Question
Who is superior: Sayyidunā ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) or Sayyidunā ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه)?
Answer
According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah, Sayyidunā ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (رضي الله عنه) is superior to Sayyidunā ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه).
Undoubtedly, Sayyidunā ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) has immense virtues and merits. He was among the foremost believers, the fourth rightly guided caliph, and at the time of his passing (40 AH), he was the most virtuous person alive on earth. However, in order of preference, ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) is placed above him.
Evidence from the Companions
❀ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) said:
كنا نخير بين الناس فى زمن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فنخير أبا بكر، ثم عمر بن الخطاب، ثم عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنهم
“In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, we used to consider who among the people was the best. We considered Abū Bakr the best, then ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, then ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (رضي الله عنهم).”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3655)
❀ Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah asked his father ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):
أى الناس خير بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟ قال: أبو بكر، قلت: ثم من؟ قال: ثم عمر... قلت: ثم أنت؟ قال: ما أنا إلا رجل من المسلمين
“Who is the best person after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? He replied: Abū Bakr. I asked: Then who? He said: ʿUmar. I feared he would mention ʿUthmān, so I asked: Then is it you? He said: I am only a man among the Muslims.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3671; Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4629; Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 7/473; al-Sunnah by Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim 1204, 1206; al-Sharīʿah by al-Ājurrī 1866, 1869; al-Iʿtiqād by al-Bayhaqī 517 – authentic chain)
Statements of Scholars
❀ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله):
أفضل الناس بعد النبيين عليهم الصلاة والسلام أبو بكر... ثم عمر... ثم عثمان... ثم علي...
“The best of people after the Prophets are Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī (رضي الله عنهم).”
(al-Fiqh al-Akbar, p. 41)
❀ Imām Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn (رحمه الله, d. 233H):
خير هذه الأمة بعد نبيها أبو بكر ثم عمر ثم عثمان ثم علي، هذا قولنا وهذا مذهبنا
“The best of this Ummah after its Prophet are Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī. This is our statement and our madhhab.”
(Tārīkh Ibn Maʿīn 1620)
❀ Imām Abū Bakr Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim (رحمه الله, d. 287H):
أبو بكر الصديق أفضل أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بعده... ثم عمر... ثم عثمان... ثم علي...
“Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq is the best of the Companions after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. His khilāfah was upon the prophetic way. Then ʿUmar, then ʿUthmān, then ʿAlī (رضي الله عنهم), and their khilāfahs were also upon the prophetic way.”
(al-Sunnah 2/645)
Conclusion:The consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah is that the order of superiority among the Companions is:
① Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه)
② ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه)
③ ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه)
④ ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه)
