The merits of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، يَقُولُ وُضِعَ عُمَرُ عَلَى سَرِيرِهِ، فَتَكَنَّفَهُ النَّاسُ يَدْعُونَ وَيُصَلُّونَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ، وَأَنَا فِيهِمْ، فَلَمْ يَرُعْنِي إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ آخِذٌ مَنْكِبِي، فَإِذَا عَلِيٌّ فَتَرَحَّمَ عَلَى عُمَرَ، وَقَالَ مَا خَلَّفْتَ أَحَدًا أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ مِنْكَ، وَايْمُ اللَّهِ، إِنْ كُنْتُ لأَظُنُّ أَنْ يَجْعَلَكَ اللَّهُ مَعَ صَاحِبَيْكَ، وَحَسِبْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ كَثِيرًا أَسْمَعُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ذَهَبْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، وَدَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، وَخَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: When (the dead body of) `Umar was put on his deathbed, the people gathered around him and invoked (Allah) and prayed for him before the body was taken away, and I was amongst them. Suddenly I felt somebody taking hold of my shoulder and found out that he was `Ali bin Abi Talib. `Ali invoked Allah's Mercy for `Umar and said, "O `Umar! You have not left behind you a person whose deeds I like to imitate and meet Allah with more than I like your deeds. By Allah! I always thought that Allah would keep you with your two companions, for very often I used to hear the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, 'I, Abu Bakr and `Umar went (somewhere); I, Abu Bakr and `Umar entered (somewhere); and I, Abu Bakr and `Umar went out."'