Abu Quhafa said to Abu Bakr, "My son, I see that you free weak slaves. If only, when you did what you did, you had freed strong men who could protect you and stand by your side."Abu Bakr replied, "Father, I want only what Allah wants."It is said that these verses were revealed about no one but him, and about what his father had said to him, "As for the one who gives and fears Allah and believes in the best" up to His words, "and who owes no favor to anyone that must be repaid, but seeks only the face of his Lord, the Most High. He will surely be well pleased" [Layl 92:5–21].
قال أبو قحافة لأبي بكر: يابني، إني أراك تعتق رقابا ضعافا، فلو أنك إذ فعلت ما فعلت أعتقت رجالا جلدا يمنعونك ويقومون دونك؟ قال: فقال أبو بكر: يا أبت، إني إنما أريد ما أريد الله عز وجل، قال: فيتحدث ما نزل هؤلاء الآيات إلافيه، وفيما قال له أبوه: {فأما من أعطى واتقى وصدق بالحسنى} إلى قوله: {وما لأحد عنده من نعمة تجزى إلا ابتغاء وجه ربه الأعلى ولسوف يرضى} [الليل: ٥-٢١].
Abdullah bin Ahmad narrated it in his additions to his father's Fadail al-Sahabah (66), and Hakim graded it sahih (2/525), both of them via Muhammad bin Ishaq, who said, Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abu Atiq narrated to me, from Amir bin Abdullah bin Zubayr, from his father, who said, and he related it.Its chain of transmission is hasan because of Muhammad bin Ishaq, and because of his teacher Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abu Atiq, whom Ibn Hibban mentioned in Thiqat and whom Daraqutni confirmed as reliable, while Dhuhli said, "His hadith is close to sound." The discussion of this is set out at length in the book Fadail.