16
Likewise, his words:
“Tell Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.”
He was urged to reconsider this time and again, yet Abū Bakr led them in prayer throughout the Prophet’s illness— from Thursday to Thursday to Monday. On one occasion, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—came out and led them in prayer while seated. Abū Bakr continued, at his command, to lead all the remaining prayers. On the day he died, the Prophet drew back the curtain while they were praying behind Abū Bakr, and he was pleased by what he saw (1). It has also been said that the last prayer the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—performed was behind Abū Bakr; but it has also been said that this was not the case.
Likewise, his words from the authentic [hadith] (2), delivered from his pulpit:
“If I were to take an intimate friend from among the people (3) of the earth, I would take Abū Bakr as an intimate friend. Let no small doorway in the mosque remain open except that of Abū Bakr.” (4)
(1) These reports are found in works on the Prophet’s biography (*sīrah*). See, for example, Ibn Hishām’s *Sīrah*, 4:298–306; Ibn Hazm, *Jawāmi al-Sīrah*, pp. 262–265. Some of these reports also occur in hadith collections, in narrations from Āisha and Anas—may Allah be pleased with them both. See, for example: al-Bukhārī, 1:139–140 (Book of the Call to Prayer, “Whoever Conveyed the Imam’s *takbīr* to the People”), 1:147 (Book of the Call to Prayer, “May One Turn Aside Because of Something That Befalls Him …?”), 2:63 (Book of the Night Prayer, “Whoever Walked Backward During His Prayer”), 4:149–150 (Book of the Prophets, on the words of Allah Most High: “Surely in Joseph and his brothers were signs for those who inquire”), 6:12–13 (Book of Military Expeditions, “The Illness and Death of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace”), and 9:97–98 (Book of Holding Fast to the Quran and Sunnah, “The Dislike of Excessive Delving and Disputation in Knowledge”); *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 5:361 and 6:96.
(2) “Hadith” is an addition in A and B.
(3) *Ahl* (“people”) is omitted from A and B.
(4) The first part of this hadith, through the Prophet’s statement, “I would surely have taken Abū Bakr as an intimate friend,” is narrated in numerous places from several Companions. The hadith with this particular wording is narrated from Abū Saīd al-Khudrī—may Allah be pleased with him—in al-Bukhārī, 1:96 (Book of Prayer, “The *khawkhah* and Passageway in the Mosque”). It begins: “The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—delivered a sermon and said: ‘Allah offered a servant the choice between this world and what is with Him …’” The hadith is also found in al-Bukhārī, 5:4 (Book of the Virtues of the Prophet’s Companions—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“The Merits of the Emigrants,” and “The Prophet’s Statement—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—‘Close all the doors except Abū Bakr’s door’”); Muslim, 4:1854–1855 (Book of the Virtues of the Companions, “Some of the Virtues of Abū Bakr …”); *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 5:278 (Book of Virtues, “The Merits of Abū Bakr al-Siddīq”), where it is narrated from Āisha. Al-Tirmidhī states: “A report on this subject is also narrated from Abū Saīd”; and *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 3:18. *Fath al-Bārī*, 7:14, states: “A *khawkhah* is an aperture in a wall made to admit light, though it need not be elevated. When situated low in the wall, it may be used as a passageway to provide quicker access to a desired place.”
وَمِثْلِ قَوْلِهِ:
"
«مُرُوا أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَلْيُصَلِّ بِالنَّاسِ»
"
. وَقَدْ رُوجِعَ فِي ذَلِكَ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ مَرَّةٍ، فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ مُدَّةَ مَرَضِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - مِنْ يَوْمِ الْخَمِيسِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْخَمِيسِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الِاثْنَيْنِ، وَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - مَرَّةً فَصَلَّى بِهِمْ جَالِسًا، وَبَقِيَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يُصَلِّي بِأَمْرِهِ سَائِرَ الصَّلَوَاتِ، وَكَشَفَ السِّتَارَةَ يَوْمَ مَاتَ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ فَسُّرَ بِذَلِكَ
(١)
،
وَقَدْ قِيلَ:
إِنَّ آخِرَ صَلَاةٍ صَلَّاهَا النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَانَتْ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ،
وَقِيلَ:
لَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ.
وَمِثْلِ قَوْلِهِ فِي
[الْحَدِيثِ]
(٢)
الصَّحِيحِ عَلَى مِنْبَرِهِ:
" «لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنْ أَهْلِ
(٣)
الْأَرْضِ خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا، لَا يَبْقَيَنَّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ خَوْخَةٌ إِلَّا سُدَّتْ إِلَّا خَوْخَةَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ» "
(٤)
.
(١) هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارُ جَاءَتْ فِي كُتُبِ السِّيرَةِ، انْظُرْ مَثَلًا: سِيرَةَ ابْنِ هِشَامٍ ٤/٢٩٨ - ٣٠٦؛ جَوَامِعَ السِّيرَةِ لِابْنِ حَزْمٍ، ص ٢٦٢ - ٢٦٥، وَجَاءَتْ بَعْضُ هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارِ فِي كُتُبِ السُّنَّةِ فِي أَحَادِيثَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَأَنَسٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا -. انْظُرْ مَثَلًا: الْبُخَارِيَّ ١/١٣٩ - ١٤٠ (كِتَابُ الْأَذَانِ، بَابُ مَنْ أَسْمَعَ النَّاسَ تَكْبِيرَ الْإِمَامِ) ، ١/١٤٧ (كِتَابُ الْأَذَانِ، بَابُ هَلْ يَلْتَفِتُ لِأَمْرٍ يَنْزِلُ بِهِ. . .) ، ٢/٦٣ (كِتَابُ التَّهَجُّدِ، بَابُ مَنْ رَجَعَ الْقَهْقَرَى فِي صَلَاتِهِ) ، ٤/١٤٩ - ١٥٠ (كِتَابُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، بَابُ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ آيَاتٌ لِلسَّائِلِينَ) ، ٦/١٢ - ١٣ (كِتَابُ الْمَغَازِي، بَابُ مَرَضِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَوَفَاتِهِ) ، ٩/٩٧ - ٩٨ (كِتَابُ الِاعْتِصَامِ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، بَابُ مَا يُكْرَهُ مِنَ التَّعَمُّقِ وَالنِّزَاعِ فِي الْعِلْمِ) ؛ الْمُسْنَدَ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٥/٣٦١، ٦/٩٦.
(٢) الْحَدِيثِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .
(٣) أَهْلِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) .
(٤) جَاءَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِي قِسْمِهِ الْأَوَّلِ إِلَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ: لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا، فِي مَوَاضِعَ كَثِيرَةٍ عَنْ عَدَدٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ، وَأَمَّا الْحَدِيثُ بِهَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ فَقَدْ جَاءَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ١/٩٦ (كِتَابُ الصَّلَاةِ، بَابُ الْخَوْخَةِ وَالْمَمَرِّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ) وَأَوَّلُهُ: خَطَبَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَقَالَ: " إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَيَّرَ عَبْدًا بَيْنَ الدُّنْيَا وَبَيْنَ مَا عِنْدَهُ. . . الْحَدِيثَ، وَهُوَ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٥/٤ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ، بَابُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: سُدُّوا الْأَبْوَابَ إِلَّا بَابَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ) ؛ مُسْلِمٍ ٤/١٨٥٤ - ١٨٥٥ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الصَّحَابَةِ، بَابُ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ. .) ؛ سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٥/٢٧٨ (كِتَابُ الْمَنَاقِبِ، بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ) وَالْحَدِيثُ فِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ. وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ " وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ "؛ الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٣/١٨. وَفِي " فَتْحِ الْبَارِي " ٧/١٤؛ وَالْخَوْخَةُ طَاقَةٌ فِي الْجِدَارِ تُفْتَحُ لِأَجْلِ الضَّوْءِ وَلَا يُشْتَرَطُ عُلُوُّهَا، وَحَيْثُ تَكُونُ سُفْلَى يُمْكِنُ الِاسْتِطْرَاقُ مِنْهَا لِاسْتِقْرَابِ الْوُصُولِ إِلَى مَكَانٍ مَطْلُوبٍ ".