History of Khulafah Rashideen by Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti - translated by Abdassamad Clarke

An-Nawawi said, in his Tahdhib, and from his own writing I transmit: Our companions proved the vastness of his knowledge by his words, may Allah be pleased with him, in the well established hadith which is in the two Sahih collections, ‘By Allah, I will fight whoever distinguishes between salah and zakat. By Allah, if they refuse me as much as the halter of a camel which they used to pay to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, I will fight them over their refusal.’ Shaykh Abu Ishaq saw a proof, in this and other things, in his Tabaqat, that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was the most knowledgeable of the Companions, because they all failed to understand the judgement on this issue except for him, then it became clear to them because of his discussions with them that his words were the correct position, so they came back to that.

We have transmitted that Ibn cUmar was asked, ‘Who used to give fatwa for people at the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ He said, ‘Abu Bakr and cUmar, may Allah be pleased with them. I don’t know of anyone other than them.’ The two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) narrated that Abu Sacid al-Khudri said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, addressed people and said, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has given a slave the choice between the world and that which is with Him. That slave has chosen that which is with Allah, exalted is He.’ Then Abu Bakr wept and said, ‘We would ransom you with our fathers and mothers.’ We were astonished at his weeping because the Messenger of Allah informed about a slave who had been given a choice. But the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was the one given the choice, and Abu Bakr was the most knowledgeable of us. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The most generous of people to me with his company and his wealth is Abu Bakr. If I were to take an intimate friend other than my Lord I would have taken Aim Bakr, but there is the brotherhood of Islam and its affection.

I ,ct no door remain open but for the door of Abu Bakr.’ ' I he above is all the words of an-Nawawi.

Ibn Kathir said: As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was the best read of the Companions, meaning that he was the most knowledgeable of them in the Qur’an, because he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, put him forward as imam of the prayer for the Companions, may Allah be pleased with him and them, along with his words, ‘The best read in the Book of Allah will lead the people.’ At-Tirmidhi narrated that CA’ ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘It is not fitting for a people among whom is Abu Bakr that another than him should lead them (as imam\ the word having the meaning of both leading, and leading the prayer).’ He was, along with that, the most knowledgeable in the Sunnah.

When the Companions referred to him on several occasions, he produced transmissions of sunnahs from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he had memorised and which he produced at the moments when they were needed, and which they didn’t have. How could that not be when he had persevered in accompanying the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from the very beginning of his being sent until his death?

Along with that he was one of the most intelligent of the slaves of Allah and one of the most comprehending. However, there are not many hadith traced back with a chain of transmission to him, only because of the short time he lived and the speed of his death after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. If he had lived for long, his narrations would have been very extensive.

None of the transmitters left a hadith that he transmitted without narrating it. But none of the Companions from his time, needed to transmit from him what they shared with him in the narration of, so they only transmitted from him what they themselves didn’t have.

Abu’l-Qasim al-Baghawi narrated that Maymun ibn Mihran said:

Abu Bakr, when a dispute was brought to him, used to look in the Book of Allah. Then if he found there the basis for a judgement between the disputants he would give judgement on that basis. If there was nothing in the Book and he knew a Sunnah on that matter from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless and grant him and his family peace, he would give judgement by that. If he could not find the right way he would go out and ask the Muslims, and say, ‘Such and such has come to me, so do you know whether the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave any judgement on that?’ Perhaps a group would gather around him, everyone of them mentioning a judgement of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Abu Bakr would say, ‘Praise belongs to Allah Who has put among us those who preserve and memorise from our Prophet.’ If he was unable to find a Sunnah about it from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he would gather the leaders and the best of the people and seek their counsel. If they would agree on a view he would give judgement by that. cUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to do that. If he was unable to find some way in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, he would look to see if Abu Bakr had given a judgement on it. If he found that Abu Bakr had already given judgement on it he would pass judgement on the basis of that judgement. If not, he would call the leaders of the Muslims and if they would agree unanimously on a matter he would give judgement on that basis.

As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was, along with that, the most knowledgeable in the genealogies of the Arabs, particularly of Quraysh. A shaykh of the Ansar said: Jubayr ibn Mutcim used to be the most knowledgeable of Quraysh in the genealogies of Quraysh and of the Arabs in general and he used to say, ‘I only took genealogies from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq was I be most learned in genealogy of the Arabs.’ Along with that, as-Siddiq had reached the limit in the Interpretation of dreams. He used to interpret dreams in the time of I he Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Muhammad ibn Sirin, and he was the foremost in this knowledge by general consensus, said: Abu Bakr was the most able of this ummah after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to draw u meaning (from a dream). Ibn Sacd narrated it.

Ad-Daylami narrated in Musnad al-Firdaws and Ibn cAsakir narrated that Samurah said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I have been commanded to interpret the dream (and to tell it or teach it) to Abu Bakr.’ I bn Kathir said: He was one of the clearest and most eloquent of people. Az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar said: I heard one of the people of knowledge saying, ‘The most eloquent of those of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah who gave the khutbah were Abu Bakr and ' AI i ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with both of them.’ In the hadith of as-Saqifah we will relate the words of cUmar, may Allah be pleased with him. He was one of the most knowing of mankind of Allah and the most fearful of Him. Some of his words on that and on the interpretation of dream and some of his khutbahs we will place together in an independent section.

One of the proofs that he was the most knowledgeable of the Companions is the hadith of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah when 1 Umar asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘For what reason should we accept disgrace in our deenT I he Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, answered him. Then he went to Abu Bakr and asked him the same question that he had asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he answered him just as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had answered him, word for word. Al-Bukhari and others narrated it.

Along with that, he was the most penetrating of the Companions in his views and the most perfect of them in intellect. Tamam ar- Razi narrated in his Fawdidand Ibn cAsakir narrated that cAbdullah ibn cAmr ibn al-cAs said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, ‘Jibril came to me and said, “Allah orders you to seek the counsel of Abu Bakr.’” At-Tabarani, Abu Nucaym and others narrated that Mucadh ibn Jabal told that when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to send Mucadh to the Yemen he sought the counsel of men of his companions among whom were Abu Bakr, cUmar, cAli, Talhah, az-Zubayr and Usayd ibn Hudayr. The people talked and every man had his own view. He said, ‘What do you think, Mucadh?’ I (Mucadh) said, ‘I think the same as that which Abu Bakr said.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah dislikes in the heaven that Abu Bakr should make a mistake.’ Ibn Abi Usamah related it in his Musnad, ‘Allah, in the heaven, dislikes that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq should make a mistake on the earth.’ Sahl ibn Sacd as-Sacidi said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah dislikes that Abu Bakr should make a mistake.’ The men who transmitted it are all trustworthy.