Explaining the virtue of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and warning against the Rafidah

Question:
Shaykh Abdul Aziz, since the emergence of Khomeini’s media, people have started asking this type of question. For example, this question: Some people think that this statement, “What is your virtue? It seems Abu Bakr had no special virtue in prayer or fasting, but it is a secret settled in his heart,” is a hadith.
They think this statement is a hadith and write it in their books as an authentic hadith. I hope you will clarify this for the people, and I hope you will mention to me the hadiths in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was described; because I do not possess the books in which such things are found.

Answer:
This is not from the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and not from the words of the Companions; rather, it is from the words of some of the Salaf. “What is your virtue? Abu Bakr did not have much virtue in fasting or prayer, but it is a thing settled in his heart.” This is from the words of some of the Salaf. Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) is the most knowledgeable of the Companions, the best of them, and the most complete in faith. Allah granted him of knowledge, virtue, piety, and good what He did not grant to anyone else. Whoever reflects on his biography, his deeds, and his rulings will know what he possessed of knowledge, virtue, strength of faith, and perfection. He is the best of the Companions and the best of them, and he is their imam and the one they are most pleased with, by the consensus of the Muslims.
It is mass-transmitted from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said on the pulpit when his son Muhammad ibn Ali asked him: “O my father! Who is the best of this Ummah?” He said: “Abu Bakr.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Umar.” This is mass-transmitted from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), while the Rafidah now curse Abu Bakr and curse Umar and consider their caliphate to be invalid. This is Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) testifying before the heads of the witnesses that Al-Siddiq is the best of the Ummah and that after him is Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). This is the consensus of the Ummah, but the Rafidah and those who follow in their footsteps have contradicted the consensus and contradicted the texts and followed their desires. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.

The presenter: The Khomeinists, Your Eminence, are they Rafidah?

The Shaykh: Yes, Khomeini is one of the heads of the Rafidah.

The presenter: One of their heads?

The Shaykh: Yes, they and their followers are Rafidah. They are those who exaggerate regarding the twelve imams, exaggerate in them, magnify them, and believe that they know the unseen and that they are infallible. They call upon them instead of Allah, seek aid from them, and make vows to them. This is found in their books. Whoever refers to Al-Kafi and other than Al-Kafi will find that. We ask Allah for safety. Yes, we ask Allah to turn them to repentance.
We ask Allah to turn them to repentance and to suffice the Muslims from their evil and the evil of those like them; because they claimed Islam while they contradict Islam, and in reality they are fighting Islam. Yes.

The presenter: And this has become clear, without a doubt.

The Shaykh: We ask Allah for well-being.

The presenter: How do you advise the Muslims to face this ideology that has started to spread in this period, Shaykh Abdul Aziz?

The Shaykh: We advise the Muslims not to be deceived by their calls, for their calls and what they claim of being upon Islam in its entirety have no basis and no truth. It is all from the work of hypocrisy. They are people of hypocrisy and people of taqiyyah (dissimulation). Whoever reads their books will know that. So what the believers and Muslims should know is that these claims and the claim of the Islamic Republic are all things that have no reality. Rather, they are Islamic appearances, while the inner reality is contrary to Islam. The inner reality is polytheism and enmity toward Islam, enmity toward the Prophet of Islam, and enmity toward all the Companions, and not being pleased with them. Rather, they declared them disbelievers and open sinners, except for a few.
So the point is that Khomeini and his followers are among the prominent Rafidah, and among those who magnify the belief of the Rafidah, adhere to it, and speak of it. They are those who magnify the twelve imams and claim that they are the imams, and that they are the ones who must have authority, and that the authority of anyone else is invalid. At their head is Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). As for Ali, they told the truth about him; he is a righteous man, and he is the fourth after the three, and he is the best of them after the three, the best of the Companions after the three. And likewise al-Hasan and al-Husayn are from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction). But they did not take authority except that al-Hasan took it for a little while and then removed himself and made the imamate and authority for Mu'awiyah (may Allah have mercy on him). As for al-Husayn and those after him, they did not take authority. But the Rafidah have no insight and they have nothing but claims that have no basis. Yes.

The presenter: We ask Allah for their guidance.