Reports on Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him)

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, I disown the friendship of every friend, except that indeed Allah has taken your companion as a friend. And if I were to take anyone as a friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as a friend." And Waki' (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted the words "min khillih."

Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said concerning the grandfather (jadd): He is the one about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If I were to take anyone from this Ummah as a friend, I would take Abu Bakr." So Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave his ruling in favour of the father.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the people of the high ranks in Paradise will be seen by the people of the level below them just as you see a star rising on the horizon of the sky. And indeed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) will be among them, and they will excel even further."

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people and said: "Indeed, among the people the one who has done me the most favour in his companionship and his wealth is Abu Bakr. If I were to take anyone from among the people as a friend, I would take Abu Bakr as a friend, but with him there is the brotherhood and love of Islam. And let all the doors opening into the mosque be closed except the door of Abu Bakr."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one's wealth has benefited me as much as the wealth of Abu Bakr has benefited me." The narrator said: On hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) wept. Then he said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I and my wealth are only for you (peace and blessings be upon him)!"

Al-Aswad bin Hilal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A Bedouin related to them: One day I prayed the morning prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his face toward the people and said: "Last night I saw some people of my Ummah being weighed. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was weighed, and he proved weighty, and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was weighed, and he too proved weighty."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) related: "I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while we were in the cave: 'If any one of them were to look toward his feet, he would see us beneath his feet!' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two whose third is Allah?'"

Salim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked Ibn al-Hanafiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): "Was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) the first of the people to accept Islam?" He said: "No." I said: "Then why did Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) become so high in rank and so renowned that no one other than Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is even mentioned?" He said: "When he accepted Islam, he was the best of the people in respect of Islam, until he went to meet Allah."

Abu Qilabah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most merciful of my Ummah is Abu Bakr."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one day described Paradise and the blessings to be found in it. Then, speaking about it, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the birds found in it will be like Khurasani camels." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), those birds must surely be plump!" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Bakr, whoever eats of them is more blessed than they are. By Allah, O Abu Bakr, I hope that you will be among those who eat of these birds."

Maymun (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man said to Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): "I have not seen anyone like you!" He said: "Have you seen Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The man said: "No." He said: "Had you said: 'Yes, I have seen him,' I would have punished you."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "To be brought forward and have my neck struck is dearer to me than to go ahead of a people among whom is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: In the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) we used to say: "The best of people are Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we used to count Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) among the best of people. Then we would fall silent.

Al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Masruq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "To love Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and to recognize their excellence is part of the Sunnah."

Abd al-Aziz bin Siyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Habib bin Abi Thabit (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning the saying of Allah, Lord of Glory, "So Allah sent down His tranquility upon him" [Al-Tawbah: 40]: "It refers to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)." He said: "As for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), tranquility and mercy were already upon him before that."

Hisham bin Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that his father Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) freed these seven people who were being tormented for the sake of Allah. These seven are: Sayyiduna Amir bin Fuhayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyidah Zinnirah (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyidah Umm Ubays (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyidah al-Nahdiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) and her daughter, and a slave girl of Banu Amr bin Mu'ammal.

Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will not hear of anyone preferring me over Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) except that I will give him forty lashes."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: While I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ali, these two are the leaders of the elders among the people of Paradise, except for the prophets. So do not inform them of this."

Rib'i bin Hirash (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, I do not know how long I will remain among you. After me, follow the example of these two," and he (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

Abu Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him) said that al-Rabi' (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It was written in the first Book: The likeness of Abu Bakr is that of a raindrop: wherever it falls, it brings benefit."

Suhayl's father (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Abu Bakr is a fine man. Umar is a fine man, Thabit bin Qays bin Shammas is a fine man, Amr bin al-Jamuh is a fine man, and Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah is a fine man."

Ibn al-Hanafiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked my father, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "Who was the best of people after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said: "It was Abu Bakr." I asked: "Then who?" He said: "Umar." I asked: "And you?" He said: "Your father is an ordinary man from among the Muslims."

Sadaqah bin al-Muthanna (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I heard my grandfather, Riyah bin al-Harith (may Allah have mercy on him), say: I was present with Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was in the great mosque of Kufah, and all the people were gathered to his right and his left. Then a man from the people of Madinah arrived, who was called Sa'id bin Zayd bin Amr bin Nufayl (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) welcomed him and seated him by his feet on the couch. While they were in that state, a man from the people of Kufah entered, who was called Qays bin Alqamah. He faced Sayyiduna al-Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him) and reviled, and reviled again. The man from Madinah said to him: "O Mughirah bin Shu'bah, whom is this young man reviling?" Al-Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "He is reviling Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)." The man from Madinah said to him twice: "O Mughirah bin Shu'bah! O Mughirah bin Shu'bah! Take heed! Am I to hear the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) being reviled in your presence, while you neither object nor change it? I bear witness concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to what my two ears heard and what my heart preserved, for I will never narrate a lie from him after him, such that he would question me about it when I meet him, that he said: 'Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, al-Zubayr is in Paradise, Abd al-Rahman bin Awf is in Paradise, and Sa'd is in Paradise. And there is a ninth; if I wished to name him, I could name him.'" The narrator said: Then the people of the mosque came out, adjuring him by Allah and asking: "O Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who was the ninth?" He said: "You have adjured me by Allah, and Allah is Great. I am the ninth of the believers, and the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the tenth." Then he went on to say: "By Allah, a battlefield at which one man among the Companions was present for a single day in the path of Allah with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is more excellent than the deeds of any one of you, even if he were given a lifespan as long as that of Nuh (peace be upon him)."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, in Paradise there will be a bird like a Khurasani camel. A man will come and eat of it, then the bird will go away as though nothing at all had been diminished from it." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that bird must surely be very plump!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "And whoever eats of it will be more fortunate. You will be among those who eat of it."

Abdullah bin Zalim (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I bear witness concerning nine people that they will surely be in Paradise, and if I were to bear witness concerning the tenth, I would certainly be truthful." The narrator said: I asked: "Who is that?" He said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was on Mount Hira, and Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Talhah, al-Zubayr, Sa'd bin Malik and Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with them) were with him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Hira, be still! For there is none upon you but a prophet, or a truthful one, or a martyr.'" The narrator said: I asked: "Who was the tenth?" He said: "It is I."

Isma'il bin Abi Khalid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) looked at the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O master of the Arabs!" At this the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am the master of all the children of Adam, and I take no pride in it. And your father is the master of the elders of the Arabs."

Sayyiduna Abu Juhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The best person of this Ummah after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) it is Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). And if I wished to tell you about the third, I could do so."

The preceding statement of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also reported from Sayyiduna Abu Juhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) through this chain.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I went with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the wife of a man from the Ansar. She spread out for him (peace and blessings be upon him) a mat made of palm bark and slaughtered a goat for us. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man will surely enter who is from the people of Paradise." Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man will surely enter who is from the people of Paradise." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) entered. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man will surely enter who is from the people of Paradise." Then he said: "O Allah, if You will, make this man Ali." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) entered.

Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, al-Zubayr is in Paradise, Abd al-Rahman bin Awf is in Paradise, and Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas is in Paradise. And if I wished, I could name the ninth man as well."

Abu Salih al-Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It was said to me and to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day of the Battle of Badr: "With one of you is Jibril (peace be upon him), and with the other is Mika'il. And Israfil is a mighty angel who is present for the fighting," or he said: "who stands in the rank."

Bistam bin Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) as commander of a detachment in which were Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). When they returned, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) complained about Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one will be made commander over you two after me."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I would love to be in a part of Paradise from which I can see Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man called out to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "O best of people!" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, I am not the best of people." The man then said: "By Allah, I have never seen a man better than you!" Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Have you not seen Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" He said: "No." He said: "Had you said 'Yes,' I would certainly have punished you." The narrator said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "One day of Abu Bakr's life is better than the deeds of the entire family of Umar."

Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who among the people is most beloved to you (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Why?" He said: "So that we too may love the one you love." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most beloved of people to me is Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her)." He said: "I am not asking you (peace and blessings be upon him) about women; I am asking about men." So on one occasion he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Her father," and on another occasion he said: "Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Ibn Abi al-Hudhayl (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no one who has been more generous to us with what he possesses than Abu Bakr. And if I were to take anyone as a close friend, I would take Abu Bakr. But he is my brother in religion and my companion, and your companion has indeed been taken as a close friend," meaning himself (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us one morning and said: "Just now I saw in a dream that I was given keys and a balance. As for the keys, they are these. Then I was placed in one pan of the balance and my Ummah was placed in the other pan, and my pan outweighed. Then Abu Bakr was brought and his pan too was heavier. Then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was brought and his pan too was heavier. Then Uthman was brought and his pan too was heavier. Then the balance was lifted away." The narrator said: A man asked him (peace and blessings be upon him): "Where will we be?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Where you place yourselves."

Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We came as a delegation to Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: Never had a delegation pleased him as much as our delegation pleased him. Then Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him), tell me something that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) speak. Dreams used to please him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he would ask about them. I heard him (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'I saw a balance that came down from the sky. In it I and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) were weighed, and my pan was heavier than Abu Bakr's. Then Abu Bakr was weighed against Umar, and Abu Bakr's pan was heavier. Then Umar and Uthman were weighed, and Umar's pan was heavier than Uthman's. Then the balance was raised to the sky.' Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'There will be caliphate and prophethood, then Allah will give kingship to whomever He wills.'" The narrator said: Then we were seized by the napes of our necks and expelled.

Muhammad (Ibn Sirin) (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Two men mentioned Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), and one of them said: "He was martyred." The other seized him, brought him to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Indeed, this man claims that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred!" He said: "Did you say that?" The man said: "Yes. Do you not remember the day when I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them) were with him (peace and blessings be upon him)? I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave to me. I asked Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and he too gave to me. I asked Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and he too gave to me. I asked Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and he too gave to me. Then I said: 'O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), supplicate for me that Allah may grant me blessing.' He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Why would you not be blessed, when a prophet, a truthful one and two martyrs have given to you?'" Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Leave him, leave him, leave him."