Chapter: The Prophet ﷺ did not formally appoint a successor nor single out anyone by name; rather, he only hinted at the caliphate through his command that someone lead the prayer.

Hishām ibn ʿUrwah narrated from his father, from Ibn ʿUmar, who said: “I was present with my father (ʿUmar) when he was struck. The people praised him and said, ‘May Allah reward you with goodness.’ He replied, ‘A man who hopes, yet fears.’ They said, ‘Appoint a successor.’ He answered, ‘Shall I carry the burden of your affairs both alive and dead? I would rather my share from you be nothing more than a clean slate—neither for me nor against me. If I do appoint a successor, someone better than I—meaning Abū Bakr—did so. And if I leave the matter open, someone better than I—the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—left it open.’ ʿAbdullāh (Ibn ʿUmar) said, ‘When he mentioned the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I knew that he would not appoint anyone.’ Agreed upon, and both al-Bukhārī and Muslim also transmit it through Sālim ibn ʿAbdullāh from his father.

Al-Thawrī related from al-Aswad ibn Qays, from ʿAmr ibn Sufyān, who said: “When ʿAlī appeared on the Day of the Camel he declared, ‘People, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left us no binding instructions about this leadership. We deemed it advisable to install Abū Bakr, who governed rightly and steadfastly until he departed this world. Then Abū Bakr judged it best to appoint ʿUmar, who governed rightly and steadfastly until the religion became firmly rooted. After that, some people pursued worldly gain, and events unfolded in which Allah decreed as He willed.’ Its chain is hasan (sound).

Aḥmad said in his Musnad: Abū Muʿāwiyah told us; he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr al-Qurashī narrated to us, from Ibn Abī Mulaykah, from ʿĀʾishah who said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ grew gravely ill, he said to ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr, ‘Bring me a shoulder-blade (to write on)…’”