حَدَّثَنَا عَبْد اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنِي وَهْبُ بْنُ بَقِيَّةَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ يُونُسَ يَعْنِي الْيَمَامِيَّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ الْيَمَامِيِّ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ زَيْدِ بْنِ حَسَنٍ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَقْبَلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فَقَالَ يَا عَلِيُّ هَذَانِ سَيِّدَا كُهُولِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَشَبَابِهَا بَعْدَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 602
It was narrated from al-Hasan bin Zaid bin Hasan: My father told me, from his father, that 'Ali (RA) said: I was with the Prophet (PBUH) when Abu Bakr and 'Umar (RA) came and he said: "O 'Ali, these two are the leaders of the middle aged people of Paradise and its youth, after the Prophets and Messengers."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020