He also said—may Allah Most High have mercy on him:

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Our scholars—such as Judge Abū Ya‘lā and others—reported Imam Ahmad’s views on whether Abū Bakr’s caliphate was established through the Muslims’ selection of him, through an implicit designation by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), or through an explicit one.

“The first view” is that it was established through selection. This is the position of the majority of scholars, jurists, hadith scholars, and theologians, including the Mu‘tazilah, the Ash‘ariyyah, and others.

“The second view” is that it was established through an implicit designation. This is the position of some groups among hadith scholars and theologians, and it is also reported from al-Hasan al-Basrī. Some adherents of this view maintain that the designation was explicit.

As for the claim of the “Imāmiyyah” that the caliphate was established through an explicit designation of ‘Alī, the claim of the “Jārūdī Zaydiyyah” that it was established through an implicit designation of him, and the claim of the “Rāwandiyyah” that it was established through a designation of al-‘Abbās—these views are manifestly false in the judgment of people of knowledge and religious commitment. Only someone ignorant or unjust would profess them, and many of those who profess them are heretics.