Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 237
It was narrated from ‘Umar that he said: I heard the people saying something so I decided that I should talk to you. They are saying that you are not going to appoint a successor. He lowered his head for a while, then he looked up and said: Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will protect His religion. If I do not appoint a successor, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not appoint a successor either; if I do appoint a successor, Abu Bakr appointed a successor. By Allah, once he mentioned the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr, I realized that he was not going to regard anyone else as equal to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and that he was not going to appoint a successor.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَعَثَ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَنْزَلَ مَعَهُ الْكِتَابَ فَكَانَ مِمَّا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةُ الرَّجْمِ فَرَجَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَرَجَمْنَا بَعْدَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ قَدْ كُنَّا نَقْرَأُ وَلَا تَرْغَبُوا عَنْ آبَائِكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ كُفْرٌ بِكُمْ أَوْ إِنَّ كُفْرًا بِكُمْ أَنْ تَرْغَبُوا عَنْ آبَائِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا تُطْرُونِي كَمَا أُطْرِيَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا عَبْدٌ فَقُولُوا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ مَعْمَرٌ كَمَا أَطْرَتْ النَّصَارَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 237
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. Compiled by the renowned Islamic scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Musnad is a monumental hadith collection distinguished by its unique organizational structure. Unlike other major collections arranged by topic, the Musnad is organized according to the names of the Prophet Muhammad’s companions. This means each section is dedicated to a specific companion, grouping all the narrations they transmitted together. This method offers valuable insights into the Prophet’s teachings as passed down through his closest followers. While the collection is highly respected for its overall authenticity and vast scope, scholars note that it includes narrations of varying strength, and some feature weaker chains of transmission that require expert analysis.
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For more Hadith in Book 2: Musnad `Umar b. al-Khattab (ra)