Jami' al-Saghir / Jam' al-Jawami' (al-Suyuti) 2-1372b

Translation

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On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, who said: 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said: "Part of our account is that when Allah took His Prophet ﷺ, the Ansar opposed us and gathered all together in the Saqifah of Banu Sa'idah. 'Ali, al-Zubayr and those with them also opposed us, and the Muhajirun gathered around Abu Bakr. I said to Abu Bakr, 'O Abu Bakr, let us go to these brothers of ours from the Ansar.' So we set out intending to go to them. When we drew near them, two righteous men met us and told us what the people had agreed upon. He said, 'Where are you going, O company of the Muhajirun?' We said, 'We intend our brothers from the Ansar.' They said, 'There is no need for you to approach them; decide your own affair.' I said, 'By Allah, we will certainly go to them.' So we went until we reached them in the Saqifah of Banu Sa'idah, and there was a man wrapped up among them. I said, 'Who is this?' They said, 'Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah.' I said, 'What is wrong with him?' They said, 'He has a fever.' When we had sat for a little while, their speaker stood, uttered the testimony, praised Allah with what He is worthy of, and then said: 'As for what follows: we are the helpers of Allah and the battalion of Islam, and you, O company of the Muhajirun, are a clan of ours. Yet a group of your people have come swarming, and they wish to cut us off from our origin and to take this affair from us.' When he fell silent, I wanted to speak, for I had prepared a speech that pleased me and I wished to present it before Abu Bakr. I was trying to restrain some of my vehemence. When I wanted to speak, Abu Bakr said, 'Gently.' I disliked to anger him, so he spoke, and he was more knowledgeable than me and more eloquent. By Allah, he left no sentence that had pleased me in my preparation without saying its like extemporaneously, and something better, until he fell silent. He said, 'What you have mentioned of good, you are deserving of it. But this affair will not be recognised except for this tribe of Quraysh, for they are the middle of the Arabs in lineage and dwelling. I am pleased that you choose one of these two men, so pledge allegiance to whichever of them you wish.' He took my hand and the hand of Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, who was sitting between us. I did not dislike anything he said except that. By Allah, to be brought forward and have my neck struck, which would be less of a sin for me, was dearer to me than to rule over a people among whom is Abu Bakr. Except that my soul may tempt me at death with something I do not find now.' Then a speaker of the Ansar said, 'I am its little stump that is rubbed, and its great palm tree that is pruned. From us a ruler, and from you a ruler, O company of Quraysh.' The noise increased and the voices rose, until I feared discord. I said, 'Extend your hand, O Abu Bakr.' He extended his hand and I pledged allegiance to him, and the Muhajirun pledged allegiance to him, then the Ansar pledged allegiance to him. We rushed upon Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, and one of them said, 'You have killed Sa'd.' I said, 'Allah has killed Sa'd.' By Allah, we found among what was before us no matter more suitable than the pledge to Abu Bakr. We feared that if we separated from the people and there had been no pledge, they would introduce a pledge after us, and then either we would follow them in what we do not approve, or oppose them and corruption would result. Whoever pledges allegiance to a ruler without the consultation of the Muslims, there is no pledge for him, nor for the one who pledged to him, lest they both be killed.".....

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