Was the 'Son of the Ummah's Most Virtuous' Burned to Death?

We will never know for certain whether the words attributed to the Prophet truly belong to him, but we can form definitive opinions about those who were allegedly close to him. One such figure is undoubtedly the first caliph, Abu Bakr. He stood by the Prophet almost from the very beginning and maintained his place on that journey until the Prophet's death. As we have said, it is unknown to what extent these narrations are accurate, but it is reported that the Prophet said regarding him: “Abu Bakr is the most virtuous of the Ummah.” It is also said that in another instance, the Prophet turned to Abu Bakr and spoke as follows: “You are the one whom Allah has freed from Hellfire.” It is claimed that he spoke in this manner. 

The extent to which these statements reflect the truth is debatable, but we can certainly say that there are thousands of people who accept these narrations as true. So, we can ask the question: Was the son of the most virtuous of the Ummah burned to death by Muslims?

Shall we rewind history a bit to answer our question? The mother of Muhammad, one of Abu Bakr's children, was Asma bint Umays. After her husband Abu Bakr passed away, Asma married Ali ibn Abi Talib. It is stated that Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was three years old at that time.

Therefore, Abu Bakr's son Muhammad was raised under the tutelage of Ali, grew up in his household, and continued his life as his companion. One of the most striking events in Muhammad's life emerged during the opposition process against Caliph Uthman. So much so that Muhammad was present while Caliph Uthman's house was under siege. Moreover, Muhammad's name is mentioned among those who entered Uthman's house. Subsequently, Uthman was killed anyway.

In the meantime, let us note that Muhammad was also the brother of Aisha, one of the Prophet's wives. And in the Battle of Basra (the Battle of the Camel), the two siblings faced each other. While Aisha had practically taken on the role of army commander against Ali, Muhammad was on Ali's side. Ultimately, the battle ended with the death of thousands, and the task of removing his sister Aisha from the battlefield was given to Muhammad. 

Muhammad was only in his 20s in those days; yet he had witnessed the deaths of thousands of Muslims. Moreover, among those who drew swords against each other were acquaintances and even relatives. Muslims were living through painful years where dark clouds were ever-present and mourning and laments were felt deeply in every street. It was in the midst of these years that Muhammad found himself as the governor of Egypt. Not long after, the Battle of Siffin took place in what is now the north of the city of Raqqa in Syria. The parties to the war were Ali and Muawiyah. According to historical records, tens of thousands of people filled the plain of Siffin. It was as if the earth and sky were groaning with swords. Muhammad was there, of course, by Ali's side. 

The end of the war is well known; although tens of thousands of people lost their lives within hours and the Quran had not been remembered until that moment, the Muawiyah side suddenly said, 'Let the Quran be the arbiter between us.' After various discussions, this proposal was accepted, and the Islamic world was pushed into a blind well. Behind the arbitration decision was a name we would hear a lot later: Amr ibn al-As. 

Let us return to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. He was responsible for the lands of Egypt as governor. After Siffin, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr returned to Egypt and tried to continue his duties. Meanwhile, Muawiyah's soldiers were facing the Ali front with all their attacks, and one of the fronts where the war took place was Egypt. You will remember the arbitration decision at Siffin; Amr ibn al-As, who is said to have orchestrated that decision, moved toward Egypt with an army under Muawiyah's orders. Once again, bloody days were at the door. The clashes continued where they left off. First, 2,000 Ali supporters were put to the sword. Subsequently, a collapse occurred on the Ali front, and Muawiyah ibn Hudayj, one of Amr's commanders, captured Muhammad in a cave. 

According to some accounts, the son of the 'most virtuous of the ummah' was standing before Muawiyah. So, what would Muawiyah do? According to the accounts, the following conversation took place between them:

Muawiyah ibn Hudayj:

Do you know what I am going to do to you? I will put you in the skin of a donkey and burn you in the fire.

Muhammad replied:

It is possible. Many friends of Allah have been treated this way. I pray to Allah that He makes the fire you intend to burn me with cool and peaceful for me, just as He did for Khalil Ibrahim, and that He does to you and your friends what He did to Nimrod and his men. I pray that Allah casts you, those I mentioned before, your leader Muawiyah, and—pointing to Amr ibn al-As—him into the blazing fire, and that He increases the flames of the fire whenever it begins to die down.

In conclusion, although historical sources vary, Muhammad was killed and burned there that day.

Is it Amr, Muawiyah's strategist? Amr, who took command of the Meccan front against the Muslims at Uhud and Khandaq and who became a Muslim (!) just before the conquest of Mecca, remained the governor of Egypt until the day he died.