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Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, embraces Islam
He was the first free, noble man to believe in the Prophet 
. He was an intimate friend of the Prophet from before he received revelation. The Prophet described his conversion to Islam by saying: “I never invited anyone to Islam who did not show concern, hesitation and consideration, except Abu Bakr. When I invited him to Islam, he showed no hesitation at all in accepting it.”
. He was an intimate friend of the Prophet from before he received revelation. The Prophet described his conversion to Islam by saying: “I never invited anyone to Islam who did not show concern, hesitation and consideration, except Abu Bakr. When I invited him to Islam, he showed no hesitation at all in accepting it.”Abu Bakr was the closest Companion to the Prophet and this was one of his outstanding merits. When Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, embraced Islam, he was not just a mere individual, but rather a nation as he was one of the most revered and noble Qurayshi men as stated by Ibn Is’haaq 
. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, enjoyed many attributes including:
and this was one of his outstanding merits. When Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, embraced Islam, he was not just a mere individual, but rather a nation as he was one of the most revered and noble Qurayshi men as stated by Ibn Is’haaq . Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, enjoyed many attributes including:- He was an intimate friend to all of his people, who loved him dearly.
- He was one of the noblest Qurayshi men and the most knowledgeable man about its lineages and good qualities, as well as its evil.
- He was an accomplished merchant.
- He was known for his good morals and benevolence.
- His people would go to him for many reasons, including his knowledge, trade and good companionship.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was a treasure that Allah The Almighty saved for His Prophet . He was one of the dearest persons to his tribe, Quraysh, because of the good manners which Allah The Almighty bestowed upon him. He was a lenient person who loved others and was beloved to them. His good manners were enough to endear him to all people, and there can be little wonder at this as the Prophet described him saying: “The most merciful amongst my Ummah [nation] towards my Ummah is Abu Bakr.” [Al-Albaani – Saheeh]
. He was one of the dearest persons to his tribe, Quraysh, because of the good manners which Allah The Almighty bestowed upon him. He was a lenient person who loved others and was beloved to them. His good manners were enough to endear him to all people, and there can be little wonder at this as the Prophet described him saying: “The most merciful amongst my Ummah [nation] towards my Ummah is Abu Bakr.” [Al-Albaani – Saheeh]Genealogy and history were the most important sciences to the Arabs and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was the most knowledgeable man about these two sciences, and the people of the Quraysh recognized this. Cultured people would visit Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and sit with him to learn things that they could not learn from any other person. Therefore, highborn and shrewd young men would attend any gathering he attended, as they represented the intellectual and cultured elite who wanted to learn from Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him.
Of course, there were other aspects of the greatness of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him: businessmen and merchants were also among those keen on attending the gatherings attended by Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Indeed, he was not the first merchant in Makkah, yet was one of the most famous ones and thus, one would find businessmen eager to attend his gatherings.
Furthermore, given the kindheartedness and good manners of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, one would also find the common people going to his house as he was a gentle and generous man who rejoiced at receiving guests. All classes of Makkan people would find what they needed with Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. His intellectual and social acumen in Makkan society were immense and therefore, when he began inviting people to Islam, the finest people responded to him, such as:
- ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Affaan , may Allah be pleased with him, who embraced Islam when he was thirty-four years old.
- ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin ‘Awf, may Allah be pleased with him, who embraced Islam when he was thirty years old.
- Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqaas, may Allah be pleased with him, who embraced Islam when he was seventeen years old.
- Az-Zubayr bin Al-‘Awwaam, may Allah be pleased with him, who embraced Islam when he was twelve years old.
- Talhah bin ‘Ubaydillaah, may Allah be pleased with him, who embraced Islam when he was thirteen years old.
These five heroes were early fruits of Abu Bakr’s embracing Islam. He invited them to Islam and they responded. Then, he took them to the Prophet individually to declare their acceptance of Islam. Hence, they represented the early posts of Da‘wah (Islamic propagation) and were the early soldiers through whom Allah The Almighty supported and reinforced His Messenger . Later, people began entering Islam in multitudes and all of these early Muslims were vanguards of the Islamic callers. Later still, they were joined by the leading generation of the early Muslims individually, in pairs and in small groups. They, despite their small number, formed the battalion of the Da‘wah and the fort of the Message, and were unparalleled throughout the history of Islam.
individually to declare their acceptance of Islam. Hence, they represented the early posts of Da‘wah (Islamic propagation) and were the early soldiers through whom Allah The Almighty supported and reinforced His Messenger . Later, people began entering Islam in multitudes and all of these early Muslims were vanguards of the Islamic callers. Later still, they were joined by the leading generation of the early Muslims individually, in pairs and in small groups. They, despite their small number, formed the battalion of the Da‘wah and the fort of the Message, and were unparalleled throughout the history of Islam.The efforts of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, in inviting people to the religion of Allah The Almighty represent an outstanding image of his belief in this religion and his response to Allah The Almighty and His Messenger . Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, represented the image of the believer who never rests or feels comfortable until he puts his beliefs into action. However, his efforts were not a result of a temporary emotional enthusiasm that very soon abates - the vitality and enthusiasm of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, remained throughout his life and he never became weak, slack or bored.
. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, represented the image of the believer who never rests or feels comfortable until he puts his beliefs into action. However, his efforts were not a result of a temporary emotional enthusiasm that very soon abates - the vitality and enthusiasm of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, remained throughout his life and he never became weak, slack or bored.We observe that noble people have had a great effect in winning supporters for the Da‘wah, therefore, the influence of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, in Islam was greater than that of others.
The friendship between Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and the Prophet was based on moral and psychological harmony, and when Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, embraced Islam, this friendship was also based on belief in Allah The Almighty alone and support during times of hardship. The Prophet utilized the status of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and the people’s love for him to strengthen the call of the truth, adding this to his own psychological power and status.
was based on moral and psychological harmony, and when Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, embraced Islam, this friendship was also based on belief in Allah The Almighty alone and support during times of hardship. The Prophet utilized the status of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and the people’s love for him to strengthen the call of the truth, adding this to his own psychological power and status.During this stage, the Da‘wah was secret and individual. It was also based on the selection of figures that were suitable to represent the believing community which would seek to establish the Islamic state and invite people to the Religion of their Lord and which would establish a Divinely-guided and incomparable civilization.
