Umar Bin ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz (Darussalam)

The life of the first Rightly-Guided Caliph, Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him) is a valuable roadmap for the Muslims of today. One of the first people to believe and embrace the Prophet’s Message of Islam, Abu Bakr remained a close companion of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) throughout the Prophet’s life. Appointed as the Prophet’s successor on the basis of consultation, Abu Bakr proved to be a great leader who, with Allah’s help, steered the Ummah through difficult times. He faced numerous challenges within Arabia: some people apostatized, others refused to pay zakâh, and quite a few individuals emerged as false prophets, attracting many followers. Outside Arabia, the Persians and Byzantines keenly observed these developments, looking for an opportunity to crush the new state. Abu Bakr employed effective strategies to deal with these challenges and had remarkable success in doing so. Thus, he paved way for the Islamic conquests that toppled tyrants and carried the message of Islam to the entire world. His leadership should be a great source of inspiration for the Muslims today.

The author has chosen one hundred personalities amongst the Companions. He compiled narrations, hadiths and incidences that contributed to the distinction of these individuals who have no similitude in the history of mankind after the Prophets of Allah and His Messengers. Their excellence is further clearly established from the study of these individuals, their attributes and their characters with which they were embellished. For this reason, they were from the best of people ever raised up for mankind.