‘Umar said, “By Allah, the moment Abu Bakr finished reciting that verse I was struck motionless; my legs could no longer carry me.” (When fear or an overwhelming shock grips a person, he simply cannot remain standing.) That was the second incident.

The third: When the Messenger ﷺ passed away, some of the Arabs apostatized—may Allah protect us. The Prophet ﷺ had already outfitted an army under the command of Usāmah ibn Zayd to confront the frontier tribes of Greater Syria. The force was encamped outside Madinah but had not yet set out. After the wave of apostasy, ‘Umar came to Abu Bakr and said, “Do not dispatch the army; we need them here.” Abu Bakr replied, “By Allah, I will not undo a banner fastened by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,” and he sent the army on its way. The correct course was indeed Abu Bakr’s, for when people heard that the people of Madinah had sent troops all the way to the borders of al-Shām, they said, “These folk possess real strength; there is no way we can renounce Islam.” Many were thus deterred from apostasy and remained within the faith.

The point is that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) surpassed ‘Umar in hitting upon what was right, especially in times of extreme difficulty. Nevertheless, both men—may Allah be pleased with them—were guided to the truth; may Allah gather us and you with them in Paradise. The stronger a person’s faith in Allah and the greater his obedience, the more Allah steers him toward the truth in proportion to the faith, knowledge, and righteous deeds he possesses. You may find such a person acting in a way he believes correct without having an explicit proof from the Qur’an or Sunnah; yet when he later reviews or asks, he discovers that his action does in fact accord with the Qur’an and Sunnah. This is one of the divine favors (karama). Concerning ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger ﷺ said, “If there are recipients of divine intuition (muhaddathūn) in my community, then ‘Umar is one of them.”