Mukhtasar Muslim

Ibn Abi Mulaikah says: I heard from Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her), she was asked: If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had appointed a successor, whom would he have appointed? (From this it is understood that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not explicitly appoint anyone as a caliph, rather the caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was established by the consensus of the Companions, and the claim of the Shia that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly appointed Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) as caliph is false and baseless, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) himself refuted them.) She said: He would have appointed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Then she was asked: After him, whom would he have appointed? She said: He would have appointed Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then she was asked: After him, whom would he have appointed? She said: He would have appointed Sayyiduna Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah. Then she remained silent.

‘Muhammad bin Jubair bin Mut’im narrates from his father that’ a woman asked Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) something. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Come again.” She said, “O Messenger of Allah! If I come and do not find you (i.e., if you have passed away)?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If you do not find me, then go to Abu Bakr.”

‘Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me during his illness, “Call your father Abu Bakr and your brother to me, so that I may write a document. I fear that someone who desires (leadership) may aspire to it, or someone may say, ‘I am more deserving (of leadership).’ But Allah refuses, and the Muslims refuse, anyone other than Abu Bakr (for leadership).”