Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) displayed such courage of heart in fighting the apostates and others that he surpassed Umar and all the other Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) (1).

If an office has a greater need for trustworthiness, the more trustworthy candidate is given preference (2), as in safeguarding funds and similar duties. As for collecting and safeguarding them (3), both strength and trustworthiness are indispensable. A strong administrative overseer (4) should therefore be appointed to collect the funds by his strength (5), together with a trustworthy clerk who safeguards them through his expertise and integrity. Likewise, in military command, if the commander is required to consult people of knowledge and religious integrity, the two interests are combined. The same applies to all other offices: if the objective cannot be fully achieved by one person, several people should be appointed. It is therefore necessary either to give preference to the most suitable candidate or to appoint more than one officeholder when no single person possesses complete competence.

For judicial office, preference is given to the person who is most knowledgeable, most scrupulous, and most competent. If one candidate is more knowledgeable and the other more scrupulous, then in matters whose ruling is clear but in which bias is feared, the more scrupulous is preferred (6),