16
[It has been narrated] (1) from him as well (2) that he said:
“Release me from your pledge; release me from your pledge.” (3)
The Muslims chose him and pledged allegiance to him because they knew that he was the best among them. As Umar said to him on the Day of al-Saqīfa, in the presence of the Emigrants and the Helpers:
“You are our master, the best among us, and the dearest of us to the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him.”
No one disputed this. This too is found in the two Sahih collections (4). The Muslims chose him, just as the [Prophet] (5)—peace and blessings be upon him—said to Aisha in the authentic [hadith] (6):
“Call your father and your brother to me so that I may write a document for Abu Bakr, lest the people disagree over him after I am gone.”
Then he said:
“Allah refuses—”
(1) “It has been narrated” is absent from N and M.
(2) “As well” is absent from A and B.
(3) *Al-Riyād al-Nadra fī Manāqib al-Ashara*, by al-Muhibb al-Tabarī (al-Khānjī ed., 1327), contains a chapter entitled “Abū Bakr’s Request to Be Released from the Pledge of Allegiance” (vol. [0–9], pp. [0–9]75–176). It includes many reports conveying this meaning, although this precise wording does not occur.
(4) Al-Bukhārī, 5/7. The passages in which these words occur were cited previously in this work, 1/518 (n. [0–9]). I had searched for the hadith of al-Saqīfa in *Sahīh Muslim* but found only a short passage from Umar’s sermon. It later became clear to me that Ibn Taymiyya was mistaken in explicitly stating that these words and other parts of the hadith of al-Saqīfa occur in both Sahih collections. In his remarks on the author of *Sharh al-Tahāwiyya* attributing the hadith of al-Saqīfa to both Sahih collections, Shaykh Ahmad Shākir—may Allah have mercy on him—wrote as follows (p. [0–9]08): “The commentator also erred in attributing it to both Sahih collections, for it was narrated by al-Bukhārī alone, as al-Hāfiz explicitly stated, 7/123.” See *Fath al-Bārī*.
(5) “The Prophet” is an addition in A and B.
(6) “Hadith” is an addition in A and B.
[وَقَدْ رُوِيَ]
(١)
. عَنْهُ أَيْضًا
(٢)
.
أَنَّهُ قَالَ:
أَقِيلُونِي أَقِيلُونِي
(٣)
، فَالْمُسْلِمُونَ اخْتَارُوهُ وَبَايَعُوهُ لِعِلْمِهِمْ بِأَنَّهُ خَيْرُهُمْ،
كَمَا قَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ يَوْمَ السَّقِيفَةِ بِمَحْضَرِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ:
أَنْتَ سَيِّدُنَا وَخَيْرُنَا وَأَحَبُّنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَمْ يُنْكِرْ ذَلِكَ أَحَدٌ، وَهَذَا أَيْضًا فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ
(٤)
. . وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ اخْتَارُوهُ كَمَا قَالَ
[النَّبِيُّ]
(٥)
. - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي
[الْحَدِيثِ]
(٦)
الصَّحِيحِ لِعَائِشَةَ:
" «ادْعِي لِي أَبَاكِ وَأَخَاكِ حَتَّى أَكْتُبَ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ كِتَابًا لَا يَخْتَلِفُ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ مِنْ بَعْدِي "
.
ثُمَّ قَالَ:
" يَأْبَى اللَّهُ»
(١) وَقَدْ رُوِيَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م)
(٢) أَيْضًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب)
(٣) فِي " الرِّيَاضِ النَّضِرَةِ فِي مَنَاقِبِ الْعَشْرَةِ " لِلْمُحِبِّ الطَّبَرِيِّ (ط. الْخَانْجِيِّ، ١٣٢٧) فَصْلٌ بِعُنْوَانِ: ذِكْرُ اسْتِقَالَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ مِنَ الْبَيْعَةِ (ج [٠ - ٩] ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٧٥ - ١٧٦) فِيهِ أَخْبَارٌ كَثِيرَةٌ بِهَذَا الْمَعْنَى وَإِنْ لَمْ تَرِدْ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظُ بِعَيْنِهَا
(٤) الْبُخَارِيِّ ٥/٧. وَسَبَقَ ذِكْرُ الْمَوَاضِعِ الَّتِي وَرَدَتْ فِيهَا هَذِهِ الْعِبَارَاتُ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ ١/٥١٨ (ت [٠ - ٩] ) . وَكُنْتُ قَدْ بَحَثْتُ عَنْ حَدِيثِ السَّقِيفَةِ فِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ، فَلَمْ أَجِدْ فِيهِ إِلَّا قِطْعَةً صَغِيرَةً مِنْ خُطْبَةِ عُمَرَ، ثُمَّ تَبَيَّنَ لِي أَخِيرًا أَنَّ ابْنَ تَيْمِيَّةَ كَانَ مُخْطِئًا فِي نَصِّهِ عَلَى أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظَ وَغَيْرَهَا مِنْ حَدِيثِ السَّقِيفَةِ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ، فَقَدْ ذَكَرَ الشَّيْخُ أَحْمَد شَاكِر - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - فِي تَعْلِيقِهِ عَلَى نِسْبَةِ صَاحِبِ كِتَابِ " شَرْحِ الطَّحَاوِيَّةِ " حَدِيثَ السَّقِيفَةِ إِلَى الصَّحِيحَيْنِ مَا يَلِي (ص [٠ - ٩] ٠٨) : " وَقَدْ أَوْهَمَ الشَّارِحُ أَيْضًا فِي نِسْبَتِهِ لِلصَّحِيحَيْنِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَفْرَادِ الْبُخَارِيِّ كَمَا نَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْحَافِظُ ٧/١٢٣ "، وَانْظُرْ فَتْحَ الْبَارِي
(٥) النَّبِيُّ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب)
(٦) الْحَدِيثِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .