Proof that Abu Bakr -Radi Allaahu anhu- was Deserving of the Khalafah

Taken from the book The Life of the Greatest Man After the Prophets & Messengers: Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq Compiled By Muhammad Uthmaan al-Anjaaree
Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya

a Shaykh ul-Islaam Ahmad bin AbdulHaleem Ibn Taymeeyah (d.728 A.H.)

-Rahimullaah- said:

As for the level excellence of Abu Bakr then Umar, then Uthmaan and Ali, then this is agreed upon between the Imams of knowledge and Deen, from amongst the Companions and Tabaeen. It is the

Madhab of Malik, Ahl-ul- Madinah, Abu Hanifah, Hamad bin Zayed, Hamad bin Salamah and the likes of them from the people of Iraq and it is the Madhab of Shaafiee, Ahmad, Ishaq, Abu Ubayd and other than them from the Imams of Islaam who have a truthful tongue from amongst the Ummah.
[Majmoo al-Fatawa 4/421]

b - Imam Nawawi said: The Ummah is agreed upon the correctness of the Khalafah of Abu Bakr and his precedence over the Companions -Radi
Allaahu anhum ajmaeen -

due to him being

the best of them, and the most deserving for the Khalafah than other than him.
[Tahathab al-Asmaa 2/191]

c Hafidh Suyootee said: Ahl-ul-Sunnah are united that the best person after the Messenger of Allaah is Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthmaan and then Ali.
[Tareekh al-Khulafah p.34]

d From Ibn Abi Layla who said: Abu Bakr and Umar were being discussed, so a man from Attarad said: Umar is better than Abu Bakr. Al-Jarrood said: Rather Abu Bakr is better than him. This news reached Umar -Radi
Allaahu anhu ,

and he began to

beat him with a stick until he ran off, then he turned to alJarrood but he said:

Be away from me! Then Umar said: Abu Bakr was the best of the people after the Messenger of Allaah such thing. Then Umar said: Whoever says other than this, then we will do to him what we do to a slanderer.
[Collected by Abdullaah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal in as-Sunnah 2/579]
-sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam-

in such and

e From Abdullaah bin Salmah who said I heard Ali saying: The best of the people after the Messenger of Allaah is Abu Bakr, and the best of the people after Abu Bakr is Umar . . . . .
[Collected by Ibn Majah & authenticated by Albaani no. 86]

f From Abu Juhayfah who said: I heard Ali saying: Shall I not inform you who is the best of this Ummah after its Prophet, it is Abu Bakr. Then Ali continued: Shall I not inform you who is the best of this Ummah after Abu Bakr it is Umar.
[Collected by Ahmad & authenticated by Ahmad Shakir. Imam Dhahabi said in

Tareekh al-Khulafah p.115: I swear by Allaah the Magnificent, that this is what Ali said and it is Mutawatir from him, because he said this while on the Mimbar in Koofah, may Allaah fight the Rafidaah, how ignorant they are!]

g From Muhammad bin al-Hanafeeyah who said: I said to Ali bin Abi Taalib: O my father, who of the people is the best after the Messenger of Allaah
-sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam?

He answered: Abu Bakr.

[Collected by Abdullaah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal in as-Sunnah No.1363]

h From Muhammad bin al-Hanafeeyah who said: I asked my father, who of the people is the best after the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam? He answered: Abu Bakr. I asked: Then who? He said: then Umar. I feared that he would say Uthmaan, I then said: Then you? He answered:

I am no other than a person from amongst the Muslims.

[Collected by Bukhari]

i From Shaqeeq who said: It was said to Ali -Radi leader? He replied: The Messenger of Allaah
-sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallamAllaahu anhu:

Will you not appoint a

did not

appoint a leader, so how can I appoint one. If Allaah Tabaraka wa Taala wants good for the people then He gathers them as He gathered them after their Prophet upon the best of them. [i.e. Abu Bakr]
[Collected by Ibn Abi Aassim in as-Sunnah 1221]

j From Sufyan at-Thawri who said: Whoever claims that Ali -Radi
Allaahu anhu-

was more

deserving of ruler ship than Abu Bakr and Umar, then he has claimed that Abu Bakr was wrong, likewise Umar, the Muhajiroon, and the Ansaar. I hold the

opinion that this persons good actions will not rise up to the heavens (not accepted by Allaah), if he

holds this view.

[Collected by Abu Dawood & Albaani said it is Saheeh al-Isnaad although it is disconnected. No.4387]

k From Abdullaah bin Umar who said: We used to say while the Messenger of Allaah
-sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam-

was alive: The best of the

Ummah of the Prophet after the Prophet is Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthmaan -Radi Allaahu anhum ajmaeen.
[Collected by Abu Dawood, Ibn Abi Aassim in as-Sunnah & Abdullaah bin Ahmad in as-Sunnah, Albaani said its Isnad is Saheeh]

l From Ibn Umar -Radi Allaahu anhu- who said: During the time of the Prophet
-sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam-

we would not equate anyone along with Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthmaan then we would leave the Companions of the Prophet
-sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam-

and

not choose a preference between them.

[Collected by Bukhari]

m From Shaafiee who said: The Companions and their followers are gathered upon the excellence and precedence of Abu Bakr,

then Umar, then Uthmaan, then Ali.

[al-Itiqaad by Bayhaqi]

n Imam Dhahabi said: The scholars of the Sunnah are agreed that the best of the Companions are the ten who had been testified with entering Paradise. The best of those

ten were Abu Bakr, then Umar bin al-Khattab, then Uthmaan bin Affan, then Ali bin Abi Taalib -Radi
anhum ajmaeen Allaahu

and no one doubts that except an

innovator, a hypocrite, or a filthy person.

[al-Kabair by Dhahabi]

[Taken from the book: The Life of the Greatest Man After the Prophets & Messengers: Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq p.110 113]