in his book Manāqib al-Sahāba (Virtues of the Companions), saying (1):

“Wakīʿ narrated to us from Nāfiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, from Ibn Abī Mulayka, who said:

‘When the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—emigrated, Abu Bakr set out with him, and he took (2) the road to Thawr. Abu Bakr began walking sometimes behind him and sometimes ahead of him. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—asked him, “What is the matter?” He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I fear that you may be attacked from behind, so I fall back; and I fear that you may be attacked from ahead, so I go forward.”’

He continued: ‘When we reached the cave, Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of Allah, stay where you are until I sweep it clean.”’ (3)

Nāfiʿ said: ‘A man narrated to me from Ibn Abī Mulayka that Abu Bakr saw a hole in the cave and blocked it with his foot, saying, “O Messenger of Allah, if there is a sting or a bite, let it strike me.”’”

Thus, he was not content to be on an equal footing with the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—but not in the sense intended by the liar who slandered him: that he was unwilling for them both to die. Rather, he was unwilling for the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to be killed while he himself survived (4). Instead, he would choose to sacrifice himself, his family, and his wealth to save him.

This is obligatory upon every believer, and al-Siddīq was the foremost of the believers in fulfilling it. Allah Most High says:

“The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves.” [Surah al-Ahzāb: 6]

In the two Sahīh collections, Anas reports that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“None of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his child, his parent, and all people.” (5)