Arabic (Original)
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُقْرِئُ أنا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ ثنا يُوسُفُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْقَاضِي ثنا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ ثنا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ كَتَبُوا إِلَى عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ يَسْأَلُونَهُ عَنِ الْجَدِّ فَقَالَ أَمَّا الَّذِي قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَوِ أَتَّخِذُ أَحَدًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُهُ فَإِنَّهُ أَنْزَلَهُ أَبًا يَعْنِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ ؓ
English Translation
Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Muqri' informed us: al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated to us: Yusuf ibn Ya'qub the judge narrated to us: Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated from Ayyub from Ibn Abi Mulaykah that the people of Kufa wrote to Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr asking him about the grandfather. He said: 'As for the one to whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: If I were to take anyone as a close friend, I would have taken him - he treated him as a father, meaning Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).'