Today’s episode will discuss the election of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) as the Caliph after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). After the initial shock, the companions began to accept reality. They had two important tasks before them: the first was to hold the funeral of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to determine who would be the next guardian of the Muslims. Ahole Bayatof the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and some of the Mujahid companions were busy preparing the burial of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Some were staying in the Prophet’s Mosque. On the other hand, the place where the Ansar were gathering was called Saqifa Banu Sa’ida. There they were gathered together trying to solve important questions.
A man came and informed Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Ansar had gathered at Saqifa Banu Sa’ida to elect a caliph. As soon as Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) heard this news, he came to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) house and asked Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to come out of the house for a while. Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent word from inside the house that he was on an important business and could not come out. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied that an incident was happening that required him to come out. Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the courtyard of the mosque with some annoyance and asked Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) what more important task you have sent me for than the burial of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?
Then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “Don’t you know that the Ansar are gathering at Saqifa Banu Sa’ida and they are going to elect Saad ibn Wada as the Caliph?” The best proposal is that if a caliph is not elected, then there will be an emir from among the Ansar and an emir from the Quraysh tribe. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) knew that such a situation could arise, but he did not realize that he would have to face such a situation so quickly. He immediately set out towards it.
When the three of them set out, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), Abu Ubaydah ibn Jarrah, and Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them).
On the way, two men met them and told them that it would be better for them to go back and not face the Ansar at this time. Then Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) said that we must go there and he quickly reached there. When he reached there, he reached the middle of everyone and saw that the Ansar were unable to make any decision, rather they were arguing and debating. The Ansar were shocked by the sudden presence of three men and did not know what to do. Then Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) sat quietly in the middle of everyone with his two companions.
The Ansar calmed down when they saw them sitting down. Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) noticed that a man was sitting in the middle of them, wearing a blanket. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked who this person was? They replied that the person was Sa’d bin Ubaydah. He was sick and was sitting wrapped in a blanket.
But Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) were wise men. They understood that the person wearing this blanket, Sa’d bin Ubaydah was giving a speech before they arrived there. And he incited the Ansar. Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gestured to Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) to be quiet and stood up and gave a wonderful speech.
The main part of the speech that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave was this: It was very difficult to abandon the religion of our predecessors. At the very beginning, Allah Almighty chose the Muhajirun to help and protect the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also said that the Muhajirun were the first to believe and worship Allah. And they are close relatives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so they are more deserving of the caliphate. After giving a speech about the Muhajirs, Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) emphasized the importance of the Ansar. After talking about the importance of the two groups, he said that the status of the Muhajirun cannot be over you, but you can be advisors. No public decisions will be made without your advice. Hearing Abu Bakr’s words, the people present began to consult among themselves.
Then a man from among the Ansar said that you Muhajirun are much fewer in number than the Ansar, so your leadership cannot be accepted. Despite hearing such words, Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) calmly said that the other tribes of Arabia would not accept the leadership of people other than the Quraysh. The Quraysh clan is superior in lineage to other Arabs. Thus, for a long time, the dispute over the Caliphate between the Ansar and the Muhajirin continued. Those who were hypocrites or traitors took advantage of this opportunity to incite both sides.
Abu Ibn Jarrah had been silent for a while, but seeing the excitement, he stood up and gave a speech. He stood up and said, “O Ansar, you were the most advanced. You established the Deen by helping the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), but now do not ruin it by disagreeing. ” His words worked, and then Basir Asad, the leader of the Hazra tribe, stood up. He stood up and said, “O Ansar, do not oppose the Muhajirin.” Then Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) began to mention the verses that Allah had revealed in the Quran and the hadiths that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had narrated about the dignity of the Ansar.
Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up, holding the hands of Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) and Ubaydah ibn (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he said to the people present that I want you to take the oath of allegiance from one of these two.
Abu Ubaydah ibn Jarrah stood up and said that By Allah, we cannot give the caliphate to anyone else while you, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) are alive. Because you are the greatest of the Mahajirs and the companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the cave. And the representative or caliph of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in prayer. And prayer is the best form of worship, so no one else can be appointed to the caliphate while you are alive. Then Hazrat Umar (RA) placed his hand in the hand of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) and took the oath of allegiance.
Then, numerous people came from all over and started taking the oath of allegiance from Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). That is, all the Muhajirin and Ansar present were taking the oath of allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA).
Finally, we will conclude today’s discussion by learning three important lessons from the Saqifa Banu Sa’ida. The first issue is the importance of the Surah in Islam. Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that if a person is appointed to an important position without consultation, it will not be valid for him. That is, one should not indulge in the greed for any important position without the advice of Surah. The issue of the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) is being determined through the Surah.
The second point is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a hadith that whoever dies without taking the oath of allegiance is like dying the death of ignorance.
The third point is that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) highlighted the leadership of the Quraysh. At that time, the other tribes of Arabia did not accept allegiance from any tribe other than the Quraysh. Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed this issue in his speech. People should accept their allegiance based on reality.
