Hazrat Salim (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I asked Hazrat Ibn Hanfiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): Was Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) the very first person among the people to accept Islam? He said: No! I asked: Then why did Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) attain such a high rank and fame, to the extent that no one else is even mentioned besides Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)? So he (may Allah have mercy on him) replied: When he (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam, he was the most virtuous among the people in terms of Islam, until he (may Allah be pleased with him) met Allah.