in lineage and homeland. I am content that you should have either of these two men, so pledge allegiance to whichever of them you wish.” He then took my hand and that of Abū Ubayda ibn al-Jarrāh, who was seated among us. Of everything he said, I disliked nothing but this. By Allah, I would rather have been brought forward and had my neck struck—provided this did not bring me near to sin—than become leader of a people among whom was Abū Bakr, unless, at the point of death, my soul should entice me (1) toward something I do not feel (2) now.
A man from the Ansār said:
“I am its seasoned rubbing-post and its prized, well-supported palm (3). Let there be a leader from us and a leader from you, O company of Quraysh!”
The clamor then increased and voices were raised until I feared dissension. I said:
“Stretch out your hand, Abū Bakr.”
He stretched out his hand, and I pledged allegiance to him. The Emigrants also pledged allegiance to him, and then the Ansār pledged allegiance to him (4). We sprang (5) upon Sa‘d ibn Ubāda, whereupon a man [from among them] (6) said:
“You have killed Sa‘d ibn Ubāda!”
I said:
“May Allah kill Sa‘d ibn Ubāda!”
Umar said:
“And by Allah, we
(1) Al-Bukhārī reads *ilayya* (“to me”); another reading has *lī* (“for me”).
(2) (R) reads: “unless I find it.”
(3) In the margins of (R) and (H), the following is written: “Al-Hubāb ibn al-Mundhir said this. Ahmad mentioned it in *al-Musnad*.” In (H), “Al-Hubāb ibn al-Mundhir said this” reads: “The speaker was al-Hubāb ibn al-Mundhir”; and in (R), “Ahmad” reads: “Imam Ahmad.” In the margin of (Y): “Imam Ahmad mentioned in his *Musnad* that the speaker was al-Hubāb ibn al-Mundhir.” Shaykh Ahmad Shākir—may Allah have mercy on him—said in his commentary on the hadith: “*Al-judhayl* is the diminutive of *jidhl*, with a *kasra* on the *jīm* and no vowel on the *dhāl*. It is a post set up for mangy camels to rub against. The diminutive here is used for aggrandizement: I am one whose counsel is sought for relief, just as mangy camels seek relief by rubbing against this post. It is also said that he meant he was a man of great might who remained steadfast when tested. *Al-ʿudhayq* is the diminutive of *al-ʿadhq*, with a *fatḥa* on the *ʿayn* and no vowel on the *dhāl*; it means a palm tree. This too is a diminutive used for aggrandizement. *Al-murajjab* derives from *tarjīb*: propping up a choice palm with a structure of stone or wood when it is feared that the tree may fall because of its height and heavy yield.”
(4) (H), (R), (Y), and (N) read: “Then the Ansār pledged allegiance to him.”
(5) Ibn Hajar states: “*Wa-nazawnā*, with a *nūn* and a *zāy* bearing a *fatḥa*, means ‘we sprang.’”
(6) The words “from among them” occur only in (B) and al-Bukhārī.