The wars against the tribes in the Arabian peninsula immediately after the death of the Prophet Muhammad are often called the ?ur?b al-Ridda (wars of Apostasy). The Ridda wars were carried out by the first caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr (d. 634). The Islamic classical sources exclusively characterize the two-year period of Ab? Bakr’s rule as being concentrated on the expeditions that were set out in different parts of the peninsula to bring the rebellious tribes under the authority of the new caliph. How different were the Ridda wars from the fut?? (Islamic conquests) expeditions is a question that has been previously examined by the scholars (see E. Shoufani, F. Donner). It is clear that early fut?h compilers portrayed the Ridda wars under a different light. However, the question of how Ab? Bakr as a caliphal figure was portrayed in these accounts has never been raised. The events and expeditions taking place around the Ridda wars, and the way Ab? Bakr directed several expeditions from Madina are narrated in the sources in a quite detailed manner. Since the role Ab? Bakr plays in those narratives exclusively define how the later Muslims perceived him as a caliphal figure, an analysis of his agency and the characterizations ascribed to him in the accounts on Ridda will be the major undertaking in this paper. How do the accounts portray Ab? Bakr as a ruler, as a military commander, and as the religious leader of the nascent Muslim community in these narratives? What different images of Ab? Bakr we get when we contrast him with the roles attributed to him as the best companion of the Prophet and as the model of piety who was prone to weeping in all matters during the lifetime of the Prophet? The examination will be carried out through the combination of two different methods, namely (a) matn-cum-isn?d analysis; (b) narrative analysis. Panel Category: "'Popular' Fut?? Historiography and Its Uses"