367 - Muhammad ibn Ali informed me, saying: al-Athram narrated to us, saying: I said to Abu Abd Allah (Ahmad ibn Hanbal): The hadith of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Let Abu Bakr lead the people in prayer," contradicts the hadith of Abu Mas'ud from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "The one who reads (the Qur'an) best among them should lead the people in prayer." He (Ahmad) said: "In my view, his saying to Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer was for the sake of the Caliphate. He only intended the Caliphate by that. Abu Bakr already had a clear excellence over others, and the matter (of who is most entitled) is indeed based on recitation. As for Abu Bakr, he (the Prophet) only intended the Caliphate by it." Then Abu Abd Allah said: "Do you not see that Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, was with the best of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he used to lead them in prayer because he had memorized the Qur'an? And the hadith of Amr ibn Salamah (indicates that) he led them because of the Qur'an."