1829 — Umar ibn Ayyūb al-Saqatī narrated to me. He said: Muhammad ibn Muawiya ibn Mālaj narrated to us. He said: Kathīr ibn Marwān al-Filastīnī narrated to us, from al-Hasan ibn Umāra, from al-Minhāl ibn Amr, from Suwayd ibn Ghafala, who said:
I passed by a group of Shia who were speaking ill of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—and disparaging them. I went to Ali ibn Abī ⦗2339⦘ Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—and said, “Commander of the Faithful, I passed by a group of your followers who were speaking of Abū Bakr and Umar in a manner contrary to the standing they deserve within this community. Had they not believed that you inwardly harbored toward them the same sentiments they had publicly voiced, they would never 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 sentiments upon which I hope to die. May Allah curse anyone who harbors toward them anything but good and honorable thoughts. They were the Messenger of Allah’s—peace and blessings be upon him—two brothers, companions, and ministers. May Allah have mercy upon them both.”
He then arose 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 gazing at it, for it had turned white. When the people had gathered around him, he stood and opened a concise and eloquent sermon with the testimony of faith. He then said:
“What is wrong with people who speak of the two leaders of Quraysh and fathers of the Muslims in terms from which I hold myself wholly aloof? I disavow what they have said, and I shall punish them for it. By Him who split the seed and created the living soul, none loves them but a pious believer, and none hates them but a wicked wretch.
“They accompanied the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—with truthfulness and fidelity. They commanded and forbade, judged and punished, yet in all they did they never departed from the judgment of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. Nor did the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—consider any opinion equal to theirs, and he loved no one as he loved them. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—passed away pleased with them, and the believers were pleased with them.
“The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—entrusted Abū Bakr with leading the believers in prayer, and he led them for nine days during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. When Allah—Mighty and Majestic—took His Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and chose for him that which is with Him, the believers placed Abū Bakr in authority over that matter and entrusted the zakat to him, for prayer and zakat are joined together. They then pledged allegiance to him willingly and without compulsion. I was the first among Banū Abd al-Muttalib to establish that pledge for him, though he was reluctant to accept it and wished ⦗2340⦘ that one of us had relieved him of it.
“By Allah, he was the best of those who remained, the most compassionate, the most steadfast in scrupulous devotion, and the most senior in age and in Islam. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—likened him to Michael in compassion and mercy, and to Abraham in forbearance and dignity. He governed us according to the practice of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—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 on the matter. Some approved and others objected, and I was among those who approved. Umar did not depart this world until even those who had initially objected had become pleased with him. He conducted affairs according to the path of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and his Companion, following their footsteps as a camel calf follows its mother’s tracks.
“By Allah, he was gentle and merciful to the weak, an aid to the believers, and a supporter of the oppressed against their oppressors. No reproach from any critic could deter him in the cause of Allah. Allah—Mighty and Majestic—set truth firmly upon his tongue and made truthfulness his hallmark, until we came to think that an angel spoke through him. Allah strengthened Islam through his embracing Islam and made his migration a mainstay of the religion. Allah—Mighty and Majestic—cast awe of him into the hearts of the hypocrites and love of him into the hearts of the believers. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—likened him to Gabriel—peace be upon him—in his stern severity toward the enemies, and to Noah in his indignation and anger toward the unbelievers. Adversity endured in obedience to Allah—Mighty and Majestic—was dearer to him than prosperity enjoyed in disobedience to Allah.
“Where will you find two men like them? May Allah have mercy upon them both and grant us to follow in their footsteps. Where will you find two men like them? Their rank can be attained only by following in their footsteps and loving them. Whoever loves me must love them, and whoever does not love them has hated me, and I disavow him.
“Had I previously warned you concerning them, I would have imposed the severest punishment for this. But it is not right for me to punish before giving prior warning. Take heed: anyone brought before me after today for saying this shall incur the penalty of a slanderer. Take heed: the best of this community after its Prophet are Abū Bakr and Umar. Thereafter, Allah knows best where excellence lies. I say these words, and may Allah forgive me and you.”
⦗2341⦘
1830 — Abū Saīd Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ziyād al-Arābī narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Ghallābī narrated to us. He said: Bishr ibn Hujr al-Sāmī narrated to us. He said: Hafs ibn Umar al-Dārimī narrated to us, from al-Hasan ibn Umāra, from al-Minhāl ibn Amr, from Suwayd ibn Ghafala, who said: I passed by a group of Shia—and he related approximately the same hadith as the preceding report, through to its end.