Ibne Saad5 and Bazzaz have narrated through good chains of narrators from
Anas that most aged companions of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) were Abu
Bakr Siddiq and Suhail Ibne Amr bin Baida.
Allamah Amini says: We believe that exaggeration is possible in morals
and manners and capacities, which cannot be perceived apparently; like
knowledge and piety – but no logic is allowed in visible issue, because in these
issues, the falsehood of the exaggerator becomes instantly clear and the
exaggerator is immediately exposed
But we find statements that some say with confidence and daring that Abu
Bakr was the elder most companion of Prophet, whereas in books written about
companions, we find a long list of people, whose age was much more than that of
Abu Bakr; some of them being:
1. Imad bin Abad Hadhrami – he had met Hashim bin Abde Manaf and Umayyah bin Abde Shams and it is said that he was 300 years during the reign of Muawiyah.1
2. Hassan bin Thabit Ansari; he lived for sixty years during period of
Ignorance (Jahiliyya) and sixty years during the period of Islam.2
3. Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib, uncle of the Prophet; he was born two or four
years before the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).3
4. Salman Abu Abdullah Farsi; he passed away in 32 or 33 or 36 A.H. Abu
Shaykh has narrated from Abbas bin Yazid: Scholars say that: Salman lived
to an age of 350 years and they are sure that he lived for at least 250 years.4
5. Abu Sufyan Qarshi Amawi; he was older to Abu Bakr by 12 years and some
months.5
6. Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, uncle of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.); he was born
two or three years before the Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
7. Naufal bin Harth bin Abdul Muttalib Hashmi, cousin of Prophet; he was the
most aged of those, who embraced Islam from Bani Hashim clan. He was
also elder to his uncles: Hamza and Abbas.6
And before all these comes Abu Qahafa, father of the Caliph, who was
definitely senior in age to Abu Bakr, although if miracles do not make him
younger to his son, just as they made Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) younger to Abu
Bakr and made him an recognized youth as compared to Abu Bakr and Abu Bakr
was shown to be aged than him!
Refer to the following books for accounts of these persons and others:
Al-Marif, Ibne Qutaibah; Mojamush Shoara, Marzabani; Al-Istiab, Abu
Umar; Usudul Ghaba, Ibne Athir; Tarikh Ibne Kathir; Al-Isabah, Ibne Hajar;
Miratul Jinaan, Yafai and Shazaratuz Zahab, Ibne Imad Hanbali.
These are groups of companions in the early period of Islam, more aged than
Abu Bakr and we have found their names.
Supposing we overlook these, can we not ask Ahle Sunnat what excellence
seniority in age has? Were there not among nations and groups of people
individuals, who lived for long and reached an old age? And among them were
those bestowed with merits. If one of them were deserving of praise, it was due to
his good manners and morals and not due to seniority in age.
Even though the age of the Caliph be long, a major part of that was spent in
disbelief; because the Prophet announced his prophethood when the Caliph was
thirty-eight years old, and we said that His Eminence (s.a.w.a.) prayed for seven
years and no one, other than Ali (a.s.) prayed with him; thus when Abu Bakr embraced Islam, he was aged forty-five; and he died at sixty-three. That is why
he spent eighteen years in Islam and it was during this period that there was
possibility for him to be imbued with some excellence, but whether he was
imbued or not?
Finally, I think that Ahle Sunnat do not have any aim worthy of attention in
seniority in age and according importance to it, except to make something as
foundation of righteous Caliphate; among them being: Abu Bakr had precedence
over Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) because he was senior in age and the years had
made him steadfast and he had not killed anyone that he should be a target of
enmities.
It was on this basis sometimes they have posed him as elder to Prophet,
whose authenticity you are aware of; and sometimes he is considered a well
known old man and the Prophet an unknown youth, and we have informed you
about this matter well. Sometimes they have regarded him as the oldest among
companions, so that this contradiction – that being eldest among companions that
being older than Imam Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and among them were chiefs of
tribes and elders of community, [thus why only Abu Bakr got precedence] –
invalidates the argument completely.
But they did not know that in future the reality would be exposed and
researchers would come to know about persons, who were more senior in age
than the Caliph, having more knowledge, who were more steadfast, more noble
and they had embraced Islam earlier.