Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39837 — Reports on the caliphate of Abu Bakr

It is narrated from Ubaydullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah that when those who apostatised did so in the time of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr intended to fight them. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr: "Will you fight them, when I have heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: 'Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), his wealth and his blood gain sanctity, except by right (when the sanctity may end), and his (inward) reckoning is with Allah'?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr said: "How can I not fight the man who makes a distinction between prayer and zakah? By Allah! I shall most certainly fight the man who makes a distinction between the two until he joins them together." Sayyiduna Umar says: Then we fought along with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr. And by Allah, this was the right course. Then when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr had overpowered some of the apostates, he said: "Choose one of two courses: either open war, or the humiliating course." They said: "This open war we know, but what is the humiliating course?" He said: "You shall testify that those of ours who were slain are in Paradise and that those of yours who were slain are in Hell." And so they did this.