And ʿUmar did not appoint the members of the consultative council to office (1), such as ʿUthmān (2), Talha, al-Zubayr, and others, although he considered them superior to those he did appoint, such as ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀs, Muʿāwiya, and others. He benefited more fully from having these men at his side than from placing any one of them in an office that someone of lesser merit could adequately fill.

Abū Bakr would enter with the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—with ʿUmar following him. He said to them:

“If you both agree on something, I will not disagree with you” (3).

When a delegation came to him, he would consult them both; one might offer one recommendation, and the other another. Thus, he consulted them both concerning the captives of Badr. He consulted Abū Bakr more often, and his meetings (4) with him were more frequent. This is known to anyone who reflects on the authentic hadiths, which would take too long to recount here.

[Section: The Rāfidī’s eleventh claim—that the Messenger of Allah sent him to convey Surah Barā’a, then recalled him—and its refutation]

(Section)

The Rāfidī said (5):

“Eleventh: He—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sent him to convey Surah Barā’a, then sent ʿAlī (6), instructing him to send him back and undertake the task himself. If someone is not fit to convey a surah or part of it, how, then, (7) can he be fit