Islam Guidance

The Muslims of Medina were of mainly of two groups: the Ansar (the ‘helpers’ natives of Medina) and the Muhajirin (the immigrants mostly the Qurayshi who migrated from Mecca). The Ansar themselves consisted of two tribes: the Aws and Khazraj who were enemies of each other in pre-Islamic days.
After the Prophet's death and even before his burial, the Ansar gathered in Saqifah and proposed to declare Sa‘d bin Ubadah (an Ansari from the tribe of Khazraj) as the new leader of the Muslims. Some among them started a discussion about how should they respond if the Qurayshi disputed with them in the issue of leadership.
While this discussion was going on among the Ansar in Saqifah, Umar ibn Khattab (a Qurayshi Muhajir) was informed about it. He sent for Abu Bakr who left the Prophet's body and joined Umar. In Saqifah, Abu Bakr gave a speech in which he exhorted the virtues of the Muhajirin and proposed that the leader should be from the Muhajirin. He ended his speech as follows: “So we are the rulers, and you are the ministers and the counselors. We will not do anything without consulting you.”
Habab ibn Mundhir, an Ansari, stood up and said, “O Ansar, beware! Take the reins of government in your hands; for the people [i.e., Muhajirin] are under your protection, no one can quarrel with you. Do not fall out between yourselves, so that what you do is ruined.”
Umar, a Muhajir, responded: “That can never be! The Arabs would never submit to your rule; they will not yield, for the Prophet was not from you.” Then very heated words were exchanged between Habab and Umar.
In the middle of all this chaos, Umar swore allegiance to Abu-Bakr. Then Bashir ibn Saad, leader of the Aws tribe of Ansar, swore allegiance to Abu-Bakr. Seeing this, the other Ansaris of the tribe of Khazraj also pledged allegiance so as not to lose favor in the eyes of Abu-Bakr against their rival Aws!
This is the basis of Abu-Bakr's caliphate.

Ref: Alhassanain.com

He was such that he openly denied the messenger ship of the Messenger (P.B.U.H&H.P). He made his beliefs clear in the following couplets:
“Banu Hashim (the Prophet and his family) has played a game to obtain temporal power.
The fact is that neither an angel came to them nor any revelation descended.”
Intoxicated in this wrong belief, he considers that the tussle between Islam and disbelief to be a battle between two clans and is overjoyed that he has succeeded in taking revenge from the progeny of the Prophet on behalf of his ancestors.
“If only my ancestors who died in Badr had been alive and seen how their opponents (Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet) were suppressed, they would have screamed in joy: O Yazid! May your hands never tire! We have killed their leader and in this way took revenge of Badr. And I won’t be eligible to be called the descendant of the fighters of the Ditch (Khandaq) if I had failed to take revenge from Muhammad and his relatives.”

Ref: Al-Islam.org 

Abu Bakr, son of Abu Quhafa, was the first caliph after the Prophet's demise. There are differing views on his name being either 'Abd Allah or 'Atiq. Apparently, many individuals have insisted on saying that his name was 'Abd Allah but he had previously been called 'Atiq. He belonged to the Banu Taym tribe, one of the tribes of the Quraysh.
During the Dark Age, this tribe maintained minimal special standing among the other tribes. This claim is evidenced by Abu Sufyan's words once Abu Bakr assumed power. He said, “How come the government has fallen to the least populated and meanest tribes of the Quraysh?” [Abd al-Razzaq, al-Musannaf, vol. V, p. 451; Mustadrak, vol. II, p. 78]
There is a story that one day, Abu Bakr was speaking with Dhaghfal about his lineage and both agreed that Banu Taym was one of the weakest tribes of the Quraysh [Majma‘al-amthal, vol. I, p. 27]. Another time, Abu Bakr asked Qays Ibn 'Asim why he buried his daughters alive. Qays Ibn Asim replied, “So that they do not give birth to children like you.” [Ibn Abi l-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. XIII, p. 177]
There are different views also on his occupation prior to the advent of Islam. Those who intended to attribute a high position to him in the Dark Age said he was a merchant. On the other hand, there are documents that say he had menial jobs such as milking and of that nature. [Al-Faiq fi gharib al-hadith, vol. IV, p. 12]
Another story says Abu Bakr had financial problems and was a teacher in the Dark Age and later, became a tailor following the advent of Islam. [Al-Ifsah, p. 176]
Abu bakr was two years younger than the Prophet of Islam and he is considered to be among one of the first Muslims. There is however conflicting ideas concerning whether he was the first or the fifty-first Muslim as one quotation has put it. [As-Sahih Min Sira al-Nabi, vol. I, pp 247,289,290]
Such notions about him are natural considering he was the first caliph. We have not heard about any special pressures he may have faced in the years of invitation to Islam in Mecca. He did not accompany the Muhajirun to Abyssinia, but he found an opportunity to be with the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) in the night of Hijra. According to various discussions about Hijra, after the Prophet left the house, Abu Bakr went to see Imam Ali(A.S) and when found out that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H&H.P) had gone, he had set off and joined him.
Abu Bakr's relationship with the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) grew stronger following the Prophet's marriage with Ayesha. Ayesha was a clever woman who tried to have a role in all political developments of her time. This helped strengthen Abu Bakr's position to some extent.
Abu Bakr did not have any political or military responsibility during his ten years of stay in Medina, but he could gain power by understanding the situation of the internal wings of the Quraysh and taking advantage of the Quraysh's enmity towards Imam Ali (A.S) as well as the collaboration of the middle wings of the Quraysh. This group was neither among the Umayyad nor the Hashemite.
Abu Bakr grasped a serious chance. When he took over the caliphate, a wave of apostasy and opposition to Islam swept across Hijaz and Muslims who all saw the principle of Islam endangered realized that opposing Abu Bakr was not to their interests.
It is interesting to know that immediately after Abu Bakr's coming to power, rifts emerged between the Ansar and the Quraysh over a sarcastic poem composed by Abu Bakr about the Ansar. Afterwards, the Ansar kept some distance from Abu Bakr and Amr Ibn As who was instigated by the Quraysh spoke against them.
On the other hand, Fal Ibn Abbas and then, Imam Ali (A.S) praised the Ansar. Hassan Ibn Thabit composed poems in praise of Imam Ali (A.S) for his support of the Ansar and implicitly, referred to the efforts of some men of the Quraysh who wanted to take Imam Ali's position [Tarikh al-Ya’qubi, vol. II, p. 128]. However, when oppositions heightened, the Ansar moved towards the claimants of prophet Hood and other apostates.
Abu Bakr reiterated several times that there were some people who deserved the caliphate more than him. After the people swore allegiance to him, he said in a sermon, “I took over the rule over you while I’m not any better than you. If I behave well, help me; if not, guide me. Obey me as long as I am obedient to God; otherwise, you won't need to obey me” [Abd al-Razzaq, al-Musannaf, vol. XI, p. 326; Tarikh at-Tabari, vol. III, p. 336; al-Imamah wal-Siyasah, vol. I, p. 34]. This shows that Abu Bakr believed it was not necessary for a ruler to be the best of the people.
It is necessary to admit that Abu Bakr had an eloquent language and we are sure that it was his clam words at the Saqifa more effective than 'Umar's harsh words, though they were complementary.
Later, Abu Bakr once pointed to his tongue and said, “This is what helped me reach this rank.” [Nathr ad-Durr, vol. II, p. 13]
He has been quoted as saying,” Umar is stronger than me and Salim is more pious” [Nathr ad-Durr, vol. II, p. 15]. But his emphasis on having the rule is surprising. Abu Bakr introduced his government as the “Caliphate of Prophet Hood” to convey the religious aspect of his caliphate. He considered his rule not as a caliphate from God, but a succession to the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) and named himself the “Caliph of the Messenger of Allah”.
His first measure was dispatching Usama's army, an army which the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) had prepared to send to Damascus in the final days of his life. Political opposition caused delays in the deployment of the army under the pretext of Usama's young age. Now that the issues seemed to have been settled, the same people who were opposed decided to send Usama's army in spite of the critical situation on Hijaz.
Responding to opposition against the army's dispatch, they said they could not ignore doing something that the Prophet had wanted. Abu Bakr said he would send the army even if the beasts would tear him apart in Medina [Tarikh Khalifat Ibn Khayyat, pp 100-101]. Usama's army left for Damascus and returned after forty days with no serious clashes. Since the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) had included Umar in Usama's army, Abu Bakr asked Usama to let Umar stay with him.

This article borrowed from Imam Reza.Network.

This sermon is one of the speeches of Imam Ali (A.S) that he gave during his Caliphate, which he expresses his opinion in a clear and direct approach toward the Caliphate of the three and how they extorted a right that was divinely his.
“Beware! By Allah, the son of Abu Quhafah (Abu Bakr) dressed himself with it (the caliphate) and he certainly knew that my position in relation to it was the same as the position of the axis in relation to the hand-mill. The flood water flows down from me and the bird cannot fly up to me. I put a curtain against the caliphate and kept myself detached from it.
Then I began to think whether I should assault or endure calmly the blinding darkness of tribulations wherein the grown up are made feeble and the young grow old and the true believer acts under strain till he meets Allah (on his death).
I found that endurance thereon was wiser. So I adopted patience although there was pricking in the eye and suffocation (of mortification) in the throat. I watched the plundering of my inheritance till the first one went his way but handed over the Caliphate to Ibn al-Khattab after himself.
It is strange that during his lifetime he wished to be released from the caliphate but he confirmed it for the other one after his death. No doubt these two shared its udders strictly among themselves. This one put the Caliphate in a tough enclosure where the utterance was haughty and the touch was rough. Mistakes were in plenty and so also the excuses therefore. One in contact with it was like the rider of an unruly camel. If he pulled up its rein the very nostril would be slit, but if he let it loose he would be thrown. Consequently, by Allah people got involved in recklessness, wickedness, unsteadiness and deviation.
Nevertheless, I remained patient despite length of period and stiffness of trial, till when he went his way (of death) he put the matter (of Caliphate) in a group and regarded me to be one of them. But good Heavens! What had I to do with this “consultation”? Where was any doubt about me with regard to the first of them that I was now considered akin to these ones? But I remained low when they were low and flew high when they flew high.
One of them turned against me because of his hatred and the other got inclined the other way due to his in-law relationship and this thing and that thing, till the third man of these people stood up with heaving breasts between his dung and fodder. With him his children of his grand-father, (Umayyad) also stood up swallowing up Allah’s wealth like a camel devouring the foliage of spring, till his rope broke down, his actions finished him and his gluttony brought him down prostrate”.

Derived from: Shia Wisdom

O negligent people! O you, who are so indifferent to your obligations and so unmindful of your duties, remember that you will not be excused for such carelessness and negligence. O you, who want to go out of the folds of religion, remember that you shall not be left unquestioned and unpunished.

How is it that I find you drifting away and away from God and swaying towards ungodly thoughts and deeds? You are behaving as if you are cattle whom the pastor is driving through a pasture or a watering place where deadly cattle diseases are raging and they cannot resist this drive, or like sheep who are being fattened on fresh grams and good grass to be butchered and they do not realize they are being so well treated so that when killed they give soft and fat meat. Their vision is so limited that they consider the day they are passing to be the whole span of their lives, and their sole purpose of their existence is to eat and drink.

By God, if I like I can tell every one of you how he started life, and how he is going to end it, from where he is coming and where he will go and how he is passing his days. But I do not do this lest they wrongly consider me superior to the Holy Prophet (May the peace of God be upon him and his descendants), but I shall tell this to such of my faithful follower about whom I am not nervous of apostasy.

I swear by Him who has appointed the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) as His trusty Messenger to carry the highest truth to man, and selected him of all His creatures for this work, that I am speaking truth. The Holy Prophet (May the peace of God be upon him and his descendants) has bequested all this to me. I know who will be damned and who will get salvation. I know the fate of this caliphate and what will happen to me.

O people! I swear by God that I do not persuade you to obey any order of God unless I have myself first obeyed it faithfully and I do not prevent you from any vice or sin unless I have first abstained from it myself.
[A part of sermon 173 of Nahjul Balagha]

Taken from: Islamic Thought