[Machine] Allah, ﷺ , said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." Aisha said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr is a gentle man. When he stands in your place, people cannot hear him crying." Allah, ﷺ , said, "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." She repeated her statement, and he said, "You are the wives of Yusuf. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." Ibn Shihab told me that Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utba informed them from Aisha that she said, "I have allowed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to do that, but the only thing that led me to do this was that I feared people would criticize Abu Bakr. And if I did not know that no one would be able to take his place without people criticizing him, then I would have preferred that the people would not find fault with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about Abu Bakr."
الله ﷺ وَجَعُهُ قَالَ مُرُوا أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَلْيُصَلِّ بِالنَّاسِ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ عَائِشَةُ ؓ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ رَجُلٌ رَقِيقٌ إِذَا قَامَ مَقَامَكَ لَمْ يُسْمِعِ النَّاسَ مِنَ الْبُكَاءِ فَقَالَ مُرُوا أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَلْيُصَلِّ بِالنَّاسِ فَعَاوَدَتْهُ مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهَا فَقَالَ أَنْتُنَّ صَوَاحِبَاتُ يُوسُفَ مُرُوا أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَلْيُصَلِّ بِالنَّاسِ قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ قَدْ عَاوَدْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ ذَلِكَ وَمَا حَمَلَنِي عَلَى مُعَاوَدَتِهِ إِلَّا أَنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَتَشَاءَمَ النَّاسُ بِأَبِي بَكْرٍ ؓ وَإِلَّا أَنِّي عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يَقُومَ مَقَامَهُ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا تَشَاءَمَ النَّاسُ بِهِ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ يَعْدِلَ النَّاسُ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ ؓ