During the era of Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the fitnah of irtidaad (apostasy) broke out in the ummah. At that crucial juncture, Allah Ta‘ala divinely aided Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) in combating the forces of kufr and preserving the Shari‘ah of Islam. Hence, it was Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) who had literally saved Islam. His words to Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), as recorded in the books of Hadith, ring out aloud, not in the ears, but in the hearts of the believers until this day:
أينقص الدين وأنا حي
“Will any weakness creep into Deen while I (Abu Bakr) am alive?”
Why did Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) conduct in this manner? The answer is that his concern for Deen was personal, just as one has personal concern for the protection of his family and belongings. This was on account of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) instructing every believer to safeguard and protect Deen.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كل رجل من المسلمين على ثغرة من ثغر الإسلام الله الله لا يؤتى الإسلام من قبلك (السنن للمروزي)
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Every person from the Muslims is on a frontier from the frontiers of Islam (i.e. every Muslim has a personal responsibility to defend Islam). Fear Allah! Fear Allah! It should not be that Islam is attacked from your direction (and you fall short in defending Islam).”
Three important lessons are understood from this Mubaarak Hadith:
1. Every Muslim is a representative of Islam and is shouldered with the responsibility of protecting and defending Islam according to his capacity.
2. Every Muslim, at every moment, should conduct like a true Muslim, so that his words and actions can be an invitation and attract others towards the beauty of Islam.
3. It should not be such that because of a person’s bad habits and wrong conduct, he himself becomes a means of bringing destruction to Islam and causing the disbelievers to have an incorrect impression regarding the Deen of Islam.
May Allah Ta‘ala reward the Khulafaa-e-Raashideen and the entire galaxy of Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) on behalf of the entire ummah for defending and preserving Deen. Had it not been for the illustrious Sahaabah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), the noble Qur’aan, the Mubaarak Ahaadith and the entire Deen of Islam would not have been preserved till this day.