Abu Bakr As-Siddiq RA's Fear of Allah

Saiyidina Abu Bakr As-Siddiq RA is the most exalted person after the Prophets AS. The Prophet Muhammad SAW himself conveyed to Abu Bakr RA the glad tidings that he will be the head of a group of people in Paradise.

The Prophet SAW once remarked:

"Abu Bakr's name shall be called out from all the gates of Paradise, and he will be the first of my followers to enter it."

With all these virtues and privileges, Abu Bakr RA used to say:

"I wish I were a tree that would be cut and done away with."

Sometimes he would say:

"I wish I were a blade of grass, whose life ended with the grazing by some beast."

Abu Bakr RA also said:

"I wish I were a hair on the body of a Mu'min."

Once he went to a garden, where he saw a bird singing. He sighed deeply and said:

"O, bird! How lucky you are! You eat, you drink and fly under the shade of the trees, and you fear no reckoning of the Day of Judgement. I wish I were just like you."

Rabiah Aslami RA narrates:

"Once I had some argument with Abu Bakr RA, during which he uttered a word that I did not like. He realised it immediately and said to me 'Brother, please say that word back to me in retaliation.'

I refused to do so. He persisted, and even spoke of referring the matter to the Prophet (SAW), but I did not agree to utter that word. He got up and left me. A few people of my clan remarked:

'Look! How strange! The person does wrong to you and, on the top of that, he threatens to complain to the Prophet (SAW).'

I said:

'Do you know who he is? He is Abu Bakr (RA). To displease him is to displease the Prophet (SAW) and to displease the Prophet (SAW) is to displease Allah, and if Allah is displeased then who can save Rabiah from ruin?'

I went to the Prophet (SAW) and narrated the whole story to him.

He (SAW) said:

'You were quite right in refusing to utter that word. But you could have said this much in reply:

'O, Abu Bakr, (RA) May Allah forgive you!"

Let us look at the fear of Allah in Abu Bakr RA !

He is so anxious to clear his accounts in this world that no sooner has a slightly unpleasant word been addressed by him to a person, than he regrets it and requests him to say that word back to him in retaliation. He is so particular in this that he threatens to have the retaliation done through the intervention of the Prophet SAW.

We are in the habit of saying offensive words to others, but we fear neither the retaliation nor the reckoning in the Hereafter.