2456 – ʿUbayd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad reported: ʿAli ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yazid al-Riyahi told us; he said: my father told us; he said: al-Hasan ibn ʿUmara narrated, from al-Minhal ibn ʿAmr, from Suwayd ibn Ghafalah, who said:
I passed by a group of Shiʿites who were reviling Abu Bakr and Umar and belittling them. I went in to see ʿAli ibn Abi Talib and said, “Commander of the Believers, I have just passed by some of your followers who mention Abu Bakr and Umar in a manner unbefitting them. Had they not imagined that you harbor toward the two men the same feelings they voiced, they would never have dared to do so.”
ʿAli replied, “I seek refuge in Allah from concealing toward them anything but that upon which we gladly proceed. May Allah curse anyone who harbors toward them anything but good and beautiful thoughts! They are the brothers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his two companions and ministers—may Allah’s mercy be upon them both.”
Then he rose, eyes brimming with tears, weeping, and grasped my hand until we entered the mosque. He ascended the pulpit, sat firmly upon it, held his white beard and looked at it until the people had gathered. He then stood, praised Allah with a concise and eloquent sermon, and said:
“What is the matter with people who malign the two chiefs of Quraysh, the two fathers of the Muslims? I repudiate what they say, disavow it, and will punish them for it. By Him who split the grain and created life, no one loves them but a pious believer, and no one hates them but a wicked reprobate. They accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in truth and loyalty, commanding and forbidding, pardoning and punishing, and in all they did they never departed from the judgment of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never held an opinion contrary to theirs, nor did he love anyone as he loved them.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ died well pleased with them, and they passed on while the believers were pleased with them.
“He appointed Abu Bakr to lead the believers in prayer, and he led them for nine days ⦗1374⦘ during the Prophet’s lifetime. When Allah took His Prophet and chose for him what is with Him, the believers entrusted that authority to Abu Bakr and delegated the collection of zakah to him, for the two matters are inseparable. They then pledged allegiance to him willingly and without coercion. I was the first of the sons of ʿAbd al-Muttalib to set that precedent for him, though he disliked it and wished that one of us had spared him the burden. By Allah, he was the best of those who remained: the most merciful in compassion, the kindest in tenderness, the shrewdest yet most scrupulous, and the earliest in age and in Islam.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ likened him to Michael in mercy and compassion, and to Abraham in forbearance and dignity. He followed the way of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until he departed this world—may Allah have mercy on him.
“Then leadership passed after him to Umar. He sought the counsel of the Muslims regarding it: some approved and some disliked it, and I was among those who approved. Umar did not leave this world until even those who had disliked him came to be pleased with him. He conducted affairs upon the model of the Prophet ﷺ and of his Companion, following their footsteps as a young camel follows its mother.
“By Allah, he was gentle and compassionate toward the weak, a support for the believers, a champion of the oppressed against the oppressors. In Allah’s cause the blame of any critic never deterred him. Allah struck the truth upon his tongue and made honesty his hallmark, so that we would think an angel was speaking through him. Allah strengthened Islam with his acceptance of it, made his migration a pillar of the religion, cast fear of him into the hearts of the hypocrites and love for him into the hearts of the believers. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ likened him to Gabriel—stern and tough against the enemies—and to the Prophet Noah—upright and indignant toward the disbelievers. Hardship in obeying Allah was dearer to him than ease in disobeying Allah.
“So who among you can equal these two? May Allah’s mercy be upon them both, and may He grant us to remain upon their path, for no one attains their rank except by following their footsteps and loving them.
“Whoever loves me, let him love them; and whoever does not love them has hated me, and I am quit of him. Had I previously warned you on this matter, I would have inflicted the severest punishment; but it is not proper to punish without prior warning. Now, whoever is brought to me after this day for such speech shall bear the penalty due to a fabricator.
“Know that the best of this community after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and Umar; then ⦗1375⦘ Allah knows best where goodness lies. I say these words of mine, and Allah forgives me and you.”