in upholding the truth, and the most knowledgeable of it. Indeed, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—said, “We used to say that tranquillity spoke through ‘Umar’s tongue.” The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Allah has firmly established the truth upon ‘Umar’s tongue and in his heart.”

He also said:

“Had I not been sent among you, ‘Umar would have been sent among you.”

Ibn ‘Umar said, “I never heard ‘Umar say concerning something, ‘I think it is such and such,’ without it turning out as he thought.” The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—also said to him:

“Satan has never seen you taking a path without taking a path other than yours.”

Neither ‘Umar nor, indeed, Abū Bakr ever appointed a hypocrite to authority over the Muslims. Neither appointed any of his own relatives, nor did either fear anyone’s reproach in Allah’s cause. Rather, after fighting the apostates and bringing them back to Islam, they prohibited them from riding horses and bearing arms until the sincerity of their repentance became apparent.

‘Umar would say to Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās, while he was governor of Iraq, “Do not appoint any of them to authority, nor consult them about warfare.” For they had been prominent leaders, such as Tulayhah al-Asadī, al-Aqra‘ ibn Hābis, ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn, al-Ash‘ath ibn Qays al-Kindī, and others like them. When Abū Bakr and ‘Umar feared some degree of hypocrisy in these men, they did not appoint them to authority over the Muslims.

Thus, had ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās, Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān, and others like them been among those in whom hypocrisy was feared, they would not have been appointed to authority over the Muslims. Indeed, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—appointed ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās as commander on the expedition of Dhāt al-Salāsil, and the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—never appointed a hypocrite to authority over the Muslims.

“He also appointed Abū Sufyān ibn Harb, Mu‘āwiyah’s father, as governor of Najrān, and the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—died while Abū Sufyān