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ahmad:926 – ʿAbdullāh > Wahbb. Baqiyyah al-Wāsiṭī > Khālid b. ʿAbdullāh > Ḥuṣayn > al-Musayyab b. ʿAbd Khayr from his father > Qām ʿAlī

‘Ali ؓ stood up and said: The best of this ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, then we got involved in matters which Allah will judge as He wills.  

أحمد:٩٢٦ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنِي وَهْبُ بْنُ بَقِيَّةَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ عَنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ قَامَ عَلِيٌّ فَقَالَ

خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَإِنَّا قَدْ أَحْدَثْنَا بَعْدَهُمْ أَحْدَاثًا يَقْضِي اللهُ تَعَالَى فِيهَا مَا شَاءَ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad
ahmad:1031 – ʿAbdullāh > Abū Baḥr ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Baṣrī > Abū ʿAwānah > Khālid b. ʿAlqamah > ʿAbd Khayr

‘Ali ؓ said, when he finished with the people of Basrah: The best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, and after Abu Bakr it is ‘Umar ؓ , then we got involved in matters which Allah will judge as He wills.  

أحمد:١٠٣١ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَحْرٍ عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْبَصْرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ عَلْقَمَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ قَالَ قَالَ

عَلِيٌّ لَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ إِنَّ خَيْرَ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا ﷺ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَبَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عُمَرُ وَأَحْدَثْنَا أَحْدَاثًا يَصْنَعُ اللهُ فِيهَا مَا شَاءَ  

ahmad:1032 – ʿAbdullāh > Wahbb. Baqiyyah al-Wāsiṭī > Khālid b. ʿAbdullāh > Ḥuṣayn > al-Musayyab b. ʿAbd Khayr from his father > Qām ʿAlī

ʿAli ؓ stood up and said: The best of this ummah; after its Prophet ﷺ is Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar, then we got involved in matters which Allah will judge as He wills.  

أحمد:١٠٣٢ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنِي وَهْبُ بْنُ بَقِيَّةَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ عَنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ قَامَ عَلِيٌّ فَقَالَ

خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا ﷺ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَإِنَّا قَدْ أَحْدَثْنَا بَعْدُ أَحْدَاثًا يَقْضِي اللهُ فِيهَا مَا شَاءَ