Abu Bakr

After the first words of the Qur'an

that he learned to recite in the cave at Hira,

back in Makkah the Messenger was given the first part of the Surah that begins with the letter Nun,

and the first line

"By the Pen and what it writes",

but then there was silence,

and he heard no more words from God for several months.

During this time he wondered if he had in fact been mistaken

in believing that God wanted him for a Messenger

or thought that perhaps he had proved to be unworthy of receiving God's Message.

But then he received the Surah known as Ad-Duha,

the extraordinarily beautiful words of which

reassured him of God's trust in him.

And now things had to change,

as the last verse of this surah told the Messenger that he had to speak out

about the blessings that were due to the One God,

Allah,

whereas previously the events of Hira had been kept secret

except for those closest to the Messenger.

After all,

they could see that this challenge to the tribal idols around the Ka'aba

was going to cause them problems.

So in the beginning,

after Khadija, there were very few

people who knew of what was happening,

members of the family, 'Ali and Zayd,

and a few trusted friends and advisors

such as Waraqa,

and Muhammad's closest friend, Abu Bakr.

Their friendship went back to the time when

the young Muhammad had been present at the pact of Hilf-ul-Fudul,

along with his uncle Zubayr,

because on that occasion there had been another young man present

along with his father Abu Quhafa of Taym.

Abu Bakr was a year or two younger than Muhammad,

and this meeting was to be the start of a long friendship.

And in the early days of the Message, 'Ali was just a boy,

and Zayd had no influence amongst the people of Makkah,

but Abu Bakr was liked and respected,

easy to talk to

and well-known for his wide knowledge,

so lots of people would come to ask his advice about things.

And now Abu Bakr began to speak out to those he felt he could trust,

urging them to follow the Messenger.

Along with this new openness,

Muhammad also began to teach his followers a new way of praying,

as one day, when he was alone on the high ground above Makkah,

Jibril had come to him

showing him how to pray in the way that we now know as the Sala

Jibril first struck the ground with his heel,

whereupon a spring gushed out from it.

He then showed Muhammad how to purify himself with water before the prayer,

then taught him the positions, the movements and words,

and the Messenger followed his example.

Then Jibril left, and Muhammad returned to his house

and taught Khadija what he had just learned

and they prayed together.

With that, Islam took its shape

from the Wudhu, the Sala, and the words of the Qur'an,

and from that point all those who chose to follow the Messenger

also followed this way of worship.

Abu Bakr was one of the first to pray behind Muhammad,

and later, in the mosque at Yathrib,

if the Messenger could not be there,

it was Abu Bakr who would lead the Sala.