Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased
with him was a well-respected and rich merchant of Makkah, belonging to the
Quraysh tribe. When Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt
his mention ) was bestowed prophethood, Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased with him
was away in Yemen on business. When he came back, people gave him the astounding
news that Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention
), claimed to receive revelation from Allaah.
Right away, he went to see the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allaah exalt his mention ) and asked him about the religion he was preaching.
Having been the Prophet's friend since early youth (born in Makkah in 573 C.E.,
he was just three years younger), Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased with him was
all too aware of his sincerity and truthfulness to have any misgivings. He
accepted Islam without second thoughts. This is why he was called "As-Siddeeq
(the upright)" by the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt
his mention ). He was the first male who embraced Islam.
Abu Bakr's father, 'Uthmaan, (better known as Abu Qahaafah) and his mother,
Salma, had named him Abdul Ka'bah, meaning "the servant of the Ka'bah". The
Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) changed
this pagan name to 'Abdullaah and gave him the nickname Abu Bakr.
Having accepted Islam, he began to spread the message in his own social circle.
As a result, some prominent people accepted Islam, such as: 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan,
Zubayr ibn Al-Awwaam, Abdur Rahmaan ibn 'Auf, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas, Abu 'Ubaydah
ibn Al-Jarraah, Khaalid ibn Sa'eed may Allaah be pleased with them.
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ),
chose him to accompany him when he migrated from Makkah to Madeenah, and due to
his self-sacrificing friendship, his name was immortalized in the Quran as{The
second of the two}. [Quran 9:40]
After the Muslims migrated to Madeenah, the Quraysh waged many battles to uproot
the Muslims from the city. Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased with him accompanied
the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), on
all his campaigns and participated in all the battles.
Tabook was the last expedition of the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam (
may Allaah exalt his mention ), and he asked people to give generously to aid
it. Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased with him was the only person to give all he
had to the cause of Islam. The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allaah exalt his mention ), asked him whether he had anything left for his
family, and he replied that Allaah and His Apostle were enough for them.
After Makkah was conquered, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allaah exalt his mention ), sent Abu Bakr in 631 C.E. to lead the Hajj.
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ),
used to lead the prayer in Madeenah himself. However, during his last illness he
became so weak that he could not come to the mosque. Instead, he asked Abu Bakr
may Allaah be pleased with him to lead the Muslims in prayer.
'Aa'ishah may Allaah be pleased with her who was Abu Bakr's daughter and the
wife of the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his
mention ), requested him to assign this responsibility to someone else fearing
for her tender-hearted father. However, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) did not change his mind.
Thus, Abu Bakr may Allaah be
pleased with him came to fill the highest office in the Prophet's lifetime.
After the Prophet's death in 632 C.E., 'Umar may Allaah be pleased with him and
the other Companions, nominated him as the head of the community and he was
appointed Caliph (the successor of the Prophet) by the people's consent.
In the early days of his caliphate, a number of Arab tribes revolted. Most of
them had embraced Islam after the conquest of Makkah in 8 A.H. and refused to
comply with Islamic injunctions such as Zakat (obligatory charity) and Jihad.
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him appointed Khalid ibn al Walid may Allaah
be pleased with him to suppress all revolts. He brought all the Arab tribes
under the control of Islam in less than a year. Later, he sent Khalid and other
able generals on a campaign against Persia and Byzantine.
Thus, Abu Bakr may Allaah be pleased with him successfully united the Muslim
community. During his short rule, the Muslim army saw several victories and Al-Hira
in Persia was conquered in 633 C.E.
Soon after, Abu Bakr took ill in 13 A.H. On his deathbed, he nominated Umar may
Allaah be pleased with him as his successor, with the approval of the senior
Companions.
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him was buried beside the Prophet,
sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) and was shrouded
in the same old clothes in which he had died.
Although his rule lasted only for two years, three months and ten days, he made
many great contributions, the most important of which is the collection and
collation of the Quran in written form.
Source:
https://www.kidsxone.com/islamic-stuff/islamic-stories/249-abu-bakr-as-siddeeq-the-first-caliph-632-34-c-e