Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/564)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Thus, this showed that appointing someone other than Abū Bakr to lead the prayer was a wrongful act for which anyone seeking to persuade him deserved reproach, just as he reproached the women for trying to persuade Joseph. This was despite Abū Bakr having asked ‘Umar to lead the prayer. ‘Umar did not step forward, but said, “You have a greater right to this.” In doing so, ‘Umar acknowledged that Abū Bakr had a greater right to it than he did, just as he acknowledged that Abū Bakr had a greater right to the caliphate than he or any of the other Companions, and that he was the best of them.

As reported in al-Bukhārī, when ‘Ā’ishah mentioned Abū Bakr’s sermon in Medina—which has already been discussed—she said:

“The Ansār gathered around Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah in the portico of Banū Sā‘idah and said, ‘There should be a ruler from among us and a ruler from among you.’ Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, together with Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāh, went to them. ‘Umar began (1) to speak, but Abū Bakr silenced him. ‘Umar used to say, ‘By Allah, my only reason was that I had prepared a speech that pleased me, and I feared that Abū Bakr would not match it.’ Then Abū Bakr spoke with unsurpassed eloquence. Among the things he said was, ‘We shall be the rulers, and you the advisers.’

“Hubāb (2) ibn al-Mundhir said, ‘We will not accept that. There should be a ruler from among us and a ruler from among you.’ Abū Bakr replied, ‘Rather, we shall be the rulers, and you the advisers. They stand at the heart of the Arabs in their homeland and are the most deeply rooted (3) in ancestral distinction. So pledge allegiance to ‘Umar or Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāh.’

“‘Umar said, ‘No, we shall pledge allegiance to you. You are our leader, the best of us, and the dearest of us to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ ‘Umar then took his hand and pledged allegiance to him, and the people did likewise. Someone among them said, ‘You have nearly killed Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah!’ ‘Umar replied, ‘May Allah kill him!’ (4)”

(1) (1 - 1): Omitted from (S) and (B). (2) B: “Khabbāb,” which is an error. (3) M: Wa-a‘azzuhum (“and the most honored among them”). (4) This hadith was cited earlier, 1/715 and 2/50.

فَدَلَّ هَذَا عَلَى أَنَّ تَقْدِيمَ غَيْرِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ فِي الصَّلَاةِ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ الَّذِي يُذَمُّ مَنْ يُرَاوِدُ عَلَيْهِ كَمَا ذَمَّ النِّسْوَةَ عَلَى مُرَاوَدَةِ يُوسُفَ، هَذَا مَعَ أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدْ قَالَ لِعُمْرَ يُصَلِّي فَلَمْ يَتَقَدَّمْ عُمَرُ، وَقَالَ: أَنْتَ أَحَقُّ بِذَلِكَ، فَكَانَ فِي هَذَا اعْتِرَافُ عُمَرَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ أَحَقُّ بِذَلِكَ مِنْهُ، كَمَا اعْتَرَفَ لَهُ بِأَنَّهُ أَحَقُّ بِالْخِلَافَةِ مِنْهُ وَمِنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ، وَأَنَّهُ أَفْضَلُهُمْ. كَمَا فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ لَمَّا ذَكَرَتْ خُطْبَةُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، وَقَدْ تَقَدَّمَ ذَلِكَ قَالَتْ: وَاجْتَمَعَتِ الْأَنْصَارُ إِلَى سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَادَةَ فِي سَقِيفَةِ بَنِي سَاعِدَةَ، فَقَالُوا: مِنَّا أَمِيرٌ وَمِنْكُمْ أَمِيرٌ فَذَهَبَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ، فَذَهَبَ (١) عُمَرُ يَتَكَلَّمُ، فَأَسْكَتَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَقُولُ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ بِذَلِكَ إِلَّا أَنِّي هَيَّأْتُ كَلَامًا أَعْجَبَنِي خِفْتُ أَنْ لَا يَبْلُغَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ، ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَتَكَلَّمَ أَبْلَغُ النَّاسِ، فَقَالَ فِي كَلَامِهِ: نَحْنُ الْأُمَرَاءُ وَأَنْتُمُ الْوُزَرَاءُ، فَقَالَ حُبَابُ (٢) بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ: لَا نَفْعَلُ، مِنَّا أَمِيرٌ وَمِنْكُمْ أَمِيرٌ، فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَلَكِنَّا الْأُمَرَاءُ وَأَنْتُمُ الْوُزَرَاءُ هُمْ أَوْسَطُ الْعَرَبِ دَارًا، وَأَعْرَقُهُمْ (٣) أَحْسَابًا، فَبَايِعُوا عُمَرَ أَوْ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: بَلْ نُبَايِعُكَ أَنْتَ، فَأَنْتَ سَيِّدُنَا وَخَيْرُنَا وَأَحَبُّنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَخَذَ عُمَرُ بِيَدِهِ فَبَايَعَهُ وَبَايَعَهُ النَّاسُ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْهُمْ: قَتَلْتُمْ سَعْدَ بْنَ عُبَادَةَ، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: قَتَلَهُ اللَّهُ (٤) .

(١) (١ - ١) : سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (س) ، (ب) (٢) ب خَبَّابُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ (٣) م. وَأَعَزُّهُمْ (٤) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ١/٧١٥، ٢/٥٠.