Abū Bakr to the caliphate, to the exclusion of all others from among the Prophet’s Household and the Companions, it comes from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.”

He said:

“Our scholars differed concerning the caliphate: was it established by explicit designation or by inference? A group of our scholars held that it was established by explicit designation, and that he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—stated this explicitly and categorically designated him in person. Other scholars of ours held that it was established by clear inference.”

Ibn Hāmid said:

“The evidence that it was established by explicit designation consists of several reports. Among them is the report narrated by al-Bukhārī from Jubayr ibn Mutim, who said:

“A woman came to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and he instructed her to return to him. She asked, ‘What if I return and do not find you?’—as though she meant his death. He replied, ‘If you do not find me, then go to Abū Bakr.’”

He also cited another version [of it] (1) (2), along with other hadiths. He said: “This is an explicit designation of his imamate.”