Foreign Policy of Abu Bakr (R.A.) - An Overview

In terms of foreign policy, Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) sought to achieve a number of goals during the period of his Caliphate; the most important of those goals are;

1. Instilling a Sense of Awe and Fear in the Hearts of Foreign Leaders and Peoples

A country that is not feared by other countries can never achieve stability or security; rather, it will constantly be eyed by other countries as an easy target – a country that is ripe for an invasion. Abu Bakr (R.A.) understood this reality all too well, which is why one of his main foreign policy goals was to instill fear into the hearts of the enemy. During the early days of his Caliphate, he achieved that goal in two ways.

First, he fought against and defeated apostate rebels. To be sure, Abu Bakr’s primary goal was to bring stability to the region; nonetheless, a secondary goal was to show the powers of foreign nations that Muslims were capable of overcoming all treats and challenges.

The leaders of foreign nations were observing the goings-on of Arabia very closely. And by foreign nations, I mean, first and foremost, the leaders of both the Roman and Persian Empires. Prior to the advent of Islam, the only two major superpowers were Roma and Persia; Arabs, if they had any importance at all on the world stage, were alternately used by their Roman and Persian overlords to fight wars on their behalf. Also, certain Arab lands acted as a buffer zone between Roman and Persian territory. But now Muslims were rising up; even during his own lifetime, the Prophet (Sallahu Alaihi Wasalam) had sent armies to clash with and test the strength of Roman armies. Therefore, the Romans, as well as the Persians, had a vested interest in what was happening in Arabia. And much to their chagrin, they watched as Muslim armies destroyed one apostate army after another. Consequently, Roman and Persian leaders came to realize that the Muslim nation was becoming stronger and was increasingly posing a more serious threat with the passing of every day. That the Muslims quickly and decisively overcame internal threats that were not minor in nature certainly made Romans and Persians think many times over before planning an attack on Arabia. Their hesitation, which was a result of fear and a desire not to suffer great losses, came back to haunt them when, rather than attack their Arab neighbors, it was their Arab neighbors who attacked them and invaded their lands.

And second, Abu Bakr (R.A.) sent out Usaamah’s army. Instilling fear into the hearts of the enemy was one of the main goals Abu Bakr (R.A.) had a mind when he decided to sent out Usaamah’s army. The Romans in particular had every reason to be afraid. They knew that, with the uprising of apostates, the entire Arabian Peninsula had been thrown into a state of chaos; and yet they were seeing with their very own eyes that the so-called beleaguered Muslim state had just sent a large army to invade Roman controlled-land. The sheer audacity of the invasion at once baffled and terrified the Romans. What made matters worse was the fact that Usaamah’s army succeeded in its mission, defeating enemies that were loyal to the Romans, and taking back with them spoils of war. Consequently, the Roman Emperor, Haraql, sent tens of thousands of Roman soldiers to guard the border between Ash-Sham and Arabia.

The Persians had every reason to be afraid as well, for no doubt news of Usaamah’s army reached Persian leaders, who began to fear for the safety and security of Persian lands – Particularly Iraq. Persian leaders, fearing the growing strength of Muslims, allied themselves to apostate rebels, providing them with both moral and material support in their war against Muslims. So, with the use of minimal force, Abu Bakr (R.A.) succeeded in sending a clear message to the leaders of foreign empires, and that message was this: it would not be long before the Muslims carried out an all-out invasion of foreign lands, and they were coming with soldiers who yearned for death just as much as enemy soldiers yearned for life.

2. Continuing the Expansion that had been initiated by the Prophet (Sallahu Alaihi Wasalam)

Ever since the early years of the Prophet’s mission, Islam has always been an expansionary force. Islam, after all, is not meant for a single tribe, group, or nation, but for all of mankind. Therefore, Muslims, those whose duty it is to convey Islam to others, must constantly strive to break down the barriers that prevent the message of Islam from being heard by foreign peoples; hence the spreading of Islam from Makkah, to Al-Madinah, and to the rest of Arabia, and then the spreading of Islam to Iraq and Ash-Sham (Syria and surrounding regions).

No one was closer to the Prophet (Sallahu Alaihi Wasalam) than was Abu Bakr (R.A.); in fact, after ‘Esha prayer, they would sit together and discuss the affairs of the Muslim nation. And so, Abu Bakr (R.A.) having spent so much time with the Prophet (Sallahu Alaihi Wasalam) understood not just the importance of the aim spreading Islam, but also the means and the strategy that needed to be employed in order to achieve that aim. Or in other words, Abu Bakr (R.A.) understood that military operations were the chief means of breaking down barriers that prevented Islam from being conveyed to other peoples. Therefore, if Persian leaders refused to embrace Islam and if Persian peoples remained polytheists, it was Abu Bakr’s duty to send armies to conquer the Persian Empire.

 In sending out armies to foreign lands, Abu Bakr (R.A.) had to keen understanding of the maxim which states that he who hesitates is lost. If Abu Bakr (R.A.) were to delay, the enemy would be emboldened, and it would be the Romans who invaded Muslim lands instead of Muslims invading Roman lands. And so, no sooner did the Apostate wars come to an end than Abu Bakr (R.A.) sent out armies to Iraq, and then later to Ash-Sham.

Abu Bakr’s commanders went to foreign lands with the intention of spreading the message of Islam and of removing tyrants and despots, from their thrones. Brave men – the likes of Khalid, Abu Ubaidah, ‘Amr, Shurahbeel (R.A.) – were carefully chosen and earmarked for the task of invading foreign lands. Abu Bakr (R.A.), a man of great military experience himself, chose his leader based on their specific abilities, talents, and, importantly, level of piety. Then then succeeded in conquering both Iraq and Ash-Sham in a very short period of time.

3. Establishing Justice in Foreign Lands, and Treating Conquered peoples Mercifully

It is easy to pay lip-service to conquered peoples by saying to them that they are being conquered for their own benefit: To make them civilized, to bring democracy to them, to empower them, to free them from the shackles of tyranny, and so on. Most conquerors have said much things to the people they conquered, when, in reality, their motives were always purely selfish and self-serving, with no regard for the dignity and welfare of the people they conquered.

But Islam has always been different. Yes, Abu Bakr (R.A.) did want to win over the minds and hearts of conquered peoples, but he, as opposed to almost all other non-Muslim conquerors, truly meant what he said. Abu Bakr (R.A.) knew that he could not win over foreign peoples with the sword. Simply defeating an enemy militarily neither solves nor achieves anything. Or in other words, Abu Bakr (R.A.) appreciated the fact that post-war planning was just as essential as pre-war planning; the latter involves defeating the enemy on the battlefield, and the former involves providing for the basic needs of conquered peoples, providing them with security, and spreading justice among them. The people had to be reassured, so that they would not think that one tyrant was being replaced by another, one who was more severe, harsh, and evil than the first.

As such, Abu Bakr (R.A.) ordered his commanders to be gentle and merciful with foreign peoples. A man whose land has been conquered needs to be reassured on many levels – that his land will not be taken away, that he will not be prevented from his means of livelihood, that his family will remain safe from criminals, and so on. Muslim commanders, as per Abu Bakr’s instructions, preserved the infrastructure of foreign lands and honored the sanctity of life among foreign peoples. As a result, people in Persia and Ash-Sham came to love Muslims for their lofty morals, their generosity, their kindness, and their sincerity. Through the lofty manners of Muslim conquerors, the light f Islam penetrated the hearts of foreign peoples, and once again – as during and after the conquest of Makkah – people entered into the fold of Islam in throngs. What they gained as a result was security, safety, stability, and prosperity, not to mention equality with their Muslim brothers in Arabia.

For people in Persia and Ash-Sham, the difference between the life they knew and Islam was like the difference between night and day. When Persian or Roman armies invaded a land, they destroyed everything that came in their path. Like Barbarians, they mutilated enemy soldiers, destroyed innocent life, wreaked havoc in every way possible, and earned the hate and curses of the people they invaded for all of eternity. The horrors of wars and the liberties taken by barbarian-like victors was known all too well by the people of that century. Therefore, people had every reason to be pleasantly surprised when Muslim conquerors brought, not misery and destruction, but justice, peace, honor, and prosperity; and all the while they removed from the lives of conquered peoples all forms of tyranny and oppression.

Abu Bakr (R.A.) demanded no less than perfection from his commanders. He kept a close watch over them, and forbade them from all acts of tyranny. And he (R.A.) was quick to correct the smallest of mistakes that were committed by them. Al-Baihaqee, the famous compiler of Hadith narrations, related that, when foreign peoples achieved victory in war, they deemed it lawful to perpetrate barbaric acts against their enemy. For instance, it was customary for them to carry the decapitated heads of enemy commanders back to their kings, as a way of commanders, ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas (R.A.) and Shurahbeel ibn Hasanah (R.A.) sent the severed head of Banaan, one of the high priests of Ash-Sham, to Abu Bakr (R.A.) when ‘Amr and Shurahbeel’s messenger, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (R.A.) returned with Banaan’s severed him, Abu Bakr (R.A.) became angry. ‘Uqbah (R.A.) then said,”O Khaleefah of the Messenger of Allah, this is what they do with us” to which of Abu Bakr (R.A.) retorted, “And should we follow the ways of Persia and Rome! Carry no more heads to me; instead, it is enough for you to send me a letter or to inform me directly (About a victory or about the death of an enemy leader).”[1]

4. Granting Conquered Peoples Freedom of Religion

Although Abu Bakr’s primary goal was to spread the message of Islam to foreign peoples, it was neither his aim nor purpose to force people to embrace Islam. In fact, Abu Bakr (R.A.) never forced any nation or group of people to become Muslims, a policy that was derived from the Saying of Allah S.W.T;

“So, will you (O Muhammad Sallahu Alaihi Wasalam) then compel mankind until they become believers.” (Quran 10:99)

Without a doubt, Muslims wanted to remove tyrants, thus giving people the opportunity to see, appreciate, and embrace the light of Islam. And yet when a nation was conquered and its people were informed about the teachings of Islam, they were allowed to choose for themselves whether they wanted to embrace Islam or remain upon their religion. They were allowed to choose the latter option as long as they remained true to their covenant with Muslims, the terms of which were as follows:

A.     They were to pay the Jizyah tax to Muslims. This tax was paid by non-Muslims who lived in Muslim lands. It afforded non=Muslims the right to follow their own religion, and it also guaranteed them that, as long as they remained loyal to the Muslim government, Muslims would be just towards them and would protect them from all foreign enemies. So, like all other Muslim citizens, they would enjoy security and safety, and no one had the right to steal from them or wrongfully take from their wealth.

B.     There were certain jobs to which they could not aspire; for instance, given that their loyalty to the cause of Islam was suspect at best, they were not allowed to fight in the Muslim military.

C.      They were not to pose a threat to Muslims or their religion, and they were not to form any movement that sought to ruin, destroy, or distort any aspect of Islam.

D.     They were allowed to maintain their religion only, but if they wanted to switch their religion to another one, only Islam would be accepted from them.

Islam recognizes that beliefs are in the heart, the only part of one’s body that is impervious to coercion. Therefore, Muslims did not force others to embrace Islam; rather, through deeds and sayings, through theoretical teaching and practical application, they sought to influence non-Muslims in the hope that they would, of their own will, accept and embrace Islam.[2]

Reference:

[1] Taareekh Al-Khulafaa, by As-Suyootee (pg. 123)

[2] Taareekh Ad-Da’wah Ilal_Islam (pg. 263)