Al-Bayhaqi narrated in ad-Dala’U that cAbdullah ibn Buraydah said:

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent cAmr ibn al-cAs in a raiding party in which were Abu Bakr and cUmar. When they reached the place of the war, cAmr told them not to light a fire. TJmar became angry, and he wanted to come to him, but Abu Bakr forbade him. He told him that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, only appointed him because of his knowledge of war. So he (cUmar) became calm.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated that Abu Macshar narrated from one of his shaykhs that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I put a man in charge of a people, among whom there is one who is better than him, because he is more alert of the eye and more perceptive about war.’

Khalifah ibn Khayyat, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn cAsakir narrated that Yazid ibn al-Asamm narrated that: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to Abu Bakr, Am I older (akbar also: greater) or you?’ He said, ‘You are greater and more noble and I have more years than you.’ This is a mursal and very unusual t radition. If it is authentic this answer is counted as evidence of the high degree of his intelligence and courtesy. But it is well known that this reply was made by al-cAbbas, and that similarly it happened for Sacid ibn Yarbuc in this wording: That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, ‘Which of us is older (akbar)?’ He said, ‘You are greater and better than me and I am older.’ Abu Nucaym narrated that it was said to Abu Bakr, ‘Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah, will you not confer authority on the people of Badr?’ He said, ‘I know their rank, but I dislike to sully them with the world.’ Ahmad narrated in az-Zuhd from Ismacil ibn Muhammad that Abu Bakr divided up some property equally among the people.

TJmar said to him, ‘Do you make the companions of Badr and other people equal?’ Abu Bakr said to him, ‘The world is only a sufficiency and the best sufficiency is the vastest. Their merit is only in their wages.’

Ahmad narrated in az-Zuhd that Abu Bakr ibn Hafs said: It has reached me that Abu Bakr used to fast in summertime and break his fast in wintertime.

Ibn Sacd narrated that Hayan as-Sa’igh said: The engraving on the signet ring of Abu Bakr was, ‘Blessed as the One Who Decrees is Allah.’ Note: At-Tabarani narrated that Musa ibn cUqbah said, ‘We don’t know of four who reached the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and their sons as well, except for these four: Abu Quhafah, his son Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, his son cAbd ar-Rahman and Abu cAteeq ibn cAbd ar-Rahman whose name was Muhammad.

Ibn Mandah and Ibn cAsakir narrated that CA’ ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: None of the Muhajirun s fathers became Muslims except for Abu Bakr’s.

Note: Ibn Sacd and al-Bazzar narrated with a good isnad that Anas said: The oldest of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, were Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and Suhayl ibn cAmr ibn Bayda’.

Note: Al-Bayhaqi narrated in ad-Dala’il that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr said: When it was the year of the Opening (of Makkah to Islam)

a daughter of Abu Quhafah went out and the cavalry met her. She was wearing a neck-ring of silver around her neck, and a man tore it off her neck. When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered the mosque, Abu Bakr stood and said, ‘I adjure you (the Muslims) by Allah and Islam, (to return) my sister’s neckring.’ By Allah, no-one answered him. He said it a second time and no-one answered him. Then he said, ‘Sister, hope for a recompense (from Allah) for your neck-ring, for, by Allah, trustworthiness this day among people is very scarce.’ Note: I have seen in the handwriting of al-Hafidh adh-Dhahabi:

Those who were unique in their ages for their skills were: Abu Bakr as-Siddiq in genealogy, cUmar ibn al-Khattab in strength in the command of Allah, cUthman ibn cAffan in modesty, cAli in judgement, Ubayy ibn Kacb in recitation, Zaid ibn Thabit in the laws of inheritance, Abu cUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah in trustworthiness, Ibn cAbbas in commentary (on Qur’an), Abu Dharr in truthfulness, Khalid ibn al-Walid in bravery, al-Hasan al-Basri in reminding, Wahb ibn Munabbih in stories, Ibn Sirin in interpretation (of dreams), Nafic in recitation, Abu Hanifah in fiqh, Ibn Ishaq in |history of] the battles, Muqatil in allegorical interpretation, al- Kalbi in the stories of the Qur’an, al-Khalil in the measures and metres of poetry, Fudayl ibn Tyad in worship, Sibawih in grammar, Malik in knowledge, Yahya ibn Macin in knowledge of men (i.e. the transmitters of knowledge and hadith), Abu Tammam in poetry, Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Sunnah, Al-Bukhari in criticism of the hadith, al-Junayd in at-Tasawwuf, Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi in those matters of fiqh on which there is disagreement, al-Jabani on al-Ashcari ftizal in theology, Muhammad ibn Zakariyya ar-Razi in medicine, Abu Macshar in astrology, Ibrahim al-Karmani in interpretation (of dreams), Ibn Nabatah in khutbahs, Abu’l-Farj al-Asbahani in public speaking, Abu’l-Qasim at-Tabarani in adjustments in cases of inheritance, Ibn Hazm in the apparent meanings (adh-Dhahir), Abu’l-Hasan al-Bakri in lies, al-Hariri in his al-Maqamat, Ibn Mandah in the breadth of his travelling, al-Mutanabbi in poetry, al-Mawsili in singing, as-Suli in chess, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in swiftness of reading, cAli ibn Hilal in calligraphy, cAta’ as-Sulaymi in fear, the Qadi al-Fadil in composition, al-Asmaci in anecdotes, Ashcab in ambition, Mucabbad in singing and Ibn Sina’ in philosophy.