Abu Bakr As-Siddiq was one of the earliest coverters to Islam and a friend of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Upon Muhammad's death in 632 AD he became the first Muslim ruler. Although some tribes rebelled, he was able to eventually establish Islamic rule over all of Arabia, Syria, and Iraq.
Abu Bakr was born in the year 573, under the name Abdullah, to a rather wealthy family, though he led a pretty normal childhood. He, like many Arab children, spent time amongst the Bedouins, or "people of the camel." As such, he developed a liking for camels. Due to this, he earned the name Abu Bakr, which means "father of the foal of the camel." Throughout his remaining childhood and teenage years he continued to travel extensively among caravans, and eventually became a cloth merchant himself.
During one of Abu Bakr's trips to Yemen, he was informed that Muhammed, his neighbor, declared himself as the Messenger of God, and proclaimed a new religion. There is some debate as to whether or not Abu Bakr was the first adult male to convert to Sunni Islam, but he was certainly one of the first. After becoming a Muslim himself he worked hard to convert others to the Islamic faith. Having an Islamic family was so important to Abu Bakr that he divorced his first wife (who refused to convert to Islam) and separated from one of this sons (who also refused to convert). He also felt deeply for slaves who had converted to Islam, and bought eight slaves, only to set them free.
Muslims kept their faith secret for three years after the advent of Islam, but in 613 Muhammad decided that all Muslims should proclaim their faith openly. Abu Bakr was the first person to make a public address inviting people to offer allegienace to Muhammad. This led to many members of the Quraysh tribe, a dominant tribe in Mecca, to assault Abu Bakr. The Quraysh also led a boycott against the Banū Hāshim, which was Muhammad's clan within the tribe. This shut out all interaction with Muhammad's clan. Although the Qarah tribe offered their protection to the Banū Hāshim for some time, pressure from the Quraysh eventually caused them to renounce their protection.
In 622 Muhammad ordered Muslims to migrate to Medina due to an invitation from the Muslims there. In Medina Muhammad decided to construct a mosque. The land that this mosque (named Al-Masjid al-Nabawi) would be placed on was purchased by Abu Bakr, who also took part in the construction. Here, he married the daughter of Khaarij ah bin Zaid Ansari, who was Abu Bakr's brother in faith, and Abu Bakr's daughter, Aisha, married Muhammad. Abu Bakr also continued his cloth business in Medina, which flourished.
In 624 Abu Bakr was involved in his first battle between the Muslims and the Quraysh known as the Battle of Badr, where he acted as a guard for Muhammad's tent. Although the Muslims won a decisive victory at this battle, they lost the Battle of Uhud, which was almost exactly a year later. In 627 he participted in both the Battle of the Trench and the Battle of the Banu Qurayza, both of which were Muslim victories. He also participated in the 628 Treaty of Hudaybiyyah as a witness over the pact. In the following years he took part in several other battles, where he was in the Muslim army.
After Muhammad's death the Meccan immigrants (the Muhajirun) and the Medinan converts (the Ansar) threatened to split the nation. The Ansar decided to hold a meeting to discuss who they would support as their new leader. Abu Bakr and a few others rushed to the meeting in order to stop a premature decision. Umar, a friend of Abu Bakr's (and his eventual successor), declared that Abu Bakur should be the new leader. As a result, Abu Bakr became the first Muslim caliph, who was given the title Khalifa-tul-Rasool (meaning "Successor of messenger of Allah").
Abu Bakr's Caliphate lasted for 27 months. During this time he crushed Arab rebels in the campaign against Apostasy (also known as the Ridda Wars). He also launched campaigns against the Sassanid Persian Empire and the Byzantine Empire, two of the most powerful empires at the time. Although he did not conquer all of this territory in the time of his Caliphate, his decision to attack these territories would lead to the creation of one of the largest empires in history within just a few decades.
On August 8th, 634, Abu Bakr became deathly ill. One account says that he had developed his illness on a cold day while taking a bath, while another says he was given a poison during a meal that did not take effect for a year. So as not to create disagreements after his death, Abu Bakr decided to name Umar as his successor. Although there is dispute among the Sunni and Shi'a, and perhaps some Western views, as to Abu Bakr's character, there is no doubt that he sparked the fire in the formation of one of the world's largest empires and was an important figure in the Islam faith.
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