the garrison towns, bidding him to treat their people well; the whole of his testament was of this same compassionate tenor.

When he passed away we carried him out on foot. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar advanced, gave the greeting, and said, “ʿUmar seeks permission.” ʿĀʾishah replied, “Bring him in.” He was then taken inside and laid beside his two companions.

Once the burial was completed and the party had returned, the six electors assembled. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf said, “Reduce the matter to three of you.” al-Zubayr said, “I place my choice with ʿAlī.” Saʿd said, “I place mine with ʿAbd al-Raḥmān.” Ṭalḥah said, “I place mine with ʿUthmān.”

The three withdrew. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said, “I do not want the caliphate. Which of you will withdraw from it so that we may entrust the decision to him? Let him swear by Allah and by Islam that he will choose the one he deems best and will strive for the welfare of the community.” The two elders, ʿAlī and ʿUthmān, kept silent. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān then said, “Entrust it to me, and I swear by Allah I shall not fall short of selecting the most deserving of you.” They agreed.

He took ʿAlī aside and said, “You possess the precedence in Islam and the kinship that are well known. I adjure you by Allah: if I entrust authority to you, you must rule justly; and if I set someone over you, you must hear and obey.” He then secluded himself with the other and spoke to him in the same terms. After securing their pledges, he gave the oath of allegiance to ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī likewise pledged him.

al-Miswar ibn Makhramah said: When dawn broke the next day and ʿUmar lay wounded, they roused him, saying, “The prayer!” He started up, declaring, “Yes; whoever abandons the prayer has no share in Islam.” He then performed the prayer while his wound gushed blood.

al-Naḍr ibn Shumayl reported: Abū ʿĀmir al-Khazzāz told us, from Ibn Abī Mulaykah, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: When ʿUmar was stabbed, Kaʿb came and said, “By Allah, if the Commander of the Believers were to supplicate, Allah would surely preserve him and raise him up for this ummah until he accomplishes such-and-such”—and he even mentioned the hypocrites among the matters he named. I said, “Shall I convey to him what you have said?” He replied, “I have spoken only while I am …”