350 - Ahmad ibn Mansur al-Marwudhi al-Khurasani, known as Zag, surnamed Abu Salih, reported to us, saying: Ahmad ibn Mus'ab al-Marwazi reported to us, from 'Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Khalid al-Qurashi, from 'Abd al-Malik ibn 'Umayr, from Usayd ibn Safwan, who had met the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and 'Ali ibn Harb al-Ta'i, who said: Delham ibn Yazid told me, saying: al-'Awwam ibn Hawshab reported to us, saying: 'Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Hashimi told me, from 'Abd al-Malik ibn 'Umayr, from Usayd ibn Safwan, who had companionship with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), saying: When Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah have mercy on him) was taken (in death) and covered, Medina erupted in weeping. 'Ali ibn Harb said: The people were in shock, just as on the day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was taken. Then 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah have mercy on him) came weeping and rushing, while saying: "Today, the Caliphate of Prophethood has been severed," until he stood at the door of the house in which Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) lay covered. He said: "May Allah have mercy on you, O Abu Bakr. You were the intimate friend of the Messenger of Allah, his solace, his place of rest, his confidant, and the place of his secret and his consultation. You were the first of the people to embrace Islam, the most sincere of them in faith, the strongest of them in certainty, the most fearful of them of Allah, the greatest of them in wealth for the sake of Allah's religion, the most protective of them over the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the most compassionate of them toward Islam, the most blessed of them for his companions, the best of them in companionship, and the most abundant of them in virtues." 'Ali ibn Harb added: "And the best of them in virtues, and the best of them in precedence." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And the most of them in precedence, the highest of them in rank, the closest of them in means, and the most similar of them to the Messenger of Allah in character and conduct, in rank and excellence." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And the closest of them to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in seating, and the most similar of them to him in character, attributes, habits, and deeds, the most noble of them in station, the most honorable of them in position, and the most trustworthy of them in his sight. May Allah reward you well on behalf of Islam, and on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "You believed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when the people called him a liar, so Allah named you in His Revelation 'the Siddiq' (the Truthful), for He said: {And the one who brought the truth and believed in it} [al-Zumar: 33]—that is Abu Bakr. You comforted the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when others abandoned him, and you stood with him in hardships when they sat back. You accompanied him in intensity with the most noble companionship, as the second of two, his companion in the Cave, upon whom serenity was sent down, his companion in the Migration, and you succeeded him in the religion of Allah and His Ummah with the best succession." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And his companion in the Migration and in the stations of adversity. You succeeded him in his Ummah with the best succession when the people apostatized. You upheld the affair as no Caliph of a Prophet has ever upheld it." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And you stood up for the religion of Allah in a manner that no Caliph of a Prophet had done. You grew strong when your companions were weak, and you rose up when they faltered." Zag said: "When your companions grew weak, you emerged when they were humbled, and you grew strong when they weakened. You adhered to the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when they wavered." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "When his companions wavered, you were his Caliph in truth. You did not dispute and you did not break away." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And you did not deviate, to the spite of the hypocrites, the suppression of the disbelievers, the rage of the insolent, the hatred of the envious, and the insignificance of the profligates. You upheld the affair when they failed, and you spoke when they stuttered. You proceeded with light when they stood still." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And you proceeded with the light of Allah when they grew weak, so they followed you and were guided. You were the lowest of them in voice, the highest of them in status, the least of them in speech, the most correct of them in expression, the longest of them in silence, the most eloquent of them in words, the greatest of them in opinion, and the bravest of them in soul." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And the bravest of them in heart, the strongest of them in certainty, and the best of them in intellect." Zag said: "And the most noble of them in action, and the most knowledgeable of them in affairs. By Allah, you were the leader (Ya'sub) of the religion at the beginning when the people recoiled from it, and at the end when they turned toward it." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "You were at the beginning when they recoiled from it, and at the end when they faltered. You were a merciful father to the believers when they became your dependents." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "They became your dependents, so you carried the burdens they were too weak to bear, you tended to what they neglected, and you preserved what they wasted because of your knowledge of what they were ignorant of. You girded yourself when they cowered." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And you girded yourself when they felt weak, you ascended when they panicked, you persevered when they became impatient, and you reclaimed the grievances of what they sought." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And you attained the traces of what they sought, and they returned to their guidance through your opinion, so they triumphed and attained through you what they had not calculated. You were a pouring torment upon the disbelievers." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "A persistent and consuming torment, and for the Muslims, a rain and abundance." Zag said: "And for the believers, a mercy, a comfort, and a fortress. By Allah, you flew with its goodness, won its harvest, departed with its virtues, and attained its precedence." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And you secured its precedence. Your proof did not fail, your support did not weaken, you did not betray your soul, and your heart did not swerve. You were like a mountain that the gales cannot shake nor the thunderbolts remove. You were as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'The most generous of people to him in your companionship and your own wealth.' And you were as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: weak in your body, strong in the affair of Allah, humble in your soul, great in the sight of Allah, majestic in the eyes of the believers, and grand in their hearts." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "Majestic on earth, grand in the sight of the believers. No one had any fault to find in you, no critic had any room to attack you, no one had any hope of exploiting you, and no creature had any leniency with you. The weak and the humiliated were strong and mighty in your sight until you secured their right for them, and the strong and the mighty were weak in your sight until you took the right from them. The near and the far were equal in that. The closest of people to you were those who were most obedient to Allah and most fearful of Him. Your affair was truth, sincerity, and gentleness. Your word was a judgment and a binding decree." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "Your word is truth and binding, and your command is a judgment and determination." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And your command is absolute and firm, and your opinion is knowledge and determination. You departed while the path was cleared, the difficult was made easy, the fires were extinguished, faith was strengthened, the religion was balanced through you, and Islam and the Muslims were established." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "Islam and the believers, and faith was strengthened, and the affair of Allah was manifested even if the disbelievers disliked it. You cleared the way for them so they could see, so you led the way, by Allah, with a far-reaching lead, and you exhausted those who came after you with a severe exhaustion, and you triumphed with goodness." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "With the truth, a clear triumph. You became too great for weeping, and your loss was immense in the heavens." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "In the heights, and your affliction shattered the people. Truly, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. We are satisfied with the decree of Allah, and we have submitted our affair to Him. By Allah, the Muslims will never again be afflicted after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with the likes of you ever. You were an honor, a protection, and a refuge for the religion, and for the believers, a shelter, a fortress, and a rain. May Allah unite you with the death of your Prophet, and not deny us your reward." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And for the Muslims, a fortress and a comfort, and against the hypocrites, harsh, wrathful, and suppressing. And praise be to Allah; may Allah not deny us your reward, and may He not lead us astray after you. Truly, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return." He said: The people remained silent until his speech ended, then they wept for him until their voices rose, and they said: "You have spoken the truth, O son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)." 'Ali ibn Harb said: "And they said: 'You have spoken the truth, O cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).'"