A delegation from Buzakhah, of the tribes of Asad and Ghatafan, came to Abu Bakr seeking peace. He gave them a choice between a devastating war and a humiliating peace.They asked, "We know what the devastating war means, but what is the humiliating peace?"Abu Bakr replied, "We will strip you of your weapons and horses, we will keep as spoils whatever we have taken from you, you will return to us whatever you have taken from us, you will pay blood-money for our slain while your slain are in the Fire, and you will leave behind certain men to follow at the tails of the camels until Allah shows the successor of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muhajirun a course by which they may pardon you."Abu Bakr presented what he had said to the people, then Umar bin Khattab rose and said, "I have formed an opinion, and I will offer you my counsel. As for what you mentioned of the devastating war and the humiliating peace, what you said is excellent. As for your saying that we keep what we took from you while you return what you took from us, what you said is excellent. But as for your saying that you pay blood-money for our slain while your slain are in the Fire, our slain fought and were killed in obedience to Allah's command. Their reward is with Allah, and no blood-money is due for them."The people then agreed with what Umar said.
جاء وفد بزاخة من أسد وغطفان إلى أبي بكر يسألونه الصلح، فخيرهم بين الحرب المجلية والسلم المخزية، فقالوا: هذه المجلية قد عرفناها، فما المخزية؟ قال: ننزع منكم الحلقة والكراع، ونغنم ما أصبنا منكم، وتردون علينا ما أصبتم منا، وتدون لنا قتلانا، وتكون قتلاكم في النار، وتتركون أقواما يتبعون أذناب الإبل حتى يري الله خليفة رسول الله ﷺ والمهاجرين أمرا يعذرونكم به، فعرض أبو بكر ما قال على القوم، فقام عمر بن الخطاب فقال: قد رأيت رأيا وسنشير عليك، فأما ما ذكرت من الحرب المجلية والسلم المخزية فنعم ما ذكرت، وما ذكرت أن نغنم ما أصبنا منكم وتردون ما أصبتم منا فنعم ما ذكرت، وأما ما ذكرت: تدون قتلانا وتكون قتلاكم في النار، فإن قتلانا قاتلت فقتلت على أمر الله، أجورها على الله، ليس لها ديات، فتتابع القوم على ما قال عمر.
Barqani narrated it in his book Al-Mukharraj ala al-Sahihayn [The Extraction Based on the Sahihayn], as found in Humaydi's book Al-Jam bayna al-Sahihayn [Combining the Two Sahihs], with his chain of transmission from Musaddad, from Yahya Qattan, from Sufyan Thawri, from Qays bin Muslim, from Tariq bin Shihab, who related it. Bukhari also narrated it in the Book of Rulings (7221) from Musaddad in a shortened form, and it is Abu Bakr's statement to the delegation of Bazakha, "You follow the tails of camels until Allah shows ﷺ and the migrants a course of action for which you will be excused."Abu Dawud reported in Al-Zuhd [Asceticism] (35), with a sahih chain, through the route of Hisham bin Urwa, who said, my father told me that Abu Bakr accepted Islam while he had forty thousand dirhams. Urwa said, Ayesha told me, saying, Abu Bakr died without leaving behind a single dinar or dirham.His virtues are extremely numerous, and his biography in Tarikh Dimashq [History of Damascus] fills the length of an entire volume.