Another noble man much loved in Mecca was Abu Bakr from the Sons of Taym… The Meccans held him in high esteem due to his generosity, good manners and the bounteous feasts he would give… He would often stay at his unit at the Haram al-Sharif where he would host his guests…

Abu Bakr was two years younger than our Master… Additionally their seventh great grandfather was Mura the Son of Kab, hence they shared a common ancestor. Abu Bakr and Muhammad were good friends, they would spend a lot of time together. One day as they were walking past the Kaaba, they started conversing about the belief system in the Haram… Abu Bakr asked our Master, “My brother, why don’t you pray and prostrate to the idols like the rest of the people of Quraish?”

“O Abu Bakr…” our Master replied, “I have never understood why people worship these idols made of wood and stone. These can neither give harm nor benefit to us… However, there must surely be an Allah that created us and who sustains us!”

Abu Bakr was of the same opinion. He responded, “I too think the same way… But I don’t know, what kind of a belief system will make us content? There must be some way…”

Whenever this topic opened our Master would enter a state of deep contemplation…

Abu Bakr continued:

“This is why I also think like you and don’t prostrate to the idols… But I also think there must be a religion that Allah the creator is pleased of… I wonder if Allah’s Rasul exists in the world to guide us to it…?”

These were the types of conversations Muhammad and Abu Bakr would engage in frequently…

During those times, famous fairs would take place in certain neighborhoods at particular times of the year. One of the most famous of these fairs, to which our Master and Abu Bakr would attend, was the fair of Uqaz.