Back to Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra)
Titles: Khalifatu Rasulillah
From the life of Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra)
From the life of Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra)
It is also recorded that aside from Atiq and Siddiq, Abu Bakr (ra) had other titles as well, such as “Khalifatu Rasulillah” [The Khalifa of the Messenger (sa) of Allah]. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was also known as Khalifatu Rasulillah, as it is recorded in a narration that a person once said to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra):
خَلِيْفَةُ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ
“O Khalifa of Allah!” Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) said, “Do not say Khalifa of Allah; rather, say Khalifa of the Messenger (sa) of Allah.”
(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Dhikr Bai‘at Abi Bakr Siddiq [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], p. 137)
That is, he was the successor to the Holy Prophet (sa) and he was content with this. In the commentary of Sahih Bukhari, Allama Badr al-Din Aini states that historians are unanimous in the fact that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was known as Khalifatu Rasulillah, and of course, this title was given to him after the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa) when he became a Khalifa.
(Umdatul-Qari, Kitab Bad‘ al-Khalq, Bab Manaqib al-Muhajirin wa Fadlihim, Vol. 16, p. 260, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, Beirut, 2003)
Thus, it cannot be said that this title was from the time of the Holy Prophet (sa); rather, this title was given to him by the people after the time of the Holy Prophet (sa), or Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) chose this title for himself.