al-Mustadrak (al-Hakim) 4480

Translation

✧ 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz asked Abu Bakr b. Sulayman b. Abi Hathma: For what reason was it written “from the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ” during the era of Abu Bakr, then 'Umar initially wrote “from the Caliph of Abu Bakr”? Who was the first to write “from the Commander of the Believers”? He said: Al-Shifa' narrated to me—and she was among the first emigrant women—that 'Umar b. al-Khattab wrote to the governor of Iraq to send him two sturdy men whom he could ask about Iraq and its people. The governor of Iraq sent Labid b. Rabi'a and 'Adi b. Hatim. When they arrived in Madinah, they made their mounts kneel in the courtyard of the mosque, then entered the mosque. They met 'Amr b. al-'As and said: Seek permission for us, O 'Amr, from the Commander of the Believers. 'Amr said: You two, by Allah, have hit upon his name: he is the commander and we are the believers. 'Amr jumped up and entered upon 'Umar, Commander of the Believers, and said: Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Believers. 'Umar said: What made you come up with this name, O Ibn al-'As? My Lord knows—you must explain what you said. He said: Labid b. Rabi'a and 'Adi b. Hatim have arrived. They made their mounts kneel in the courtyard of the mosque, then entered upon me and said: Seek permission for us, O 'Amr, from the Commander of the Believers. They, by Allah, hit upon your name: we are the believers and you are our commander. He said: “So the correspondence continued with that from that day onward.” Al-Shifa' was the grandmother of Abu Bakr b. Sulayman. Sahih.

Grades by grader