—ʿUmar—who would later be the Caliph after the Messenger—realised that Abu Bakr was upon the truth; for Allah would never expand the breast of this rightly guided Caliph, the very first leader of the Muslim community, except to what is true. Seeing that Allah had opened Abu Bakr’s heart to the matter, he recognised that it was indeed the truth. In this episode Abu Bakr proved bolder, stronger, and more steadfast than ʿUmar.
The second occasion was the day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away. Madinah seemed to darken, the people were shaken, and it became a momentous day. The Companions gathered in the mosque and ʿUmar stood up and declared, “The Prophet ﷺ has not died; rather, he has ascended”—meaning that he had merely fallen unconscious—“and Allah will certainly restore him; then he will sever the hands and feet of certain men.” His heart trembled as he spoke with earnest resolve.
At that moment Abu Bakr ⦗Allah be pleased with him⦘ was outside Madinah on an orchard of his. When the news reached him he came quickly, entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, uncovered the face that had been veiled, kissed him and said, “May my father and mother be your ransom; you were beautiful in life and in death. By Allah, Allah will never combine two deaths for you. As for the first death, you have already experienced it.”
He then went out to the people while ʿUmar was still speaking and denying the death, saying, “He has not died; he has only fainted, and Allah will surely return him.” Abu Bakr said, “Gently, ʿUmar,”—meaning, calm yourself—and ʿUmar either sat down or stood quietly.
Abu Bakr then ascended the pulpit and delivered a magnificent, eloquent address in that time of distress, saying, “To proceed: O people, whoever used to worship Muhammad, Muhammad has died—though none feels his loss more keenly than I. But whoever worships Allah, Allah is Ever-Living and never dies.” He then recited: “Indeed, you are to die, and indeed they are to die” (Q 39:30), and: “Muhammad is only a messenger; messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? Whoever turns back on his heels will never harm Allah in the least” (Q 3:144).