It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Who is the most beloved of people to you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Aishah." It was said: We do not mean your family. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then Abu Bakr." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it, and it has another sahih chain on the condition of them both, by which this hadith is known:

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me as commander over an army that included Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). When I returned, I said: O Messenger of Allah! Who is the most beloved of people to you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Why do you want to ask that?" I said: O Messenger of Allah! I want to know it. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Aishah." I said: I mean among the men. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Her father (Abu Bakr)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that when he returned from the expedition of Dhat al-Salasil, he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! Who is the most beloved of people to you? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Aishah." He said: I am asking about the men. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Her father (Abu Bakr)."

It is narrated from Amir al-Sha'bi that he said: A man came to me and said: "All the Mothers of the Believers are more beloved to me than Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her)." I said: "As for you, you have gone against the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), for Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the most beloved of them all to him (peace and blessings be upon him)."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Which of your wives will be in Paradise?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, you are certainly among them." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The thought came to my mind that this was because he (peace and blessings be upon him) had not married any virgin other than me." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Masruq that Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I saw myself in a dream on a hill, with cows being slaughtered around me." I said to her: "If your dream is true, there will be a bloody battle around you." She said: "I seek refuge with Allah from your evil! What an evil thing you have said!" I said to her: "Perhaps, if such a matter did happen, they would show you regard and respect?" She said: "By Allah! Falling from the sky is more beloved to me than doing that." Later, when it was mentioned in her presence that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had killed Dhu al-Thudayyah (the Kharijite), she said to me: "When you go to Kufah, write down for me the names of people who witnessed that event, from among the people of the city whom you know." When I arrived there, I found the people divided into various factions, so I wrote down from each faction ten people who had witnessed it. Masruq said: I came to her with their testimonies, and she said: "May Allah Almighty curse Amr bin al-As, for he claimed to me that he had killed him in Egypt." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.