And the most eminent of all who believed in him was Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—a man of consummate intellect, noble character, and outstanding religious merit in the eyes of his people, who loved him dearly and accorded him the highest esteem. He spent his entire fortune in the path of Allah, until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him, “What have you left for your family?” He replied, “I have left Allah and His Messenger for them.” The Prophet did not give him a single dirham as a special allocation for him. After the Prophet’s death, Abu Bakr assumed leadership yet left everything that was in his possession to the Muslims. He was succeeded by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, under whose rule the greatest empires of the age were opened: the Persian dominion and that of Rome, so that Roman power was subdued throughout al-Shām, Upper Mesopotamia, and Egypt. His supreme commander, Abu ʿUbaydah, was the most indifferent of people toward wealth, the most devoted in worship of the Creator, the most compassionate toward creation, and the furthest from following the whims of the self. Concerning him the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Every community has a trustee, and the trustee of this—”