” whether from Quraysh or the Ansar. For the initial dispute raised by some of the Ansar was not directed against al-Siddīq; rather, they sought to have one commander from among themselves and another from Quraysh.

Their dispute was thus with Quraysh as a whole. Once it became clear to them that this office belonged to Quraysh, they ceased disputing it.

Al-Siddīq said to them:

“I am content for either of these two men to lead you: Umar ibn al-Khattāb or Abū Ubayda ibn al-Jarrāh (1).”

Umar said, “By Allah, I would rather be put forward and have my neck struck—provided that this (2) did not bring me nearer to sin—than assume command (3) over a people among whom was Abū Bakr.” In the presence of the others, he also said to him, “You are the best of us, the most excellent of us, and the dearest of us to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” This is established in authentic hadiths (4).

They then pledged allegiance to Abū Bakr without him seeking it, without any inducement being offered to them (5), and without intimidation. Those who had pledged allegiance to the Messenger beneath the tree pledged allegiance to him, as did those who had pledged allegiance to the Messenger on the night of Aqaba, those who had pledged allegiance to him when emigrating to him, and those who had pledged allegiance to him when embracing Islam without emigrating, such as the pardoned Meccans and others.

No one ever said, “I have a greater right to this than Abū Bakr.” Nor did anyone say of any particular individual, “So-and-so has a greater right to this office than Abū Bakr.”

Only those in whom there remained a vestige of Arab or Persian pre-Islamic ignorance said, “The Messenger’s household has a greater right