This hadith contains three exclusive merits in which no one shared with Abu Bakr:
First, the Prophet’s ﷺ words: “The person who has shown me the greatest favor through his companionship and his wealth is Abu Bakr.” By them he clarified that no other Companion has any claim upon him—in companionship or in wealth—equal to that of Abu Bakr.
Second ⦗1/ب⦘, his words: “Let no door opening into the mosque remain open except that it be closed—save the door of Abu Bakr.” This singled him out over all the other Companions. Some fabricators tried to circulate a similar report for ʿAli—may Allah be pleased with him—but an authentic, firmly established narration is not set against a weak, fabricated one ⦗53⦘.
Third, his statement: “If I were to take anyone from the people of the earth as an intimate friend, I would take Abu Bakr as my intimate friend.” This is an explicit text that no human being would deserve the station of intimate friendship (khulla), were it possible, except Abu Bakr; and had anyone been superior to him, that person would have been more entitled to it ⦗54⦘.
Likewise, the Prophet’s command that Abu Bakr lead the people in prayer ⦗55⦘ ⦗56⦘ throughout the period of his illness is one of his unique distinctions, unmatched by anyone else, for the Prophet ﷺ never instructed the ummah to pray behind anyone during his lifetime, in his presence, except behind Abu Bakr ⦗57⦘.
Equally, his appointing Abu Bakr from Medina to supervise the Hajj—so that he might establish the sunnah and erase the remnants of paganism—is among his exclusive merits ⦗58⦘.
So too is the Prophet’s statement in the sound hadith: “Call your father—or your brother—to me so that I may write a document for Abu Bakr after which the people would never differ.” He ﷺ then said: “Allah and the believers will accept none but Abu Bakr.” ⦗59⦘ Many similar reports ⦗60⦘ show unmistakably that none of the Companions equalled him.
(53) Ibn al-Jawzi said: “All its chains are spurious,” adding: “These reports were forged by the Rafida as a counterweight to the hadith of Abu Bakr found in the Sahih.” See al-Fawaid al-majmu‘a, ed. al-Shawkani, p. 316. By contrast, al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar maintains in al-Qawl al-musaddad, pp. 16-18, that the hadiths on this subject are sound and that, taken together, their authenticity is certain.
‘Abd al-Rahman b. Yahya al-Mu‘allimi comments on al-Fawaid al-majmu‘a, p. 317: “Ibn Hajar, in al-Qawl al-musaddad and Fath al-bari, undertook to defend several Kufan narrations, but his treatment is indulgent; in truth not a single one of those isnads is free from defect.”
I would add: the closest of these reports to authenticity is the version related by al-Nasa’i through Shu‘ba, from Abu Balj, from ‘Amr b. Maymun, from Ibn ‘Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that the doors of the mosque be closed, except for the door of Ali.” Its chain is sahih; see al-Khasa’is, p. 50 (no. 41). The hadith is also found in Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 5/641, no. 3732 (Book of Merits, chapter on the merits of Ali); cf. Majma‘ al-zawa’id 9/114-115 and Fada’il al-sahaba 2/581, no. 985.
(54) The manuscript reads “ahadun,” which is erroneous, for la here is the genus-negating particle and its noun must therefore be in the accusative; the tanwin is probably the copyist’s slip. Allah knows best.
(55) The manuscript has “yusall,” a corruption: the verb is in the subjunctive and should be written “an yusalliya.” This too appears to be a copyist’s error. Allah knows best.
(56) The manuscript reads: “fi al-nas.”
(57) Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book of Congregational Prayer and Imamate 1/240, no. 646; Muslim, Sahih, Book of Prayer 1/316, no. 420.
(58) Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book of Hajj 2/586, no. 1543; Muslim, Sahih, Book of Hajj 2/982, no. 1447.
(59) Al-Bukhari, Sahih (with Fath al-bari), Book of Judgments 13/205, no. 7217, with the wording: “I have indeed considered—or wanted—to send for Abu Bakr and his son and make a covenant (of succession), lest someone speak or someone aspire; then I said: Allah will refuse and the believers will prevent it—or Allah will avert it and the believers will refuse.” Muslim records it with the wording: “Allah and the believers refuse anyone but Abu Bakr” (Book of the Merits of the Companions, chapter on the merits of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 4/1857, no. 2387).
(60) Among the reports is: “The sun has neither risen nor set on anyone, after the prophets, better than Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.” The scribe noted this on the margin in his own hand.
I add: Ahmad transmits a similar wording in Fada’il al-sahaba 1/352, no. 508; the chain is weak because Ibn Jurayj practiced tadlis and because it contains an Abu Bakr whom I do not know. ‘Abd b. Humayd also records it in al-Muntakhab 1/217, no. 212, whose isnad includes Abu Sa‘id al-Bakri (unknown) and Ibn Jurayj with his tadlis.