حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي حُسَيْنٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَقُولُ وُضِعَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَلَى سَرِيرِهِ فَتَكَنَّفَهُ النَّاسُ يَدْعُونَ وَيُصَلُّونَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ وَأَنَا فِيهِمْ فَلَمْ يَرُعْنِي إِلَّا رَجُلٌ قَدْ أَخَذَ بِمَنْكِبِي مِنْ وَرَائِي فَالْتَفَتُّ فَإِذَا هُوَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَتَرَحَّمَ عَلَى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ مَا خَلَّفْتَ أَحَدًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ مِنْكَ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُ لَأَظُنُّ لَيَجْعَلَنَّكَ اللَّهُ مَعَ صَاحِبَيْكَ وَذَلِكَ أَنِّي كُنْتُ أُكْثِرُ أَنْ أَسْمَعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ فَذَهَبْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَدَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَخَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَإِنْ كُنْتُ لَأَظُنُّ لَيَجْعَلَنَّكَ اللَّهُ مَعَهُمَا
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 898
It was narrated from Ibn Abu Mulaikah that he heard Ibn 'Abbas say: When 'Umar bin al-Khattab M was placed on his bier, the people gathered around him, praying and invoking blessings upon him before [the bier] was lifted up, and I was among them. No one alarmed me except a man who seized me by the shoulder from behind. I turned and saw that it was 'Ali bin Abi Talib (RA). He prayed for mercy for 'Umar (RA), then he said: You have not left behind anyone more dear to me, with the like of whose deeds I would hope to meet Allah, than you. By Allah, I think that Allah will most certainly join you to your two companions, and that is because I often heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "Abu Bakr, 'Umar and I went; Abu Bakr, 'Umar and I came in; Abu Bakr, 'Umar and I went out." So I think that Allah will most certainly join you to them.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020