1196 — Umar ibn Ayyūb al-Saqatī also narrated to me, saying: Muhammad ibn Muāwiya ibn Mālaj narrated to us, saying: Kathīr ibn Marwān al-Filastīnī narrated to us, from al-Hasan ibn ⦗1726⦘ Umāra, from al-Minhāl ibn Amr, from Suwayd ibn Ghafala, who said:
I passed by a group of the Shia who were speaking ill of Abū Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) and disparaging them. I therefore went to Ali ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “O Commander of the Faithful, I passed by a group of your followers who were speaking of Abū Bakr and Umar in a manner unworthy of the standing they deserve within the Ummah. Had they not believed that you inwardly harbored toward them the same sentiments they expressed openly, they would not have dared to do so.”
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I seek refuge in Allah! I seek refuge in Allah from harboring toward them anything other than the view with which I hope to die. May Allah curse anyone who harbors toward them anything but the finest regard. They were the Messenger of Allah’s two brothers, companions, and ministers—may Allah have mercy on them both.”
He then rose with tears in his eyes, weeping and holding my hand, until he entered the mosque. He ascended the pulpit and seated himself firmly upon it, grasping his beard and looking at it—it was white—until the people had gathered around him. He then rose and delivered a concise, eloquent address beginning with the testimony of faith. He said:
“What is wrong with people who speak of the two leaders of Quraysh and the two fathers of the Muslims in a manner from which I hold myself aloof, of which I am innocent, and for which I shall punish them? By the One who split the seed and created the living soul, none loves them except a devout believer, and none hates them except a vile sinner.
“They accompanied the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) with truthfulness and fidelity. They commanded and forbade, judged and punished, yet in all they did they never went beyond the judgment of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). ⦗1727⦘ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) considered no opinion equal to theirs and loved no one as he loved them. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed away pleased with them both, and the believers were pleased with them both.
“The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) appointed Abū Bakr to lead the believers in prayer, and he led them for seven days during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). When Allah, Mighty and Majestic, took His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and chose for him that which is with Him, the believers entrusted that same office to Abū Bakr. They also entrusted the zakat to him, because prayer and zakat are coupled together. They then pledged allegiance to him willingly and without compulsion. I was the first of the descendants of Abd al-Muttalib to establish that precedent in his favor. Yet he disliked assuming the office and wished that one of us had spared him its burden.
“By Allah, he was the best of those who remained, the most tenderly compassionate, the finest in piety, the eldest in years, and the earliest in Islam. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) likened him to Michael in tenderness and mercy, and to Abraham in forbearance and dignity. He conducted himself among us according to the way of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) until his appointed term came to an end.
“He then placed Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in authority after him, having sought the Muslims’ counsel about it. Some were pleased with Umar and others objected to him; I was among those who were pleased with him. He did not depart this world until those who had objected to him had become pleased with him. He administered affairs according to the path of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his Companion, following their footsteps as a young camel follows its mother’s tracks.
“By Allah, he was gentle and merciful toward the weak, a source of aid to the believers, and a champion of the oppressed against oppressors. No reproach from any critic could sway him in Allah’s cause. Allah, Blessed and Exalted, set truth upon his tongue and made truthfulness his hallmark, until we thought that an angel was speaking through him. Through his acceptance of Islam, Allah strengthened Islam; He made his migration a pillar supporting the religion; and Allah, Blessed and Exalted, cast dread of him into the hearts of the hypocrites and love for him into the hearts of the believers.
“The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) likened him to Gabriel (peace be upon him) in sternness and severity toward enemies, and to Noah in his fierce indignation and anger against the disbelievers. Hardship in obedience to Allah was dearer to him than ease attained through disobedience to Allah. Where will you find the like of these two? May Allah have mercy on them both and grant us the ability to follow in their footsteps and love them. Where will you find their like? Their rank can be attained only by following in their footsteps and loving them.
“Whoever loves me must love them both. Whoever does not love them has hated me, and I disavow him. Had I previously issued you a warning concerning them, I would have imposed the severest punishment for this. But it is not proper for me to punish anyone before a warning has been given. Take heed: anyone brought before me after today for saying such things shall incur the same punishment as a slanderer.
“Take heed: the best of this Ummah after its Prophet are Abū Bakr and Umar. Beyond them, Allah knows best where goodness lies. I say these words of mine, and may Allah forgive me and you.”
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In this chapter we shall also mention the account of Abū Bakr’s death (may Allah be pleased with him). When Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) died and was covered with a shroud, Medina shook with weeping, just as it had on the day the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) died. Ali ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) came weeping and hastening, reciting the words of return to Allah and saying, “Today the caliphate of prophethood has come to an end.”
He continued until he stood at the door of the house in which Abū Bakr lay covered. He said:
“May Allah have mercy on you, Abū Bakr. You were the intimate companion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), his confidant, his source of comfort, the one he trusted, the keeper of his secrets, and his counselor. You were the first of the people to embrace Islam, the purest of them in faith, the strongest of them in certainty, the most fearful of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, the one who rendered the greatest service to the religion of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, the most vigilant in protecting His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the most devoted in caring for Islam, the greatest source of blessing to his Companions, the finest of them in companionship, the richest of them in virtues, the foremost of them in meritorious deeds, the highest of them in rank, the nearest of them in spiritual means, and the one who most resembled the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in conduct, bearing, mercy, and virtue. You held the noblest position among them, were the most honored in his sight, and were the one he trusted most. ⦗1729⦘ May Allah reward you well on behalf of Islam and His Messenger.
“To him, you were like hearing and sight. You affirmed the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) when the people denied him. Allah therefore named you al-Siddīq in His Revelation, saying in His Book, ‘The one who brought the truth and the one who affirmed it’ [al-Zumar 39:33]—Abū Bakr. You supported him when others withheld their wealth, stood beside him amid hardships when others held back, and accompanied him through adversity with the noblest companionship. You were his companion in the cave, the one upon whom tranquility was sent down, and his companion during the migration.
“When the people apostatized, you succeeded him in the religion of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and among his Ummah in the finest manner. You undertook the matter as no prophet’s successor had ever done. You rose when his Companions weakened, stepped forward when they submitted helplessly, grew strong when they became weak, and adhered to the path of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). You were truly his successor. You neither entered into contention nor were broken by the claims of the hypocrites, the abasement of the disbelievers, the hatred of the envious, the wickedness of sinners, or the rage of aggressors. You assumed responsibility when they lost their resolve.”
He then related the report to its end and said, “We are content with what Allah has decreed, and we submit the matter to Him. By Allah, after the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Muslims will never again suffer the loss of anyone like you.” He related the rest of the report, which we shall cite in full elsewhere, if Allah Most High wills.
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) said: ⦗1730⦘ Whoever says anything about Ali ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning the caliphate of Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) other than what we have mentioned—his pledge of allegiance to him, his approval of it, his assistance to him, and his acknowledgment of his merit—has fabricated a lie against Ali ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) and attributed to him doctrines of the Rāfidah from which Allah, Blessed and Exalted, absolved him. They have missed the path of right guidance.
If someone says, “It has been narrated that Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah honor his countenance—did not pledge allegiance to Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) until several months had passed, and only then pledged allegiance,” he is to be told: In the judgment of anyone who properly understands the teachings of Allah, Mighty ⦗1731⦘ and Majestic, Ali ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) was far higher in rank and sounder in judgment than what the Rāfidah attribute to him would imply. Whoever ascribes this to the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abī Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him), has several objections to answer. Had he understood the implications of what he was saying, silence would have been better for him than using it as an argument.
Indeed, nothing is known of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) other than what we have already mentioned of his approval and acceptance of the caliphate of Abū Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him). Likewise, the family of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) attested to Abū Bakr’s caliphate and merit.