Sayyiduna Siddiq Al-Akbar Was Given Poison

Various causes of the apparent passing of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ have been reported. According to some, his passing was caused by recurrence of the effect of the poison of the snake in the cave of Saur. Another reason that has been reported is that he رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ passed away in the sorrow and grief of Mustafa صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہِ وَسَلَّم. Ibn-e-Sa’d and Hakim have narrated from Ibn-e-Shahab that the cause of the apparent passing of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ was that once someone sent Khuzayrah [a type of mincemeat] as a gift to him. Sayyiduna Siddiq Al-Akbar and Haris Ibn-e-Kaladah both partook in eating it.

After having eaten some of it, Haris, because he was a Hakim, said, ‘O successor of Rasulullah! Stop your hand and refrain from eating this because there is poison in this. The effects of this poison become apparent within one year. You will see that both you and I will pass away on the same day within a year.’ Upon hearing this, he رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ moved his hand away from the food but the poison had done its work. Both of them remained ill from that day and after a year, they both passed away on the same day due to the effect of that poison.

(Tarikh-ul-Khulafa, p. 62)