Humility of Abu Bakr as-Sadeeq

On the authority of Rabeeyah al-Asslamee who said: I used to serve the Messenger of Allaah (salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and he gave me some land, and he gave Aboo Bakr land, and when it came to dividing the land, we differed over a cluster of dates from a date palm tree. Aboo Bakr said: this is on my side of the land! And I said: this is on my side! There used to be a problem between me and Aboo Bakr, and Aboo Bakr said a statement to me which I hated but he regretted saying it, so he said to me: ‘O Rabeeyah! Say something similar to me that I said to you, so that it can be requital.’


So I said: ‘I will not say it.’

Aboo Bakr said: ‘You will say it or I will request the Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – to order you to say it.’

So I said: ‘I will not say it.’

Aboo Bakr left that portion of land for me and went off to the Prophet – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – and I followed him. The people from my tribe followed us and said to me: ‘May Allaah have mercy on Aboo Bakr. Why is he going to the Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – about you, and he said what he said about you?’

So I said: ‘Do you know who this is?? This Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq, he is one of the two who were in the cave, he is one who has grown old as a Muslim (one of the elders of the Muslims), beware he does not turn around and see you assisting me against him and becomes angry and meets the Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – will become angry due to him being angry, and then Allaah ‘Azza wa Jal becomes angry due to them being angry, and Rabeeyah will be destroyed.’

They said: ‘What do you order us to do?’

I said: ‘Go back.’

Aboo Bakr – radhiyAllaahu ‘anhu – went off to the Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam –, so I followed him by myself, until he reached the Prophet – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – and he told him the whole story as it was. The Prophet – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – raised his head towards me and said: ‘O Rabeeyah what’s the matter between you and as-Siddeeq?’

I said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – such and such happened, and he said a statement to me which I disliked, then he said to me, say something similar to what I said to you so that I can be requited, but I refused.’

Then the Messenger of Allaah – salAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – said: ‘Yes, do not say a word back to him, but say: ‘May Allaah forgive you O Aboo Bakr. May Allaah forgive you O Aboo Bakr.’

Hasan said: ‘Aboo Bakr turned around and he was crying.’

As-Saheehah, No. 3258