“If you do not help him, Allah has already helped him when those who disbelieved drove him out.”
The attribution of the expulsion to them is an attribution to a remote cause, for Allah—the Exalted—granted him (peace and blessings be upon him) permission to depart when what had occurred from them transpired; thus, he (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) departed by his own volition.
(Being the second of two): A circumstantial qualifier (hal) referring to the pronoun of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), meaning: one of two, without implying that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the second in status. For the meaning of their expressions like “the third of three” and “the fourth of four” and the like, is one of these numbers absolutely, not specifically the third or the fourth. This is why the majority forbade the accusative case (nasb) for what follows, such as saying “the third of three” or “the fourth of four.” Therefore, there is no need to resort to the forced interpretation that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the second of the two, as some have done. It is also read as thāni with a silent ya’, following the dialect of those who treat the defective noun like the abbreviated (maqsur) noun in declension, which is not a linguistic necessity, contrary to what some claimed—asserting that it is one of the most beautiful instances of poetic necessity.
The conditional sentence has been challenged on the grounds that the consequent (jawab) is in the past tense, whereas it is required to be in the future, so that if it were in the past, it would be converted to the future; yet here, it has not been converted. The answer provided is that the consequent is omitted, and its cause has been established in its place, and that cause is future. It means: If you do not help him, then Allah—the Exalted—will help him, He who has already helped him at a time of necessity more severe than this occasion. This is what the speech of Mujahid points toward.
It is also permissible that the intended meaning is: If you do not help him, He has already decreed victory for him when He helped him at such a time, so He will not forsake him on other occasions. There is a difference between the two interpretations—despite both agreeing that the consequent is omitted—in that the evidence for the first is the victory constrained to the time of weakness and paucity in the past, whereas the evidence for the second is their knowledge that he (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) is among the aided. Al-Qutb said: The two interpretations are close, except that the first is based on analogy and the second on presumption (istishab), for victory was fixed in that condition, so it remains fixed in the future, since the principle is the continuation of what was as it was. It is also said that, according to the first interpretation, the consequent is estimated, while according to the second, it is a continuous victory, so it is correct to predicate it upon the future because it encompasses it.
(When they were in the cave): A substitution (badl) for “when they drove him out,” specifically a substitution of a part for the whole, for it refers to an extended time, so there is no illusion of disparity that would prevent the substitution. It is also said that it is a prepositional phrase for “the second of two.” The cave is a hole at the top of Thawr, a mountain on the right side of Mecca, at a journey’s distance of an hour. They stayed in it—as it is reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them)—for three days. Amer bin Fuhayrah and Ali (may the face of Allah be honored) would bring them food, and the latter prepared them for the journey by buying three camels from the livestock of Bahrain and hiring a guide for them. When they were in part of the third night, Ali (may the face of Allah be honored) came to them with the camels and the guide, so they mounted and headed toward Medina. Because he (peace and blessings be upon him) hid in the cave for three, Imam Ahmad hid during the time of the Quranic trial, but not in a cave. This humble servant also hid during the time of the conquest of Baghdad, after the siege in the year 1247, fearing the masses and some of the elite due to matters attributed to me—which some hypocrites fabricated—in a cellar belonging to some loved ones, for three days as well for that reason. Then, the Mighty One brought me out of it, and Allah—the Exalted—supported me after that with the blessed ones.
(When he said to his companion): This is a second substitution, or it is said the first. The companion is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him).
Ad-Daraqutni, Ibn Shahin, Ibn Mardawayh, and others reported from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): “You are my companion in the cave and you are with me at the Pool (al-Hawd).” Ibn Asakir reported the same from the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) and Abu Hurayrah. He and Ibn Adi also reported through the chain of Az-Zuhri from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Hassan: “Have you said anything about Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Say it, and I will listen.” So Hassan (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
And the second of two in the honored cave,
While the enemy circled it as they ascended the mountain.
And they knew that the beloved of the Messenger of Allah
Was not considered by the creatures as equal to any man.
The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) laughed until his molars appeared, then said: “You have spoken truly, O Hassan, he is as you said.” No one has disputed this, not even the Shia, as far as I know, though they say what they say [in response], and it is refuted, if Allah the Exalted wills.
(Do not grieve, Allah is with us): With preservation and assistance; it is a specific companionship, otherwise, He—the Exalted—is with every one of His creation. The two Shaykhs and others reported from Anas, who said: Abu Bakr told me: “I was with the Prophet (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) in the cave, and I saw the tracks of the polytheists, so I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if one of them were to lift his foot, he would see us beneath his foot.’ He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘O Abu Bakr, what is your thought regarding two, of whom Allah—the Exalted—is the third?’” Al-Bayhaqi and others reported that when they entered the cave, Allah—the Exalted—commanded a spider to weave over the entrance of the cave, and He sent two wild pigeons that laid eggs in it. The youths of Quraysh came, a man from every clan with their staffs and swords, until they were about forty cubits away. Some of them rushed forward to look into the cave to see if anyone was there, but he saw the two pigeons and returned to his companions, saying: “There is no one in the cave; if someone had entered it, these two pigeons would not have remained.” It came in a narration that one of them said: “There is a spider web on it from before the birth of Muhammad (may the blessings of Allah be upon him),” so they departed. The first to enter the cave was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), as Ibn Mardawayh reported from Jundub bin Sufyan, who said: When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) set out with the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) to the cave, Abu Bakr said: “Do not enter, O Messenger of Allah, until I inspect it.” So he entered the cave, and something struck his hand, and he began to wipe the blood from his finger, saying: “You are but a finger that has bled, and in the path of Allah is what I have encountered.”
Al-Bayhaqi reported in al-Dala’il and Ibn Asakir that when the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) went out as a migrant, Abu Bakr followed him, walking sometimes in front of him, sometimes behind him, sometimes to his right, and sometimes to his left. The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) asked him: “What is this, O Abu Bakr?” He said: “O Messenger of Allah, I recall the ambush, so I am in front of you; I recall the pursuit, so I am behind you; and sometimes to your right and sometimes to your left, I do not feel secure for you.” The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) walked that night on the tips of his toes until his feet were worn. When Abu Bakr saw that, he carried him on his shoulders and began to run with him until he reached the mouth of the cave, then set him down and said: “By the One who sent you with the truth, do not enter until I enter; if there is anything in it, it will befall me before you.” He entered and saw nothing, so he carried him and brought him in. There was a hole in the cave containing snakes and vipers, and Abu Bakr feared that something would come out of them to harm the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), so he plugged it with his foot, and they began to strike and bite him. His tears flowed, but he did not lift his foot out of love for the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him). In another narration, he plugged every hole in the cave with his garment, which he cut into pieces for that purpose, and one hole remained which he blocked with his heel (may Allah be pleased with him).
(Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him): Which is the serenity by which hearts become calm. (Upon him): That is, upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh, al-Bayhaqi in al-Dala’il, and Ibn Asakir in his History reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) that the pronoun refers to the companion. Al-Khatib reported similar in his History from Habib bin Abi Thabit. It is said that this is more apparent, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not agitated such that he needed to be calmed, and this is not contradicted by the pronoun being specific to him.
And supported him with soldiers you did not see: The pronoun refers to him (peace and blessings be upon him), for it is conjoined to “Allah helped him,” not to “sent down,” so that the pronouns do not become disconnected. Moreover, if the conjunction were to “sent down,” as has been claimed, it is permissible for the pronoun to refer to the companion as well, as indicated by what Ibn Mardawayh reported from the hadith of Anas that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): “O Abu Bakr, Allah—the Exalted—sent down His tranquility upon you and supported you,” etc. And you have refused; so what harm is there in the disconnection if the matter is manifest? Some have supported the first [interpretation], claiming it is the one appropriate for the context, and that the descent of tranquility does not necessarily have to be for the removal of agitation; rather, it may be for his elevation and aid (may the blessings of Allah be upon him). The fa’ (in fa’anzala) is for mnemonic succession, but there is remoteness in that. Some have interpreted it based on that possibility with something in which no impurity of fear hovers at all. The soldiers refer to the angels who descended on the day of Badr, al-Ahzab, and Hunayn. It is also said: They are angels whom Allah—the Blessed and Exalted—sent down to guard him in the cave. This is supported by what Abu Nu’aym reported from Asma bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) that Abu Bakr saw a man facing the cave and said: “O Messenger of Allah, he sees us.” He said: “No, the angels are shielding us now with their wings.” The man did not hesitate until he sat to urinate facing them, so the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “O Abu Bakr, if he saw us, he would not have done this.” The apparent meaning is that they were in the cave in such a way that they could normally be seen by someone outside the cave. This view was challenged by saying that the description of the soldiers as not being seen by those addressed contradicts it, unless it is said that the intention of this description is merely to magnify the matter of the soldiers. He who made the conjunction to “sent down” committed to the aforementioned view, as the manifest state of the fa’ requires that this descent be succeeding what preceded it, and that is something that cannot be attained according to the first view regarding the soldiers.
(And He made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest): That is, their word upon which they gathered regarding the matter of the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) in the Dar al-Nadwa, where his Lord—Glory be to Him—saved him despite their noses, and preserved him from their plot, even though they left nothing undone in delivering evil to him. They set a bounty for whoever would kill or capture him (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), and they went out in pursuit of him (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) on foot and mounted, but they returned empty-handed and blackened of face.
(And the word of Allah is the highest): It is possible that it refers to His promise—Glory be to Him—to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), pointed to by His saying: “And when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [but they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners].” Or it is the word of monotheism, as Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said, or the call of Islam, as it has been said. It is not hidden what is in the change of style of exaggeration, for the nominal sentence indicates permanence and stability, with the signaling that the act of making did not reach that word, and that it is in itself high, unlike the height of others, for it is not intrinsic, but rather made and forced, so it is a vanishing accident and a non-persistent matter. That is why the separator pronoun was inserted. Ya’qub read kalimatallahi in the accusative, conjoined to kalimata alladhina, which is below the nominative in eloquence, and the speech is not about it as it is about A’taqa Zaydun ghulama Zayd, as is not hidden.
(And Allah is Exalted): Inexorable in His affair. (Wise): There is no shortcoming in His management.
This verse has been used as evidence for the merit of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and it is, by my life, something that leaves the Rafidi in a lizard’s burrow or in desolate wastelands, for it came out in the form of a reproach to the believers, excluding Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Ibn Asakir reported from Sufyan bin Uyaynah, who said: Allah—the Exalted—reproached all the Muslims regarding His Prophet (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) except for Abu Bakr alone, for he exited the reproach, then he read: “If you do not help him…” to the end of the verse. Nay, al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi reported from al-Hasan, who said: Allah—the Exalted—reproached all the people of the earth except Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and said: “If you do not help him…” etc.
In it is the proof of his companionship (may Allah be pleased with him) to the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), and this has not been established for any of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) other than him. That he is the intended one by “companion” is something upon which there is consensus, just as the intended one by the “servant” in His saying: “Exalted is He who took His Servant by night…” is the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him). From here, they said: Denying his companionship is disbelief, along with what it contains of consoling the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with His saying: “Do not grieve,” and justifying that with the specific companionship of Allah—the Exalted—conveyed by His saying: “Indeed, Allah is with us.” Nothing like that has been established for anyone else; indeed, no prophet has had the companionship of Allah—the Exalted—established for him and another of his companions. It is as if in that there is a sign that there is no one among them like Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). In the descent of tranquility upon him—based on the return of the pronoun to him—there is what signifies tranquility in the fact that he is indeed he (may Allah be pleased with him), and may his haters be cursed. Similarly, its descent upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—even though the agitated one was his companion—is something that guides the fair-minded person that they are like a single person. More apparent than that is the indication of what was mentioned that the grief was for the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), and this is testified to by what passed in the hadith of the two Shaykhs.
The Rawafid denied the indication of the verse for any merit regarding the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). They said: If the indicator of merit is “the second of two,” it contains no more than Abu Bakr being a completion of the number. If it is “when they were in the cave,” it does not indicate more than two persons meeting in a place, and often the righteous and the wicked meet in it. If it is “his companion,” companionship occurs between the believer and the disbeliever, as in His saying: “His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, ‘Have you disbelieved in He who created you?’” and His saying: “Your companion is not mad,” and “O my two companions of the prison.” Indeed, it may be between one who reasons and one who does not, as in the saying: “The donkey with the donkeys is a mount, and when you are alone with it, it is a miserable companion.” If it is “Do not grieve,” it is said: It is either obedience or disobedience. It is not permissible for it to be obedience, otherwise he (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have forbidden it, so it must be disobedience due to the prohibition, and that proves the opposite of your intended meaning, besides it containing of the indication of cowardice what it contains. If it is “Allah is with us,” it is possible that the intention is to prove the specific companionship of Allah—the Exalted—for him (peace and blessings be upon him) alone, but he brought the “us” to block the door of alienation (ihash), and a parallel to that is the bringing of the plural in His saying: “And indeed, we or you are upon guidance or in clear error.” If it is “Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon him,” the pronoun in it is for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lest a disconnection of pronouns occur. In that case, his (peace and blessings be upon him) being singled out with tranquility here—while there is no singling out in His saying: “Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers”—is a sign of the opposite of what you claimed. If it is what the verse indicates of his going out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at that time, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not take him out with him except out of caution of his plotting if he remained with the polytheists in Mecca. The fact that the one who prepared them by buying the camels was Ali (may the face of Allah be honored) is a sign of that. If there is anything beyond that, then state it so that we may discuss it. Their words ended.
By my life, it is more similar to the ravings of the feverish or the drunken debauchery. If it were not that Allah—the Exalted—narrated in His glorious Book about their brethren, the Jews and the Christians, what is similar to that, and refuted it out of mercy to the weak believers, we would not have opened a door to refuting it, nor would we have run a pen in the field of its falsification. However, for that reason I say: It is not hidden that “the second of two” and likewise “when they were in the cave” indicate, with the aid of the context, the merit of the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). We do not claim they indicate it absolutely, but the aid of the context is clearer than fire upon a banner. Two rams would not butt heads over the fact that a man does not become a second by his own choice to another, nor with him in a place when he flees from an enemy, unless he were relied upon and verified in his truthfulness, especially when the other had left for his sake a land in which his midwives had settled and his amulets had been removed, and parted with his loved ones, and shunned his peers, and mounted the back of a vast desert in which the qata (sand grouse) goes astray and steps fall short. Among what indicates the merit of that duality is his saying (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), calming the panic of Abu Bakr: “What is your thought regarding two, of whom Allah—the Exalted—is the third?”
The linguistic companionship, even if it does not indicate the claim by itself, indicates it with the aid of the context as well, for the addition of sahib (companion) to the pronoun is for reference; that is, his companion who was with him at a time when the intimate friend shuns his friend, and his comrade who parted with his family and tribe for his sake. And that “do not grieve” is not intended as a true prohibition of grief, for it is one of the things that does not fall under accountability, but the intention is consolation for the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) or the like. What they mentioned of the disjunctive reasoning occurs similarly in His saying, addressing Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them): “Do not fear; indeed, I am with you both.” Likewise in His saying to the Prophet (may the blessings of Allah be upon him): “And let not their speech grieve you; indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely,” and so on. Do you think that Allah—the Exalted—forbade His own obedience, or that any of those infallible ones (peace be upon them) committed a sin? Glory to You! This is a great slander. It does not contradict that grief is from the things that do not fall under accountability—when looking at it in itself—that it may be a subject of praise or blame, such as grief over the loss of an act of obedience, for it is praiseworthy, and grief over the loss of a sin, for it is blameworthy, because that is from another perspective, as is not hidden.
What was mentioned in the margin that it contains an indication of cowardice contains of committing falsehood what it contains, for we do not admit that fear indicates cowardice; otherwise, the cowardice of Moses and his brother (peace be upon them) would be necessary, so what is your thought about grief? The grief of the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was not greater than the hiding in the cave, and no Muslim thinks that it was out of cowardice, or that the most courageous of creation absolutely (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) would be described as cowardly. Whoever is fair sees that his (peace and blessings be upon him) consolation of Abu Bakr by saying: “Do not grieve,” as his Lord—the Exalted—consoled him by saying: “Let not their speech grieve you,” points to the fact that the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was to him (peace and blessings be upon him) in the same status as he was to his Lord—Glory be to Him. He is the beloved of the beloved of Allah—the Exalted. Indeed, if the look were cut off from the occurrence of such consolation from Allah—the Exalted—to His noble Prophet (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), the address itself with “do not grieve” would be sufficient in indicating that he (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) was the beloved of the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), otherwise, how would the conversation of the beloveds be? This is apparent, except to the enemies.
What was mentioned that the specific companionship was for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) alone, and the bringing of “us” was to block the door of alienation, is a matter of pure obstinacy, as indicated by the report mentioned a moment ago. Besides, if that grief was out of compassion for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and no other, then what alienation is in his saying “Do not grieve, indeed Allah is with me,” not with you? And if it were out of compassion for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and for his own self (may Allah be pleased with him), the justification did not fall into its place, and the sentence was driven for it. Even if we admitted alienation in the first and the occurrence of the justification in its place in the second, that grief would be a clear proof of the praise of the Siddiq. And if it were for himself only, as the foul-spirited person claims, the justification would have no meaning at all. What meaning is there in “Do not grieve for yourself, indeed Allah is with me, not with you”? Furthermore, it is said to the Rafidi: Did the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) understand from the verse what you understood of the restriction, and that the expression with “us” was to block the door of alienation, or not? If it is the first, alienation occurs, and it is inevitable, so we would have fallen into what we fled from. If it is the second, then you have claimed for yourself a rank you would not have attained even if your soul perished. If you claimed equality in understanding the expressions of the glorious Quran and its signs with those masters of the Arabs, the witnesses of the revelation, it would not have been surrendered to you, or you would die. So how can the distinction over the Siddiq be surrendered to you, while he is he? He understood from his (peace and blessings be upon him) sign in the hadith of the choice what was hidden from the rest of the companions, even Ali (may the face of Allah be honored), so they were surprised by his (may Allah be pleased with him) weeping that day.
What was mentioned of the analogizing in the verse points to the dissimulation (taqiyyah) that the Rafida adopted as a religion and distorted the word from its places for it. We have already given you the speech regarding that in the most perfect way, so remember it. What was mentioned in the matter of tranquility, its answer is known from what we have mentioned. That the restriction points to excluding the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) from the group of believers, as the dog—the enemy of Allah and His Messenger (may the blessings of Allah be upon him)—indicated, would have been hidden from those witnesses of the revelation, among whom was the Commander (may the face of Allah be honored). So how did they empower him with the Caliphate, which is the sister of Prophethood according to the Shia, while they are those who do not fear in Allah—the Exalted—the blame of any blamer? That the companions had agreed in that upon misguidance, and the Commander was oppressed among them or ordered to remain silent and sheath the sword at that time, as the opponent claimed, has folded the carpet of its refutation and turned into shrapnel, so there is no need to tire the pen in blackening the face of its claimant.
What was mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not take him out except out of caution of his plotting, in it is that the verse contains not a grain of indication of his taking him out at all, let alone that being out of caution of plotting. Moreover, if the caution were in his companionship with him (peace and blessings be upon him), what opportunity would be like the opportunity that occurred when the pursuit came to the mouth of the cave? If Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)—and far be it from him—had the slightest what is said, he would have said: “Come, the goal is here.” It is not said that he feared for his own self as well, because he could have saved it from them with matters, and the least would be to say to them: “I went out for this plot.” Also, if the Siddiq were as the heretic claims, what stopped him from saying to his son Abd al-Rahman, or his daughter Asma, or his freedman Amer bin Fuhayrah—for they were visiting him in the cave, as Ibn Mardawayh reported from Aisha—and inform one of them the polytheists of the location of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Moreover, according to this claim, the hadith of the enabling comes, and it is the strongest witness that he is he. Also, when the door of this raving opens, it is possible for the Nasibi to say—and Allah’s refuge is sought—regarding Ali (may the face of Allah be honored): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order him to stay in his noble bed on the night he migrated except for the polytheists to kill him, thinking he was the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he would be rid of him. This saying is not more strange or more invalid than the saying of the Shia: The taking out of the Siddiq was only out of caution of his evil. So let him fear Allah—the Exalted—who opened this door which is detestable to those of intellect.
The claim that the preparation of the Commander (may the face of Allah be honored) for them by buying the camels is a sign of that does not point in any way, besides that even though we mentioned it before, it only came in some narrations from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them), and what is relied upon by the hadith scholars is other than that. There is no harm in presenting it as a completion of the benefit and an illumination of the merit of the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). We say: Abd al-Razzaq, Ahmad, Abd bin Humayd, al-Bukhari, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim reported through the chain of al-Zuhri from Urwah from Aisha, who said: “I never knew my parents at all except they followed the religion, and not a day passed by us except that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) would come to us in the two parts of the day, morning and evening. When the Muslims were tested, Abu Bakr went out as a migrant toward the land of Abyssinia until he reached Bark al-Ghimad, he met Ibn al-Dughunnah, who was the master of al-Qarah, and he said: ‘Where do you want to go, O Abu Bakr?’ Abu Bakr said: ‘My people drove me out, and I want to travel in the land and worship my Lord.’ Ibn al-Dughunnah said: ‘The likes of you, O Abu Bakr, does not go out and is not driven out, for you earn the destitute, uphold family ties, carry the burden, host the guest, and help in the calamities of truth, so I am your neighbor, so return and worship your Lord in your town.’ Ibn al-Dughunnah departed, so he returned with Abu Bakr. Ibn al-Dughunnah went around among the disbelievers of Quraysh and said: ‘Indeed, Abu Bakr, the likes of him does not go out and is not driven out. Do you drive out a man who earns the destitute, upholds family ties, carries the burden, hosts the guest, and helps in the calamities of truth?’ So Quraysh enforced the protection of Ibn al-Dughunnah and secured Abu Bakr, and they said to Ibn al-Dughunnah: ‘Order Abu Bakr to worship his Lord in his house and pray therein whatever he wishes and read whatever he wishes, and not to harm us, nor manifest prayer and reading outside his house.’ He did so. Then it occurred to Abu Bakr, so he built a mosque in the courtyard of his house, and he would pray in it and read, so the women of the polytheists and their children would gather around him, marveling at him and looking at him. He was a man of much weeping and could not control his tears when he read the Quran, and that frightened the notables of Quraysh, so they sent to Ibn al-Dughunnah, and he came to them and they said: ‘We only granted protection to Abu Bakr that he worships his Lord in his house, and he exceeded that, so he built a mosque in the courtyard of his house and manifested prayer and reading, and we feared that our women and children would be tempted. If he likes to restrict himself to worshiping his Lord in his house, he may do so, and if he refuses except to manifest that, then ask him to return your protection to you, for we hated to betray you, and we are not admitting the manifestation for Abu Bakr.’ Ibn al-Dughunnah came to Abu Bakr and said: ‘O Abu Bakr, you know what I have contracted for you, so either restrict yourself to that, or return my protection to me, for I do not like that the Arabs hear that I was betrayed in a contract of a man I contracted for.’ Abu Bakr said: ‘I return your protection to you and am satisfied with the protection of Allah—the Exalted—and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).’” The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) was in Mecca that day, and he said to the Muslims: “I have been shown the land of your migration; I have been shown a salt-marsh with palm trees between two lava tracts, and those two are rocky terrains.” So those who migrated from the Muslims before Medina migrated to the land of Abyssinia. Abu Bakr prepared to migrate, and the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Stay your speed, for I hope that I will be granted permission.” Abu Bakr said: “And you hope for that, may my father be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Yes.” So Abu Bakr kept himself for the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) for his companionship and fed two riding-camels he had with the leaves of the samur tree for four months. While we were sitting in our house in the heat of noon, someone said to Abu Bakr: “This is the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him), approaching at an hour he did not use to come to us.” Abu Bakr said: “My father and mother be his ransom, he did not come in this hour except for a matter.” So the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) came, and he asked permission from what was with you, and Abu Bakr said: “These are your family, may my father be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I have been granted permission to leave.” Abu Bakr said: “Then the companionship, may my father be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Yes.” Abu Bakr said: “Then take, may my father be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah, one of these two riding-camels.” The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “By the price.” Aisha said: “So we prepared them with the fastest preparation, and we made them a meal in a leather bag, and Asma bint Abu Bakr cut from her belt and tied the bag with it, so for that, she was called Dhat al-Nitaqayn (the one with the two belts).” The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr reached a cave on a mountain called Thawr, and they stayed in it for three nights. Abdullah bin Abu Bakr would spend the night with them, and he was a young, sharp, and quick-witted boy, so he would leave them before dawn and be with Quraysh in Mecca in the morning as if he had spent the night there; he would hear no matter they plotted against them except he memorized it until he brought them news of that until darkness fell. Amer bin Fuhayrah, the freedman of Abu Bakr, would tend to them a milch-sheep, and he would bring it to them when he went in the dark of night for an hour of the night, so they would spend the night in its milk until Amer would call it in the darkness of the morning. He did that every night of those three nights. The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) hired a man from the Du’il from the Bani Abd bin Adi, a guide who was an expert tracker, who had dipped his right hand of alliance in the house of al-As bin Wa’il, and he was on the religion of the polytheists of Quraysh, so they trusted him and handed their riding-camels to him, and they promised him the cave of Thawr after three nights. He came to them with their riding-camels on the morning of three nights, and he took them on the path of Adhakhar, which is the path of the coast... the hadith at length. In it is the indication of the merit of the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) what is in it, and it is a text that their preparation was in the house of Abu Bakr and that the two riding-camels were his, and he mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings of Allah be upon him) did not accept one of them except by price, refuting the Rafidi the claim of the accusation of the Siddiqah—and far be she from it—in the hadith.
This, and whoever has encompassed knowledge of the parts of what we mentioned of the speech in this context knows that his saying: “If there is anything beyond that, then state it so that we may discuss it” arises from pure ignorance or obstinacy. “And whoever Allah leaves astray, he has no guide.” In summary, the Shia have gathered their word on the disbelief in the indication of the verse for the merit of the Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and Allah—the Exalted—refuses except that the word of those who disbelieved be the lowest, and His Word is the highest.
