Allowance After Appointment as Khalifa

There are some details with regard to Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) allowance being fixed after he was appointed as the Khalifa. After becoming the Khalifa, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) came to Medina. Upon assessing his responsibilities, he realised that he would not be able to properly deal with the affairs of the people if he was still engaged in his trade business. Hence, it was essential for him to be completely free from all other tasks in order to remain completely focused [on the affairs of the people], but at the same time, he also had to provide for his household. And so, he left his trade business and would take some funds daily from the bait-ul-maal [treasury] in order to cover his and his family’s expenses. A yearly allowance of 6,000 dirhams was approved to be taken from the Bait-ul-Maal for his personal expenses.

(Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2, Sanah 13 AH [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1987], p. 354)

This was sufficient enough to cover his and his family’s needs. However, as the time of his demise drew near, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) instructed his family members that the money he had taken from the bait-ul-maal should be returned in its entirety. He instructed that such and such land of his should be sold and whatever he had taken from the wealth of the Muslims till that day ought to be repaid from the sale of that land. After the demise of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), when Hazrat Umar (ra) became the Khalifa, he received the money [from that land] and upon this he began to cry and said, “O Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra)! You have left a huge burden of responsibility upon the successor after you.”

(Muhammad Husain Haikal, Hazrat Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra)[Book Corner, Jhelum], p. 122)