Dear Islamic brothers! Let us listen to what the second Caliph of Islam, Sayyiduna ꜤUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said about his imam, Sayyiduna Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq:

لَوْ وُزِنَ اِیْمَانُ اَبِی بَکْرٍ بِاِیْمَانِ اَہْلِ الْاَرْضِ لَرَجَحَ بِہِمْ

If Abū Bakr’s faith was weighed against the faith of everyone on earth, his faith will outweigh them all.^[1]

Then he said:

وَدِتُّ اَنِّی شَعْرَۃٌ فِیْ صَدْرِ اَبِیْ بَکْرٍ

I wish I was a hair on Abū Bakr’s chest.^[2]

اَللہُ اَکْبَر O those who love Allah’s Messenger! Sayyiduna ꜤUmar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was a person of complete faith, yet he wished he was a hair on the chest of Sayyiduna Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ. This is the remarkable greatness of his faith. So, what is then our faith in comparison to that of Sayyiduna Abū Bakr’s? There is no comparison!

The meaning of Ṣiddīq al-Akbar

Dear Islamic brothers! One of the beautiful titles of Sayyiduna Abū Bakr رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ is Ṣiddīq al-Akbar. Who gave him this title, and why? Allah granted him this title, angel Jibrīl عَلَیْہِ السَّلَام called out to him with these words, and Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم used this title for him. Let’s find out what it means.