عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: «كُنَّا فِي زَمَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نُخَيِّرُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، ثُمَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، ثُمَّ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ، ثُمَّ نَتْرُكُ أَصْحَابَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لَا نُفَاضِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ». [صحيح البخاري] [...] قُلْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَأَنَا فِي الْغَارِ: «لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ نَظَرَ تَحْتَ قَدَمَيْهِ لَأَبْصَرَنَا». فَقَالَ: «يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، مَا ظَنُّكَ بِاثْنَيْنِ اللهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا؟». [البخاري ومسلم] [...] قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: «لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا، وَلَكِنَّهُ أَخِي وَصَاحِبِي». [البخاري ومسلم]

A--- Narrated Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them): "During the lifetime of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) we considered Abu Bakr as peerless and then`Umar and then' Uthman (coming next to him in superiority) and then we used not to differentiate between the companions of the Prophet.”(Sahih Al-Bukhari) him): "I said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) while I was in the Cave. "If any of them should look under his feet, he would see us. "He said: "O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two (persons) the third of whom is Allah?" (Bukhari and Muslim) him): The Prophet (Peace be upon him) says: "If I were to take a Khalil, I would have taken Abu Bakr, but he is my brother and my companion (in Islam)." (Bukhari and Muslim)