بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Upon hearing the sad news of death of Abu Bakr radhiyAllahu 'anhu, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib radhiyAllahu 'anhu hurried towards Abu Bakr's house, all the while saying, "Verily, we belong to Allah, and to Him is our return."'Ali then stood outside the house in which Abu Bakr had died, and made the following long speech, which he addressed to Abu Bakr himself:
"O Abu Bakr, may Allah have Mercy upon you. You were the closest companion and friend of the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam; you were a comfort to him; you were the one he trusted most. If he had a secret, he would tell it to you; and if he needed to consult someone regarding a matter, he would consult you. You were the first of your people to embrace Islam, and you were the most sincere of them in your faith. Your faith was stronger than any other person's, as was the degree to which you feared Allah. And you were the wealthier than anyone else in terms of what you acquired from the religion of Allah 'Azza Wa-Jall. You cared most for both the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam and Islam. Of all people, you were the best Companion to the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam; you possessed the best qualities; you had the best past; you ranked highest; and you were closest to him. And of all people you resembled the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam the most in terms of his guidance and demeanor. Your ranking was higher than anyone else's, and the Prophet salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam honored you and held you in higher esteem than anyone else. On behalf of the Messenger of Allah and Islam, may Allah reward with the best of rewards. When the people disbelieved in the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, you believed in him. Throughout his life, you were both his eyes with which he saw, and his ears with which he heard. Allah has named you truthful in his book when He said:
"And the one who has brought the truth [Prophet] and [they who] believed in it - those are the righteous." Qur'an::Surah39:Ayah33
When people were stingy in their support for the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, you comforted him. And when people sat still, you stood side by side with the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, facing the same hardships that he faced. In times of hardship, you were truly a good and noble Companion of his. You were the 'second of two', his Companion in the Cave; and the one upon whom As-Sakeenah (peace, tranquility, calmness) descended. You were his Companion during migration, and you were his successor regarding the religion of Allah and His nation. And a truly good successor you proved to be when people apostatized. You did what no other Khaleefah of a Prophet did before you. You stood up firmly and bravely when his other Companions lost their resolve and became soft. And when they became weak, you adhered to the methodology of the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam. You truly were as the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: weak in your body, but strong regarding the commands of Allah; humble in yourself, but lofty in your ranking with Allah; well-esteemed in the eyes of people, honored and great in their hearts. Not a single one of them had any reason to dislike you, to be suspicious of you, or to hold you in contempt... The weak and humble you have always treated as strong and honorable, making sure you gave them what was rightfully theirs. And in this regard, you have treated relatives and strangers equally. Of all people, you respect those who are obedient to Allah and who fear Him the most. In your overall character, you embody truth and compassion. Your speech has always been characterized by the qualities of wisdom and decisiveness. And you have always struck a noble balance between gentleness and firmness. You have always based your decisions on knowledge, and once you have made your decisions, you have always kept a firm resolve to execute them... Verily to Allah do we belong, and to Him is our return. We are pleased with, and we submit to, Allah's decree. And by Allah, other than the death of the Messenger of Allah salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, Muslims have never been afflicted with a greater calamity than the calamity of your death. You have always been a protector, a sanctuary, and source of honor for this religion. May Allah 'Azza Wa-Jall make you join the company of His Prophet, Muhammad salAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and may he not deprive us of your reward. And may He not lead us astray after you."
People had gathered around 'Ali and listened to his speech until he finished. Then they all cried with raised voices, and they all responded in unison to 'Ali's speech, saying, "Indeed, you have spoken the truth."
At-Tabsirah, by Ibn Al-Jawzee (1/477-479); and Ashaab Ar-Rasool (1/108)
Courtesy: Masnoon Islamic Duas
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said, "Verily, Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious will say on the Day of
Resurrection: 'O son of Adam, I was ill but you did not visit Me.' He
would say: 'O my Rubb, how could I visit you and You are the Rubb of the
worlds?' Thereupon He would say: 'Did you not know that such and such a
slave of Mine was ill but you did not visit him? Did you not realize
that if you had visited him (you would have known that I was aware of
your visit to him, for which I would reward you) you would have found Me
with him? O son of Adam, I asked food from you but you did not feed
Me.' He would submit: 'My Rubb, how could I feed You and You are the
Rubb of the worlds?' He would say: 'Did you not know that such and such a
slave of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him? Did you not
realize that if you had fed him, you would certainly have found (its
reward) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked water from you but you did not
give it to Me.' He would say: 'My Rubb, how could I give You (water) and
You are the Rubb of the worlds?' Thereupon He would say: 'Such and such
a slave of Mine asked you for water to drink but you did not give it to
him. Did you not realize that if you had given him to drink you would
have found (its reward) with Me?"'