ABU BAKR ELECTED CALIPH
It is reported that’ Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, addressed the people, upon his return from Hajj, saying: “I have heard that someone said, ‘If ‘ Umar were dead, I would pledge allegiance to such-and-such person.’No one should deceive himself by saying that the election of Abu Bakr was an unpremeditated affair (Faltah) which was ratified. Admittedly it was so; However, Allah averted any evil which might have resulted from it. There is none amongst you to whom people would devote themselves as they did to Abu Bakr who was the best of us.
It happened that when Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, ‘ Ali and Az-Zubayr and their Companions withdrew from us in the house of Faatimah, and the Ansaar opposed us and assembled with their chiefs in the hall (Saqeefah) of Banu Saa’idah; while the Muhajireen gathered around Abu Bakr. ‘ Umar continued: “I told Abu Bakr that we should go to our brothers, the Ansaar, when two righteous men met us and told us the conclusion the people had come to. They asked us, “Where are you going, O people of the MuhajireenV I replied, ’To our brothers, the Ansaar,’ They told us that there was no need of approaching them, and that we must make our own decision. 1 said, ’By Allah, we will go to them; we found them in the hall of Banu Saa’ idah. In the middle of the hall was a man wrapped up in a cloak. I asked who that man was, and the people answered that he was Sa’d Ibn ‘Ubadah. I wondered, ’What’s wrong with him?’ ’He is ill,’ came the answer. When we sat down, their orator stood up to address the assembly. He praised and thanked Allah as He deserves, and then said: “We are the Helpers (Ansaar) of Allah and the battalion of Islam; and you, O Muhajireen are a family of ours and a group of your people have settled amongst us. You are trying to cut us off from our origin and wrest authority from us.” When he finished, I wanted to speak, because I had prepared a speech which pleased me much, and wanted to deliver it before Abu Bakr. I was trying to soften a certain asperity of his, but he (Abu Bakr) was more forbearing and wiser than I was. He said, Gently, ‘Umar!’ 1 did not like to anger him so I allowed him to speak. He is a man with more knowledge than I, and by Allah he did not omit a single word which I had thought of, and he uttered it in his inimitable way better than I could have done. The orator said: “Truly, you deserve all the good you have said about yourselves, but the Arabs will never accept the authority of anyone other than a man of this clan of Quraysh; they being the best of the Arabs as regards descent and country. I offer you one of these two men. Pledge allegiance to whichever of these you please.” Thus saying he took hold of my hand and that of Abu ‘ Ubaydah Ibn Al-Jarraah who was sitting amongst us. Nothing he said displeased me more than that (proposal). By Allah, I would rather have come forward and have my neck chopped off – if that were no sin – than become the ruler of a people of whom Abu Bakr was one.
One of the Ansaar said: “1 am the rubbing post and the fruitful propped-up palm5. Let us have two rulers: one from us and another from you, O people of Quraysh.” Altercation waxed hotter and voices were raised until I was afraid lest a complete disunity should take place, so I said, ‘Stretch out your hand, O Abu Bakr. He did so and I paid him homage, then the Muhajireen swore the pledge of allegiance and so did the Ansaar afterwards.
Umar added: “By Allah, there was no greater problem than the election of Abu Bakr; we were afraid that if we left the people, they might pledge allegiance after us to one of their men, in which case we would have given them our consent for something against our real wish, or would have opposed them and stirred commotion. So if anyone pledges allegiance to someone without consulting other Muslims, then the one he has selected should not be given allegiance, lest both of them should be killed.”
On the authority of Ibn Mas’ood, may Allah be pleased with him, who says: Upon the demise of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, the Ansaar suggested that there should be two leaders (one from the Ansaar and another from the Muhajireen), until finally ‘ Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab intervened, saying: “O people of the Ansaar, know you not that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered Abu Bakr to lead the people in Salaah Which of you will willingly take precedence over Abu Bakr?” Thereupon the Ansaar said, “Allah forbid that we should take precedence over Abu Bakr!”
Ibn Ishaaq states: Az-Zuhri told me on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik: On the morrow of Abu Bakr’s election in the hall (of Banu Saa’ idah), he (Abu Bakr) sat in the pulpit, and ‘Umar rose to his feet and spoke before him. Me praised and thanked Allah as He deserves, and then said: “0 people, yesterday I said something which I do not find in the Book of Allah, nor was it something which the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, entrusted to me; but I thought that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, would order our affairs (until) he was the last of us (alive). Allah has left His Book with you, through which He guided His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and if you hold
fast to it, Allali will guide you as He guided him. Allah has placed your affairs in the hands of the best of you, the Companion of Allah’s Messenger, and the “second of the two who were in the cave”. So arise and pledge allegiance to him. Thereupon the people pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, after the pledge in the hall (of Banu Saa’idah).
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
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