His succession speech and the morals we learn from it

His modesty despite his loftiness among Muhajereen and Ansar:

Dear brothers, this is the fourth lesson of our Master Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq's biography, may Allah be pleased with him. 

Upon being appointed as Khalifah (Caliph), Abu Bakr delivered what is known as his inaugural speech. If we were to examine his words in this speech, we would discover that he laid down remarkable principles.

He started with saying, "O people, I have been put in authority over you, but I am not the best of you." He began by considering himself one of the Muslims, with no special privileges. He initiated his reign by viewing the succession as a position of responsibility, not one of privilege or honor.

The Khalifash is not better than other Muslims; he is simply the one who bears the heaviest burden of responsibility, and this is how Abu Bakr began his leadership. This is how a true believer should be; Divinely educated. When the Prophet PBUH was asked about his noble character, he replied:

(( My Lord educated me, and He perfected my education. ))

[ Reported in the tradition ]

A privileged person should not look down on those who are less privileged:

Dear brothers, when a person occupies a high position, it may be due to his wealth, power, noble lineage, knowledge, or intelligence. However, Abu Bakr was one of the rare few, those who can be counted on one hand, who remained humble despite reaching the top of society, and who never granted himself any special privilege.

His speech highlights the following point: A man who is not privileged in a society and has limited financial means may appear humble to others, for he has nothing to boast about. However, when someone attains a high position, it is only then his humility is truly tested. Will he remain steadfast in his worship of Allah? Will this position change his character for the worse? Will he become harsh toward his enemies? Will he oppress the servants of Allah? 

Abu Bakr said, "O people, I have been put in authority over you, but I am not the best of you."  The true believer considers himself one of the common people, and only then will he earn their love, support, and loyalty. On the other hand, if you confine yourself to an ivory tower and distance yourself from people, they will turn away from you. 

Let me repeat: "O people, I have been put in authority over you, but I am not the best of you."  People, on the other hand, have a crucial and positive role to play with the Khalifah.

He sought advice and guidance from people for the benefit of the Ummah:

He said, "If I do the right thing, then help me. If I do wrong, then correct me." 

What an outstanding statement! If Muslims apply it among themselves, they will be in a very different place. Unfortunately, if a Muslim has a fellow brother who excels, he envies him and wishes for his blessing to disappear. This behavior reflects hypocrisy. The proper behavior when a Muslim has a fellow brother who excels is to support him if he is on the Right Path, and to advise him if he is not; there is no third option.

This applies to everyone you know; whether he is your brother, your teacher, or anyone else. You support him if he is on the Right Path, and advise him if he is not, but you should not take him as an enemy. This is the only way to build a healthy Islamic society; one that remains strong and stays away from disunity. 

When someone's faith gets weak, he slanders his fellow Muslim instead of advising him, and he envies him instead of supporting him, given envy and slander are among the traits of the hypocrites. The believer, on the other hand, swings between being an advisor and a supporter to his fellow Muslim. 

Abu Bakr said, "If I do the right thing, then help me. If I do wrong, then correct me." Whoever is in charge of people should make it clear to those around him that offering him sincere advice reflects their trustworthiness, while withholding it reflects a betrayal of the trust they have been given.

This is the way an Islamic society should be. However, hypocrites envy the one who does well and slander him when he makes a mistake.  This is the society of hypocrites. 

Abu Bakr said, "If I do the right thing, then help me. If I do wrong, then correct me."

Cherishing the principle of justice and equality:

After this introduction, Abu Bakr spoke about the constant values to assure the people that these are the principles he would uphold. He said, "The weak among you are strong in my sight, so I will relieve their suffering as is their right, if Allah wills."

The powerful person takes over according to the law of the jungle society, but in the society of righteousness, the one who upholds Al-Haqq will prevail. 

First, Abu Bakr assessed himself, then he assigned those around him their missions, and finally, he made it clear that exalted values, stemming from the Prophetic Sunnah, would prevail in society.

The last King of Al-Ghasasenah, Jabalah Ibn Al-Ayham was performing Hajj, and while he was circumambulating the Ka'bah, a Bedouin from Fazarah tribe trod upon his garment, so it fell from his shoulders. Jabalah got angry, and he boxed the Bedouin and broke his nose although the man said that he did it unintentionally. The man hastened to the Khalifah Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, to complain against Jabalah, so Umar requested that Jabalah be summoned to trial. 

When he arrived, our Master Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked him:

 - "Did the man tell me the truth?"

 - Jaballah said, "I will never be like those who conceal the truth or deny it. I disciplined the guy and retained my right with my own hand."

 - Umar said, "The guy's right has to be redeemed! Your nail is still stained with his blood! Or else he will break your nose as you did to him."

 - Jabalah said, "How come, O Commander of Believers?! He is an ordinary man, and I am a king! How can you be pleased to see a star falling down?!"

 - Umar said, "Desires of ignorance and insolent arrogance of Jahiliyyah have no place to dwell with us after we have established a new civilization of human equality and justice. Salves are now equal to free men; the poor are equal to the rich."

 - Jaballah said, "It was a mere illusion when I thought that I would be with you stronger and more honorable! I will apostatize if you force me!"

 - Umar said, "The neck of an apostate is to be chopped off by sword. It is a new world that we are now building; a world wherein wrong things are set right and differences between slaves and free men are eliminated!"

Whole volumes could be written about the inaugural speech Abu Bakr delivered. Though it was just a few words spoken in five minutes, he was able to give everything its due. "I have been put in authority over you, but I am not the best of you." 

(( An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except through piety (taqwa). ))

[ Reported in the tradition ]

Standards in disbelieving societies are money, modern knowledge, power, prominent positions, fame, beauty, and intelligence. However, these standards have nothing to do with those of an Islamic society, for the only true standard is "The most honorable of you with Allah is the most pious among you"; hands down.

Our Master Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, came upon the open field where Bilal was being tortured for amusement. Given the exalted position, the noble origin and wealth he had, Abu Bakr remonstrated with the torturers. He said to Umayyah, "Have you no fear of Allah that you treat this poor man like this?" He replied saying, "You are the one who corrupted him, so you save him from his plight!" Abu Bakr replied, "Then sell him to me, and name your price." Umayyah, was a businessman and could not give up making a profit, so he sold Bilal for a good price. 

To humiliate Bilal, he added, "I would have sold him to you even if you had offered me only one Dirham." Abu Bakr answered, "I would have bought him even if you had asked for one hundred thousand Dirhams." Abu Bakr put his arm round Bilal, rushing with him to freedom and saying, "Bilal is truly my brother." 

Abu Bakr's speech is similar to what we call today "The Throne Speech," which is delivered when a king is crowned and in which he outlines the principles by which he will govern his citizens. 

Abu Bakr said, "O people, I have been put in authority over you, but I am not the best of you. The strong among you are weak in my sight, so I will take what is due from them, if Allah wills. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger, but If I disobey Allah and His Messenger, then you are not obligated to obey me. Now, stand for your prayer, and may Allah have mercy upon you."

True faith is manifested in offering sincere advice and cooperation, while hypocrisy is manifested in envy and slander:

As a manager of three employees, you would be considered racist and ignorant if you see yourself as their superior, look down on them, boss them around, or seek to humiliate them. In fact, you should be one of them and at their service, because Allah is watching you, and you will be held accountable for your deeds; not to mention that you will be treated just as you treat them. A wise saying goes as follows:  

(Righteousness does not wear out, sin is never forgotten, and The Judge (i.e. Allah) never dies.)

If a brother, friend, or relative of yours attains a high position, yet you feel the need to treat him as an enemy and belittle him, then you are being racist, ignorant, and hypocritical. On the contrary, you should support him if he is truthful and offer him sincere advice and guidance if he makes a mistake.

Make this a principle you live by. The hypocrite behaves differently: He envies him if he is truthful and slanders him if he errs. The Prophet PBUH said:

(( O Allah, I seek refuge with You from an evil neighbor, who, if he sees good, conceals it, and if he sees evil, spreads it. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from a bad leader, who, if I do good, does not accept it, and if I do wrong, does not forgive ))

[ Reported in the tradition ]

Accustom yourself to take the side of the truth. Bear in mind that Allah Almighty will love you, support you, and grant you prosperity if you support your brothers, never look down on them, and extend a helping hand to them. In contrast, Allah will be against His servants if they envy one another and treat each other with enmity. Allah says:

﴾ And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful. ﴿

[ Al-Hashr, 10 ]

Allah also says: 

﴾ "And We shall remove from their breasts any sense of injury (that they may have), (So they will be like) brothers facing each other on thrones. ﴿

[ Al-Hijr, 47 ]

Loving your fellow brothers, helping them and advising them sincerely in private are signs of true faith. Doing the contrary (propagating evil deeds) is Divinely threatened with severe punishment. Whoever commits such a bad deed does not say a mere word, takes an action, or gives an expression of mockery or ridicule. He does something else: 

﴾ Verily, those who like that (the crime of) illegal sexual intercourse should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah knows and you know not. ﴿

[ An-Nur, 19 ]

What does this person do? He does nothing outwardly, but he secretly wishes, within himself, that fornication will spread among the believers. With this intention alone, he places himself in the same trench with hypocrites.

Abu Bakr never seeks power, but Allah decreed that he would lead the Muslims:

Abu Bakr continues his speech by saying, "By Allah, I have never sought leadership, not for a day, nor a night, and I have never asked for it from Allah, neither in private nor in public." The Prophet PBUH said:

(( Those who seek power or authority should not be appointed to positions of leadership ))

[ Reported in the tradition ]

In some democratic countries, a candidate might spend 100 million dollars to support his campaign. In Islam, this would be considered seeking authority, and whoever does so should not be appointed to leadership. I repeat what Abu Bakr said, "By Allah, I have never sought leadership, not for a day, nor a night, and I have never asked for it from Allah, neither in private nor in public."

One day, Umar visited Abu Bakr and found him crying. Within seconds, Abu Bakr clung to Umar as if he were a life raft and said, "O Umar, I have no desire for this position. It was forced upon me and clung to me against my will."

Dear noble brothers, believe me when I say that the believer who establishes a connection with Allah will experience true happiness, and that happiness is priceless. So, our Master Abu Bakr found true tranquility in his knowledge of Allah and closeness to Him. As a result, the succession would not affect him. 

A man once came to Abu Bakr asking for something he needed. Abu Bakr wanted to consult Umar about the matter, since Umar was the judge at the time. So, Abu Bakr said to the man, "Go to Umar", but Umar completely rejected the man's request.

The man became confused and returned to Abu Bakr, saying, "Who is the Khalifah, you or Umar?" Abu Bakr replied, "If Umar wants to be the Khalifah, I will accept that as there is no difference between us." However, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "You will not be relieved of your position as Khalifah. By Allah, we will not release you from this responsibility, for you are the most merciful, the most knowledgeable, the closest to the Prophet PBUH, and the best among us." 

His loyalty to Al-Haqq:

(( A'ishah narrated: Fatima and Al-Abbas came to Abu Bakr, seeking their share from the property of Allah's Messenger PBUH and at that time, they were asking for their land at Fadak and their share from Khaibar. Abu Bakr said to them, "I have heard from Allah's Messenger PBUH saying: "Our (Prophets') property is not to be inherited and whatever we leave behind is charity" But the family of Muhammad may take their provisions from this property." Abu Bakr added, "By Allah, I will not leave the procedure I saw Allah's Messenger PBUH following during his lifetime concerning this property." ))

[ Al-Bukhari and Muslim ]

This raises a question: Is your loyalty to individuals or to Al-Haqq? If Abu Bakr's loyalty had been to individuals, he would have compromised with Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet PBUH and the dearest to him among his family, when she requested her share of inheritance. The Hadith goes as follows

(( However, in order to sooth her heart, he called upon Umar, Talhah, Az-Zubair, 'Abdur-Rahman bin Awf, and Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, then he said: "I ask you, by Allah the One by Whose Will the heavens and the earth are maintained, do you know that the Messenger of Allah PBUH said: "Our (Prophets') property is not to be inherited and whatever we leave behind is charity."  They said: "Yes". ))

[ Al-Bukhari and Muslim ]

He asked those Noble Companions to testify, thinking that she might not have heard the Prophet PBUH say it. They testified to it. Fatimah then said to Abu Bakr, "You know that the Prophet PBUH gave this land to me as a gift, so it is mine not as inherited property, but as a gift." Abu Bakr replied, "I know what you say is true, but I saw him giving its profits to the poor, the needy, and the wayfarer, after giving you what met your needs. So, he intended for its profits to be kept as permanent Sadaqah (charity) for the poor. Thus, it is an Islamic endowment (waqf)." 

Then Fatimah presented her third proof. She said, "Keep it in our hands, and we will continue doing with its profits what the Prophet PBUH used to do." Abu Bakr responded, "I do not see that as appropriate. As the successor to the Messenger of Allah, I am more capable of distributing its profits just as the Prophet PBUH used to do."

The lesson here is that a Muslim's loyalty must be to Allah alone, to Al-Haqq revealed by the Prophet PBUH, and to Shari'ah (the Divine Law of Islam). The Prophet PBUH is a lawgiver, so whatever he says becomes part of Islamic law. Although the Prophet PBUH was the dearest to the heart of Abu Bakr, yet his loyalty remains to Allah Alone. The Prophet PBUH said:

(( Our (Prophets') property is not to be inherited and whatever we leave behind is charity. ))

[ Bukhari and Musilm ]

Another proof of his loyalty:

Dear brothers, Abu Bakr took an extraordinary stance, demonstrating his loyalty to Al Haqq alone. After Abu Bakr became the Kahalifah, he sent the army led by Usamah bin Zaid who was only 17 years old (that army was sent to raid the region of Balqa' in the Byzantine Empire to avenge Muslim losses at the Battle of Mu'tah. Although the Prophet PBUH appointed Usamah to lead that expedition before his death, the campaign was delayed.) The soldiers in this army were Noble Companions like Umar, Uthman, Ali, and other distinguished elites.

Abu Bakr went out to the area of al-Jurf to bid farewell to Usamah Ibn Zayd. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was one of the soldiers in this army, and Abu Bakr was keen on keeping Umar with him. It was within his authority to give that order, but he knew that such orders would cause conflict. Moreover, he, as a Khalifah, was obliged to give Usamah all the guarantees to ensure he would fulfill his duty. The foremost of those guarantees was to ensure that Usamah's prestige and authority would not be undermined. So, what did he do? He approached Usamah and whispered to him saying, "I beg one favor of you. Do not take Umar with you. Leave him here to help me." 

This is a moral lesson to all of us. As you know the hospital has a manager, so you should not ask any of the physicians directly without first obtaining the manager's permission. The same applies to the director of education or a high school principal; if you need something from one of their teachers, you should not speak to the teacher directly before getting the permission from the principal. There is always a chain of command, and the hierarchy must be respected.

According to the Sirah books, Abu Bakr did not refrain from giving Usamah direct order (i.e., he did not command him to keep Umar with him) out of courtesy or modesty, but rather, because it was his obligation not to give that order.

His piousness and uprightness:

Abu Bakr was a cloth merchant and lived by that trade. People selected him as the Khalifah. Next day with some cloth slung on his arms, he was proceeding to the market as usual when Umar met him in the way. Umar said, "Where are you going to, Abu Bakr?" Abu Bakr, "To the market". Umar, "If you get busy with your trade, who will carry out the duties of the Khilafah (Caliphate)?" Abu Bakr, "How am I to feed my family then?" Umar, "Let us go to Abu 'Ubaidah (he was in charge of Bait-ul-Mal), who will fix some daily allowance for you from the Bait-ul-Mal (the state treasury)." 

They both went to Abu 'Ubaidah. He fixed for Abu Bakr an allowance equal to that usually paid to an average Muhajir. Umar found it not befitting that the Khalifah who is in charge of Muslims' matters will sell clothes in the market. This is not fiction but it is reality.

Abu Bakr had a slave who brought him some food, and Abu Bakr took a morsel out of it. Then the slave remarked, "You always enquire about the source of what I bring to you, but today you have not done so." He replied, "Tell me now, how did you come by this food?" The slave said, "Before I embraced Islam, I uttered some incantations for some people. They promised to pay me for that later on. I happened to pass by those people today, and they gave me this food." Abu Bakr put his finger in his mouth trying to vomit the morsel he had swallowed. Somebody remarked, "May Allah have mercy on you! You put yourself to such trouble for one single morsel." He replied, "I would have thrust it out even if I had to lose my life."

(( The Prophet PBUH found a date under his side during the night, so he ate it, and he did not sleep the rest of the night. One of his wives said: "O Messenger of Allah, did you have trouble sleeping last night?" He said: "I found a date under my side and ate it, and we had some dates from the dates of charity (Sadaqah), so I feared that it might have been from them. ))

[ Ahmad ]

Allah says:

﴾ Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.  ﴿