بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Heroic Stands by Shiekh Abu Nizhar Ash Shaami: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (ra)
Our lives are a collection of stands taken. These stands are what will decide our status and value before Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgement. Heroic stands, which changed the course of history, produced events, and greatly influenced all who witnessed them or heard of them. Heroic stands, which we mention while living at a time when most stands we see are those of humiliation and shame. Heroic stands, we mention them whose heroes are mentioned in the Quran, and the pages of the Seerah and our Ummah's past and recent history are overflowing with them. Heroic stands, which we mention in order to take lessons from. We mention them in order to receive flames of glory, optimism, and expecting good from Allah (swt), and to prove that our Ummah, by the permission of Allah (swt), is capable of bringing back the dignified stands which will fill the world with justice and light after it was filled with injustice and tyranny.
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (ra) – Political Aqeedah and heroic emulation
There are stands which do not correct the error of individuals or groups only. They are stands through which Allah (swt) corrects the error of the entire Ummah. Stands, through which, Allah (swt) protects the Ummah from deviating. And this is what manifests itself in the heroic stands that litter the life of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (ra). Since, his stands were characterised by having thought, awareness and determination, by being fundamental and principled, and having political vision and many others.
The first heroic stand by Abu Bakr (ra) was the one he took at the death of the Prophet (saw). This heroic stand featured the creedal uprightness and awareness of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (ra) in his understanding of the Deen of Allah (swt). When the Prophet (saw) passed away, thought faltered in many of His beloved. Some of them said: "The Prophet (saw) did not die", "Whoever said the prophet died, I will strike him". Here, my brothers, the Aqeedah was unfortunately shaken by the great power of emotion.
As-Siddeeq (ra) overcame his self and adhered to awareness and thought, placing them ahead of emotion when he said: "Whoever was worshipping Muhammad (saw), then know that Muhammad (saw) has died. And whoever was worshipping Allah (swt) then know that Allah (swt) is ever-living and does not die". There is no doubt that Abu Bakr (ra) was one of the most beloved Sahabah to the Prophet (saw) and was the foremost in sacrificing for Him. Unfortunately, in contrast to the clarity of such heroic stands, we see people today justifying the deviance of rulers whom they love so they place what the rulers do ahead of the fixed constants of the Ahkam Shar'iah. This is not how Abu Bakr (ra) behaved. Rather, he stood and brought back the Aqeedah of Islam to its secured position, thus his love for the Prophet (saw) was real.
The second stand by the hero, Abu Bakr (ra), was his stand towards those who refused to pay Zakat. His heroic stand featured being principled and refusing to accept compromise on principles, and to never give concessions not matter how small they are, and the prohibition of gradualism in implementing Islam completely. Umar's (ra) stance was like many of the Sahabah towards those who refused to pay Zakat, where he said: "O Abu Bakr, how do you war against people who bear witness to La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasool Allah?" So, my brothers, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (ra) grabbed him by the lapels and said: "O Umar, are you mighty in Jahiliyya but weak in Islam? Have you not heard the Prophet (saw) say: "except by its due" and Zakat is from its due. By Allah, I will fight whoever separates between Salat and Zakat, since Zakat is the right on wealth. By Allah (swt), even if they refuse to pay a rope which they used to pay to the Messenger of Allah (saw), I will fight them over their refusal to pay it." In these stands, my brothers, Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (ra) teaches us that the calculations of the Deen are not based on profit and loss. Rather, they are based on adherence and standing firm. He regarded the disregard of Zakat as a reduction from the Deen. One of the most quintessential things Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (ra) said is: "The Deen will not be reduced while I am alive". How much it is that we need these heroic stands by these great heroes today. Many Muslims, unfortunately, give concessions, accept compromise, accept to rule by other than what Allah (swt) revealed, and to share in power with the Kuffar. All of these, my brothers, are from errors and disturbances that need heroic stands to remove them from the thinking of Muslims so that it returns pure and clear as it was with the early companions.
Another heroic stands of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (ra) is that, His great stand when the mass Ridda (apostasy) occurred, Since the Arab tribes had apostatised from Islam after the death of the Prophet (saw). The army of Musailama Al-Kadhab alone was made up of 40,000 fighters. In other words, we can say that if free and fair elections were held at that time, Abu Bakr (ra) would not have won. Since, majority, popularity and people's sovereignty were all not on the side of the Sahabah. They were rather with Banu Hanifa, Musailama and others. How did Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (ra) deal with this situation? His (ra) stance was remarkable and unrelenting. He waged war against the Murtads unrelentingly and mercilessly, and despatched generals to fight them until he brought them back submittingly under the system and Shariah of Islam. This was from the Tawfeeq of Allah (swt) to Abu Bakr (ra) who reinforced the power of the Islamic State and inviolability of the laws brought by the system of Islam. One result of these wars which he waged, was the returning of many of the Murtads to obedience and implementation of all Islamic laws. By Allah (swt), if it was not for the boldness of Abu Bakr's (ra) stand, these people would've been dominant and stronger than the Islamic state.
Another great stands of Abu Bakr (ra) is dispatching the army of Usama where this stand manifested the heroic character of emulating the Messenger of Allah (saw) and following his instructions. Imagine my brothers! After the death of the Prophet (saw), the peninsula went through a wave of Ridda. Imagine with me, a country going through a brutal civil war that has more than 10 large revolts occurring internally, killing each other. Then, the leader of this country dispatches an army, which was prepared by a previous leader, to fight a neighbouring country. Abu Bakr (ra) was not looking at the situation in this way. Rather, his stance was that the Prophet (saw) knows better, when he dispatched the army of Usama. So, he would say: "How can the Messenger of Allah (saw) dispatch him and then I stop him?" So, he sent Usama's army to the Romans while there were tens of thousands of Murtads and Zakat-avoiders around Madinah. Abu Bakr (ra) was aware of all the risks but he had strong Iman in the methodology of the Prophet (saw). The army of Usama departed and this caused the Romans to tremble and the Arabs lost their will to fight who thought to themselves that it was not possible for Abu Bakr to have sent this army without there being enough defences in Madinah. But the reality was that there were no defences. But there was good conviction in Allah (swt). The Romans withdrew, so Usama's army did not fight and returned victoriously, then all the Murtad tribes were defeated, so, he (ra) brought back unity and strength to the Islamic State and the greatest lesson was in Abu Bakr (ra) not conceding on a single Hukm nor instruction of the Messenger (saw). How great is our need for leaders, heroes, whose stands are like these. We ask Allah to let us witness together stances just like these heroic stands. We ask Allah (swt) the Almighty, to return to us the stands taken by these heroes. HE (swt) is our Lord who is capable of that and is its custodian.