Ibn Abu Bakr Research Paper

Depending on the group of Muslims, Abu Bakr is regarded very differently. Some groups of Sufis, like the Naqshibandis, regard him as a central religious personage, and a spiritual authority. Sunnis consider him affectionately because he is the first Muslim leader after Muhammad passed away. The Shi'is object generally to any Caliph except Ali, but Abu Bakr is one of those they tolerate most. Still, they consider him to be a symbol of profound injustice, because his rule is a human one and not divinely guided, hence illegitimate and tyrannical. Abu Bakr's early days, he is supposed to have been of the same age as Muhammad, and he was either the first or second male to covert to Islam

Abu Bakr was born in Mecca, a Quraishi of the Banu …show more content…
However, there is some disagreement whether Ali ibn Abu Talib or Abu Bakr was the first male to convert. Many Muslims learn only that "Abu Bakr was the first adult male; Ali was the first boy". This glosses over the difficulty. One of the earlier sources we have for Islamic history is a work called the Sirat Rasulallah, by Ibn Ishaq, known only from excerpts quoted by Ibn Hisham and Tabari. Ibn Ishaq tells two stories about Abu Bakr's and Ali's conversion. One story puts Abu Bakr first in time, another puts Ali. Since the Sunni/Shi'a schism was hardening just at the time Ibn Ishaq wrote, it seems predictable that two stories would be current: one, Shi'a, putting Ali first, and one, Sunni, putting Abu Bakr first. Without any further evidence, it is impossible to say which story is …show more content…
Various Arab tribes of Hejaz and Nejd rebelled against the caliph and the new system. Some withheld the zakat, the alms tax, though they did not challenge the prophecy of Muhammad. Others apostatized outright and returned to their pre-Islamic religion and traditions, classified by Muslims as idolatry. The tribes claimed that they had submitted to Muhammad and that with Muhammad's death, they were again free. Abu Bakr insisted that they had not just submitted to a leader but joined the Muslim religious community, of which he was the new head. Apostasy is a capital offense under traditional interpretations of Islamic law, and Abu Bakr declared war on the rebels. This was the start of the Ridda wars, Arabic for the Wars of Apostasy. The severest struggle was the war with Ibn Habib al-Hanefi, known as "Musailimah the Liar", who claimed to be a prophet and Muhammad's true successor. The Muslim general Khalid bin Walid finally defeated al-Hanefi at the Battle of