Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith Number 650

Narated By Hamza bin ‘Abdullah : My father said, “When Allah’s Apostle became seriously ill, he was told about the prayer. He said, ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer.’ ‘Aisha said, ‘Abu Bakr is a soft-hearted man and he would be over-powered by his weeping if he recited the Qur’an.’ He said to them, ‘Tell him (Abu Bakr) to lead the prayer. The same reply was given to him. He said again, ‘Tell him to lead the prayer. You (women) are the companions of Joseph.”