Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
bayhaqi:12419Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Muqriʾ > al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad b. Isḥāq > Yūsuf b. Yaʿqūb al-Qāḍī > Sulaymān b. Ḥarb > Ḥammād b. Zayd > Ayyūb > Ibn Abū Mulaykah > Ahl al-Kūfah Katabūā > ʿAbdullāh b. al-Zubayr Yasʾalūnah > al-Jad > Ammā al--Adhī > Rasūl

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If I were to take anyone as a close friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as my close friend."  

البيهقي:١٢٤١٩أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُقْرِئُ أنا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ ثنا يُوسُفُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْقَاضِي ثنا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ ثنا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ كَتَبُوا إِلَى عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ يَسْأَلُونَهُ عَنِ الْجَدِّ فَقَالَ أَمَّا الَّذِي

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَوِ أَتَّخِذُ أَحَدًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُهُ فَإِنَّهُ أَنْزَلَهُ أَبًا يَعْنِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ ؓ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Aḥmad, Ṭabarānī
bukhari:3658Sulaymān b. Ḥarb > Ḥammād b. Zayd > Ayyūb > ʿAbdullāh b. Abū Mulaykah

The people of Kufa sent a letter to Ibn Az-Zubair, asking about (the inheritance of) (paternal) grandfather. He replied that the right of the inheritance of (paternal) grandfather is the same as that of father if the father is dead) and added, "Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ' If I were to take a Khalil from this nation, I would have taken him (i.e. Abu Bakr).  

البخاري:٣٦٥٨حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ قَالَ كَتَبَ أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ إِلَى ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ فِي الْجَدِّ فَقَالَ أَمَّا الَّذِي

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنْ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ خَلِيلاً لاَتَّخَذْتُهُ أَنْزَلَهُ أَبًا يَعْنِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ  

ahmad:3385Ismāʿīl > Ayyūb > ʿIkrimah

[Machine] The translation of the given Arabic phrase into English is: The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If I were to take a close friend from this nation, I would have chosen Abu Bakr, as he is like a father to me."  

أحمد:٣٣٨٥حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ أَخْبَرَنَا أَيُّوبُ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الْجَدِّ أَمَّا الَّذِي قَالَ

لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُهُ فَإِنَّهُ قَضَاهُ أَبًا يَعْنِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ  

tabarani:7816Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar b. Aʿyan al-Baghdādī > Aḥmad b. Yūnus > Abū Bakr b. ʿAyyāsh > Abū al-Muhallab al-Kinānī > ʿUbaydullāh b. Zaḥr > ʿAlī b. Yazīd > al-Qāsim > Abū Umāmah > Rasūl

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Indeed, Allah has taken me as a close friend (Khalil) just as He took Ibrahim as a close friend (Khalil), and truly my close friend (Khalil) is Abu Bakr."  

الطبراني:٧٨١٦حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ ثنا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنِ عَيَّاشٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْمُهَلَّبِ الْكِنَانِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ بْنِ زَحْرٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «إِنَّ اللهَ ﷻ اتَّخَذَنِي خَلِيلًا كَمَا اتَّخَذَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا وَإِنَّ خَلِيلِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ ؓ»