their most eminent men, such as Usayd ibn Hudayr, Abbād ibn Bishr, and others who were (1) superior to Sa‘d ibn Ubādah in personal merit and family standing.
It is established in the two Sahih collections, through multiple chains, that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“The best clans of the Ansar are the Banū al-Najjār, then the Banū Abd al-Ashhal, then the Banū al-Hārith ibn al-Khazraj, then the Banū Sā‘idah; and there is good in every clan of the Ansar.” (2)
Not one member of the three clans given precedence—the Banū al-Najjār, the Banū Abd al-Ashhal, and the Banū al-Hārith ibn al-Khazraj—is known to have contested the imamate. Rather, the men of the Banū al-Najjār, such as Abū Ayyūb al-Ansārī, Abū Talha, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, and others, all chose none but Abū Bakr.
Usayd ibn Hudayr was at the head of the Ansar on the day Mecca was conquered, to the Prophet’s left—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—with Abū Bakr to his right. Usayd belonged to the Banū Abd al-Ashhal, and he urged that allegiance be pledged to Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—as did other men of the Ansar.
Only Sa‘d ibn Ubādah, al-Hubāb ibn al-Mundhir, and a small group contested the matter. They later reconsidered and pledged allegiance to al-Siddīq. The only one among them known to have withheld his allegiance was Sa‘d ibn Ubādah.