he has indeed gambled.” ʿUmar soon regretted what he had done; he came back, greeted the Prophet ﷺ, sat down before him and related the incident. Abū al-Dardāʾ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ became angry, while Abū Bakr kept protesting, “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I was the one in the wrong!” The Prophet ﷺ then said, “Will you people leave my companion alone? I once declared, ‘O mankind, I am Allah’s Messenger sent to all of you,’ and you replied, ‘You lie,’ whereas Abū Bakr said, ‘You speak the truth.’”

Abū Dāwūd recorded—through ʿAbd al-Salām ibn Harb, from Abū Khālid al-Dalānī—who said: Abū Khālid, the freedman of Jaʿdah, related to me from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Gabriel came to me, took me by the hand, and showed me the gate through which my community will enter Paradise.” Abū Bakr said, “I wish I had been with you so I could look at it.” He replied, “Rest assured—you will be the first of my community to enter Paradise.” Abū Khālid, the freedman of Jaʿdah, is known only by this hadith.

Ismāʿīl ibn Samīʿ narrated—from Muslim al-Baṭīn, from Abū al-Bukhturī—that ʿUmar said to Abū ʿUbaydah, “Hold out your hand so I may pledge allegiance to you, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘You are this ummah’s trustee.’” Abū ʿUbaydah replied, “I would never put myself ahead of a man whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed to lead us in prayer; he led us until the Prophet ﷺ passed away.”

Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh said: Abū Bakr is the Messenger of Allah’s successor by testimony of the Quran, for Allah says regarding the Emigrants, “Those are the truthful” (Q 49:15). One whom Allah has called truthful cannot be a liar; thus they themselves named him and said, “O successor of the Messenger of Allah.”

Ibrāhīm ibn Ṭahmān narrated from Khālid al-Ḥadhdhāʾ, from Ḥumayd ibn Hilāl,