And the third consists in his appointing Abū Bakr to lead the prayer, his saying:

“Close every small doorway into the mosque except Abū Bakr’s,”

and the other distinctions and merits particular to him. These three forms, established by the Sunnah, are also indicated by the Quran.

The first is indicated by His words:

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors…”

The verse continues. And by His words:

“Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him.”

And:

“Allah will reward the grateful.”

The second is indicated by His words:

“You will be called to face a people of great military might; you will fight them, or they will submit…”

The verse continues.

The third is indicated by such passages as His words:

“But the most God-fearing will be spared it.”

And:

“The prophets and the utterly truthful.”

And:

“The first forerunners among the Emigrants and the Helpers.”

And other passages of this kind.

Thus, the legitimacy of his caliphate and the obligation to obey him are established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and consensus, even though his caliphate came into effect only through consensus and selection. Similarly, if Allah commands that a person be appointed to office, married, or involved in some other arrangement, that matter comes into effect only through the act of appointment or the marriage contract. The scriptural texts indicate that Allah commands that contract and loves it. Thus, the texts indicate that they were commanded to select him and invest him with authority, and that Allah approves of this and loves it.

As for bringing about what is commanded and beloved to Allah, this occurs only through compliance. When they therefore complied with what they had been commanded, they invested him with authority by their own choice. This was better for them and raised them higher in rank.