The Book of the Merits of the Companions

Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

Who amongst you is fasting today? Abu Bakr said: I am. He (again) said: Who amongst you followed a funeral procession today? Abu Bakr said: I did. He (the Prophet) again said: Who amongst you served food to the needy? Abu Bakr said: I did. He (again) said: Who amongst you has today visited the sick? Abu Bakr said: I did. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Anyone in whom (these good deeds) are combined will certainly enter paradise.

Mus'ab b. Sa'd reported on the authority of his father that many verses of the Qur'an had been revealed in connection with him. His mother Umm Sa'd had taken oath that she would never talk with him until he abandoned his faith and she neither ate nor drank and said:

Allah has commanded you to treat well your parents and I am your mother and I command you to do this. She passed three days in this state until she fainted because of extreme hunger and at that time her son whose name was Umara stood up and served her drink and she began to curse Sa'd that Allah, the Exalted and Glorions, revealed these verses of the Holy Qur'an:" And We have enjoined upon a person goodness to his parents but if they contend with you to associate (others) with Me of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not" (xxix. 8) ; Treat thein with customary good in this world" (xxxi. 15). He also reported that there fell to the lot of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) huge spoils of war and there was one sword in them. I picked that up and came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Bestow this sword upon me (as my share in the spoils of war) and you know my state. Thereupon he said: Return it to the place from where you picked it up. I went back until I decided to throw it in a store but my soul repulsed me so I came back and asked him to give that sword to me. He said in a loud voice to return it to the place from where I had picked it up. It was on this occasion that this verse was revealed:" They asked about the spoils of war" (viii. 1). He further said: I once fell ill and sent a message to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He visited me and I said to him: Permit me to distribute (in charity) my property as much as I like. He did not agree. I said: (Permit me to distribute) half of it. He did not agree. I said: (Permit me to distribute) the third part, whereupon he kept quiet and it was after this (that the distribution of one's property in charity) to the extent of one-third was held valid. He further said: I came to a group of persons of the Ansir and Muhajirin and they said: Come, so that we may serve you wine, and it was before the use of wine had been prohibited. I went to them in a garden and there had been with them the roasted head of a camel and a small water-skin containing wine. I ate and drank along with them and there came under discussion the Ansr (Helpers) and Muhajirin (immigrants). I said: The immigrants are better than the Ansar, that a person picked up a portion of the head (of the camel and struck me with it that my nose was injured. I came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and informed him of the situation that Aliah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed verses pertaining to wine:" Intoxicants and the games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (divining by) arrows are only an uncleanliness, the devil's work" (v. 90).

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Simak and the hadith transmitted on the authority of Shu'ba (the words are):

When they intended to feed her (Sa'd'. s mother), they opened her mouth with the help of a stick and then put the feed in her mouth, and in the same hadith the words are: He struck the nose of Sa'd and it was injured and Sa'd had (the mark) of wound on his nose.

Anas reported that the son of Abu Talba who was born of Umm Sulaim died. She (Umm Sulaim) said to the members of her family:

Do not narrate to Abu Talha about his son until I narrate it to him. Abu Talha came (home) ; she presented to him the supper. He took it and drank water. She then embellished herself which she did not do before. He (Abu Talha) had a sexual intercourse with her and when she saw that he was satisfied after sexual intercourse with her, she said: Abu Talha, if some people borrow something from another family and then (the members of the family) ask for its return, would they resist its return? He said: No. She said: I inform you about the death of your son. He was annoyed, and said: You did not inform me until I had a sexual intercourse with you and you later on gave me information about my son. He went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and informed him what had happened. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: May Allah bless both of you in the night spent by you! He (the narrator) said: She became pregnant. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was in the course of a journey and she was along with him and when Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came back to Medina from the journey he did not enter (his house) (during the night). When the people came near Medina, she felt the pangs of delivery. He (Abu Talha) remained with her and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) proceeded on. Abu Talha said: O Lord, you know that I love to go along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) when he goes out and enter along with him when he enters and I have been detained as You seest. Umm Sulaim said: Abu Talha, I do not feel (so much pain) as I was feeling formerly, so better proceed on. So we proceeded on and she felt the pangs of delivery as they reached (Medina) and a child was born and my mother said to me: Anas, none should suckle him until you go to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) tomorrow morning. And when it was morning I carried him (the child) and went along with him to Allah's Messenger (may peace beupon him). He said: I saw that he had in his hand the instrument for the cauterisation of the camels. When he saw me. he said: This is, perhaps, what Umm Sulaim has given birth to. I said: Yes. He laid down that instrument on the ground. I brought that child to him and placed it in his lap and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked Ajwa dates of Medina to be brought and softened them in his month. When these had become palatable he placed them in the mouth of that child. The child began to taste them. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: See what love the Ansar have for dates. He then wiped his face and named him 'Abdullah.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik through another chain of transmitters.

Anas b. Malik reported that Abu Bakr Siddiq reported him thus:

I saw the feet of the polytheists very close to us as we were in the cave. I said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) , if one amongst them were to see at his feet he would have surely seen us. Thereupon he said: Abu Bakr, what can befall two who have Allah as the third One with them.

Abu Sa'id reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sat on the pulpit and said:

Allah gave a choice to His servant that he may opt the beauties of the world or that which is with Him and the servant chose that which was with Him. Thereupon Abu Bakr wept and he wept bitterly and said: Let our fathers and our mothers be taken as ransom for you. It was Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) who had been given the choice and Abu Bakr knew it better than us, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) is reported to have said: Behold, of all people the most generous toward me in regard to his companionship and his property was Abu Bakr and were I to choose anyone as my bosom friend, I would have chosen Abu Bakr as my dear friend, but (for him) I cherish Islamic brotherliness and love. There shall be left open no window in the mosque except Abu Bakr's window.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id Khudri through another chain of transmitters.

'Amir b. Sa'd reported that he heard his father (Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas) say:

never heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say unto one living and moving about that he was in Paradise except to 'Abdullah b. Salim.

'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

If I were to choose a bosom friend I would have definitely chosen Abu Bakr as my bosom friend, but he is my brother and my companion and Allah, the Exalted and Gliorious. has taken your brother and companion (meaning Prophet (ﷺ) himself) as a friend.

Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

If I were to choose from my Umma anyone as my bosom friend, I would have chosen Abu Bakr.

'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

If I were to choose as my bosom friend I would have chosen the son of Abu Quhafa (Abu Bakr) as my bosom friend.

Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

If I were to choose amongst the people of earth someone as my bosom friend, I would have chosen the son of Abu Quhafa as my friends but God has taken your companion as a friend.

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters and the one narrated on the authority of Abdullah (the words are):

" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) is reported to have said: Behold I am free from the dependence of all bosom friends and if I were to choose anyone as bosom friend I would have taken Abu Bakr as my bosom friend. Allah has taken your companion as a friend.

'Amr b. al-'As reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent him in command of the army despatched to Dhat-as-Salasil. When 'Amr b. al-'As came back to the Prophet (ﷺ) he said:

Who amongst people are dearest to you? He said: A'isha. He then said: Who amongst men? He said: Her father, and I said: And who next? He said: Umar. He then enumerated some other men.

Ibn Abu Mulaika reported:

I heard `A'isha as saying and she was asked as to whom Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) would have nominated as his successor if he had to nominate one at all. She said: Abu Bakr. It was said to her: Then whom after Abu Bakr? She said: `Umar. It was said to her. Then whom after `Umar? She said: Abu `Ubaida b. al-Jarrah, and then she kept quiet at this.

Muhammad b. Jubair b. Mut'im reported on the authority of his father that a woman asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about something but lit, told her to come to him on some other occasion, whereupon she said:

What in your opinion (should I do) if I come to you but do not find you, and it seemed as if she meant that he might die. Thereupon he said: If you do not find me, then come to Abu Bakr. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Jubair b. Mut'im through another chain of transmitters (and the words are) that a woman came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and discussed with him something and he gave a command as we find in the above-mentioned narration.

A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in his (last) illness asked me to call Abu Bakr, her father, and her brother too, so that he might write a document, for he feared that someone else might be desirous (of succeeding him) and that some claimant may say:

I have better claim to it, whereas Allah and the Faithful do not substantiate the claim of anyone but that of Abu Bakr.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

A person had been driving an ox loaded with luggage. The ox looked towards him and said: I have not been created for this but for lands (i. e. for ploughing the land and for drawing out water from the wells for the purpose of irrigating the lands). The people said with surprise and awe: Hallowed be Allah, does the ox speak? Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: I believe it and so do Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: A shepherd was tendirig the flock when a wolf came there and took away one goat. Tile shepherd pursued it (the wolf) and rescued it (the goat) from that (wolf). The wolf looked towards him and said: Who would save it on the day when there will be no shepherd except me? Thereupon people said: Hallowed be Allah I Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: I believe in it and so do Abu Bakr and Umar believe.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Shihab with the same chain of transmitters, but there is no mention of the story pertaining to the ox.