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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books ‘Ali: The Best of the Sahabah Hadith Al-Ikhtiyar, ‘Ali: The True Second Of Two ==================================================== In the cave, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , repeatedly assured Abu Bakr of Allah’s Presence. But it did not work: إذ يقول لصاحبه لا تحزن إن الله معنا When he was saying to his companion: “ Do not fear , surely Allah is with us.” Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d.
774 H) comments about this verse: عام الهجرة ، لما هم المشركون بقتله أو حبسه أو نفيه ، فخرج منهم هاربًا صحبة صدِّيقه وصاحبه أبي بكر بن أبي قحافة ، فلجأ إلى غار ثور ثلاثة أيام ليرجع الطَّلَبُ الذين خرجوا في آثارهم ، ثم يسيرا نحو المدينة ، فجعل أبو بكر ، رضي الله عنه ، يجزع أن يَطَّلع عليهم أحد ، فيخلص إلى الرسول ، عليه السلام منهم أذى ، فجعل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يُسَكِّنه ويَثبِّته ويقول : " يا أبا بكر ، ما ظنك باثنين الله ثالثهما" During the year of the Hijrah , the pagans tried to kill, imprison or expel him (i.e the Prophet).
So, he escaped with his friend and companion, Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah, to the Thawr Cave. They remained in there for three days. So the scouts who were sent in their pursuit returned, and they proceeded to Madinah. (While in the cave), Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was afraid that they might be discovered by someone, that some harm might come to the Messenger, peace be upon him, from them.
Therefore, the Prophet, peace be upon him, kept reassuring him and strengthening his resolve , saying, “O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two, the third of whom is Allah?”[^1] Apparently, one word was not enough for Abu Bakr. When the Prophet mentioned the presence of Allah the first time, he obviously noticed that his companion was not convinced. So, he kept repeating it, telling him not to fear.
The Sunni argument is that Abu Bakr only had great, uncontrollable fears for the life and safety of the Messenger of Allah. Well, there is nothing in the verse or hadith remotely suggesting that. By contrast, the words of the Prophet, “Allah is with us ”, suggest that Abu Bakr’s fears were about both of them together in the cave. Otherwise, he would have said, “Allah is with me ”, placing the emphasis upon himself. Abu Bakr’s fears about the Prophet could also have actually been self-serving!
Their fates were interconnected in that dire situation. If the Messenger fell into any danger, Abu Bakr was sure to have a good taste of it too. So, he wanted the Prophet safe, so that he too could be safe.