When (the dead body of) ʿUmar was put on his deathbed, the people gathered around him and invoked (Allah) and prayed for him before the body was taken away, and I was amongst them. Suddenly I felt somebody taking hold of my shoulder and found out that he was ʿAli bin Abi Talib. ʿAli invoked Allah's Mercy for ʿUmar and said, "O ʿUmar! You have not left behind you a person whose deeds I like to imitate and meet Allah with more than I like your deeds. By Allah! I always thought that Allah would keep you with your two companions, for very often I used to hear the Prophet ﷺ saying, 'I, Abu Bakr and ʿUmar went (somewhere); I, Abu Bakr and ʿUmar entered (somewhere); and I, Abu Bakr and ʿUmar went out."'
أَنْ يُرْفَعَ وَأَنَا فِيهِمْ فَلَمْ يَرُعْنِي إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ آخِذٌ مَنْكِبِي فَإِذَا عَلِيٌّ فَتَرَحَّمَ عَلَى عُمَرَ وَقَالَ مَا خَلَّفْتَ أَحَدًا أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ مِنْكَ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُ لأَظُنُّ أَنْ يَجْعَلَكَ اللَّهُ مَعَ صَاحِبَيْكَ وَحَسِبْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ كَثِيرًا أَسْمَعُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ ذَهَبْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَدَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَخَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ