Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) burns his collections

Hadhrat Aishah (Radhiyallaho anha) says:

"My father (Hadhrat Abu Bakr) (Radhiyallaho anho) had a collection of five hundred Hadiths. One night I noticed that he was very restless. He was tossing about in the bed and could not sleep. I got worried over this and inquired, 'Are you suffering from any trouble or worried about anything.' But he did not speak and remained restless throughout the night. Next morning he called me and said, 'Bring the collection of Hadith that I gave you to keep.' I brought the book and he set fire to it, till it was burnt. He said, 'The collection contained many Hadiths that I had heard from other people. I thought if I died and left behind a Hadith accepted as authentic by me, but really not so, then I should have to answer for that."

It was Hadhrat Abu Bakes (Radhiyallaho anho) zeal for knowledge that caused him to compile a book of five hundred Hadiths. But it was due to his extreme cautiousness that he burnt the collection.

The Sahabah were very careful and cautious about Hadith. That is why you find very few Hadiths narrated by eminent Sahabah; those people who do not hesitate to quote Hadith (without authority) in their sermons from the pulpit should take a lesson from this story. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) remained in the Prophet's company for most of his time; many Sahabah say:

Hadhrat "Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) was the most learned amongst us;"

Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) says:

"After the death of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), when the Khalifah's selection was under consideration, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) addressed the people quoting all those verses of the Qur'an and all such Hadiths of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) which dealt with the virtues and privileges of the Ansar."

This shows how much knowledge of the Qu'ran he had, and how many Hadiths he remembered. In spite of all this, there are very few Ahadith that have been narrated by Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho). For similar reasons, Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alaih) too was not so liberal in reporting Hadith.