Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq — Page 96
96 HADRAT ABU BAKR 96 the importance of Khilafat. It was also feared that people would not accept one of the An sa r as their leader. One of the An sa r suggested that two Khulaf a ’ be selected, one from the An sa r and one from the Muh a jir i n. If this suggestion had been adopted, the Muslims would not have remained one nation, but rather would have become two nations and would have become enemies of one another. So this suggestion was not accepted. Hadrat Ab u Bakr ra explained to the An sa r, “Look, the Muh a jir i n are those who accepted the Holy Prophet sa when everyone else opposed him. They believed in him and his message even though they had to suffer through many trials. In spite of the fact that they were very few in number and they had many enemies, they stood by the Holy Prophet sa. So the Khalifah should be one of them. ” Hadrat Ab u Bakr ra also said,“O An sa r! Nobody can deny your high rank and service to Islam. Allah chose you for the service of His religion and for His Messenger, and He sent His Messenger to be near you after migration. Your station is very exalted. But the leader should be from the Muh a jir i n, who will not act without listening to your advice. ” And then, gesturing to Hadrat ‘Umar ra and Hadrat Ab u ‘Ubaidah ra , he said, “Choose from either one of them. ”