The Servant Who Was Given a Choice

In his final illness the Prophet ﷺ sat on the pulpit and said that Allah had given one of His servants a choice between this world and what is with Him, and the servant had chosen what is with Allah. Abu Bakr wept and said, "We would ransom you with our fathers and mothers." People wondered at him — until they realised the servant was the Prophet ﷺ himself, and Abu Bakr had understood first. The Prophet ﷺ then said that no one had been more generous to him in companionship and wealth than Abu Bakr; that if he were to take an intimate friend other than his Lord it would be Abu Bakr, but the brotherhood of Islam was enough; and that every door into the mosque should be closed except Abu Bakr's (Sahih al-Bukhari 3654).

When he could no longer go out to the prayer, he said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer," and insisted even when 'A'ishah suggested that her father was too tender-hearted and wept when he recited (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Call to Prayer). So Abu Bakr led the community in prayer in those last days.

On the day the Prophet ﷺ died, Abu Bakr had gone to his family at al-Sunh, on the edge of Madinah. He rode back, went in, uncovered the Prophet's ﷺ face, kissed him and wept: Allah would not make him taste death twice. Then he went out to the stunned crowd, where 'Umar was refusing to accept the news, and said: "Whoever worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad has died. And whoever worships Allah, Allah is Ever-Living and does not die." He recited, ﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ﴾ (“Muhammad is only a messenger; messengers have passed away before him”) (3:144), and it was as if people had never heard the verse until that day (Sahih al-Bukhari 3667, 3668).

That same day, called to the Saqifah where the Ansar had gathered, he did not put himself forward; he proposed 'Umar or Abu 'Ubaydah. It was 'Umar who turned and pledged to him, and the people followed (Sahih al-Bukhari 3668). The companion of the cave now had to carry the whole community.