Abu Bakr did not endure the poverty of Abu Dharr or Bilal, yet he surpassed them.
He did not narrate thousands of ahadith like Abu Hurayrah or Anas, yet he surpassed them.
He was not tortured like Khabab or Sumayyah, yet he surpassed them.
He was not severely injured in battle like Talhah or Khalid, yet he surpassed them.
He was not martyred in battle like Hamzah or Mus’ab, yet he surpassed them.
What then was the secret behind Abu Bakr’s superiority?
Bakr ibn ‘Abdillah al-Muzani tells us: “Abu Bakr did not surpass them through numerous fasts and prayers but with something that was deeply rooted in his heart.”
Brothers and sisters, many times we focus on the actions of the limbs and we forget the actions of the heart.
In this Dunya, the distance we travel is measured by the strides of our legs, but the distance we travel in our journey toward the Akhirah is measured by the strides of our hearts.
O’ Allah, fill our hearts with faith, love, and caring.
The Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself remarked, “I called people to Islam, everybody thought over it, at least for a while, but this was not the case with Abu Bakr, the moment I put Islam before him, he accepted it without any hesitation.” Thus the Blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) titled him as-Siddiq (the Truthful) because his faith was too strong to be shaken by anything.
in addition to this for the tabuk expedition, donated all his wealth and said…when asked by Rasool Allah sallal laho alehe wassalam what you have left for your family…he Radi Allah ta’allah said..Allah and Rasool are enough for them…nobody could beat him…
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) delivered a khutbah and said: “Allaah has given a slave the choice between this world and what is with Him, and he chose what is with Him.”
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) began to weep, and I said to myself, “What is making this old man cry if Allaah has given a slave the choice between this world and what is with Him, and he chose what is with Him?”
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was that slave, and Abu Bakr was the most knowledgeable of us. He said, “O Abu Bakr, do not weep. Abu Bakr has favoured me greatly with his companionship and his wealth. If I were to have taken a close friend among my ummah, I would have chosen Abu Bakr, but the brotherhood of Islam is sufficient. Do not leave any door to the mosque without closing it off, apart from the door of Abu Bakr.” **Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 466; Muslim, 2382 **
. That “something” rooted in his r.a., heart, what was it?