the caliphate was by a covenant from the messenger of allah may allah bless him and grant him peace to him and he designated him because of the consensus of the people of islam to designate him as the successor of the messenger of allah and no one else was called by this name neither those whom the prophet may allah bless him and grant him peace appointed over medina during his travels nor those whom he appointed over the prayers during his conquests and his pilgrimage may allah bless him and grant him peace and because of the established report that we narrated through established chains of transmission in the story of the woman who said o messenger of allah if i return i will find you wanting to die thus in the text of the hadith so he may allah bless him and grant him peace said so he went to abu bakr. and other than this that we mentioned in the book alfasl and praise be to allah.
الخلافة بعهد من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إليه، ونص عليه، لإجماع أهل الإسلام على تسميته خليفة رسول الله، ولم يتسم بهذا الاسم أحد غيره لا ممن استخلفه عليه السلام على المدينة في أسفاره، ولا ممن استخلفه على الصلوات في غزواته وحجته عليه السلام وللخبر الثابت الذي رويناه من طرق ثابتة في قصة المرأة التي قالت يا رسول الله فإن رجعت لو أجدك، تريد الموت هكذا في نص الحديث فقال عليه السلام فأتى أبا بكر. ولغير هذا مما ذكرنا في كتاب الفصل ، ولله الحمد.