Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Abu Bakr — born Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafa in Mecca around 573 CE — was, in the Islamic tradition, among the earliest converts to the message of the Prophet Muhammad and his closest Companion (sahib). His birth year is a traditional estimate; sources mark it "c. 573" rather than as a firm date. He is remembered by the honorific al-Siddiq ("the Truthful"), a title the tradition holds was given him by the Prophet.

The Qur'an itself alludes to him as the Prophet's companion in the cave during the Hijra, the emigration from Mecca to Medina (traditionally 622 CE), when the two are reported to have sheltered in the cave of Thawr. His daughter Aisha married the Prophet.

After the Prophet's death in 632 CE (11 AH), a gathering at the Saqifa (portico) of the Banu Sa'ida in Medina acclaimed Abu Bakr as the first caliph (successor and leader of the community). This succession is the root of Islam's central historical dispute: in the Sunni view it was valid and well-founded, while in the Twelver and Ismaili Shia view leadership belonged to Ali ibn Abi Talib and his caliphate is held to be a usurpation; the Zaydi Shia tradition, by contrast, accepts the legitimacy of his caliphate (holding that the more excellent candidate, Ali, could be passed over for a worthy predecessor). The site presents these as positions held, not as a settled truth.

His short reign (632–634 CE / 11–13 AH) was dominated by the Ridda ("apostasy") wars, campaigns that suppressed tribal revolts and rival prophets and kept the Arabian polity intact. He died in Medina on 23 August 634 CE (13 AH) — the conventional date in the Islamic chronology — and was buried beside the Prophet.