Birth

honourable Prophet Mohammad. Their obedience takes to the path of righteousness, saves us from being astray and protects from sins.”  Ismail ibn Abdul Rahman narrates from Abd Khair that he heard Ali saying, “Allah has made Abu Bakr and Umar the ultimate standard and example for all the leaders and the

Saints.”

Abu Bakr‟s birth name was Abd al-Kaaba. After he accepted Islam, Prophet Mohammad named him Abdullah. Abu Bakr is his teknonym and he is mostly known by it. He belongs to Banu Taym of Quraish tribe. His lineage joins that of Prophet Mohammad at the sixth step. His lineage is as follows: Abu Bakr Siddiq son of Usman Abu Quhafa son of Amir son of Amr son of Ka‟b son of Sa‟d son of Taym son of Murrah son of Ka‟b son of Lu‟ayy son of Ghalib. At the sixth step, Murrah the son of Ka‟b, the lineage of Abu Bakr joins Prophet Mohammad. The name of Abu Bakr‟s father is Usman and his teknonym is Abu Quhafa. At the time of conquest of Makkah, his father adopted Islam at the age of ninety. He died in 14 AH during the caliphate of Umar. The name of Abu Bakr‟s mother was Salma and her teknonym was Umm al-Khair. She embraced Islam at the very early stage of its spread. Abu Bakr was born in 573 AD, two and a half years after „Year of the Elephant‟10 (i.e. two and a half years after the birth of the Holy Prophet). In the era of ignorance, Abu Bakr was among the

10 According to the Islamic traditions it is the year when Prophet Mohammad was born i.e. 570-571 AD. In that year Abraha, the Christian king of Yemen, marched upon Kaaba with a large army including war elephants. However the lead elephant stopped at the boundary of Makkah and Allah sent swarms of birds that pelted with stones ultimately demolishing them. This incident is mentioned in chapter al-Fil of the Quran.