It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that during the days of his final illness, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. I submitted: Abu Bakr will begin to weep and his voice will not reach the people; it would be better if you command Umar. In another narration, Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, his voice will not reach the people, it would be better if you give this command to Umar. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You women are like the women of Yusuf (Joseph), I am saying: Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. Upon hearing this, Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) turned to me and said: I do not find any good from your side.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill and his illness became severe, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, he will not be able to lead the people in prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I am telling you to tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer; you are like the women who tried to seduce Yusuf (peace be upon him). So the Messenger of Allah’s (peace and blessings be upon him) messenger went to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was afflicted with his final illness, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came to inform him of the time for prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." We said: "O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, he will begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer. It would be better if you command Umar." But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." We said: "O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is very tender-hearted and soft; when he stands in your place, he will begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer. If you command Umar, it would be better." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. You are like the women who tried to entice Yusuf (peace be upon him)." So we sent a message to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and called him, and he led the people in prayer. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some improvement in his health, he was taken to the mosque with the support of two men, while his feet were dragging on the ground. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed the arrival of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to step back, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him to remain in his place. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat beside Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the rest of the people followed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah bin Mas'ud, who says: I went to Umm al-Mu'mineen Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked: Will you describe to me the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? She said: Yes, why not, the details are that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was severely ill. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Have the people performed the prayer? We replied: No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Place water for me in a vessel. We placed the water, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ghusl (ritual bath), but when he tried to stand up, he fainted. Then, when he regained consciousness, he asked: Have the people performed the prayer? We replied: No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Place water for me in a vessel. (The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed ghusl.) Afterwards, when he tried to stand up, he fainted again, while the people were gathered in the mosque for the Isha prayer and were waiting for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Finally, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was extremely soft-hearted; he said: Umar! You lead the people in prayer, but Umar said: You are more deserving of this. So, during those days, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer. Then, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) felt better, he went to the mosque for the Zuhr prayer with the support of two men; one of them was Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to step back, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured for him not to step back. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told those two men, and they seated him beside Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr continued to stand and lead the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed while sitting. I (Ubaidullah bin Abdullah) went to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: Shall I not narrate to you the incident that Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated to me? He said: Yes, narrate it. Then he did not deny any part of it, except that he asked: Did she mention the name of the other man who was with Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)? I said: No. He said: He was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill during his final illness, he was in the house of Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call Ali to me." But Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "Shall we call Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call him." Meanwhile, Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we call Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call him too." Sayyida Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we call Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call him too." When these people gathered, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head, and when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was not seen, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "People, get up from the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came to inform the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) of the time for prayer, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is extremely soft-hearted and a man who weeps; when people do not see you (peace and blessings be upon him), they will begin to weep, (and seeing them, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) will also begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer). It would be better if you command Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer." In any case, it happened that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) went and began to lead the prayer. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some improvement in his condition, so he was taken, supported between two men, and his feet were dragging on the ground. When the people saw him coming, they began to say "Subhan Allah, Subhan Allah" to draw Abu Bakr's (may Allah be pleased with him) attention. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to step back, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured for him to remain where he was. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat beside Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) remained standing on his right side. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the prayer of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the people followed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) states that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the recitation from where Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had reached. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away in that very illness. The narrator Waki’ once narrated that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the prayer of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the people followed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went taking support of Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him). He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was wearing a cotton garment, with its two ends thrown over his shoulders, and he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went and led the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us during the days of his final illness. He (peace and blessings be upon him) had a cloth tied around his head. I walked behind him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the pulpit. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (It is as if) I am standing at the Hawd (Pond of Kawthar) at this moment. Then he said: A servant was offered the world and its adornment, but he chose the Hereafter. No one among the people understood this except Abu Bakr, who said: O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, rather, may all our wealth, lives, and children be sacrificed for you (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) descended from the pulpit, and after that, he (peace and blessings be upon him) was not seen in the mosque until his last breath. Also, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Among the people, in terms of companionship and wealth, Abu Bakr has done the greatest favor to me. If I were to take a close friend from among the people other than my Lord, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a close friend, but Islamic brotherhood and affection is necessary with everyone. All the doors opening towards the mosque should be closed, except for the door of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

Ibn Abi Al-Ma'la narrates from his father that one day the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, delivered a sermon and said: "A servant has been given the choice by his Lord to either remain in this world as long as he wishes and eat from it whatever he wishes, or to meet his Lord. He has chosen to meet his Lord." Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, began to weep. The noble Companions said, "Look at this elder; the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has only mentioned a righteous servant whom Allah Almighty gave the choice between the world and meeting his Lord, and he chose to meet his Lord." Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, understood the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, very well. He said, "We all, along with our wealth and children—or (he said, the narrator is in doubt) our fathers—are sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "No one has done more favor to me with his companionship and wealth than Abu Bakr ibn Abi Quhafa. If I were to take anyone as a close friend (khalil), I would have taken the son of Abu Quhafa as my close friend, but the relationship of affection, brotherhood, and faith is the strongest, and indeed, I am the close friend (khalil) of Allah Almighty."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to the people, at that time there was a black turban on his head.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Wathilah bin Asqa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) came to us and said: Do you think that I will be the last among you to pass away? Beware! I am among the first of you who will pass away, and after me, you will die group after group, and some of you will destroy others.