Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) once prayed in my house while he was ill. He was praying sitting down, and the people were standing behind him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) gestured to them to sit down, and after finishing the prayer, he said:“The Imam is appointed so that he may be followed. Therefore, when he goes into ruku‘, you should also go into ruku‘; and when he raises his head, you should also raise your heads; and when he says ‘Sami‘ Allahu liman hamidah’, you should say ‘Rabbana wa lakal hamd’; and when he prays sitting down, you should also pray sitting down.”

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The Imam is appointed so that he may be followed, so when he says the takbir, you should also say it; when he bows (in ruku‘), you should also bow; and when he says "Sami‘ Allahu liman hamidah," you should say "Rabbana wa lakal hamd"; and when he prostrates, you should also prostrate; and when he prays sitting, then all of you should also pray sitting.

Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah narrated that I went to Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and said, "If only you would describe to us the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), it would be good." She said, "Yes, certainly, listen. The illness of the Prophet (peace be upon him) intensified, so he asked, 'Have the people performed the prayer?' We replied, 'No, O Messenger of Allah, the people are waiting for you.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Place a basin of water for me.' Lady Aisha said, 'We placed the water, and he sat and performed ghusl (ritual bath). Then he tried to get up, but he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he again asked, 'Have the people performed the prayer?' We replied, 'No, O Messenger of Allah, the people are waiting for you.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) again said, 'Place a basin of water for me.' Lady Aisha said, 'We again placed the water, and he sat and performed ghusl. Then he tried to get up, but (again) he fainted.' When he regained consciousness, he again said, 'Have the people performed the prayer?' We replied, 'No, O Messenger of Allah, they are waiting for you.' The people were sitting in the mosque waiting for the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the Isha prayer. Finally, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent a man to Abu Bakr and ordered that he should lead the prayer. The man who was sent came to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has ordered you to lead the prayer.' Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was a very soft-hearted man, so he said to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), 'You lead the prayer.' But Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, 'You are more deserving of it.' So, during those (illness) days, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to lead the prayers. Then, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) felt a little better, he came out of the house for the Zuhr prayer, supported by two men, one of whom was Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading the prayer. When Abu Bakr saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he wanted to step back, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) gestured to him not to step back. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the two men, 'Seat me beside Abu Bakr.' So they seated him beside Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator said, 'Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was following the Prophet (peace be upon him) in prayer, and the people were following Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in prayer, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was praying while sitting.' Ubaidullah said, 'Then I went to Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, "Should I narrate to you the hadith that Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated about the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?" He said, "Certainly, narrate it." So I narrated the hadith to him. He did not deny anything except that he said, "Did Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) mention to you the name of the person who was with Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)?" I said, "No." He said, "He was Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: When the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intensified and his pain became severe, he sought permission from his wives to spend the days of his illness in my house, and his wives granted him permission. So he came in such a manner that both his feet were dragging on the ground, and at that time he was between Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and another companion. Ubaidullah (the narrator of the hadith) stated: Then I mentioned this hadith of Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas, so he asked me, "Do you know who was the one whom Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) did not name?" I said, "No." He said, "He was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) bin Abi Talib."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that I repeatedly asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this matter (i.e., appointing Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, as the Imam during the days of illness). I kept asking you repeatedly only because I was certain that the person who would stand in your place (during your lifetime), people would never love him; rather, I thought that people would consider it a bad omen. That is why I wanted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not to command Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding this.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that during the illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he passed away, when the time for prayer came and the call to prayer was given, he said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." At that time, it was said to him that Abu Bakr is very soft-hearted; if he stands in your place, it will be difficult for him to lead the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) again gave the same order, and the same thing was repeated before him. For the third time, he said: "You are just like the women who were with Yusuf (Joseph) (that you have something in your hearts and show something else)." "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer." Finally, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to lead the prayer. Meanwhile, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some relief in his illness and, supported by two men, came out. It is as if I am seeing his feet at that time, that due to pain, they were dragging lines on the ground. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), seeing this, wanted to step back, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) signaled him to remain in his place. Then he came near and sat beside him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed him, and the people followed the prayer of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became seriously ill, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came to inform about the prayer. The Prophet said, "Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayer." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr is a soft-hearted man, and whenever he stands in your place, he will not be able to make his voice heard to the people (due to intense weeping). So if you tell Umar, it would be better." The Prophet said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer." Then I said to Hafsa, "You say that Abu Bakr is a soft-hearted man, and if he stands in your place, he will not be able to make his voice heard to the people. So if you tell Umar, it would be better." Upon this, the Prophet said, "You women are no less than the companions of Yusuf. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer." When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to lead the prayer, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some relief in his illness and stood up with the support of two men. The Prophet's feet were dragging on the ground as he walked in this manner and entered the mosque. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Prophet's movement, he began to step back, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured for him to stay. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on the left side of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, so Abu Bakr was standing and leading the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting and following Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and the people were following Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, who was a follower, servant, and companion of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, narrated that during the illness of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, which led to his death, Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, used to lead the prayer. On Monday, when the people were standing in rows for prayer, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, lifted the curtain of his chamber and stood looking at us. His blessed face (in beauty and radiance) was as if it were a page of the Qur'an. He smiled and began to laugh. We became so happy that we feared we might become so engrossed in looking at the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that we would break the prayer. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, began to step back, intending to join the row, thinking that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was coming out to lead the prayer. But he, peace and blessings be upon him, gestured to us to complete the prayer. Then he let the curtain fall. Thus, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away on that very day. (Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.)

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come out (to the people) for three days during his illness. During those days, on one of the days, the prayer was established and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward (to lead), when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lifted the curtain (of his blessed chamber). When the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became visible, we had never seen a scene more beautiful than his radiant and blessed face (may we be sacrificed for such beauty and grace). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) signaled to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) to move forward, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) let the curtain fall, and after that, until his passing, no one was able to see him.

Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill, and when his illness became severe, he said, "Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer." Upon this, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "He is soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, it will be difficult for him to lead the prayer." The Prophet (peace be upon him) again said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer." Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) repeated the same thing. The Prophet (peace be upon him) again said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer. You women are like the companions of Yusuf (Joseph) (making excuses)." Finally, a man came to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) to call him, and he led the people in prayer during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him).