Occupation Before Islam & Status Amongst the Quraish

With regard to Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) occupation before the advent of Islam and his status among the Quraish, there is a narration in Tarikh al-Tabari which states, “Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was loved and respected among his people. He possessed a soft nature. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) had the most knowledge with respect to the lineage of the Quraish and knew all the positive and negative aspects of it. He was a trader by profession and possessed good morals and virtues. The Quraish would approach Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) for a number of reasons and loved him dearly”, i.e. due to his knowledge and experience and also his beneficial gatherings.

(Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 1, Tarikh ma Qabl al-Hijrah [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah], pp. 540-541)

Muhammad Husain Haikal writes:

“All of the Quraish were merchants and every person of the Quraish was involved in trade. Thus, when Abu Bakr (ra) grew up, he began trading in clothes, in which he achieved great success. Soon enough, he became known as one of the most successful merchants in Mecca. One big reason for his success in trading was his charismatic personality and exceptional morals.”

(Muhammad Husain Haikal, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq Akbar (ra) – translated by Shaikh Ahmad Panipati, p. 41, Ilm-o-Irfan Publications, Lahore, 2004)

When the Holy Prophet (sa) made his claim to prophethood, Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) total wealth amounted to 40,000 dirhams. Through his wealth, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) would free slaves and help the Muslims, to the extent that when Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) migrated to Medina, he only had 5,000 dirhams remaining.

(Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah, Vol. 4, Dhikr Abdillah bin Uthman [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2005], p. 148)