the one who delayed setting out, fearing that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would die. He said:

“How can I leave while you are in this condition and have to ask passing riders for news of you?”

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—therefore permitted him to remain. Had he firmly ordered Usāmah to depart, Usāmah would have obeyed him; and had Usāmah departed, none of those under his command would have remained behind. Indeed, after the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—died, they all went with him, and no one remained behind without his permission.

By the consensus of the scholars, Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—was not among Usāmah’s army. It has, however, been reported that Umar was among them. Umar had been due to depart with Usāmah, but Abū Bakr asked Usāmah to permit him to remain with him because he needed him, and Usāmah granted permission. Moreover, after the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—died, Umar and Abū Bakr were the keenest of all people to dispatch Usāmah’s army. Most of the Companions advised Abū Bakr not to dispatch it, fearing that the enemy might endanger them. Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—replied, “By Allah, I will not untie a banner that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had tied.” Dispatching it was among the most beneficial measures Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—undertook at the beginning of his caliphate. There was never any sustained dispute whatsoever over any of this (1).

Al-Shahrastānī had no expertise in hadith or in the reports of the Companions and the Followers. Thus, in this book, while he related disagreements among non-Muslims and disagreements among Muslims, he did not also relate the position of the Companions, the Followers, and the leading scholars of the Muslims concerning foundational matters