so they allotted him three dirhams each day from the public treasury.” (1)

The answer is as follows:

First: Among the gravest forms of injustice and slander is to deny what has been established by mass transmission, become widely known among scholars and ordinary people alike, and filled the books: collections of authentic hadith, collections arranged by narrator, works of Quranic commentary and jurisprudence, and books devoted to these men’s lives and virtues. Then he alleges reports that cannot be established merely by his assertion, without citing a known chain of transmission or referring to a book (2) that he knows and that is trustworthy, nor does he quote the statement itself. Even if he were debating the most ignorant person, that person could reply: “Rather, what you have said is false, and what your opponents have said is true. How can you report a past event without any evidence whatsoever, or any transmitted account by which it can be established? Which trustworthy narrator has transmitted what you have alleged about Abū Bakr?”

Furthermore, Abū Bakr’s expenditure of his wealth is established by mass transmission and reported through many routes in authentic hadith. Indeed, the Prophet said:

“No wealth has ever benefited me as much as Abū Bakr’s wealth.” (3)

He also said:

“Of all people, Abū Bakr has been the most generous to us in his companionship and his wealth.” (4)

It is also established that he used his own wealth to purchase those who were being tortured, including Bilāl and ‘Āmir ibn Fuhayra. He purchased seven people.

As for the assertion, “His father used to call people to the table of ‘Abd Allāh ibn Jud‘ān,” no chain of transmission has been cited by which its authenticity could be established. Even if it were established, it would not undermine the argument, for this