It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) walking in front of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu al-Darda'! Are you walking in front of a man than whom, after the prophets, the sun has not risen upon anyone better?" After that, Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) was never seen walking except behind Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
Imam al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "No one narrated this hadith from Ibn Jurayj (may Allah have mercy on him), from Ata (may Allah have mercy on him), from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with them both) except Isma'il bin Yahya (may Allah have mercy on him), and Ruwaym bin Yazid al-Muqri' (may Allah have mercy on him) is alone in narrating it.
Other narrators narrated it from Ibn Jurayj (may Allah have mercy on him), from Ata (may Allah have mercy on him), from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him)."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الأوسط / باب الميم / 7306
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف جدًّا، فيه إسماعيل بن يحيى التيمي كذاب
Hadith Takhrij«قال الهيثمي: فيه إسماعيل بن يحيى التيمي وهو كذاب «مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد، ج 9، ص 44»»