It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever sees something from his leader that he dislikes, let him be patient, for whoever separates himself from the congregation of the Muslims even a handspan and dies in that state, dies the death of ignorance.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best rulers are those whom you love and they love you, and you pray for mercy for them and they pray for mercy for you. And your worst rulers are those whom you hate and they hate you, and you curse them and they curse you. We said: O Messenger of Allah! Should we not separate ourselves from them in such a situation? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, as long as they establish prayer, you cannot separate from them. Beware! If any man among you is made a leader and ruler over you, and he sees his leader committing an act of disobedience to Allah, then he should reject that act of disobedience to Allah, but he should not withdraw his hand from obedience.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever dies upon anything other than obedience to Allah will die in such a state that he will have no proof in his favor, and whoever dies having withdrawn his hand from allegiance, his death will be a death of misguidance.

Zaid bin Aslam narrates from his father, who said: I went in the company of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to Abdullah bin Muti’. He said: Welcome to Abu Abdur Rahman, place a cushion for him. Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have come to narrate to you a hadith which I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever withdraws his hand from obedience to Allah will come on the Day of Resurrection in such a state that he will have no proof for himself, and whoever dies in a state separated from the congregation of Muslims, he dies the death of ignorance.

It is narrated from Abdur Rahman bin Abd Rabb al-Ka'bah, he says: I presented myself before Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), who was sitting in the shade of the Ka'bah at that time. I heard him saying: Once we were on a journey in the company of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then he narrated a long hadith, an excerpt of which was: Whoever gives allegiance to a ruler and makes a covenant with him and gives him the fruit of his heart, then he should obey him as much as he can. If another man comes and disputes with the first ruler, then strike the neck of the latter. Abdur Rahman says: Upon hearing this, I put my head among the people and said: I ask you by Allah, did you yourself hear this hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He pointed towards his ears with his hands and said: My ears have heard this hadith and my heart has preserved it. Abdur Rahman said: Your cousin, Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), commands us to consume each other's wealth through false and unlawful means and to kill one another, while Allah the Exalted has said: {یَا أَیُّہَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوْا لَا تَأْکُلُوْا أَمْوَالَکُمْ بَیْنَکُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ} ... O you who believe! Do not consume your wealth among yourselves by false means. Upon hearing this, he joined both his hands and placed them on his forehead, then sat for a while with his head bowed, then after some time raised his head and said: If it is a matter of obedience to Allah, then obey them, and if it is a matter of disobedience and sin against Allah, then do not obey them.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhaifah bin Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: After me, follow these two persons: Abu Bakr and Umar.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Juhaifah that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Shall I not tell you who is the most virtuous in this Ummah after the Prophet? He is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Shall I also tell you who is the most virtuous in this Ummah after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)? He is Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out during the days of his final illness with a band tied around his head and appeared on the pulpit. He praised and glorified Allah Almighty and then said: Among my life and wealth, no one has been a greater benefactor to me than Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafa. If I were to take anyone from among the people as my close friend (khalil), I would have taken Abu Bakr as my khalil. However, Islamic brotherhood and relationship is the most virtuous of all. Close every door and path leading to this mosque except the path of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him); let that remain open.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) has also narrated a similar hadith from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jubair bin Mut’im (may Allah be pleased with him) that a woman came to the service of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and spoke to him regarding a certain matter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a ruling in her favor. She said: O Messenger of Allah! If I come and do not find you, then what should I do? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you do not find me, then go to Abu Bakr.