Al-Bukhārī also records (1): “Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā narrated to us; Ibn Numayr narrated to us; Hishām ibn ʿUrwah narrated to us from his father, from ʿĀʾishah, who said: During the Prophet’s final illness the Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer, so he led them.” ʿUrwah continued: “Later the Messenger of Allah ﷺ felt some relief and came out to find Abū Bakr leading the prayer. When Abū Bakr saw him he began to step back, but the Prophet ﷺ motioned to him, ‘Stay where you are.’ The Prophet ﷺ then sat down beside him, and Abū Bakr followed the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while the people followed the prayer of Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him.” Muslim also narrates it (2) through ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr.

In another report found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (3)—transmitted by Ibn Wahb from Yūnus, from al-Zuhrī, from Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, from his father—it is said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was suffering severely he said, ‘Tell Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ ʿĀʾishah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, Abū Bakr is a soft-hearted man; if he stands in your place the people will not be able to hear him because of his weeping.’ He replied, ‘Tell Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ She repeated the same plea, and he said, ‘You women are like those who were with Joseph. Tell Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’” (4)

Ibn Shihāb (5) relates: ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh told me that ʿĀʾishah said, “I kept returning to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about this, and nothing made me persist except my fear that people would regard Abū Bakr as a bad omen. I knew that whoever first took the Prophet’s place would be viewed in that light, so I wished the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would divert it from Abū Bakr to someone else.”

Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (6) likewise reports—through ʿAbd al-Razzāq, from Maʿmar, from al-Zuhrī—that Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar narrated from ʿĀʾishah: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered my house he said, ‘Tell Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, Abū Bakr is a tender-hearted man; when he recites the Qur’an he cannot control his tears. If only you would appoint someone other than Abū Bakr.’ By Allah, my sole concern was that people might take ill-omen from the first person to stand in the place of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I appealed to him two or three times, but he said, ‘Let Abū Bakr lead the people, for you women are like the companions of Joseph.’ ”

The two Ṣaḥīḥs (7) also contain the narration of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, from Abū Burdah ibn Abī Mūsā, from his father, who said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ fell ill he said, ‘Tell Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ ʿĀʾishah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, Abū Bakr is…’” (Text continues).