It is narrated from Sayyiduna Habib bin Habib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he said to Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him): "Have you said anything about Abu Bakr? Recite it so that I may hear it too." He said: I recited: "He was the second of the two in the lofty cave, while the enemy circled around them as he climbed the mountain; he was the beloved of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and all creation knows that he (peace and blessings be upon him) held no one his equal." At that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled.

Al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Who was the first to believe? He said: Have you not heard these words of Hassan bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him): "When you recall the grief of a trustworthy brother, then recall the deeds of your brother Abu Bakr. He was the best of all creation, the most God-fearing and the most just; after the Prophet, he was the most faithful in fulfilling his responsibilities. He was the second in the cave, the one who followed in the Prophet's footsteps, the holder of a praiseworthy station, and the first among people to affirm the messengers."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked me: In how many garments did you shroud the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? I said: In three garments. He said: Then shroud me too in the same number of garments. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that at the time of his death Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: In how many garments did you shroud the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? I said: In three new white garments woven in Yemen, among which there was neither a shirt nor a turban. He said: Wash this garment of mine - which had marks of saffron and red ochre on it - and add it to two new garments. I said: But this is old. He said: A living person has more right to new clothing than the dead; for the dead there is only pus and filth.

It is narrated from Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) that the funeral prayer of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was offered in the mosque, and he was buried at night in the chamber of Aishah beside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) held authority during his caliphate for two years and seven months.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in Makkah in the early period of his mission, when he was living in concealment (from the polytheists). I asked: What are you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am a Prophet." I asked: What is a Prophet? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Messenger of Allah." I asked: Has Allah sent you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes." I asked: With what message has He sent you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That you worship Allah alone, break the idols and maintain the ties of kinship." I said: How excellent is the message you have come with! Who has followed you in this matter? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A slave and a free man," meaning Abu Bakr and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with them both). Amr used to say: I saw myself at the time when I was the fourth person to accept Islam. He says: So I accepted Islam and said: O Messenger of Allah, shall I stay with you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather go back to your people, and when you receive news that I have emigrated (to Madinah), then come to me." This hadith has an authentic chain, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was staying at Ukaz. I said: O Messenger of Allah, who has followed you in this matter? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Two men have followed me in this matter, a free man and a slave: Abu Bakr and Bilal." He says: I accepted Islam right then.

It is narrated from Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he asked Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him): On what basis do you claim that you were the fourth person to accept Islam? Then he narrated the complete hadith.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Abu Bakr was our leader, the best of us, and the most beloved of us to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it.