مشكوة المصابيح
Mishkat al-Masabih
كتاب المناقب
The Book of Merits
(مَنْ هُوَ أَفْضَلُ الصَّحَابَةِ عِنْدَ حَضْرَةِ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ؟)
(Who is the most virtuous Companion in the view of Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him?)
Hadith 6024
وَعَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي: أَيُّ النَّاسِ خَيْرٌ بَعْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ قَالَ: أَبُو بَكْرٍ. قُلْتُ: ثُمَّ مَنْ؟ قَالَ: عُمَرُ. وَخَشِيتُ أَنْ يَقُولَ: عُثْمَانُ. قُلْتُ: ثُمَّ أَنْتَ قَالَ: «مَا أَنَا إِلَّا رجلٌ من الْمُسلمين» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ
Muhammad b. al-Hanafiya[*] told that when he asked his father which of the people after the Prophet was best, he replied that it was Abu Bakr. He asked who came next and he replied that it was `Umar. As he was afraid that he might mention `Uthman next he suggested that his father himself came next, but he replied, "I am only a man among the Muslims." *He was a son of Ali bin Abu Talib. Bukhari transmitted it.
