The Day of Saqifah

While the household of the Prophet ﷺ was preparing his burial, the Ansar gathered in the courtyard of Banu Sa'idah and brought Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, ill and wrapped in a cloak, to be the man they would put forward. They feared for their place and wanted to settle the question of leadership before it was taken from them. Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Abu 'Ubaydah hurried to join them when they heard.

Some of the Ansar proposed that there should be one leader from them and one from the Muhajirun. Abu Bakr reminded them of the Prophet ﷺ's words that the leadership would belong to Quraysh, and offered 'Umar or Abu 'Ubaydah. 'Umar took Abu Bakr's hand and pledged to him, and Bashir ibn Sa'd of the Khazraj was the first of the Ansar to follow. Soon the rest gave their pledge.

Sa'd did not give his pledge, and the reports say he kept to himself. His concern was an honest one: the Ansar had given shelter, wealth and lives and wished for a place in the leadership. The Sunni reading is that the Prophet ﷺ had said the imams would be from Quraysh, that Abu Bakr was the best of the Companions, and that Sa'd's refusal was a personal conviction that did not turn into rebellion. Shi'a scholars read the event very differently, holding that the Prophet ﷺ had designated 'Ali; that difference should be discussed with respect and knowledge.