Did Omar ibn al-Khattab and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq—may Allah be pleased with them—disobey the Prophet Muhammad—may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him—when he asked for a pen and paper during his death illness? And did the Prophet—may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him—recommend Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—to be the Caliph after him? What is the interpretation of the Hadith regarding Omar’s disobedience to the Prophet—may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him—and how can one deal with those who propagate these ideas?

It is not permissible to befriend sects that denigrate the fundamentals of Islam and its حاملة (bearers), and one should shun them and warn people against their evil. As for the narration (hadith (definition)), the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked for a writing so that people would not go astray after him. However, Omar believed that the Quran was sufficient and feared that the Prophet might write something that would be difficult for them, leading to a disagreement. The matter was not about a new revelation or a religious command that the Prophet had not yet conveyed; rather, it was a guidance. Allah praised him for perfecting the religion. What the Prophet intended to write was not obligatory, for if it had been, he would have done it. The Rafidah (Shi'a) claim that the Prophet intended to write a will for Ali, but this is false; the Prophet clearly stipulated the imamate of Abu Bakr, and the matter was an act of ijtihad (definition) (independent reasoning). Omar was more knowledgeable than Ibn Abbas on this issue.