Other Sunni sources identify Abu Bakr or Muhammad's adopted son Zayd as the first male convert. In particular, al-Tabari () lists contradictory Sunni traditions about Ali, Abu Bakr, and Zayd, thus leaving the decision to the reader. Gleave is certain that these contradictory accounts are affected by later Shia and Sunni preferences, though he writes that the earliest existing records place Ali before Abu Bakr. Watt also comments on this topic, saying that Abu Bakr's status after Muhammad's death might have been reflected back into the early Islamic records.
