Hazrat Ali’s (ra) Pledge of Allegiance (Hazrat Musleh Mau’d’s (ra) Narration)

Narration 1

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:

“Look to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and observe that he was just an ordinary merchant in Mecca. If the Holy Prophet (sa) was not raised as a prophet and the history of Mecca was still recorded, all that would be said about Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) is that he was a noble and honest Arab merchant. However, for his devotion to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), he attained a rank that granted him respect and reverence around the entire world. When the Holy Prophet (sa) passed away and when the Muslims elected Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) as their caliph and king, this news spread to Mecca. A large gathering had formed in which the father of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), Abu Quhafah, was also present. When he heard that the people had pledged allegiance to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), he could not come to terms with it. In astonishment, he asked the news bearer about which Abu Bakr he was referring to. He replied, ‘None other than your son, Abu Bakr.’ He began to site the names of every Arab tribe and asked, ‘Have they also pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr?’ And when he was told that everyone had unanimously chosen Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) to be their caliph and leader, then Abu Quhafah could not help but to remark:

أَشْهَدُ‭ ‬أَنْ‭ ‬لَّا‭ ‬إِلٰهَ‭ ‬إِلَّا‭ ‬اللّٰهُ‭ ‬وَحْدَهُ‭ ‬لَا‭ ‬شَرِيْـكَ‭ ‬لَهُ‭ ‬وَأَشْهَدُ‭ ‬أَنَّ‭ ‬مُحَمَّدًا‭ ‬عَبْـدُهُ‭ ‬وَرَسُوْلُهُ

“That is, ‘I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah the Almighty and that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is His servant and messenger.’”

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) continues:

“This was despite the fact that Hazrat Abu Quhafah (ra) was already a Muslim and had pledged allegiance to the Holy Prophet (sa). The reason he recited the declaration of faith and reaffirmed the prophethood of the Holy Prophet (sa) was because the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was a stark realisation and he understood this to be a substantial proof of the truthfulness of Islam. [He said], ‘Otherwise, my son was not someone under whom all of Arabia could have united.’”

(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 6, pp. 205-206)

Narration 2

Whilst mentioning this on another occasion, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:

“Ponder over the condition of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) prior to his acceptance of Islam. His father was still alive when he became the Khalifa and someone congratulated him that Abu Bakr (ra) had become the Khalifa. Upon this, he asked, ‘Which Abu Bakr?’ to which he replied, ‘Your son’. Even then he was not convinced and said it was probably someone else. However, when he was informed that indeed it was Abu Bakr (ra), he proclaimed, ‘Allah is the Greatest! How lofty is the grandeur of Muhammad (sa) in that the son of Abu Quhafah has been accepted by the Arabs as their leader!’ Thus, Abu Bakr (ra) possessed no worldly rank, but he attained such honour owing to his subservience to the Holy Prophet (sa) that even today hundreds of thousands of people are proud to associate themselves with him.”

(Khitab Jalsa Salana 17 March 1919, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 4, p. 425)