Editing Abu Bakr (section)

== Caliphate ==
=== Saqifa ===
{{Main|Succession to Muhammad|Saqifa}}

In the immediate aftermath of Muhammad's death, a gathering of the [[Ansar (Islam)|Ansar]] (Natives of Medina) took place in the {{Transliteration|ar|[[Saqifa]]}} (courtyard) of the [[Banu Sa'ida]] clan.{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|Walker|2014|p=3}}{{sfn|Madelung|1997|pp=30–2}}{{Sfn|Lecomte|2022}} The general belief at the time was that the purpose of the meeting was for the Ansar to decide on a new leader of the [[Ummah|Muslim community]] among themselves, with the intentional exclusion of the [[Muhajirun]] (Immigrants from Mecca), though this has later become the subject of debate.<ref>{{cite book |first=Wilferd |last=Madelung |title=The Succession to Muhammad |date=1997 |page=31 |url=https://archive.org/details/TheSuccessionToMuhammadByWilferdMadelung}}</ref>

Nevertheless, Abu Bakr and Umar, upon learning of the meeting, became concerned of a potential coup and hastened to the gathering. Upon arriving, Abu Bakr addressed the assembled men with a warning that an attempt to elect a leader outside of Muhammad's own tribe, the [[Quraysh]], would likely result in dissension, as only they can command the necessary respect among the community. He then took Umar and Abu Ubaidah by the hand and offered them to the Ansar as potential choices. [[Habab ibn Mundhir]], a veteran from the battle of Badr, countered with his own suggestion that the Quraysh and the Ansar choose a leader each from among themselves, who would then rule jointly. The group grew heated upon hearing this proposal and began to argue amongst themselves.<ref name=MadelungP30-31>{{harvtxt|Madelung|1997|pp=30–31}}</ref> The [[oriental studies|orientalist]] [[William Muir]] gives the following observation of the situation:<ref>William Muir, ''The Caliphate - Its Rise, Decline, and Fall'' (1891), p. 2</ref>

{{blockquote|The moment was critical. The unity of the Faith was at stake. A divided power would fall to pieces, and all might be lost. The mantle of the Prophet must fall upon one Successor, and on one alone. The sovereignty of Islam demanded an undivided Caliphate, and Arabia would acknowledge no master but from amongst Koreish.}}

Umar hastily took Abu Bakr's hand and swore his own allegiance to the latter, an example followed by the gathered men. The meeting broke up when a violent scuffle erupted between Umar and the chief of the Banu Sa'ida, [[Sa'd ibn Ubadah]]. This event suggests that the choice of Abu Bakr was not unanimous, with emotions running high as a result of the disagreement.<ref name=MandelungP32>{{harvtxt|Madelung|1997|page=32}}</ref>

Abu Bakr was near-universally accepted as head of the Muslim community (under the title of [[Caliphate|Caliph]]) as a result of Saqifah, though he did face contention because of the rushed nature of the event. Several companions, most prominent among them being [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]], initially refused to acknowledge his authority.{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|Walker|2014|p=3}} Among Shi'ites, it is also argued that Ali had [[Event of Ghadir Khumm|previously been appointed]] as Muhammad's heir, with the election being seen as in contravention to the latter's wishes.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Bernhard |last1=Platzdasch |first2=Johan |last2=Saravanamuttu |title=Religious Diversity in Muslim-majority States in Southeast Asia - Areas of Toleration and Conflict |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ThpBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA364 |date=6 August 2014 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-4519-64-9 |page=364}}</ref> Abu Bakr later sent Umar to confront Ali, resulting in [[Umar at Fatimah's house|an altercation]] which may have involved violence.{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|Walker|2014|p=186}} However, after six months the group made peace with Abu Bakr and Ali offered him his allegiance.{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|Walker|2014|p=4}}

=== Accession ===
After assuming the office of [[Caliph]], Abu Bakr's first address was as follows:

{{blockquote|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. The weak amongst you shall be strong with me until I have secured his rights, if God wills, and the strong amongst you shall be weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights of others, if God wills. Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger. But if I disobey God and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience. Arise for your prayer, God have mercy upon you. (Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah 6:305, 306)}}

Abu Bakr's reign lasted for 27 months, during which he crushed the rebellion of the Arab tribes throughout the [[Arabian Peninsula]] in the successful [[Ridda Wars|Ridda wars]]. In the last months of his rule, he sent Khalid ibn al-Walid on conquests [[Muslim conquest of Persia|against the Sassanid Empire]] in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Muslim conquest of the Levant|against the Byzantine Empire]] in [[Syria (region)|Syria]]. This would set in motion a historical trajectory<ref name="Donner">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qBzRj7OajmEC&pg=PP1 |title=Muhammad and the Believers - At the Origins of Islam |first1=Fred M. |last1=Donner |first2=Professor of Near Eastern History in the Oriental Institute and Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Fred M. |last2=Donner |date=15 May 2010 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=9780674050976 |via=Google Books}}</ref> (continued later on by [[Umar]] and [[Uthman ibn Affan]]) that in just a few short decades would lead to one of the [[List of largest empires|largest empires in history]]. He had little time to pay attention to the administration of state, though state affairs remained stable during his Caliphate. On the advice of Umar and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, he agreed to draw a salary from the state treasury and discontinue his cloth trade.

=== Ridda wars ===
{{Main|Ridda Wars}}
[[File:Caliph Abu Bakr's empire at its peak 634-mohammad adil rais.PNG|thumb|upright=1.2|Abu Bakr's caliphate at its territorial peak in August 634]]

Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, with several Arab tribes launching revolts, threatening the unity and stability of the new community and state. These insurgencies and the caliphate's responses to them are collectively referred to as the Ridda wars ("Wars of Apostasy").<ref name=DonnerP85>{{cite book |last=Donner |first=Fred M. |author-link=Fred Donner |title=The Early Islamic Conquests |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |date=1981 |page=85 |isbn=9781400847877 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l5__AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA85}}</ref>

The opposition movements came in two forms. One type challenged the political power of the nascent caliphate as well as the religious authority of Islam with the acclamation of rival ideologies, headed by political leaders who claimed the mantle of prophethood in the manner that Muhammad had done. These rebellions include:<ref name=DonnerP85/>
* that of the [[Banu Asad]] headed by [[Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid]];
* that of the [[Banu Hanifa]] headed by [[Musaylima]];
* those from among the [[Taghlib]] and the [[Banu Tamim]] headed by [[Sajah]];
* that of the [[Al-Ansi]] headed by [[Al-Aswad al-Ansi]].

These leaders are all denounced in Islamic histories as "false prophets".<ref name=DonnerP85/>

The second form of opposition movement was more strictly political in character. Some of the revolts of this type took the form of tax rebellions in [[Najd]] among tribes such as the [[Banu Fazara]] and Banu Tamim. Other dissenters, while initially allied to the Muslims, used Muhammad's death as an opportunity to attempt to restrict the growth of the new Islamic state. They include some of the [[Rabi'a ibn Nizar]] in [[Eastern Arabia]], the [[Azd]] in [[Oman proper|Oman]], as well as among the [[Kinda (tribe)|Kinda]] and [[Khawlan]] in [[Greater Yemen|Yemen]].<ref name=DonnerP85/>

Abu Bakr, likely understanding that maintaining firm control over the disparate tribes of Arabia was crucial to ensuring the survival of the state, suppressed the insurrections with military force. He dispatched [[Khalid ibn Walid]] and a body of troops to subdue the uprisings in Najd as well as that of Musaylimah, who posed the most serious threat. Concurrent to this, [[Shurahbil ibn Hasana]] and [[Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami]] were sent to Bahrayn, while [[Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl|Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl]], [[Hudhayfah al-Bariqi]] and [[Arfaja al-Bariqi]] were instructed to conquer Oman. Finally, [[Al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya]] and Khalid ibn Asid were sent to Yemen to aid the local governor in re-establishing control. Abu Bakr also made use of diplomatic means in addition to military measures. Like Muhammad before him, he used marriage alliances and financial incentives to bind former enemies to the caliphate. For instance, a member of the Banu Hanifa who had sided with the Muslims was rewarded with the granting of a land estate. Similarly, a Kindah rebel named [[Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays]], after repenting and re-joining Islam, was later given land in Medina as well as the hand of Abu Bakr's sister Umm Farwa in marriage.<ref>{{harvtxt|Donner|1981|pages=86–87}}</ref>

At their heart, the Ridda movements were challenges to the political and religious supremacy of the Islamic state. Through his success in suppressing the insurrections, Abu Bakr had in effect continued the political consolidation which had begun under Muhammad's leadership with relatively little interruption. By wars' end, he had established an Islamic hegemony over the entirety of the [[Arabian Peninsula]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Donner|1981|page=86}}</ref>

=== Expeditions into Mesopotamia, Persia and Syria ===
With Arabia having united under a single centralised state with a formidable military, the region could now be viewed as a potential threat to the neighbouring [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Sasanian empire]]s. It may be that Abu Bakr, reasoning that it was inevitable that one of these powers would launch a pre-emptive strike against the youthful caliphate, decided that it was better to deliver the first blow himself. Regardless of the caliph's motivations, in 633, small forces were dispatched into Iraq and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], capturing several towns. Though the Byzantines and Sassanians were certain to retaliate, Abu Bakr had reason to be confident; the two empires were militarily exhausted after centuries of war against each other, making it likely that any forces sent to Arabia would be diminished and weakened.<ref name=NardoP32>{{cite book |last=Nardo |first=Don |author-link=Don Nardo |title=The Islamic Empire |publisher=Lucent Books |date=2011 |pages=30–32 |isbn=9781420506341 |url=https://archive.org/details/islamicempire0000nard |url-access=registration}}</ref>

A more pressing advantage though was the effectiveness of the Muslim fighters as well as their zeal, the latter of which was partially based on their certainty of the righteousness of their cause. Additionally, the general belief among the Muslims was that the community must be defended at all costs. Historian [[Theodor Nöldeke]] gives the somewhat controversial opinion that this religious fervour was intentionally used to maintain the enthusiasm and momentum of the ''[[ummah]]'':<ref name=NardoP32/>

{{Blockquote|It was certainly good policy to turn the recently subdued tribes of the wilderness towards an external aim in which they might at once satisfy their lust for booty on a grand scale, maintain their warlike feeling, and strengthen themselves in their attachment to the new faith… Muhammad himself had already sent expeditions across the [Byzantine] frontier, and thereby had pointed out the way to his successors. To follow in his footsteps was in accordance with the innermost being of the youthful Islam, already grown great amid the tumult of arms.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nöldeke |first=Theodore |author-link=Theodor Nöldeke |title=Sketches from Eastern History |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.21089 |date=1892 |page=73}}</ref>}}

Though Abu Bakr had started these initial conflicts which eventually resulted in the Islamic [[Muslim conquest of Persia|conquests of Mesopotamia, Persia]] and [[Muslim conquest of the Levant|the Levant]], he did not live to see those regions conquered by Islam, instead leaving the task to his successors.<ref name=NardoP32/>

=== Preservation of the Quran ===
{{Main|History of the Quran}}

Abu Bakr was instrumental in preserving the [[Quran]] in written form. It is said that after the hard-won victory over Musaylimah in the [[Battle of Yamama]] in 632, [[Umar]] saw that some five hundred of the Muslims who had [[Hafiz (Quran)|memorised the Quran]] had been killed in wars. Fearing that it might become lost or corrupted, Umar requested that Abu Bakr authorise the compilation and preservation of the scriptures in written format. The caliph was initially hesitant, being quoted as saying, "how can we do that which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless and keep him, did not himself do?" He eventually relented, however, and appointed [[Zayd ibn Thabit]], who had previously served as one of the scribes of Muhammad, for the task of gathering the scattered verses. The fragments were recovered from every quarter, including from the ribs of palm branches, scraps of leather, stone tablets and "from the hearts of men". The collected work was transcribed onto sheets and verified through comparison with Quran memorisers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fernhout |first1=Rein |last2=Jansen |first2=Henry |last3=Jansen-Hofland |first3=Lucy |title=Canonical Texts. Bearers of Absolute Authority. Bible, Koran, Veda, Tipitaka: a Phenomenological Study |year=1994 |page=62 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Rodopi]] |isbn=9051837747 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BIIk_73ImdsC&pg=PA62}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Herlihy |first=John |title=Islam for Our Time - Inside the Traditional World of Islamic Spirituality |date=2012 |page=76 |publisher=[[Xlibris|Xlibris Corporation]] |isbn=9781479709977 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lcb5AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA76}}</ref> The finished codex, termed the ''[[Mus'haf]]'', was presented to Abu Bakr, who prior to his death, bequeathed it to his successor Umar.<ref>{{cite book |last=Azmayesh |first=Seyed Mostafa |author-link=Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh |title=New Researches on the Quran - Why and how two versions of Islam entered the history of mankind |date=2015 |publisher=Mehraby Publishing House |page=75 |isbn=9780955811760 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ED1lCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75}}</ref> Upon Umar's own death, the ''Mus'haf'' was left to his daughter [[Hafsa bint Umar|Hafsa]], who had been one of the wives of Muhammad. It was this volume, borrowed from Hafsa, which formed the basis of [[Uthman]]'s legendary prototype, which became the definitive text of the Quran. All later editions are derived from this original.<ref>{{harvtxt|Herlihy|2012|page=76–77}}</ref>{{NoteTag|Many early sources, especially but not exclusively [[Shia|Shi'ite]], believe that there was also a version of the Quran which had been compiled by Ali, but which has since been lost.<ref>{{harvtxt|Herlihy|2012|page=77}}</ref>}}