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Volume 4, Book 62-Companions of the Prophet
Chapter:1 The virtues of the Companions of the Prophet
Sahih al-Bukhari 3649
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “A time will come upon the people when a group of people will wage a holy war and it will be said, ‘Is there amongst you anyone who has accompanied Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?’ They will say, ‘Yes.’ And so victory will be bestowed on them. Then a time will come upon the people when a group of people will wage a holy war, and it will be said, ‘Is there amongst you anyone who has accompanied the companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?’ They will say, ‘Yes.’ And so victory will be bestowed on them. Then a time will come upon the people when a group of people will wage a holy war, and it will be said, ‘Is there amongst you anyone who has been in the company of the companions of the companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?’ They will say, ‘Yes.’ And victory will be bestowed on them.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3650
Narrated Imran bin Husain: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “The best of my followers are those living in my generation (i.e., my contemporaries), and then those who will follow them.” Imran added, “I do not remember whether he mentioned two or three generations after his generation.” Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) added, “There will come after you people who will bear witness without being asked to do so, and will be treacherous and untrustworthy, and they will vow and never fulfill their vows, and fatness will appear among them.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3651
Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow them. Then there will come some people who will bear witness before taking oaths, and take oaths before bearing witness.” Ibrahim, a sub-narrator, said, “They used to beat us for witnesses and covenants when we were still children.”
Chapter:2 The virtues of the emigrants (Muhajirin)
Sahih al-Bukhari 3652
Narrated Al-Bara’: Abu Bakr bought a camel saddle from Azib for thirteen Dirhams. Abu Bakr said to Azib, “Tell Al-Bara’ to carry the saddle for me.” Azib said, "No, unless you relate to me what happened to you and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) when you left Mecca while the pagans were in search of you." Abu Bakr said, "We left Mecca and we traveled continuously for that night and the following day till it was midday. I looked around searching for shade to take as shelter, and suddenly I came across a rock, and found a little shade there. So I cleaned the place and spread a bed for the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the shade and said to him, 'Lie down, O Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him).' So the Prophet (peace be upon him) lay down and I went out, looking around to see if there was any person pursuing us. Suddenly I saw a shepherd driving his sheep towards the rock, seeking what we had already sought from it. I asked him, 'To whom do you belong, O boy?' He said, 'I belong to a man from Quraish.' He named the man and I recognized him. I asked him, 'Is there any milk with your sheep?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Will you then milk some for us?' He said, 'Yes.' Then I asked him to tie the legs of one of the sheep and clean its udder, and then ordered him to clean his hands from dust. Then the shepherd cleaned his hands by striking them against one another. After doing so, he milked a small amount of milk. I used to keep for Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) a leather water-container, the mouth of which was covered with a piece of cloth. I poured water on the milk container till its lower part was cold. Then I took the milk to the Prophet (peace be upon him) whom I found awake. I said to him, 'Drink, O Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him).' So he drank till I became pleased. Then I said, 'It is time for us to move, O Allah's Apostle!' He said, 'Yes.' So we set out while the people (i.e. Quraish pagans) were searching for us, but none found us except Suraqah bin Malik bin Jushum who was riding his horse. I said, ‘These are our pursuers who have found us, O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)!’ He said, ‘Do not grieve, for Allah is with us.'”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3653
Narrated Abu Bakr: I said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) while I was in the Cave, “If any of them should look under his feet, he would see us.” He said, “O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two persons, the third of whom is Allah?”
Chapter:3 “Close the gates (in the Mosque), except the gate of Abu Bakr.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3654
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) addressed the people saying, “Allah has given option to a slave to choose this world or what is with Him. The slave has chosen what is with Allah.” Abu Bakr wept, and we were astonished at his weeping caused by what the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned as to a slave of Allah who had been offered a choice. We learned later on that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) himself was the person who was given the choice, and that Abu Bakr knew best of all of us. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) added, “The person who has favored me most of all both with his company and wealth is Abu Bakr. If I were to take a Khalil other than my Lord, I would have taken Abu Bakr as such, but what relates us is the Islamic brotherhood and friendliness. All the gates of the Mosque should be closed except the gate of Abu Bakr.”
Chapter:4 The merits of Abu Bakr
Sahih al-Bukhari 3655
Narrated Ibn Umar: We used to compare the people as to who was better during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). We used to regard Abu Bakr as the best, then Umar, and then `Uthman
Chapter:5 If I were to take Khalil ..
Sahih al-Bukhari 3656
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If I were to take a Khalil, I would have taken Abu Bakr, but he is my brother and my companion (in Islam).”
Hadith number 3657
Narrated Aiyub: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If I were to take a Khalil, I would have taken him (i.e. Abu Bakr) as a Khalil, but the Islamic brotherhood is better.”
Hadith number 3658
Narrated `Abdullah bin Abi Mulaika: The people of Kufa sent a letter to Ibn Az-Zubair, asking about the inheritance of a paternal grandfather. He replied that the right of the inheritance of a paternal grandfather is the same as that of a father if the father is dead, and added, “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, ‘If I were to take a Khalil from this nation, I would have taken him (i.e. Abu Bakr).'”
Hadith number 3659
Narrated Jubair bin Mut`im: A woman came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) who ordered her to return to him again. She said, “What if I came and did not find you?” as if she wanted to say, “If I found you dead?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If you should not find me, go to Abu Bakr.”
Hadith number 3660
Narrated `Ammar: I saw Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and there was none with him but five slaves, two women, and Abu Bakr.
Hadith number 3661
Narrated Abu Ad-Darda: While I was sitting with the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr came, lifting up one corner of his garment uncovering his knee. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Your companion has had a quarrel.” Abu Bakr greeted the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! There was something between me and the son of Al-Khattab. I spoke to him harshly and then regretted it, and requested him to forgive me, but he refused. This is why I have come to you.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said thrice, “O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you.” Meanwhile, Umar regretted his refusal to forgive Abu Bakr and went to Abu Bakr's house and asked if he was there. They replied in the negative, so he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and greeted him, but signs of displeasure appeared on the Prophet's face until Abu Bakr pitied Umar, so he knelt and said twice, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! By Allah! I was more unjust to him than he to me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah sent me to you, but you said, ‘You are telling a lie,’ while Abu Bakr said, ‘He has spoken the truth,’ and consoled me with himself and his money.” He then said twice, “Won’t you then give up harming my companion?” After that, nobody harmed Abu Bakr.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3662
Narrated Amr bin Al-As: The Prophet (peace be upon him) deputed me to lead the Army of Dhat-as-Salasil. I came to him and said, "Who is the most beloved person to you?" He said, "Aisha.” I asked, “Among the men?” He said, “Her father.” I said, “Who then?” He said, “Then `Umar bin Al-Khattab.” He then named other men.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3663
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) saying, “While a shepherd was amongst his sheep, a wolf attacked them and took away one sheep. When the shepherd chased the wolf, the wolf turned towards him and said, ‘Who will be its guard on the day of wild animals when nobody except I will be its shepherd.’ And while a man was driving a cow with a load on it, it turned towards him and spoke to him saying, ‘I have not been created for this purpose, but for ploughing.'” The people said, “Glorified be Allah.” The Prophet said, “But I believe in it and so does Abu Bakr and `Umar.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3664
3664 Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) saying, “While I was sleeping, I saw myself standing at a well, on it there was a bucket. I drew water from the well as much as Allah wished. Then Ibn Abi Quhafa (i.e., Abu Bakr) took the bucket from me and brought out one or two buckets (of water) and there was weakness in his drawing the water. May Allah forgive his weakness for him. Then the bucket turned into a very big one and Ibn Al-Khattab took it over and I had never seen such a mighty person amongst the people as him in performing such hard work, till the people drank to their satisfaction and watered their camels that knelt down there.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3665
3665 Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: That Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Allah will not look on the Day of Judgment at him who drags his robe (behind him) out of pride.” Abu Bakr said, “One side of my robe slacks down unless I get very cautious about it.” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “But you do not do that with pride.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3666
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) saying, “Anybody who spends a pair of something in Allah’s Cause will be called from all the gates of Paradise, ‘O Allah’s slave! This is good.’ He who is amongst those who pray will be called from the gate of the prayer (in Paradise) and he who is from the people of Jihad will be called from the gate of Jihad, and he who is from those who give in charity (i.e., Zakat) will be called from the gate of charity, and he who is amongst those who observe fast will be called from the gate of fasting, the gate of Raiyan.” Abu Bakr said, “He who is called from all those gates will need nothing.” He added, “Will anyone be called from all those gates, O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?” He said, “Yes, and I hope you will be among those, O Abu Bakr.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3667-3668
Narrated ‘Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) died while Abu Bakr was at a place called As-Sunah (Al-‘Aliyah). ‘Umar stood up and said, “By Allah! Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) is not dead!” ‘Umar (later on) said, “By Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that.” He said, “Verily! Allah will resurrect him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men.” Then Abu Bakr came and uncovered the face of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), kissed him and said, “Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), you are good in life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make you taste death twice.” Then he went out and said, “O oath-taker! Don’t be hasty.” When Abu Bakr spoke, ‘Umar sat down. Abu Bakr praised and glorified Allah and said, “No doubt! Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die.” Then he recited Allah’s statement: “(O Muhammad) Verily you will die, and they also will die.” (39:30) He also recited: “Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; and indeed many Apostles have passed away, before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah. And Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.” (3:144) The people wept loudly, and the Ansar were assembled with Sa’d bin ‘Ubada in the shed of Bani Sa‘ida. They said to the emigrants, “There should be one ‘Amir from us and one from you.” Then Abu Bakr, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab and Abu ‘Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah went to them. ‘Umar wanted to speak but Abu Bakr stopped him. ‘Umar later on used to say, “By Allah, I intended only to say something that appealed to me and I was afraid that Abu Bakr would not speak so well.” Then Abu Bakr spoke and his speech was very eloquent. He said in his statement, “We are the rulers and you (Ansar) are the ministers (i.e. advisers).” Hubab bin Al-Mundhir said, “No, by Allah we won’t accept this. But there must be a ruler from us and a ruler from you.” Abu Bakr said, “No, we will be the rulers and you will be the ministers, for they (i.e., Quraysh) are the best family amongst the Arabs and of best origin. So you should elect either ‘Umar or Abu ‘Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah as your ruler.” ‘Umar said to Abu Bakr, “No, we elect you, for you are our chief and the best amongst us and the most beloved of all of us to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).” So ‘Umar took Abu Bakr’s hand and gave him the pledge of allegiance and the people too gave the pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr. Someone said, “You have killed Sa’d bin Ubada.” ‘Umar said, “Allah has killed him.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3669-3670
Narrated ‘Aisha (in another narration): When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was on his death-bed, he looked up and said thrice, “Amongst the Highest Companion” (see Qur’an 4:69). ‘Aisha said: Allah benefited the people by their two speeches. ‘Umar frightened the people—some of whom were hypocrites whom Allah caused to abandon Islam—because of ‘Umar’s speech. Then Abu Bakr led the people to true guidance and acquainted them with the right path they were to follow so that they went out reciting: “Muhammad is no more than an Apostle and indeed many Apostles have passed away before him…” (3:144).
Sahih al-Bukhari 3671
Narrated Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyya: I asked my father (‘Ali bin Abi Talib), “Who are the best people after Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?” He said, “Abu Bakr.” I asked, “Who then?” He said, “Then ‘Umar.” I feared he would say “‘Uthman,” so I said, “Then you?” He said, “I am only an ordinary person.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3672
Narrated ‘Aisha: We went out with Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) on one of his journeys till we reached Al-Baida or Dhat-ul-Jaish, where my necklace got broken and lost. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) stopped to search for it and the people too stopped with him. There was no water at that place and they had no water with them. So the people went to Abu Bakr and said, “Don’t you see what ‘Aisha has done? She has made Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and the people stop where there is no water and they have no water.” Abu Bakr came while Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was sleeping with his head on my thigh and said, “You detained Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and the people where there is no water and they have no water.” He then admonished me and said what Allah wished and pinched me at my flanks with his hands, but I did not move because the head of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was on my thigh. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) kept sleeping till he got up in the morning and found no water. Then Allah revealed the verse of Tayammum, and the people performed Tayammum. Usayd bin Al-Hudayr said, “O family of Abu Bakr! This is not your first blessing.” We urged the camel I was sitting on to get up, and the necklace was found under it.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3673
Narrated Abu Sa‘id: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Do not abuse my companions, for if any one of you spent gold equal to Uhud (in Allah’s Cause), it would not be equal to a Mud, or even half a Mud, spent by one of them.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3674
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari: I performed ablution in my house, then went out and said, “Today I shall stick to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and stay with him all this day (in his service).” I followed the Prophet to Bir Aris, sat at the gate, and witnessed Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, and then ‘Uthman each being given permission by the Prophet—and all were granted the glad tidings of Paradise, with ‘Uthman being praised for entering after a calamity.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3675
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet (peace be upon him) once climbed Mount Uhud with Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman. The mountain shook with them. The Prophet said to the mountain, “Be firm, O Uhud! For upon you there are no more than a Prophet, a Siddiq, and two martyrs.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3676
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said. “While (in a dream), I was standing by a well, drawing water from it. Abu Bakr and `Umar came to me. Abu Bakr took the bucket (from me) and drew one or two buckets of water, and there was some weakness in his drawing. May Allah forgive him. Then Ibn Al-Khattab took the bucket from Abu Bakr, and the bucket turned into a very large one in his hands. I had never seen such a mighty person amongst the people as him in performing such hard work. He drew so much water that the people drank to their satisfaction and watered their camels.” (Wahab, a sub-narrator said, “till their camels drank and knelt down.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3677
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:While I was standing amongst the people who were invoking Allah for `Umar bin Al-Khattab who was lying (dead) on his bed, a man behind me rested his elbows on my shoulder and said, “(O `Umar!) May Allah bestow His Mercy on you. I always hoped that Allah will keep you with your two companions, for I often heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “I, Abu Bakr and `Umar were (somewhere). I, Abu Bakr and `Umar did (something). I, Abu Bakr and `Umar set out.’ So I hoped that Allah will keep you with both of them.” I turned back to see that the speaker was `Ali bin Abi Talib.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3678
Narrated `Urwa bin Az-Zubair: I asked `Abdullah bin `Amr, “What was the worst thing the pagans did to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)?” He said, “I saw `Uqba bin Abi Mu’ait coming to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was praying.’ `Uqba put his sheet round the Prophet’s neck and squeezed it very severely. Abu Bakr came and pulled `Uqba away from the Prophet and said, “Do you intend to kill a man just because he says: ‘My Lord is Allah, and he has brought forth to you the Evident Signs from your Lord?”
