In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
*An Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah)*
Authored by Shaykh Musa ibn Rashid Al-'Azimi,
May Allah preserve him.
Mention of the Virtues of Abu Bakr, the Ansar, and Usamah
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned in his sermon the virtue of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Usamah ibn Zayd, and his father (may Allah be pleased with them),
As well as the virtue of the Ansar (may Allah be pleased with them).
The two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) narrated in their *Sahih*s from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sat upon the pulpit
And said, "Allah has given a servant the choice between granting him whatever he wishes from the splendor of this world, and that which is with Him; and he chose that which is with Him."
Upon hearing this, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) wept
And said, "May our fathers and mothers be ransomed for you!" We were astonished at his reaction,
And the people said, "Look at this old man: the Messenger of Allah is informing us of a servant whom Allah gave a choice
Between granting him the splendor of this world and that which is with Him,
Yet he says, 'May our fathers and mothers be ransomed for you!'"
But it was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) who was the servant given the choice,
And Abu Bakr was the most knowledgeable among us regarding him.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Indeed, the person who has favored me most in his companionship and his wealth is Abu Bakr.
Were I to take an intimate friend (khalil) from my Ummah, I would have taken Abu Bakr,
But the brotherhood of Islam suffices. Let no private doorway (*khawkhah*) remain open into the mosque except the doorway of Abu Bakr."
Imam al-Bukhari narrated in his *Sahih* from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out during his fatal illness with a cloth wrapped around his head,
And he sat upon the pulpit, praised Allah, and extolled Him.
Then he said, "Indeed, there is no one among the people who has favored me more with his life and his wealth than Abu Bakr ibn Abi Quhafah.
Were I to take an intimate friend from mankind, I would have taken Abu Bakr as an intimate friend,
But the bond of Islam is superior.
Close every private doorway leading into this mosque except the doorway of Abu Bakr."
Imam al-Bukhari also narrated in his *Sahih* from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out during his fatal illness
Draped in a mantle, with an oily dark cloth wrapped around his head—
Meaning his head was bound with a black cloth—until he sat upon the pulpit.
He praised Allah and extolled Him, then said, "To proceed:
Indeed, the people will increase while the Ansar will decrease, until they become among mankind like salt in food.
So whoever among you is appointed to an authority whereby he can harm some people or benefit others,
Let him accept from their good-doers and overlook their wrongdoers."
That was the last gathering in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) sat.
Imam Ahmad narrated in his *Musnad* with an authentic chain of transmission
From a man among the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
The Prophet (peace be upon him) stood as a speaker that day,
Praised Allah and extolled Him,
And sought forgiveness for the martyrs who were slain on the day of Uhud.
Then he said, "O gathering of the Emigrants (Muhajirun), you will increase in number,
Whereas the Ansar will not increase.
The Ansar are indeed my innermost repository and sanctuary—
Meaning my close confidants and inner circle.
So honor the noble among them and overlook their wrongdoers,
For they have fulfilled their obligation, and there only remains that which is owed to them."
Ibn Ishaq said:
Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Zubayr narrated to me
From 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr and other scholars
That the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
Noticed that the people were hesitating regarding the expedition of Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him),
While he was in severe pain.
So he went out with a cloth bound around his head until he sat upon the pulpit.
The people had been criticizing Usamah's leadership, saying,
"He has appointed a young youth over the prominent Emigrants and Ansar!"
He praised Allah and extolled Him as He deserves,
Then said, "O people!
Dispatch the expedition of Usamah!
By my life, if you criticize his leadership,
You have indeed criticized the leadership of his father before him.
Yet he is truly worthy of leadership,
Just as his father was worthy of it."
The two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s,
As well as Imam Ahmad in his *Musnad*,
With the wording being Ahmad's,
From Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood up
Among the people and said,
"Behold! You are finding fault with Usamah
And criticizing his leadership,
Just as you did with his father before.
Yet he was truly worthy of leadership,
And he was among the most beloved of all people to me,
And this son of his after him
Is among the most beloved of people to me.
So treat him well,
For he is among the best of you."
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) Leading the People in Prayer
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never ceased
Being eager to lead the people in prayer,
Despite the intense pain he was experiencing,
Until the illness overcame him and rendered him unable to go out.
At that point, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq to lead the people in prayer.
The two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
From 'Ubaydullah ibn 'Abdillah ibn 'Utbah,
Who said: I entered upon 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her)
And asked, "Will you not tell me about the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?"
She (may Allah be pleased with her) replied,
"Certainly.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) grew heavy with illness,
And asked, 'Have the people prayed?'
We said, 'No, they are waiting for you.'
He said, 'Put water in the basin for me.'
She said: We did so,
And he bathed, then attempted to stand up with effort,
Meaning to rise with exertion,
But he fainted.
Then he regained consciousness
And asked, 'Have the people prayed?'
We said, 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah.'
He said, 'Put water in the basin for me.'
She said: He sat and bathed,
Then attempted to stand up,
But he fainted again.
Then he regained consciousness
And asked, 'Have the people prayed?'
We said, 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah.'
He said,
'Put water in the basin for me.'
So he sat and bathed,
Then attempted to stand up,
But he fainted.
Then he regained consciousness
And asked, 'Have the people prayed?'
We said, 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah.'
The people were remaining in the mosque,
Waiting for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
For the late night ('Isha') prayer.
So the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent word
To Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)
Instructing him to lead the people in prayer.
The messenger came to him—
Meaning Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him)—
And said,
'Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
Orders you to lead the people in prayer.'
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him),
Who was a tender-hearted man, said,
'O 'Umar, lead the people in prayer!'
But 'Umar replied to him, 'You have the greater right to it.'
So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the prayers during those days.
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) felt some lightness in his condition,
So he came out supported between two men—one of them being al-'Abbas—for the Zuhr prayer.
The author noted in the margin: and the other was 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abu Bakr was leading the people in prayer,
And when Abu Bakr noticed him, he began to step back,
But the Prophet (peace be upon him) gestured to him not to step back,
And said to the two men, "Seat me beside him."
So they seated him beside Abu Bakr.
Abu Bakr continued praying standing, following the prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
And the people followed the prayer of Abu Bakr,
While the Prophet (peace be upon him) was seated.
The Number of Prayers Led by Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)
Imam al-Bayhaqi said: What is indicated by the hadith of Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith,
Then the hadith of 'Ubaydullah ibn 'Abdillah ibn 'Utbah
From 'A'ishah and Ibn 'Abbas,
And then the hadith of 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Suhayb
From Anas ibn Malik,
Is that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)
Led the people in the 'Isha' prayer on the night of Friday,
Then led them in five prayers on Friday,
Then five prayers on Saturday,
Then five prayers on Sunday,
Then led them in the Fajr prayer on Monday,
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away on that day.
In between those days, when he felt some lightness, he had come out for the Zuhr prayer—
Either on Saturday or on Sunday—
After Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had already begun the prayer with them.
So the Prophet began his prayer, and they aligned their prayer with his,
While he was seated and they were standing.
He also once prayed behind Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him),
According to the narration of Nu'aym ibn Abi Hind and those who followed him.
Thus, the total number of prayers Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led
During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
Including the one he commenced before the Prophet came out,
Was seventeen prayers.
*An Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah)*
Though long may be the yearning of creations for one another,
The yearning for you knows no bound.
May Allah bestow blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,
And lips move with enduring remembrance.