Audiobook: Abu Bakr al Siddiq - His Life and Times (Anwar Al-Awlaki, 2004)

[madali]

Abu Bakr al Siddiq - His Life and Times (Anwar Al-Awlaki, 2004)

“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, ye owe me no obedience. Arise for your prayer, God have mercy upon you.” – Abu Bakr, upon becoming a Caliph

The first challenge to the Muslims came after Prophet Mohammad’s death. Prophet Mohammad had succeeded in doing something no Arab before had done. He had combined the tribes, turned them into a strong-willed, loyal group, and they were starting to turn from an insignificant force sandwiched between the two great empires of Persia and Rome to become a real challenge.

But then Prophet Mohammad died, and everything could have easily fallen apart. The one to take up the task of leading the new Muslims was Abu Bakr, Prophet Mohammad’s right-hand man and first convert aside from his immediate family. Prophet Mohammad did not assign any will stating who will be the first Caliph after him, which has led to some controversies between the Sunnis and Shias, but it would be hard pressed to fault many of Abu Bakr’s decisions during his Caliphate.

His first major challenge was to face the opposition from the new Muslims. Most tribes had their loyalty to Prophet Mohammad and after his death, they wanted to cancel their agreements. Were Abu Bakr accept this dissolution, Islam may not have been the force it turned out to be. Instead Abu Bakr fought the tribes and forced them into defeat and submission into the rule of Islam. And from there on, he started the wars against Persia and Rome.

I find Islam’s early history as a political movement to be a fascinating study. To see a movement start with one single man and then slowly overtake the people around him and then create an empire out of it is fascinating and because of the depths of written and spoken recording history available, it makes for a great study. The audiobook is more than 15 hours long and done by Anwar Al-Awlaki, my favorite lecturer when it comes to Islamic topics. The reason is that Al-Awlaki is not an apologist for Islam, he does not try to whitewash history. Here is a man so in love with his religion and so proud of it that he does not twist history to fit modern sensibilities to make Islam seem more acceptable in today’s world.

After this, Al-Awlaki has a series on Omar, the next Caliph, and one that I am looking forward to even more, given that I am fascinated by Omar’s character.

4/5

[shariqq]

Very interesting review, Madali. Do review the series on Omar too - I look forward to reading your views on it, and then possibly pick up the series myself.

[madali]

Start with Anwar Al Awlaki's lectures on Prophet Mohammad, which is better.

Anwar Al-Awlaki is very direct in his lectures. Which other Imam do you think would talk about Abu Bakr's epic insult, "Go suck the clitoris of al-Lat!"