Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39344 — The acceptance of Islam by Abu Bakr

Amir narrates: I asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), or he said: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was asked: Who among the people was the first to accept Islam? He replied: Have you not heard the words of Sayyiduna Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him): "When you recall a sorrow that reached you from a trusted brother, then remember your brother Abu Bakr and what he did. He is the best of creation, the most pious and the most just of them, except for the Prophet, and the most faithful in fulfilling what he undertook. And he is the second, the follower (in faith), whose witness is praised, and the first of the people to affirm the truth of the Messenger."