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that statement was prompted by his illness, or whether it was a statement that had to be followed? He refrained from writing, deeming sufficient his knowledge that Allah and the believers would choose Abū Bakr [may Allah be pleased with him] (1) for the caliphate.
Had the identity of the person to be appointed been liable to remain unclear to the ummah, the Prophet (2)—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would have made it conclusively clear, leaving no room for excuse. But since multiple indications had shown them (3) that Abū Bakr was the one clearly indicated (4), and they understood this, the intended purpose was achieved. (* The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would explain rulings at times in general terms (5) and at other times in specific terms. *) (6)
Hence Umar [ibn al-Khattāb] (7) said in the sermon he delivered in the presence of the Emigrants and the Helpers:
“There is no one among you toward whom necks would crane as they did toward (8) Abū Bakr.”
Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim (9).
(1) “May Allah be pleased with him” is an addition in A and B. The account narrated by Ibn Abbās concerning the Prophet’s illness on Thursday—his decision to write, the Companions’ disagreement over the matter, and his decision not to proceed—is found in several places in Sahīh al-Bukhārī. See: 1 (Book of Knowledge, chapter “Writing Down Knowledge”); 4/99 (Book of Jizya and Truces, chapter “Expelling the Jews from the Arabian Peninsula”); 6/9–10 (Book of Military Expeditions, chapter “The Prophet’s Illness and Death”—may Allah bless him and grant him peace); 7/120 (Book of the Sick, chapter “The Sick Person’s Statement: ‘I Am in Pain’”); and 9/111–112 (Book of Holding Fast to the Quran and Sunnah, chapter “The Dislike of Disagreement”).
(2) A and B read: “the Messenger of Allah.”
(3) A and B read: “he guided them.”
(4) N and M read: “the appointed one.”
(5) N reads: “complete”; the text printed here follows M.
(6) The passage between the asterisks is omitted from A and B.
(7) “Ibn al-Khattāb” is an addition in A and B.
(8) N and M read: “other than.”
(9) This sentence comes from a lengthy sermon by Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—and is found in al-Bukhārī, 8/169 (Book of Legal Punishments, chapter “Stoning a Pregnant Woman for Unlawful Sexual Intercourse If She Has Previously Been Married”); Ibn Hishām, al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, 4/309, Cairo, 1355/1936; and al-Musnad (al-Ma'ārif ed.), vol. [0–9], report no. 391 (p. [0–9]26). I also found an excerpt from Umar’s sermon in Sahīh Muslim, 3/1317 (Book of Legal Punishments, chapter “Stoning the Previously Married Adulterer”), but it does not contain this sentence. See also Ibn al-Athīr, Jāmi al-Usūl, 4/480. Ibn Hajar explains the sentence in Fath al-Bārī, 12/125: “Al-Khattābī said: What is meant is that even the foremost among you, whom no one can overtake in virtue, does not attain Abū Bakr’s rank. . . . The wording ‘necks are severed’ is used because the person looking at the one ahead stretches his neck to see him. If he fails to achieve his aim of overtaking the one whom he wishes to surpass, it is said: ‘His neck has been severed.’”
ذَلِكَ الْقَوْلُ مِنْ جِهَةِ الْمَرَضِ، أَوْ هُوَ قَوْلٌ يَجِبُ اتِّبَاعُهُ؟ تَرَكَ الْكِتَابَةَ اكْتِفَاءً بِمَا عَلِمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَخْتَارُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ مِنْ خِلَافَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ
[رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ]
(١)
.
فَلَوْ كَانَ التَّعْيِينُ مِمَّا يُشْتَبَهُ عَلَى الْأُمَّةِ، لَبَيَّنَهُ النَّبِيُّ
(٢)
- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بَيَانًا قَاطِعًا لِلْعُذْرِ، لَكِنْ لَمَّا دَلَّتْهُمْ
(٣)
دِلَالَاتٌ مُتَعَدِّدَةٌ عَلَى أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ هُوَ الْمُتَعَيَّنُ
(٤)
وَفَهِمُوا ذَلِكَ، حَصَلَ الْمَقْصُودُ
(* وَالْأَحْكَامُ يُبَيِّنُهَا - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - تَارَةً بِصِيغَةٍ عَامَّةٍ (٥)
وَتَارَةً بِصِيغَةٍ خَاصَّةٍ *)
(٦)
وَلِهَذَا قَالَ عُمَرُ
[بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ]
(٧)
فِي خُطْبَتِهِ الَّتِي خَطَبَهَا بِمَحْضَرٍ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ:
" وَلَيْسَ فِيكُمْ مَنْ تُقْطَعُ إِلَيْهِ الْأَعْنَاقُ مِثْلُ
(٨)
أَبِي بَكْرٍ "
رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ
(٩)
.
(١) رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . وَخَبَرُ مَرَضِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ وَعَزْمِهِ عَلَى الْكِتَابَةِ وَاخْتِلَافِ الصَّحَابَةِ حَوْلَهُ وَعُدُولِهِ عَنْ ذَلِكَ مَرْوِيٌّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي عِدَّةِ مَوَاضِعَ فِي صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِيِّ انْظُرْ: ١ (كِتَابَ الْعِلْمِ، بَابَ كِتَابَةِ الْعِلْمِ) ، ٤/٩٩ (كِتَابَ الْجِزْيَةِ، وَالْمُوَادَعَةِ، بَابَ إِخْرَاجِ الْيَهُودِ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ) ، ٦/٩ - ١٠ (كِتَابَ الْمَغَازِي، بَابَ مَرَضِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَوَفَاتِهِ) ، ٧/١٢٠ (كِتَابَ الْمَرْضَى، بَابَ قَوْلِ الْمَرِيضِ: إِنِّي وَجِعٌ. .) ، ٩/١١١ - ١١٢ (كِتَابَ الِاعْتِصَامِ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، بَابَ كَرَاهِيَةِ الْخِلَافِ) .
(٢) أ، ب: رَسُولُ اللَّهِ.
(٣) أ، ب: دَلَّهُمْ.
(٤) ن، م: الْمُعَيَّنُ.
(٥) ن: تَامَّةٍ، وَالْمُثْبَتُ مِنْ (م) .
(٦) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) .
(٧) بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .
(٨) ن، م: غَيْرُ.
(٩) هَذِهِ جُمْلَةٌ مِنْ خُطْبَةٍ طَوِيلَةٍ لِعُمَرَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَقَدْ وَرَدَتْ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٨/١٦٩ (كِتَابُ الْحُدُودِ، بَابُ رَجْمِ الْحُبْلَى مِنَ الزِّنَى إِذَا أُحْصِنَتْ) ؛ ابْنِ هِشَامٍ: (السِّيرَةُ النَّبَوِيَّةُ) ٤/٣٠٩، الْقَاهِرَةُ، ١٣٥٥/١٩٣٦؛ الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) ج [٠ - ٩] ، الْأَثَرِ ٣٩١ (ص [٠ - ٩] ٢٦) . وَقَدْ وَجَدْتُ فِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ ٣/١٣١٧ (كِتَابُ الْحُدُودِ، بَابُ رَجْمِ الثَّيِّبِ مِنَ الزِّنَى) قِطْعَةً مِنْ خُطْبَةِ عُمَرَ وَلَكِنْ لَيْسَ فِيهَا هَذِهِ الْجُمْلَةُ، وَانْظُرْ جَامِعَ الْأُصُولِ لِابْنِ الْأَثِيرِ ٤/٤٨٠. وَيَشْرَحُ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ (فَتْحَ الْبَارِي ١٢/١٢٥) مَعْنَى الْجُمْلَةِ فَيَقُولُ: " قَالَ الْخَطَّابِيُّ: يُرِيدُ أَنَّ السَّابِقَ مِنْكُمُ الَّذِي لَا يَلْحَقُ فِي الْفَضْلِ لَا يَصِلُ إِلَى مَنْزِلَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ. . . وَعَبَّرَ بِقَوْلِهِ: تُقْطَعُ الْأَعْنَاقُ، لِكَوْنِ النَّاظِرِ إِلَى السَّابِقِ تَمْتَدُّ عُنُقُهُ لِيَنْظُرَ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَحْصُلْ مَقْصُودُهُ مِنْ سَبْقِ مَنْ يُرِيدُ سَبْقَهُ، قِيلَ: انْقَطَعَتْ عُنُقُهُ ".