The life of the first Rightly-Guided Caliph, Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him) is a valuable roadmap for the Muslims of today. One of the first people to believe and embrace the Prophet’s Message of Islam, Abu Bakr remained a close companion of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) throughout the Prophet’s life. Appointed as the Prophet’s successor on the basis of consultation, Abu Bakr proved to be a great leader who, with Allah’s help, steered the Ummah through difficult times. He faced numerous challenges within Arabia: some people apostatized, others refused to pay zakâh, and quite a few individuals emerged as false prophets, attracting many followers. Outside Arabia, the Persians and Byzantines keenly observed these developments, looking for an opportunity to crush the new state. Abu Bakr employed effective strategies to deal with these challenges and had remarkable success in doing so. Thus, he paved way for the Islamic conquests that toppled tyrants and carried the message of Islam to the entire world. His leadership should be a great source of inspiration for the Muslims today.

This book describes, among other things, the principles based upon which ‘Umar ibn al-khattab governed the Muslims during his caliphate; among those principles were mutual consultation, justice, equality among people, and honoring of freedoms.

With the turn of every page, the reader will come to appreciate the fact that Umar was exceptional in his faith, distinguished in his knowledge, profoundly wise in his thinking, remarkable in his eloquence, noble in his manners and great in the contributions he made to this nation.