It is narrated from Abdu Khair Hamdani, he says: I heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he was seated on the pulpit and was saying: O people! Shall I not tell you who is the most virtuous in this Ummah after the Prophet? Then he mentioned the name of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he said: Shall I not tell you about the man who is second in rank in the Ummah after the Prophet? Then he himself mentioned the name of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). And then he said: If I wish, I can tell you about the man who is third in rank. Abdu Khair says that after saying this, he remained silent. We understood that he was referring to himself. I asked him, did you yourself hear the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying this? He said: Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah! If I did not hear it myself, may these ears of mine become deaf.

Abu Hujayfah, who used to be called Wahb al-Khayr by Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: O Abu Hujayfah! Shall I not tell you who is the most virtuous person in this Ummah after the Prophet? I said: Yes, please tell me. And I thought that after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there could be no one more virtuous than Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). But he said: After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the most virtuous in this Ummah is Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), after him Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and after them a third man, then he did not mention his name.

It is narrated from Wahb Suwai, he says: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon to us and asked: Who is the most virtuous in this Ummah after the Prophet? I replied: You yourself are, O Commander of the Faithful! But he said: No, in this Ummah, after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is the most virtuous, after him is Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and we do not consider it unlikely that tranquility and dignity speak upon the tongue of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that in virtue and rank, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is foremost among all. During his blessed lifetime, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) performed the duties of leading the prayer as his deputy, and the third rank is that of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). After them, we became entangled in tribulations, and Allah will forgive whomsoever He wills.

It is narrated from Awn bin Abi Juhaifah, who says: My father was among the special guards of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He was sitting near the pulpit. He related to me that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the pulpit, praised and glorified Allah Almighty, sent blessings upon the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and said: In this Ummah, after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and after him, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) are the most virtuous. Then he said: Allah sends goodness and blessings wherever He wills.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would come to the mosque, where all the Muhajirun and Ansar would be present. Except for Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), no one would raise his head towards him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would look towards both of them, and they would look towards him and smile.

It is narrated from Ibn Abi Hazim that a man came to Ali bin Husayn and asked: What was the status of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in the presence of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? He replied: (The status of these two personalities was) the same as they hold at this moment.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that an Ansari woman invited the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and prepared food. We were also with him. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "A man from Paradise is coming to you." Just then, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, and we congratulated him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "A man from Paradise is about to come to you." Just then, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, and we congratulated him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) again said: "A man from Paradise is coming to you." I saw that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said this and placed his head under the small date trees and said: "O Allah! If You will, let the one who comes be Ali." Just then, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived, and we congratulated him as well.

It is narrated from Abdur Rahman bin Ghanm Ash'ari that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): If in any consultation your opinions are united, I will not differ from your opinion.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: After me, follow Abu Bakr and Umar.