—indeed, we were satisfied to entrust our worldly affairs to the very man whom the Prophet ﷺ had approved for our religious affairs.

Sāliḥ ibn Kaysān narrated from al-Zuhri, from ʿUrwah, from ʿĀʾishah, who said: During his final illness the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, “Call your father and your brother so that I may write a document, for I fear that someone will covet the position and another will speak up, yet Allah and the believers will accept none but Abū Bakr.” This is an authentic hadith.

Nāfiʿ ibn ʿUmar reported that Ibn Abī Mulaykah narrated from ʿĀʾishah that, during his last illness, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Summon Abū Bakr and his son to me, so that I may write something, lest anyone with designs on Abū Bakr’s affair should aspire to it or anyone entertain a wish.” He then added, “Allah and the Muslims will not allow that.” Several others corroborated this report, among them ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Rufayʿ from Ibn Abī Mulaykah, whose wording was: “Allah forbid that the believers should differ concerning Abū Bakr.”

Zāʾidah narrated from ʿĀṣim, from Zur, from ʿAbd Allāh who said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, the Anṣār said, “One leader from us and one leader from you.” ʿUmar came to them and said, “Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer? Which of you would feel at ease putting himself ahead of Abū Bakr?” They replied, “We seek refuge in Allah from placing ourselves before Abū Bakr.”

Al-Bukhārī also recorded, on the authority of Abū Idrīs al-Khawlānī, who said: I heard Abū al-Dardāʾ say: There was once a discussion between Abū Bakr and ʿUmar in which Abū Bakr provoked ʿUmar’s anger. ʿUmar left in a state of fury, and Abū Bakr followed him, asking him to seek forgiveness for him, but he refused until he shut his door in Abū Bakr’s face. Abū Bakr then came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—Abū al-Dardāʾ said: and we were with him—so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “As for your companion…"