Part 1 · Page 250
Abu Bakr’s Standing among Quraysh and His Call to Islam
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; variant explanations are attributed to the editor.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionAbu Bakr was sociable, well loved, and approachable. He was the most knowledgeable of Quraysh about its lineages and its history, both good and bad. He was a merchant, known for good character and generosity. Men of his people came to him for his knowledge, trade, and pleasant company. He began calling to Allah and Islam those among his people whom he trusted and who visited and sat with him.
The manuscripts differ in a word describing Abu Bakr’s sociability. The editor identifies his mother, Umm al-Khayr bint Sakhr, and records his father’s mother and his wife. For the biographies of the Companions mentioned in the following account, the editor relies on standard biographical works, including al-Isti‘ab, al-Isabah, Asad al-Ghabah, and Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, without repeating those references after each name.