Ismail ibn Musa Menk Abu Bakr as Siddiq
By Mufti Menk | 2026-01-12T06:47:49.032826+00:00 | Topic: Quran
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq - The Truthful One
Opening and Greetings
We praise Allah. We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad (peace be upon him), his household, his companions. May Allah bless everyone of us too. And may Allah bless the ummah and humanity at large. Ameen.
The Promised Paradise Companions
My brothers, my sisters, you know that we are speaking about those who were the closest to Muhammad (peace be upon him) and those who have been told by him that for you is jannah. There were many of them who were told for you is jannah. You will earn or you will actually be in paradise.
From among them, ten were told in one sitting, in one narration, by name. Ten names mentioned, one after the other. The first from among them was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). And what I will do today, because I have about 30 minutes to speak to you now, I won't go into his entire history, and I won't go into every detail of his life, but I will take a few details, and we will draw lessons that we can apply in our own lives so that we can also become people who are better, who are closer to Allah, who are closer to Rasulullah (peace be upon him).
Allah's Love for His Ummah
Before I begin, I actually want to say that every one of us is loved by Allah. If you doubt that, there is a problem in your heart. We are loved by Allah, because He has chosen us to be from among the ummah of (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ - La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah).
And He has created us in the first place. So therefore, His mercy shall definitely encompass us. No matter what you've done, for as long as you are trying your best to get closer to Allah, never give up.
Abu Bakr's Real Name and Lineage
Let's go into the life of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), starting with his name. What was his name? So every one of us says Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was just a kuniya.
A kuniya means like a pet name. You know, you have a nickname given to someone. You say Abu Fulan, someone has a beard, you say Abu Lihya, you know. Abu. So Abu means someone who has the quality of. It could also mean father of.
Sometimes literally, father of this person, father of that person, and sometimes father of jokes, for example. Father of a smile, a beautiful smile, for example. So they call him, you know, for example, like I said, Abu Lihya, you know, the guy who has a beard, etc.
I remember there was a guy in the Middle East who had a cap. He became famous for that, and they called him Abu Cap. So here Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), it was a name given to him, and his real name was actually Abdullah.
Were you aware of that? The reason why we need to know this is because he was the best of those to tread the earth after the prophets of Allah. We know that the creation of Allah, the highest and the most noble, the prophet (peace be upon him). And we have from among the humankind, the best of the lot, were the prophets of Allah.
They were chosen by Allah. So indeed they were the best. After them, there was a specific person who was considered the best of all humankind after the prophets of Allah.
And that is Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), Abdullah. His father was known as Abu Qahafa. That was also a nickname, it was also a kuniya, Abu Qahafa.
His father's name was actually Uthman, subhanallah. So that makes his name Abdullah ibn Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). I'm sure a lot of you might not have known that before today, subhanallah. Can you just show me hands, how many did not know that? Abdullah ibn Uthman, subhanallah.
A Hero and Legend
I thank Allah for giving me the opportunity to share with you the name of the best of mankind after the prophets of Allah, a man known as Abdullah ibn Uthman ibn Amir al-Taymi al-Qurashi (may Allah be pleased with him). What a beautiful man. And he is indeed one of my heroes, a legend, subhanallah. I was asked a few months ago when I was in Perth, who would you like to be with in Jannah, who would you like to meet from among the companions or from among the people who are religious, etc.
And I remember saying Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). Obviously after the messengers of Allah, I really love to be with this man because he had some qualities that really we need to learn from.
The Origin of "As-Siddiq"
Where did the Siddiq come from? The Siddiq came later on in his life because he realized and recognized that his friend who was Muhammad ibn Abdullah (peace be upon him) was not a liar. So every time people said something referring to Muhammad (peace be upon him), he would believe it immediately.
Immediately, without a doubt. When the mi'raj happened and the prophet (peace be upon him) went up to the seven heavens from Baitul Maqdis, meaning from Makkah to Baitul Maqdis, gone all the way up to the seven heavens, come down and come back, subhanallah. You know what? The people of Quraysh obviously they began to laugh at it and they began to say, what a joke.
And they started asking a question to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). Would you believe this? Without saying, who said it? The minute they said his name, he said, if he said it, it's definitely the truth. Cannot be a lie, subhanallah.
The Importance of Truthfulness
Now I have a question for myself and yourselves. How many of us can be so truthful that people around you would say, if he said it, if she said it, it's not a lie? Subhanallah. Sometimes we're too embarrassed of the reality. So what we do in order to run away from it? Just lie, subhanallah, just lie.
Or create it in such a way that it's not actually a lie, but it's not true as well. It's just in the middle, dangling, hanging, you know. Subhanallah.
Someone asked you, did you go to that club? You say, well, people go, you know. You didn't say, I went, I didn't go. You just say, people go.
It's neither a yes nor a no. It's just an example that comes to my mind. We need to be so truthful that we create a reputation. If this person's given you their word, it is done. Consider it, done. InshaAllah, I hope and I pray that I can work on this.
And every one of us can work on it. Because if we don't, then we haven't learned something from the laqab as-siddiq. Laqab is like a title given to him, as-siddiq.
We need to learn something from it. And the biggest thing that I learned from it is, I need to make myself such that when I say something, people believe it. And then we would also be able to recognize others who are similar.
And we got to start the trend. People say, well, everyone lies. No, they don't. Not everyone lies. May Allah make it easy.
Abu Bakr's Age and Timeline
He was born, Abdullah ibn Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was born 2 years after the Prophet (peace be upon him). And he was actually a khalifa for 2 years.
Which makes his age upon his death exactly the same as the age of Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he passed away. Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away at what age? 63. Abu Bakr as- siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away at what age? 63.
But because he was born 2 years later, he passed away 2 years later as well. Subhanallah. Amazing.
Reflection on Age and Mortality
That brings me to a very interesting point. How old are you now is a question you need to ask yourself. If you are 40, well, the most beloved unto Allah lived for another 23 years. Subhanallah. And if you are like me, a little bit older, then you need to worry. Subhanallah.
Because you know that Allah's mercy will take you to Jannah, but you need to keep trying. That's the secret. Keep trying.
I'm convinced that if I were to die or if you were to die, we would be going to a much better place than the places we are, or we could be while alive. I'm convinced because I have faith. And I know that no matter what bad I've done in my life, I know I'm going to be facing someone more merciful than my own mother by a hundred times and beyond.
So I have so much of hope. But to get that mercy, I just need to keep trying. When I do something wrong, I seek the forgiveness of Allah. I keep trying. And I don't intentionally plan to be an evil person. You know, you go and you pinch and you do this and you steal and you commit this and that.
Every evil that you can think of. And you say, but didn't you hear we were told that Allah is much more merciful than my own mother. My mother doesn't mind. May Allah forgive us. May Allah make it easy for us. But I'm just, you know, renewing the fact that we are believers and we believe that we are going to a better place.
Abu Bakr's Noble Character in Youth
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), when he was young, a few things happened that we need to know about. Number one, he always had the best of friends. The best of friends. Those who were truthful people, those who did not have bad habits.
Number two, he never ever touched alcohol. Even though there was no ruling about alcohol. He didn't touch it. From the beginning, before it was prohibited, he was one of those who didn't drink because he saw people drinking and what happened to them, they would lose their mind. And he said, not for me.
Which means he had good qualities. Now, I want to tell you my brothers and sisters, I've tried to work on this and I'd like you to work on it too. And I'd like you to understand your children.
Blessing and Guidance for Children
May Allah bless you with children. Just say Ameen even if you're not married. May Allah bless you with children. Say Ameen. MashaAllah. You might want to know, why did I say that? Even if you're not married, just say Ameen.
Because if you say, may Allah bless me with good offspring, and you're not yet married, the dua includes the fact that you're gonna get married and then things will happen and then you'll have kids. It's like saying, ya Allah, I'd like to have the latest Tesla. Help me, ya Allah, so that I can buy it.
What would happen? Well, if you're sitting unemployed, perhaps you'll get a job, and thereafter you'll be earning money, and thereafter you'll be doing what and what, you'll buy so many other things, and the Tesla will be 10th on your list. But because that came in your dua, the other 9 things came as well. You follow? So, mashaAllah, you say, may Allah grant me pious offspring.
That's a good enough dua to say, Mr. Handsome must walk along. You know, subhanAllah, Allah make it easy. You're waiting for Mr. Right. And this is why some of the intelligent boys, when you ask them, what's your name? You'd say, my name is Abbas Right.
SubhanAllah, may Allah grant us goodness and ease.
The Importance of Good Friends
So, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq had good friends, (may Allah be pleased with him), from the beginning, he had good friends. I promise you, if you had good friends, Habibi, you don't need to show that to me, I've got one better than yours here. You can... Don't worry, 29 minutes 59 seconds, I'll be done.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, (may Allah be pleased with him), had the best of friends. And I promise you, with us, we need very good friends. If you want to be a good person, the first thing you need to do, ask yourself who your friends are, who you mix with. I promise you, that's the biggest thing I learned from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, (may Allah be pleased with him), in terms of relationships, in terms of your social circles.
Building Relationships with Children
SubhanAllah, my children, and I'd like to extend it to your children too, if you want to give them advice, as they're going into universities, or as they're departing the home, or when they're growing up, you need to do two things. You need to build a relationship with them, because that's what will solve problems. People come and say, please come and explain to my daughter, you know, she's doing this and doing that.
Sister, you are the mother. You're supposed to have spent so much time with your daughter all along and built a relationship. Father, you are supposed to have come home. Ma, ma, ma. You're supposed to have come home. And you're supposed to have spent time with your kids, before it got to where it is now.
A lot of us have problems with children, not because they have been diverted and they have lost the path, because we've lost the path. We didn't really build a relationship with them. So amazing how I learned this.
You tell your children, firstly, you develop a relationship with them, and secondly, tell them to watch the type of friends they keep, or guide them. Guide them regarding their friends, because that is what I learned from Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.
The Power of Destiny and Good Choices
He was already a friend of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Yes, I know, someone might say, well, that was taqdeer, that was destiny. Well, I can tell you something, that's quite a wise answer, because you don't blame destiny for your failure, but what you do do is, wherever you've done something, and now it's already water under the bridge, you can say, look, it was taqdeer, inshallah, I'm going to try and do better, and continue making dua to Allah.
So, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), had the best of friends, I will make sure I have them, and I will encourage my children to have them.
University and the Importance of Good Company
Because when people are going to university, and they ask me, I just give you an example, and I don't know why I'm saying uni, but I think that's the age where people are molded, you know, molded. You've got to tell them, when they ask me for advice, I say, just have the best of friends. Make sure you have pure friends, with good morals, and values, and lovely sober habits, etc, etc.
And you know what happens? People who have good friends, when the friends lead salah, even if they are lazy, they will just join along. People who have good friends, when they are in hijab, they will also wear the hijab, without a word being said. They will go to halal place, they will have good values, a lovely set of morals.
But if your friends are not of that level, what do you expect? They've all gone into the wrong direction, and what happens? These people go as well into the wrong direction with them. This was what I learned from Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). Something amazing, something unique, something powerful.
Abu Bakr's Abstinence from Idol Worship
So, he did not taste alcohol. Another thing, he never worshipped idols, from the beginning. It's a point we need to know. This means that even though there are things happening across the globe, that might seem, you know, that might be fair seeming to a lot, if according to your level of understanding, this is wrong, don't participate in it. Hold yourself, keep yourself back.
Who told Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), that worshipping sticks and stones, or food stuffs, or for example, idols, etc. was wrong? No one told him. Everyone used to do it. The whole of
Quraysh used to participate, with the exception of a few, like Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and his friend Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was not yet a Nabi of Allah.
Abu Bakr's Business Success
So, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), did not worship the idols. He didn't drink alcohol. He had a lovely set of friends. He was a very, very successful businessman. He was so wealthy, at that stage he was well-known in Makkah al-Mukarramah, and respected, although he was in his thirties. He was in his thirties, and at the stage where Nabi (peace be upon him) got prophethood.
Abu Bakr's Immediate Acceptance of Islam
And he heard about it from others. And then he went to his friend and he says, look I've heard from Quraysh, that you are saying, don't worship the idols, don't do this, don't do that, you've got to worship Allah alone, you've got to leave what your forefathers have been doing, where it's wrong. And Muhammad (peace be upon him) told him, yes, I am saying that, and I have said that, and I tell you my friend, Allah has sent me as a prophet, to remind people to worship Him alone, and to quit everything that is bad and evil, to do good, and to be kind, etc.
When he heard it, do you know what he said? He said, I believe. I believe in what you've said. He was the first from the men, from the grown men, to be a follower of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The First Muslims
The first from all mankind was Khadija bint Khuwailid (may Allah be pleased with her). Then we have Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the first from among the boys. We have Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the first from among the men. So these names, you've got to know them.
We have Zaid ibn Harithah. He was a little slave boy who was freed. He accepted Islam right at the beginning.
Recognizing True Callers to Allah
They did not doubt what was being said. Do you know why? Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not call towards himself, not once. Today we hear people speaking across the globe, mashallah.
When you hear a scholar speak or anyone else speak, the minute they call towards themselves, they are wrong. When they call towards Allah, an improvement of yourself for the sake of Allah, you know that we need to pray for them. We do not need to develop a personal relationship with them, especially if it's for the wrong reasons, because that's what happens sometimes.
And we need to realize they are human as well. They may make mistakes, but we ask Allah to make us better people. The moment someone calls towards Allah and asks you to improve for your goodness, you must thank Allah that someone's actually sent to you to remind you to do good, to become a better person, purifying yourself.
Abu Bakr's Recognition of Truth
And this is what Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) recognized immediately. He says, this is my friend. I've known him as a truthful person. He didn't lie. He didn't cheat. He hasn't deceived anyone.
He is al-sadiq, al-ameen. He is the honest, the trustworthy. And he's telling me, I'm the prophet of Allah. He says, I believe you're the prophet of Allah. Subhanallah, subhanallah, amazing. May Allah make us such that we recognize truth from falsehood.
And we're able to follow those who remind us
Allah will ask you, have you not heard our verses being recited before you, reminding you of the day of judgment and thereafter. What answer are we going to give? We're going to have to say, yes, yes, yes, you have. O Allah, and we have heard them. May Allah make it easy for us.
Facing Business Boycotts
So Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) accepts Islam. As he accepted Islam, there was a crisis. What was the crisis? People started trying to affect them in their business. They want to boycott them in their business.
Because why? They are Muslim. Doesn't that ring a bell? You're a Muslim, sometimes people say, don't buy there, buy from the store next door. It happens, that's your store. But you have people who will do this to you because you're a Muslim, they won't promote you. It can happen. Unfortunately, it's their sickness.
Must someone's evil make you evil? No, that's a Muslim. Keep on doing good. No matter how bad people are to you. Remember these words. That's what Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) did. He kept on doing good. He became even better as a result.
Freeing the Oppressed
Do you know what he did? The money that he had, he started looking for people who were oppressed. He started looking for people who were being harmed. Especially those who were enslaved by the
Jahiliyyah. By the pre-Islamic ignorance period. Bilal ibn Rabah was being, (may Allah be pleased with him), he was being tortured.
So what did Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) do? He went to Umayyah bin Khalaf. He tells him, you know what, I want to buy this slave. He says, well, it's not for sale. And then he says, you know what, I wouldn't even sell him for a penny because he's so cheap. Astaghfirullah.
That ended in Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) using his own money to buy someone and tell him, listen, I bought you so that they do not oppress you anymore and you are free for the sake of Allah.
He did not do it to one. He did it to so many. The list is actually quite long. Subhanallah. Malik ibn Fuhairah. There are actually so many of them. Subhanallah.
Inviting Others to Islam
And you know what else he did? Those whom he knew, he went to them and he started telling them, you know what, Muhammad (peace be upon him), Muhammad (peace be upon him), my friend, our friend, he is definitely the Nabi of Allah. And I would suggest you accept because he's calling you towards worshipping your maker alone and no one else.
And he's calling you towards goodness. He's asking us to leave and to abandon all evil and evil habits, etc, etc. And guess what happened? They started coming through one by one.
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) came with the effort of his friend Abdullah ibn Uthman. Who was Abdullah ibn Uthman? I already told you he was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). So Abdullah ibn Uthman is calling Uthman ibn Affan and he accepted it.
Who else? Amazing. Do you know the 10 names of the 10 who are going to paradise? A lot of them were actually invited to Islam by Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). He's the one who went up to them and said, you know what, come, listen to what this man is saying.
Abdurrahman ibn Awf, Talha. Subhanallah. Who went to them? It was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). He actually tried.
Sharing Goodness with Others
Now what do I learn from it? It's good to know the history, but I told you today, I want to draw lessons. The lesson is, when I have goodness, do I share it with people? You know, we forward WhatsApp messages, and I'm giving you something practical because I don't want to make things difficult.
We forward WhatsApp messages that are jokes sometimes. It is permissible if that is something within limits. It's allowed. You're allowed to laugh. You know this morning someone sent me a message, and I
forwarded it to a few of my friends, and I can tell you what it was. They said, you know, I just want to thank all of my friends who have, you know, made my 2017 a beautiful success, and they stood by me, etc.
And I've dedicated this little song, and the lyrics of the song are so beautiful and so good, and they touched my heart, and I hope they can touch yours. And it was sent to me by a respectable person, so I'm looking at the song, I just downloaded it, and I'm thinking, wow, it's something big gonna come out. And I promise you, there's a Mongolian boy singing in Chinese or something, nobody understands him, and he's just going, whatever he's saying, and I'm looking at it, and I'm thinking, this is a prank.
Anyway, it made my day. And I just forwarded it to a few of my close buddies to make them laugh. You know what happens with your buddies? Some of them laugh, and some of them say, waste of data. Allahu Akbar. May Allah grant us goodness.
Getting to the Point in Da'wah
So, the point I'm raising is, we're ready to share things like that, which really, they don't harm you, they don't do any good, they don't do any bad, they're just a little laugh. But when it comes to a good, powerful message, we do not want to share those messages. We're too embarrassed sometimes. Now let me teach you a thing or two.
Nowadays, it's very, very difficult to get people to listen to more than three minutes. I've been advising my friends who are perhaps, you know, online, that is to say, when there is a clip that you forward someone, let's get into the topic as soon as they open the clip. You don't need to have an intro, and you have a big thing wasting time.
More than a second is a waste. Most of us don't realize that in the first second or two, we decide whether we want to listen to the rest of the message or not. Am I right? One second, not more.
So, in the first second, I need to make it clear that you need this message. And that's how it is. So, therefore, don't send long, long things to someone. You know, when I see a long message, I leave it. I don't. Unless it is a topic that I desperately need. Subhanallah. I don't read long messages. You want something? Get to the point. That's what it is. Subhanallah. Don't do the per story.
The Purse Story - A Lesson in Brevity
You know the per story? I can tell it to you because it's been a few years since I said it, and I need to relate it again. So, they say there was someone who was violent against a certain woman. And that's unacceptable. Remember this. So, when they brought him to the courts and they asked him, why were you violent? He said, you know what? This lady here, she had a big purse and she was looking at me, smiling. She opened the purse.
She took out a little purse from the first purse. And then she put the other one down. And then she looked at me and smiled. And then she opened the second purse and took out a third purse from inside the second purse and smiled at me and put it down. And then she opened the third purse and took out a fourth purse from the third purse and she looked at me and smiled and put the third purse down. And then she opened the fourth purse and took out a fifth purse and looked at me and smiled and put the fourth purse down.
And then she opened the fifth purse and she looked at me and smiled and she took out a sixth purse from inside the fifth purse and put the fifth purse down. And then she smiled at me. Then she opened the sixth purse and what did she do? She took out a seventh purse and she took that purse and she put the purse down.
That was the sixth one. Then she opened the seventh one and she took out an eighth purse. So the judge says, hey, hey, get to the point. So he says, judge, judge, I'm only telling you the story and look how angry you're getting. I was right there. May Allah forgive us.
Anyway, that was interesting. The point being raised is, when you want to do something, get straight to the point. Get to the point. You want to say something to the point.
Learning and Defending Our Faith
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) got to the point and wallahi, it helped these people. He was not embarrassed. What's my friend going to say? I'm a Muslim, etc. No. You're wearing a scarf, you must explain to your friends, this is why I do it.
But for that, you will have to learn why you're doing it. Many people are prepared to give up Islam. I promise you, the number is growing because of ignorance. That's why. That's why. When you don't know your deen, when you haven't studied, when you haven't made the effort, for example, to go through proper answers for questions that people will legitimately ask you, you won't be able to answer them.
And then you'll feel embarrassed. You feel like, you know, yeah, there are some people out there who are just there to get you, you know, just to get at you. Wallahi, we have belief, we have iman.
But I promise you, it's a beautiful religion filled with love, respect of others, etc, etc. Don't let people make you think otherwise. Islam is not a religion of hate. Don't let people make you believe that. Trust me, they are wrong. They are totally wrong.
Being Good Representatives of Islam
You see people different from you, you should be even better to them because you're marketing your deen to them. And they will look at you, the day they hear bad about Muslims, they'll say, no way, I
interact with so many Muslims at work, and guess what, they are lovely people. They are absolutely beautiful.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), this is a big thing that I learned from him. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon these companions.
Abu Bakr's Companionship and Leadership
And as he grew older, do you know what? Allah blessed him with the companionship of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his life. Through the hijrah, he was with Rasulullah (peace be upon him). At the time of difficulty and hardship, he was always there. So, a lot of the people accepted Islam through his effort.
Every war that happened, he participated in it to defend Islam, to go back to try and get what they had lost in Mecca, and ultimately they got it, the victory of Mecca. He was the only one, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him to lead the salah, although he was there himself, but he was unwell. He's the only one, so he was indeed the highest, the highest of all of the companions, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), Abdullah ibn Uthman.
Abu Bakr's Caliphate
He took up the khilafah after the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, and they were beautiful, beautiful two years where the foundation was laid. May Allah grant us all goodness, and may Allah open our doors. Like I said, I just had 30 minutes to speak to you, and I have a few more seconds to go.
Conclusion
I want to tell you, in 30 minutes you cannot do justice to the entire life of someone, but the idea is to draw a few points, and learn lessons for ourselves. I hope you've benefited from what I've said. I'll see you later on in the day insha'Allah.
""