Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, known by the title Abid Quraysh, was the son of Abu Bakr, the first caliph, and was among the special companions and Shias of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). A bond of mutual affection existed between him and the Imam, who called him his own son; he was also counted among the prominent opponents of the conduct of the third caliph. He was ultimately martyred on the 14th of the month of Safar in the year 38 AH at the hands of the army of Mu’awiyah.
Raised Under the Guardianship of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was the son of the first caliph and Asma bint Umays. After the death of Abu Bakr and the marriage of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) to Asma, he grew up and was raised in the household of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). His jurisprudence, knowledge, and thought were drawn from the pure teachings of the Master of the Pious, and he held no one — not even his own father, Abu Bakr — to possess the virtue of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). Indeed, at the time of the pledge of allegiance to him, he declared: “I bear witness that you are an Imam whose obedience is obligatory.”
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), in turn, loved him and regarded him as “his own son, though of the loins of Abu Bakr.” In Nahj al-Balagha, it is narrated from him: “He (Muhammad) was my friend, and I raised him as I would my own son.” [1]
He served as one of the commanders of the army of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) in the Battles of Jamal and Siffin, and was later appointed by him as governor of Egypt.
Renewed Allegiance to Amir al-Muminin
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), in recalling Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, emphasized his renewed and sincere pledge of allegiance to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) — a pledge in which he humbly bore witness to the Imam’s obligatory authority.
Hamzah ibn Muhammad al-Tayyar, a trusted narrator of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), relates that Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was mentioned in the Imam’s presence. The Imam said:
“May Allah have mercy upon him and send blessings upon him. One day he said to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him): ‘Open your hand that I may pledge allegiance to you.’ The Imam said: ‘Did you not already do so?’ He replied: ‘Yes.’ Then he opened his hand and said: ‘I bear witness that you are an Imam whose obedience is obligatory.'”
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) then said:
“The nobility and honor of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr came to him through his mother, Asma bint Umays, not through his father.” [2]
Elsewhere, Zurarah, a companion of Imam al-Baqir and Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon them), relates that Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said:
“Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr pledged allegiance to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) while disavowing his own father.” [3]
A Letter to Mu’awiyah in Defense of the Master of the Pious
Like his master Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr regarded Mu’awiyah as a usurper, a tyrant, and a deceiver. Thus, in the very first days of his governorship over Egypt, he wrote a letter to Mu’awiyah in which he declared Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) to be the sole person worthy of the Imamate and the caliphate.
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr wrote to Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan:
“By virtue of His majesty, greatness, sovereignty, and power over all His creation, and the superiority of His proofs, Allah created His creatures not out of vanity, weakness, or need, but for His own worship; He made some of them astray and some rightly guided, some wretched and some blessed. Then, by His knowledge, He chose the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), selected him as His companion, chose him for His friendship, and entrusted him with the bearing of His message. He sent him with His revelation, and placed His trust in him as a truthful messenger, a guide, a leader, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner.
The first to accept his call, to affirm it, to believe, and to declare Islam was his brother, cousin, executor, and heir to his knowledge, and his successor after him — the one whom the Messenger of Allah, by Allah’s command, appointed as his successor: namely, Amir al-Muminin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). He confirmed the hidden secrets of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and the Prophet favored him above the closest members of his own family; he protected him from every danger, aided him in every fearsome event, fought whoever he fought, and made peace with whoever he made peace. Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), in moments of fear, hunger, and hardship, would always offer his own life before that of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), until Allah, the Exalted, made his call manifest and completed His proof.
O Mu’awiyah! You who are astray — do you boast of yourself against him? He is a man of pure character, foremost among this nation. He is the most upright of all, his qualities the most excellent, his wife the most distinguished, and his rank the most exalted — he who, at the time of the Prophet’s migration from the clutches of his enemies, offered up his own life for him and slept in his bed, selling his soul to Allah for the sake of the Prophet’s deliverance.
His uncle (Hamzah) was the master of the martyrs of the Battle of Uhud, and his father was a defender of the Prophet against the enemies of Allah. But you and your father continually stirred up strife against them, spending wealth to rally the Arab tribes to extinguish the divine light. Your father died upon this course, and you succeeded him; and what bears witness to these deeds of yours is the coming and seeking refuge with you of the remnants of the factions of polytheism and the leaders of hypocrisy and enmity toward the Messenger of Allah and his household.
By contrast, what bears witness to the manifest virtue of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and his ancient precedence in Islam are his supporters — those whom Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in the Noble Quran, praising the Emigrants and the Helpers among them. Groups of them, on foot and on horseback, stand beside him, fighting with their swords and shedding their blood in his defense, counting felicity in following his command and wretchedness in opposing it.
Woe unto you! And woe unto you again! How can you consider yourself equal to Ali? He is the brother of the Messenger of Allah, the father of his children, and his partner in all affairs, while you are the enemy of the Messenger of Allah and the son of his enemy. So take what benefit you can from your falsehood, for the son of al-As (Amr ibn al-As) is dragging you deeper into your misguidance; it is as though your time has run out and your cunning has grown weak. Know that you have plotted against your Lord, believing yourself safe from His plotting, while you have removed yourself far from divine mercy — and now Allah lies in wait for you, yet you remain in pride and obstinacy against Him. We, by the help of Allah, His Messenger, and the household of the Messenger of Allah, have no need of you.” [4]
The Manner of His Martyrdom
Seeking revenge and to seize Egypt, Mu’awiyah, through Amr ibn al-As and with the cooperation of rebels, accused Muhammad of the killing of Uthman and launched an attack against him. Muhammad, having received orders from Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) to resist, stood firm; but after the martyrdom of Malik al-Ashtar, his forces were defeated by 6,000 Syrian troops in the region of al-Musannat. After the defeat of Muhammad’s forces before the Syrians, those around him abandoned him and fled. In the end, he took refuge in a ruined building, where he was martyred and his body burned by Mu’awiyah ibn Hudayj. [5]
Mourning Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
Speaking of his deep bond and family connection with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) reflected on the bitter fate of his martyrdom and his efforts to avert the events in Egypt.
When news of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr’s martyrdom reached Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), he said: “Our grief over his martyrdom is equal to the joy of the Syrians — except that their enmity has diminished, while our friendship has diminished as well.” [6]
Malik ibn Jawn al-Hadrami, one of the narrators, relates that Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) said of him: “May Allah have mercy on Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. He was a young man of few years. By Allah, I had intended to entrust the governorship of Egypt to Hashim ibn Utbah (al-Mirqal). By Allah, had he become governor of Egypt, he would have barred the way against Amr ibn al-As and his companions, and would not have been killed except with his sword still in his hand.”
The Imam then, emphasizing that this was not meant as criticism of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, added: “He gave all that he had, and fulfilled his duty in full.”
It was asked of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him): “O Commander of the Faithful! Why are you so grieved over his martyrdom?”
The Imam replied: “Why should I not grieve? He was raised in my own lap; he was as a brother to my children, and I was as a father to him, and I counted him as my own son.” [7]
The Standing of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr in the Eyes of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)
In a letter to Ibn Abbas, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), mourning the martyrdom of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, emphasized his moral qualities and lamented the people’s indifference and slackness in coming to the aid of this loyal governor.
He wrote in a letter to Ibn Abbas:
“Indeed, Egypt has fallen, and its governor, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr — may Allah have mercy on him — has been martyred. Before Allah, we count him a well-wishing son, a diligent governor, a sharp sword, and a restraining pillar. I continually called upon the people to join him, and I commanded them to hasten to his aid before these calamitous events occurred. I called upon the people, in secret and in open, from beginning to end; some came reluctantly, some offered false excuses, and some remained behind in disgrace and abasement. I ask Allah to deliver me soon from among these people; by Allah, were it not for my longing for martyrdom in battle against the enemy, and had I not prepared myself for death, I would not wish to remain even a single day among these people, nor to meet with them.” [8]
References:
[1] Sayyid Razi, Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 67, trans. Muhammad Dashti, Qom, Mashhur Publications, 1380 SH.
[2] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 33, p. 582
[3] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 33, p. 585
[4] Waq’at al-Jamal, vol. 1, p. 89
[5] Ibn Shabbah, Umar ibn Shabbah, Tarikh al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, vol. 4, p. 1285
[6] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 33, p. 590; Nahj al-Balagha, vol. 1, p. 532
[7] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 33, p. 566
[8] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 33, p. 592
