حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ ابْنِ أَبِي خَالِدٍ ح و حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ عَنْ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا وَلَوْ شِئْتُ لَحَدَّثْتُكُمْ بِالثَّالِثِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 880
It was narrated from Abu Juhaifah: I heard 'Ali (RA) say: The best of this ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and 'Umar (RA), and if I wanted, I could tell you of the third one.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020