Biography of caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq part 2
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00:00The First Rashid Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq The Rashidun Caliph, Abd Allah ibn Abi Khafa,
00:09his qualities and morals since the beginning of the Islamic message and its spread to the
00:13world.
00:16Part 2.
00:17We continue to tell a stage of the life of the Rashidun Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.
00:23Last years in Mecca.
00:24In 617, the Quraysh enforced a boycott against the Banu Hashim.
00:30Muhammad along with his supporters from Banu Hashim were cut off in a pass away from Mecca.
00:36All social relations with the Banu Hashim were cut off and their state was that of imprisonment.
00:42Before it, many Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, now Ethiopia.
00:47Abu Bakr, feeling distressed, set out for Yemen and then to Abyssinia from there.
00:53He met a friend of his named Ad-Dugna, chief of the Qara tribe, outside Mecca, who invited
00:58Abu Bakr to seek his protection against the Quraysh.
01:02Abu Bakr went back to Mecca, it was a relief for him, but soon due to the pressure of Quraysh,
01:07Ad-Dugna was forced to renounce his protection.
01:11Once again the Quraysh were free to persecute Abu Bakr.
01:15In 620, Muhammad's uncle and protector, Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, and Muhammad's wife
01:21Khadija died.
01:23Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha was betrothed to Muhammad, however, it was decided that the
01:28actual marriage ceremony would be held later.
01:32In 620, Abu Bakr was the first person to testify to Muhammad's Isra and Miraj, night journey.
01:39Migration to Medina.
01:41In 622, on the invitation of the Muslims of Medina, Muhammad ordered Muslims to migrate
01:46to Medina.
01:48The migration began in batches.
01:51Ali was the last to remain in Mecca, entrusted with responsibility for settling any loans
01:55the Muslims had taken out, and famously slept in the bed of Muhammad when the Quraysh, led
02:00by Ikramah, attempted to murder Muhammad as he slept.
02:04Meanwhile, Abu Bakr accompanied Muhammad to Medina.
02:08Due to the danger posed by the Quraysh, they did not take the road, but moved in the opposite
02:13direction, taking refuge in a cave in Jabal Thar, some five miles south of Mecca.
02:19Muhammad Allah ibn Abi Bakr, the son of Abu Bakr, would listen to the plans and discussions
02:24of the Quraysh, and at night he would carry the news to the fugitives in the cave.
02:29Asma bint Abi Bakr, the daughter of Abu Bakr, brought them meals every day.
02:34Amir, a servant of Abu Bakr, would bring a flock of goats to the mouth of the cave every
02:40night, where they were milked.
02:42The Quraysh sent search parties in all directions.
02:46One party came close to the entrance to the cave, but was unable to see them.
02:50Abu Bakr was referenced in the Qur'an in verse 40 of Surah At-Tabah.
02:55If ye help him not, still God helped him when those who disbelieve drove him forth.
02:59The Taniya'ithnain, second of the two i.e.
03:02Abu Bakr, when they too were in the cave.
03:05When he said unto his sahib, Companion i.e.
03:08Abu Bakr.
03:10Aisha, Abu Sa'd al-Qudri and Abd Allah ibn Abbas in interpreting this verse said that
03:15Abu Bakr was the companion who stayed with Muhammad in the cave.
03:20After staying at the cave for three days and three nights, Abu Bakr and Muhammad proceed
03:24to Medina, staying for some time at Kuba, a suburb of Medina.
03:29Life in Medina In Medina, Muhammad decided to construct
03:33a mosque.
03:35A piece of land was chosen and the price of the land was paid for by Abu Bakr.
03:40The Muslims, including Abu Bakr, constructed a mosque named Al-Masjid al-Nabawi at the
03:45site.
03:46Abu Bakr was paired with Khayraja bin Zayd Ansari, who was from Medina, as a brother
03:52in faith.
03:53Abu Bakr's relationship with Khayraja was most cordial, which was further strengthened
03:58when Abu Bakr married Habiba, a daughter of Khayraja.
04:03Khayraja bin Zayd Ansari lived at Sun, a suburb of Medina, and Abu Bakr also settled there.
04:10After Abu Bakr's family arrived in Medina, he bought another house near Muhammad's.
04:15While the climate of Mecca was dry, the climate of Medina was damp and because of this, most
04:20of the migrants fell sick on arrival.
04:23Abu Bakr contracted a fever for several days, during which time he was attended to by Khayraja
04:29and his family.
04:30In Mecca, Abu Bakr was a wholesale trader in cloth and he started the same business
04:34in Medina.
04:36He opened his new store at Sun, and from there cloth was supplied to the market at Medina.
04:42Soon his business flourished.
04:44Early in 623, Abu Bakr's daughter Aisha, who was already married to Muhammad, was sent
04:50on to Muhammad's house after a simple marriage ceremony, further strengthening relations
04:54between Abu Bakr and Muhammad.
04:58Military campaigns under Muhammad, underscore Battle of Badr.
05:01The Battle of Badr pronunciation.
05:04Also referred to as the Day of the Criterion pronunciation.
05:07Jamul Furqan, in the Quran and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE, 17 Ramadan,
05:15Tu'a, near the present-day city of Badr, al-Madinah province in Saudi Arabia.
05:21Muhammad, commanding an army of his Sahaba, defeated an army of the Quraysh led by Amr
05:26ibn Hisham, better known among Muslims as Abu Jahl.
05:31The battle marked the beginning of the six-year war between Muhammad and his tribe.
05:36Prior to the battle, the Muslims and the Meccans had fought several smaller skirmishes in late
05:40623 and early 624.
05:45Muhammad took keen interest in capturing Meccan caravans after his migration to Medina, seeing
05:50it as repayment for his people, the Muhajirun.
05:53A few days before the battle, when he learnt of a Makan caravan returning from the Levant
05:58led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Muhammad gathered a small expeditionary force to capture it.
06:04Abu Sufyan, learning of the Muslim plan to ambush his caravan, changed course and took
06:09a longer route away from Muhammad's base at Medina and sent a messenger to Mecca, asking
06:14for help.
06:15Amr ibn Hisham commanded an army nearly 1,000 strong, approaching Badr and encamping at
06:21the sand-dune al-Yudwatul Quswa.
06:25Badr was the first large-scale engagement between the Muslims and Quraysh Meccans.
06:30Advancing from the north, the Muslims faced the Meccans.
06:34The battle began with duels between the warriors on both sides, following which the Meccans
06:39charged upon the Muslims under a cover of arrows.
06:42The Muslims countered their charge and broke the Meccan lines, killing several important
06:47Qurayshi leaders including Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn Khalif.
06:52The Muslim victory strengthened Muhammad's position.
06:55The Medinese eagerly joined his future expeditions and tribes outside Medina openly allied with
07:00Muhammad.
07:01The battle has been passed down in Islamic history as a decisive victory attributable
07:06to divine intervention and by other sources to the strategic prowess of Muhammad.
07:11After the Hijra, migration to Medina, in 622 CE, the population of Medina chose Muhammad
07:18to be the leader of the community.
07:21Muhammad's followers decided to raid the caravans of the Meccans as they passed by Medina.
07:26This decision was taken in response to the Meccans' persecution of the Muslims and their
07:30forceful seizing of Muslim land and property following the Hijra.
07:35In early 624, a caravan of the Quraysh led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb carrying wealth and
07:40goods from the Levant possibly Gaza was returning to Mecca.
07:45It was carrying merchandise worth 50,000 dinars and guarded by 70 men.
07:50The caravan was extraordinarily large, possibly because several smaller caravans may have
07:55grouped together for safety.
07:57All the leading Meccan financiers had a share in this trading venture, and thus had a strong
08:02interest in it returning.
08:05Muhammad learned of the caravan and decided to intercept it for two reasons.
08:09First, was the continuation of the policy to recover wealth from the Quraysh, as the
08:14Quraysh had confiscated Muslims' properties in Mecca after the Hijra.
08:18Secondly, a successful attack would impress the Meccans and could act as a deterrent against
08:23a future attack on Medina.
08:26Abu Sufyan sent word to Mecca that the caravan was in danger, asking for reinforcements to
08:31cover the caravan as it passed by Medina.
08:34Traditional Muslim sources write that Abu Sufyan's spies had informed him of Muslim
08:39preparations to attack, a view accepted by Ramadan.
08:42Indeed, classical sources write that Abu Sufyan routinely sent spies to check on Muhammad
08:48and warn him of any Muslim movement in the area.
08:52But Watt writes given that it took the Meccan army a week to get to Badr, Abu Sufyan must
08:56have sent his request before the Muslim preparations began.
09:01Watt points out Abu Sufyan was one of the most astute men in Mecca and must have anticipated
09:06the Muslim attack.
09:08Muhammad had gathered a small expeditionary force of around 300 men to intercept the caravan.
09:15Abu Sufyan's spies informed him of the Muslims' plot to ambush his caravan.
09:20Fearing the loss of wealth that was imminent, Abu Sufyan sent the messenger Dumdum bin Amr
09:25al-Ghifari to the Quraysh.
09:28Dumdum, upon his arrival at the Kaaba, cut off the nose and ears of his camel, turned
09:33its saddle upside down, tore off his shirt and cried, O Quraysh!
09:38Your merchandise!
09:40It is with Abu Sufyan!
09:42The caravan is being intercepted by Muhammad and his companions.
09:46I cannot say what would have happened to them.
09:48Help!
09:49Help!
09:50Abu Sufyan had rerouted his caravan toward the Red Sea and escaped the Muslim threat
09:55by Dumdum's arrival at Mecca.
09:58The valley of Badr is surrounded by two large sand dunes to the east, called Al-Yudwajidunya,
10:04the near side of the valley, and Al-Yudwatul Quswa, the far side of the valley.
10:10The Qur'an speaks of these two in Surah 8, verse 42.
10:14The west of the valley was covered by the Al-Asfal mountain, Jabal al-Asfal, with an
10:19opening between it and another hill in the northwest.
10:23Between Al-Yudwajidunya and Al-Yudwatul Quswa was an opening, which was the primary route
10:29to Medina.
10:31Muhammad and his army did not approach the battlefield from here.
10:34They came from the north, as they were originally planning to target the caravan, which was
10:38moving from the Levant in the north, to Mecca in the south.
10:43Between Al-Yudwatul Quswa and the hill covering the southern part of the battlefield was another
10:47opening, which was the primary route from Mecca.
10:51The Quraysh had encamped in the southeastern portion of the valley near the road to Mecca,
10:56while Muhammad and his army had encamped in some date palms in the north.
11:00They had taken a well near the center of the western margin of Al-Yudwatul Dunya and destroyed
11:05the other wells near the road to Medina to prevent the Makans from getting any water.
11:11Another well situated at the end of the road to Mecca was later filled with the dead bodies
11:15of the dead Makans.
11:17On the night of the 11th of March, 15 Ramadan, it had rained over the battlefield and the
11:22surrounding region.
11:24Muslims believe this was a blessing from Allah for the believers and a curse for the disbelievers,
11:29who suffered hardship in trying to climb the muddy slope.
11:33Muslim marched to Badr.
11:35Muhammad was able to gather an army of 313 to 317 men.
11:41Sources vary upon the exact number, but the generally accepted number is 313.
11:47This army consisted of 82 Muhajirun, 61 men from the Az and 170 men from the Khazraj.
11:54They were not well equipped for a major conflict nor prepared.
11:58They only had two horses, and those belonged to Zubayr ibn al-Awam and al-Miqdad ibn Amr.
12:05The entire army had 70 camels, meaning that they had one camel for two to three men to
12:09ride alternatively.
12:12Muhammad shared a camel with Ali ibn Abu Talib and Marthad ibn Abi Marthad al-Ghanawi.
12:18The guardianship and administration of Medina was entrusted with ibn Um Maktum, but later
12:23with Abu Lubaba ibn Abd al-Mundir.
12:27Muhammad handed a white standard to Musab ibn Umair al-Qurashi al-Abdari.
12:33The army was divided into two battalions, one of the 82 Muhajirun and the other of the
12:38231 Ansar.
12:41The flag of the Muhajirun was carried by Ali ibn Abu Talib, while that of the Ansar was
12:46carried by Sa'd ibn Mu'ud.
12:49Az Zubayr commanded the right flank, while al-Miqdad commanded the left.
12:54And the rear of the army was commanded by Khaz bin Abi Sasa.
12:59With Muhammad in the lead, the army marched out along the main road to Mecca from the
13:03north.
13:04At Safra, he dispatched Basbaz al-Juhani and Adi al-Juhani to scout for the Quraysh.
13:11The future caliph Uthman stayed behind to care of his sick wife Ruqayya, the daughter
13:16of Muhammad, who later died from illness.
13:19Salman al-Farsi also could not join the battle, as he was still not a free man.
13:25Qurayshi advanced toward Badr.
13:27All of the clans of the Quraysh except the Banu Adi quickly assembled an excited army
13:32of around 1,300 men, 100 horses and a large number of camels.
13:38Moving swiftly towards Badr, they passed the valleys of Usfan, Qadid and al-Jufa.
13:44At al-Jufa, another messenger from Abu Sufyan informed them of the safety of their merchandise
13:49and wealth.
13:52Upon receiving this message, the Makan army expressed delight and showed a desire to return
13:56home.
13:58Abu Jahl was not interested in returning and insisted on proceeding to Badr and holding
14:03a feast there to show the Muslims and the surrounding tribes that they were superior.
14:08Despite Abu Jahl's threat and insistence, the Banu Zahra, numbering around 300, broke
14:13away from the army and returned to Mecca, on the advice of al-Aqnas ibn Shuraik.
14:20Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim, also attempted to break away but were threatened by Abu Jahl
14:25to stay.
14:27Many of the Quraishi nobles, including Abu Jahl, al-Walid ibn Utbah, Utbah ibn Rabi'ah,
14:33and Umayyah ibn Khalif, joined the Makan army.
14:37Their reasons varied.
14:39Some were out to protect their financial interests in the caravan.
14:42Others wanted to avenge ibn al-Hadrami, a guard killed in one of the caravan ambushes
14:47at Naqla.
14:48Finally, a few must have wanted to take part in what was expected to be an easy victory
14:52against the Muslims.
14:54Umar ibn Hisham is described as shaming Umayyah ibn Khalif into joining the expedition.
15:00I stop at this point today.
15:03Until next time, stay curious.
15:06Stay informed, and keep exploring the world's incredible stories.
15:11Soon we will publish part 3.