\n Bilal said...

\n Bilal said: ‘Is it a must for me to revere Abu Bakr more than to revere the Messenger of Allah -saww ?’ They said: ‘Allah -azwj Forbid!’ He said: ‘These words or yours are against your previous words. If it were not permissible for me to prefer Ali -asws over Abu Bakr, because Abu Bakr freed me, similarly it would not be permissible for me to prefer the Messenger of Allah -saww over Abu Bakr, because Abu Bakr freed me’.

They said: ‘They -asws are not equal, for the Messenger of Allah -saww is the highest of the creation of Allah -saww ‘. \n Bilal said: ‘And Abu Bakr and Ali -asws are also not equal, for Ali -asws himself is the highest of the creation of Allah -azwj , and he -asws is also the highest of the creation of Allah -azwj after His -azwj Prophet -saww , and the most beloved of the creation of Allah -azwj for having eaten the bird with the Messenger of Allah -saww by the supplication “Our Allah -azwj !

Give it to me by the most beloved to You -azwj “, and he -asws is the most similar from the creation of Allah -azwj to the Messenger of Allah -saww , when Allah -azwj Made him -asws to be his -saww brother in the Religion of Allah -azwj ‘. \n ‘And Abu Bakr does not seek from me that which you are seeking, because he is aware of the elevated status of Ali -asws which you are ignorant of.

Meaning, he understands that the right of Ali -asws on me is greater than his right, because Ali -asws has freed me from the slavery of everlasting punishment, and for being patient to him -asws enjoined on me the Gardens of Bliss. And, Ali -asws has saved me from eternal Punishment and obligated to me, by my being in his -asws Mastership, and my having preferred him -asws , is for eternal Bounties’.