his predecessor’s governance, that (1) deficiency becomes plainly apparent. This is well known from the condition of officeholders whenever one king succeeds another, one judge succeeds another, one shaykh succeeds another, or in other such cases. If the second officeholder is manifestly deficient in his fitness to govern, this becomes apparent in him, and the affairs that his predecessor had ordered and harmonized begin to change.

Al-Siddīq then assumed office after the most perfect of all creation in governance, yet Islam suffered no decline whatsoever. Rather, he fought the apostates until matters returned to the state they had been [in] (2), brought the people back through the very door by which they had departed, and then embarked upon fighting the disbelievers among the People of the Book. He taught the Muslim community what had been unclear to them, strengthened them when they grew weak, and gave them courage when they became fearful. He governed them in a manner that ensured the soundness of their religious and worldly affairs. Through him, Allah set the Muslim community aright in its knowledge, strength, and religion. This was among the means by which Allah preserved the community’s religion for it, and it confirms that he was the person most entitled to succeed the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

As for the Rāfidī’s assertion:

“He did not know the ruling concerning collateral inheritance until he gave his own opinion on it.”

The response is that this is actually among the greatest proofs of his knowledge. The opinion he formed concerning collateral inheritance was subsequently accepted by the overwhelming majority of scholars. They adopted Abū Bakr’s position that it refers to one who leaves neither a child nor a parent. The exercise of reasoned judgment is well attested among the Companions generally, including Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthmān, Ibn Masūd, Zayd ibn Thābit, and Muādh ibn Jabal. However, a reasoned judgment that accords with the truth is one for which its author receives