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

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: There is not on the face of the earth a man more beloved to me than cUmar.

Ibn cAsakir narrated it.

Someone said to Abu Bakr during his (last) illness, ‘What will you say to your Lord, when you have appointed cUmar?’ He said, ‘I will say to Him, “I have appointed over them the best of them.’” Ibn Sacd narrated it.

cAli, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the right-acting are mentioned then begin with cUmar. We did not think it unlikely that as-Sakinah (the Divine Presence) spoke with the tongue ofcUmar.

At-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat.

Ibn cUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I have never seen anyone after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from the time he died, more perceptive and more liberally generous than cUmar. Ibn Sacd narrated it.

Ibn Mascud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Even if the knowledge of cUmar were to be put in one scale of a balance and the knowledge of every living being on the earth were put in the other scale, the knowledge of cUmar would outweigh their knowledge.

Ihey used to hold the view that he had gone (i.e. died) with ninetenths of knowledge. At-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, and al- Hakim narrated it.

Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is as if the knowledge of mankind was concealed in the understanding of 1 Umar.

Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: By Allah, I do not know a man whom the blame of the one who blames, for the sake of Allah, does not overcome, except for cUmar.

cA’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said — and she mentioned ‘Umar — ‘He was, by Allah! skilful in managing affairs, absolutely unique.’ Mucawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: As for Abu Bakr, he did not want the world and it did not want him. As for ‘Umar, the world wanted him but he did not want it. As for us, we have rolled over in it (like an animal in the dust)'. Az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar narrated it in al-Muwaffaqiyat.

Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said: cAli entered upon "Umar — and he was shrouded - and said, ‘The mercy of Allah upon you! There is no-one I would prefer to meet Allah with that which is in his page (the record of his actions), after the companionship of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, than this shrouded one.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.

Ibn Mascud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the rightacting ones are remembered, then begin with cUmar. Truly cUmar was the most knowledgeable of us of the Book of Allah, and the most understanding (literally: having the most fiqhi) of us of the deen of Allah, exalted is He. At-Tabarani and al-Hakim narrated it.

Ibn cAbbas was asked about Abu Bakr and he said, ‘He was the good, all of it.’ He was asked about cUmar and said, ‘He was like the apprehensive bird which thinks that on every path there is a snare to catch it.’ He was asked about cAli and he said, ‘He was full of resolve, sound judgement, knowledge and valour.’ He narrated it in at-Tuyuriyyat.

At-Tabarani narrated from cUmayr ibn Rabicah that cUmar ibn al-Khattab said to Kacb al-Ahbar, ‘How do you find my description?’ He said, ‘I find your description to be a horn of iron.’ He asked, ‘What is a horn of iron?’ He said, ‘A strong commander who, for the sake of Allah, the censure of the one who blames does not overcome.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘There will be after you a khalifah whom a wrongdoing group will kill.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Then there will be the trial (affliction).’ Ahmad, al-Bazzar and at-Tabarani narrated that Ibn Mascud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: cUmar ibn al-Khattab excelled people in four: the affair of the prisoners on the Day of Badr, he ordered that they should be killed and Allah revealed, ‘I f it were not for a decree of Allah which had preceded... ’ (Qur’an 8:68) to the end of the ayah; and in the matter of the hijab, he ordered the women of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to veil themselves, so Zaynab said to him, ‘And really you are responsible over us Ibn al-Khattab, and the revelation descends upon us in our houses?’ So Allah revealed, ‘Then if you ask them for some item ...’ (Qur’an 33: 53) to the end of the ayah-, and by the supplication of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘O Allah, help Islam with cUmar’; and in his view of Abu Bakr, for he was the first one to pledge allegiance to him.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Mujahid said: We used to say that the shaytans were chained and shackled during the amirate of cUmar, then when he was struck they spread abroad.

He narrated that Salim ibn cAbdullah said: News of cUmar was slow in reaching Abu Musa so he went to a woman who had a shaytan in her, and asked her about him. She said, ‘Wait until my shaytan comes to me.’ Then he came and she asked him about him.

I le said, ‘I left him dressed with a piece of cloth as a waistwrapper, smearing the camels of the sadaqah (the zakat) with tar (against the mange or scab). And that is a man whom a shaytan does not see but t hat he falls flat on his nostrils; the angel is between his two eyes and the Ruh al-Quds (Jibril) speaks with his tongue.’

Sufyan ath-Thawri said: Whoever claimed that cAli had more right to authority than Abu Bakr and cUmar has made a mistake and has accused Abu Bakr, cUmar and all the Muhajirun and the Ansar of making a mistake.

Sharik said: No-one in whom there is any good advances cAli before Abu Bakr and cUmar.

Abu Usamah said: Do you grasp who Abu Bakr and cUmar were?

Ibey were the father and mother of Islam.

Jacfar as-Sadiq said: I am quit of whoever mentions Abu Bakr and 'Umar with anything but good.