Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, I am free from the friendship of every friend except that indeed Allah has made your companion 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 Hazrat Waki’ (may Allah be pleased with him) has narrated the words “min khullah.”

Hazrat Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said regarding the grandfather: That is the person about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If I were to take a friend from this Ummah, I would take Abu Bakr as a friend. Thus, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a verdict concerning the right of the father.

Hazrat Abu Saeed (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, the people of the higher ranks in Paradise will be seen by those of the lower ranks just as you see a rising star at the edge of the sky. And indeed, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) will be among those people and will be in a good life.

Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people and said: Indeed, among the people, the one who has done the greatest favor to me in terms of love and wealth is Abu Bakr. If I were to take anyone as a close friend from among the people, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a close friend, but (between us) is only Islamic brotherhood and love. And all the doors opening into the mosque should be closed except the door of Abu Bakr.

Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No one’s wealth has benefited me as much as Abu Bakr’s wealth has benefited me. The narrator says: Upon hearing this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to weep. Then he said: O Messenger of Allah! I and my wealth are only for you!

Hazrat Aswad bin Hilal (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that a Bedouin related to him: One day I performed the morning prayer with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his face towards the people and said: Last night I saw that the deeds of people were being weighed. The deeds of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) were weighed and they became heavy, and the deeds of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) were weighed and they too became heavy.

Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while we were in the cave, "If any one of them looks down towards his feet, he will surely see us beneath his feet!" So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Bakr! What do you think about those two whose third is Allah?"

Hazrat Salim (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I asked Hazrat Ibn Hanfiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): Was Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) the very first person among the people to accept Islam? He said: No! I asked: Then why did Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) attain such a high rank and fame, to the extent that no one else is even mentioned besides Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)? So he (may Allah have mercy on him) replied: When he (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam, he was the most virtuous among the people in terms of Islam, until he (may Allah be pleased with him) met Allah.

Hazrat Abu Qilabah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The most merciful among my Ummah is Abu Bakr.

Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one day mentioned Paradise and the blessings found therein. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding it: Indeed, the birds found therein will be like Khurasani camels. So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! Will those birds also be fat? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: O Abu Bakr! Whoever eats them will be pleased with them. By Allah, O Abu Bakr! I hope that you will be among those who eat from those birds.

Hazrat Maymun (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that a man said to Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): "I have not seen anyone like you!" He (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Have you seen Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The man said: "No!" He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If you had said: 'Yes, I have seen him,' I would have punished you."

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If you behead me for moving ahead, I would still prefer to be among those whom Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is also among.

Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that during the time of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we used to say: Among the people, the best are Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we used to consider Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) as the best among the people. Then we would remain silent.

Hazrat Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Masruq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Loving Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and recognizing their superiority is part of the Sunnah.

Hazrat Abdul Aziz bin Siyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Hazrat Habib bin Abi Thabit (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding the saying of Allah, the Lord of Honor, { فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّہُ سَکِینَتَہُ عَلَیْہِ } Translation: So Allah sent down His tranquility upon him—said: that Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is meant. He said: As for the rest, tranquility and mercy were already upon the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) before this.

Hazrat Hisham bin Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that his father, Hazrat Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him), said: Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) freed those seven people who were being tortured in the path of Allah. These seven people are: Hazrat Amir bin Fuhairah (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Zunairah (may Allah be pleased with her), Hazrat Umm Abays (may Allah be pleased with her), Hazrat Nahdiyyah, and her daughter, and a slave woman of Banu Amr bin Muammil.

Hazrat Aamir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I do not want to hear anyone giving me superiority over Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him); otherwise, I will give him forty (40) lashes.

Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that while I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)! These two are the leaders of the elders of Paradise, except for the Prophets. So do not inform them of this.

Hazrat Rubayyi’ bin Hirash (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were sitting with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace be upon him) said: Surely, I do not know how long I will remain among you. After me, you should follow these two, and he (peace be upon him) pointed towards Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

Hazrat Abu Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Hazrat Rabi' (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It was written in the first book: The example of Abu Bakr is like that of a raindrop. Wherever it falls, it brings benefit.

Hazrat Suhail’s (may Allah have mercy on him) father (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Abu Bakr is a good man. Umar is a good man. Amr bin Jamuh is a good man. And Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah is a good man.

Hazrat Ibn Hanafiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I asked my father, Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): Who was the best person among the people after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He replied: Abu Bakr was. I asked: Then who? He replied: Umar was. I asked: And you? He replied: Your father was an ordinary man among the Muslims.

Hazrat Sadaqah bin Mathna (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I heard my grandfather, Hazrat Riyah bin Harith (may Allah have mercy on him), saying: I was present with Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him). At that time, he (may Allah be pleased with him) was in a large mosque of Kufa, and all the people were gathered around him on his right and left. Until a person from the people of Madinah arrived, who was being called by the name Sa’eed bin Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail. So Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah have mercy on him) welcomed him and seated him on the throne near his legs. While they were in this state, a person from the people of Kufa, who was being called by the name Qais bin Alqamah, entered. So Hazrat Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him) welcomed him as well, but he started abusing, and that person also started abusing. So the man from Madinah said to him: O Mughirah bin Shu’bah! Whom was this abuser cursing? Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: He was cursing 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! Beware, I am hearing that the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are being reviled in your presence, and you are neither astonished nor do you feel any honor! I bear witness upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this matter, that my two ears heard and my heart preserved it: Surely, I do not narrate after their passing away out of fear of lying. For they will ask me when I meet them. Because he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Abu Bakr is in Paradise, and Umar is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, Zubair is in Paradise, Abdur Rahman bin Awf is in Paradise, and Sa’d is in Paradise. And as for the ninth, if I wish to name him, I can name him. The narrator says: Then the people of the mosque came out, asking him with oaths: O companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Who was the ninth? He said: You have made me swear, and Allah is very great. I am the ninth among the believers. And the Prophet of Allah is the tenth. Then after that he stated: By Allah, the rank in which a man from among the companions spent a day in the path of Allah with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), where his face became dusty, is better than the deeds of each one of you, even if he were given the lifespan of Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him).

Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, in Paradise there will be a bird like a Khurasani camel. A man will come and eat it. Then the bird will go away as if nothing has been diminished from it. So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! Surely, that bird will be very fat? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: And the person who eats from it will be even more prosperous. You will be among those who eat from it.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Zalim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Saeed bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I bear witness regarding nine people that surely they are in Paradise, and if I bear witness regarding the tenth, then surely I will be truthful. The narrator says: I asked, who is he? So he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was on the mountain of Hira, and Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Talha, Zubair, Sa’d bin Malik, and Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with them) were also with him. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Hira! Remain still, for there is none upon you except a Prophet, a Siddiq, or a Martyr. The narrator says: I asked, who was the tenth person? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It was I.

Hazrat Ismail bin Abi Khalid (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) looked towards the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O leader of the Arabs!" Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am the leader of all the children of Adam, and I do not take pride in this. And your father will be the leader of the elders of Paradise."

Hazrat Abu Hujayfah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: After the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the best person of this Ummah is Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and after Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), it is Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and if I wish to mention the third person, I can do so.

The previous statement of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also narrated with this chain from Hazrat Abu Hujayfah (may Allah have mercy on him).

Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I went with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the wife of an Ansari man. She spread a mat made of date-palm fibers for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and slaughtered a goat for us. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Surely, a man will enter who is among the people of Paradise." Then Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Surely, a man will enter who is among the people of Paradise." Then Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) entered. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Surely, a man will enter who is among the people of Paradise." Then he said: "O Allah! If You will, let this man be Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)." Then Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) entered.

Hazrat Saeed bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Talha is in Paradise, Zubair is in Paradise, and Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) is in Paradise, and Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) is in Paradise, and if I wish, I can also mention the name of the ninth person.

Hazrat Abu Salih Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On the day of the Battle of Badr, it was said to me and Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): With one of you is Hazrat Jibreel (peace be upon him), and with the other is Hazrat Mikaeel (peace be upon him). And Hazrat Israfeel is the great angel who is present for battle, or he said: he is standing in the ranks.

Hazrat Bastam bin Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) as the commander of an army in which Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) were also present. When they returned, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) complained about Hazrat Amr (may Allah be pleased with him). So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: After me, neither of you will be appointed as a commander over anyone.

Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I wish that I am in such a part of Paradise from where I can see Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that a man called out to Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: "O best of the people!" So Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Surely, I am not the best among the people." Then that man said: "By Allah, I have never seen anyone better than you!" Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Have you not seen Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" He said: "No!" Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If you had said: 'Yes!' I would certainly have punished you." The narrator says that Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "One day from the life of Abu Bakr is better than all the deeds of the family of Umar."

Hazrat Qais (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Hazrat Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! Who is the most beloved to you among the people? The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: Why? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: So that we may also love the one whom you love. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Among the people, the most beloved to me is "Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)." He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I am not asking you about women, but I am asking about the men among them. So the Prophet (ﷺ) replied once: Her father, and once said: "Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Hazrat Abu Al-Huzail (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No one has done more favor to me than Abu Bakr, even more than my own self, and if I were to take anyone as a friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr. But he is my religious brother and companion, and indeed your companion has been taken as a friend, meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself.

Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us one morning and said: I have just seen in a dream that keys and a scale were given to me. Anyway, these are the keys. Then I was placed in one pan of the scale and my Ummah was placed in the other pan, and my pan became heavier. Then Abu Bakr was brought, and his pan also became heavier. Then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was brought, and his pan also became heavier. Then Uthman was brought, and his pan also became heavier. Then the scale was taken away. The narrator says that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Where will we be? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Wherever you place yourselves.

Hazrat Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we presented ourselves in the form of a delegation. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: No delegation has pleased me as much as our delegation has pleased me. Then he said: O Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him)! Tell me something that you have heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say—and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to like it when he was asked about dreams! He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I saw a scale descend from the sky, then my weight and that of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was measured in it, and my side outweighed Abu Bakr’s. Then Abu Bakr’s was weighed against Umar’s, and Abu Bakr’s side outweighed. Then Umar’s was weighed against Uthman’s, and Umar’s side outweighed Uthman’s. Then the scale was lifted up towards the sky. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There will be Caliphate and Prophethood, then Allah will grant kingship to whomever He wills. The narrator says: Then we were seized by the neck and expelled.

Hazrat Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, says that two men mentioned Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. So one of them said, "He was martyred." The other seized him and brought him to Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and said, "Indeed, this person says that certainly Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, was martyred!" He (Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Did you say this?" The man replied, "Yes!" He (Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Do you not remember that day when I was present in the service of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, and Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them, were with him? So I asked the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he gave me; and I asked Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and he also gave me; and I asked Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and he also gave me; and I asked Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and he also gave me. So I submitted, 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Pray for blessing for me, may Allah grant me blessing.' He, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Why should you not be given blessing, when you have been given by a Prophet, a Siddiq, and two martyrs?' So Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, 'Leave him, leave him, leave him.'"