The meeting at Saqifa

After the death of the Prophet and before his burial, a group of the Ansar gathered around Sa'd ibn Ubada in the portico of the Banu Sa'ida in Medina. Abu Bakr, Umar and Abu Ubayda went to them, and the gathering ended with the allegiance to Abu Bakr and then a general allegiance on the following day. This page relays Ibn Hisham's account from Ibn Ishaq, which rests on Umar's well-known sermon as transmitted by Ibn Abbas from Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (may God be pleased with him); the other accounts are given in the section of views above. ²

Ibn Ishaq says that when the Messenger of God was taken, "this tribe of the Ansar withdrew to Sa'd ibn Ubada in the portico of the Banu Sa'ida", and Ali ibn Abi Talib, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Talha ibn Ubayd Allah held apart in the house of Fatima, and the rest of the emigrants withdrew to Abu Bakr, and Usayd ibn Hudayr went with them, of the Banu Abd al-Ashhal. ² A comer came to Abu Bakr and Umar and informed them that the Ansar were with Sa'd in the portico, and that the Prophet's affair had not been completed. ²

The details come from a sermon Umar gave in Medina on his last pilgrimage, which Abd Allah ibn Abbas relates from Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. ²-³ What led to it was that a man said: "By God, Abu Bakr's allegiance was only a slip that was then completed." ² Umar was angry and wished to warn the people, but Ibn Awf advised him to wait until he reached Medina, "the house of the Sunna", and to address the people of understanding. ²-³ In the sermon Umar says: "There is none among you to whom necks are turned like Abu Bakr." Whoever gives allegiance to a man without the consultation of the Muslims has no allegiance, nor has the one who gave it to him. ⁴

In his account the Ansar "opposed us" and gathered in the portico, while Ali, al-Zubayr and those with them held back, and the emigrants gathered to Abu Bakr. He set out with Abu Bakr toward the Ansar, and on the road they met two righteous men, who told them what the people had agreed on, and advised them to settle the matter without going near them. ⁴ They insisted on going, and found among them a man wrapped up, Sa'd ibn Ubada, who was ill. ⁴

A speaker of the Ansar stood and said they were "the helpers of God and the battalion of Islam", and the emigrants were a clan of theirs, and a group of their people had come in among them, and that "they want to cut us off from our root", as Umar says. ⁴ Umar wanted to speak, having prepared a speech in his mind, and Abu Bakr said: "Gently, let me speak." Umar says that Abu Bakr did not leave a word that had pleased Umar from his preparation without saying it extemporaneously, or something better. ⁴-⁵ Abu Bakr said that the Arabs would not recognise this affair except for this clan of Quraysh, "the middlemost of the Arabs in lineage and dwelling", and that he had accepted for them one of these two men, and took the hands of Umar and Abu Ubayda. ⁵ Umar says he disliked nothing of what Abu Bakr said except that, and that to be brought forward and have his neck struck without sin was dearer to him than to be placed over a people among whom was Abu Bakr. ⁵

A man of the Ansar said: "I am its rubbed stump and its tall palm; from us a leader, and from you a leader, O company of Quraysh." The clamour grew and the voices rose until Umar feared division. He said to Abu Bakr: "Extend your hand," and he gave his allegiance, then the emigrants gave theirs and then the Ansar. They rushed upon Sa'd ibn Ubada, and someone said: "You have killed Sa'd ibn Ubada." Umar said: "God has killed Sa'd ibn Ubada." ⁵

Ibn Ishaq says on the authority of Urwa ibn al-Zubayr that the two men were Uwaym ibn Sa'ida and Ma'n ibn Adi. ⁵ Of Uwaym the report says that the Prophet said of him that he was "a fine man among them"; of Ma'n it is related that the people wept over the Prophet and said they feared strife after him, and Ma'n said he did not like to die before him without confirming him dead as he had confirmed him living. Ma'n was killed as a martyr at al-Yamama in the caliphate of Abu Bakr. ⁵-⁶ (The verse the report cites in regard to Uwaym is 9:108.)

On the next day Abu Bakr sat on the pulpit and Umar spoke before him. He said that his words of the day before were not in the Book of God and the Messenger of God had not entrusted them to him, but that he had thought the Prophet would manage their affair, and that God had united their affair on the best of them, the companion of the Messenger of God, "the second of the two when they were in the cave". The people gave allegiance to Abu Bakr, "the general allegiance after the allegiance of the portico". ⁶ Then Abu Bakr preached: "O people, I have been put over you and I am not the best of you; if I do well, help me, and if I do ill, correct me... obey me as long as I obey God and His Messenger, and when I disobey God and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience." ⁶

The account above is Ibn Ishaq's report from Umar, on which Sunni scholars rely for the view that Abu Bakr's allegiance was a choice made by the leaders of the community. The other views (the academic reading and the view of the Twelver Imamiyya) have their place in the section of views at the top of the page; each is attributed to its author, and the museum passes no judgement. The part of Ibn Hisham that is read here contains no reports on them.

This gathering is the gateway to the Rightly Guided Caliphate, and it is where the first principle of choosing the leadership of the community after the Prophet took shape. The sermons of Umar and Abu Bakr contain texts on which researchers of the foundations of government in Islam rely.

• The text is transmitted from Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) in a later sermon, so it is the report of one of the parties to the event, and this calls for caution in reading it.
• The phrase "Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God be pleased with him) and al-Zubayr held back from us" connects with what is reported in the general allegiance and after; the page read here does not treat it.
• This page is based on the printed text alone (pp. 306–311); its comparison with the two Sahihs and with al-Tabari's history has not yet been carried out.

Ibn Ishaq relates from al-Zuhri that Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf told Ibn Abbas that Umar, on his last pilgrimage, told him that a man had said that if Umar died he would give allegiance to so-and-so, and that the allegiance to Abu Bakr was a slip; Umar was angry and wished to stand among the people to warn them of those who wished to usurp their affair, and Ibn Awf advised him to wait until he came to Medina, "the house of the Sunna". ^{2 3}

When they came to Medina, which was a Friday, Umar sat on the pulpit and said: God sent Muhammad and sent down the Book upon him, and among what was revealed was the verse of stoning; we recited it, understood it, and the Messenger of God stoned, and we stoned after him; and I fear that if a long time passes over the people, someone will say we do not find stoning in the Book of God; and he mentioned that they used to recite "Do not turn away from your fathers, for it is disbelief in you." ³ Then he said: do not exalt me as Jesus son of Mary was exalted. ³ He described Abu Bakr's allegiance as a slip which God guarded against its evil, and whoever gives allegiance to a man without the consultation of the Muslims, neither he nor the one who gave it has any allegiance. ⁴ See Umar's sermon on the verse of stoning.

Then Umar recounted what happened at the portico: the Ansar gathered with their notables in the portico of the Banu Sa'ida, Ali and al-Zubayr and those with them held back, and the emigrants gathered to Abu Bakr; on the road Uwaym ibn Sa'ida and Ma'n ibn Adi met them and said: there is no harm to you if you do not approach them, O emigrants; settle your affair; but Umar insisted on going to them. ⁴

In the portico Sa'd ibn Ubada was wrapped up, ill. Their speaker testified and said: we are the helpers of God and the battalion of Islam, and you, O emigrants, are a clan from us. Umar wanted to speak, but Abu Bakr said: "Gently," being unwilling to anger him, and Abu Bakr spoke; he did not leave a word that had pleased Umar from his preparation without saying it extemporaneously or better. He said: the Arabs will not recognise this affair except for this clan of Quraysh; so give allegiance to whichever of the two you wish, and he took the hands of Umar and Abu Ubayda. ^{4 5}

A man of the Ansar said: "I am its rubbed stump and its tall palm; from us a leader, and from you a leader, O company of Quraysh." The clamour grew until Umar feared division, and he said: "Extend your hand, Abu Bakr," and he gave his allegiance, then the emigrants gave theirs, then the Ansar; they rushed upon Sa'd ibn Ubada; someone said: "You have killed Sa'd ibn Ubada"; Umar said: "God has killed Sa'd ibn Ubada." ⁵

• The account of the portico comes from Umar through the chain of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Awf; Ibn Ishaq relays the report from al-Zuhri from Urwa. Several chains exist for the event. ²
• Ibn Hisham's margin explains "al-taghra" as fear that the two would be killed for being alone away from the group. ⁴
• In the first copy "zaghat" appears in place of "zallat"; in the margins "al-murajjab" comes from "al-rajba". ³

The speaker recounts that after the Prophet's death, Abu Bakr and Umar went to the Saqifa of Bani Sa'ida ⁹.

He recounts that Umar called on Abu Bakr to be pledged allegiance, and Abu Bakr asked Umar to pledge to him instead. Each put the other's merit first: Umar said Abu Bakr was better than he, and Abu Bakr said his merit lay in Umar's strength ¹⁰.

He says the Prophet gave signs toward Abu Bakr but left the choice to the Companions ⁷. He recounts that when the Ansar wanted a ruler from among themselves, Abu Bakr told them not to be the first to convert and the last to change, and that the matter was settled at that first moment ⁸.