‘Ali  (رضي الله عنه) said on the pulpit in Kufa and a large crowd had heard it. ‘Ali  (رضي الله عنه) had said:

After the death of  Allah’s Messenger  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) we have to come to know that Abu Bakr  (رضي الله عنه) is the best amongst us all, and after the death of Abu Bakr  (رضي الله عنه) we have to come to know that ‘Umar  (رضي الله عنه) is the best amongst us.

[As Sunnah of Ibn Abi 'Aasim]

 ”Those who came after them (the Sahabah) say: ‘Our Lord forgive us. Forgive our brethren who preceded us in faith. Purify our hearts of any rancor toward the believers. Our Lord, You are Gentle, Compassionate.”

(al-Hashr 59/l0)

Obey the saying of the Prophet  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) :

“Do not revile my companions (رضي الله عنهم). By (Allah) in Whose Hand my soul is!, if any one of you spends gold (piled up) like (mount) ‘Uhud it will not equal a pint of any one of them, nor its half.”

(al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu-Dawud, at-Tirmidhi Ibn Majah, Ibn Hanbal)

(The people of the Sunnah) accept what the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus brought them of the Sahabah’s (رضي الله عنهم) virtues and high ranks; So they prefer those who spent (their wealth) and fought before the victory -which is the treaty of al-Hudaybiyah – over those who spent and fought after it. They prefer the Muhajirun (رضي الله عنهم) (Immigrants) over the Ansar (رضي الله عنهم) (Helpers). They believe that Allah said to the people of Badr – they were over three hundred-: “Do whatever you wish, I have already forgiven you.” (Abu Dawud)

And “they believe that no one who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) under the tree will enter Hell” (Muslim), as the Prophet  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had declared; but that Allah was pleased with them and they with Him – and they were more than one thousand and four hundred.

They assign to Paradise whoever the Messenger  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of Allah  assigned there such as the ten, and Thabit Ibn Qays Ibn Shammas (رضي الله عنه), and others of amongst the Sahabah (رضي الله عنهم).

They accept what has been reported continuously from the Prince of the Believers, ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه), and from others, that the best men of this ‘Ummah after its Prophet  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) are: Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه); then ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه); third, ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه), and fourth, ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه). All Traditions have indicated, and all Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them all) have agreed upon giving priority to ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه) out of regard for his allegiance (al-Bai’ah), although some of the people of the Sunnah are disputing over whether ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه) or ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) has the priority, after they (the people of the Sunnah) had agreed upon giving priority to Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) and ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه). Some people gave the priority to ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه) and kept silent and considered ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) to be the fourth. However, some people preferred ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه). And some remained neutral. But the people of the Sunnah settled on preferring ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه), even though this matter – the matter of ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه) and ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) – is not of the fundamentals. The majority of the people of the Sunnah do not consider disagreeing in this matter as being misled. Rather, it is in the matter of the “Question of the Caliphate” where they consider the disagreeing person to be misled.

Ahl as-Sunnah believe that the Caliph after the Messenger of Allah  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه); then ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه); then ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه), then ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه), and that whoever contests the Caliphate of any one of these Imams is indeed more lost than an ass.

[Aqidah al wasitiyah]

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

‘Aishah (رضي الله عنها)  has superiority over all other women in the same way as Thareed has superiority over all other foods.

[Sahih Bukhari]

Abu Huraira  (رضي الله عنه) reported: We were sitting in the company of Allah’s Apostle (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when Sura al−Jumu’a was revealed to him and when he recited (these words):” Others from amongst them who have not yet joined them,” a person amongst them (those who were sitting there) said: Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)! who are they?  But Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) made no reply, until he questioned him once, twice or thrice. And there was amongst us Salman the Persian  (رضي الله عنه). The Apostle of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) placed his hand on Salman  (رضي الله عنه) and then said: Even if faith were near the Pleiades, a man from amongst these would surely find it.

[Sahih Muslim]

أخرج الطبراني عن أسماء بنت أبي بكر قالت: لما كان يوم الفتح قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لأبي قُحافة: «أسلم تسلم». قال الهيثمي : رجاله رجال الصحيح. انتهى.

Asma bint Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنها) narrated that Rasulullah  (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked Abu Qahafah (رضي الله عنه) on the day of victory (of Makkah):

Accept Islam and you will be saved (from calamities).

[Tabarani and Haythami said the narrators are authentic]

وعند ابن سعد : عن أسماء قالت: لما دخل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مكة واطمأنَّ وجلس في المسجد أتاه أبو بكر بأبي قحافة، فلما رآه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «يا أبا بكر، ألا تركتَ الشيخ حتى أكون أنا الذي أمشي إليه؟» قال يا رسول الله، هو أحقُّ أن يمشي إِليك من أن تمشي إليه. فأجلسه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بين يديه ووضع يده على قلبه ثم قال: «يا أبا قحافة، أسلم تسلم»؛ قال: فأسلم وشهد شهادة الحق

According to Ibn S’ad, Asma (رضي الله عنها) narrated:

When Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) entered Makkah and he sat down comfortably in the Mosque (ie Masjid al Haram), Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه)  came to him with (his father) Abu Qahafah (رضي الله عنه). On seeing him, the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of Allah remarked, “Why did you give trouble to the old man, I would have visited him?” Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه)  said,”O Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of Allah! This was his duty to visit you than you visit him.” Then the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of Allah let Abu Qahafah (رضي الله عنه) sit down in front of him and after keeping his hand upon his heart, he said, “O Abu Qahafah(رضي الله عنه) ! Accept Islam and you will be saved (from the calamities).” On this, he embraced islam and bore witness to the truth (ie recited the kalimah).

قال: وأُدخل عليه ورأسه لحيته كأنَّهما ثُغامة، فقالت: غيِّروا هذا الشيب وجنِّبوه السواد

It has been narrated that when Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) brought Abu Qahafah (رضي الله عنه) , the hair of his (Abu Qahafah) head and chest were white like white grass. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)  said, “Change the whiteness of the hair but not with black dye.”

[Al Haythami]

Shaddad Ibn Aws (رضي الله عنه) said:

O Arabs, O Arabs! The thing I fear most for you is showing off (riya’) and hidden desires.

[Al 'Uboodiyah by Ibn Taymiyyah]

Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

“I entered Paradise, and heard footsteps.
So I said, ‘Who is this?’ and they told me, ‘It is al-Ghumaysa’ (رضي الله عنها), the daughter of Milhan, the mother of Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) (Umm Sulaym (رضي الله عنها)).”

[Sahih Muslim]

It was reported in al -musnad that if Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) dropped his whip (while riding), he would not ask anyone to hand it to him but he would say, “My close friend (Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) )  commanded me not to ask people for anything.”

[Al 'Uboodiyah by Ibn Taymiyyah]