Bakrism — An Overview

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ٱللَّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَجِّلْ فَرَجَهُمْ وَٱلْعَنْ أَعْدَاءَهُم

Image: Muhammad Adil on Unsplash

    Bakrism, sometimes called Umarism, and more commonly known as Sunnism (Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah) is the biggest sect in 'Islam'. The group claims to strictly follow the Sunnah and the Qur'an as the basis of its religion. The reason it is sometimes referred to as Bakrism or Umarism is due to their following of the 'Khulafa al-Rashidun' which follows Abu Bakr as the first Caliph and Umar as his successor. Within this article, we will discuss Bakrism as a whole, we will summarize their beliefs, their methodology, and their falsehoods. Later, there will be more in-depth articles on their religion.

Bakri Beliefs & Methodology

    Bakri beliefs, as aforementioned, mainly entail their following of Abu Bakr and Umar as the first two Caliphs, as well as their claim to follow the Sunnah and the Qur'an, calling themselves Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, or people of the sunnah and the consensus. When it comes to the Qur'an, the Bakris believe that any learned fallible, usually known as a Mufassir can interpret the Qur'an, or create a Tafsir. The layman can read the Qur'an and understand it from the Zahir (ظاهر, Apparent), and if they are confused about a verse they may refer to the Tafsir. When it comes to the Sunnah and Hadith, the Bakris have a very complicated system. Bakris studies the Isnad or chain of transmission of a Hadith, looks at the narrators, and decides their trustworthiness. Knowing the narrators is known as Ilm al-Rijāl and grading them, or deciding their trustworthiness is known as Ilm al-Dirayah. 

    The Bakris have many divisions regarding how they interpret the religion. When it comes to matters such as Ahkam, or the rulings of the religion, or Islamic Jurisprudence, they have four main schools of thought. There are the Hanafis, the Hanbalis, the Malikis, and the Shafi'is. Regarding Aqeedah, or what is actually believed, there are three main schools, although there are many more schools, these are the main ones: Asharis, Atharis, and Maturidis. There are also the Mutazalites. In contrast to the main three, the Mutazalites say that the Qur'an was created. Asharis practice kalam,  meaning they take a more logical approach to the religion, as well as incorporating philosophy with the religion. Atharis, on the other hand, don't practice Kalam and take a more literal approach to interpreting the religion. Maturidis are in between Asharis and the Mutazalites. The main way to tell the difference between Asharis and Atharis is on the subject of the Hand of God. Asharis will say that the 'Hand of God' is figurative, and refers to God's will. In contrast, Atharis will say it is literal, but not like our human hands. 

    The Bakris have a large corpus of hadith, the most notable of which are the two Sahih's, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih al-Muslim, which are considered the most authentic books of Hadith in the corpus. Let us take a look at some of their ahadith to get a better understanding of the sect.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَة أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ، وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ، وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي، وَمَنْ عَصَى أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ عَصَانِي ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me." 

[Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 9, Book 89, Hadith 251] 

    As we can see, this is a quote directly from their most authentic source. It states that the Prophet will appoint a leader, and places importance on leadership after him. This might seem normal, but according to the Bakri narrative, many Bakris state that the Prophet never appointed any successor after him, and it was the 'Muslims' at Saqifah who appointed Abu Bakr. This contrast in narrative is very odd indeed, surely there is an adequate explanation. 

    The truth is, there isn't. This article will not prove the Kufr (disbelief) of Bakris, as it is just an overview of their religion, but in the near future, we will discuss topics like Successorship. Did the prophet appoint an Amir for the Muslims to follow or not? We will answer this and respond to many counterarguments made by the Bakris. This is also an open challenge to all Bakris who are reading this, prove the caliphate of Abu Bakr without any contradictions, and I will join your religion. 

    It is a very simple challenge; prove your religion. What we ask is simple. If you can prove your religion, and we are unable to respond to you, then as aforementioned we shall join your religion. All laymen are welcome to submit questions, and we will try our best to answer, you may submit questions through the proper form.