HOLY PROPHET saww himself appoint abu baker siddique r.a during his last days as imam.
In bukhari shareef HAZRAT AYESHA r.a narrates that people are standing in masjid nabawi and waiting for HOLY PROPHET to come and led the prayer. due to weekness HE said to AYESHA SIDDIQA r.a to asked to abu baker siddique r.a to do imamat. The abu baker siddique r.a started the salah in meantime HOLY PROPHET sawww with the help of HAZRAT ALI R.A and HAZRAT ABBAS R.A come to the door of hujra and started watching that all sahabas are before abu baker siddique r.a . all sahaba including abu baker siddique r.a turned faced toward HOLY PROPHET SAWW, by seeing this hazrat MUHAMMAD SAWW move back so that sahaba may not break their salah
it was reported that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) prayed behind Abu Bakr and by Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Awf may Allaah be pleased with them.
Moreover, Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Khuzaymah reported:
“Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu’bah may Allaah be pleased with him was asked whether anyone of this nation had led the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) in prayer other than Abu Bakr, and he replied: “Yes.” He mentioned that the Prophet sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) performed ablution and he wiped over his socks and turban. Then Al-Mugheerah also said: “He [the Prophet] prayed behind Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Awf and I was with him in one Rak’ah of Fajr, and then me made up the Rak’ah that we had missed.”
In the wording of Ahmad: “Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu’bah said: “There are two characteristics that I would never ask anyone else about them as I saw the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) doing them: the Imaam praying behind a man among the people under his guardianship and I saw the Prophet sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) praying behind Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Awf one Rak’ah of Fajr [as he had missed one Rak’ah] and I saw the Prophet , wiping over his socks.”