Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr

Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
مُحَمَّد بْن أَبِي بَكْر
Islamic miniature depicting Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr (left) telling Aisha of her pardon by his lord, Ali
Governor of Egypt
In office
657–658
CaliphAli
Preceded byQays ibn Sa'd
Succeeded byMalik al-Ashtar
Amr ibn al-As
Personal details
Bornc. 631
Mecca, Hejaz
Diedc. July/August 658(658-00-00) (aged 26–27)
Egypt
Relations
Children
Parents
Military service
Allegiance
Years of service656–658
Battles/wars

Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi Quhafa al-Taymi (Arabic: مُحَمَّد بْن أَبِي بَكْر بْن أَبِي قُحَافَة, romanized: Muḥammad ibn ʾAbī Bakr ibn ʾAbī Quḥāfa; c. 632–July/August 658) was an Arab commander and a prominent partisan of the fourth Rashidun caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib. He was the youngest son of the first caliph, Abu Bakr, and Asma bint Umays. Following his father's death, he was raised in the household of Ali, becoming one of his most loyal supporters.[1]

Muhammad played a controversial role in the revolt against the third caliph, Uthman, serving as a leader of the Egyptian delegation that besieged the Caliph's residence in Medina.[2] During the First Fitna, he fought alongside Ali at the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffin. In 658, Ali appointed him Governor of Egypt, where he was ultimately defeated and killed by the forces of Mu'awiya I led by Amr ibn al-As.[3]

He is highly regarded in Shia Islam for his devotion to Ali, despite his sister Aisha's opposition to the Caliph. His son, Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, became a renowned jurist in Medina and is considered one of the Seven Fuqaha of Medina.[4]

Birth and early life

He was a son of Abū Bakr from his marriage with Asma bint Umays. When Abu Bakr died, Asma bint Umais married Ali ibn Abi Talib. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr had a son named Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr's wife was called Asma and she was the daughter of Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr who was Abu Bakr's other son. The daughter of Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Asma was called Fatima (Umm Farwah).

Role in the revolt against Uthman

Main article: Uprisings against Uthman (654–656)
Map showing the centers of rebellion against Uthman and the movement of the Egyptian delegation led by Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.

In April 656, a delegation of between 400 and 700 Egyptians arrived in Medina under the ostensible purpose of performing the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). This group was led by Abd al-Rahman ibn Udays, Sudan ibn Humran, and Amr ibn al-Hamiq.[5] Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr had arrived in Medina ahead of the main rebel force to coordinate their efforts.[1] The rebels initially camped at Dhu Khushub, a night's journey north of the city, on May 1, 656 (1 Dhu al-Qa'da 35 AH).[1]

Following initial negotiations, the rebels began to withdraw from Medina after Uthman promised to address their grievances and replace the governor of Egypt, Abd Allah ibn Sa'd, with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. However, three days into their return journey, the rebels intercepted a messenger carrying a letter bearing the Caliph’s official seal.[6] The letter, addressed to the governor of Egypt, contained orders to execute Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and other rebel leaders upon their arrival.[6][7]

The rebels returned to Medina and besieged Uthman's residence. Uthman denied any knowledge of the letter, swearing he had neither written nor ordered it. While Hugh Kennedy suggests the Caliph may have been responsible,[8] Wilferd Madelung notes that contemporaries like Ali and Muhammad ibn Maslama suspected Uthman's secretary, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, of forging the document using the Caliph's seal.[9][10]

During the final assault on the palace, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr entered the Caliph's chambers through a neighboring building.[2] According to historical accounts, he was the first to "lay violent hands" upon Uthman, seizing him by his beard.[2] However, after a brief exchange in which Uthman reminded him of his father’s respect for the Caliph, Muhammad reportedly felt ashamed and withdrew from the room, leaving the final fatal blows to be dealt by others.[9]

Governorship of Egypt

Following the Battle of Siffin, Ali appointed Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as the Governor of Egypt. Muhammad's tenure was marked by significant internal strife. According to Norman Calder, the turmoil in the province resulted from a lack of popular support for Ali's rule and Muhammad's specific administration; this political vacuum paved the way for the Uthmanids (pro-Uthman factions) to gain support for their own agenda against the central caliphate.[11]

Muhammad struggled to maintain control over the various factions in Egypt. Lesley Hazleton notes that Ali eventually acknowledged Muhammad was an "inexperienced young man" for such a volatile post.[12] Consequently, Ali attempted to replace him with his most seasoned general, Malik al-Ashtar. However, Malik died under suspicious circumstances believed by many to be poisoning before reaching Egypt, leaving Muhammad to face the impending Umayyad invasion alone.[3]

Defeat and Death

Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr's grave in Fustat, Egypt

In July 658, Mu'awiyah I dispatched an army of six thousand soldiers under Amr ibn al-As to Egypt, responding to a request for intervention from the pro-Uthman mutineers.[13] Muhammad's troops were defeated by Amr's forces, and the provincial capital of Fustat was captured.[13]

Following the rout, Muhammad attempted to find refuge in a nearby ruin but was captured by the pro-Uthman rebels led by Mu'awiya ibn Hudayj.[13] Accounts of his final moments describe a sharp exchange with his captors; despite his status as the son of the first Caliph, his request for water was denied.[3] Ibn Hudayj executed him out of hand following a personal quarrel. In a final act of desecration, the rebels reportedly sewed Muhammad's body into the skin of a dead donkey and burned it.[3]

Legacy

The Shi'a highly praise Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr for his devotion to ‘Ali and his resistance to the other rulers who were usurpers. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was a pious Muslim who supported the Imam of his time, Ali ibn Abi Talib, even though his sister Aisha opposed ‘Ali in the battle of the Camel, Ibn Abu Bakr was faithful to his stepfather. And he was in Ali's army in the Battle of the Camel and later it was Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr who escorted Aisha back to Madina. His grand daughter Fatima (Umm Farwah) was wife of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir. Thus Shi'a Imam after Imam Muhammad al-Baqir were his descendants from the mother side, starting with the great legal doctor of the Shi'a, Hanafi and Maliki Sunnis, Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.

According to a Shi'a Muslim author:

"‘Ali loved Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr as his own son and his death was felt as another terrible shock. ‘Ali prayed for him, and invoked God's blessings and mercy upon his soul."[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Madelung 1997, p. 136.
  2. ^ a b c Wellhausen 1927, p. 50.
  3. ^ a b c d Madelung 1997, p. 268.
  4. ^ Buhl 1987, p. 669.
  5. ^ Madelung 1997, pp. 136–137.
  6. ^ a b Rida 2006, p. 59.
  7. ^ Aslan 2011, p. 128.
  8. ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 63.
  9. ^ a b Madelung 1997, p. 138.
  10. ^ Subhani 2019, p. 281.
  11. ^ Calder, Mojaddedi & Rippin 2004.
  12. ^ Hazleton 2009, p. 148.
  13. ^ a b c Kennedy 1998, p. 69.
  14. ^ Razwy 1996.

Bibliography

  • Calder, Norman; Mojaddedi, Jawid; Rippin, Andrew (2004). Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-55171-2.
  • Hazleton, Lesley (2009). After The Prophet. United States: Anchor books. ISBN 978-0-385-52394-3.
  • Buhl, Fr. (1987). "Muḥammad b. Abī Bakr". In Houtsma, M. Th. (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, First Edition (1913–1936). Vol. 6. Brill. p. 669. doi:10.1163/2214-871X_ei1_SIM_4763. ISBN 978-9004082656.
  • Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64696-0.
  • Wellhausen, J. (1927). The Arab Kingdom and Its Fall. Translated by Weir, M.G. University of Calcutta. OCLC 752790641.
  • Kennedy, Hugh (2004). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century. Routledge. ISBN 978-0582405257.
  • Subhani, Ayatollah Ja‘far (2019). Resplendence of Wilāyah: An Analytical Biography of Imam ʿAlī. ICAS Press. ISBN 978-1-907905-48-3.
  • Rida, Mohammad (2006). Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb: The Fourth Caliph. Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah. ISBN 978-2-7451-5531-3.
  • Aslan, Reza (2011). No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. Random House. ISBN 978-1407009285.
  • Razwy, Sayyid Ali Ashgar (1996). A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims. World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities. ISBN 978-0950366630.
  • Beck, Sanderson (2004). Middle East & Africa to 1875. World Peace Communications. ISBN 978-0976256618.
  • Kennedy, Hugh (1998). "Egypt as a Province in the Islamic Caliphate, 641–868". In Petry, Carl F. (ed.). The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1: Islamic Egypt, 640–1517. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 62–85. ISBN 0-521-47137-0.
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