Quran 9:40 - Abu Bakr in the Cave
The Quran Verse
In the Name of God, The Beneficent, The Merciful.
"If you do not help him [the Prophet], certainly Allah helped him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Mecca], as the second of two, when they were in the cave, when he said to his companion, 'Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.' Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him and supported him with soldiers you did not see [angels] and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is All-Mighty and All-Wise." (9:40).
The Context
As per the established consensus, in his Quranic commentary the Sunni scholar Abul Ala Maududi said this passage (9:38-41) was revealed to address believers who showed reluctance in joining the Campaign of Tabuk. They showed a lack of sincerity by disobeying the Prophet. The heart of the verse 9:40 is an episode in a cave, which occurred during the Prophet’s migration from Mecca to Medina, nine years before Tabuk. The consensus, across Sunni and Shia books of hadith literature, is that his companion in the cave was Abu Bakr. To overrule that, you must provide clear evidence to the contrary, and there is none. He was named implicitly in 9:40 as per the Quranic custom. So does the verse exempt Abu Bakr from the criticism of Tabuk or single him out for special condemnation, or neither? It depends on the content.
To give a backdrop for the migration, the two Ansar tribes in Medina had converted to Islam and welcomed the Muslims to live with them, to escape the persecution they were suffering in Mecca from the polytheists. The Muslim migration was then underway and, as their leader, the Prophet chose to stay until all Muslims who would leave, had left. But suddenly a threat appeared and his plan changed. The Quraysh tribe ruling Mecca had run out of patience with the Prophet’s disruptive mission and conspired to decisively end it, as noted in the Quran: “And when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.” (8:30).
The Prophet’s clan within the Quraysh tribe was Banu Hashim. The tribe considered imprisoning him, but feared his clan would take action to force his release. They discussed killing him, but no man was willing to commit the murder, because they feared becoming a target of his clan. They thought to exile him, but feared his beautiful character and eloquence (the Quran) would attract another tribe, with whom he could return and subdue them. Eventually they agreed to select an assassin from every clan, for then his clan would be foolish to attempt revenge against the tribe. The Prophet was made aware of the scheme and hastened his migration to Medina. Abu Lahab, a fierce opponent of the Prophet despite being his uncle and next-door neighbour, dissuaded them from an overnight attack, citing that women and children could be hurt in the darkness, which would bring shame upon the tribe among the Arabs. So they lay in wait for him until dawn.
The hadith literature has conflicting reports on what happened next. A narration in Musnad Ahmad says the Prophet asked Ali to stay in his home that night, so the assassins would sense activity, allowing the Prophet to escape under the cover of darkness. Then Abu Bakr came to visit and found Ali, who informed him that the Prophet had migrated and which route he'd taken, so Abu Bakr caught up with the Prophet and accompanied him. A narration in Sahih al-Bukhari says Abu Bakr intended to migrate in the exodus of the Muslims, but the Prophet asked him to remain behind, for them to migrate together. Then, when the Prophet hurried to leave, he went to the home of Abu Bakr to pick him up, and they headed off together.
Either way, the Prophet took an alternative route to evade the assassins on his heels, with the cave found in the opposite direction to Medina. He headed south instead of taking the direct, northern route. We know a polytheist guide was hired, who followed the religion of the assassins but had clan protection, and he met them in the cave three days later to begin the journey. The man had shown no animosity towards the Prophet, for that would render him untrustworthy and motivate him to set a trap. The Prophet had relatives and friends in Mecca, who were affectionate towards him but had not converted to Islam.
The polytheist guide resembles many people today, who do not hate Muslims but are indifferent to Islam. Except people today are ignorant whereas the truth was made clear to him. The man mindlessly accepted his inherited beliefs and was happy with his Meccan culture. Allah invited him into His kingdom, but he turned his back on Allah and walked away in defiance, preferring the darkness to the light. It was as if Allah had called him to the burning bush of Prophet Moses. He should have responded: “Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.” (3:8). Instead his response was “tell someone who cares”.
The Ring Structure
The word “idh”, translated here as “when”, can indicate a sudden and unexpected occurrence but not necessarily. We find it three times in the verse, and it delineates the ring structure. In his book Divine Speech, the Sunni scholar Nouman Ali Khan dedicates substantial attention to ring structures in the Quran. They are noticeable across chapters, passages and verses. Put simply, a ring structure places a mirror in the middle, with the second half corresponding to the first half. As dissected below, {1} corresponds to {8}, {2} corresponds to {7}, {3} corresponds to {6}, and {4} corresponds to {5}. For this verse, 9:40, the mirror conveys the weak position of the Prophet in the first half {FH} and how Allah strengthened the Prophet in the second half {SH}. In turn, it reveals that 9:40 has both an apparent interpretation and a hidden interpretation. The apparent interpretation covers how Allah helped the Prophet in the cave. The hidden interpretation covers how Allah helped the Prophet ascend after emerging from the cave.
{FH} 1-4
{1} If you do not help him [the Prophet], certainly Allah helped him
{2} When those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Mecca], as the second of two
{3} When they were in the cave
{4} When he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us."
{5} Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him
{6} And supported him with soldiers you did not see [angels]
{7} And made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest.
{8} And Allah is All-Mighty and All-Wise
{SH} 5-8
Apparent Interpretation
Here, the verse reminds the Tabuk defectors of the Prophet in the cave. It was him in his weakest moment but Allah intervened to help {1}. So, it implies that if they don’t help the Prophet at Tabuk then Allah will help him again, and His attributes of absolute might and wisdom mean He is fully capable without them {8}. Evidence is presented to validate that point. When the Prophet was driven out of Mecca by the polytheists {2}, Allah not only foiled their command to kill him but rendered it a complete failure, since the Prophet emerged unscathed, whereas the command of Allah always succeeds {7}. When the Prophet was trapped and defenceless in the cave {3}, Allah protected him with angels {6}, showing He provided external support. When the assassins were closing in on the Prophet in the cave {4}, Allah sent down tranquility to calm and reassure him in the distressing situation {5}, showing He provided internal support.
The polysemous term “fa”, translated as “then” in {5}, has two meanings in the Quran, with its meaning in a given verse derived from the context. The first meaning is when a verse defines a scene and then explains it, with “fa” connecting the definition and explanation, like in the verse 7:4. Here, {1} to {4} defines the scene of weakness for the Prophet and then {5} to {8} explains how Allah strengthened him. The second meaning is when a verse shows an instantaneous sequence of events, with “fa” connecting the two events, like in the verse 21:30. Here, it means {4} is immediately followed by {5}, with no time gap. So, both meanings can apply to this verse, and since no restriction is evident to select one or the other, it means both meanings apply to this verse.
The polysemous term “kalima”, translated as “word” in {7}, takes on various meanings in the Quran, with its meaning in a given verse again derived from the context. In this apparent interpretation, “word” means “command”, like in the verse 2:124. It means the command of the polytheists was made the lowest whereas the command of Allah is always the highest. However, at the time of the migration, despite the Prophet’s victory in escaping assassination, the polytheists still had the ascendancy over him. To be run out of your hometown by your own tribe was a humiliation likely not seen in Arabia, even worse for a fifty-three year-old man. He was supposed to elicit respect in a tribal culture with an age hierarchy. Instead he was driven out of Mecca and found himself so weak that he hid in a cave to stay alive. The polytheists were dominant at that time because they held Mecca. Two factors made Mecca the capital of the Arabian peninsula. Firstly, the convergence of trading routes made it the centre of commerce. Secondly, the annual polytheist pilgrimage of regional tribes to the Kaaba made it the centre of religion. And that leads us to the hidden interpretation.
Hidden Interpretation
Here, the verse reminds the Tabuk defectors of the Prophet’s ascendancy. The first-half {FH} has the same meaning but now the second half (SH) has a different meaning. Since “fa” was used in {5} for “then”, denoting there was no time gap, it still refers to tranquility being sent down in the cave. But {6} and {7} take on new reference points. In the apparent interpretation, {7} applied in a specific sense, to the incident in the cave, where the Prophet won the battle against the polytheists, so to speak. In this hidden interpretation, {7} applies in a generic sense, to the Conquest of Mecca, where the Prophet won the war against the polytheists, so to speak. The peaceful Conquest of Mecca by the Muslims, eight years after the migration, meant the capital fell under the control of the Prophet. It made Islam the dominant force and the Prophet became the most powerful man in Arabia. In this hidden interpretation, “word” in {7} now means “creed”, like in the verses 14:24-26. It means the creed of Allah is intrinsically true and therefore the highest, whereas the creed of the polytheists was intrinsically false and only circumstantially the highest, before being humiliated in the conquest and made the lowest.
So, the second-half {SH} now alludes to the Prophet’s trajectory, from being the weakest man to becoming the most powerful man, or in other words, from hiding in a cave {5} to conquering the capital {7}. The symmetry is then apparent, with {2} referring to the polytheists driving the Prophet out of Mecca, and {7} referring to the Prophet coming back to conquer the polytheists in Mecca. We find that {6} falls in the middle of the Prophet’s trajectory, where the verse says Allah supported the Prophet with angels. Here, the verse under discussion, 9:40, is similar to the controversial verse 4:34 on marital conflict, where the conjunctives (“and”) indicate a series of three steps: “then advise them and forsake them in bed and strike them”. As per the consensus, for 4:34, the Shia scholar Sayyid Mohammad Husayn Tabatabai explained in his Quranic commentary that the three remedies are to be applied in that sequence. If advising proves ineffective then you forsake them in bed, and if that proves ineffective then you strike them. The gradual process is inferred from the sequence increasing in intensity, from leniency to severity. But the controversy stems from a misunderstanding of the term translated as “strike”, which in 4:34 means to leave the home, not hit your wife.
In 9:40, the conjunctives (“and”) in the second-half {SH} catch your attention, and you realise the sequence of steps {5} to {7} is inferred here too, from the Prophet’s trajectory. It leads us to understand {6}, which says Allah supported the Prophet with angels. In the Quran, Allah confirmed He sent angels to support the Prophet in three battles, all of which occurred after the migration: Badr (8:9), Khandaq (33:9) and Hunayn (9:26). But Hunayn came after the Conquest of Mecca, so {6} must only refer to Badr and Khandaq. This interpretation is clear from the context. Since the verse is addressing believers who are reluctant to join the potential battle at Tabuk, it reminds them of the previous battles that the Muslims won despite being heavily outnumbered by the enemy, to validate the point that Allah has no need for their help now. Hunayn would not serve that purpose anyway, because in that battle the Muslims had the strength in numbers, and became overconfident as a result (9:25). Notice the symmetry here. The term “they” in {3} referred to two people inside the cave, then in {6} Allah referred to two battles where He sent angels. The verse concludes with the same point {8}, that Allah is fully capable of helping the Prophet all by Himself, but now it evidences the Prophet’s trajectory after the migration to prove the point.
The Opposite to the Rule
The expression “the second of two” (thaniya ithnayn) in {2}, is only found here in the Quran. As pointed out by many Sunni scholars in their Quranic commentaries, from the classical Fakhr al-Din al-Razi to the modern Muhammad Asad, this expression simply implies no order of precedence. Dr. Fadel Saleh As-Samarrai, a Sunni linguistic expert on Quranic grammar, clarified the expression on his television show: “The second of two means he is one of two. The third of three means he is one of three. The fourth of four means he is one of four. For example, if we have four people, then each one of them is the fourth of the four. They are all the same and he is one of them.” It’s a situational qualifier conveying no hierarchy in the group, the opposite of teacher/student or leader/deputy or commander/cadet relationships.
It seems strange because the Quran is emphatic about the Prophet having absolute precedence. The Quran said the true believers always obey the Prophet (24:52), do not even raise their voice to the Prophet (49:2), and find no discomfort in their heart at decisions made by the Prophet (4:65). Allah put them in a state of complete and utter servitude to him, both inward and outward compliance. We expect the believers to have shown subservience to the Prophet in every situation. This expectation conforms to the narrations which say Abu Bakr insisted on checking the cave was safe, with no scorpions or snakes, before the Prophet then entered it. The expression is neither consistent with the Quranic paradigm nor the hadith literature. It shows a disregard for the Prophet and believer dynamic, where one is serving the other. Even when Imam Ali was appointed the deputy and successor to the Prophet, he remained in this state of absolute servitude, rather it was his position to us that changed.
So does the term “companion” (sahib) offer any clarity? It's the only other title given to Abu Bakr in the verse, in line {4}. In Sunni thought, the title invariably has positive connotations. In Shia thought, the title often has negative connotations. But the Quran has no connotations for the term "companion" beyond close proximity. We find it used for believers (18:37), unbelievers (54:29) and even Prophets (68:48) in the Quran. In 9:40, it simply means the person with the Prophet in the cave, which was Abu Bakr.
So does this expression, "the second of two", have a symbolic meaning? Similar to how the Quran conveys bodily features of Allah, such as He has eyes and hands. We find in the hadith literature that Abu Bakr was always next to the Prophet, putting on a united front and supporting him in every endeavour. Perhaps Allah saw the two were side-by-side, and showed His appreciation to Abu Bakr with this expression in 9:40. Then it was a unique honour revealed in a verse on the migration, because Abu Bakr truly exemplified it here, standing alone beside the Prophet in his darkest hour, when assassins were on his heels. It's a heartwarming sentiment, but it'd be a distortion of the meaning. Since this expression disregards servitude, we can’t interpret it to honour servitude.
So did Allah use this expression in line {2} to inform us there were only two people, to set the scene? But we know that from line {3}. There is says “when they were in the cave”. It uses the dual pronoun in “they”, which itself tells us there were two people. The dual pronoun has no inherent order of precedence, but it leaves open the possibility, whereas this expression shows it a disregard. So did Allah use this expression in line {2} to inform us the hierarchy is not relevant to this situation? But we see it is relevant in line {4}. There the Prophet told Abu Bakr “do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us”. He was guiding him to a principle of faith. The Prophet and believer dynamic was in play.
So did Allah use this expression in line {2} to bring consistency to the ring structure? There line {2} corresponded with line {7}. For line {7}, the apparent interpretation was the Prophet surviving assassination in the cave, and the hidden interpretation was the Prophet returning to conquer Mecca. This expression in {2} brings no value to the symmetry. In fact, if you removed this expression, the symmetry between {2} and {7} would not only remain intact but would flow perfectly. This expression stands out as an anomaly, as if to catch our attention. It must have an altogether different purpose. There is only one explanation left.
In a narration affirmed by the Quran in 107:4-6, the Prophet said: “An action depends on the intention behind it. A man will be rewarded only for what he intended. Whoever migrated for the sake of Allah and His Apostle, then his migration is for Allah and His Apostle, and whoever migrated for the sake of worldly gain or for a woman to marry, then his migration is for what he migrated for." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6689]. This narration shows the Prophet knew some people were not sincere in their migration, because he felt the need to gently guide them. For Abu Bakr, his action of migrating appeared as servitude, but his intention must have not been servitude. Then it was two people travelling together who had different agendas, not one serving the other. Allah did not acknowledge the servitude because there was no servitude to acknowledge. This expression, “the second of two”, shows Abu Bakr was not sincere in his migration.
It upends our assumption and leads us to speculate with hypothetical scenarios. We'd assume Abu Bakr migrated to support the Prophet in Medina, but perhaps he migrated to avoid being perceived as a fraud, by the believers now in Medina and the polytheists back in Mecca. We'd assume Abu Bakr was prepared to confront the assassins to protect the Prophet, but perhaps he would have defended the Prophet to avoid humiliating stories circulating in Mecca, with the assassins telling people he stepped aside in the cave. We'd assume Abu Bakr accompanied the Prophet in order to assist him where needed, but perhaps he was strategically positioning himself, to be seen as the right-hand man on arrival in Medina. Any merit that could apply to Abu Bakr is derived from his servitude to the Prophet, but this expression disregards the idea of servitude.
In fact, if the verse had not used this expression, “the second of two”, it would have suggested that Abu Bakr was singled out by Allah as a true servant of the Prophet, having stood beside him in his darkest hour. Allah made a rule that believers should think well of each other (24:12). Hence the assumption that Abu Bakr was sincere in his migration. We give him the benefit of the doubt. This is not merely an exception to the rule, which could be to reserve our judgement. This is the opposite of the rule, where Allah disregarded his sincerity. It is the other end of the spectrum, where Allah is telling us we should not think well of Abu Bakr. Then what about the hadith literature that glorifies Abu Bakr for his sincerity? The Quran declares itself the "furqan", meaning the criterion to differentiate between truth and falsehood. So we impose the Quran on a hadith, not a hadith on the Quran. History is written by the victors. This expression "the second of two" serves no purpose in the verse, except to expose Abu Bakr.
The Quran informs us: “That is a nation which has passed on. It will have what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.” (2:141). So, suppose Abu Bakr did migrate to marry because the believing woman were in Medina, or because he sensed a business opportunity in the emerging society of Medina, why should we care and not think well of him? It reveals that whatever Abu Bakr was seeking poses a danger to us. This expression was the first reference to Abu Bakr in the verse. It introduced him with an expression that is strange to the Quran, and the verse itself guided us through a process of elimination to reach its meaning. Given this was our introduction to Abu Bakr and it serves a different purpose to the central theme, we then need to scrutinise Abu Bakr as we continue through the verse, to uncover its sub-theme. Evidently it is ominous.
Grieving in the Cave
In {4}, the Prophet told Abu Bakr “do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us”. The word “inna" translated as "indeed" means there is no doubt in it. The statement “Allah is with us” is polysemous in the Quran, found in various verses and taking on different meanings, with its meaning in a given verse again derived from the context. First we know that Allah is with us all, given His encompassing presence (57:4). Then, in some verses, Allah being with people takes the form of a warning, that He is a witness to our conduct, like in 58:7 regarding the hypocrites who would gather to scheme. The hypocrites are a Quranic term for people who claimed to be believers but harboured disbelief in their hearts. They resented Islam but saw it was growing in strength, so they wore its mask to gain the trust of Muslims, and began to destabilise the community from within.
Then, in other verses, it takes the form of support, which we find only applies to the believers, like in 47:35 where “Allah is with you” was a reassurance to strengthen the resolve of men preparing for battle. Finally, we find it applies to three specific qualities, displayed by only the firm believers who have resolve: those who are patient (2:153), those who are conscious of Allah (2:194), and those who are virtuous in conduct (29:69). In this sense, Allah being with you is to feel near to Him and draw strength from Him. To conclude, the Quranic statement “Allah is with us” covers the full spectrum of spiritual proximity to Allah, from the worst of unbelievers being distant from Him, to the best of believers being near to Him. We get clarity in what Allah told us through the words of the Prophet: “whoever comes to Me walking, I will go to him running” [Sahih Muslim 2687].
The context in 9:40 is the Prophet and Abu Bakr being trapped and defenceless in a cave while facing an imminent attack from the unbelievers. The Prophet saying “do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us" was clearly to strengthen the resolve of Abu Bakr. To reassure him of the intimate presence and overriding support of Allah. And we do not see Allah correct the Prophet. So it proves Abu Bakr was a believer, as opposed to a hypocrite. Notice the beauty of the Prophet. We find all three specific qualities exhibited by him in that simple quote. There is no evidence that Abu Bakr exhibited any of them.
Allah sending angels shows the sheer gravity of their danger in the cave, because angels were sent in the battles of Badr, Khandaq and Hunayn when the believers were in desperate trouble. The situation was perilous here, because the Prophet and Abu Bakr could hear the assassins outside scouring the area, with them trapped and defenceless inside the obvious hiding place. We get clarity in a narration by Asmaa, the daughter of Abu Bakr, found in the book Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir by Al-Tabarani. It states: “Then Abu Bakr said of a man whom he could see opposite the cave, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he is looking at us.’ [The Prophet] said, ‘No, the angels are concealing us with their wings.’”
The assassins had no mandate nor interest in harming Abu Bakr. He could’ve migrated along the direct route like his fellow believers. It would’ve been easier for the assassins to separate and restrain him, than to murder him and deal with the tribal fallout. We find a similar situation in the Quran, that we can compare and contrast. Angels paid Prophet Lot a surprise visit in the form of male human beings, and he lived in a community where homosexual rape of strangers was rampant, so he became very worried for the dignity and safety of his guests. When a mob arrived to harass them, the angels disclosed to him their real identity, then he realised they can’t be harmed.
So, in their respective predicaments, Prophet Lot and Abu Bakr were not the target of the aggressors, but they were protecting the target and they were outnumbered. In both cases the target was in severe and imminent danger. The angels reassured Prophet Lot with the statement “do not fear and do not grieve” (29:33), because his ordeal was over so he could be at complete ease, whereas Prophet Muhammad reassured Abu Bakr with the statement “do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us” (9:40), because they were still in the midst of their ordeal.
It sheds light on why Abu Bakr was grieving. Prophet Lot was grief-stricken with worry over the safety of the angels, and Abu Bakr was grief-stricken with worry over the safety of Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Lot showed a selfless intent, because his guests were strangers to him. He was a soft-hearted man who felt compassion for them. Abu Bakr had known Prophet Muhammad since they were childhood friends, and adopted the religion he introduced, so his intent could be selfish or selfless. If selfless, then Abu Bakr was a soft-hearted man who cared deeply for Prophet Muhammad, which is a merit. This is the portrayal of Abu Bakr in Sunni hadith literature. If selfish, then Abu Bakr had a vested interest in Prophet Muhammad and depended on him to achieve a personal ambition, which is a fault. This is the portrayal of Abu Bakr in Shia hadith literature.
The Sunni scholar Martin Lings authored a biography on Prophet Muhammad, taken from the earliest known sources. His book is recognised as the definitive text in the English language. He records in it that Jews had migrated and settled around Medina because their scriptures had predicted the imminent coming of a prophet. Abu Bakr was a trader who had travelled across Arabia. We find narrations from the Shia Imams that Abu Bakr accepted Islam because he had heard from Jews that a prophet would emerge in Arabia and rule over the Arabs. In this ominous scenario, Abu Bakr recognised Muhammad was a prophet sent by Allah, and he committed to strengthening Islam in order to position himself in the new paradigm. This is different to a hypocrite. Take the giving of charity as an example. The Quran says the hypocrites will only spend in charity reluctantly (9:67), because it fosters the brotherhood they were seeking to fracture, whereas an insincere believer may spend in charity enthusiastically to be seen and praised for it (2:264).
Tranquility and Angelic Protection
In {5}, we read “Allah sent down His tranquillity upon him”, but was the recipient here the Prophet or Abu Bakr? Dr. Fadel Saleh As-Samarrai dissected the usage of the term “sakinah” (tranquility) in the Quran. He noted the difference between “His tranquility” and “the tranquility”. In 9:26 and 48:26, the Quran says Allah sent down “His tranquility” upon the Prophet and the believers, whereas in 48:4 and 48:18, the Quran says Allah sent down “the tranquility” upon the believers. As-Samarrai correctly concluded that when the tranquility explicitly mentions the Prophet, Allah says “His tranquility”, but when the tranquility doesn’t explicitly mention the Prophet, Allah says “the tranquility”. Since in 9:40 the Quran says “His tranquility”, the recipient here must be the Prophet. This is consistent with the verse itself, because all the pronouns (he/him) to the left and right unquestionably refer to the Prophet. Allah attributes the tranquility to Himself, to express His love to the Prophet serving Him. The verse is not about Allah helping Abu Bakr, it says Abu Bakr was present when Allah helped the Prophet. This tranquility implies the Prophet was anxious in the cave.
In the hidden interpretation, {6} referred to Allah supporting the Prophet with angels at Badr and Khandaq. But, the Quran say the angels were sent to support the believers in those two battles, not only the Prophet. Clearly those believers were omitted in {6} because the topic of 9:40 is how Allah helped the Prophet. They were not relevant to the point here. In the apparent interpretation, {6} referred to Allah supporting the Prophet with angels whilst he was in the cave. Abu Bakr was a believer with him, but Abu Bakr was omitted in {6} too. Then, does this imply the angels were sent to support Abu Bakr in the cave too, but he wasn't mentioned in {6} because he wasn't relevant to the point? We know Abu Bakr was protected by the angels, because he emerged unscathed with the Prophet. Except this equivalence is false.
The Quran in 3:125 says the believers were granted angelic support if they were patient in adversity and conscious of Allah, so it was a conditional favour based on sincerity. Then the wider passage on Khandaq is revealing. The people addressed in 33:9 were granted angelic support, so clearly they were firm believers who met that condition. But we get a quote from the heat of the moment: “And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is sickness said, ‘Allah and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion.’” (33:12). Here, the hypocrites and the struggling believers resembled each other and didn’t meet that condition. But, since those three groups were all in the Muslim army, the hypocrites and the struggling believers benefited from the angelic support granted to the firm believers. It was not a merit they deserved, rather it was Allah granting them mercy, for perhaps the experience will lead them to firm faith. The angelic protection was given to the sincere. But Allah already disregarded the sincerity of Abu Bakr in the cave. Abu Bakr did not meet the condition for angelic support, but he was protected for being alongside the Prophet who did. It was the mercy of Allah, not a merit for Abu Bakr.
Reliance upon Allah
Mecca has a rough terrain. The Prophet and Abu Bakr had fled into the wilderness. To find them was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Then Allah guided the assassins to their exact hiding place, and left them needing a miracle to escape. Allah put Abu Bakr through an extraordinary trial in the cave, and revealed to us the reason behind His trials: “Do the people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tested? But We have certainly tested those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident those who are liars.” (29:2-3). Hence, we saw in the Battle of Khandaq that when the believers were severely shaken (33:11), some stood firm and others crumbled. It separated the sincere from the insincere. So, Allah put Abu Bakr through this trial for that reason, then documented it in the Quran for us all to know.
We found Abu Bakr proved his insincerity. This realisation is supported by the ring structure. We saw the verse was split into two halves, where the first half was Allah setting the scene and the second half was Allah reacting to the scene. Allah consistently acknowledged Abu Bakr in the first half and consistently ignored Abu Bakr in the second half. The Quran speaks to us in a way we can understand. So ask yourself: in the middle of a matter, if somebody shifts from paying you attention to showing you disregard, did you incur their pleasure or displeasure? But perhaps you still have doubt. Then switch from a macro view of the halves to a micro view of the split. The halves split between {4} and {5}. From what is explicitly stated in the verse, {4} shows Abu Bakr was distressed and in need of tranquility not the Prophet, yet {5} shows the tranquility descended upon the Prophet not Abu Bakr. It conveys the turning away from Abu Bakr. You can only marvel at the Quran. The micro not only reinforced the macro, we see the point of inflection.
The Quran does not lead to misguidance. The verse could've introduced Abu Bakr with any honourable title, but instead it guided us through a process of elimination. If, for example, the verse described Abu Bakr supplicating to Allah for help in the cave, it would’ve displayed his virtuous conduct and patience in adversity and that he was conscious of Allah, so then the term “Allah is with us” would’ve proven his firm belief. If the verse said tranquility descended upon them both in the cave, then it would’ve meant Allah saw the heart of Abu Bakr and found him worthy. If the verse said the angelic protection was only for the Prophet, like it does, but didn't show the subtlety of merit and mercy at Khandaq, then we could've assumed it applied to Abu Bakr too, because he emerged from the cave with the Prophet. The verse could've falsified our understanding at multiple points of reference. Rather it carefully steered us towards its true interpretation.
The Islamic concept of “tawakkul”, meaning a reliance upon Allah, is encapsulated in a famous narration whose meaning is affirmed in the Quran (3:159). One day the Prophet noticed a bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The bedouin answered, “I placed my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then replied, “Tie your camel and place your trust in Allah.” The Prophet and Abu Bakr were able to take precaution for the migration, tying their camel so to speak, by leaving under the cover of darkness, taking a long and roundabout route, then hiding in a cave. Inconceivably, the assassins were suddenly in close proximity, so they were trapped and defenceless, and must then rely solely on Allah. The Prophet did and so he remained composed. They were not alone and helpless, because Allah was fully present and is almighty, even within a dark cave of uninhabited terrain. Allah was watching and listening, like He told Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron (20:46). Nothing can occur without His permission.
We saw this tawakkul exemplified in the people of Gaza, who amidst the horror and grief of genocide were repeating the Quranic statement “Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs” (3:173). We watched on wondering why Allah was allowing it to happen, similar to the angels who wondered at our creation “Will You place upon it [earth] one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood?” (2:30). So we must remember the response of Allah to the angels "Indeed, I know that which you do not know" (2:30). We see a pixel and Allah sees the picture.
The underlying fault of Abu Bakr in the cave was that he lacked trust in Allah. The Quran declared the correct attitude of a believer: “Say [O Prophet]: ‘Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.’ And upon Allah let the believers put their trust.” (9:51). We read in the Quran “Allah loves those who place their trust in Him” (3:159). Allah loving you is to feel near to Him and draw comfort from Him. So, in the cave, if Abu Bakr heeded the Prophet’s reassurance and placed his trust in Allah, then Allah would love Abu Bakr for trusting Him, as we saw with the Prophet receiving tranquility. Allah wouldn’t implore us to trust Him and then disapprove of us for trusting Him. A person who heeds the Prophet’s guidance does not earn Allah’s displeasure, because that was precisely our instruction from Allah. It shows the Prophet’s attempt to strengthen Abu Bakr's resolve had fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps Abu Bakr thought Allah and His Messenger had promised him nothing except delusion.
The Quran is remarkable in its precision. You find no word to be unsuitable, superfluous or misplaced. You can only marvel at its creativity in conveying a message. We often come across beautiful advice from inspirational figures and find it appealing, but the Quran has a unique ability to strike your heart and mind, that reorients the worldview of people who are receptive to its guidance. You feel as if its Author is reading your mind. It has subtlety that reveals itself upon reflection not merely a reading. It brings to mind a narration from Imam Ali: “The Quran is beautiful outwardly and deep inwardly.” When you deep dive into a verse, the Quran consumes you, to where you struggle to focus beyond it and struggle to sleep. It is the pinnacle of artistic expression, to which all art seems amateurish in comparison, as if they are competing among themselves at the bottom, with the Quran alone at the top.
The Loving Care of Allah
In the hadith literature, we find plenty of mistakes committed by believers within the prophetic community, but the Quran only documented a few instances. A group of believers fled the battlefield at Uhud, disobeying the command of the Prophet and putting his life in danger. The gravity of this mistake was obvious, because many believers were killed as a result, so they were already remorseful. Allah addressed them directly, as “you”, explaining to them the spiritual weakness behind their mistake and telling them they were forgiven (3:152-160).
When two wives of the Prophet jealously schemed against him, Allah addressed them directly, rebuking them for their conduct, advising them to repent and warning them to not repeat it (66:1-5). When a wife of the Prophet was falsely accused of adultery, in a scandal created by hypocrites and spread by believers, Allah addressed the believers directly. He told them that their gossiping, which they deemed trivial, was in fact a grave mistake. He made clear to them their misjudgement and instructed them on how they should have reacted, but He reminded them of His mercy (24:12-20). In all three cases, by addressing the guilty people directly, Allah subtly reassured them that He cared, for giving somebody your attention creates that underlying impression.
Then, in another passage, the mistake of a single believer came under scrutiny. Before the Conquest of Mecca, the believers in Medina and the unbelievers in Mecca were effectively in a state of war. A believer in Medina, documented in the hadith literature to be Hatib ibn Abu Balta’ah, was found guilty of treachery for sending a secret letter to the unbelievers in Mecca, which disclosed an important war secret of the Prophet. It could have resulted in the defeat of the army, with hundreds of believers perishing. In return, he requested that those unbelievers shield his family in Mecca from harm, who were uniquely without clan protection. So, the man was torn emotionally, between serving the Prophet and protecting his family. Allah took the spotlight off him in the Quran, by addressing him indirectly, in a message to the believers. His mistake was discussed as a generic lesson for them, with instructions on expected conduct that included seeking forgiveness (60:1-9). Here, by addressing the guilty man indirectly, Allah subtly reassured him that He cared, for He shifted attention away from him when the community had turned on him. The opposite approach to reach the same outcome.
In summary, whenever Allah documented the mistakes of the believers in the Quran, it was revealed in context, addressing the situation on the ground while it was still fresh in their minds and while their hearts were most receptive, with a clear attempt to guide the guilty back to Him. Each case was a heinous mistake yet Allah never disowned them. In contrast, we find that Allah is harsh to the hypocrites, like the men who adamantly refused to join the Tabuk expedition: “Say: ‘Spend willingly or unwillingly; never will it be accepted from you. Indeed, you have been a defiantly disobedient people.’” (9:53). Notice how Allah subtly addresses them indirectly, with the command “Say” to the Prophet, as though he is an intermediary. So, unlike the believers who had previously refrained alongside them (9:38-39) but now corrected their attitude and behaviour, the hypocrites were not worthy of His direct attention.
Similarly, Allah singled out the unbeliever Abu Lahab and informed him of his place in Hell: “May the hands [power] of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. Neither his wealth nor his gains will help him: He will burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame.” (111:1-3). Abu Lahab broke the traditions of Mecca in his sheer cruelty to the Prophet. Members of a clan put on a united front in public, so much so that even unbelievers within the Prophet’s clan loved him dearly and protected him. The Prophet’s father had passed away before his birth, so his paternal uncles should’ve become his father figures. Abu Lahab was a paternal uncle of the Prophet and a leader of their clan. He not only disowned the Prophet but endorsed the crippling boycott against his own clan. Again, Allah did not address him directly, He spoke about him as opposed to speaking to him, “he” not “you”.
But we notice something extraordinary. Despite their polar opposite positions, Abu Lahab shared a trait with the Prophet, in that he was an open and honest character, not smiling to the Prophet’s face and then stabbing him in the back. Even when he wanted the Prophet murdered, he refrained from an overnight attack. For people with integrity, their beliefs and speech and actions and heart are all aligned. Abu Lahab came out guns blazing to wage war against Allah, showing Him no respect, yet Allah addressed him openly and honestly, because he deserved that respect. Therein lies a message on having integrity, taught so subtly and yet so profoundly.
Yet the disapproval Allah showed Abu Bakr in 9:40 is so nonchalant. Abu Bakr happens to feature in setting the scene for a separate point on Tabuk, nine years later. Allah neither addressed him directly nor shifted attention away from him. Allah did not reproach him in context, nor did He warn him over his conduct, nor did He advise him to repent, nor did He remind him of His mercy. The man is shown no care by Allah in the Quran whatsoever. This is in stark contrast to how Allah treated the sincere believers. Allah showed Abu Bakr less respect than Abu Lahab, for he was not even worthy of transparency. The realisation is obvious. Abu Bakr harbouring a disregard for Allah was not a momentary lapse, it was his true character that revealed itself in the moment. Allah told us about him in the cave because that was the time he exposed himself, by cracking under pressure. A former CIA spy, Andrew Bustamante, said the CIA induce adrenaline and adversity to shatter the public persona of an individual and expose their true reality. They have learned what Allah had shown in 9:40.
An attribute of Allah is that He is The Most Forgiving. We can understand its meaning from His instruction to believers on the three stages of forgiveness. The verse 64:14 says to pardon and to overlook and to forgive. Pardon here means to ignore the one who wronged you, rather than to retaliate. Overlook here means to conceal, rather than mention it to people. Forgive here means to treat with kindness, rather than to hold a grudge in your heart. There were only three in the cave: Allah, the Prophet and Abu Bakr. The fault of Abu Bakr was covered for nine years, then Allah exposed it to the world with the revelation of 9:40. Allah did not pardon or overlook or forgive. This is coming from our Lord who has “has written mercy upon Himself” (6:54), always preferring leniency to severity, with none of His other attributes given that primacy by Him.
Then look at a contrast in the Quran. The faults of prophets are often documented but are always explicitly forgiven. Allah protected their honour and credibility. Their stories conveyed lessons for us, but since Allah forgave them and He has the final word, we can’t hold it against them. The fault of Abu Bakr was documented and implicitly not forgiven. Allah dismissed his honour and credibility. Abu Bakr was in a special community, who truly felt Allah was watching over them, because the Quran was revealed in stages addressing their situation on the ground. Imam Hassan said: “Indeed those who came before you saw the Quran as personal letters from their Lord. They would ponder over it by night and yearn for it by day.” Abu Bakr was in a special position, in the inner circle of the greatest prophet, hearing his guidance and seeing his conduct every day. But he clearly had no interest in genuine faith, even after twenty years of Allah showing him patience and mercy. The revelation of 9:40 signalled that Abu Bakr was lost beyond any hope of return, like Abu Lahab before him.
The Beloved of Allah
We saw that 9:40 can be read in two different ways. In the apparent interpretation, the Prophet was trapped and defenceless against unbelievers, so Allah miraculously intervened to protect him. In the hidden interpretation, the subsequent trajectory of the Prophet was charted, from being weak and persecuted to dominating the land and establishing a believing community. And that brings us to notice a resemblance between Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses.
Prophet Moses was driven out with the Jews by Pharaoh and his army, and they found themselves trapped and defenceless. The Quran told the story: “So they pursued them at sunrise. And when the two sides saw one another, the companions of Moses said, ‘Indeed, we are to be overtaken!’ [Moses] said, ‘No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.’ Then We inspired to Moses, ‘strike with your staff the sea’ and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain. And We advanced thereto the pursuers. And We saved Moses and those with him, all together. Then We drowned the others.” (26:60-66). Notice how the believers with Prophet Moses also lacked trust in Allah, like Abu Bakr. To them it was a foregone conclusion. Yet Allah chose to miraculously protect them too.
After crossing the sea, the Jews were now free from Pharaoh’s tyranny and gained independence to manage their own affairs (5:20). So, after their migration, they formed a believing community led by Prophet Moses, similar to the Muslims in Medina led by Prophet Muhammad. Both the apparent and hidden interpretation of 9:40 conform. In the moment of being trapped and defenceless, we read that Prophet Moses reassured his companions by saying “with me is my Lord” in 26:62, whereas Prophet Muhammad reassured his companion Abu Bakr by saying “Allah is with us” in 9:40. How should we understand this difference in speech?
Prophet Moses had Prophet Aaron with him on that occasion (37:114-116), and Allah had previously told them together “I am with you both” (20:46), yet Prophet Moses excluded Prophet Aaron here and said “me”. Evidently Prophet Aaron was more worthy than Abu Bakr of being included in “us”. And Prophet Moses said “Lord” whereas Prophet Muhammad said “Allah”. In general, “Lord” is more intimate than “Allah” in Quranic usage because the supplications (duaa), in which you ask Allah for help, consistently invoke Him as Lord. Grammatically, the term “Rabb” (Lord) draws upon His attributes of sustaining and protecting us, whereas “Allah” (God) is the greatest name, bringing together all of His attributes, so it evokes His grandeur and majesty, humbling us before Him. It can depend on the context, but in this generic sense, “Lord” is Him supporting you, “Allah” is you serving Him. The conclusion is then apparent. Prophet Moses was partly reassuring himself, for he said “me” and “Lord” and put himself first, whereas Prophet Muhammad was simply reassuring Abu Bakr, for he said “Allah” and “us” and put Allah first.
The Quran often instructs Prophet Muhammad on what to say, but it rarely quotes what he chose to say. We usually turn to the hadith literature for that. His quote in 9:40 is fascinating because, aside from its rarity, it gives us a glimpse into his mindset at his lowest point. It’s on the back of his gruelling mission in Mecca. He was ridiculed by the aristocracy for ten years. His family suffered an economic sanction for three of those years, which left him poverty-stricken and reported to be eating leaves at times. He heard his heartless uncle and neighbour, Abu Lahab, celebrating his misfortune, when he was crying at home on the night his three-year old son died. He mourned the death of his first wife Khadijah, to whom he was monogamously married for twenty-five years, and to whom he always turned for comfort. Around that time, his dear uncle Abu Talib died, who had adopted and raised him as an orphaned boy, and who offered him clan protection that prevented any physical assault. He journeyed to the city of Taif in a desperate attempt to gain some support, and was swiftly rejected, forced out by jeering crowds who ordered their children to hurl stones at him; stumbling away bloodied and bruised.
Now, at the age of fifty-three, he suffered the greatest humiliation, being driven out of his hometown by his own tribe. He was seemingly left to fend for himself, turning to an unbeliever as a guide, instead of an angel being sent to guide him. And so, here he was, hiding in a cave and hearing the assassins coming towards him. At his lowest point, an unnamed Messenger was so shaken that he cried out to Allah, when will Your help come? (2:214). When the great Prophet Moses faced the same situation, even he had to reassure himself that Allah was supporting him. Now it was the turn of Prophet Muhammad. He is simply quoted as reassuring Abu Bakr of Allah. Look at the beauty of the man. Allah sent the Prophet to guide people to faith in Him. And so, here he was, broken and exhausted and fearful and bewildered, yet still serving Allah. His unconditional love for his Lord is what made him the beloved of our Lord. The verse 9:40 captured a beautiful moment in history, when the greatest man to walk the earth fulfilled the purpose of our creation, absolute devotion to Allah.
The Spiritual Lesson
Satan pounces on us in times of adversity, to make us despair of Allah's mercy just as he has despaired. If we do not remain alert when feeling vulnerable, he will drown us in negative self-talk, to instil a disapproving perception of Allah in our heart. Abu Bakr had migrated from his hometown, sacrificed his profitability as a trader in the capital of commerce, and left behind his father and son who had not converted to Islam. The hadith literature has recorded the the Prophetic supplication before travel, where he established a custom for believers to pray for an easy journey. Then they sat in the cave facing the worst case scenario they had prayed to avoid. If we were in Abu Bakr’s shoes in that moment, perhaps we’d be grieving and asking Allah “what more must I do, to be under Your watchful eye and loving care?”
Yet look at the Prophet. When he heard the assassins scouring the area, he could have thought the migration was just another false hope, and imagined all the ways he could be tortured and humiliated in a slow and painful death. That would be our negative self-talk. Instead his quote shows the Prophet had a glowing perception of Allah in the cave. They did not know how or when Allah would intervene, but whereas Abu Bakr focused on the problem, the Prophet focused on Allah. It is why he had hope in a hopeless situation, rather than being overcome with despair. The Prophet experienced the Quranic portrayal of Allah’s attributes. This glowing perception is why we glorify and praise Allah, each time we bow and prostrate to Him in our daily ritual prayers. So do our limbs and tongue reflect our heart?
The Islamic concept of “taqwa”, to be conscious of Allah in every scenario, literally means to protect and keep. So the key to sincere faith is to protect ourselves from Satan and keep a glowing perception of Allah. It is the key that unlocks patience, trust and surrender to Him during hardship. The Prophet taught us that the way to remove the “fog” of disapproval from our heart is to constantly seek forgiveness, because any disapproving perception of Allah is always the result of projecting human deficiencies on to Him, such as being stingy or inattentive or unwise or cruel. What attitude could be more disrespectful than to belittle Allah?
Allah saw the sincerity of the Prophet in the cave, so He comforted and protected him. The Prophet's prayer for an easy journey was answered, for he was not harassed. But it was not answered in the way he expected, rather it was by Allah revealing Himself through tranquility and angels. A lover wants to see their beloved, so it was a treasured moment for the Prophet, an answer better than what he had hoped. Then, after being rejected and ridiculed and persecuted in Mecca, the Prophet arrived in Medina to find its inhabitants had gathered and were singing in jubilation at seeing him. Allah was the most knowing of his pain and the most capable of turning his situation around.
The Alarm
We saw how Abu Bakr resembled the companions of Prophet Moses. They faced the same situation as him, being trapped and defenceless in the face of aggression by the dominant unbelievers. They reacted in the same way as him, showing no trust in Allah. Yet Allah chose to miraculously protect them too. The Quran reveals the companions of Prophet Moses built a track record of disobedience to him, after being saved from the Pharaoh. This is in contrast to Abu Bakr, who the hadith literature shows was committed to Prophet Muhammad. But when Prophet Moses went away, his companions disregarded the deputy placed in charge of them, Prophet Aaron (20:90-91).
It brings to mind a hadith relating to the Tabuk campaign when Imam Ali, the most decorated warrior among the Muslims, was left behind to be in charge of Medina: “Allah's Messenger set out for Tabuk, appointing Ali as his deputy (in Medina). Ali said, ‘Do you want to leave me with the children and women?’ The Prophet said, ‘Will you not be pleased that you will be to me like Aaron to Moses? But there will be no prophet after me.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari 4416]. The verse 9:40 came in a passage criticising the believers who were reluctant to join the Tabuk campaign. Imam Ali was exempt from the criticism, because the Prophet had not asked him to join, but rather instructed him to remain behind.
The only verse in which the Quran shone a spotlight on Abu Bakr is 9:40, and his condemnation being found in the Quran makes it our concern. Like the Jews to Prophet Aaron, the Muslims disregarded the deputy placed in charge of them, Imam Ali. Recall the Prophet telling his community at Ghadir Khumm: “O people, I am leaving behind two weighty things among you, if you follow them you will never go astray. These two are the book of Allah [the Quran] and my household [the Ahlul-Bayt].” Be careful how you treat these two after me, for verily they will not separate from each other until they come back to me by the side of the heavenly pond.” Abu Bakr is the one who separated the Quran from the Ahlul-Bayt. Recall the verse 9:40 has an ominous sub-theme. It is Allah warning us of Abu Bakr.
The role of the Ahlul-Bayt is to derive and impose the legislation found in the Quran, to protect and reform the society from any deviation creeping in so that it's a reflection of the Quran, and to illuminate for us the spiritual path so we can unveil Allah through the Quran. To establish the kingdom of Allah on earth and guide us to Heaven. Abu Bakr took that role for himself, and he was not fit for purpose. But Abu Bakr was a student of the Prophet, who guided through his acceptance of the Quran, and misguided through his rejection of the Ahlul-Bayt. In 9:40, the compilation of insights we derive on Abu Bakr sketches a picture of him that is beyond disturbing. The verse had to instil an unsettling impression of Abu Bakr in our heart, as if staring at a demonic spirit, otherwise who would not warm to a man who guided through the Quran and the Prophet.
So the Muslims are going astray as the Prophet had predicted: “There will come a time upon the people, when nothing will remain of Islam except its name, and nothing will remain of the Quran except its words. Their mosques will be splendidly furnished but destitute of guidance. Their scholars will be the worst people under the heavens; strife will emerge from them and avert to them.” The Prophet must have given hundreds of Friday sermons in his Medina mosque, over the ten year period. Yet we do not find them anywhere. So do not be fooled into believing his teachings have been preserved. To quote George Orwell in his book 1984: “Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth.” But when you inherit your religion from the companions instead of the family, then you must overlook all the warning signs of treachery at Khandaq, Hudaybiyyah, Hunayn and Tabuk, and give a glowing appraisal of them all.
The three elite clans within the Quraysh tribe of Mecca were the Banu Hashim of Abu Lahab, the Banu Makhzum of Abu Jahl and the Banu Umayya of Abu Sufyan. The clan of Abu Bakr was Banu Taym, who were on the periphery and not respected. Before Islam, Abu Bakr had already ascended to become a leader of Banu Taym. Mecca generally had a fixed social structure, unlike the fluidity we find in the West today, where a celebrity often emerges from a humble beginning. It was similar to the entrenched racism of recent memory, only dressed in a different costume. Perhaps Abu Bakr had an engrained feeling of resentment towards the status quo, having being shunned and made to feel inferior by the Quraysh elite, so he was receptive to an emerging religion that promised a new paradigm.
Abu Bakr was a shrewd man, who was successful in business and seasoned in tribal politics. He was an early convert to Islam and built a track record of devotion to the faith. He spent generously to free slaves in Mecca that were being persecuted. He alone supported the Prophet on the migration. He gave his daughter in marriage to the Prophet, who was notable herself as the virgin bride, so he became a family member as father-in-law. He enlisted in the battles to protect the women and children of Medina. He was not known to disobey the Prophet, so everyone trusted him. It seems Abu Bakr was building a support base amongst the downtrodden, forging relationships with powerful believers, and cultivating a reputation across Arabia. To entrench himself in the elite circle of the new society. When the Prophet died, the opportunity arose to rule over the Arabs, and Abu Bakr had set himself up to take it. Allah has appointed the Ahlul-Bayt as the royal family of Islam. But that would have sidelined Abu Bakr, so he displaced them and formed his own elite circle.
We read in the Quran: “have you seen the one who has taken as his god his [own] desire?” (45:23). It seems Abu Bakr had a burning desire for superiority, influence and recognition. The worship of the self. The pagan mentality that religion is here to serve you, when Allah created us to serve Him (51:56). Islam flourishing in Mecca threatened the prestige of Abu Lahab, so he cracked down on it. Islam flourishing in Medina elevated the prestige of Abu Bakr, so he fuelled it. Abu Lahab rejected Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr rejected Imam Ali for the same reason, to protect and strengthen their position, just as the Pharaoh rejected Prophet Moses. Abu Bakr saw Prophet Muhammad as a utility and Imam Ali as a threat. It was not only Abu Bakr who had this burning desire among the believers, because we read in a narration: “The Prophet said, ‘You people will be keen to have the authority of ruling, which will be a thing of regret for you on the Day of Resurrection. What an excellent wet nurse it is, yet what a bad weaning one it is!’” [Sahih al-Bukhari 7148]. Abu Bakr was just the best chess player, so he came out on top.
We find a beautiful prayer by Prophet Abraham in the Quran. He had asked Allah "Grant me a reputation for truth among later generations" (26:84). He too had a desire for superiority, influence and recognition. But it stemmed from humility, reverence and love for Allah. He wanted to be a servant beyond his lifespan, as though he felt his devotion was inadequate and wanted to compensate, by his life becoming a lamp of guidance for humanity. His prayer is reflected in the guilt of Prophet Muhammad, who said "We have not worshipped You as You deserved to be worshipped."
The Mercy to the Worlds
It may lead you to wonder. If Abu Bakr was striving to entrench himself in the Prophet’s inner circle, how could the Prophet be so naive that he fell for every trick? Then you have not appreciated the beauty of the man. The Prophet had the wisdom to navigate from the bottom to the top; from hiding in a cave to ruling over the Arabs. A man must have a clear perception of reality, not obscured by much misinterpretation, to be capable of manipulating reality that effectively. The Prophet had a sharp insight into the spiritual state of people. We have a beautiful description from Imam Ali in the book Nahjul Balagha: "The Prophet was like a roaming physician who has set ready his ointments and heated his instruments. He uses them wherever the need arises for curing blind hearts, deaf ears, and dumb tongues. He followed with his medicines the spots of negligence and places of perplexity."
Allah sent the Prophet to guide people to faith and leave Him to reward or punish. Arabia at the time was an uncivilised backwater, with its people often difficult to mould. So the Prophet showed patience and mercy in addressing their spiritual faults and struggles, from those who were harsh-hearted to those who were resistant to critical thinking. We saw the Prophet knew a group of men were keen on ruling, and firmly warned them. We saw the Prophet knew some people were insincere in their migration, so he gently guided them. Perhaps he took Abu Bakr with him for the journey, because he saw worrying signs and felt Abu Bakr needed a long and intimate counsel.
One narration is a pertinent example: “Prophet Muhammad dispatched his soldiers to the battlefront to fight against the enemy. When the soldiers returned triumphant, the Prophet said: ‘Congratulations to those who have successfully completed the lesser jihad but have yet to engage themselves in the greater jihad.’ He was asked: ‘What is the greater jihad?’ The Prophet replied: ‘The jihad against the self’.” The greater jihad is a constant struggle, to reflect upon and purify your sincerity, so that you devote yourself to Allah not your self.
The term “rahma”, poorly translated as “mercy” for lack of an appropriate term, shares the same root and therefore meaning as “rahim”, which means a womb. The love of a mother for her child is not merely leniency, but selfless nurturing and compassion. We judge the Prophet from our vantage point. When a person seeks to exploit us, we boil inside, and then not only prevent them but look to put them in their place. The Prophet had devoted himself to Allah, preferring to enact His will over imposing his own will. So the Prophet would pardon and overlook and forgive; ignoring instead of retaliating, concealing instead of mentioning, treating with kindness instead of holding a grudge. Each and every time.
We read in the Quran: "he grieves at your suffering and is anxious over you" (9:128). The word “harees”, translated as anxious, means somebody who is extremely greedy with money. The type of person who is obsessed with accumulating and stingy with even a trivial amount. This is how the Prophet felt towards mankind as a whole. He was desperate to see our wellbeing in the eternal home. He reflected the mercy of Allah, which is general to all and specific to the believers. In the Shia hadith literature, we find a narration in the book Hayat Al-Qulub, describing the Prophet in his final hour as he lay on his deathbed: “He was repeating: ‘O Allah, keep the nation of Muhammad safe from Hellfire and make their accounting easy on the Day of Judgement’”. He was not in a state of peace at completing his mission, nor in a state of joy at entering Heaven, but in a state of anxiety over the Muslims.
The Prophet was in a state beyond forgiveness. At Hudaybiyyah, he faced the Polytheists of Mecca who had mocked him, starved his family, driven him out of his hometown and waged wars on him. He agreed to their unjust terms and signed a treaty, even though a sizeable group of his companions were enraged at the humiliation, and momentarily stopped obeying his orders. He favoured peace over pride, revenge and bloodshed, to give them yet another chance, because it hurt him to see polytheists die in a state of disbelief at Badr and Uhud, despite their motivation to kill him.
The Prophet sat in the cave that night, broken and exhausted and fearful and bewildered. He heard the assassins scouring the area for him, and knew his only support was a man seeking to exploit him. But the Prophet was not anxious for his own life. He saw Abu Bakr faltering and felt anxious for him. So the Prophet comforted Abu Bakr and guided him to sincerity in faith, hoping that the moment of desperation could be his turning point. Allah told the Prophet in the Quran: “We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (21:107). A selfless nurturing and compassion, to the whole of creation.
The Walking Kaaba
The Prophet heard the alarm. After the revelation of 9:40, he recognised Abu Bakr posed a grave danger to Imam Ali inheriting the caliphate. Then the Prophet could only have a faint hope in three possible outcomes, and he attempted them all. The first hope is that he could make Abu Bakr feel he already had an honourable standing, so Abu Bakr would choose to not interfere with Imam Ali. We find the Prophet made Abu Bakr the leader for the inaugural Hajj pilgrimage. It was a prestigious appointment that was noticed across Arabia and marked in history. The second hope was that if Abu Bakr seized the caliphate, he would be swiftly condemned and rejected by the Medina community, ruining the reputation he had worked so hard to build. We find the Prophet warned them in his sermon at Ghadir Khumm to accept Imam Ali: “cursed is whoever opposes him, blessed is whoever follows him” and “Allah shall never accept the repentance of anyone who denies his authority”. These two tactics rebalanced the risk to reward equation for Abu Bakr, so he might think there is too much to lose for too little a gain. The Prophet knew how a shrewd man analyses the situation.
The third hope was that Abu Bakr could be prevented from the caliphate, despite being intent on seizing it. To take the equation out of his hands. We find that in the week before his death, the Prophet deployed many senior companions, including Abu Bakr, for battle in the Expedition of Usama. Some enlisted men criticised his appointment of the youthful Usama as commander. Then they refused to leave, but disguised it as caring for the Prophet during his final illness, as though their heart would not let them leave him. This expedition was to be a retaliatory strike for the Battle of Mutah that occurred three years earlier. Evidently it had been a low priority, because the Prophet had left it unaddressed. So did it become a high priority because a threat had arisen? Evidently not, because if there was a threat from an opposing army, then the men would have rushed to protect their honour, women and children. Rather, the sudden urgency of the Prophet was to clear Medina of certain men, so Imam Ali could inherit the caliphate without their opposition. The wisdom shown by the Prophet here is remarkable. He set it up in such a way that the truth would be clear to us, even in the event of failure.
The Quran in 9:24 tells us the true believers felt the Prophet was their nearest and dearest, loving him more than their own family members. So, when the Prophet passed away, they were barely able to function in the immediate aftermath. They were at the funeral, showing respect to their leader, wiping away tears to catch a final glimpse of their beloved, as Imam Ali lowered him into the ground. The timespan between the Prophet dying and his burial was only a few hours. In that period, the Muslim tribal elders of Medina were at Saqifah, not in shock or grief, rather they were having a political discussion. Perhaps it was difficult for them to accept the youthful Imam Ali giving them orders. Abu Bakr, who had been so worried that the Prophet could die in the cave, now found his composure when the Prophet died at home. Abu Bakr rode off to Saqifah, not to call a halt to that shameless gathering, but to take part in the political jostling. The golden opportunity presented itself, so he made his move. At Saqifah the men agreed upon him. Abu Bakr became the caliph while Imam Ali was burying the Prophet.
There were a series of duels at Badr, Uhud and Khandaq. Here, a fierce warrior of the unbelievers would advance and dare any man from the believers to face him, in a one-on-one fight to the death with everyone watching on, before the wider battle between both parties. Imam Ali took the opening duel of every battle and won every time. Abu Bakr never took part in any duel for any battle. Even the supposed Sword of Allah, Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was in the opposing armies at the time, never stepped forward for a duel. Imam Ali swept the field in his battles, often as the standard-bearer for the army. Abu Bakr is not known to have slain anyone in any battle, often serving in the role of a commander. So how did the fearsome warrior react when the undistinguished combatant had the sheer audacity to steal his inheritance?
Imam Ali painted for us a picture in letter 62 and sermon 3 of Nahjul Balagha. He tells what happened: “Beware! [I swear] By Allah, the son of Abu Quhafah (Abu Bakr) dressed himself with it (the caliphate) and he certainly knew that my position in relation to it was the same as the position of the axis in relation to the hand-mill.” He tells us his concern: “I then feared that if I did not protect Islam and its people and there occurred in it a breach or destruction, it would mean a greater blow to me than the loss of authority.” He tells us his reaction: “I rose until wrong was destroyed and disappeared, and religion attained peace and safety.” He tells us how he felt: “I adopted patience although there was pricking in the eye and suffocation in the throat.”
Imam Ali knew that fighting for the caliphate would create fracture and chaos in the nation, pitting sons against fathers, clans against tribes, and possibly even Mecca against Medina. A prideful man would retaliate, to take back his right and put the adversary in his place. A prideful man would at least mind his own business, for the people to see problems arise and feel his absence. A prideful man may even migrate to a distant town, to avoid the humiliation altogether. But Imam Ali had devoted himself to Allah. So Imam Ali voluntarily worked as an advisor assisting Abu Bakr, seeing his face day after day, to protect the religion and community from a caliph who was not fit for purpose. Rather than humble Abu Bakr, Imam Ali elevated him.
Then we understood why Allah had revealed this verse in his honour, when Imam Ali stayed in the Prophet's home for him to migrate: “And of the people is he who sells his own self, seeking the approval of Allah. And Allah is kind to His servants.” (2:207). Imam Ali reflected the moral attributes of Allah that we find in His 99 names, from justice and mercy to patience and wisdom, for His will to be done on earth as it is in the heavens. This is the true meaning of being a caliph, so Imam Ali had fulfilled his duty to Allah. It was never dependent on the acceptance of people. In the Shia hadith literature, we find the Prophet compared Imam Ali to the Kaaba, and explained that the Kaaba does not go to people, rather it is people who must go to the Kaaba. Our duty is to stand when the Imam stands and sit when the Imam sits.
Imam Ali had been around the men who harboured worldly ambition, were seeing the tide turn in Arabia and sensed an opportunity to position in the paradigm, but he had no interest in joining the fray. It is why Allah had chosen him over them. We read in the Quran: “And Allah would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them of what they should beware. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.” (9:115). The community were guided to the straight path of the Quran and Ahlul-Bayt, and warned to not separate them. But the way of Allah is to not compel. If the people choose to go astray then Allah leaves them to go astray. It happened to every nation before it happened to Islam.
Recall the unsettling impression of Abu Bakr in 9:40, as if we are staring at a demonic spirit. Satan was a believer from the jinn who was in the company of the angels (18:50). When Allah appointed Adam as His caliph on earth (2:30), He ordered them to prostrate to Adam, then the angels accepted while Satan refused (7:12). Satan was expelled and cursed, becoming an unbeliever who now misleads mankind from the straight path (7:16). Satan lied to Adam and Eve, but swore to them he was a sincere advisor (7:20-21). So they believed him and disobeyed a clear command from Allah (7:22). It made them fall from grace (2:36).
Allah informed us in the Quran: “And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy - satans from mankind and jinn, inspiring each other with decorative speech by way of deception. But if your Lord had willed, they would not have done it, so leave them and that which they invent.” (6:112). In sermon 7 of Nahjul Balagha, Imam Ali gave us an eery description of people he encountered: “They have made Satan the master of their affairs, and he has taken them as partners. He has laid eggs and hatched them in their bosoms. He creeps and crawls in their laps. He sees through their eyes, and speaks with their tongues.” Abu Bakr told the Medina community: “[I swear] By Allah, not on any day of my life did I aspire to become a ruler. I never desired any such position, and I never invoked Allah, openly or secretly, to make me a leader. I accepted your appointment only because I feared the onset of strife and discord. As a leader, I cannot have peace or comfort, for I have been charged with a tremendous duty, which I will never be able to fulfil unless Allah, the Possessor of Might and Majesty, strengthens me.”
It is customary to write “peace be upon them” whenever mentioning the prophets and the household. I refrained in this analysis, as it hinders the fluency of reading, but I share the admiration.