and no Companion would speak before he did in the presence of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—issuing commands and prohibitions, delivering sermons, and giving legal opinions, while the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—accorded him due respect in this and approved of what he did.

This was not an act of presuming to put himself forward before the Prophet. Rather, he acted with the Prophet’s permission, knowing that he had it. This served to assist the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to convey the message on his behalf and to carry out his command, for he knew the Messenger better than any of them, was the dearest of them (1) to the Messenger, and followed him more closely than any of them.

As for the Rāfidī’s assertion that when the Prophet sent Abū Bakr out with Barā’ah, he recalled him after three days, this is a lie whose falsity is well known. When the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—appointed Abū Bakr to lead the Hajj, Abū Bakr went as instructed and led the people in the Hajj that year, the ninth year. He did not return to Medina until he had completed the Hajj and carried out during it what the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had commanded him. The polytheists had been performing pilgrimage to the House and circumambulating it naked, and open-ended treaties existed between the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the polytheists. He therefore sent Abū Bakr and commanded him to proclaim:

“No polytheist shall perform the Hajj after this year, nor shall anyone circumambulate the House naked.”

Those whom Abū Bakr instructed to make this announcement proclaimed it that year. Alī ibn Abī Tālib was among those who proclaimed it during the pilgrimage season at Abū Bakr’s command. However, after Abū Bakr had set out, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sent Alī ibn Abī Tālib after him to announce to the polytheists that the treaties were terminated.

They said:

It was customary among the Arabs that treaties could be concluded or dissolved only by the person whose authority was obeyed or by a man from his household. He therefore sent Alī solely to dissolve the treaties that had existed with the polytheists; he did not send him for anything else. For this reason, Alī used to pray behind