He was more forbearing and more composed than I, and, by Allah, he left out not a single word of the speech I had so carefully prepared and admired; he uttered it spontaneously—and even better—until he finished. Then he said:

“To proceed: Every virtue you have mentioned, you are indeed its people. Yet the Arabs acknowledge authority only for this clan of Quraysh—they are the most central of the Arabs in lineage and in dwelling. I have therefore nominated for you one of these two men, whichever you prefer.”

With that he took hold of my hand and the hand of Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah. Of all that he said, this alone displeased me. By Allah, to be brought forward and have my neck struck—an act that would not bring me nearer to sin—is dearer to me than to assume command over a people among whom Abū Bakr is present, unless my soul should change at the moment of death.

One of the Anṣār then declared, “I am its polished twig and its well-braced palm-shoot; a leader from us and a leader from you, O Quraysh!”

I asked Mālik, “What does he mean by ‘its polished twig and its well-braced palm-shoot’?” He replied, “As though he were saying: I am its strategist.”

The clamor grew and the voices rose until we feared division. I said, “Extend your hand, Abū Bakr.” He extended it, I pledged allegiance to him, the Emigrants followed, then the Anṣār, and we converged upon Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah. Someone cried, “You have killed Saʿd!” I retorted, “May Allah kill Saʿd.”

ʿUmar continued: By Allah, in the circumstances before us we found nothing more fitting than the allegiance to Abū Bakr. We feared that, were we to leave the people without a pledge, they might later establish one of their own: either we would have to accept a pledge we disliked, or we would oppose it and corruption would ensue. Whoever swears allegiance to a leader without the consultation of the Muslims, his pledge is invalid—and so is the pledge to the one who is acclaimed—both risk being put to death.

Mālik said: Ibn Shihāb informed me, on the authority of ʿUrwah, that the two men who met them were ʿUwaym ibn Sāʿidah and Maʿn ibn ʿAdī.

Ibn Shihāb also related to me, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, that the man who said, “I am its polished twig and its well-braced palm-shoot,” was al-Ḥubbāb ibn al-Mundhir.

All the major compilers have recorded this report in their books through various chains from Mālik and others, all tracing back to al-Zuhrī.

Imām Aḥmad said: Muʿāwiyah ibn ʿAmr narrated to us; Zāʾidah narrated to us; from ʿĀṣim… Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī likewise narrated to me, from Zāʾidah, from ʿĀṣim, from Zir, from ʿAbd Allāh—meaning Ibn Masʿūd—who said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away …”