حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ وَابْنُ جَعْفَرٍ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا مِنْ أُمَّتِي لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 4354
It was narrated that 'Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: If I were to take a close friend from among my ummah I would have taken Abu Bakr as a close friend."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020