Shaykh Mufid's meeting with Umar Al Khattab with regards to Abubakr in the cave with Rasulallah (pbuh)

Al-Karajaki has reported that once Sheikh Mufid saw a dream, and then dictated it to his companions and disciples. He said: I dreamt that as I was passing through a street, I saw a large crowd gathered around someone.
On enquiry, I was told that they had surrounded Umar b. al-Khattab, the second Caliph. I pushed myself forward, and when I came near him, I said: "O Sheikh, do you allow me to ask a question?" He said: "Ask."
So I said: "Would you explain me how is the excellence of your friend Abu Bakr established by the Ayah in which Allah says: 'the second of the two, when they were in the cave'. Your friends are making too much out of it."

He said: "This Ayah proves Abu Bakr's excellence in six ways:

1. Allah mentions the Prophet (pbuh), and then mentions Abu Bakr with him, as his second of the two;

2. Allah mentions them as being together at one place; which is a sign of mutual affinity;

3. Allah adds further quality of being the Prophet's (pbuh) "SAHIB", the Companion;

4. Allah relates how kind and caring the Prophet (pbuh) was towards Abu Bakr when he told him, "Don't grieve";

5. Where the Prophet (pbuh) assured Abu Bakr that "Allah is with us" meaning that He will help both of them simultaneously;

6. Allah revealed that He will send down AS-SAKINAH (serenity) upon Abu Bakr because as far as the Prophet (pbuh) was concerned, AS SAKINAH never parted from him
These are six proofs of Abu Bakr's excellence from the mentioned Ayah."


Sheikh Mufid says: "I told him that he had indeed made a good effort to make his point, and had left no room for any other person to be a better advocate for his friend. But I was going to demolish the arguments, making it like ashes blown away by the fast wind."


Sheikh said:
1. "When you say that Allah has mentioned the Prophet (pbuh), and then mentioned Abu Bakr as his second, I do not see anything extraordinary in that. For if you ponder over it, you will find that Allah was only revealing the number of persons present in the cave. They were two; there could have been a Mo'min and a Kafir and they would still be two."

2. "And when you talk of they being together at one place, it is again as simple as the first case. If there was one place only, it could have been occupied by a Mo'min and a disbeliever also. The Mosque of the Prophet (pbuh) is definitely a better place than the cave, and yet it was a gathering place for the believers and the hypocrites. The Ark of Prophet Noah carried the Prophet Noah (a.s), together with Satan and the animals. So being together at one place is no virtue."

3. "And when you talk about the added quality of being 'SAHIB', the companion, this indeed is a weaker point than the first two, because a believer and a disbeliever can both be in the company of each other. Allah, Most High, used the word 'SAHIB' in the following Ayah: 'His "SAHIB" (companion) said to him while he was conversing with him: Have you disbelieved in the One Who created you from soil and then from a small quantity of sperm, then fashioned you harmoniously as a man?' (al-KAHF V. 37). Further, we find in Arabic literature that the word "SAHIB" is used for the accompanying donkey, and also for the sword. So, if the term can be used between a Momin and a Kafir, between a man and his animal, and between a living and an inanimate object, then what is so special in it about your friend?"

4. "And the words 'Don't grieve' were not meant for any solace;. Because it was a statement forbidding an act. In Arabic, we have 'donts' and 'dos' as imperative verbs. Now, the grief expressed by Abu Bakr was either an act of obedience or disobedience. If it was obedience, the Prophet (pbuh) would not have forbidden it, therefore it is proved that it was an act of sin and disobedience."

5. "As for the assurance that 'Allah is with us', the pronoun 'us' was used by the Prophet (pbuh) for himself The use of plural pronoun for oneself is a sign of ones elevated status. Allah says: 'Indeed, We are the One who has revealed the Quran, and We will most surely preserve it.' (Al-Hijr V.9). And again: 'We are the One who gives life and ordains death, and We are the inheritor' (al-Hijr V.23). And the Shias have their own version, which does not seem far-fetched. They say that Abu Bakr told the Prophet (pbuh) that his grief was for Ali b. Abi Talib (who was left behind in Makkah), and the Prophet replied: 'Do not grieve, surely, Allah is with us' meaning; with me and my brother, Ali b. Abi Talib (a.s)."

6. "Your claim that AS-SAKINAH (serenity) was sent down to Abu Bakr is indeed outrageous. Because the verse clearly states that the serenity came unto him who was helped with the unseen army.
The Ayah says:
'... Then Allah sent down on him His serenity and strengthened him with unseen forces' (al-Tawbah: 40).
So if AS-SAKINAH had descended upon Abu Bakr, he would have received the support of the unseen army. In fact, it would have been better if you had not attributed this to Abu Bakr. For according to Quran, this serenity was sent down on the Prophet (pbuh) twice:
'Then Allah sent down His serenity upon His messenger and the believers, and sent down forces which you did not see ...'. (al Taubah:V.26).
'Then Allah sent down His serenity upon His Messenger (pbuh) and the believers, and adhered them to the word of piety' (al-Fath: V. 26). In both places, the believers shared the serenity with the Prophet (pbuh), but in this event of the cave, serenity was sent down to the Prophet (pbuh) alone, excluding Abu Bakr. This may be a pointer to the fact that Abu Bakr was not among the believers!"


Sheikh Mufid says that Umar made no reply to my arguments, and as people around him scattered, he woke up from his sleep.