I heard the people saying something so I decided that I should talk to you. They are saying that you are not going to appoint a successor. He lowered his head for a while, then he looked up and said: Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will protect His religion. If I do not appoint a successor, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not appoint a successor either; if I do appoint a successor, Abu Bakr appointed a successor. By Allah, once he mentioned the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Abu Bakr, I realized that he was not going to regard anyone else as equal to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and that he was not going to appoint a successor.  

أَنْ أَقُولَهَا لَكَ زَعَمُوا أَنَّكَ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ فَوَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللهَ ﷻ يَحْفَظُ دِينَهُ وَإِنِّي إِنْ لَا أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ وَإِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ قَالَ فَوَاللهِ مَا هُوَ إِلَّا أَنْ ذَكَرَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَعْدِلُ  

"عَنِ ابنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لعُمَرَ: سَمِعْتُ النَّاس يَقُولُونَ مَقَالَةً: زَعَمُوا أَنَّكَ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللهَ - ﷻ - يَحْفَظُ دِينَهُ، وَإِنِّى لَا أَسْتَخْلِفُ؛ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ، وَإِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ، قَالَ: فَوَاللهِ مَا هُوَ إلَّا ذَكَرَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُعْدَلَ برَسولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَحَدٌ، وَأَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ".