The Rightly Guided
Caliphs
Abu Bakr Siddiq
Abu Bakr was the first man outside the Prophet’s family to accept Islam. A kind and generous man, and a wealthy merchant, he persuaded many of his friends to accept Islam. The Prophet once said, ‘No one has been a better companion to me than Abu Bakr.’
He migrated to Madinah along with the Prophet and was called, ‘Second of the Two’. His daughter ‘A’ishah was married to the Prophet Muhammad . On the occasion of the Tabuk expedition he contributed all his wealth to the cause of Islam. The Prophet toward the end of his life, asked Abu Bakr to lead the prayers – the highest honour in Islam.
He was chosen as the first Caliph after the death of the Prophet. It was a critical time, for many tribes whose faith was not yet strong were rebelling to the point of leaving Islam. Abu Bakr successfully handled the situation. The following is his first address on becoming the Caliph:
“I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty and disregard for truth is treachery. … Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger. But if I disobey God and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience.”
The Prophet once said, ‘No one has been a better companion to me than Abu Bakr.’
He died a little more than two years after the death of the Prophet and was buried by his side.
Umar Farooq
The Prophet Muhammad gave Umar the title of
“Al Farooq”, which means, “The one who distinguishes between right and wrong.”
Umar was a man of strong conviction; and would become furious when anyone accepted Islam. Once he even set out, sword in hand, to kill the Prophet. But he had a change of heart and accepted Islam. The Prophet had prayed to God to make Islam strong with the conversion of Umar. At the time of the Prophet’s demise, the Ansar and the Prophet’s clan (Banu Hashim) both wanted the next Caliph to be from amongst them. It was a very delicate situation. But Umar defused it by taking Abu Bakr by the hand and swearing allegiance (bait) to him. The rest of the Muslims followed.
The Prophet once said that “Satan does not use the paths that Umar walks on.”
Umar was subsequently nominated by Abu Bakr to succeed him as the Caliph.
He was a skilled administrator and deeply concerned about the welfare of his people. During his Caliphate Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Iran and Syria came under Islamic rule. In spite of this, he lived simply, wearing clothes which would have many patches.
He was the Caliph for over ten years. After his death he was buried by the side of the Prophet Muhammad .
Here are some of his sayings:
“To speak less is wisdom, to eat less is health and to sleep less is worship.”
“After faith (Iman) the best blessing is to have a good wife.”
Uthman ibn Affan
During the Caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, Islam spread to distant lands. One great contributing factor was his final compilation and dissemination of the Quran. Prior to this, a final copy of the Quran had been compiled by Abu Bakr, but since differences had been noted in the recitation of the Quran in different region, had had this copy of the Quran double checked and then organized the distribution of final copies.
He was a very religious man and received glad tidings of Paradise from the Prophet Muhammad . He performed two Hijrahs for the sake of Islam – one to Abyssinia and the other to Madinah. He was one of the closest companions of the Prophet and was married successively to two of his daughters.
His Caliphate brought economic prosperity but some Muslims were unhappy with him. The feeling of dissension peaked and he was martyred by rebels among the Muslims.
He said that four things were useless: “Knowledge without practice, wealth without expenditure in the way of God, piety for the sake of show and a long life with no stock of good deeds.”
He loved three things: to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to read and teach the Quran.
Ali ibn Abi Talib
Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and the son of Abu Talib, was brought up under the guardianship of the Prophet. He was a pious man, renowned for his bravery. He was among the first to accept Islam even though he was still a child. When the Prophet left for the Hijrah to Madinah, he made Ali lie in his bed, so that the Quraysh soldiers waiting outside would not know that the Prophet had left.
He was chosen as the Caliph after Uthman ibn Affan. It was a time of great upheaval. The rebels who had killed Uthman were in control of Madinah. Ali tried his best to control the situation and even shifted his base to Kufa in Iraq to consolidate his Caliphate. He had to face intense opposition, particularly from Muawiya, the governor of Syria. The Muslims opposing Ali wanted him to immediately punish the murderers of Uthman. But this was very difficult under the circumstances. He was ultimately martyred by the Kharjis (dissenters).
Here are some of his sayings:
“I am the slave of him who has taught me even one letter”.
“Live amongst people in such a manner that if you die they weep over you and if you are alive they crave your company.”
“Man is a wonderful creature; he sees through the layers of fat (eyes), hears through a bone (ears) and speaks through a lump of flesh (tongue).”
Dawah – The Continuation of the Prophet’s Mission
Dawah work has been termed in the Quran ‘the call to God.’ In other words, dawah work aims at bringing people closer to their Creator and Sustainer. Calling people to God is telling them that the only right way of life for them on this earth is to become true believers in God.
Calling people to God means warning man of the evil consequences of the self-oriented life, and therefore, inviting him to adopt the God-oriented life. The most authentic and reliable source of knowledge of the divine teachings on both types of life has been preserved for us in the form of the Quran. Calling people to God is purely other-worldly in nature. That is, it is in no way associated with national, social or economic issues. It is a campaign designed to bring people nearer to God. It starts in the spiritual and religious idiom and goes on in the same idiom and style till the end.
“I am the slave of him who has taught me even one letter”.
The purpose of dawah work or ‘calling people to God’ is to awaken souls from their slumber. It is to put a lost person on to the right path leading towards God. It is to awaken a man’s insight so that he begins to see glimpses of God in the signs of the vast universe. It is to unveil the Creator in the mirror of His creation.
It is very important that this work should be done politely, taking care to maintain a cordial atmosphere. The policy of avoidance and patience is vital in this matter. This work is vital to supporting the divine mission. No effort should be spared in furthering God’s cause.
A da‘i (caller to God) should remember that his responsibility is limited to presenting the message and inviting people. God will guide whom he wills to the right path.
We have to remember that we are the followers of the Prophet Muhammad who had been sent as a warner to all mankind. We have to ensure that this responsibility is discharged in the present times.
