It was said to ʿUmar, "Will you appoint your successor?" ʿUmar said, "If I appoint a Caliph (as my successor) it is true that somebody who was better than I (i.e., Abu Bakr) did so, and if I leave the matter undecided, it is true that somebody who was better than I (i.e., Messenger of Allah ﷺ) did so." On this, the people praised him. ʿUmar said, "People are of two kinds: Either one who is keen to take over the Caliphate or one who is afraid of assuming such a responsibility. I wish I could be free from its responsibility in that I would receive neither reward nor retribution I won't bear the burden of the caliphate in my death as I do in my life." (Using translation from Bukhārī 7218)   

إِنْ أَتْرُكْ فَقَدْ تَرَكَ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَإِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي أَبُو بَكْرٍ ؓ قَالَ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ رَاغِبٌ وَرَاهِبٌ لَا أَتَحَمَّلُهَا حَيًّا وَمَيِّتًا لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي نَجَوْتُ مِنْهَا كَفَافًا لَا لِي وَلَا عَلَيَّ  

I was present with my father when he was wounded. People praised him and said: "May God give you a noble recompense!" He said: "I am hopeful (of God's mercy) as well as afraid (of His wrath)."

People said: "Appoint anyone as your successor." He said: "Should I carry the burden of conducting your affairs in my life as well as in my death? (So far as Caliphate is concerned) I wish I could acquit myself (before the Almighty) in a way that there is neither anything to my credit nor anything to my discredit. If I would appoint my successor, (I would because) one better than me did so. (He meant Abu Bakr.) If I would leave You alone, (I would do so because) one better than me, i. e. the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, did so." 'Abdullah says: When he mentioned the Messenger of Allah ﷺ I understood that he would not appoint anyone as Caliph. (Using translation from Muslim 1823a)   

حَضَرْتُ أَبِي حِينَ أُصِيبَ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا فَقَالَ رَاهِبٌ وَرَاغِبٌ قَالُوا اسْتَخْلِفْ فَقَالَ أَتَحَمَّلُ أَمَرَكُمْ حَيًّا وَمَيِّتًا لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّ حَظِّي مِنْهَا الْكَفَافُ لَا عَلَيَّ وَلَا لِي إِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي وَإِنْ أَتْرُكْكُمْ فَقَدْ تَرَكَكُمْ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ فَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ حِينَ ذَكَرَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ غَيْرَ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ  

I entered the apartment of (my sister) Hafsa. She said: Do yoa know that your father is not going to nominate his successor? I said: He won't do that (i. e. he would nominate). She said: He is going to do that. The narrator said: I took an oath that I will talk to him about the matter. I kept quiet until the next morning, still I did not talk to him, and I felt as if I were carryint, a mountain on my right hand. At last I came to him and entered his apartment. (Seeing me) he began to ask me about the condition of the people, and I informed him (about them). Then I said to him: I heard something from the people and took an oath that I will communicate it to you. They presume that you are not going to nominate a successor. If a grazer of camels and sheep that you had appointed comes back to you leaving the cattle, you will (certainly) think that the cattle are lost. To look after the people is more serious and grave. (The dying Caliph) was moved at my words. He bent his head in a thoughtful mood for some time and raised it to me and said: God will doubtlessly protect His religion. If I do not nominate a successor (I have a precedent before me), for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not nominate his successor. And if I nominate one (I have a precedent), for Abu Bakr did nominate. The narrator (Ibn Umar) said: By God. when he mentioned the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Abu Bakr, I (at once) understood that he would not place anyone at a par with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and would not nominate anyone. (Using translation from Muslim 1823b)   

فِي غَزَاةٍ فَلَمْ أُكَلِّمْهُ فَكُنْتُ فِي سَفَرِي كَأَنَّمَا أَحْمِلُ بِيَمِينِي جَبَلًا حَتَّى قَدِمْتُ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَجَعَلَ يَسْأَلُنِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ مَقَالَةً فَآلَيْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَهَا لَكَ زَعَمُوا أَنَّكَ غَيْرَ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ وَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ لَكَ رَاعِي غَنْمٍ فَجَاءَكَ وَقَدْ تَرَكَ رِعَايَتَهُ رَأَيْتَ أَنْ قَدْ ضَيَّعَ فَرِعَايَةُ النَّاسِ أَشَدُّ قَالَ فَوَافَقَهُ قَوْلِي فَأَطْرَقَ مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللهَ يَحْفَظُ دِينَهُ وَإِنْ لَا أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ وَإِنْ أَسْتَخْلِفْ فَإِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ قَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ قَالَ فَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا أَنْ ذَكَرَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ ؓ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَعْدِلُ بِرَسُولِ الله ﷺ أَحَدًا وَأَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْلِفٍ  

[Machine] Whatever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not designate, I will designate. However, if Allah wants good for the people, He will gather them together for their own good just as He gathered them after their prophet ﷺ for their own good.  

مَا اسْتَخْلَفَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَسْتَخْلِفُ وَلَكِنْ إِنْ يُرِدِ اللهُ بِالنَّاسِ خَيْرًا جَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى خَيْرِهِمْ كَمَا جَمَعَهُمْ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهِمْ ﷺ عَلَى خَيْرِهِمْ  

[Machine] Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz narrated to us towards the end of the tenth part of Al-Fawa'id Al-Kabeer by Abu Abbas. Abu Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, who narrated from Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn Khulayy Al-Himsy, who narrated from Bishr ibn Shuayb ibn Abi Hamzah, who narrated from his father, who narrated from Az-Zuhri, who narrated from Abdullah ibn Ka'ab ibn Malik Al-Ansari. Ka'ab ibn Malik was one of the three of whom they had doubts. Abdullah ibn Ka'ab informed me that Abdullah ibn Abbas informed him that Ali ibn Abi Talib came out from the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was suffering from the illness in which he passed away. The people said: "O Abu Hassan, how is the Messenger of Allah this morning?" He replied: "He is in a state of gratitude to Allah." Then Abbas ibn Abdil Muttalib took Ali's hand and said: "By Allah, you will be the Caliph after three. I swear by Allah, I see that the Messenger of Allah will pass away from this illness. Verily, I recognize the faces of the sons of Abdil Muttalib at the time of death. So let us go to the Messenger of Allah and ask him about this matter. If he has knowledge of it from us, we will take his advice. If he has knowledge of it from others, we will question him. Ali said: "By Allah, if we ask the Messenger of Allah about this matter and he prevents us from it, the people will never give it to us after him. And I swear by Allah, I will not ask the Messenger of Allah about it."  

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ فِي آخِرِ الْجُزْءِ الْعَاشِرِ مِنَ الْفَوَائِدِِ الْكَبِيرِ لِأَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ ثَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ ثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ خُلِيٍّ الْحِمْصِيُّ ثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ وَكَانَ كَعْبُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَحَدَ الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ تِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَأَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ كَعْبٍ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ؓ خَرَجَ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فِي وَجَعِهِ الَّذِي تُوُفِّيَ فِيهِ فَقَالَ النَّاسُ يَا أَبَا حَسَنٍ كَيْفَ أَصْبَحَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ؟ فَقَالَ أَصْبَحَ بِحَمْدِ اللهِ بَارِئًا قَالَ فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ عَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ ؓ فَقَالَ أَنْتَ وَاللهِ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثٍ عَبْدُ الْعَصَا وَإِنِّي وَاللهِ لَأَرَى رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ سَوْفَ يَتَوَفَّاهُ اللهُ مِنْ وَجَعِهِ هَذَا إِنِّي أَعْرِفُ وُجُوهَ بَنِي عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ فَاذْهَبْ بِنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَلْنَسْأَلْهُ فِي مَنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ فَإِنْ كَانَ فِينَا عَلِمْنَا ذَلِكَ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي غَيْرِنَا كَلَّمْنَاهُ فَأَوْصَى بِنَا قَالَ عَلِيٌّ ؓ إِنَّا وَاللهِ لَئِنْ سَأَلْنَاهَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَمَنَعَنَاهَا لَا يُعْطِينَاهَا النَّاسُ بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا وَإِنِّي وَاللهِ لَا أَسْأَلُهَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ  

[Machine] Um Al-Mu'mineen, when Abu Bakr became ill, Fulan and Fulan entered upon him and said, "O Khalifa of the Messenger of Allah, what will you say to your Lord tomorrow when you meet Him and you have appointed Ibn Al-Khattab as our leader?" She called us and said, "By Allah, are you scaring me? Should I say that I appointed the best among them?"  

أُمُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ؓ لَمَّا ثَقُلَ أَبِي دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ فُلَانٌ وَفُلَانٌ فَقَالُوا يَا خَلِيفَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ مَاذَا تَقُولُ لِرَبِّكِ غَدًا إِذَا قَدِمْتَ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَفْتَ عَلَيْنَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ؟ قَالَتْ فَأَجْلَسْنَاهُ فَقَالَ أَبِاللهِ تُرْهِبُونِي؟ أَقُولُ اسْتَخْلَفْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ خَيْرَهُمْ  

The above hadith has been narrated through several other chains of transmitters. (Using translation from Muslim 2327b)   

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ مَوْصُولًا