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.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
tabarani:177 – al-ʿAbbās b. al-Faḍl al-Asfāṭī > Mūsá b. Ismāʿīl > Ḥammād b. Salamah > ʿAlī b. al-Ḥakam > Abū ʿUthmān > Abū Mūsá > ʿAlī > Alā

[Machine] "Shall I not inform you of the good of this nation after its Prophet ﷺ ?" They said, "Yes." He said, "Abu Bakr." Then he said, "Shall I not inform you of the good of this nation after Abu Bakr?" They said, "Yes." He said, "Umar, and if I wanted, I would inform you about the third."  

الطبراني:١٧٧ – حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ الْأَسْفَاطِيُّ ثنا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ثنا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى أَنَّ عَلِيًّا ؓ قَالَ

«أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا ﷺ؟» قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ «أَبُو بَكْرٍ ؓ» ثُمَّ قَالَ «أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ؟» قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ «عُمَرُ وَلَوْ شِئْتُ لَأَخْبَرْتُكُمْ بِالثَّالِثِ»  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad
ahmad:833 – [Chain 1] ʿAbdullāh > Ṣāliḥ b. ʿAbdullāh al-Tirmidhī > Ḥammād > ʿĀṣim [Chain 2] ʿUbaydullāh al-Qawārīrī > Ḥammād

I heard ‘Ali ؓ say: Shall I not tell you of the best of this ummah after its Prophet ﷺ? [It is] Abu Bakr. Then he said: Shall I not tell you of the best of this ummah after Abu Bakr? [It is] ‘Umar ؓ .  

أحمد:٨٣٣ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنِي صَالِحُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ التِّرْمِذِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللهِ الْقَوَارِيرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ قَالَ الْقَوَارِيرِيُّ فِي حَدِيثِهِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ أَبِي النَّجُودِ عَنْ زِرٍّ يَعْنِي ابْنَ حُبَيْشٍ عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا يَقُولُ أَلا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا؟ أَبُو بَكْرٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عُمَرُ  

ahmad:836 – ʿAbdullāh > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Sharīk > Abū Isḥāq > Abū Juḥayfah

ʿAli ؓ said: The best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, and after Abu Bakr it is ‘Umar ؓ , and if I wanted to tell you of the third one, I could do so.  

أحمد:٨٣٦ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكٌ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ قَالَ قَالَ

عَلِيٌّ خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَبَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عُمَرُ وَلَوْ شِئْتُ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ بِالثَّالِثِ لَفَعَلْتُ  

ahmad:871 – ʿAbdullāh > Muḥammad b. Sulaymān Lūwayn > Ḥammād b. Zayd > ʿĀṣim > Zir > Abū Juḥayfah > Khaṭabanā ʿAlī

‘Ali ؓ addressed us and said: Shall I not tell you of the best of this ummah after its Prophet? [It is] Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq. Then he said: Shall I not tell you of the best of this ummah after its Prophet ﷺ and after Abu Bakr? He Said: [lt is] ʻUmar.  

أحمد:٨٧١ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ لُوَيْنٌ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ عَنْ زِرٍّ عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ قَالَ خَطَبَنَا عَلِيٌّ فَقَالَ

أَلا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا؟ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا وَبَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ؟ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ