ʿĀʾishah narrates: During Fāṭimah’s lifetime, ʿAlī enjoyed strong regard among the people. After she passed away (six months after the Prophet ﷺ), ʿAlī noticed that people’s attitudes toward him had changed. So he sought to reconcile with Abū Bakr (the Caliph at the time) and to give bayʿah (allegiance) to him, though he had not done so during those preceding months.
ʿAlī sent word to Abū Bakr, saying, “Come to me, but no one else should come with you,” because he disliked that ʿUmar be present.
ʿUmar said, “By Allah, you must not meet him alone.”
Abū Bakr said, “What do you possibly think he would do to me? By Allah, I will go to him.”
So Abū Bakr went to meet him. ʿAlī said, “I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger,” and then continued:
“I certainly recognize your virtue and what Allah has bestowed upon you. I was never jealous of any good that Allah directed your way. However, you proceeded with this matter (the selection of the Caliph) independently, without my consultation, and I believed that, because of my closeness to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I had a share in the decision.”
At this, Abū Bakr’s eyes overflew with tears. Then, when Abū Bakr began to speak, he said:
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, maintaining ties with the relatives of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is more beloved to me than maintaining ties with my own relatives. As for what occurred between you and me regarding the wealth [i.e., referring to a different, earlier dispute between them over some property administered by the Prophet ﷺ], I did not fall short in seeking what is right, nor did I abandon any practice I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ follow—rather, I did the same.”
ʿAlī then said to Abū Bakr, “My bayʿah will be given to you this evening.”
When Abū Bakr prayed the Ẓuhr ṣalāh, he ascended the pulpit, proclaimed the declaration of faith, mentioned ʿAlī’s situation and his delay in giving bayʿah, explained the justification that ʿAlī had presented to him, and then sought forgiveness from Allah.
Then ʿAlī proclaimed the declaration of faith, praised Abū Bakr’s right highly, and explained that what he had done was neither out of envy nor denial of what Allah had preferred Abū Bakr with, but because he believed he had a share in the decision and that Abū Bakr had proceeded without him—which left him unsettled.
After this, all the Muslims were pleased and said, “You have done the right thing.” They then drew close to ʿAlī once he returned to what was recognized as correct.
Ponder This Incident
Hazrat Ali himself clearly affirms Abu Bakr’s virtue, acknowledges that Allah favored him with leadership, and ultimately gives him bayah publicly—without once invoking a divinely mandated right to succession for himself.
If Hazrat Ali believed that leadership after the Prophet ﷺ was established by explicit divine designation, why does he never cite it here—neither Quranic verse, prophetic instruction, nor the event of Ghadir-e-Khumm? Instead, his objection is that the matter proceeded without his consultation, not that a God-given right or concept was violated.
On what basis, then, do later generations claim a divinely ordained succession for Hazrat Ali that he himself neither asserted nor defended?
And if Abu Bakr’s leadership had truly been a case of usurpation, why did it end in reconciliation, public respect, and voluntary allegiance—rather than condemnation, refusal, or an appeal to divine revelation?
This silence is not accidental. If a divinely appointed leadership had been known, accepted, or binding, it would have been clearly stated and used as proof. The fact that it was not points to a disagreement rooted in human circumstances, not the rejection of a God-ordained Imamate.