When I Grow Up I Wanna Be Abu Bakr
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Creator: Muhammad Alshareef
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Identifier: http://www.khutbah.com/en/muslim_family/abubakr.php
Language: en
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Subject: companions
Title: When I Grow Up I Wanna Be Abu Bakr
Created on: Tue Jan 29 10:40:17 -0500 2008
Updated on: Tue Jan 29 10:40:17 -0500 2008
Version: 1
Abstract: ... lations, the first man he approached was his best friend, Abu Bakr. When Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu heard that Muhammad had been chosen as a Prophet, he immediately announced, "I've never tasted a lie from you. I testify that there is no God but Allah, and you are the Messenger of Allah." RasulAllah later said, "There is no one that I have spoken to about Islam that did not debate the issue with me except Abu Bakr." With the few verses that he knew, Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu set off to invite to this deen of Al-Islam. Soon, he was escorting by the hand the likes of Uthman, Az-Zubayr, Abd ArRahmaan ibn ‘Owf, Sa'd, Abu ‘Ubaidah, and Talha – six of the ten people who were promised Jannah during their time on earth. And on the Day of Resurrection they shall all be written in the book of Abu Bakr's good works. In the early days of Islam, Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu would walk around the markets and homes observing all the Muslim slaves that were being tortured. He would watch as Umayyah dragged Bilal out to the grilling desert at noontime, the hottest moments of the day. Umayyah would press Bilal to the scalding ground and place a boulder on top of his chest to increase the torture. Bilal would say nothing but, "Ahad, Ahad (One, only One)." Abu Bakr would watch and whisper to Bilal, "YunJeeka AlWaahidul Ahad (The One [Allah] shall save you)." Abu Bakr went to Umayyah and requested that he sell Bilal to him for 5 uwqiyyah of gold. Umayyah was astonished at that amount and hurriedly agreed. "Take Bilal. There is no good in him." After the deal was done, Umayyah snickered, "Had you refused to pay more than 1 uwqiyyah I still would have sold him to you." And Abu Bakr announced, "And had you refused to sell him for no less than 100 uwqiyyah I still would have bought him!" Evil wishers – like always – spread rumors about Abu Bakr’s freeing of Bilal, saying that he did it only because of a favor he owed him. In the Qur’an, in verses to be recited till the end of time, Allah lay clear the intentions of Abu Bakr: He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification, / And have in his mind no favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return, / Except only the desire to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High; / He surely will be pleased [when he will enter Paradise] (Al-Layl 92/18-21). Read that last verse again. Allah is telling Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu that he is going to make him satisfied. Allahu Akbar! Imagine if Allah told you that. Would anything in the world be more valuable to you than that one ayah? This was Abu Bakr; this was Khaleefatu Rasulillaah. When ‘Amr ibn Al- Aas became Muslim, RasulAllah appointed him as a leader for one of the Muslim armies. ‘Amr believed that this could only be so because RasulAllah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam loved him the most. So after the army had returned, ‘Amr went and sat by RasulAllah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him a question out loud so that everyone would hear the answer. He asked, “Who do you love the most?” RasulAllah replied, "Aisha," his wife. Startled, ‘Amr asked, "No, no, from the men who?" He said, "Her father!" Abu Bakr, radi Allahu anhu. PART II: Who are our Role Models? Have you ever sat with your children or some Muslim neighbor's children? Give them a basketball and lower the rim for them and listen to what they say. All – with a few exceptions – will call out the name of a kafir basketball player as they take the shot. You'll hear the name of Michael Jordan shouted out and others, a name that comes from their heart as they slam the ball in glee. Listen carefully; they are innocently calling to the world, "I wanna be a kafir basketball player, just like that kafir Jordan." Don't be surprised when they reach university, after they've lost their precious youth, that they can spit a ball into a basket with unbelievable precision, yet they cannot read Al-Fatiha without fumbling like a baby. On the Day of Resurrection, these entertainment idols shall disown all those that took them as role models and imitated their sins. Interestingly, Reebok advertised one of these entertainment idols dunking a ball and at the end of the commercial he walks to the camera and says, "Just because I dunk a ball doesn't mean I have to raise your kids... [Full Article...]
