The Affair of the Ridda (Apostasy)

When the news of the Prophet’s ﷺ death became widely known throughout the regions, many tribes of the Arabs apostatized from Islam and refused to pay the zakat. Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may Allah be pleased with him, rose to fight them, but ʿUmar and others advised him to desist. Abū Bakr replied, “By Allah, if they were to withhold from me even a camel-hobble or a young she-goat which they used to hand over to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I would fight them for withholding it.”

ʿUmar said, “How can you fight people when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared, ‘I have been commanded to fight people until they say: Lā ilāha illā Allah and Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. Whoever says it has protected his life and wealth from me—except for what is owed—and his reckoning is with Allah’?”

Abū Bakr answered, “By Allah, I will surely fight anyone who separates prayer from zakat, for zakat is the rightful due on wealth, and the Prophet said: ‘except for what is owed.’” ʿUmar remarked, “By Allah, as soon as I saw that Allah had expanded Abū Bakr’s breast to carry on the fighting, I knew it was the truth.”

ʿUrwah and others relate: Abū Bakr set out with the Emigrants and the Helpers until he reached Naqʿan opposite Najd, and the Bedouins fled with their families. The people then spoke to Abū Bakr and said, “Return to Madīnah, to the children and the women. Appoint someone else over the army.” They persisted until he did return, appointing Khālid ibn al-Walīd in command. He instructed him, “If they embrace Islam and pay the alms, then whoever among you wishes may return.” Abū Bakr then went back to Madīnah.