Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه Frees Bilal رضي الله عنه — Wealth Spent Only for Allah
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه Frees Bilal رضي الله عنه — Wealth Spent Only for Allah
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه Frees Bilal رضي الله عنه — Wealth Spent Only for Allah
> «أَبُو بَكْرٍ سَيِّدُنَا، وَأَعْتَقَ سَيِّدَنَا»
"Abu Bakr is our chief, and he manumitted our chief,"
Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
These are the words of Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه about Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه — and about the man Abu Bakr had set free.
Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه, who reported this narration, tells us that Umar "used to say" these words. He repeated them, openly, so that everyone would know.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
Look closely at the sentence. Twice in a few words, Umar used the word chief.
First, for Abu Bakr himself.
Then, in the same breath, for Bilal رضي الله عنه — a man who had been a slave, and whom Abu Bakr had manumitted.
A freed slave, called our chief by Umar himself. What had Abu Bakr done to earn this honour for them both?
In Makkah, a number of Muslims were held as slaves by the disbelievers, and when they accepted Islam they were persecuted in many ways. They had no wealth of their own, no power, and no one to rescue them.
Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه did not look away. He spent a great amount of his own money, purchased them, and set them free. Among those he freed was Bilal رضي الله عنه.
And Allah honoured this giving in His Book. In Surah Al-Layl, He describes a man who will be saved from the Fire:
> «وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَتْقَى»
"And saved from it will be the most God-fearing one,"
Quran 92:17
"who gives his wealth (in charity) to become purified,"
Quran 92:18
"while no one has conferred any favour on him for which he would give a return,"
Quran 92:19
"but (he gave his wealth in charity) only to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High."
Quran 92:20
"And surely he will soon be happy."
Quran 92:21
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📖 What the Tafsir Says
Ma'ariful Quran, the tafsir carried on this website's own pages for Surah Al-Layl, explains who this most God-fearing one is, and on what occasion these verses were revealed. It records:
This verse describes the reward of the most God-fearing person, as opposed to the punishment of the most wretched in the preceding verse. The word atqa is the superlative form and signifies a man of taqwa, that is, the most God-fearing person, who spends his wealth in obedience of his Lord in order to purify himself from sins, will be kept far away from the fire of Hell. The wordings of the verse give good news, in general, to anyone who spends in Allah's cause in a state of faith, but the occasion of revelation indicates that atqa refers to Sayyidna Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ؓ in particular. Ibn Abi Hatim reports from Sayyidna 'Urwah ؓ that seven Muslims had been enslaved by the Makkan disbelievers. When they became Muslims, they were persecuted in a variety of ways. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ spent a great amount of his money, and purchased them and set them free. Verses [ 17-21] were revealed on this occasion. [ Mazhari ]
Quran 92:17
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🌿 Stop and Think About These Verses
Read the description of this man slowly.
Allah does not introduce him by his tribe, his lineage, or the size of his wealth. He introduces him by what he did with his wealth: he gave it away so that suffering people could go free.
Notice, too, what was missing from his giving. He owed nothing to the people he freed. No favour was being repaid: "while no one has conferred any favour on him for which he would give a return,"
Quran 92:19
There was only one direction his heart was facing when he gave: "only to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High."
Quran 92:20
And look at the reward Allah names at the very end. Not more wealth. Not fame among people. A promise of happiness from Allah Himself: "And surely he will soon be happy."
Quran 92:21
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❤️ The Greatest Lesson for Our Lives Today
Most of us keep accounts with people.
We help someone, and quietly keep the receipt in our hearts. We give, and then we wait — for thanks, for loyalty, for the favour to come back to us one day.
Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه kept no such account. The people he freed were slaves; they had nothing with which to repay him. And he asked them for nothing, because his giving was never aimed at them in the first place. It was aimed at Allah.
That is the difference between charity as a transaction and charity as worship.
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📚 Important Lessons From This Story
1. Taqwa is proven by action
The most God-fearing man in these verses is not described by claims or words, but by a deed: "who gives his wealth (in charity) to become purified,"
Quran 92:18
Taqwa that stays only on the tongue, and never reaches the hand, is incomplete. What we do with what we own shows what we truly fear and what we truly love.
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2. Give without expecting any return
Abu Bakr was not settling a debt of gratitude: "while no one has conferred any favour on him for which he would give a return,"
Quran 92:19
Sincere giving expects nothing from people — not thanks, not praise, not loyalty, and not a favour returned. The moment we wait for a return, the gift becomes a bargain.
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3. One motive is enough
"but (he gave his wealth in charity) only to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High."
Quran 92:20
One small word carries this whole verse: only. When the motive is Allah alone, a gift does not need an audience, and it does not need to be large to be great. What matters is the direction of the heart.
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4. Spend where people are suffering
Abu Bakr's wealth went to the most helpless people in Makkah — enslaved believers who were being punished for their faith. Charity is not only about giving; it is about seeing who is crushed, and moving towards them instead of away from them.
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5. True honour is measured by Allah
Umar رضي الله عنه called Abu Bakr "our chief," and in the very same sentence he called Bilal — a freed slave — "our chief" as well: "Abu Bakr is our chief, and he manumitted our chief,"
Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
In the sight of Allah, a person's worth is not his birth, his past, or his position. It is his faith and his deeds.
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6. The promise at the end of sincere giving
"And surely he will soon be happy."
Quran 92:21
The man who spent his wealth to make others free is promised happiness himself — from Allah. No sincere gift is ever lost, and no sincere giver is ever forgotten by his Lord.
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🏠 How Can We Apply This in Our Daily Lives?
💰 With our money
Keep a portion of what we earn for giving that nobody knows about — no announcement, no name attached, no return expected. Hidden giving trains the heart to seek Allah's Countenance, not people's applause.
🤝 With people we help
Do not keep a mental ledger. If we helped someone last year, we should not spend this year reminding them of it. Abu Bakr freed people and never presented them with a bill of gratitude.
🏠 In our homes
Teach our children that honour is not a family name, a job title, or wealth. Umar رضي الله عنه called a freed slave "our chief" — because in Allah's scale, faith outweighs birth.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
📱 On social media
Do not turn charity into self-advertising. These verses praise a man who sought the Face of his Lord — not followers, not likes, not an audience.
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🌹 The Most Beautiful Message of This Story
A man walked out of slavery because another man's wealth was looking only for Allah.
And to this day, we do not remember Bilal رضي الله عنه as a slave. We remember him with the title Umar gave him: our chief.
Because wealth spent only for Allah does not decrease the one who gives it. It frees the oppressed, raises the giver, and earns the promise at the end of the verses: "And surely he will soon be happy."
Quran 92:21
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📖 Authentic Reference
Book: Sahih al-Bukhari
Narrator: Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه
Chapter: The merits of Bilal bin Rabah, the freed slave of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه
Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
Quran: Surah Al-Layl (92), verses 17–21 — Quran 92:17, Quran 92:18, Quran 92:19, Quran 92:20, Quran 92:21
Tafsir: Ma'ariful Quran on Surah Al-Layl 92:17–21, carried on the verse pages of this website — Quran 92:17