Mother’s prayers were the reason for being called Ateeq

The reason why the first Caliph of Islam, Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Siddīq رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was called “Ateeq” is as follows. His mother would have children, but none of them lived for long. When Sayyiduna Abū Bakr رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was born, his mother took him the Ka’bah and made du’ā, “O Allah! If this son of mine is free from death, grant him to me.” After this, he was referred to as “Ateeq”.^[1]

Respect for his mother

Sayyiduna Bāyazīd Bastamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه was the imam of the mystics and the ghawth of his time. He was born in 160 AH in Iran. He was pious, righteous, well-mannered, humble and a great worshipper. It is said that when he prayed, people could hear the sound of the bones in his chest due to his fear of Allah Almighty. He passed away on 15^th Sha’ban 261 AH, and his shrine is in Bastam.^[2]  Let us listen to an incident regarding the respect he had for his mother.

Sayyiduna Bāyazīd Bastāmi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states:

During a severely cold night, my mother asked for a glass of water. So, I filled a glass with water and went to her, only to see she had fallen asleep. I did not find it suitable to wake her up, so I stood near her with the glass of water in my hand. A long time passed by and some of the water froze on my fingers. Anyhow, when my mother woke up, I gave her the glass of water. As soon as I let go of the glass, the skin of my finger peeled off due to the frozen water and blood began to flow. My mother asked what happened. I explained what happened, and my mother lifted her