Muhammad b. Abi Bakr: Difference between revisions

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'''Muḥammad b. Abī Bakr b. Abī Quḥāfa''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|محمد بن ابی بکر بن ابی قحافه}})([[Dhu l-Qa'da]] [[10]]/February 632–[[Safar]] [[38]]/July 658) was one of the closest [[:Category:Companions of Imam Ali (a)|companions]] of [[Imam Ali (a)]], appointed by him as the governor of [[Egypt]].

He was the son of the [[Abu Bakr|first caliph]] and [[Asma' bt. 'Umays]], but after the demise of Abu Bakr, his mother married Imam Ali (a) and thus Muhammad was raised in the Imam's (a) home. The Imam (a) loved him and regarded him as his own son. The place that he had in the Imam's (a) heart is sometimes compared to that of [[Abu Dharr]] in the heart of the Prophet (s).

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr was born in [[Dhu l-Qa'da]], [[10]] AH (February 632) in a place called Dhu l-Hulayfa (18 km from [[Medina]] on the way to [[Mecca]]), when [[the Prophet (s)]] was on his way to Mecca for his [[Hajjat al-Wida'|last Hajj]].

His father, [[Abu Bakr]], was the first caliph after the Prophet (s). He passed away when Muhammad was only two years and several months old.

His mother, [[Asma' bt. 'Umays]], was one of the prominent women of [[Template:Early Islam/doc|early Islam]]. She was first married to [[Ja'far b. Abi Talib]], and after the martyrdom of Ja'far, she married Abu Bakr.

The place that he had in the Imam's (a) heart is comparable to that of [[Abu Dharr]] in the heart of [[the Prophet (s)]]. He is one of the close disciples of Imam Ali (a).

==During 'Uthman's Caliphate"==

The presence of Muhammad b. Abi Bakr in the political and military activities started in the caliphate of 'Uthman. Although some western historians have regarded him as one of those who plotted the murder of [[Umar]], this viewpoint does not seem to be right, especially considering that he was only thirteen years old at that time, in addition to the fact that there is no mention of this in the sources of early Islamic history.

==Opposition to the conduct of 'Uthman==

After reaching adulthood, Muhammad b. Abi Bakr participated in the battles against non-Muslims during the caliphate of 'Uthman. Muhammad's opposition to the latter began in one of these battles, known as the Suwara Battle, in which 'Uthman made [[Abd Allah b. Sa'd b. Abi Sarh]] the commander of his naval forces, whereas the Prophet (s) had excommunicated this person and banished him from [[Hijaz]] and the [[Quran]] had affirmed his unbelief. Muhammad criticized this decision of Uthman and his leaving aside the true [[companions]] of the Prophet (s).

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr participated in the 40-day besiege of [['Uthman]]'s home (form [[Dhu l-Qa'da]] 7th until [[Dhu l-Hijja]] 18th, 35 AH/May 10th 656 until June 20th 656) and insisted on his opposition to 'Uthman. As to the role of Muhammad in murdering 'Uthman, different viewpoints have been expressed by the historians:

* Together with some other people, he went in and hit 'Uthman first. Then Sawran b. Humran and 'Amr b. Humaq hit and killed him

As the battle was about to start, the Imam (a) appointed Muhammad as the commander of the infantry. During the battle, Muhammad showed great bravery; he killed Thawr b. 'Adi, one of the commanders of the army of [[Jamal]]. When the battle was over, he treated the defeated army with kindness. By the Imam's command, he respectfully took his sister [['A'isha]] in the company of forty Basran women to [[Mecca]] and from there to [[Medina]].

Although Muhammad had been appointed by Imam 'Ali (a) as the governor of [[Egypt]] prior to the Battle of Siffin, evidence shows that Muhammad participated in this battle against Mu'awiya. In a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a), it is reported that in the Battle of Siffin, five men from Quraysh accompanied the Imam (a), and one of them was Muhammad b. Abi Bakr. According to some reports, Muhammad was appointed by the Imam (a) as the commander of the infantry or of the left side of his army.

In [[Ramadan]] 1, [[36]]/February 24 657, [[Imam Ali (a)]] appointed Muhammad as the governor of Egypt. Most sources maintain that Muhammad was sent to Egypt before [[Malik al-Ashtar]].

By the command of Imam Ali (a), one month after Muhammad arrived in Egypt, he wrote a letter to Deserters and ordered them to accept his rule or go out of Egypt. The Deserters did not accept that and responded: "Do not rush in fighting with us." Muhammad tolerated them for some time until the [[Battle of Siffin]] finished. At the beginning, the Deserters were also afraid of getting into conflict with Muhammad, but later when the situation became increasingly unstable, they rebelled. A number of wars occurred between them and Muhammad's army. Apparently, the latter came to the conclusion that he couldn't defeat them, so he signed a peace treaty with them which made them stay away from Fustat, the capital of Muhammad's rule. Later, the deserters emigrated to the lands under [[Mu'awiya]]'s rule and joined him. However, the situation got more complicated and Muhammad was unable to keep everything under his control, so Imam 'Ali (a) decided to replace Muhammd with someone more powerful and experienced—that is, [[Malik al-Ashtar]].

When the Battle of Siffin ended, Mu'awiya decided to invade [[Egypt]]. He wrote a letter to the chiefs of the Deserters and invited them to join him, and so more than ten thousand men from the Deserters joined the army of Mu'awiya, whose commander was 'Amr b. 'As.  In an unequal battle between the Syrian army and the army of Muhammad b. Abi Bakr, which consisted of only two thousand soldiers, the latter was defeated in al-Musannah.

[[File:Grave stone of Muhammad b. Abi Bakr in Egypt.jpg|thumbnail|Grave stone of Muhammad b. Abi Bakr in Egypt]]

It is also reported that after Muhammad's martyrdom, his sister [['A'isha]] would constantly curse [[Mu'awiya]], [['Amr b. al-'As]], and Mu'awiya b. Hudayj.

One of the children of Muhammad was Qasim (d. 92/710-711 or 108/726-727), a jurist and scholar of [[Medina]], who was one of the close companions of [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]] and [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]]. Qasim had a daughter called [[Umm Farwa]], who married Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a) and became the mother of [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]].

When [['Amr b. 'As]] invaded Egypt, he send this and other letters of Muhammad to [[Mu'awiya]] in [[Damascus]]. Mu'awiya preserved these letters in the Umayyad treasury. [['Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz]], the 8th Umayyad caliph, disclosed these letters at his time.