حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ يَحْيَی بْنِ خَالِدٍ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْنٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِکٌ عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ حُنَيْنٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَلَسَ عَلَی الْمِنْبَرِ فَقَالَ عَبْدٌ خَيَّرَهُ اللَّهُ بَيْنَ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ زَهْرَةَ الدُّنْيَا وَبَيْنَ مَا عِنْدَهُ فَاخْتَارَ مَا عِنْدَهُ فَبَکَی أَبُو بَکْرٍ وَبَکَی فَقَالَ فَدَيْنَاکَ بِآبَائِنَا وَأُمَّهَاتِنَا قَالَ فَکَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هُوَ الْمُخَيَّرُ وَکَانَ أَبُو بَکْرٍ أَعْلَمَنَا بِهِ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ أَمَنَّ النَّاسِ عَلَيَّ فِي مَالِهِ وَصُحْبَتِهِ أَبُو بَکْرٍ وَلَوْ کُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَکْرٍ خَلِيلًا وَلَکِنْ أُخُوَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ لَا تُبْقَيَنَّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ خَوْخَةٌ إِلَّا خَوْخَةَ أَبِي بَکْرٍ
صحیح مسلم · Hadith 6170
Abu Sa'id reported that Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) sat on the pulpit and said: Allah gave a choice to His servant that he may opt the beauties of the world or that which is with Him and the servant chose that which was with Him. Thereupon Abu Bakr wept and he wept bitterly and said: Let our fathers and our mothers be taken as ransom for you. It was Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) who had been given the choice and Abu Bakr knew it better than us, and Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) is reported to have said: Behold, of all people the most generous toward me in regard to his companionship and his property was Abu Bakr and were I to choose anyone as my bosom friend, I would have chosen Abu Bakr as my dear friend, but (for him) I cherish Islamic brotherliness and love. There shall be left open no window in the mosque except Abu Bakr's window.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020