67 — ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us: My father narrated to me: Ishāq ibn ʿĪsā narrated to us: Jarīr—that is, Ibn Hāzim—narrated to us, from Yaʿlā ibn Hakīm, from ʿIkrima, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

During the illness from which he died, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out with his head wrapped in a cloth. He sat on the pulpit, praised and extolled Allah, and said:

“No one has given more generously of himself and his wealth for my sake than Abū Bakr ibn Abī Quhāfa. If I were to take anyone among mankind as an intimate friend, I would take Abū Bakr as an intimate friend. But the bond of friendship in Islam is better. Close off for me every small doorway into this mosque except Abū Bakr’s doorway.”