Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
The Prophet's closest companion and father-in-law, and one of the first people to accept Islam. As the first caliph he fought the Ridda wars, sent the first armies into Iraq and Syria, and had the Quran gathered into one written copy.
At a glance
- Lived
- c. 573 to 634
- Role
- Caliph
- Dynasty
- Rashidun Caliphs
- Era
- The Prophet's state in Madinah; Abu Bakr and Umar: the great conquests
- Chapter
- 1. The Rightly Guided Caliphs
Battles
- 632Battle of Yamama
Muslim victory. The hardest battle of the Ridda wars.
- 634Battle of Ajnadayn
Muslim victory. The first major battle against Byzantium in Palestine, fought weeks before Abu Bakr died.
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq's world
632: The Prophet's state in Madinah
In the ten years after the Hijrah, Madinah grew from one town into a state that held most of Arabia. When the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) died in June 632, the two great powers next door, Byzantium and Sasanian Persia, were worn out after decades of war with each other.
644: Abu Bakr and Umar: the great conquests
Within twelve years the Muslims defeated both superpowers of the age. Byzantium lost Syria at Yarmouk and Egypt soon after. Persia lost Iraq at Qadisiyyah and its heartland at Nahavand. Jerusalem surrendered in 637 and Umar came in person to accept it.
People of the same era
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