Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 14335

Sayyiduna Usayd bin Safwan (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates: When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away, he was covered with a cloth, and Madinah was filled with weeping and lamentation. The people were as distressed as they had been at the time of the passing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) came hurrying, reciting 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un', and saying: "Today the caliphate of prophethood has been cut off," until he stopped at the door of the house in which the body of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) lay. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Abu Bakr! May Allah Almighty have mercy on you. You were the first person to accept Islam, the purest in faith, the firmest in certainty, the most fearful of Allah Almighty, the most independent (of the world and of people), the most watchful over the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the most devoted to Islam, the most generous towards the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the finest in companionship with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the most excellent in virtues, the richest in precedence, the highest in rank, the closest to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the most similar to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in conduct, character and manner. You were the most trusted in the sight of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the highest in standing in the sight of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the most honoured in the sight of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So may Allah Almighty reward you with good on behalf of Islam, on behalf of His Messenger and on behalf of all the Muslims. When the people belied the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), you affirmed the truth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and you are the one whom Allah Almighty named al-Siddiq in His Book, saying: "And the one who brought the truth" - meaning Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) - "and the one who affirmed it" - meaning Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). When the people were miserly, you supported the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); when the people sat back, you stood up with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). You remained with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even in hardship, and remained with him in the finest manner. You strove to bring comfort to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). You were the companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Hijrah and in the places of distress. Then you became the successor of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) over his Ummah and proved to be an excellent Caliph. At the time when some people apostatised, you upheld the religion of Allah Almighty in a way that no caliph of any prophet would ever have upheld it. When your companions were weak, you were alert and vigorous; when they were faltering, you rose up, and you held fast to the way of the Messenger of Allah, however much the hypocrites disliked it and however much the disbelievers were enraged. When the people were slipping, you kept the matter firm, and when the people halted, you carried forward the light of Allah. You were the highest of them in rank, the least of them in speech and the finest of them in speech, the longest of them in silence, the most eloquent of them in what you said, the best of them in speaking, the bravest of them, the firmest of them in certainty, the best of them in deeds, and the one who understood matters best. You were a leader for the religion and a merciful father to the believers. When they became your dependants, you carried the burden under which they had grown weak, you safeguarded what they had begun to lose, you took care of what they were neglecting, and you were patient when they were wailing. You reached the traces of what they sought, and through you they reached what they had never imagined. You were a torrent of punishment poured upon the disbelievers, and rain clouds and verdure for the Muslims. Independence was in your nature; you succeeded by its edges (or by most of it), you carried off its virtues and you secured those who led in it. Your proof was never weakened, your heart never swerved, your insight never diminished, and your soul never became cowardly. You were like the mountain which fierce winds cannot shake and thunderbolts cannot bring down. You were just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: you treated the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) best through your companionship; or as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'He is weak in body but strong in the matter of Allah.' In the sight of the Muslims you were a humble yet great man, of eminent standing on earth. No one had any reservation about you, no one could speak ill of you, and no one could have any greed regarding you. With you there was no injustice towards anyone. The weak and lowly person was strong in your sight until you secured his right for him, and the strong and eminent person was weak in your sight until the right was taken from him. In this, those near and those far were equal in your sight. Your affair was truth and sincerity, and there was gentleness in your speech. When you departed from the world, the path had been laid out, the religion had become balanced, faith had become strong, and the matter of Allah had become strong, however much the disbelievers disliked it. So by Allah, you went far ahead, and you have put those after you to great difficulty. You succeeded in attaining Paradise. Your loss was considered great in the heaven, and your calamity has reached all creation. So surely we belong to Allah Almighty, and surely to Him we are to return. And surely we are pleased with Allah Almighty regarding His decree, and we entrust His affair to Allah Almighty. After the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the Muslims will never face such a calamity through anyone as they have faced through (the passing of) you. You were a provision and a refuge for the religion, a fortress, a source of unity and of comfort for the Muslims, and a source of severity and harshness against the hypocrites. May Allah Almighty join you with His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), may Allah Almighty not deprive us of your reward, and may He not let us go astray after you." The narrator says: The people remained silent until Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) finished his words. Then the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to weep, and they said: "O cousin of the Messenger of Allah! You have spoken the truth."
Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Umar bin Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Kurdi, who is a kadhdhab (liar).