The leading chroniclers—Allah have mercy on them— have narrated that when his holy and prophetic lordship —u. w. bl.—had departed from this world, the abode of misery, to the paradise which is above, the intimate friends and favourites of his lordship assembled in the august mansion, and began to consult with each other on the manner of washing and burying his ambergris body. On this occasion Moghirah B. Sha’bah arrived, and informed O’mar B. Al-Khattâb that the chief Anssâr had congregated in the shed of the Bani Saa’dah, where they were wont to discuss important affairs, and intended to surrender the office of the Khalifate, together with the administration of their own transactions, into the hands of Sa’d B. A’bâdah. O’mar then reported this news to Abu Bakr, whereon both of them, apprehending that injury might result to the foundations of the law and to the palace of the religion, abandoned the corpse of that leader of the world, betook themselves to the shed of the Bani Saa’dah, and were followed by Abu O’baydah B. Jurrâh. The details of this affair are, that when his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. bl.—departed from this abode of calamities to the other world, those encircled by the garlands of the law became afraid and sorrowful in consequence of the frailty of human nature, because their opponents were numerous and their allies few. Intelligent men became distressed, sorrow for Musalmâns and Musalmânship overpowered the young and the old of them, the flames of envy and jealousy commenced to blaze in the hearts of hypocrites and doubters, all of them propagating rumours, making inquiries, and holding meetings in every corner of Madinah. In the assembly of the Mohâjer and Anssâr, one Abu-l-Hashim B. Altahiân, who was among the twelve chiefs, rose to his feet and recited some poetry to the effect that permanency in this world is impossible, that at present a fearful danger had arisen in consequence of the demise of the lord of apostleship—u. w. bl.—that wise men have become dismayed, and that enemies who had been humbled were now again lifting up their heads because this calamity had taken place; Moseylamah the liar had in Yamâmah, and Ttolhah B. Khowylad had among the Bani Asad, donned the cuirass of rebellion and taken up the buckler of dissension, and although at present the foes are only rejoicing, the future is to be taken into consideration, because the face of to-morrow must be looked upon in the mirror of to-day. ‘Be ye aware,’ said he, ‘for a certainty, and not by way of probability, that unless one of the Qoraish chiefs concerns himself with the Khalifate [i.e., successorship to the prophet], and engages in settling this affair, the people of Muhammad will be more distressed than a flock without a shepherd or a sown field without rain, and I hope that either A’li or Abu Bakr Ssiddiq, or some other man of authority, will address the people on this important matter.’ Then Abu Bakr Ssiddiq made his appearance, and spoke as follows: ‘O ye assembled Mohâjer and Anssâr!* If any one of you worships Muhammad, he has departed to the vicinity of God the Most High; but if the object of your adoration be the Lord of heaven and earth, namely God the Most High and Holy, He is exempted from annihilation or diminution. If no one is appointed to govern the Musalmâns, the religion will be injured; you must therefore hold a consultation, and elect one who is worthy to be invested with the garland of the administration.’ The adherents of Islâm replied: ‘We shall hold consultation, and adopt whatever measure we may agree upon.’ They then assembled in the shed of the Bani Saa’dah, where Dhu Shahâdatyn Khozaymah B. Thâbet adjured the inhabitants of Madinah to entrust one of the Anssâr with the administration, and not to invest a Qoraishi with the [office of the] Khalifate. The greater part of the people said: ‘Thou hast spoken the truth! We have agreed to be governed by Sa’d B. A’bâdah, and have placed the business of command and prohibition on his neck.’ But Asyd B. Khadzyr demurred to this proposal, extolled the noble qualities of those who had shared the exile [of the prophet], and A’wym B. Saa’dah confirmed what he had said. In short, a difference of opinion having arisen among those people, Abu Bakr, O’mar, and Abu O’baydah made their appearance in the assembly, and beheld Sa’d B. Abâdah—who had on account of some indisposition a blanket on his head—surrounded by a crowd of Anssâr desirous to pay him allegiance. When the noble Mohâjer had entered the shed, and were sitting awhile, Thâbet B. Qays rose to his feet, and having spoken some words concerning the virtues and excellent qualities of the Anssâr, explained that it was necessary to invest one of them with the office of the Khalifate and the administration. Abu Bakr then spoke a few appropriate and cogent words in reply, whereon one of the Anssâr said: ‘Let there be one Amir from us, and one Amir from you.’ As it was, however, evident to all men of experience that it is as impossible for two governors to abide in one place as two swords in one scabbard, Fârûq [i.e., O’mar] desired to speak, but Ssiddiq [i.e., Abu Bakr] beckoned to him to be silent; whereon O’mar withdrew his tongue into his palate, and Abu Bakr said: ‘O ye Anssâr people, we admit your excellence and virtues, neither have we forgotten the strenuous efforts you made in strengthening the foundations of the place of the [religious] law, and spreading out the surface of the religion; but the Qoraish enjoy among the Arabs nobility and excellence not possessed by others. The Arabs will gird their loins of obedience and subservience to nobody except to one of the Qoraish; it will, therefore, be proper that one of us should be the Amir and one of you the Wazir. Be in dread of God the Most High and Glorious, and do not act so as to cause dissension in Islâm, and a breach in the rampart of the noble law!’ Then Moa´an B. A’dy rose and said: ‘O ye Mohâjer people, I swear that we honour and respect you, but I fear that an emergency may arise, which will be against the requirements of justice.’ O’mar said: ‘O crowd of Anssâr, have you not heard the prophet of God say that the leaders must be of the Qoraish, and that this office will be with them only? The Khalifate and Amirate belong to none except to the Qoraish.’ Bashir B. Sa’d said: ‘I swear by God that I have heard this statement from the apostle himself, and I am certain this office will devolve upon one of them.’ Ssiddiq continued: ‘Well done! well done! Thou art a good man, hast spoken properly, and hast perforated the pearl of sense with the diamond of intelligence! I do not covet this dignity for myself, and you must for the good of the professors of Islâm confer it upon one of these two men, namely, O’mar B. Al-Khattâb or Abu O’baydah B. Jurrâh.’ They [both] replied: ‘By no means! The mark of the Amirship is evident on the pages of thy circumstances, and the indications thereof plainly appear in the events of thy life! Thou hast been the companion of the apostle of God in the cave, and the confidant of his secrets. How could we assume this important office despite thy excellence, and thy preceding us in the profession of Islâm?’ After the discussion about the Khalifship had on both sides been protracted till weariness ensued, most of the friends agreed to appoint Ssiddiq Akbar [i.e., Abu Bakr] to the Khalifate and governorship, whereon Bashir B. Sa’d came forward, exclaiming: ‘I swear by God that no one shall forestall me in this act of homage!’ After uttering these words, he placed his hand upon that of Ssiddiq, in acknowledgment of his Khalifship and government. Some have alleged that the first man who paid allegiance to Ssiddiq was Fârûq, whilst others state that he was E’bâd B. Bashir. It is reported in chronicles that when Bashir B. Sa’d paid homage, Habbâb B. Almundher said: ‘O Bashir, why hast thou abandoned the side of Sa’d B. A’bâdah, and hast striven to make him lose his right? All this is the consequence of the envy thou bearest to him.’ Bashir replied: ‘Allah forbid that I should be in this position with reference to my cousin, but I do not consider it allowable to deprive them of the rights of Musalmâns.’ Hereon Habbâb placed his hand on the hilt of his sabre, but a number of the Anssâr having caught hold of Habbâb, pacified him. He then said: ‘What is the use of quieting me? Our opportunity is lost! I fancy I already see your children standing at the doors of these people—i.e., the Mohâjer—and asking for a drink of water, but not receiving it.’ Ssiddiq replied: ‘O Habbâb, acts like these are not to be apprehended from me, or from those who are like me.’ Habbâb, now somewhat abashed, inclined his head, and replied: ‘No, by Allah! As long as we are alive, we shall cultivate friendship and modesty, but such will not be the case in the next generation, when others succeed us and the circumstances change; Allah, however, aids those who trust in Him.’ Having said these words, Habbâb ceased to speak; whereon the Mohâjer and the tribe of Awus eagerly paid allegiance to Ssiddiq, while the Khazraj were greatly dismayed because they had entertained hopes that the office of the Khalifate would be given to their chief, i.e., Sa’d B. A’bâdah. There is a tradition that on the said day the crowding of the people was so great that Sa’d B. A’bâdah was trodden under foot and died, whilst others allege that he was taken to his house alive; and some chroniclers state that Sa’d, having disagreed with the majority, paid no allegiance to Ssiddiq, but departed from Madinah to Syria, where he was some time afterwards killed, at the instigation of one of the magnates of the religion.
It has been recorded in some chronicles that when his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. bl.—died, the Anssâr unanimously brought out Sa’d B. A’bâdah, who happened to be sick, from his house in order to pay him allegiance, and he spoke to them as follows, after he had praised God the Most High: ‘O ye Anssâr people, you have an advantage of old standing, possessed by none except yourselves, because Muhammad—u. w. bl.—had dwelt more than ten years among his people inviting them to accept Islâm, but they demurred, except only a few of them. At last, however, his lordship threw, by the will of God the Most High, the ray of his inclination upon your country, and made your town his place of refuge and exile, whereon the blessing of the Faith became your share by the grace of the Beneficent Sovereign. You have protected Muhammad—u. w. bl.—and his companions from the wickedness of their foes, jeopardizing your lives and possessions for the sake of God. By this means the affairs of Islâm prospered, and the Arabs submitted to it willingly and unwillingly. When that prince died he was well satisfied with your laudable efforts, and for this reason the office of the Khalifate and Emâmship is due to you.’ The Anssâr replied: ‘What thou hast explained is the very truth, and most suitable! Thou art the best and foremost of us! We know no one except thyself who is worthy of the Khalifate; and if the Mohâjer raise objections on this subject, we shall tell them: “Let there be one Amir from us, and one Amir from you.”’ Sa’d replied: ‘This is the first weakness which you have manifested.’ When O’mar had become aware of this event, he informed Abu Bakr thereof, whereon both of them hastened to the shed of the Bani Saa’dah, where the assembly of the Anssâr was being held, and Abu O’baydah B. Jurrâh accompanied them. O’mar says: ‘I had determined to deliver a speech in that assembly, and when we reached the place I wished to address the people. Abu Bakr, however, interrupted me, and himself began to speak, but, nevertheless, uttered the very sentiments, without exaggeration or diminution, which I had intended to proclaim.’ After Abu Bakr had praised and exalted the Most High, he spoke as follows: ‘God—who be blessed and magnified—has sent the apostle to direct and to guide us to adore Him, leading us to bear testimony to His unity. As the Arabs had been worshipping numerous gods from generation to generation, they found it hard to abandon the religion of their fathers and ancestors, therefore they resisted his lordship secretly and openly, accusing him of falsehood. The Lord, however, who vouchsafes gifts before they are deserved, distinguished the first Mohâjer by instilling into them sincere belief, so that they disregarded the smallness of their own number and the multitude of their opponents, as well as the persecutions and evil intentions of the unbelievers, having no fear of them. They are undoubtedly the men who worshipped God the Most High and Glorious on earth and believed His apostle. They are all of his own tribe, and the most worthy of the Khalifate [i.e., successorship] after the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—and no one will wrangle with these men except such as have gone astray from the right path. O ye Anssâr people, we are cognizant of your laudable acts, and of what you have done to promote the bright religion, to elevate the banners of Islâm, and to proclaim the ordinances; this is evident to all our contemporaries, therefore the Amirship is to belong to us and the Wazirship to you, so that no business will be transacted without your consent and consultation.’ Habbâb B. Almundher, being of a contrary opinion, said: ‘O ye Anssâr people, do not allow the reins of selection to be taken from your hands, and do not assent to be governed by others, you being noble and ready. If they demur to this proposal, then let one Amir be from among us and another from you.’ Fârûq then said: ‘Alas! two Amirs will not agree.’ Habbâb replied angrily, using irritating words, and Fârûq retorted in similar terms; at last, however, the office of the Khalifate was by the efforts of Bashir B. Sa’d, the Anssâri, conferred upon Abu Bakr Ssiddiq, as has already been narrated above, and on that day the upper classes paid him allegiance. The next day Ssiddiq Akbar mounted the pulpit and delivered his first harangue; the general public paid him homage, whereon the hearts of the gentle and the simple became confirmed to obey and to follow him.