1853 — Abū Hafs Umar ibn Ayyūb al-Saqatī narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Yazīd al-Wāsitī, the brother of Karkhawayh, narrated to us. He said: Muādh ibn Muādh narrated to us. He said: Ibn Awn narrated to us. He said: A man asked Nāfi, “Did Ibn Umar offer greetings of peace at the grave?” He replied, “Yes. I saw him a hundred times—or more than a hundred times—pass by, stand beside it, and say: ‘Peace be upon ⦗2375⦘ the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him. Peace be upon Abū Bakr. Peace be upon my father.’”

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: If someone were to say, “We have seen people in Medina who, upon seeing someone offer greetings of peace to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and to Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—condemn him and address him in a manner he dislikes. How did this come about, and from whom did they learn it?”

He would be told: Those who act in this way are not people of knowledge and understanding. They were raised among a disreputable group who revile Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—so no reliance is to be placed on the likes of them.

If someone were to say, “But among them are people of noble lineage who support them in this reprehensible conduct toward Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both,” he would be told: Allah forbid! Allah the Generous has made those of noble lineage from the Household of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and his pure progeny far too noble to deny that Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—were buried with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him. They are purer, more virtuous, and more knowledgeable than anyone about the merits of Abū Bakr and Umar and the established fact that the two were buried with the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. No one should attribute this reprehensible trait to them. In our view, their standing is far too high and their judgment far too sound for such conduct to be attributed to them.

If some individual among them has indeed expressed what you describe, perhaps he heard it from someone who disparages Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—and speaks of them in an unseemly manner, and thus assumed that things were as that person claimed. Not everyone whom Allah the Generous has elevated through the honor of kinship with the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—has devoted himself to knowledge and thereby learned what counts in his favor and what counts against him. In this matter, reliance is placed only upon the learned among them ⦗2376⦘.

Our position is that the learned members of the Prophet’s Household—may Allah be pleased with them all—rebuke anyone who denies that Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—were buried with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him. Indeed, they say, “Abū Bakr and Umar were buried with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—in the chamber of Aisha—may Allah Most High have mercy on her.” They transmit reports concerning this and reject the claims of anyone who lacks knowledge and is ignorant of the merits of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both.

If someone were to ask, “What is the evidence for what you say?” I would reply: Here is Tāhir ibn Yahyā, who transmitted from his father, Yahyā ibn Husayn ibn Jafar ibn Ubaydillāh ibn Alī ibn al-Husayn ibn Alī ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with them all—a book the latter had authored on the virtues and distinction of Medina. In his book, under the chapter concerning the burial of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him, he described how the two were buried beside him. He also illustrated it in the book, drawing the chamber and the three graves.

He narrated this from Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—saying: “The Prophet’s grave—peace and blessings be upon him—is foremost; Abū Bakr’s grave is at the feet of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and Umar’s grave is at the feet of Abū Bakr.” Yahyā ibn Husayn—may Allah be pleased with him—made this illustration, and people in Mecca and Medina heard the work from him. Tāhir ibn Yahyā then read it just as he had heard it from his father. It is a well-known book.

I asked Abū Abdillāh Jafar ibn Idrīs al-Qazwīnī, one of the imams who led the Ramadan night prayers at the Sacred Mosque and one of its muezzins, and he related this to me. I had seen the book in his possession: a large volume of about one hundred folios. He had heard it from Tāhir ibn Yahyā, and it concerned the virtues of Medina. ⦗2377⦘ The book contained a chapter describing the burial of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and the graves of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both. I therefore asked him,

1854 — and he narrated to me, saying: Tāhir ibn Yahyā narrated to us. He said: My father, Yahyā ibn al-Husayn, narrated to me. He said: “This is the arrangement of the graves as described by one of the hadith scholars, transmitted from Urwa, from Aisha.” It is sketched in the book authored by Tāhir ibn Yahyā ibn al-Husayn, in this same form.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: Thus, reports of this kind are transmitted from Tāhir ibn Yahyā—may Allah be pleased with him—from his forebears, and from his descendants; they depict them in their books and do not deny the honorable standing of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both. We therefore accept from such members of this pure and blessed progeny everything they have transmitted concerning the virtues of Abū Bakr and Umar. Indeed, who has transmitted most of the virtues of Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—if not Alī ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—and his descendants after him? Sons have received them from their fathers down to our own time. We deem the Prophet’s Household—may Allah be pleased with them all—far too noble for any objectionable stance concerning Abū Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—or any denial that the two were buried with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—to be attributed to them.