Islamiyat · May / June 2025 · Paper 21 · Question 3

Write about how Abu Bakr set the example of leadership as the first Caliph of Islam.

Use AO1 Levels of Response.

This question requires candidates to give an account of how Abu Bakr led the ummah as the first caliph and displayed his leadership skills.

Abu Bakr led the ummah with strong faith, wisdom, courage, justice, compassion, and patience. He was a good administrator and was always available to the people. He had a high sense of morality and piety, and this is reflected in his first speech as khalifa.

He also by following the orders of the Prophet (pbuh) such as sending the expedition to Syria made clear that the Prophet (pbuh) had to be followed in all matters, setting a leadership quality of obeying the sunna that should be followed by all Muslim leaders.

Maintaining the unity and solidarity of the ummah by putting down the uprisings that began after the death of the Prophet (pbuh) also displayed his leadership skills as a skilled and strategic general.

Another leadership quality displayed by Abu Bakr was his administrative skills. As the first caliph he laid the foundations of a truly democratic state, he established the majlis e shura where affairs of the state were discussed with the prominent Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and he took decisions in the light of ijm’a.

He divided the caliphate into provinces for better governance. Islamic law was imposed while at the same time non-Muslims were free to follow their own faith, and their life and property were protected by the state. He encouraged education and appointed preachers to teach the principles of Islam to the masses.

His sense of financial integrity was yet another leadership quality. He set up a state treasury of which he regarded himself as a trustee.

He lived humbly and treated his time as caliph as a service to the ummah. He led and worked towards establishing an Islamic state on the same principles which were set by the Prophet (pbuh) when he led as the caliph of Arabia. Candidates could write about Abu Bakr’s leadership qualities other than the ones given above.

All valid responses are to be credited.

In your opinion which was the greatest service of Abu Bakr as Caliph? Give reasons to support your answer.

Use AO2 Levels of Response.

Candidates need to choose any one service of Abu Bakr as caliph and say why in their opinion it was the greatest.

A great service by him for the Muslims could be said to be the compilation of the Qur’an. Or candidates could say how he upheld the Pillar of zakat and prevented the practice of Islam from being corrupted.

Any choice made by the candidate when backed with valid reasons is acceptable. The mark will depend on the quality of understanding offered.