Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39824 — Reports on the caliphate of Abu Bakr

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Hajj and intended to deliver a sermon to the people. Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf submitted: "(At this time) people of low rank and from scattered places have gathered around you, so postpone your intention of delivering the sermon until you come to Madinah." The narrator says: Then when I reached Madinah, I sat close to the pulpit, and I heard Sayyiduna Umar saying: "It has come to my attention that people say: 'The caliphate of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came about suddenly.' It was indeed sudden, but Allah Almighty removed (the possibility of) its evil. (And now) this caliphate (remains) only through consultation."