SAW asked people to go and see Abu Bakr when having problems.

o Hajj delegation b4 hajj widaa' was lead by Abu Bakr

2. Abu Bakr and leadership

o The Prophet put the future leader in the eye of the public at the most challenging time.

o Even though he had a gentle personality, when Abu Bakr spoke, everyone sits down and listen.

3. The death of Rasulullah SAW and the reality

o Rasulullah SAW passed away in ‘Aaisha’s lap. His final words were “O Allah in the highest company”

o Umar (ra) could not believe the news of the Prophet’s passing. He threatened to kill the people who said that the Prophet was dead. He said, “Some of the hypocrites claim that the Messenger of Allah SAW died. The Messenger of Allah SAW did not die, but went to his Lord in the same way as Moses bin ‘Imran did. He stayed away for forty nights, but finally came back though they said he had been dead. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah SAW will come back and he will cut off the hands and legs of those who claim his death.”

o Abu Bakr came and told Umar to sit down. Abu Bakr said:

- “And now, he who worships Muhammad SAW. Muhammad is dead now. But he who worships Allah, He is Ever Living and He never dies.”

- Allah says: “Muhammad (SAW) is no more than a Messenger and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah, and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.” [Al-Qur'an 3:144]

The Bay’ah (pledge of Allegiance)
4. In any organization, leadership is the most important aspect. A lengthy discussion took place to decide who should be the next leader.

o The meeting took place in Saqifat bani Sa’idah, in a roofed passage.

o Abu Bakr and Umar went to discuss with the Ansar to choose the next leader. They consulted the Ansar even though Abu Bakr knew about the hadeeth that the next leader should be from the Quraish

o The Ansar was looking for a leader locally, while Abu Bakr was looking at the bigger picture.

o The Arabs will not except leadership except from Quraish based on the hadeeth, "The khulafaa' are to be from the Quraish"

o Finally, everyone acknowledged Abu Bakr as the next Khalifah.

Abu Bakr’s Inauguration Speech
5. Inauguration speech: Abu Bakr’s inauguration took place on 12 Rabi’ul Awwal, in the year 11 Hijrah. The content of his speech were:
o Relationship between the leader and the people works both ways.

o He came to be the khalifah because of the decision of the muslimeen.

o If he does well, the people should support him, but if he does wrong, the people should correct him.

o His goal was to continue justice, jihad, and morality.

o At the beginning of his speech, he said that he was not the best amongst them.

The Army of Usamah ibn Zayd
6. Army of Usamah ibn Zayd:
o Before the death of the Prophet, Usamah was nominated to lead the Muslim Army against the Levant (Battle of Mu'tah)

o He was 17 at that time.

o However, when the Prophet fell seriously ill and later of passed away, Usamah's expedition was held up.

o Abu Bakr then decided to continue Usamah's expedition to Mu'tah, but some of the companions did not agree with his idea. They thought it might not be a suitable time to send out troop while the Prophet just passed away.

o Abu Bakr said, "How can I fold up the flag which the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) himself unfurled?"

o Then they said Usamah was too young and again Abu Bakr replied, "How can I dismiss a man whom the Messenger of Allah appointed?"

o Abu Bakr asked the permission (note: the Khalifah asking permission from a leader of an army) from Usamah to let 'Umar stay in Madinah with him and Usamah agreed.

o Before bidding farewell to the Muslim Army, Abu Bakr gave them useful advice which serves as code of conduct in war:
i. Never be dishonest or treacherous
ii. Don't steal from the booty you lay your hands on
iii. Do not mutilate the dead bodies of the enemy
iv. Do not kill aged, children and women
v. Do not burn down date-palms
vi. Do not cut down fruit trees
vii. Do not slaughter goats, or cows, or camel except for nutritional purposes
viii. Leave alone the people who have taken asceticism and sit in monasteries

o Usamah's expedition proved very successful and was back in Madinah after forty days

o This expedition was an eye-opener to those who thought that Islam was dying out after the death of the Prophet.

7. Problems that occurred after the passing of the Prophet SAW:
o Huroob Ar-Riddah - Wars of Apostasy
a. Riddah Conflict: Banu Tameem led by Maalik Ibn Nuwayrah
b. Riddah Conflict: Nothern Arabia led by Tulayha Al-Asdee
c. Riddah Conflict: Musaylimah in Al-Yamamah
d. Riddah Conflict: Yemen and Bahrain

o Muslim who refused to pay zakat (Muslim – Zakat = Kaafir).
- For Abu Bakr, the number one priority was to eliminate the problem where some Muslims refused to pay zakat.
- This was against other people’s opinion.
- "I will go to war against anyone who separates zakah and solah" (Abu Bakr said to 'Umar)

Insha'Allah no. 7 will be discussed in detail in part V.

OK. After every 4 entries of the notes, there will be a quiz! Notice that this is the fourth note-sharing article? So yes, there will be a quiz coming soon. These quizzes will be a form of a competition between all MISG members. Everyone is welcomed to participate and your scores will be recorded. At then end of the year, we will announce the winner at our Annual Muktamar Convention. Winner from the brothers' side will be announced during the Performance Night and from the sisters' side will be announced during the sisters' performance on Yaumun Nisa'.

Wassalam,
LPCT

Bismillaah ..

as salaamu 'alaykum Brothers & Sisters ..in shaa' Allaah the history continues ..we'll be learning about the best friend of the prophet, sal Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ..

--
Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, radhiyallaahu'anhu
~ The Mountain of Truthfulness~

No wealth benefitted me in the way that the wealth of Abu Bakr did
-- Rasool Allaah, sal Allaahu ?alayhi wa sallam.

By Allaah, never on any day or night did I covet to be the leader. Nor did I desire it. Nor did I ever ask Allaah for it, neither privately nor publicly. Rather, it was the fear I had of the Fitnah. There is no rest for me in leadership. It is a task that I was branded with which I have no power or ability except in the strength of Allaah, 'azza wa jall. How I wish that the most capable of person in this affair were in my position today.
-- Abu Bakr , radhiyallaahu ?anhu.

Who was he? Before and after:
His name was Abdullah ibn Uthman and was born two years after the Prophet (saw) was born.

He was known for this truthfulness(siddeeq), his iman to Allah and Ar-Rasul. Hence, he was given the title As-Siddiq, the truthful one.

His was skinny, dark-skinned and had a very long beard; don?t forget that he and ?Abdullaah ibn Zubayr were alike! Like grandpa like grandson.

Even before embracing Islam, he was known among his people for his upright character. He was a very good friend of Rasulullah (before and after accepting Islam) and his characters resembled a lot that of Rasulullah.

When the Call of Islam was made upon him, he immediately answered it and became the first man to enter Islam.

He was not only truthful in his iman, but also he was truthful in spending his wealth for the sake of Allah.

There was once, Rasulullah asked his companions to spend their wealth in supporting the invasion of Tabook. 'Umar came forward and thought, "If there is any day that I would beat Abu Bakr, this would be the day!". He raced towards the Prophet with half of his wealth. The Prophet then asked him, "Have you left anything for your family?" Umar answered, "An equal amount of it." At that moment, Abu Bakr came (without knowing what Umar gave)with all of his wealth to be spent for the sake of Allah. The Prophet asked him, "O Abu Bakr! Have you left anything for you family?" He answered, "Allah and His Messenger." Umar then thought to himself, "Never will I outdo Abu Bakr."

Abu Hurayrah r.a reports that the Prophet said: "No wealth benefited me in the way that the wealth Abu Bakr did." Whereupon Abu Bakr burst into tears and said, "My person and wealth are entirely at your service, O Messenger of Allah!" (Reported by Ahmad)

Allah elevates his status by mentioning him several times in the Qur'an:

they two were in the Cave, and he said to his companion, have no fear, for Allah is with us: the Allan sent down his peace upon him. (At-Tawbah: 40)

Muslim scholars have unanimously agreed that the "companion" referred to in this verse, is Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him.
Saying: "Upon him, means upon Abu Bakr, as serenity was already inherent in the Prophet s.a.w (Reported by Ibn Abi Haatim)


His intimate friendship with Ar-Rasool, sal Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam:

In the Battle of Badr, Rasulullah s.a.w made du?aa to Allah and while he was raising his hands up to the sky, he dropped his shawl. Abu Bakr quickly put it back on Rasulullah's shoulder and said, "Be calm O Rasulullah, verily Allah will help you and fulfill his promised." It was the battle that Rasulullah did not prepare for which is different from his migration to Madinah where he did make some preparations.

When he was kicked out of Mecca, a man who later on offered his protection to Abu Bakr said to him the exact same phrases that Khadija r.a said to the Prophet after he received the first revelation.

"Allah will never disgrace you. You unite uterine relations; you bear the burden
of the weak; you help the poor and the needy, you entertain the guests and
endure hardships in the path of truthfulness. "
As-Siddeeq, radhiyallaahu 'anhu.

Once, Rasulullah asked Abu Bakr to lead the Fajr prayer and 'Aishah r.a said that it was impossible for the jema'ah to hear him due to the gentleness of his voice and his weeping. Then, 'Aishah r.a suggested that 'Umar should be the one who leads the prayer, but Rasulullah insisted that Abu Bakr should be the imam despite his gentle voice.

After Ar-Rasool, sal Allaahu'alayhi wa sallam, passed away, no one was stronger than Abu Bakr!

Abu Bakr and the sahaabah, radhiyallahu 'anhum ajma'een:

In the early days of Islam, Abu Bakr - Radi Allahu Anhu - would walk around the markets and homes observing all the Muslim slaves that were being tortured. He would watch as Umayyah dragged Bilal out to the grilling desert at noon time ? the hottest moments of the day. Umayyah would press Bilal to the scalding ground and place a boulder on top of his chest to increase the torture. Bilal would say nothing but, "Ahad, Ahad !One, only One". Abu Bakr would watch and whisper to Bilal, "YunJeeka AlWaahidul Ahad ? The One (Allah) shall save you!"
Abu Bakr went to Umayyah and requested that he sell him Bilal for 5 uwqiyyah of gold. Umayyah was astonished at that amount and hurriedly agreed. "Take Bilal there is no good in him". After the deal was done, Umayyah snickered, "Had you refused to pay more than 1 uwqiyyah I still would have sold him to you." And Abu Bakr announced, "And had you refused to sell him for no less than 100 uwqiyyah I still would have bought him!"

Aamir Ibn Abdullah Ibn Az-Zubayr narrates: Abu Bakr used to free slaves and make them accept Islam in Mecca. He set free elderly men and women upon their acceptance of Islam. His father(Abu Quhafah) said to him: " My son, I see that you're freeing weak slaves. If you want to continue doing what you do, why don't you free powerful men who could defend and protect you?" Abu Bakr said, "My effort in this regard is solely for the sake of Allaah."

Evil wishers, like always spread rumors about Abu Bakrs freeing of Bilal, saying that he did it only because of a favor he owed him. In the Quran, in verses to be recited till the end of time, Allah lay clear the intentions of Abu Bakr:
18. He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification,
19. And have in his mind no favor from anyone for which a reward isexpected in return,
20. Except only the desire to seek the Countenance of his Lord, theMost High;
21. He surely will be pleased (when he will enter Paradise).] - Surah Al-Layl

Read that last verse again. Allah is telling Abu Bakr - Radi Allahu Anhu - that he is going to make him satisfied. Allahu Akbar! Imagine if Allah told you that. Would anything in the world be more valuable to you than that one ayah?

The sahaabah, following the footsteps of Abu Bakr, kept giving for the sake of Allaah, and never had they gone broke for verily Allaah keeps providing them! * hint hint: INFAQ $1 for MISG!

In one occasion, Abu Bakr once disputed with Rabi?aah about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr said something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did not attack someone's honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, all he said was something that may have hurt Rabi?aah?s feelings.

Immediately, Abu Bakr, understanding the mistake - ordered him, "Say it back to me!" The companion said, "I shall not say it back." "Say it back to me," said Abu Bakr, "Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah." The companion refused to say it back and went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and related what had happened and what he said. Rasul Allah called that companion and asked him, "Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?" He said, "Yes." He said, "What did you reply.?" He said, "I did not reply it back to him." Rasul Allah said, "Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say, 'Yaghfirullaaha laka yaa aba bakr (May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!)'"

The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said, "May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!?"Abu Bakr turned and cried as he walked away.

Let us leave today with a resolve to revive this air Rasul Allah and his companions breathed, an air of mercy and love and brotherhood, aameen.
Jazaakum Allaahu khayr,
LPCT

Bismillah,
Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

InshaAllah, this week we are going to learn about “Ibn Abi” (anak bapak). Brothers and sisters, GET READY TO SHAKE!!!

Prelude: From the Eyes of Abdullah ibn Azzubayr

"To every Prophet is a Hawaaree (helper), and my Hawaaree is Azzubayr."
-- Rasul Allah - sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam

"O Ameer AlMu'mineen, I did not commit a crime to be afraid of you. Nor is the path tight so that I may make way for you."
-- Abdullah ibn Azzubayr

Lessons from his childhood:
Born in the year of Hijrah, when people started the Hijrah to Madinah

Rasul Allah - sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam - did tahneek to him, i.e. putting a date which he had put into his mouth into ibn Azzubayr’s mouth, thus, the first thing that he tasted was the Prophet’s - sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam - saliva and the date from the Prophet’s mouth.

Strong in three areas:
i. al-faaris - warrior; horse riding, sword fighting, archery
- Hisham ibn ‘Urwa said, “When ibn Azzubayr was born, his first word was ‘as-saif’ (the sword).”
ii. al-‘aabid – worship
- Mujaheed said, ““If it is ever an ‘ibadah that people would not be able to perform, ibn Azzubayr was the one who could do it.” à during the flood of Ka’aba, people stopped doing tawaf. He took the challenge by doing tawaf swimming. J
- A person said that he came and started reciting al-Baqarah, ali ‘Imran, al-Maidah, and ibn Azzubayr was in his sajdah all this time.
- It was also mentioned that birds used to land on his back when he was praying because of his long stationary state i.e. due to his khushu’ in ibadah.
iii. al-‘aalim/al-fuqahaa – knowledge
- He grew up in the house of A’isha r.a., who was his maternal aunt

Son of Azzubayr ibn al-Awwam and Asma’ bint Abu Bakr. His father was the Prophet’s - sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam - cousin (son of his aunt Safiyyah) and was related to Khadijah. His mother was also related to the Prophet - sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

People would look at him and say, “No one would look like Abu Bakr but ibn Azzubayr!” (Abu Bakr was his atuk, remember?)
Abu Bakr = dark skinned, skinny, had long wispy beard = ibn Azzubayr

No one could compete him in his:
i. Courage (learned from his parents)
ii. Worship
iii. Command of Arabic language i.e. an eloquent leader
Can tell how old he is based on the events that took place after Hijrah (clue: look back at first point)

His relationship with his father:
His father was one of the key people beside the Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
Azzubayr had a big wound on his back and ibn Azzubayr used to put his hand in it (playing, of course)
At the age of 5, during the Battle of Ahzaab, ibn Azzubayr saw his father slashing an army who tried to escape from the battlefield into two (belah dua), right before his own eyes.
During the battle of Uhud, a mushrikeen killed a lot of Muslims, so, Azzubayr leaped on his horse from the back and killed him.
At the age of 7, when ibn Azzubayr was playing with his friends, he suggested to them, “Jom pi kasi bai’ah kat Rasul Allah -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- nak tak?” He then led them to the masjid and said to the Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- We came to pledge allegiance to you. Give me your hand so that I’ll pledge allegiance to you,” and everybody else followed suit.
Rasul Allahu -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- said to him, “Haza ibn abi.” à Ini anak bapak à Like father like son.

The major events he witnessed:
Once, Rasul Allahu -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- was doing hijama (berbekam/cupping) and asked ibn Azzubayr to throw away the blood. Ibn Azzubayr did not want to throw the Prophet’s noble blood to the ground (out of his love to the Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and decided to drink it. Salman al-Farisi saw it and told the Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who then said, “No one drinks blood, but the fire of an-Naar will never touch my blood.”
During the battle of Mu’tah against 15,000 Roman army, three generals -Zayd ibn Harithah, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, and ibn Rawahah – were killed. Khalid took the flag and retreated, so none were killed in it. However, Muslim had never retreated before, so the children and women came out of their houses, threw stones to the army, and closed the doors. They said, “Ya Furraar (those who run away from the war), go back and fight!” Ibn Azzubayr was among those who threw the stones. The Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- said, “A Muslim army is not allowed (to retreat back to the general army) except if it is part of the strategy of the war, and in this case, the Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- was the army that they joined to.”
During the battle of Hunain, ibn Azzubayr were among those who stayed with Rasul Allah -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- when other Muslims ran away.
He did Hajj with the Prophet -sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- when he was 10. People would ask him Hajj questions and he would directly quote from what he saw or experienced during that Hajj.

His participation in the conquests:
He was leader of many cavalries, saver of traders who were threatened.
During the battle of Yarmouk against the Roman, ibn Azzubayr, 12 years old, couldn’t fight because he was under 15.
o His father was trying to encourage the Muslim army, “How many Romans are there, and how many Muslims are there? Verily the people will be assisted due to their iman. Say, ‘How great is the Muslim and how few is the Roman?” Who’ll pay allegiance to fight against that?”
o A small group of Muslims went forward with him. All were killed except him. He did this twice and by the third time, no one came forward.
o He said to his son, “Get up on the horse. I’ll fight by myself.” Ibn Azzubayr directed the horse and his father fought the whole army. They fought until they were in the middle of the Roman army and eventually at the other end. He went back and continued. It took him so long that the Muslims thought they were killed.
o Indeed, he returned and the Muslims army were pumped up and continued to fight.
o Azzubayr was hit 17 times with sword.

Bersambung…….

May Allah subhanahu wa ta’aala grant us the spirit of Ibn Azzubayr. InshaAllah…

Wassalam,
LPCT

Bismillah...

Assalamu'alaykum warahmatullah,

Class Background:
Title: History of the Khulafa' - Conquest [Taarikh Al-Khulafaa']
Instructor: Usz. Muhammad Alshareef
Theme: Islam is the good one - Durbah style: Islam is gud von!
Date: Jan 9 - 11 & 16 - 18, 2004
Venue: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Qabeelat(Tribe): Durbah

"Allahumma 'allimnaa maa yanfa'oona, wa anfa'naa bi maa 'allimtanaa wa zidnaa 'ilmaa "

The Conquest begins...

In every class we take, there will always be an introduction. Without an introduction, we will be lost just like a traveler without a map. So, insha'Allah, this introduction will guide us to a better understanding of the class.

We are living on this earth at which someone had placed their footsteps here long time ago. The footsteps of Ar-Rasool and his companions.

What do we get from this class besides studying Islamic history?
1) We will be able to see a map of the real Islam
- the implementation of Islaam by the sahaba.

2) To have shukr (gratefulness, thankfulness) to those who spent their lives for this Deen
- they were not selfish in their Deen and the gave their life out so that today we are called Muslim
- Jazahum Allahu khairan katheera

3) To know our roots and thus, know where to go
- to recognize our purpose of life and our objective
- to implement them in our daily life following the best of all examples

4) To learn about leadership skills of the Khulafaa'
- each of them had their own unique characteristics. Insha'Allah, in this class we will be able to explore them and extract some of them.

5) Has the stories of the Khulafaa' to be passed on to others
- to those who are teaching in Sunday Schools/Islamic Schools, we highly recommend you to use these materials as part of your teaching materials.
- insha'Allah you will be able to benefit it the most, as said,"the knowledge that you benefit the most is the one that you teach to others."

Reference materials for this class:
1) The History if Islaam
2) Al-Bidayah Wan Nihayah - Ibn Katheer
3) Taarikh At Tabari - At-Tabari
4) 'Asr Khilaafatun Rasheedah

To be continued...

May Allah put barakah in our time so that we may be able to benefit them for His sake.

Wassalam,
LPCT

Assalamu'alaykum warahmatullah,

The purpose of this blog is to track back all the notes that were sent out in the MISG and HELWA mailing list for easy reference. Unfortunately, only those who are subscribed to those mailing list will be able to benefit from this notes-sharing activity. Therefore, we have decided to create a blog to compile all the notes that we have composed so that everyone from anywhere in the world could benefit from it. As an introduction, please read the msg below (it was an introduction to explain the purpose and goal of this activity)

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As promised during the post-muktamar 2004, we would contribute to MISG by sharing our Al Maghrib experiences. The best way that we could think of is by sharing our notes from the past Al Maghrib classes we've taken. Insha'Allah, LPCT (Lehigh Public Concern Team) will send out these notes once a week (May Allah help us with this) and at the end of each chapter, we will give a short quiz.

Hrmm...quiz?? Yes!! Quiz!! Insha'Allah, these quizzes will be a form of a competition between all MISG members. Everyone is welcomed to participate and your scores will be recorded. At then end of the year, we will announce the winner at our Annual Muktamar Convention. Winner from the brothers' side will be announced during the Performance Night and from the sisters' side will be announced during the sisters' performance on Yaumun Nisa'.

What about the prizes?? Don't worry, it has been taken care of!! !! Each winner will get a cd from EmanRush audio production and it'll be handed out to the winner after the announcement is made. On top of that, if you set your intention right while studying all these knowledge, you will get the ultimate rewards. From Who?? From Allah azza wa jal. Insha'Allah, we make du'a for each and everyone of you to have the correct intention and to have the spirit to compete with all MISG members.

We do recommend you to browse through (or even better to read it) the Al Maghrib Student's Manual to get more familiarized with the Al Maghrib environment. There will be some terms used in the notes that you might not understand or familiar with, so insha'Allah, in the glossary section, you will be able to find these terms and thus understand it's meaning.

We hope that you will be able to benefit and enjoy this notes-sharing activity. May Allah increase our knowledge and our sincerity in our deeds.

Jazakum Allahu khair for your participation!

May Allah facilitate us in everything we do, ameen.

Wassalam,
LPCT