How, then, can it be said that he fled several times (1) during his campaigns before that?!
Second: Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, never fled. Even at Uhud, neither he nor ‘Umar fled; it was ‘Uthmān who turned away, and he was among those whom Allah pardoned. As for Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, no one ever said that they fled with those who fled. Rather, they stood firm alongside the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, at Hunayn, as previously related from the scholars of the Prophet’s biography (2). Yet some liars claimed that the two of them took the standard at Hunayn, then returned without achieving victory. Some go further in their lies and say that they fled [with those who fled] (3). All of this is false.
Even before one knows that it is false, whoever makes this allegation against them is the claimant and must therefore substantiate it with a credible report. There is no way to do so. Where, then, is the credible report that Abū Bakr fled in even one campaign, let alone several times?!
Third: Had he been so cowardly (4), the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would not have singled him out from among his Companions to be with him in the shelter. Indeed, it is not permissible to take someone like that along on a military campaign. For it is not fitting for a leader to (* take along someone who shrinks from battle (5), or someone who spreads alarming rumors, let alone for such a person to *) (6) be given precedence (7) over all his other Companions and be placed with him in his shelter.