Similarities with the First Successor of Prophet Moses (as), Challenges & Success
The details of how Allah the Almighty granted success to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) in order to completely eliminate these precarious circumstances, calamities and disorder will be mentioned further on. However, a detailed extract of the “The Just Arbiter”, the Promised Messiah (as), will be presented in which the Promised Messiah (as) has mentioned the similarities between Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and the first successor of Prophet Moses (as), Joshua, son of Nun, and also the difficulties and challenges faced by Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and the victory and success he was granted. The Promised Messiah (as) writes:
“The verse whereby the resemblance between the successors of the Mosaic dispensation and the successors of the Holy Prophet (sa) has been categorically and emphatically declared as follows:
وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِينَ اٰمَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُواْ الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِي الۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ
“That is, ‘Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely, make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them.’ [Ch.24: V.56]
“When we ponder over the word that signifies resemblance and thus makes it incumbent for there to be similarities between the successors of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the successors of Prophet Moses (as), we must accept that Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was to establish the first foundation of this similarity and the final similarity was to be demonstrated by the Messiah, who was the last Khalifa of the Holy Prophet (sa).
“The similitude of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), who was the first Khalifa, is like that of Joshua, son of Nun. After the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa), God chose him for the station of Khilafat and He breathed in him a spirit of wisdom more than He did to anyone else. To the extent that all doubts and difficulties that could have arisen in the time of the Seal of the Caliphs [i.e. the Promised Messiah], regarding the false belief that Jesus [son of Mary] was alive, had been removed by Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) with the utmost clarity. The companions unanimously accepted that all previous prophets had passed away and not a single one of them believed otherwise. In fact, all the companions obeyed Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) in all matters, just like the Israelites obeyed Joshua, son of Nun, after the death of Moses (as). God provided succour and help to Moses and Joshua, just as he supported the Holy Prophet (sa) and Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) after him.”
“Yashu” son of Nun and “Yusha” son of Nun are the names of the same person.
(Qamus al-Kitab, p. 1144, Under the word “Yusha”)
The Promised Messiah (as) further states:
“In reality, just as He did with Joshua, son of Nun, God Almighty blessed Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) so much so that no enemy could challenge him. Similarly, the unfinished matter of Usama’s (ra) army, which was similar to the tasks that remained unfinished in the time of Moses (as), was fulfilled by Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra).
“There is another extraordinary similarity between Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Joshua, and that is when Moses (as) passed away, the first person Allah the Almighty informed, by means of revelation, was Joshua. This was to save the Jews from falling into doubt or error with regard to the death of Moses (as), as has been mentioned in the opening chapter of the book of Joshua (as) [in the Old Testament]. In the same manner, the first person to accept wholeheartedly that the Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away was Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). He kissed the blessed body of the Holy Prophet (sa) and said, ‘You were pure in this life and even after death you remain pure.’ Then, before a large gathering, he removed all those doubts with regard to the Holy Prophet (sa) being alive that had persisted in the mind of some companions, by reciting a verse of the Holy Quran. At the same time, he uprooted the belief held by certain people – owing to not pondering over the sayings of the Holy Prophet (sa) – that the Messiah (as) [son of Mary] was alive. Just as Joshua (as), destroyed the enemies of the faith who spread falsehood and disorder, in the same way, many mischief-makers and false claimants of prophethood were killed at the hands of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra).
“Prophet Moses (as) died in such a precarious time when the Israelites had not yet attained victory against the Canaanites, and were yet to accomplish many feats. All the while the cries of the enemies grew even more prominent after the death of Moses (as) which created an even more perilous situation. Likewise, a dangerous period followed the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa). Many tribes in Arabia abandoned their faith, some refused to pay the Zakat and many false claimants to prophethood rose up. Such perilous time required a strong, brave and valiant Khalifa, who had unwavering faith and determination, and thus Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was appointed the Khalifa. And as soon as he was appointed as the Khalifa, he had to face many great sorrows and hardship, as explained by the saying of Hazrat Aisha (ra) that ‘owing to dissension and rebellion, some tribes rose up as did certain false claimants to prophethood. They did this at a time when my father had been appointed as the Khalifa after the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa). So many trials and sorrows befell him, that had they descended upon a mountain, it would have broken into pieces and fallen to the ground.’ However, it is the law of nature that whenever a Khalifa is appointed after the demise of a prophet, a spirit is breathed into them, which instils them with bravery, courage, resolve, wisdom and a strong heart; just like Allah the Almighty says to Joshua son of Nun in the Book of Joshua, chapter 1, verse 6, ‘Be strong and of good courage.’ That is to say that since Moses (as) had passed away, now he must stand strong. The same was revealed upon the heart of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) not as an injunction of the Sharia, but as a divine decree. The equivalence and similarity in the incidents make it seem as though Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafah and Joshua, son of Nun are the same person. The similarity of their successorship has become established with the utmost clarity. When looking at the similarities between two established communities, it is natural to look at the first person or the last person. Usually, people do not consider it necessary to look at the similarities during the middle period of both communities, which requires more careful investigation and research. Instead, it is based on the first and last. For this reason, the similarities between Joshua and Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) – who were the first Caliphs of their respective communities – and also the similarities between Jesus, son of Mary, and the Promised Messiah of this Ummah – who were the last caliphs of their respective communities, have become manifest with full clarity. For example, the resemblance between Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Joshua is so striking that it is as if they are one person, like two pieces of the same gemstone. Thus, after the demise of Moses (as), all of the Israelites hearkened to the call of Joshua and none from among them quarrelled in this matter and instead obeyed him, so too did this incident take place in the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). Despite shedding tears at the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa), everyone wholeheartedly accepted the Khilafat of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra).
“Thus, from every aspect, the similarity of Joshua (as) with Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) can be proven. God supported Joshua (as) with His divine succour, as he would support Moses (as). In the same manner, God blessed the work of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) for all the companions to see, and his prestige grew just as it does in the case of prophets. Having been imbued with power and might from God Almighty, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) destroyed the false claimants of prophethood and those who tried to create disorder. This was so the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, understand that Allah is with Abu Bakr (ra), just as he was with the Holy Prophet (sa).
“Another remarkable similarity between Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Joshua (as), son of Nun is that after the demise of Prophet Moses (as), Joshua had to cross a dangerous river called the Jordan River, along with his army. The river was turbulent and to cross it seemed impossible. However, if they were not able to cross this dangerous river, it was plausible that the Israelites would perish at the hands of their enemies. Thus, after the demise of Prophet Moses (as), this was the first perilous situation faced by Joshua (as) in his ministry. During this trial, God Almighty saved Joshua (as), son of Nun and his army through the power of His miracle and caused the river to dry up, which enabled them to cross over easily. The reason it dried was due to the ebb and flow of the river or then an extraordinary miracle. Nonetheless, this is how God saved the Israelites from this danger and from perishing at the hands of the enemy. After the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa), the rightful caliph – Abu Bakr (ra) – and the companions, who numbered more than 100,000 faced a similar grave situation, in fact, it was even more dangerous; that was in the form of a fierce rebellion which swept throughout the land. It was certain that those Arab Bedouins, regarding whom Allah the Almighty had said:
قَالَتِ الۡأَعۡرَابُ ءَامَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمۡ تُؤۡمِنُواْ وَلٰكِنْ قُولُوٓاْ أَسۡلَمۡنَا وَلَمَّا يَدۡخُلِ الۡإِيمٰنُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمۡ
would show dissent, so that this prophecy would be fulfilled.”
The translation of the verse is: “The Arabs of the desert say, ‘We believe.’ Say, ‘You have not believed yet, but rather say, ‘We have submitted’, for true belief has not yet entered into your hearts.’”
Nonetheless, the Promised Messiah (as) continues:
“This is exactly what transpired and they all became apostates. Some of them refused to pay the Zakat and some claimed to be prophets and several hundreds of thousands of wretched individuals rallied behind them. The force of the enemies grew so much that the number of the companions was no match in comparison. A fierce storm of opposition swept throughout the land. This scenario was far more dangerous than the one faced by Joshua (as), son of Nun. After the demise of Moses (as), Joshua (as) was embroiled in a grave trial, whereby they faced a tempestuous river and had no boats with which to cross it; all the while the threat of the enemy lingered around them. Similarly, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was faced with the trial of the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa), as well as a storm of opposition from the rebelling Arab tribes. A second trial – which was in the form of false claimants of prophethood – gave strength to the first trial. This trial was not anything less than the trial faced by Joshua (as), son of Nun, but in fact was much more dangerous. Thus, the Word of God gave strength to Joshua (as), wherein He stated, ‘the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’, and, ‘Be strong and brave. Do not be discouraged.’ This gave strength to Joshua (as) and filled him with resolve and faith, the like of which develops when one is reassured by God. Likewise, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) drew strength from God when faced with a storm of rebellion. Anyone who is familiar with this period of Islamic history can concur that the trial faced by Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was so grave, that were it not for the Hand of God beside Abu Bakr (ra), and if Islam was not a religion sent by God and if Abu Bakr (ra) was not the true Caliph, then on that day, Islam would have been annihilated. So, as was the case with Prophet Joshua (as), Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) also drew strength from God’s pure word, because God Almighty had previously foretold of this trial in the Holy Quran. Thus, whosoever deliberates over the following verse, will become certain beyond any doubt that this trial had already been mentioned in the Holy Quran; and that prophecy was:
وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِي الۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَيُمَكِّننَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنًا ۚ يَعۡبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشۡرِكُونَ بِي شَيۡـًٔا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوْنَ
“Meaning that ‘Allah has promised the pious believers that he would make them successors in the earth, similar to the successors He made in the past and would appoint vicegerents in this ummah, like he appointed vicegerents after Prophet Moses (as).’”
The Promised Messiah (as) has himself written this explanatory translation.
The Promised Messiah (as) further says:
“’He would appoint vicegerents in this ummah, like he appointed vicegerents after Prophet Moses (as) and he would establish for them their religion, (i.e. Islam) which He has chosen for them, He would reinforce this religion and give them in exchange security and peace after their fear. They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me’. Deliberate over this verse which clearly states that there will be a period of fear wherein peace would fade away. However, God will transform this period of fear into a period of peace and security. Thus, this period of fear fell upon Joshua (as), son of Nun, and just as the Word of God assured him, in the same way, the Word of God assured Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra).”
(Tohfah Golarwiyyah, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 17, pp. 183-189)