This was a brief discussion, which described to us the morals, manners and
capacities of Caliph and we will be content on this occasion only to mention
some of them, though it will not make us access the depth of matter, but it is
sufficient to inform us about the value and estimation of Caliph.
It is a criterion through which, his enemies who exaggerate with regard to
him, or one, who speaks moderately about him, is from those, who have
committed injustice to him.
Though exaggeration in his praise is separate from exaggeration about him,
we will enumerate the merits of Abu Bakr, which Ahle Sunnat have fabricated
and regarding which there is exaggeration and which does not remain concealed
on anyone.
After that we will hint at other instances, which have come for others than
him, so that one, who exaggerates in excellence, is identified.
Seeking mediation from the beard of Abu Bakr
Yafai in Rauzul Riyaheen,1 has narrated from Abu Bakr:
One day, we were in the Masjid, when a blind man entered and greeted. We replied to him and made him sit before the Prophet. That man said: “Who would fulfill my need for the sake of love of Prophet?”
Abu Bakr replied: “What do you want?”
He said: “I have a family, but I cannot provide for their maintenance and I want someone to help me financially.”
Abu Bakr arose and said: “I give you something for the love of Prophet, which would sustain you all for life.”
Then he asked: “Do you have another wish?”
He replied: “Yes, I have a daughter, and I want someone to marry her during my lifetime for the sake of Prophet.”
Abu Bakr said: “I marry your daughter in your lifetime for the sake of Prophet.
“Do you have another wish?”
He replied: “Yes, I want to place my hand at the beard of Abu Bakr Siddiq for the sake of Prophet.”
Abu Bakr rose up and placed his hand at his beard and said: “For the sake of Prophet hold my beard.”
The blind man held the beard of Abu Bakr and said: “O Allah, I beseech
You for the sake of the beard of Abu Bakr, please restore my sight.”
At that moment Almighty Allah restored his sight. Jibraeel descended on the
Prophet and said: “O Muhammad, Allah sends you His greetings and says: ‘By
My might and majesty, if every blind man adjures Me by the grey bread of Abu
Bakr, I will restore his sight, and will not leave any blind on the earth.’ All this is
due to his auspiciousness and loftiness of your rank with your Lord.”
Allamah Amini says: Indeed, the eyes are not blind, on the contrary their
hearts are blind in their chests. In fact the heart of this man became blind before
his eyes and he did not understand that adjuring through beard of Messenger of
Allah (s.a.w.a.) is worthier than swearing through the beard of Abu Bakr and this
beard is from the aspect of sanctity and nobility and proximity to Allah, the
Mighty and the High and His Eminence (s.a.w.a.) is more senior in age than Abu
Bakr and has more grey beard.
If this man wanted to adjure Allah through it He may fulfill his wish, how
other eyes were incapable of seeing this beard? And perhaps in the beard of Abu
Bakr he was in pursuit of an aim, which we don’t know about.
If it is as such, why Ahle Sunnat are unaware of this excellence of Abu
Bakr? How unaware they are about revelation about it that they should adjure
Almighty Allah through it so that their blindness is cured.
Why Hafiz scholars and other tradition scholars delayed propagation of this
tradition till the time of Yafai in the 8th century A.H.? Whether they were miserly
on blind persons of community from fulfillment of such a great wish or a false
revelation had descended on that: “By My might and majesty, if every blind man
adjures Me by…”
Or found the issuance of this tradition after their times, that is why they did
not narrate it. Or they saw excess exaggeration in this report due to precedence of
the beard of Abu Bakr over that of the Prophet; that is why they refrained from
narrating it? Or because they saw in it, ridicule of Almighty Allah and Prophet
and they closed their eyes from it?