Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

(in) Apostasy Movement
In order to wipe out ”Riddah” or apostasy Abu Bakr (Rad.A j mobilised all available Muslim force and financed h*i arms .».ith &*

198 Political and Cultural History of Islam

Zakai^money which had immensely enriched the Medina treasury. He divided the army into eleven battalions and put ea-ch of them under a veteran commander. He further ordered that operations should be started simultaneously on all fronts. In accordance with the military custom of the time, each of the eleven battalions was placed under an Amir, or commander, who was also responsible for a certain number of the tribes. To eacr of these commanders the Caliph presented a banner that was indicat ve of his aut’mority and to these emblems the allegiance of soldiers and tribesmen \was due.
It should be noteJ that, this period no regular forces were

* maintained by Medina and that the Muslim army consisted chiefly of those male adults who were capa’ le of bearing a”us. E”veryone was expected to volunteer for service in the cause or Islara_ and for the grace of Allah and in this manner a formidable force was raised to fight in the name of God. Every Muslim soldier was further accustomed to equip himself at his own cost, but Abu Bakr (Rad.A) now granted a subsidy from the central exchequer which led to a general improvement in the standard of individual equLpment. Thus armed and spurred on by their faith in their cause-and! irrespective of the numerical superiority of their adversaries-the Mluslim troops invariably triumphed against heavy odds.

The new converts had not learnt the spirit of Islam. For centuries the Arabian tribes knew no authority T”’am dis-ciplined them at/ p” im under certain moral obligations. Drinking and gambling of pre-Isiamic days had been prohibited. Their v, jj spirit rebelled against this moral control. They wanted a chance which they got after the death of the Holy Prophet, and considered it the right time to throw off the yoke of Islam. That was the time when virtually- the whole of Arabian peninsula was under the grip of civil war. It was the firm determination of Siddique Akbar, which permanently quelled the rebellions. Professor Hitti says, ”The short Khilafat of Abu Bakr (Rad.A) was mostly occupied with the so called Ridda (apostasy) wars”. ”The Arabs, throughout the peninsula,” says, another historian W. Myir, ”were relapsing into apostasy”. But Siddique Akbar did not lose heart and faced the situation with utmost courage and Iman.
The rebellioa started with the refusal of the tribes to deposit Zakat fund in the Baitul Mai (Public Treasury) as was done during the days of the Holy Prophet. Hazrat Abu Bakr (Rad.A) ’ ailed a meeting of his ”Shura” (Advisory Council) and sou-ght its advice most of the Companions did not consider. It advisable: to take action
Hazrat Abu Bakr (Rad. A.) 199
for the time being because of the wars against *alse Prophets and major revolts. But Hazrat Abu Bakr (Rad.A) was firm on taking strong and prompt action so that others may have a lesson. He therefore decia-ed, ”I swear by Allah, I will fight alone, if others do not support me, agamst every body whosoever refuses a single kid due on him in Zakat”. He launched a big campaign without delay. He collected the troops in Medina and divided them into eleven battalions, each under the command of an experienced commander and sent them out to different parts of Arabia. His instructions for them were to call rebels to Islam first, and if they failed, to fight them. Some of the rebel tribes submitted to Islam without fighting. Wars were waged against those who remained adamant.
With the help of these battalions Siddique Akbar crushed all forces of rebellions, disorder and apostasy. He actually showed wonderful courage and ability in suppressing the movement. The apostasy movement which affected the whole of Arabia besides Makkah and Medina, was totally suppressed within a year and Islam was once again the only religion of the peninsula when the rebellion was subdued and Islam was re-established, Siddique diverted his attention towards outside Arabia, rtazrat Khal’d bin Walid (Rad.A) was considered to the fittest a;id most suitable commander for the external expeditions, which would be described later. (iv) The Rebellion of Bahrain
Bahrain is a small state in the North-East side of the Arab peninsula by the Persian Gulf. The people of Bahrain accepted Islam in the life time of the Holy Prophet. Sucn ”fter the Holy Prophet’s demise the Muslim governor of Bahrain died and there \\d3 Disorder in the province. Siddique Akbar sent a battalion under the comnia-d of Ala bin al-Hazrami who defeated the rebelled tribe, Banu Bakr of Bahrain. The other tribe of Bahrain, Banu Abdu! Qais, was loyal to Islam and helped the Muslims against the rebels. (v) Other Rebellions
There were other rebellions in the adjoining small states like Oman, Mahra, Hazarmaut and Yaman. All these were also suppressed and crushed. *