'They are people with high status prestige' (qasida 15:48)

This is the motto of this section, which is for talking about the companions and beloved ones to our prophet Mohammad [PPBUH].

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Some virtues of the four orthodox caliphs

Abu-Bakr [AAH]

In a story by the prince of believers, Umar al-Khattab [AAH], he said:

I swear to Allah that a night and a day of Abu-Bakr are better that the whole life of Umar. I will tell you about the night. It was when the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] went out of Maccah to escape its people. He went at night and Abu-Bakr followed him. Abu-Baker kept walking in front of Him for sometime, behind Him for another time, to His right, and to His left. The Messenger of Allah asked him: (What are you doing Abu-Bakr? I do not know this as something you do normally!) Abu-Bakr said: O Messenger of Allah, I think of the people who might be waiting to harm you, so I walk in front of you. Then I remember the people who might be after you, so I walk once behind you, once to your left, and once to you right. This night the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] walked on His feet tips until it became sore. When Abu-Bakr [AAH] saw that he carried the Messenger on his shoulder and he harried with Him until he reached the opening of the cave. He put the Messenger down then he said: I swear to you that you wait until I enter first, so if there is something inside I take it first. Then Abu-Bakr entered the cave and looked it over and when he found nothing in it, he came out and carried the Messenger inside. The cave had a whole that contained snakes and vipers, so Abu-Baker was afraid that something might come out and hurt the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. Abu-Bakr closed the whole with his foot, so the snakes and the vipers kept stinging and biting him. His tears kept running down, and the Messenger said to him: (O, Abu-Bakr! do not be sad, for Allah is with us). Allah gave Abu-Bakr His peace and calmness. That was Abu-Bakr's night.

Umar continued: As for his day, it was when the Messenger of Allah passed away, and Arabs renegade, some of them said: we pray but no almsgiving, some said: no pray and no almsgiving. I came to him, trying to advise him, and I said: O, caliph of the Messenger of Allah, be gentle to people and reconcile them. He said: Can you be forcible coercive in the pre-Islam but languid in Islam? How do you want me to reconcile them? with fake poetry or fabricated one? The Prophet [PPBUH] has passed away and revelation has stopped. So I swear to Allah, if they hold back a camel-band from me, I will fight them for it. Umar continued: and we fought with him and he was right. That was his day.

That was the prince of believers Umar ibn al-Khattab praising Abu-Bakr with what he could not comprehend himself. So may he be praised who said:

[Whoever is with me in this rank will see

the veracious Seddiq with that light over the brow] qasida 54:11

Abu-ad-Darda' said: There was an argument between Abu-Bakr and Umar [AAT] and Abu-Bakr irritated Umar. So Umar went away and Abu-Bakr followed him asking him to pray for his forgiveness, but Umar did not do that until he entered his home and closed the door in his face. Abu-Bakr then went to the Messenger of Allah and sat. Abu-ad-Darda' continued: we were sitting there, so the Messenger of Allah said: (I see that this companion of yours has ventured). Then Umar regretted what he has done with Abu-Bakr, so he came to the sitting of the Messenger of Allah and greeted the Messenger and sat to him. Then Umar told the Messenger [PPBUH] what happened. Abu-ad-Darda' continued: the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] got angry. Abu-Bakr kept saying: I was more unjust. The Messenger of Allah said: (Why do not you leave me my companion. When I said: O, People I am the Messenger of Allah to you all. You said: You lied, and Abu-Bakr said: You are true). in the narration of al-Bukhari: the Messenger of Allah's face kept changing, so Abu-Bakr got worried and sat on his knees and kept said: O, Messenger of Allah, I was more unjust. He said that twice. Then the Messenger of Allah said: (Allah Almighty sent me to you, you said: you lied, and Abu-Bakr said: you are true. He consoled me with himself and his money. Why do not you leave me my companion). He said that twice. After that no one ever hurt Abu-Bakr [AAH].

So look how sayyduna Abu-Bakr was very keen to get the forgiveness of sayyduna Umar [AAH], how sayyduna Umar was the one to go to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] to admit his mistake, how sayyduna Abu-Bakr was favoring sayyduna Umar to himself and saying: "I was more unjust", and how the Messenger of Allah praised Abu-Bakr, praised his truthfulness, honored him, and kept to him his precedence over all other companions.

Ali [AHHF] said that he was sitting with the Prophet [PPBUH] when Abu-Bakr and Umar showed up coming. Then the Prophet said: (These are the masters of all the old people of paradise; the earliest and the latest of all of them, except the messengers and the prophets. O, Ali do not tell them).

Anas said: the Messenger of Allah prayed the morning prayer as Imam with his companions, then He asked them: (who of you is fasting today?), Umar said: O, Messenger of Allah, I did not intend fasting last night, so I am not fasting today. Abu-Bakr said: O, Messenger of Allah, I intended fasting last night, so I am fasting today. The Messenger of Allah said: (so who of visited a sick one today?) Umar said: O, Messenger of Allah, we have just finished the morning prayer with you, we have not been able to go anywhere yet. Abu-Bakr said: I was told yesterday that my brother; Abdel-Rahman ibn Ouf, is aching, so I passed by him before the morning prayer and I consoled him. The Messenger of Allah said: (so who fed a poor one?) Umar said: we have just finished the morning prayer with you, we have not been able to go anywhere yet. Abu-Bakr said: when I left Abdel-Rahman ibn Ouf, I found a crumb of a barley bread with Abdel-Rahman ibn Abu-Bakr -his son- so I took it and gave it to a poor man. The Messenger of Allah said: (you Abu-Bakr, so cheer up you got the paradise). Umar took a deep breath that made a sound. The Messenger of Allah said to him a word that pleased him, them He said: (Umar said that he did not raced Abu-Bakr to anything good, unless Abu-Bakr won). So look with me, do you see that the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] did not ask the companions except to tell them the merit of their companion Abu-Bakr [AAH] and how he was always first in doing goodness.

Zaid ib Aslam narrated from his father that he heard Umar saying: The Messenger of Allah told us to give alms. I happen to have some money at that time. So I said to myself today, if ever, I am eligible win Abu-Bakr. So I gave half my money to the Messenger of Allah and he said: (what did you leave for your family?) I said: the same as I gave you. Then Abu-Bakr came with all what he have. The Messenger of Allah said to him: (what did you leave for you family, O, Abu-Bakr?) Abu-Bakr said: I left them Allah and his Messenger. So I said to myself: I will never race you to anything.

Ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah said to Abu-Bakr and Umar: (Do you want me to tell you, who are like you from angles and from prophets? You Abu-Bakr are like, from the angles, Mikhail, he comes down with the mercy, and from the prophets, you are like Ibrahim, he said [So whoever follows me, verily belongs with me and whoever disobeys me, truly You are Forgiving, Merciful] Ibrahim 14:36. You Umar are like, from the angles, Gabriel, he comes down with the power, force, and vengeance, and from the prophets, you are like Noah, he said: [O, My Lord, do not leave from among the disbelievers a single dweller upon the earth] Noah 71:26).

Abu-Musa al-Ash'ary narrated that Ali ibn Abi-Talib said: "Should I tell you who is the best one after the Messenger of Allah? It is Abu-Bakr and after Abu-Bakr, it is Umar. If I wanted I can tell you who is the third one". He meant Osman [AAH], but that was Ali [AAH] became caliph.

Alqmah ibn Qays said: Ali [AAH] gave us a speech from that pulpit [Manbar]- Ali was the prince of believers at that time. He thanked and praised Allah he talked as much as Allah willed. Then he said: "I was told that there are some people who preferred me to Abu-Bakr and Umar. If that was presented to me in a judgment sitting, I would have given them a punishment, except that I hate punishment without judgment. Whoever says something like that is a fabricating liar who is to be punished as such. The best ones after the Messenger of Allah are Abu-Bakr then Umar, then we triggered things after them that Allah will what He wants with it". We see that he did not mention the time of Osman as if he did not want to mention the affliction that happened and some people blamed him for it. Yet he was the one who defended sayyduna Osman. His sons were guarding his door [AAT] all. But Allah wanted the martyrdom for him, so his doomed murderer climbed his wall and reached him.

Ali [AAH] knew the Hadith of Abu-Hurayra [AAH] who said: The Messenger of Allah has bought from an Arab on credit. The Arab said: O, Messenger of Allah, If you died who will pay me? The Messenger said: (Abu-Bakr). The Arab said: What if Abu-Bakr died, who would pay me? The Messenger said: (Umar). The Arab said: What if Umar died, who would pay me? The Messenger said: (Osman). The Arab said: What if Osman died, who would pay me? The Messenger said: (If you could die you die). Of course, we can see that the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] did not complete because He knew that the age of the Arab will not be extended to the time of Ali [AAH].

Sayyduna Abu-Bakr [AAH] said: we were in the way of Hijra and I was very thirsty. So I found some milk and I gave it to the Messenger [PPBUH], and he drank until my thirst was quenched !!

Once the Prophet asked Abu-Bakr about what he liked from this Dunya [worldly life]. Abu-Bakr said: I liked from this Dunya three things: looking at You, sitting with you, and spending my money for you.

Allah accepted the Siddiq, the loving, and the beloved. May Allah please him please all us for him.

Edited by Khalid Mohamed

Translated by Mohamed

Whoever wants to read more about the great companions, can browse the companions pages in al-Ahbab site.

Editors Team