Is Umar more virtuous than Abu Bakr?
Question:
The prophet ﷺ said:
“لو كان بعدي نبي لكان عمر”
“If there were to be a prophet after me then it would have been Umar“
And he didn’t say “Abu bakr” when Abu bakr is more virtuous than Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). Does this necessitate that the virtue of a person is only in the hands of Allah ﷻ and one cannot reach such ranks with his own efforts?
Answer:
No doubt that one cannot reach such ranks with his own efforts and that Abu Bakr is more virtuous than Umar. There is no doubt in this, in regards to what the Quraan indicates to is that Umar is a man who brings about new things and he is inspired if it is looked at from this point of view (1).
However, this does not necessitate that Umar is more virtuous than Abu Bakr for this (Umar becoming a prophet) did not take place, if he had reached the rank of prophecy than no doubt that the prophets are the most virtuous of mankind, so if he had reached such ranks then yes. However, he didn’t and the affairs are in the hands of Allah ﷻ
Translators notes:
(1) What the Shaykh intends here is what Ibn Hajr mentions in his ‘Fathul Baari’ explanation of Saheeh Al-Bukhari:
“…And the reason of the mentioning of Umar specifically (in the hadeeth) is due to the numerous amount of things that happened to him in the time of the prophet ﷺ from coincidal events which the Quran came coinciding with, and even after the death of the prophet ﷺ (he then mentions an example) The hadeeth of Abu Hurairah which has the mentioning of the wolf speaking to him…”
[7/51]
And what is to be understood from the hadeeth is that the prophet ﷺ is explaining to us what did not happen, however if it were to occur then how it would happen, similar to how Allah mentions in his book:
(…ۖ وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ)
…But if they were returned (to the world), they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars.
[Surat Al-An’am: 28]
And in the hadeeth is a clarification of the virtue Allah made for Umar from having some of the characteristics of the prophets and from this we understand that prophecy cannot be obtained by ones own hard work and efforts, rather it is only in the hands of Allah, because if having the characteristics of the prophets necessitates prophecy then Abu Bakr had more of these characteristics than Umar. Shaykhul Islaam Ibnu Tayyimaah said after mentioning this hadeeth and mentioning how Umar was a muhaddith and was a man who was inspired:
“…and even with this, then As-Sideeq (Abu Bakr) is more complete than him (Umar), for verily As-Sideeq perfected his belief in the prophet, so he did not take except from him, and the prophet is inviolable, and a muhaddith like Umar, would sometime take from his heart which inspired him, and he would act upon that, However, the heart is not infallible, so it was upon him to present these inspirations to what the prophet came with, so if it coincided then he took it, and if it opposed it then he rejected it.
And because of this Umar changed his opinion in regards to many things, and the companions used to have knowledge-based debates with him, and bring evidence against him, so if the evidence had been clarified to him from the Quran and sunnah he would turn back to what he was upon and leave off what he thought was right before.
As for As-Sideeq then he would only take from the prophet and not from his heart, so he is more complete than a muhaddith in this regards, and there is no one who is more virtuous after Abu Bakr, nor is there a better muhaddith after Umar.”
[Ar-radd A’laa Al-mantiqeen/ 514 ]
Answered by: Shaykh Abu Bilaal Al-hadhramy – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://t.me/abubilalhami/2722
Answered on: 19th Safr 1441
Translated by: Abu Huthayfah Saamy Al-hindy