be hidden from anyone with even the slightest knowledge of historical reports. Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, had among his relatives and children such men as Talha ibn Ubayd Allah(1), one of the earliest Emigrants and among the foremost, possessed of immense merit in every sphere of excellence in Islam; and such as his son, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Abī Bakr, who had accompanied the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from early on, had emigrated at an early stage, and was manifestly virtuous. Yet Abū Bakr appointed none of them to office in any province—not anywhere in the whole of Yemen, despite its vastness and numerous administrative districts, nor in Oman, Hadramawt, Bahrain, al-Yamāma, Tā'if, Mecca, Khaybar, or any of the other districts of the Hijaz. Had he appointed them, they would have been qualified for such positions; but he feared showing favoritism and was wary lest some personal inclination sway him toward them.

Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, then followed the same course in this regard. Despite the breadth and vast extent of the lands(2), he appointed no one from Banū Adī ibn Ka'b, although he had conquered Greater Syria(3), Egypt, and the entire Persian Empire(4) as far as Khurāsān. The sole exception was al-Nu'mān ibn Adī, whom he appointed over Maysān, but he swiftly dismissed him.

In respect of emigration, they possessed a distinction found in no other clan of Quraysh, for not a single member of Banū Adī remained in Mecca without emigrating. Among them were men such as Saīd ibn Zayd, one of the earliest Emigrants and a man of distinguished precedence; Abū al-Jahm ibn Hudhayfa; Khārija ibn Hudhāfa; Ma'mar ibn Abd Allah; and (his son) Abd Allah ibn Umar(5).