in prayer.”

The Anṣār replied, “We seek refuge in Allah from ever stepping ahead of Abū Bakr.” This wording has been widely transmitted through Zāʾidah on his authority.

Yazīd ibn Hārūn reported: Al-ʿAwwām ibn Ḥawshab told us, from Ibrāhīm al-Taymī, who said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, ʿUmar came to Abū ʿUbaydah and said, ‘Extend your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you, for you are this community’s trustee, as declared by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ Abū ʿUbaydah replied, ‘I have never seen you slip like this since you became Muslim! Would you have me receive the pledge when al-Ṣiddīq, the second of the two in the cave, is among you?’”

A similar account is narrated by Muslim al-Baṭīn from Abū al-Bakhtarī.

Ibn ʿAwn related from Ibn Sīrīn: Abū Bakr said to ʿUmar, “Stretch out your hand so that we may pledge allegiance to you.” ʿUmar answered, “You are better than I.” Abū Bakr responded, “But you are stronger than I.” ʿUmar concluded, “Then let my strength reinforce your merit.”

Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Anṣārī narrated from al-Qāsim that when the Prophet ﷺ passed away, the Anṣār gathered around Saʿd. Abū Bakr and a group of Companions came to them, whereupon al-Ḥabbāb ibn al-Munḏir—who had fought at Badr—stood up and said, “A leader from us and a leader from you.”

Wahīb reported: Dāʾūd ibn Abī Hind told us, from Abū Naḍrah, from Abū Saʿīd, who said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, the speakers of the Anṣār rose to address the gathering. Some of them said, ‘O company of Emigrants, whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed one of you, he paired him with a man from us. We therefore think that two men should now oversee this affair—one from us and one from you.’ One spokesman after another from the Anṣār repeated that view until Zayd ibn Thābit stood up and declared, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was an Emigrant, and the imam must be from the Emigrants. We are their helpers, just as we were the Helpers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ Then Abū Bakr rose and said: