The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed Usama as commander over a group of people, and they criticized his appointment. The Prophet ﷺ said, "If you criticize his appointment, you also criticized the appointment of his father before him. By Allah, he was truly worthy of command, and he was among the dearest of people to me, and this one is among the dearest of people to me after him."
أمر رسول الله ﷺ أسامة على قوم، فطعنوا في إمارته، فقال: إن تطعنوا في إمارته فقد طعنتم في إمارة أبيه من قبله، وأيم الله لقد كان خليقا للإمارة، وإن كان من أحب الناس إلي، وإن هذا لمن أحب الناس إلي بعده.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Campaigns (4250) and Muslim in the Book of Virtues (2426), both from the hadith of Abdullah bin Dinar, that he heard Ibn Umar say what has already been mentioned. As for what is narrated from Usama bin Zayd, who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me to a village called Ubna, and he said, 'Go to Ubna in the morning, then burn it,'" its chain of transmission contains weakness.Abu Dawud (2616), Ibn Majah (2843), and Ahmad (21785) narrated it through the route of Salih bin Abu Akhdar, from Zuhri, from Urwa, from Usama bin Zayd, as mentioned. Salih bin Abu Akhdar appears in it, and he is daif. It has other routes as well, all of them daif.As for his saying "Ubna," also pronounced "Yubna," on the pattern of "hublaa," it is a place in Syria in the direction of Balqa, though some say it is a place in Palestine.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then fell ill, and the army did not set out, remaining encamped at Jurf. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, they returned to Madinah. After Abu Bakr Siddiq was appointed successor, he ordered the army to march out, its numbers being about three thousand.