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ahmad:835 – Ismāʿīl b. Ibrāhīm > Manṣūr b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman / al-Ghudānī al-Ashal > al-Shaʿbī

‘Ali ؓ said: O Abu Juhaifah, shall I not tell you of the best of this ummah after its Prophet ? I said: Yes indeed, He [Abu Juhaifah] said: And I did not think that anyone was better than him. He [ʿAli] said: The best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, and after Abu Bakr it is ‘Umar ؓ , and after both of them there is a third one - but he did not name him.  

أحمد:٨٣٥ – حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ يَعْنِي الْغُدَانِيَّ الْأَشَلَّ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو جُحَيْفَةَ الَّذِي كَانَ عَلِيٌّ يُسَمِّيهِ وَهْبَ الْخَيْرِ قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ يَا أَبَا جُحَيْفَةَ أَلا أُخْبِرُكَ بِأَفْضَلِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ وَلَمْ أَكُنْ أَرَى أَنَّ أَحَدًا أَفْضَلُ مِنْهُ قَالَ أَفْضَلُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَبَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عُمَرُ وَبَعْدَهُمَا آخَرُ ثَالِثٌ وَلَمْ يُسَمِّهِ  

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Collected by Aḥmad
ahmad:1054 – ʿAbdullāh > Abū Ṣāliḥ al-Ḥakam b. Mūsá > Shihāb b. Khirāsh > al-Ḥajjāj b. Dīnār > Ḥuṣayn b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Abū Juḥayfah

I thought that ‘Ali ؓ was the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ... and he quoted the hadeeth. I said: No by Allah, O Ameer al-Muʿmineen, I did not think that any of the Muslims after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was better than you. He said: Shall I not tell you of the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah? I said: Yes. He said: Abu Bakr ؓ . Then he said: Shall I not tell you of the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr? I said: Yes. He said: ʿUmar ؓ .  

أحمد:١٠٥٤ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو صَالِحٍ الْحَكَمُ بْنُ مُوسَى حَدَّثَنَا شِهَابُ بْنُ خِرَاشٍ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَجَّاجُ بْنُ دِينَارٍ عَنْ حُصَيْنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ قَالَ كُنْتُ أَرَى

أَنَّ عَلِيًّا أَفْضَلُ النَّاسِ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ قُلْتُ لَا وَاللهِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنِّي لَمْ أَكُنِ أَرَى أَنَّ أَحَدًا مِنَ المُسْلِمِينَ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَفْضَلُ مِنْكَ قَالَ أَفَلا أُحَدِّثُكَ بِأَفْضَلِ النَّاسِ كَانَ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ؟ قَالَ قُلْتُ بَلَى فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ أَفَلا أُخْبِرُكَ بِخَيْرِ النَّاسِ كَانَ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ؟ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ عُمَرُ